[center]Day 2: Afternoon[/center]
                                                 [center]Class is Now in Session[/center]
                                 [center]Contributors: Themerlinhawk, Wind Wild, Yoshua171 & Grin[/center]


The class was listed as Magical Theories and Applications. While Lazarus was a bit sceptical of the students qualifications he was fairly sure they could at the very least PASS. Well, the in class part. The lab that was attached was a different story altogether. Lazarus had done some redecorating for the classroom. He’d stripped most of the decour and laid slab stone in the class. His desk sat in the front of the class off to the left of a massive chalk board. He’d changed the lighting scheme so he could manipulate the level of light in the room as necessary. 

The desks were now a plastic composite that was resistant to fire and a variety of other destructive forces. Lazarus had designed the material himself early in his alchemy career in order to make his work spaces more resistant to the destructive nature of his work. He’d also added a projector for his various slideshows. Lazarus was currently perched on the front of his desk feet dangling off of the desk, barely brushing the floor. 

Leaning up against the desk was Dracul. He’d opted to bring the sword as, regardless of other factors, it was great battery for some of the more potent spells he planned on demonstrating. The desk also featured a fire extinguisher and a rather large first aid kit. It was a joke really as Lazarus could handle most of the potential problems with his own magic but it certainly made a statement about the class. Lazarus grinned as he thought about the faces of his students the first time he blew something up. 

Tapping his heel on the front of the desk he waited for his students. Only a few minutes to the bell. This was going to be fun, it had been too long since he’d taught a class.


Having slept before night fell, Timore had then been out for the last five or so hours, some of the time spent playing his instrument, the rest of it spent dealing with private matters. He preferred not to think on it, despite the giddy feeling that grew in his stomach when he did. Putting it out of mind, Timore made his way through the halls of the Academy, trudging towards his first class of the day. He was curious about magic and its uses, so this would be quite a treat he imagined.

Then again, he’d heard odd things about the teacher, nonetheless he couldn’t be terribly strange...right? Perhaps not, after all he couldn’t even call himself normal, even though he did his best to feign such.

Moving his wrist so as to spin the bracelet upon it, he was checking as to whether or not his instrument, Metentis, was awake. There was no response. No green glow, no whistling, and not a single word in his mind. [I]Good,[/I] he thought to himself as he reached the door which would lead him into his first class of the year.

Taking in a deep breath and donning a smile, the boy entered the classroom, waving slightly to the teacher, who if he recalled properly went by the name...Lazarus. Strange name, then again he couldn’t really talk, could he. [B]”Morning,”[/B] he greeted cheerfully, glancing between the desks in an effort to decide where he wanted to sit.

Lazarus grinned like a maniac, the first one was always interesting. Where they sat always seemed to influence the pattern of seats for the rest of the class. “Good Morning Timore” He shamelessly skimmed the students mind. Not that he needed to his memory was eidetic so after memorizing the class list he was almost certain he could put names to faces long before they’d ever speak their names in his class. “If you’re not one for fire, you’re welcome to the seats at the back, if you don’t mind having your eyebrows sizzled but you want to see what’s going on you’re welcome to sit up here.” With that Lazarus continued to tap his foot on the desk as he leaned back and propped himself on his hands. 

“I’M HERE!!” Iris jolted into the room, her body wiggling into her desk. A smug grin lay on her lips until her eyes widened in terror. “Oh wait, AH! I FORGOT MY STUFF!! I’ll be right back!” As iris got up her knee smacked into her desk and she toppled over. “Ow, ow..” She curled her lip, took a deep breath, then shot a look at Timore, her body still sprawled on the floor. “Hey, can you save my seat, pleeeassseee?” Iris fixed her face into a well practiced pout, as if she shapeshifted into a puppy. 

