[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210302/3e34eb8da93341268107c451662f2b1b.png[/img]
January 7th - 11:00pm[/center] 

[center][b][u]Mage Classes[/u][/b][/center]

[hider=Aaron]
[center][u][b]Lighties for Lyfe!!![/b][/u][/center]

[color=FB007D]“Ooooh, pretty boy’s got some moves on him!”[/color] Meredith cheered as their magic intermingled, her mgic flaring briefly for a moment before settling in tandem. [color=FB007D] “Nice control. It took me [i]aaaaaages[/i] to get anything to stay in shape for me.”[/color] The Professor snorted, covering his mouth as his shoulders shook at a memory of first year Meredith.

[color=E4D7A0]“You were certainly an imaginative student.”[/color] Professor Daun agreed once he got himself under control. He took a moment to circle the pair, poking his finger into the light at various points and muttering quietly to himself. After a few minutes, he gave a short nod. [color=E4D7A0] “Excellent form, Aaron. Solid stability, firm structure, and a great job melding. I’m tempted to say we can attempt continuing it but we probably shouldn’t get a head of ourselves just yet.”[/color] 
 
[color=FB007D]“Please, this guy’s a natural! Let him have some fun!”[/color] Meredith exclaimed excitedly. [color=FB007D] “Come on, lemme give you a little sunlight and we can make this whole pattern all in one go!”[/color] Professor Daun held out his hand to stop her but it was too late. With a cackle, the pyramid lit up like the noontime sun, Meredith’s magic whipped in a frenzy and slamming into Aaron’s with the intensity of a tsunami, and the pyramid exploded into a brilliant display of light, dimming into dancing motes that drifted down like snow. Meredith blinked her eyes repeatedly as Professor Daun only sighed, having shielded his eyes at the last moment. 

[color=FB007D]“Oopsies?”[/color] Meredith shrugged sheepishly. 

[color=E4D7A0]“Meredith, if you could stick to my lesson plan, I would greatly appreciate it.”[/color] Professor Daun requested dryly before composing himself once more. [color=E4D7A0] “Now, we’ll go ahead and switch it up. Aaron, you’ll form the pyramid and Meredith will manipulate it. We’ll continue alternating for the rest of the class as I review each attempt and we will [i]not[/i] incorporate any light other than the ambient light in this room.”[/color] Meredith laughed and Professor Daun rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. [color=E4D7A0]“Alright, you may begin.”[/color]

Half an hour would pass like that, alternating positions as Professor Daun instructed the pair to change the size, brightness, and orientation of the pyramid until he finally permitted them to finish. He glanced at his watch. [color=E4D7A0]“Very well. It seems class has finished for the day. Aaron, you’ll be returning here for your next class but go get some fresh air for a moment. I need to refill my coffee personally.”[/color] He shook his empty thermos. 

[color=FB007D] “Alright, break time!”[/color] Meredith shouted eagerly, heading for the door only to whirl on her heel and pull out her phone. [color=FB007D]“Actually, real quick, gimme your number. Gotta keep in contact if we’re gonna be Lighties for Lyfe!”[/color][/hider]


[hider=Lilie]

[center][u][b]Tides and Tribulations[/b][/u][/center]

[color=12D65E]“To an extent. If you attempt to manipulate the same object, like in this exercise, you will inevitably experience this to some degree. The more familiar you are with the other person and the more acclimated you are to the process, the less disastrous the results.”[/color] Baron explained, continuing on as he elaborated. [color=12D65E]“And that’s only if your magic is the same affinity. If, for example, a water mage and an ice mage were working together and one was manipulating water and another was manipulating ice shards in the water, their magic is technically close enough to interact but don’t interact directly because they are not manipulating the same substance, despite the fact that ice is water just in solid form. A strange phenomena but we’re still working on a better understanding of that.”[/color] Baron glanced over at the pair a few feet away, whose barrel had tumbled over when a violent whirlpool formed inside. Esi was cackling up a storm as she corrected the barrel.

[color=12D65E]“That being said, there are some objects that can permit opposite magics to interact but rather than mingling, it’s usually just them pressing together against a glass wall. Never quite interacting, without some dedicated focus, but still infusing the same object. The Awakening crystals from last semester are one such example.”[/color] Baron finished his explanation, gesturing back at the barrel. [color=12D65E] “Now that you’ve attempted it once, it should be relatively easy to predict and adjust to the effect. Remember that as a primary water affinity, your magic is closely linked to your emotions so take a deep breath and don’t startle when you feel the tingling sensation, alright? It’ll fade over time and you grow more comfortable with each other.”[/color] Baron moved onto the next group with a curious nod. 

