Headmaster Bulla

November 25, 2006 1:28 AM
The sorting for the year officially over, Manfred stood and waited for things to quiet down. The first years, as the tradition went, had each been given a chalice a clear, bubbling potion to drink as they entered the hall were and instructed to drink deeply. And, just like every other sorting in the history of the school, the result had been that the first years had all turned the main colour that represented the house they were to join; bright blue for Aladren, deep red for Crotalus, muddy brown for Pecari and sunshine yellow for Teppenpaw. The colour change lasted a few minutes only, but for the time it was in effect it tended to get some interesting reactions from the new first year students. It had been ever so since the foundation of the school and would ever be thus.

But now that that was over and the students settling into seats, it was time for the second important part of the Opening Feast.

"Welcome," he said when things had quietened down. "Welcome to a new year at Sonora Academy. To our new students, I am Headmaster Bulla. I hope that you enjoy your time here, work hard and do your new houses proud. To our returning students, I'm sure you've all had wonderful holidays and it is good to see you've all returned. I would ask Mr Zack Dill of Aladren, Miss Chrysanthemum Mathers of Crotalus, Miss Mia Kerova of Pecari and Miss Kaylie Brockert of Teppenpaw to all come to the front please."

He moved around the staff table, holding a small box which he opened when the four had arrived.

"Congratulations," he informed them in a quieter voice. "You have all been selected to serve as Prefects for your houses. Remember this is a position of both privilege and responsibility. You will have the power to give and take points, and will be expected to assist your Head of House if a situation arises. I'm sure you will all do us proud."

He handed them each their prefect badges, bronze metal embossed with the badge of Sonora and the word 'prefect' underneath then straightened himself up a little more to address the school once more.

"Congratulations to our four new prefects. Now, I expect that you are all waiting ravenously for the Feast. Wait no longer."

With a wave, the food started to pile up on the tables and jugs of drinks appeared, all ready for the students and staff to tuck in. Manfred, instead of returning to his seat paused a moment, just in case any of the new Prefects wished to say or ask anything.\n\n
Subthreads:
39 Headmaster Bulla Opening Feast 2 Headmaster Bulla 1 5


Niobe Yuma

November 25, 2006 5:57 PM
Niobe grinned at Aaron's embroidery comment. She wasn't quite sure how to take it, but, hey, whatever. It passed quickly enough and seemed well intentioned. She also grinned at Kiva and nodded, "Thanks," to her offers of help. Everything was happening so fast. What was the guy on her other side called again? Deck. That was it, like a Deck of tarot cards. Right. And further down the line? The one who'd greeted the Deputy HeadMistess by name. Oh, him. No clue. She grinned at him too for good measure.

There was lots of grinning going on. That was her new strategy for surviving meeting way too many people all at the same time. Smile a lot and try not to look too lost. So far it seemed to be working. Now maybe she could get a bite to eat in there too, sometime. It smelt so good.

It was so good. Excellence in dining. Being a teacher was definitely the life, at least it was on the first day of school. The kids didn't seem that bad, for all the other professors had their reservations. And most of them even seemed happy to be there.

She swallowed and grinned some more at her fellow teachers. Man, her cheeks were starting to hurt.\n\n
0 Niobe Yuma Re: And miss all the <i>fun</i>? 0 Niobe Yuma 0 5


Declan Chatterjee

November 25, 2006 10:18 PM
Deck munched happily away at his meal as he listened to his colleagues do their meet and greet thing, content for once to listen and observe rather than join in. A summer with his family had mellowed him out. After all, anyone too highly strung would quite probably go clinically insane after spending almost three months with Niamh and Maggie Chatterjee. It really wasn't a wonder that his stepfather, Ravi, was such a calm man, he reflected as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

His eyes slid to the woman--he had to stop himself from thinking of her as a girl, as she couldn't be much older than twenty-three--beside him, who was grinning almost manically at them all. He watched her for a few moments more, his gaze becoming a very obvious mixture of bemusement and amusement.

"You know," he commented in a stage whisper, leaning towards her a bit, "you might frighten the children if you keep that up." He winked at her and smiled amiably. "Niobe, isn't it? It's all a little overwhelming, yeah? Believe me, I understand. I came in halfway through the term last year. You know, once you're settled you and I should have a talk about things. Lessons, I mean," he added hurriedly. Astronomy and Divination were, in his mind, a rather obvious combination. He smiled at her again.\n\n
0 Declan Chatterjee That's never a problem with me around. 11 Declan Chatterjee 0 5


Niobe Yuma

November 26, 2006 1:05 AM
Deck-man was looking at her. She tried not to notice so much, but it was hard not to.

