Magical Teacher Professor Landry! - Episode 4: The Lady in White

[Teal Mage]

((OoC: Continuing Sao's scene, since the other's still need player input or have concluded already. Will make a new thread once these scenes end.))

Across the stone table, Willow offered a soft smile in return. The red skinned woman pushed herself to her feet a moment later. Delicately, she deposited her own, empty, to the table as well. "As you say." She offered softly, before turning to the north-east. "I will go prepare the ritual at the Forest's Heart." Willow glanced momentarily over her shoulder, toward Sao. "The spell, as I said, takes only a moment - but some preparation is required." She shrugged dismissively, before turning forward again.

Her moccasin clad feet moved soundlessly over the moss covered ground below, as she went on. "I will come collect you in an hour's time."

Suddenly, her steps slowed and the elder spirit came to a stop, just beyond the first set of trees ringing their small tea party. Her eyes returned to Sao, and a wry smile appeared on her lips. "Unless you would prefer I escort you to the campus first. It would be much faster than walking on your own."

It would take Sao a little more than an hour to return to the school, after all. Unless she had business in the forest, it would probably be wise to accept the invitation.

[Riin Whitewind]

"An hour is not so long. I would prefer to stay here." Rising to her feet, Sao brushed imaginary dust off her skirt to hide a twinge of surprise. I didn't think it would happen so soon, I thought it would take more time... The short garment fell into neat pleats, revealing the pattern: a pair of golden suns on a dark green background. She smiled toward her elder cousin. "I don't think Kohana will mind my presence while I wait."

As Willow faded into the trees, Sao adjusted her shirt and ran a hand through her bristly black hair. Had to look presentable in front of sir Akecheta. Even ignoring how he looked without a shirt, if she was going to entreat him for help it would be best not to look slovenly. Yeah. We'll go with that.

Intruding on the adorable puppy scene, the undine waved at the pair from the edge of the pool. Steam drifted around her in lazy spirals, welcoming her in their own way. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she began cheerfully, "don't mind me, I -" Her skin crawled as purple eyes assessed her. Her gaze drifted uncomfortably from Kohana's eyes to the kneeling figure at his side. It's not his fault. Keeping that firmly in mind, Sao put on a smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met." Stepping forward, the swimmer extended her hand. "My name is Sao, what's yours?"

[SinrXIII]

Hie grunted, before turning around to face her cousin. She crossed her arms, shooting him an annoyed look. "Fine then, if you're gonna be a grump." She 'hmphed' then spun on her heel, turning back in the direction of the school. "I'm gonna bounce."

She glanced back over her shoulder and winked a Sieg. "See ya round bait." Giggling to herself, she took off at a light run, vanishing between the chaotically placed trees of Ansidor's old growth forest.

After a few moments, Sieg stepped out from behind Kohana. The violet eyed youth breathed a sigh, visibly relieved. Suddenly at his feet, Kohana’s puppy barked up at him, tail wagging rapidly. Chuckling softly, Sieg knelt down and ruffled the thing’s head fur – to its obvious pleasure.

They were alone.

Kohana let out a sigh, grumbling as he watched Hie leave. The wolf-eared shaman shook his head, smiling faintly as Sieg gave Puppy attention. Padding across the forest floor, Koh knelt by the steamy pool he'd been relaxing in all day, retrieving the holsters for his axes. Strapping them to his legs, he tucked the axes inside their homes and stood again.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she began cheerfully, "don't mind me, I -" Her skin crawled as purple eyes assessed her. Her gaze drifted uncomfortably from Kohana's eyes to the kneeling figure at his side. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met." Stepping forward, the swimmer extended her hand. "My name is Sao, what's yours?"

Koh looked up from the hotspring, head tilted to the side. Understanding blossomed; he pushed the fading haze of his herbs out of mind and bowed his head.

"Of course not, Honored Spirit. You're not interrupting anything." He stood slowly, offering a polite bow. "I was simply meditating, and Sieg was keeping me company." Koh chuckled, watching the caramel-haired youth and Puppy. Shaking his head, he turned back to Sao and smiled brightly, hands moving to button his shirt up. He ran a hand through his hair quickly, silently cursing himself for being snuck up on twice in such a short amount of time.

Satisfied with his appearance, he brushed the front of his shirt off and bowed his head again.

"What can this shaman of the Wolf do for you?"

[Riin Whitewind]

"...ah, hello. My name is Sieg, Miss Spirit -"

"Of course not, Honored Spirit. You're not interrupting anything." Kohana cut in, dipping smoothly into a bow. Sao's hand remained extended for an awkward moment.