[color=38F1CE]“Alright, we’ve got this, no problem!”[/color] Jonathan grinned at Lilie, coaxing a stream of water out of the barrel and swirling it into a ball. [color=38F1CE] “Ready for round 2?”[/color] He asked as he sent the stream back to Lilie. This time, there would be a brief shock but no drastic explosions or violent whirlpools. As they continued over the next half hour, Jonathan got creative, making the stream curled and twirl as he passed it back and forth.

[color=C80BFF]“Alright, times up! Good job everyone! Feel free to practice out of class if you’d like! Tomorrow we’ll start increasing the volume you all work so get ready; those magic muscles are going to be [i]sooooooore[/i] tomorrow!”[/color] Esi threw her head back, cackling, as she dismissed the class.[/hider] 

[hider=Max]

[center][b][u]Clickity Clackity, Roll for Attackity[/u][/b][/center]

[color=98B6A5]“It does. Just like looking at a difficult problem from another angle can change your understanding of it, changing your role in a team can help teach you how to better adjust to an unfamiliar situation. Learning when to push, when to pull, and when to do nothing is alla botu experience.”[/color] Artie explained as he watched Max manipulate the metal. Slowly, steadily, the blocks come together, Max experiencing just a bit of resistance from Ashton’s magic. There were a few points when the metal started humming but Ashton let out a sharp breath with each pause and the metal calmed. 

Finally, the metal hovered in a nice, neat metal cube and Ashton dropped it with a heavy [i]clang[/i]. Artie adjusted it back into place with a wave of his hand. [color=98B6A5] “Good. When working with others, it is always wise to handle magic slowly and carefully, no matter how comfortable you are in your success.”[/color] The same block slid back in front of Max. [color=98B6A5]“Again. Max levitating, Ashton forming.”[/color]

[color=D59283] “Move him to the next metal.”[/color] Ashton demanded, arms crossed. [color=D59283] “We fixed the problem, finished your puzzle, and now we move to the next, more complicated puzzle.”[/color]

[color=98B6A5]“I know you don’t agree with my methods but control is important in a mage who can bring down a building on a hundred innocent people with a stray thought. You will repeat the exercise until I judge you, as a pair, are ready to handle something more volatile. If you don’t like it, I’m more than happy to withdraw you from the class.”[/color] Artie informed Ashton, who scoffed but kept his mouth shut, wand ready despite his irritation. The rest of the class would be completed in relative silence, only the terse responses from the Professor as the exercise was repeated over and over. 

Finally, the bell sounded and the Professor gathered the cubes together. [color=98B6A5]“Tomorrow, we’ll move onto the next metal. It’ll prove itself more volatile and strenuous so make sure to get plenty of rest and eat a hearty breakfast. You may find yourself exhausted at the end of tomorrow’s class if you aren’t prepared.”[/color] Artie dismissed the pair, Ashton all but running from the room. [/hider]

[hider=Salem]

[center][b][u]A Rose by Any Other Name[/u][/b][/center]

[color=12D6AB]"Besides being a noble's pet? The fact you feel the need to repeat everything the Professor's said as if I'm not standing in the same classroom."[/color] Angelica replied exasperatedly. [color=12D6AB]"It's not only annoying but a dick move so if you could stop, I'd appreciate it."[/color] At Salem's suggestion of [i]breathing exercises[/i], she gave him a decidedly unimpressed stare but played along. She closed her eyes, judgement rolling off her in waves, but matched his breathing, though she stayed restless and impatient. Her shears never left the cutting as they continued and when he finally placed his hand near the cutting, her magic surged out.

Whereas Salem's magic is slow and steady, the power of old growth forests unperturbed by the passage of time, their falling leaves weaving magnificent patterns of ages past, Angelica's is the flurry of new growth after a wildfire, the beginning of a never ending cycle, the blooming of a cactus flower after a long drought. The magic mingled and mixed in the stem and the plant [i]drank[/i]. It took and took and took, greedy in it's demand, and the pot shuddered and shook, cracking as roots wriggled out from the bottom and sides, dirt spilling out. The rest of the class looked over as one, two, three rose blooms burst out in deep, vibrant reds from the tip and the cutting turned brown and wilted, sagging as it died. There was a moment of silence as Angelica stared in confused horror, panting heavily, broken only when Professor Leo started laughing.