"You know," he stage whispered after awhile, "you might frighten the children if you keep that up."

She tried to stop smiling so much at that point by tucking her lips in her mouth, but it wouldn't stay away. She covered it with her hand instead, but soon gave up on that too bacause you can only cover your mouth for so long before feeling really silly. Giggling was so un-teacher-like.

"Niobe, isn't it? It's all a little overwhelming, yeah? Believe me, I understand. I came in halfway through the term last year, Deck-man said, "You know, once you're settled you and I should have a talk about things. Lessons, I mean."

"Yeah, it is, thanks," she said. That grin was firmly back in place, like it was an infestation or something. It simply could not be helped. "I scare the kids into behaving by grinning at them," she told him, "What's your secret?"\n\n
0 Niobe Yuma Glad of that, I think. 0 Niobe Yuma 0 5


Amy Fox

November 27, 2006 6:18 PM
Amy Fox was almost positive that she was experiencing one of the worst weeks in her entire life- the only ones topping it being the one where she had been kicked out of the Quidditch league and the one where she had accepted the job at this dismal little institutition. Of course, her summer hadn't faired much better, as she had been bounced from home to home of her relatives, quickly wearing out her welcome with her terrible attitude.

"Terrible attitude my..." Amy muttered under her breath as she finally took a seat at the staff table. A scowl was the prominent mark on her features, her eyes narrowed as she began to pile food onto her plate.

The icing on the cake, however, had come in the form of a letter just three days prior, smashing all her hopes of possibly being able to quit her job and rejoin the Quidditch league. It seemed that she was still unwelcome as officials still believed that she was a danger to the other players on the field.

The Opening Feast was quickly going by in a whirl as her main focus remained on her plate, her fork stabbing angrilly as she ate. Taking a deep breath, Amy exhaled slowly. It was only then that she realized that she had situated herself near Simon- and just directly down from the two newest professors.

A noise escaped her throat as she tried desperately to hide her amusement at the entire situation. While she was totally miserable at the thought of having to spend another year at this tired old institution, these newbies seemed- well- excited about the whole thing. And the guy's outfit was just priceless.

Her amusement was only furthered as she heard the tail end of a conversation that dealt with scaring students. Of course, unlike her, she assumed that Deck and the newbie were only joking. It seemed, however, that her amusement was only temporary as she was once again reminded that she was barred from doing the one thing in her life that she truly loved- play Quidditch.

Stabbing her fork at her food once again, she returned her attention to her plate. It was another year, it seemed.
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0 Amy Fox Joining in if I must. *winks* 0 Amy Fox 0 5


Nicolas Augustine Wolfe, Medic

November 28, 2006 11:07 AM
Nicolas was late, again. The opening feast was well underway when he slipped away from the quasi-sanctuary that was the hospital wing. The hall was decorated well enough, but the medic only paid it a passing thought. The staff table seemed to be full, but he would have to join them anyhow. The only problem was the easiest empty seat was near the quidditch instructor. Merlin, that woman was a harpie if there ever was one.

Still, he could not appear to find her distasteful. He must be civil and provide her with the same amount of courtesy he would show any colleague. A small frown was the only indication of Wolfe’s displeasure over the seating arrangements as he sat down.

Quietly he served himself portions of spinach, corn, and ham. He would have to see that the kitchen had adequately prepared the items designated ‘healthy’. ‘How does it go? All work and no play,’ he thought as he spooned the food onto his plate. He really needed a new hobby if his job was taking over his thoughts on food.

Quirking an eyebrow he addressed the woman stabbing at her food. “The object is to get the food to your mouth, and not to destroy it on your plate.”\n\n
0 Nicolas Augustine Wolfe, Medic Late again 0 Nicolas Augustine Wolfe, Medic 0 5

Master Simon

November 28, 2006 12:01 PM
Nobody responded to his initial query, Deck being busy talking to the new professors and Amy being busy smiting her food. Simon shrugged and let it go as he dug into the feast, listening in on the new people talking since Amy wasn't exactly socialable on her best days. It did appear, however, that she was also listening in, if her sound of amusement and later her food stabbing were anything to go by.