Sam had chosen that moment to walk in. Her huge over-ear headphones were booming some indistinct bass and she didn’t bother taking them off as she approached the first desk. Taking in the sight she rose her eyebrows and muttered “Guys who hit girls outside the ring are the worst.” before shamelessly kicking Timore’s shin. Rather pleased with herself, she took a seat on the desk right in front of Lazarus’ and took the headphones off, but didn’t actually stop the music which spilled toxic tunes into the classroom.

Iris blinked, admiring her attitude, before looking back up to Timore, not waiting for a reply. “Thanks!!” And with that she bolted out the door. 

A bit stunned, Timore almost laughed at the girl’s clumsiness, but instead stifled the laughter and opened his mouth to reply. Then another girl entered the room, made an offhand comment, and kicked him in the shin, causing him to wince and then shoot a glare at the headphone wearing girl. Before he was able to reign himself in Iris had flashed out of the room, having thanked him despite him never answering.

It was a good thing he didn’t like holding grudges too much. This other girl was another matter though and so he moved towards her, intending to watch over Iris’ desk and confront the girl all at once. However, before he could open his mouth, after he’d approached her, his bracelet [I]slithered[/I] from his wrist and plopped onto the top of Sam’s desk, snapping at her violently, but not actually making contact.

It was a flute stylized as an ornate snake, and it was angry. [b][i]"I ssshould ssssnap youuu,"[/i][/b] the serpent hissed in its vile tones before the now flustered Timore snatched it from her desk and forced it back around his wrist, shoving its tail into its mouth in the process, apologizing all the while. [b]"Ugh, I'm sorry,"[/b] he muttered, almost turning away before remembering the pain in his shin as he took a step. [b]"But I didn't hurt the other girl,"[/b] he said, realizing he didn't know her name, or the name of the girl he was now attempting to confront. [b]"...though I'm sure you've the wrong impression of me now,"[/b] he sighed deeply and shook his head, turning away. He decided he'd sit down in the spot next to Iris, she seemed fun enough and while it was near the front, he figured Metentis, or a bit of magical tinkering would keep him safe from being [I]cooked[/I] up by whatever Professor Lazarus demonstrated.

While he considered that, and rubbed his temples with his thumbs, he noticed a small flash as Metentis attempted to sneak off of his wrist again. This time he was quick to move, gripping the serpentine flute, now in the shape of a bracelet again, thus stopping its movement. The fragment's green eyes flared up, briefly illuminating his surroundings in an eerie light before dying down and giving up...for now. He could hear the instrument muttering in his mind though, but at least he'd stopped it from speaking out again. Metentis was always a [i]nightmare[/i] to deal with especially since he just wanted to get along with everyone.


Samantha’s reaction to the serpent-slash-instrument was that of amusement. As it snaked around her desk and stood, she leaned forward, extending a finger to touch it. She very well realised it could be dangerous, however Dangerous was her middle name and thus she was drawn to anything like that like a moth to a light bulb. Before anything interesting (and probably bad) could happen, Timore had already snatched the instrument away from her curious fingers. 

“Awwww.” Sam complained with a grin. The boy apologized and she raised an eyebrow as he claimed he hadn’t hurt Iris. “Oh, right. If you say so.” She shrugged.

Iris barged back into the room again, gasping for air. Her arms lifted up and she cheered. “Woo! new record!!” She glanced at Timore, then walked towards her saved desk. “This happens a lot, so I thought I might as well try to beat records I set.” She grinned and sat down. “I’m Iris, thanks for saving my seat. And you are?” She looked the strange boy up and down, and noted his bracelet. “Oh, and neat bracelet! It’s always cool to see a guy wear some jewelry.” Her smile was still present on her face, causing the red tattoo under her eye to wrinkle a little.

Having somewhat turned his mind from the headphone girl for the moment, and with Metentis having calmed somewhat, Timore was a bit more composed upon Iris’ return. However, her antics yet again caused a bemused smile to form on his face. She sure was energetic, he thought.

