Professor Kijewski
April 16, 2008 11:23 PM
Lesson 1 for First and Second Years by Professor Kijewski
Kiva in the clearing behind a heavy table where what looked like a tortoise crawled around on. It had been a rough couple of days for her for various reasons, but the main one had been her confrontation with the Headmaster. She knew her behavior hadn’t been appropriate, but his words had stung her. A very personal moment where she had gone to him to figure things out and he had twisted her words making her look as though she were an incompetent, desperate, fool of a woman. He had been her mentor and now everything seemed so tainted.She took a deep breath and gently shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about it now. Words could not be taken back, there was no point in dwelling on it now.
She could hear the footsteps of her newest students walking through the gardens in search of her clearing. The jewels on the shell of the creature caught her attention as they shimmered from the sunlight. A smile grew on her face while she watched the Fire Crab crawl around, exploring it’s surroundings. Her fingers gently grazed the shell while the students crowded into the clearing. When she felt that everyone had managed to find their way, she began the lesson.
“Good morning everyone.” She greeted as she usually did. “Welcome to Sonora and welcome back to the older students. For those who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting just yet, I’m Professor Kijewski, also known as Professor K. I’m currently the Head of Aladren and your Care of Magical Creatures professor.” She introduced herself to them, walking around the table so that she was now standing beside it instead of behind it. “Now, I want to explain what this class is all about. The purpose of Care of Magical Creatures is for you to have a better understanding of the type of magical creatures are currently residing in our world. How to handle them and how to identify them. It’s really quite simple, but handling certain creatures can be quite dangerous. Because of that, I do have rules while you are in my class.” Kiva paused for a split second. The students always hated hearing the rules.
“While I am explaining the creatures there will be no talking. Lectures are meant for you to remain safe while learning. I explain in my lectures on the dangers that each creature may bring and if you aren’t paying attention than you will more than likely end up meeting our Medic on several occasions. The second rule is a courtesy rule for your peers. If another student is speaking, do not talk. It’s rude and you could potential miss something of importance as a result. Other than that, after the lecture is over, you are free to talk amongst yourselves. Oh, and feel free to discard your robes. In this class, they’ll more than likely just get in the way. Okay, now onto the lesson.” Kiva said, clapping her hand and startling the creature enough for it to shoot fire out of it’s tail-end.
Kiva cleared her throat to be sure everyone was paying attention. After a display like that, kids usually get a little over excited. “This looks like a very fancy tortoise, but in the magical world, this creature is called a Fire Crab.” She explained to them. “I don’t know why they are called a crab, but, it’s obvious why they have ‘fire’ in their name.” The Fire Crab continued to wander around the table, but was in no danger of falling off.
“The Fire Crab is in constant danger of being killed for its shell. Most of you might think that they take the shell because of the jewels, but the truth is is that Witches and Wizards use their shells for cauldrons.” Kiva knocked lightly on the shell, only to cause more fire to burst of it’s hind end. Kiva smiled but continued on as though nothing had happened. “In it’s native land of Fiji, there is a coastal protection reserve created in order for the fire crab to have a habitat where no harm will come to them. Now, does anyone have any questions or want to come up here to have a better look?” Kiva asked, looking out at her students.
OOC: Okay, for points, be sure to write posts at least 10 sentences in length. I’m looking for a lot of details and creativity. Also, feel free to write for the fire crab, but keep it simple. I don’t want a fire started or anything like that.
Subthreads: Care of Flaming Creatures? by Kyler Kent with Andrew Tudor, Kyler, Andrew T., 'Andy' Tudor, Andy Tudor
Turtles? Crabs? Fire? uh-oh. by Delany with Alexis Ashwood
This is new by Joey Phillips with Amelia Smythe, Joey
Sounds like the organic solution to lighters. by Laurie Cider with Josh and Renaye Warren, Raye and Josh, Professor K.