"I was simply meditating, and Sieg was keeping me company." Koh laughed, eyes on Seig. Slowly, Sao retracted her hand. She smiled at the youth, nodding her understanding.

Shaking his head, Kohana turned back to Sao and beamed, buttoning up his shirt. "What can this shaman of the Wolf do for you?"

"So polite!" The undine stepped out of her slippers, pushing them to the side with a tanned foot. Sitting on the edge of the pool, she rested her legs in the steaming water, carefully keeping her skirt above the waterline. A beatific smile creased her face. Finally, some peace.

"I would ask a boon of you, Shaman." Her expression suddenly serious, Sao folded her hands together. "On the night of All Hallows, I will be attempting a ritual on behalf of our classmate, Diana Tear. ... As you may already know, she is afflicted with a great curse, and I believe this ritual will excise it from her."

"The ritual will not be dangerous in itself - however the location, and the nature of All Hallows will almost certainly be. I would ask your aid, to defend myself, Diana, and perhaps a few others on that night." Steam wreathed the trio, thick white clouds of it. Sao paused briefly, considering who else she could ask. She bowed her head, pressing her palms together in entreaty.

"In return, you would have not only my gratitude, but also any boon that is within my power to grant."

[Girasol of Chaos]

Startled by the sudden offense, the oni shrugged. "I suppose you met my doppelganger then. Let me know when you see her again." It was time to end the conversation, it would go no further. Picking up her tray to return it, Chou's eyes scanned the room with suspicion, "However Miss Adeline, I do think you should be cautious when stumbling headstrong into a situation you can't handle." Focusing back on the brunette she smiled weakly and azure eyes shone with concern. Vivid memories of the panic-filled soul in her nightmare, and how it ended the girl before her, were playing in the back of her mind.

"Acting on instinct can pit you into a trap." Hoping the girl didn't take too much offense to her advice, the normally timid ogre scooped up Adeline's empty tray. A more serious tone trickled into Chou's voice as she focused on the flustered face before her. "It may get you killed."

Deciding she had spoken enough to Adeline the tall girl deposited their trays and left the cafeteria, feeling the need to explore the school grounds now that she had the time. She needed time to think.

[Arhra]

As Diana negotiated an exclusive interview with the redoubtable Jackson Hall, she found her exclusivity coming under immediate attack.

"Well!" Di's arch rival and fellow director Alex Darrow called from her right, approaching with camera in hand. "There you have it, folks!" "This is irrefutable proof that the, so-called 'Great Director Diana Tear', relies on coercion, blackmail and her deceptively innocent charms to trap unsuspecting victims into invasive interviews!"

"Diana!" Alex said, waggling his fing in admonishment. "No, means no! Or haven’t you seen the posters all over the school? A true Professional never forces herself on a camera-shy youth!"

He swung the camera back onto his face, pulling his shades down and winking into ir. "But, we already know she's no Professional. Ain't that right, fans?"

Di bristled. "You know, Alex, it's been so long since you last tried slandering my name that I was beginning to think Amaranth Administration had realised their mistake letting you in here. Are you just here to annoy me now? Because I have better things to do than trade insults with a man who doesn't know his lenses well enough to tell a camera from a contact."

Jack decided discretion was the better part of valour and began quietly sidestepping toward the stairs.

There was a pale girl blocking his escape, her drift fractionally adjusting toward him as she moved from the stairs. Jo was back in jeans and her pale grey hoodie. The hood was raised, her hands clapsed together in its muff. The pallid tail of her braid snaked out of the opening in her cowl, within shadow haunted eyes met Jack's for a moment and then slid past him.

Alex winced at Di's response then buried his nose in his wrist. "Jesus Diana, did you forget to put deodorant on today or something? You reek!" Backing off another few paces, he coughed.

Jo shouldered past Jack.

"W-worse than usual, I mean." Alex said to Di with a nervous chuckle. "You really should shower daily, you know!" His forced smile was a flash from a strobe light, leaving after images drifting in the retinas of his watchers.

Jo just looked at him with unblinking eyes. "Are you finished invading with this interview of yours?" Jo asked him with brittle politeness, dark gaze bearing a blankness that denied his existence. Turning away from him, a half turn towards Di and Jack, she raked her hood down with the hooked fingers of her right hand.

She turned her head, giving Alex an aside glare. "Your questions leave something to be desired." she said, baring white teeth in a wolf's grin. "Perhaps you should come back when you have something worthwhile to say."

[Steel Shadow]

Diana blinked as Alex reeled back. Has she finally managed to get through to him? Normally a confrontation between the two of them would only end in a shouting match. Maybe things had changed? Could the new environment have had an effect? Had the loud mouth had actually matured? It was unlikely, but maybe this time the rivals could walk away without things getting to-

Alex's camera lost sight of her once again.