Simon greeted Wolfe as he took the seat on Amy's other side in spite of his stated dislike of the Quidditch Coach. When the man informed her of the purpose of a fork, Simon couldn't help laughing. He did make a valid point, but seriously? Either he had a death wish or he was living out the plot of thousands of comedies and romances. They hated each other, baited each other, couldn't leave each other alone, and some day they were going to get married.

Fate. That's what it was.

Simon grinned at them both, his eyes alight with the humor of his thoughts. "So you guys are dating," he joked, vastly amused with himself. "When's the wedding planned for?"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
1 Master Simon *snort* 14 Master Simon 0 5


Amy Fox

November 28, 2006 2:56 PM
Amy's spine stiffened as the chair beside her was quickly occupied by the unfashionably late medic. Pausing for only a moment, Amy once again returned to stabbing the mutilated chicken in front of her. How she managed to get stuck by the stuffy, stick-in-the-mud medic, she'd never know but it only seemed to further her agitation. She silently prayed that he'd know what was good for him and remain silent.

“The object is to get the food to your mouth, and not to destroy it on your plate.”

Obviously not.

Stopping mid-stab, Amy turned a venemous glare at the medic. Was he purposely trying to infuriate her? Didn't he realize that she had a weapon in her hand and could just as easily turn that weapon against him? Stupid, stupid man.

Realizing that it wouldn't be polite to attack the medic in the middle of the Cascade Hall during the Opening Feast, let alone acceptable or legal, Amy mentally began to count to ten as she tried to rein in her temper. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she tightened and released her grip on her fork as she continued to count.

She had only made it to five when Simon busted in. "So you guys are dating. When's the wedding planned for?"

Cutting her eyes at Simon, Amy began to turn a beet red as she realized that they were probably gaining quite a bit more attention that she wanted at the moment. What about her manner asked them to tease her? She had assumed that due to the scowl on her face and her foul manners people would steer clear of her. It seemed that she was wrong. And what about the fact that she had a possible weapon in her hand did they not understand?

"We are not dating," she finally managed to spit out. "Like I would ever date someone as boring and rude as him."

Turning her gaze away from Simon, she returned to look at Wolfe. Drawing in another deep breath, she managed to plant a smile on her face before speaking. "Thank you, Wolfey. You know, I really didn't know that food was for eating. Your comment has definitely served to enlighten me. Were you too busy coming up with a comment like that to be on time?" \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
0 Amy Fox A definite death wish 0 Amy Fox 0 5


Nicolas Wolfe, Medic

November 29, 2006 3:21 PM
Nicolas nodded in acknowledgement of Simon’s greeting but was unsure of what to make of the man’s laughter until, “"So you guys are dating. When's the wedding planned for?" Nic felt the sides of his lips turn down automatically. Fox was far most likely to lash out irrationally to a statement like that. He just hoped she wasn’t hiding a bludger under her dress robes.

Fox did not disappoint. "We are not dating. Like I would ever date someone as boring and rude as him." Finding her anger chiefly directed at Simon Nicolas allowed himself a moment of triumph, but she would turn her foul mouth on him soon enough.

"Thank you, Wolfey. You know, I really didn't know that food was for eating. Your comment has definitely served to enlighten me. Were you too busy coming up with a comment like that to be on time?"

“No dearest, I was sending off the invitations to your mother and your old teammates since it seems you left them off the guest list by accident.” He sat his hand on hers and looked at Simon with a lazy smile. “I wanted to throw caution to the wind and elope this summer. You know what a traditionalist my Amy is. She absolutely insists that we wait until next June so she can have all her friends and family around her as she marries the man of her dreams.” \n\n
0 Nicolas Wolfe, Medic Now darling, control your temper 0 Nicolas Wolfe, Medic 0 5


Amy Fox

November 29, 2006 4:30 PM
Of all the responses Amy had been expecting, all of the quips and retorts and rude remarks, Wolfe's reply had definitely not been one of them. An outraged gasp escaped her throat as he began speaking, heat quickly rising up the back of her neck and into her ears and cheeks- heat that only intensified when he placed his hand over hers, and she tried desperately to rein in her temper. Fork in her free hand, Amy's eyes darted to it repeatedly as she wondered if she could get away with poking him in the hand without anyone noticing. Most definitely not.

