Who would have thought a plant would start MIDTERM? on Cascade Hall

Tony

March 08, 2006 5:25 PM

Who would have thought a plant would start MIDTERM? by Tony

Tony wasn’t one for making grand entrances. He wasn’t exactly the most graceful, what with no legs and all. Considering he was carrying two suitcases, one on each leaf arm, and one bag hanging dangerously from the tip of his large, green mouth, it was really a miracle he even made it inside the mansion at all. The door had hopped further open each time he his oversized pot jumped ahead. His large, oval nose nudged the entrance forward causing the heavy luggage bag to bang repeatedly against the solid wood. Eventually, it opened enough so that he was in the doorway of the entrance hall. He was standing inside his home again. It was a relief to be home.

If there was one thing he learned while staying with Marnett’s family, it was that he, or in his opinion any talking Venus Fly Trap, was not meant to live outside. It was all a great adventure when he was first told that the backyard was his new home, but he soon learned that he had to share it with living beings much worse than any palm tree. Bugs. There were only so many flies he could eat, but then there were also gnats and ants and vicious leaf eating insects that wouldn’t leave him alone. Not to mention the family crup that enjoyed marking Tony as his territory on a regular basis. Guarding his boring hall was definitely better than being a dog’s territory.

And that was why he was extremely overjoyed to be home. It was the perfect time of year to arrive as well since midterm had just begun and the hall was decorated for Christmas. The walls were covered in green wreaths and red bows with sparkly, floating objects hanging at regular intervals along draped garlands. The entire room emanated the rich scent of pine with a hint of homemade gingerbread cookies. Actually, now that Tony thought about it, those floating objects looked rather familiar…and rather alive…like something he’d seen outside once or twice. He squinted his eyes to focus in on them. Were those...faeries? Forgetting that he had a bag in his mouth, Tony abruptly stopped and tried to speak, letting the luggage fall to the floor with an echoing thud. “Bulla really went all out this year, didn’t he boss?” Though he never did picture Bulla as a faery kind of guy…
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0 Tony Who would have thought a plant would start MIDTERM? 0 Tony 1 5

Headmistress Marnett

March 08, 2006 5:27 PM

Only because you insisted on going first... by Headmistress Marnett

Lucinda was in quite the rush to get in and get on to her office. Over the past ten months, she found that life as a possibly retired witch was just not for her. In fact, being forced to live like that much longer would have caused her to lose her grip on reality even more than she already had. She had a mediwizard’s note to prove it. So, for her own health’s sake, she was back from the leave of absence she had taken for her own health’s sake. It might have sounded like a strange reason to most people, but to her, it made perfect sense.

She heard that the issues with the weather were resolved. She heard the school was functioning well this year and nothing had gone awry. She heard that Manfred was handling things just fine. But, she needed to see it for herself. After exiting the flying wagon, Tony insisted on carrying her luggage and leading the way to the entrance. This was her first mistake. Tony’s mobility was not the best these days and it was a painfully slow journey to the door. Finally, when he did manage to enter the mansion, he stopped…and wouldn’t move.

Bulla really went all out this year, didn’t he boss?

In the nicest voice she could manage after a long trip on a covered wagon with an extremely talkative plant, Lucinda responded, "I don’t know, Tony. It’s difficult to tell from the other side of the door." Trying her best to be polite, Headmistress Marnett pushed past the oversized plant. The place really did look nice. Too nice. Just as nice as the perfect covering of snow that lay across the gardens at this time every year and did so this year. Lucinda suddenly felt ill at ease. It appeared that nothing had gone awry during her absence, much to her displeasure. Over the past few days, she had this image in her mind of herself, taking on the wheel of Sonora’s headship once again and saving her school, which would no doubt be falling apart. But yet, it was still standing. And it was decorated.

"The faeries are a bit too much, I think," she commented, her face appearing uncharacteristically sour at the remark. "Probably one of the faculty chose to charm the gaudy, little creatures and hang them up."
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0 Headmistress Marnett Only because you insisted on going first... 1 Headmistress Marnett 0 5

Zack Dill

March 22, 2006 8:43 PM

You're alive! by Zack Dill

Zack hadn't meant to come out toward the door. People tended to go in and out of it, bringing freezing cold air with them. But the garlands hanging out here had things hanging from them like the Alderaans he'd put up in his own common room, except they were glowy and floating. And moving like they were alive.