-Kill Rage Hate Die Alex Die

"Jesus Diana, did you forget to put deodorant on today or something? You reek! W-worse than usual, I mean. You really should shower daily, you know!"

Hate Smash Die Punch His Pretty Face In Die Die D- Wait, what?

The unexpectedness of Alex's reaction momentarily derailed Diana's righteous fury. She stared at him, mouth slightly agape as her mental wheels spun frantically, trying to regain traction.

It was about then that a new actor arrived on the scene.

"Are you finished invading with this interview of yours?" Jo asked, appearing from Diana's left, pulling down her hood. "Your questions leave something to be desired. Perhaps you should come back when you have something worthwhile to say."

"Uh..." The Director in training (female variant)'s mind latched onto the prospect of an ally and ran with it. "Right! Yeah, what she said." She paused, then quickly added, "Or just... Don't come back at all. That's fine too."

There was a longer pause. "And I do shower, you perv," she muttered, folding her arms and valiantly attempting to look like she wasn't sniffing the air.

[Teal Mage]

Hot water cradled Sao's legs as they dangled submerged to the hem of her skirt in the hotspring below. Hands folded in her lap and expression serious, the dark haired Undine regarded Kohana with her brilliant eyes. Nearby, Sieg had uncoiled to his full height and was watching Sao, a faint frown on his face. At his feet, Kohana's wolf cub sat on his hunches, tail wagging excitedly. By the way his gaze bounced between speakers, he appeared to be listening.

"…on the night of All Hallows," Sao continued, "I will be attempting a ritual on behalf of our classmate, Diana Tear." There was a short pause, as something unreadable flashed across the girl's face. She continued without prompting, though. "...as you may already know, she is afflicted with a great curse, and I believe this ritual will exercise it from her."

"The ritual will not be dangerous in itself - however the location, and the nature of All Hallows will almost certainly be. I would ask your aid, to defend myself, Diana, and perhaps a few others on that night." The girl paused yet again, before shifting her stance and bowing her head toward Kohana. She pressed her palms together in entreaty. "In return," Sao concluded, sincerely, "you would have not only my gratitude, but also any boon that is within my power to grant."

"…excuse me, Miss Sao?" Sieg spoke up, one hand raised nervously, or protectively, before his chest. Around his slim frame, red wisps of energy flickered and danced – as they had since Sao had first laid eyes on him. The youth had some sort of spell active. "I…well – the Spirits that is – they…" He stuttered before falling silent. His face was bright red. Sieglind sighed.

"I…don't know why." He began again, eyes fixed on the ground below, as he lowered his hand, to grasp his opposite forearm. Sieg gulped, "But…the spirits are saying whatever you're planning is..." Momentarily, his violet eyes rose, to fix Sao in their inhumanly beautiful depths, "...dangerous."

His gaze suddenly snapped down again, as if he'd been slapped. "...don't know why, but I don't think you should do it." Sieg added, mumbling softly.

* * *

"Are you finished invading with this interview of yours?"

Face shadowed within the pale grey cowl of her hoodie, Johanna now stood a handful of paces to Alex and Diana's west – forming a rough triangle. Her dispassionate gaze did not linger on Alex for long – she quickly turned away, shifting her gaze toward Diana and Jack. Jo's expression was unreadable.

Alex stared at her back for a moment, before grinning. Yellow energy crackled around his body and he chuckled. Idly, the young director raised a hand to his sunglasses, straightening them. The dark tinted lenses glinted brightly in the sunlight.

"No." Silver flashed, as Alex suddenly repositioned the camera – to film another shot of his face. "Well, well fans! A mysterious hooded stranger has come to the aide of the helpless – and unwashed – Diana Tear! Is she a love interest? A concerned well-wisher, or just a vampire!?"

The camera swung around, catching both Alex and Jo in its lens. Green sparkles and magical power flared around him, as the dark clothed director dramatically thrust his finger at Jo's back. "These are vital questions! The viewers have a right to know! I demand to know your name and affiliation with Diana Tear!"

"Your questions," Jo raised one of her white hands. In a curt movement, she snapped her hood down, before fixing Alex with a sidelong glare. "Leave something to be desired." A smile, brilliant, white and a hint feral, spread over her face. "Perhaps you should come back when you have something worthwhile to say."

Alex laughed.

"Uh…right!" Diana suddenly cut in, drawing the lens of Alex's camera upon her again. Her aura flared black, as the scent of rot, death and decay suddenly surged outward. Alex flinched visibly. "Get lost Darrow! Jo's my classmate and my interview!" Guided by her own aura, Diana's hand flashed through her dark red hair, spraying out glittering dark sparkles. Her smile was as dazzling as her rival's magically augmented ones. "And I'll have you know I shower daily."