As she gave his [I]bracelet[/I] a compliment, Timore’s hand clenched around it slightly, making sure the instrument didn’t decide to respond. He however smiled, appearing a bit embarassed, causing one of his hands to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. “Thanks haha, my name’s Timore. You can call me Tim if it’s easier,” He was a bit flattered really, though he wondered if she had noticed his pendant, ring, or his small earrings. It was funny how such a small comment could make him feel self conscious.

To try and divert her attention he decided to ask a question of his own, even if it came out as a stutter, [b]”So, what brings you to this class? I picked it to expand my magical knowledge a bit. I’ve dabbled here and there, but my skill is...w-well, cursory at best. ”[/b] He winced internally as he stuttered. [I]Man, that was a self-fulfilling prophecy,[/I] he mused mentally.



Iris blinked, then gifted Timore a big smile, ignoring the stutter. “I’m here to learn about a harp I was given. Lazarus was the one to find me…” She stopped. “I figured I would take his class because I really..respect him.” She thinks for a bit, then responds. “Any fun skills to boast of?”

He chuckled a bit, she didn’t miss a beat it seemed. He’d intended to get her to talk about herself so he could listen awhile, get comfortable till the others got there and class started, but oh well. At least she wasn’t judgemental, well at least not out loud. [b]”I can play the flute quite well, and alter the flow of essence somewhat, but beyond that...”[/b] he stopped for a moment, a slight frown crossing his brow as he heard Metentis whispering in his mind.

[I][b]What about the blade, Timmy, Tiiiim, what of the sssword. It cutsss, sheerss, and rendsss. Mm deliciousss feeding...[/b][/I] the fragment’s mental voice quieted and the cloudy expression on his face caused him to turn away a moment, looking around the classroom as he spoke. He appeared nervous, [b]”Yeah, n-nothing of note beyond that really, haha...ha,”[/b] his laugh was more awkward than joyous now, like he was trying to forget something he’d remembered--which he was.

Iris noted he seemed uncomfortable. A worried look crossed her face before she turned back to her usual optimistic beam “So was my record timing the best of the best or what?! I ran into a few people on the way of getting it, but it was totally worth it!! oh but wait if I bumped into people I probably lost some points...darnit...I’ll try not to do that next time..” Iris grumbled, her face scowling.

The door to the classroom opened again and Ian slid in. Checking the corners and the seat distribution. His glance took in Sam and the other two not pausing as he assessed and wrote them off. At which point he realized Iris was a new student this semester. Filing the information for later. He eyed the fire extinguisher and Lazarus’ maniacal grin. He deliberately took a seat in the back row to the right side of the door. 

“I can’t tell if you’re concerned for your looks Mr. Snyder or you are concerned that an armed gunman will come through that door, either way I can assure you. You’re quite safe.” Lazarus patted the fire extinguisher for effect. Before he winked at Iris. Turning to Sam and her relatively loud music he looked from her to the clock. “I’d say you have about three more minutes of that. I don’t teach to sick beats darlin and you don’t want me to solve the problem.” He grinned like an evil genius.

Sam had shamelessly turned back on her chair to observe the rest of the class. Now she was more persuaded that Timore hadn’t hit the other girl, that she didn’t mind, and that Ian was a wuss. As Lazarus spoke she put the chair back on all 4 feet and straightened. “If it bothers you I can turn it off now.” She suggested, surprisingly obediently. “Didn’t think it was your kind of music anyway. But I hope we have the same taste in magic, at least.” She grinned.

Lazarus laughed “First, Mr. Synder is not a wuss.” His eyes twinkled with evil glee, he’d been shamelessly skimming thoughts from all of the members of the class since they’d walked in. “He’s practical and if an armed gunman walked into this class right now he would be the first one to engage the individual so your appreciation of the situation is lacking. That being said not everyone has the guts to stand in the fire.” He let the question of if that was a metaphor or not hang “And second I have an appreciation of all music, I simply find that others find it hard to absorb multiple forms of information. As to magic I think THAT depends on how crazy you think I am and how crazy I ACTUALLY am.” 