Hmm, a Fire Crab, sounds dangerous by Krisalyn Koli
something witty, something witty... nope by Mollie Buchanan
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Professor Kijewski
Lesson 1 for First and Second Years
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Professor Kijewski
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Laurie Cider
April 27, 2008 8:10 AM
Sounds like the organic solution to lighters. by Laurie Cider
Care of Magical Creatures was Laurie's comfort class. She couldn't quite give it the full title of favorite being as Potions took that hands-down, but there was certainly a calming, pleasant feel to the class, a third of which was probably due to Professor K's relaxing style of teaching. It was all about interaction and observation- and, it was one of the few times that Laurie could be around animals. She often missed that comforting feeling that having one of her pets around her gave.She trotted into class, flashing smiles and short waves to familiar faces before setting out the checkered blanket she had formed a habit of bringing during her first year. She sat down carefully, using her canvas bag to support her back as she leaned back, watching the turtle-like creature that her professor was displaying. A Fire Crab. . .interesting name. Perhaps it was because of the shell that they called it a crab once upon a time, she mused. The 'fire' portion of the name derived from the obvious, plainly.
She chose to keep her questions to herself, feeling that they could probably be easily answered through some book browsing. Questions like: Did they live in fresh or salt water? Which countries are they indigenous to? What causes the fire? Was the fire magical or was it the entire tortoise that was magical? She jot down her thoughts on a spare sheet of paper from her notebook and then frowned, realizing that her normal CoMC partner was not in her class this year.
Talen was always so patient with her questions, answering them in a way that left her only more curious and never insulted or belittled. It was a good quality of his-
"Oh!' A brief spurt of wind, gentle up until that moment, swept up her paper and carried it a few feet to her left. Thankfully, the paper caught on the clothes of one of her classmates. Sighing, she leaned over, not wanting to disturb her comfortable position. "Hey, sorry about that. Would you mind. . .?"
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Laurie Cider
Sounds like the organic solution to lighters.
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Laurie Cider
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Josh and Renaye Warren
April 27, 2008 12:00 PM
Organic takes away the taste (not talking about lighters) by Josh and Renaye Warren
Renaye and Josh weren't the biggest fans for CoMC. Renaye liked the different creatures they got to see, but couldn't say she found them intensely interesting. Josh just didn't have a passion for animals. Sure the occasional really cool one came along but, for the most part, he participated with mild observation. He had nothing against them though. Josh was a pretty animal-neutral kid. The twins took a seat around the middle of the crowd. Renaye clasped her hands behind her head and leaned back into the grass, taking in what Professor K was saying while Josh, being the smarter one, took the notes."So what does the thing do?" Renaye asked her brother, one hand picking at pieces of grass. Josh shrugged. She hadn't said what exactly it did, just what it was used for.
"Remember when we had a goldfish?" Renaye said, a small pile of the plucked grass building up beside her. Josh smiled lightly and nodded.
"Newman," he said. That goldfish managed to survive from Australia to Portugal (the time of about 6 months). Renaye had named him after... Josh didn't remember where she had gotten it from. For all he knew it was just a random name she had come up with. It seemed to fit, so the name stayed. Elaina was only two at that time so Mom and Dad had told them they needed a quiet pet. The twins had watched over Newman every second they had. Their favorite part was feeding time because of the way Newman attacked the food. But the poor guy ended up being... over-fed and later flushed.
"We should ask Mom and Dad for an owl or something," she said, her green eyes now bright. "That would be cool!" Josh grinned and nodded in agreement. Josh's attention was caught by a piece of paper that flew into the knee of his robes. He looked over for the owner and his eyes found Laurie sitting not too far from them.
"Hey, sorry about that. Would you mind. . .?"
"Nope," he said playfully, "I think I'll keep this for now." Renaye sat up at Josh's unusual vocal activity, but grinned at the sight of Laurie. Renaye snatched the paper from Josh, who had been holding it above his head, and handed it over to her friend.
"Why are you so mean to her?" She scolded, with a wink towards Laurie.