Alex's own aura flickered intensely in response. The camera repositioned itself to catch both him, and Diana, in its view. "And you still reek! Damn Di –"

"Smell?" Jay called out, cutting Alex off as he sashayed in from the east. He sniffed before crossing his arms. "I don't smell anything."

Alex gave him a critical look-over, before a sardonic chuckle escaped his lips. Disinterestedly, he swung the camera toward Jay. "See fans?" He observed, "That is a fitting defender for someone like Diana Tear." His tone made it clear that it was not a compliment.

"You know," Jay shot back, aura flickering darkly around his shoulders. "There is a place for the media sorts who spread false rumours for the sake of publicity, right next to the guys who write stories about bigfoot marrying the Loch Ness monster."

With the camera on his face again, Alex lowered his sunglasses and winked conspiratorially into it. "That's right fans, I'm going straight to the top of the world!" He smirked before rounding the camera on Jay. "Not that I'd expect someone of your quality to understand." Around his frame, green magical power rolled and crackled, filling the air with sparkles. An inner-warm seemed to have suffused his skin, giving his features a crisp, yet airbrushed quality. His hair glittered dazzlingly in the noon-light, and clothes clung just right, betraying surprising muscle definition.

In that moment, most woman, and many men, would agree, Alex Darrow was dreamy.

Lightning quick, Jay changed tactics. "Diana might be a bit forceful with her interviewing style but at least I know when I read her stuff it is true." He crossed his arms, sniffing again in dismissal. "Who could trust a story covered by you?"

The camera returned was on Alex's face again. This time, he just winked.

[Bard The 5th LW]

As Jay moved forward to involve himself in the confrontation, Sean took some slow steps forward to get a chance to hear it better. Trying to juggle an impartial distance with his eavesdropping, he only caught scattered bits of what was being said.

"...a love interest? A concerned well-wisher, or just a vampire!?"

"...my classmate and my interview!"

"And you still reek! Damn Di –"

"I don't smell anything."

"Not that I'd expect someone of your quality..."

It sounded like his classmates were engaged in an argument with this ridiculously handsome stranger. Not that Sean was paying attention to his handsomeness or anything... whatever, the guy was using magic, that was cheating. Perhaps Sean could speed the conflict along. Moving from his eavesdropping vantage point, he moved forward upon the group, taking a strolling pace as he came up from behind Alex.

"Hey there," he said as he approached. He casually tapped Alex's shoulder as he spoke, "buddy, sorry for interrupting, but you mind just backing off for a moment or so? I kind of want a word with some of my classmates here and I'm not so sure if they want to keep on talking to you." He put on the friendliest smile he could as he leveled his eyes at the ridiculously handsome jerk of a director.

[Teal Mage]

Sunglasses lowered, the extremely hunky Alex Darrow winked one sparkling green eye into the lens of his camera. A bright corona of yellow magic crackled and sparked around his slim form, drawing on the collective emotions that swirled out from Jay and Johanna. Not the best I've had. He reflected, as he readjusted his glasses to hide his eyes, a smirk appearing on his face, But I bet I -

Someone poked his shoulder.

"Hey there, buddy." A pale skinned young man with a buzz cut had appeared behind him. Behind his sunglasses, Alex's eyes flickered swiftly over the new-comer, appraising him with expert skill. The camera in his hand panned ever-so-slightly, trapping Sean in its digital gaze. "Sorry for interrupting," He offered politely, withdrawing his hand, "but you mind just backing off for a moment or so? I kind of want a word with some of my classmates here and I'm not so sure if they want to keep on talking to you."

The newcomer offered a friendly smile, as he fell silent.

Behind his sunglasses, Alex's eyes flickered to the west. After a moment, a bright smile blossomed on his own face - made all the more dazzling by his magical aura. "Sure, buddy." He patted Sean on the shoulder, before slipped past him, and away from the small gathering. Alex waved cheerfully to Diana over his shoulder, before darting away.

Jackson Hall had been cut off from the herd like an injured gazelle. And, like a mighty mountain lion, Alex Darrow meant to pounce.

* * *

"Oh Jack~!" He called, catching up to the skinny and dark haired boy - before tapping his shoulder (and getting a hand on him, to stop further escape attempts). Around his slim form, the yellow energy of his magic was fading - but enough remained to make his Alex's smile far more charming than it had right to be. "It's getting pretty crowded out here, eh?" With his free hand, he lowered his sunglasses, revealing a crystalline green eye. "Wanna come back to my dorm for," He winked mischievously, "a private chat?"

He was going to steal Diana's interview!