Sam turned around to smile somewhat apologetically at Ian and give him a wink. “Sorry, please don’t let the armed gunman we’re expecting shoot me.” Then she turned back forwards, grinned even wider and leaning forward in her desk. “I think you’re crazy enough.” 

As the rest of the class filtered in Lazarus grinned. “We’re about to find out, okay hello everyone. I Won’t be teaching you HOW to do magic in this class, we will be discussing theories and possible applications. The practical portion of this will appear in the lab section where I WILL be teaching you how to use magic. Or at least trying.” He hopped off the desk and walked in front of the class. “Okay, So your first test is right now.” He held up his hands to forestall any outcry. “It’s pass or fail, and only one of you is going to pass. Or none of you is going to pass.” With both hands held out he conjured fire in his right hand and then did it again in his left hand “If you can tell me what the difference between what I just did in my left hand and what I did in my right hand. You are free to go, do what you want with the rest of the period. You are also exempt from the Practical portion of the class today. You will receive full credit for both.” 

He looked at all of them. “I Will give you each three questions, either a guess or some other form of question to narrow the field. Be aware that asking another question may give one of your classmates an advantage. Feel free to come up and observe closer if you feel the need. If none of you feel the need to ask a question or make a guess we can move on with the lecture. However no one will be leaving for today.” He stood both flames extended.

Iris’s hand shot up, her face beaming. “The difference is that you used your right hand and then you used your left hand!!” She crossed her arms triumphantly.

Lazarus’s face remained blank for a moment before he laughed “Okay, I will give you that. Points for creativity Iris. But sadly. No that is not the difference I am looking for” He contemplated it for a moment “Yeah, I’m not letting you out of practice and class on that one but I’ll give you points for the class today since that is at its most basic level correct.” 

Lazarus was interesting, Timore concluded as he listened closely, then watched the conjuring of the flames. The essence of fire was something with which he was familiar, and there was certainly a difference between the two flames, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was. He didn’t have much practical knowledge and while he had spent his life being able to [I]see[/I] essence and emotion flowing around him, he had only figured out how to properly differentiate certain aspects of essence, whereas emotion came more easily.

He glanced at Iris as her hand shot up, and for a moment he thought [i]She has magical knowledge?[/i] Then her mouth opened, and he again found himself smiling a bit. He nudged her lightly with his elbow, smiling a bit as if to say [i]‘nice one’[/i]. He then turned back to their professor and gazed into the flickering flames in each hand. It wasn’t color, that wasn’t the difference, he was sure of that. Perhaps the flames had been ignited from different sources, one magical, and the other more natural, whereas the magic was just a trigger.

[b]“Did you create both flames with essence,”[/b] he thought aloud, realizing only afterwards that he’d done so.

Metentis stirred, its eyes glowing softly. It was looking at the flames and the essence in the room. If only it could [i]feed.[/i]

“I guess that depends upon what you mean by create them both with Essence now doesn’t it? I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific. Because the answer to that question that you just asked is yes.” Lazarus grinned. Kid was close that was for sure. 

“Anyone else care to guess or are you going to let Tim do all the leg work?” 

Ian spoke up “Is one an illusion?” Lazarus raised an eyebrow at that. “Very good question Mr. Snyder, if you were sitting closer you might be able to feel the heat coming off of both of them.” Ian’s face didn’t change as he responded “If you’re half as good as you seem to think you are then you could have easily faked the perception of heat as well as the sensation of being burned by the fire and the illusion of the appearance of a burn. So your logic seems to be somewhat lacking.” 

Lazarus laughed “Alright smartass, suit yourself. Although I applaud the reasoning and the thought process behind the guess the answer is still: No.”