[color=B0D612]"Excellent, excellent!"[/color] He clapped his hands. [color=B0D612]"Thank you Salem and Angelica for that perfect demonstration! What happened here was an excellent example of what happens when plants have either fully entered dormancy or are close to dying. Our magic, attuned to the natural state of living matter as it is, immediately wants to correct it and will pour into the plant in a process similar to osmosis. What happens is that this then causes the plant to grow explosively in unsustainable ways. Plus, that much exposure to magic in such a short time may cause strange and unexpected alterations."[/color] He pointed to the wickedly pointed barbs at the ends of the roots sticking out of the bottom of the pot.

[color=B0D612]"But now that you've experienced it, preparing yourself for it will be much easier. This time, try waking just the root system and growing it before you aim to expand its leaves, and focus on releasing your magic in a slow, steady rhythm. It helps me to think of it as small pulses rather than a continuous stream. A pulse of magic, examine the situation, another pulse, so on and so forth."[/color] The Professor suggested and then pointed to a bin at the far edge of the room. [color=B0D612]"Deposit the pot and all in the bin and I'll straight it out later. Collect a new one from the shelves, there is more potting soil against the wall, and then try again!"[/color]

The end of class would come for Angelica and Salem with two more dead cuttings and one with the beginnings of a solid root system. Angelica was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and dirt smudged her face and overalls. [color=12D6AB]"Well, that wasn't what I expected but not a terrible attempt. This is harder than I expected."[/color] She laughed, peeling off the gloves and slapping them on the table.[/hider]

[hr]

[center][b][u]Vampire Classes[/u][/b][/center]

[hider=Ben, Amaris, Victor]

[center][b][u]Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks[/u][/b][/center]

As the class spread apart, the various sounds of radios crackling to life could be heard across the classroom. More than one viciously high pitch screech broke out from groups that were too close and Dame Patel just laughed as she glided around the classroom, correcting and fixing little problems here and there. One vampire was talking into the back and another held it so that the antenna pointed at their partners, insisting despite Dame Patel's reassurances that it only worked like that. 

After spending a good portion convincing the student it in fact [i]didn't[/i] work in such an impractical manner, she floated her way to Count Eve, settling in to watch him operate the little device. She nodded as he pressed the button and spoke into it. [color=FF69B4]"Good, good! It's very simple but quite effective! The school has some that operate across the entire campus so they can have an excellent range if you need them too. With the rise of cellular devices, these have lost popularity but they do nicely when you don't want anything too complicated. You can even get one for your mage if you find cellular telephones too bulky or frustrating for casual check ins."[/color] She drifted away.

Just before class ended, she leapt back to the front of class. [color=FF69B4]"Okay, my darling Chickadees, listen closely. You may keep those radios for the rest of the day! Get used to using them and replying to your partners and bring them back tomorrow night so we can begin learning how to adjust your channels and conversing with others! Good luck and have fun!"[/color] She dismissed them for the evening, watching them file out with a proud smile.[/hider]

[hider=Varis,Eris]

[center][u][b]Blind, Deaf, and Dumb: What Fun![/b][/u][/center]

As soon as class ended, Varis all but threw the knife on the ground and curled his lip in disdain. The whole lesson was an absolute disgrace. Who in there right mind made a Sinnenodel--the [i]heir[/i] to the family in fact!--hold a knife and use it for any reason on another? Varis put up a fight for as long as he could, threatening in any manner he could, before he'd given in when the walking skeleton threatened to fail him. It felt like a slap to the face because Varis didn't fail at anything so he'd gritted his fangs and done the utterly juvenile exercise. 

He stormed out of class, eyes black and shaking with rage, and barely waited for Eris to follow. [color=f7976a]"Who does she think she is, demanding I do anything? How dare she speak to me like that! I could understand the others but [i]me[/i]? The shamelessness of this no name, low life, cockroach is absolutely appalling. I will find a way out of this mess and I'm going to make sure I step on her to do it."[/color] Varis seethed. His next class was meant to be easy and enjoyable, a way to destress as he poked holes full of whichever small minded Noila glorified the history of the royal lineage but his anger would make every mistake, every embellishment, frustrating rather than fun opportunities to embarrass others. He needed something…

[color=f7976a]"I think I'll take the first part of our next class to evaluate the boy's next lesson. Listening to some pompous lecturer salivate over the history of the Royal line is only going to worsen my mood."[/color] Varis sighed, disappointed all the same. He genuinely enjoyed debating historical perspective but right now, any failure to acknowledge the clear and obvious narrative flaws would have him storming out. Watching the boy struggle in his class ought to improve his mood greatly. [/hider]