Hand clenching tightly, Amy's fork clanged on her plate as she continued to listen to him detail false plans for a fake wedding that would most assuredly never take place if she remained in her right mind. The main problem she foresaw was that everyone in the blasted school was going to begin talking about this false relationship as they were in front of the entire school population.

Hairs rose on her arm as her eyes cut from Wolfe to Simon and back again. She was going to kill him- take him and use him as a batting target for the next time she needed practice. Millions of scenarios quickly flew threw her head, some rather absurd, but all revolving around a painful death. It had to be painful or it wouldn't be worth it as she knew that she would be going to jail for a very long time afterward.

Well, if she got caught that is.

Forcing a cool smile on her face, she forced herself to keep her hand still as she turned to face Wolfe. "Dear, I can't believe that you're going to talk about 'our plans' in front of the entire hall," she finally stated, putting emphasis on her last words. "As the goddess of your universe, I insist-" At this she gave a well-aimed kick toward his nearest shin without flinching. "-that you allow me the honors of letting people know next time. I really do enjoy discussing your qualities so."

Sitting back in her chair, Amy easily pulled her hand back as she smiled at the thought that she was finally glad that she was able to put her steel-toed boots to use- well for something other than Quidditch, that is.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
0 Amy Fox Are you sure, sweetums? 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Simon

November 29, 2006 6:23 PM
Wow. Just, wow. Simon's eyes were wide with wonder, awe, and possibly even admiration. Boring? Oh no, Simon would never accuse the man of that now. Wolfe lived life on the edge. Well, he did for however little he had left of it. While Simon had dared ask the question in the first place because there were over a hundred students right there as witnesses, Wolfe went far and away past what Simon would consider sane.

Perhaps he hadn't been wrong about the deathwish. Wolfe was commiting suicide by Fox, maybe?

She seemed to be twitching. Her fork clanged ominously against her plate. Her eyes darted back and forth between Simon and Wolfe and it did not take a genius to understand that she was plotting bloody murder. The only question was whether she was planning Simon's or Wolfe's. Or rather, which she was planning first.

She lashed out at Wolfe, so he might be her intended initial target, but it was entirely possible she was blaming the whole mess on Simon for bringing it up not once but twice now, and if she addressed him, she'd just snap and kill him in front of everybody and not have a chance to kill Wolfe before they came and took her away. And that would upset her, and so that was why she wasn't addressing Simon.

At least he'd made it onto television before he died. Granted, he'd hoped for more than a soap opera part, but you took what you could get. It hadn't been a bad life, a little too short for his taste, but at least he wouldn't be remembered as an old and wrinkled guy. He should probably get married to make Auntie Gina happy before he died. She had liked Kiva. Maybe Kiva would marry him as a last request to a dying man.

If he survived the night, he'd seek her out tomorrow and test the waters. In the meantime, he'd try to extend his lifeline and lessen temptation for Amy. He grabbed a piece of pumpkin pie, put it on a napkin and stood up. "I should give the grounds a quick check before the Pecaris leave," he excused himself. "Night, Kiva. Night, all." He hurried away without waiting for replies.\n\n
1 Simon Getting out of the way 14 Simon 0 5


Nicolas Wolfe, Medic

November 30, 2006 11:31 PM
Wolfe was so close to breaking every code of civil behavior and snapping the blasted Quidditch instructor's delicate, little neck. She kicked him! What was worse she had lead in her boots or something. Wolfe was trying very hard not to let the pain show on his face.

'This is war,' he thought grimly. 'I'm going to make that banshee's life so miserable she'll wish she never laid eyes on this school. Heaven help her if she ever injures herself badly enough to be taken to my Hospital.'

He did his best to nod as Simon left the table. He would need to leave the hall soon regardless of whether he had finished his meal. Between wanting to strangle Fox and the throbbing in his leg he could scream. Still, he would not give her the satisfaction.

"Good evening madame. Once again you prove to me to be very last witch on this planet that I would choose to spend an evening with. Goodnight." He bowed stiffly and walked as best he could from the faculty table toward the hospital wing. His familiar was going to have a field day with this story. Wolfe was not likely to live this down for weeks.\n\n
0 Nicolas Wolfe, Medic Banshee 0 Nicolas Wolfe, Medic 0 5