Sam was listening intently to the suggestions and was reaching out to feel the heat of the flames as Ian suggested one was an illusion. She was ready to plunge her hand in both of them until he got to the point of the sensation possibly being the same, which stopped her hand mid-way. Her lips twisted upwards thoughtfully, eyes fixed on the flames.

“Did you [i]create[/i] fire in one hand and then transfer it to the other? Because if you did that would be a very neat trick – to steal other people's magic.”

Lazarus shook his head “While magic jacking is an effective trick it rarely works on anything other than Evocations. In this case no I didn’t transfer the fire to the other hand. On a side note, magic jacking requires a fair bit of practice and A LOT of attention as you have to anticipate the spell if it is of the quick and dirty variety.” Lazarus looked up “Anyone else?”

Timore’s eyes were narrowed as he focused, one of his hands spinning the ring on his right ring finger absentmindedly. It was a habit he had. Neither flames were illusions, the flames were, in a way, both made from essence, but there was a difference in some sense. Neither of them had been [I]jacked[/I] as the mage put it. He needed more information, but only had two more questions before he had to make his final answer, if he had understood Lazarus correctly.

He almost wanted to sample the essence with his ring, but he knew that the professor would notice, and would likely consider it cheating, so he put the idea out of mind. He frowned slightly, meeting a bit of a dead-end. They hadn’t narrowed down the possibilities enough. He glanced at Iris who had been silent for the last series of questions, before glancing back at the flames.

[b]“To follow up my essence question…”[/b] Timore began, then realizing that everyone probably looked to him as he did. He cleared his throat then continued, [b]“...what I meant is did you create the flames from pure essence by just casting a spell with both. Or did you make one with a spell, and make the other by making a substance, then igniting it. I figure they’d appear identical, but one might burn or act differently if you, say, threw it at something.”[/b] Part of him wanted to say [I]someone[/I] instead of something, causing him to briefly avert his eyes before looking back at the flames, then Lazarus.

Iris gawked at Timore, her mouth open. Without thinking she used the essance in her mind and traveled it over to Timore’s own in a whisper. NICE ONE!! She paused, then made a faceplant into the desk, groaning as her red hair sprawled everywhere. Her head popped back up in an instant. She had an idea, adding onto Timore’s question. Reaching into her cluttered backpack she spotted one lone sheet of paper, ripping it unevenly in half, then reaching it out to Lazarus. “LazLaz can you use both flames to individually burn the two parts of this sheet of paper as a demonstration?” Iris didn’t hesitate a word, not even the silly nickname. Her grin was brighter than the cackling flames themselves.

Lazarus turned towards her and hurled both fireballs simultaneously like an instructor conducting an orchestra. One of them shot between his hand and the paper in a straight line. The other looked like it had actually been a thrown object. At the same time he wove essence around Iris to make sure she wasn’t burned by them insulating her body and personal effects from the fire.
“ I think that’s enough to answer both your questions” 

Ian laughed from the back of the classroom. “Okay I think I get it” Lazarus gave him a prompting look but Ian shook his head “I wanna learn how you did that, I ain’t giving up practice today.” Lazarus shrugged in response and ignored the pet name Iris had used studiously. 

Iris looked at Lazarus. “One seems to be a straight line and the other seems to be something that’s lit on fire…” She bit her lower lip, her thumb curled under her chin, then spoke again. “One is purely made of essence and one is made from a chemical reaction of essence?”

Timore’s eyes opened in shock as Lazarus threw the flames, but noted the essence that moved ahead of them. Iris took no damage and neither did he, though he did stand up abruptly. He had to clamp a hand down on Metentis so it didn’t expand to defend him, but otherwise he was unaffected.

After a moment a smile crossed his face and he slowly sat back down. When Iris spoke, he nodded his head, that had been what he was thinking all along. Then he realized her compliment a moment ago hadn’t been vocal, but mental.

It was at this point that he realized that he’d let go of Metentis, who had promptly uncoiled from his wrist, looking like an odd metallic stylized serpent, which now regarded Lazarus for a moment before turning its glowing green eyes towards Iris.

