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Duncan was not surprised as to the appearance of the Head Magister, as was in fact slightly confused as to the other students being so taken aback by her. Then again, he'd spent a lot of his life in the company of fellow 'mythical' creatures, and he himself had gotten many funny looks arriving at this school. Even in the ranks of the Dawn Slayers, Duncan would be an oddity, it seemed. Then again, many of his peers were too bitter at humanity to be counted on as it's protectors, while simultaneously mistrusting of Demons and other Creatures of Darkness. To Duncan, the fact that so many of the teachers at this school were the supposed, and in some cases actual former, enemies of mankind, was one of the main selling points and something to be excited about.

With the assembly over, Duncan decided to head to his dorm room and chill out for a few hours to recover from the flight over from Britain. After that, he'd go for a run at night and then see what everybody else was doing. Barely a minute into this plan and his progress was scuppered; there was a staircase out of the hall leading down to the rest of the building, and Duncan almost went down it without thinking before she put the breaks on and prepared himself to go down very slowly and carefully. His large frame will block half the stairwell, but it couldn't be helped. He'd try to go down as fast as he could. However, his sudden breaking meant the student behind him got a sudden face of horse's tail and Duncan got pushed over the top step and almost went down a fair few more but for his grip on the handrail.

[color=6795ea]"It's ok. I shouldn't have stopped at the top of the stairwell, but yes, I would like some help. I didn't know there was a staircase here, and hooves and stairs are not a good combination. I'm not blocking the whole way, am I? Or has everyone already left?"[/color]


[@TheWindel][@Awesomoman64]

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[color=d1aaf7]"Looks like you behaved yourself this year,"[/color] spoke a high, saccharine voice from behind the Demon Prince. Like everything else about the Lady Obsidian, it was deceptive and misleading. Even in the domesticated, professional role of teacher, which Ms. Mako did take very seriously, she was still mischievous, cunning and took more pleasure in drama and chaos than a teacher perhaps should. She had been watching the students with interest, wondering who would be the good kids, the bad kids, the smart kids, the dumb kids, who would be good at combat and whose talents lay elsewhere. She also wondered how many of the kids knew she was a Witch, and of the ones who didn't, what their reactions would be.

Mako had been teaching here for over twenty years, and in that time, she had grown to enjoy breaking the news that she was a Witch. Yes, some kids feared or hated her as a result, and some never stopped, but for that one moment of shock and surprise, it was worth it. It used to be a different story when she was young and proud, and feared nothing more than to be hated by her own students for who she was. It took her several years to get comfortable in the position. Many times, she had wanted to quit, but she knew she couldn't go back to practicing a taboo art of magic in secret, and all the suspicion and hearsay that came with that. She was named 'Lady Obsidian' after the sharpened glass athame that she carried in her boot. It was not a weapon in her hands, and she had only sharpened it so that it could pierce her own skin for when she needed virgin blood, but still, a Witch wondering around with a sharp knife wasn't the most comforting of thoughts to the Dawn Slayers. In truth, she became a teacher because prison was her only other option. That fact was never stated, but Akane was no fool. It was the truth.

That's where her friendship with Aster started. Demon Princes at Witches had a lot in common; they were both feared and misunderstood, and were both rare and small in number nowadays. That they held no prejudices against each other, and both had a lax yet respectful attitude to the faculty code of conduct, and a strong sense of humor, helped their friendship grow even further. Rumors started amongst students that there was something going on between them romantically, which Mako didn't help by pretending that the rumors were true in front of any student who pestered her, and joked about the situation with Aster.

[color=d1aaf7]"What do you think of this year's lot?"[/color] she asked in the present, smiling with her eyes closed as she walked beside him.


[@Kalas]