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Josh and Renaye Warren
Organic takes away the taste (not talking about lighters)
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Josh and Renaye Warren
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Laurie Cider
April 28, 2008 8:44 PM
*Nods* Agreed. by Laurie Cider
"Jerk," Laurie said with a mock pout, and then immediately followed it up with a beam once Renaye brought the paper back to safety. "And this is why you're my favorite twin, Raye."Obligingly, she picked up her tablecloth and bag, and re-settled next to the twins, spreading it out so that there was room for them to join. "So what do you figure the chances are that someone sets their hair on fire with that little guy?"
She only meant the remark in jest, but it did make her question, albeit briefly, what sort of safety precautions were in place when there was a creature wandering about that, when frightened (and seemingly easily so), ejected spurts of flame. She supposed that there was always some degree of danger involved with any of her class, history included with its occasional verbal assaults. Somehow, though, she had never actually been frightened by anything in Sonora. The moment she crossed over onto its grounds, the school had surrounded her with a feeling of security and safety.
She wondered if there were charms in place, much like the ones on the weather, that projected that sense of calm.
Laurie adjusted her satchel into a comfortable angle and then laid back, cupping her eyes so that she could watch the goings-on around the Fire Crab without the sun hindering her. Squirming slightly, she nudged Josh's shoulder and then sighed, content. "Perfect. Josh, have I ever mentioned what a perfect sun-shield you are?"
A moment later, she continued, her thoughts having traveled to a new venue without interruption. "This class always makes me feel homesick. Seeing the animals are neat, but then I'm reminded of home, and Fudge and Cotton. Sometimes, I wish Sonora was a day-school, like any other."
She bit down on any additional words, reminded that Josh and Renaye had a very different sort of home-life from her. Theirs consisted of, from what she gathered, mostly absent parents, different homes. It might very well be that Sonora was the first entirely stable place they had ever been. Laurie attempted to re-direct things. "You know, personally, I would keep a Fire Crab alive and well. Think how convenient it would be. Need to light a fire and too lazy to reach for your wand? Just clap once, and woosh, you'll have scared the little guy into making you a cozy fire. And the like."
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Laurie Cider
*Nods* Agreed.
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Laurie Cider
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Josh and Renaye
May 02, 2008 8:17 PM
The result of research paper procrastination: by Josh and Renaye
Josh's expression changed to worry for a brief second before he realized that Laurie had been joking. He shrugged his shoulders with a smile. At the mentioning of Raye being the favorite twin, Josh arranged his expression to surprise as Renaye raised her arms in victory."Wow, Raye," he said, "That's a first." Renaye made a face and lightly punched his arm.
"Jealous..." Renaye said as she stood up, brushing the grass off her jeans and straightening her brown shirt. She pulled up a spot on the blanket. Josh joined the two girls, settling himself beside Laurie, who commented on the safety of the Fire Crab. Renaye let out a laugh and turned her gaze to those milling about. She could definitely imagine one of them leaning forward and-- Poof! Instant haircut. 'What would happen if someone caught fire?' Renaye thought. Okay, so maybe they were being a little exaggerated... The thinking process was entertaining nevertheless.
"Perfect. Josh, have I ever mentioned what a perfect sun-shield you are?"
Josh nodded as he wrote down the last of his notes and said, "I get that a lot."
"This class always makes me feel homesick. Seeing the animals are neat, but then I'm reminded of home, and Fudge and Cotton. Sometimes, I wish Sonora was a day-school, like any other."
"I get homesick from Potions," Josh said, folding up his notebook, "Smell reminds me of Uncle Mike's cooking..." He pretended to look away with a melancholy expression, but couldn't hold the straight face once Renaye started laughing.
"Whatever's-left-in-the-fridge Cassarole night!" She said. "I could go without that for a while..." The twins exchanged a momentary glance, exchanging slightly homesick looks. Michigan was the only place they had really called home for the past few years. Mom and Dad had decided, since the kids were older, they could handle them being away for a little longer. Somehow that turned out to mean a year at a time... Michigan provided a haeven though. They all felt more at home there than anywhere else. They both prefered it to anywhere in the world. Uncle Mike was there for them more than Mom and Dad in the past five years combined. Right now, they missed his humor and support. Thankfully, Laurie came up with a new topic.