Timore was still processing what had happened while Metentis just stared. He could sense the fragment’s intrigue...and intrigue was never good. [I][U]”Feel free to ssspeak any time,”[/U][/I] the serpent said before slithering towards Timore, then curling up in front of him between his elbows which rested atop the desk. [B]”Um...don’t mind him,”[/B] Timore stated nervously, as he snatched Metentis from the desktop and shoved him into his backpack. Damned serpent.

Lazarus cocked his head at the serpent “I don’t ever think I’ve seen a fragment move of its own accord, that was fascinating.” Snapping back to the class he looked from Tim, to Ian to Iris. “Well, you’re closing in on the answer. Anyone care to use their guess, officially?” He repeated the process of conjuring the two fireballs for effect. He raised his eyebrow at Ian who shook his head.  

Sam's mind was soaring, preoccupied with the practical importance of what she was seeing rather than its theoretical origin. There must be a reason they were shown this, she thought, so whatever the difference was, in her head it had to be significant for combat to actually be mentioned in class. Thus, while listening to other people's suggestions, the most important answer for her would be the practical use for both techniques. Even if that completely disregarded Lazarus’ [b]actual[/b] question.

“My guess is that one probably has a solid body you can throw like a grenade and it will probably burn longer and manage to break through a window, while the other you can spray over something and it's like flash-roasting it, but it doesn't last as long.” She grinned, balancing her chair on two feet. She had a feeling that boy's living and slithering instrument and the fact that Iris' eyebrows hadn't been burnt, was actually more interesting to her than the fireballs she couldn't lay her hands on. “One I'd use if I'm robbing a bank, the other would be useful against a hay roof.”

Lazarus blinked “Okay, your criminal mind has been noted. And while you are correct, you’ve still missed the point of what I’m trying to teach you.” He snuffed both of the fireballs. “Since I think at least four of you know more or less what the difference is but for some odd reason don’t want out of class today I will explain.” He hopped back up on his desk “One of them was created with pure essence manipulation for the purpose of producing a fireball. It plays by different rules than normal fire. The second one was created by using essence to condense oxygen into a solid state and then ignite it. While the second one is harder to maintain for long periods of time, it is easy to actually create initially. Which, if you’re looking for a quick fireball in a pinch is probably what you want. If you plan on holding on to it. The direct essence method is typically best.” With that he hopped back down and began to pace while he talked “The point is this. There are many ways to accomplish similar things with magic. It is about how creative you are and how prepared you are to do something.” He picked up a piece of lead sitting on his desk and held it out. Right there before the classes eyes he performed a piece of alchemy that had been the quest of many mortal alchemists over the years. He transmuted lead into gold. “It gives you the power to do incredible things with only a thought. Which is why you are all here. Now. Any questions”

He grinned like a maniac at the expressions he saw in the crowd.

Timore nodded a bit, smiling slightly. He had in essence been correct, but Lazarus and his class was too interesting to simply pass up. He was equally glad he hadn’t truly answered when the man began to lecture finishing with a transmutation spell, turning lead into gold. The materials were very different and while he grasped the jist of what Lazarus had likely done he could not help but stare in mild awe.

Still he felt the serpent’s disdain settle in his mind before dissipating, replaced by disinterest. It was better that way, Timore thought.

Iris’s usual wide eyes narrowed into one of understanding. Her mind began to race with the possibilities before she got out a sheet of paper and took elaborate notes. This could be very useful for her abilities. She was working on another piece of paper, and while the class was distracted she whispered into the air, sending it onto Lazarus’s desk. It was a detailed sketch of himself made in rough pencil edging and cross-hatching, displaying his signature grin. She smiled at that and then placed her notebook back into her bag when she finished.

Lazarus looked at the clock. “Well if that is all, you are dismissed. I’ll see you all at practice. wear longsleeves.”