He suspected alien infiltrators.

He was frowning up at them, trying to figure out if they were really the faeries a closer inspection suggested they were, or if that was just a clever disguise when the door slowly inched open.

For a moment, he considered going over to help, but then the cold air hit him and he shuddered violently, thus ending any inclination to move nearer. He'd even started to turn and flee when the thud of something large falling on the floor made him turn back. It was . . . Tony. Rumor had it the talkng Venus flytrap had disappeared with the Headmistress, but here it was, with luggage.

Zack's heart rate began to speed up. He'd thought the plant had been abducted with the Headmistress, but obviously it hadn't been. Theories raced through his mind, about how the plant had been trying all this time to rescue the Headmistress, or how it had been taken by the government because it knew it had been aliens, or how -

His brain abruptly froze when the old woman pushed past the plant and entered the Hall. His mouth fell open. His eyes widened. Relief consumed him.

Tony had rescued the Headmistress. The aliens were defeated. Earth was safe.

And most importantly, "You're alive!" he shouted and ran at the old woman. Now, Zack was a thirteen year old boy and he didn't much care for hugs and mushy things like that, especially not for principals, but the Headmistress wasn't dead. He'd been so sure he'd never see her again. That she'd given her life to save Sonora. But she had escaped, with Tony's help. She was back.

This was a special occassion. Jumping at her and throwing his arms around the woman was definitely called for in this case. \n\n

1 Zack Dill You're alive! 40 Zack Dill 0 5

Lucinda Marnett

March 23, 2006 8:30 PM

Very much so by Lucinda Marnett

Lucinda didn't even have enough time to react to the call of "you're alive" before it happened. She had just begun to turn towards the source of the disturbance and away from the eye-sore decorations, when out of thin air, something, or someone for that matter, jumped towards her. For a second she thought that it might have been a creature, let loose during the havoc that would have ensued in her absence. However, this was quickly ruled out due to the fact that the creature was in no way attacking her. And it was a young boy. One of Sonora's students, she guessed.

"Yes..dear," she answered haltingly while giving the boy a reassuring pat on the back. Though she wasn't exactly sure what this exuberant expression meant, the headmistress had an idea it might have to do with her sudden leave. Having left Sonora rather ill, it seemed likely that rumors of her deteriorating health would have circled the school. Schools were rumor mills, after all, and the students would have been blind not to realize she wasn't present. This is where the rumor had to stop, though. She was very healthy, and would not appreciate anyone fawning over her as though she was on her last days.

She bent down and pushed the boy away. "I may be on in years dear," she continued holding onto the student's shoulders as though about to divulge something of great importance, "but I'm not one to go easily. They certainly tried, though." The 'they' she mentioned was of course her children and the mediwizards that treated her. After a few months of being home, she had come to the conclusion that their attentions were doing her more harm than good. They were effectively trying to change her into an old woman.
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0 Lucinda Marnett Very much so 1 Lucinda Marnett 0 5

Zack

March 23, 2006 11:11 PM

Vindication! by Zack

Immediately embarrassed as soon as he'd delivered his hug, he pulled away after she gave his back a light pat, blushing just a little. She was pushing him at the same time, so he didn't feel too bad about his abrupt onset of adolescent discomfort. She did continue to hold onto his shoulders and stare into his eyes, so he waited patiently for what portended to be words of great import.

His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as she confirmed that the aliens had tried to do her in. But he nodded seriously in response, understanding that the reassurance she was really trying to make here was that she had escaped pretty much unscathed and was as sound as she ever was (he used to have doubts about just how sound that was, but if she'd been able to repel alien invaders and slip through their fingers with only the help of a venus fly trap who couldn't even walk properly, she'd definitely proven herself now).

He smiled at her, putting on as brave a face as she had given him, and said, "Well, I'm glad you made it back all right. I was really worried." He gave Tony a grin, too, because the plant deserved some credit for its part in the rescue. "You did good, Tony. Welcome back to you, too."\n\n

0 Zack Vindication! 0 Zack 0 5