"You know, personally, I would keep a Fire Crab alive and well. Think how convenient it would be. Need to light a fire and too lazy to reach for your wand? Just clap once, and woosh, you'll have scared the little guy into making you a cozy fire. And the like." Renaye sat up, turning towards Laurie, her eyes holding that look that said she had an idea.
"Speaking of pets, Josh and I are going to write Mom and Dad and see if we can get an owl or something!" Renaye grinned. "It would be cool to be able to write to Elaina and Uncle Mike every once in a while and talk to other friends over break. And hey, you're creative, you could help us name it!" Having an owl would help so much. Renaye wouldn't mind sending a few letters to Mom and Dad. Maybe they would drop by for Easter or something. Renaye had pictures from the game, so maybe they would want to see them. They could test-fly the brooms like they use to! She knew not to get her hopes up... but if they did end up coming by... Heck, Raye wouldn't mind going overseas if they let them know and actually planned on hanging around. Maybe they could convince them to let Uncle Mike, Irene, and even Laurie's family come along. That would be a vacation.
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Josh and Renaye
The result of research paper procrastination:
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Josh and Renaye
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Laurie Cider
May 03, 2008 7:21 PM
Under-achieving equals more sleeping time. by Laurie Cider
"Speaking of pets, Josh and I are going to write Mom and Dad and see if we can get an owl or something! It would be cool to be able to write to Elaina and Uncle Mike every once in a while and talk to other friends over break. And hey, you're creative, you could help us name it!"Laurie couldn't help but giggle. "Sounds great, but you might want to hold back on my suggestions. In case you didn't notice, but most of my pets' names ring of bad puns."
There was her albino lop rabbit, Fudge; the family's adopted cat, Butch, who was always hiding; her six goldfish named Fishies one, two, three and on through six. And then there were the more obvious names for pets, like Cotton for her other albino lop, and Dog for her brother's husky-chow mix. Her creativity had never really stretched to names it seemed. She lifted her chin and closed her eyes, relishing the warmth of the sun on her skin.
"You guys ever miss muggle stuff when you're here?" she asked, her thoughts having trailed off into modes of communication. "I mean, I know now that it's impossible to have things like computers or cell phones here, but sometimes I miss the simplicity of it."
Last year had cemented all those considerations in complete failure. Her parents had written, and the Headmaster had explained it succinctly. Magic and tiny electronic parts did not mix. That fact of life didn't feel any less unfair, though. She disliked how it seemed that the magic side of her life was increasingly growing larger compared to the muggle side. It was like that side of her life was being left behind, and that meant her brothers and her mother. She tried to not let it bother her, but the concern was always there, lingering in the back of her mind.
She didn't want to rain on Renaye's obvious excitement though, and she wasn't even entirely sure that they would get it. The Warrens weren't all hardcore Pureblood like some others, but they had grown up immersed in magic. Her family was muggle first and then magic came as an afterthought. Her dad's job was about as muggle-fied as anything magic could get. So she kept her thoughts to herself; maybe at another time. . .
Instead, she summoned up an easy smile and gestured with a sneaker-ed foot toward the students grouped at the front of the class. “Think we should join them and pretend excitement or something? I don’t know what it is, but coming outside today just makes me want to stretch out and laze.”
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Laurie Cider
Under-achieving equals more sleeping time.
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Laurie Cider
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Raye and Josh
May 05, 2008 7:32 PM
Props to under-achieving then! by Raye and Josh
"Sounds great, but you might want to hold back on my suggestions. In case you didn't notice, but most of my pets' names ring of bad puns." Renaye brushed this comment off with a wave of her hand."Then you can help us decide on the name," she decided. "But I liked Dog's name! Anyway, I've already got my two favorite for a boy and a girl, but it depends on the personality of the little bird. How's this?" She looked to both Josh and Laurie for their input. "Machupichu or Xena the Female Warrior." Josh let out a chuckle.
"I feel sorry for your future children. It's going to be interesting to see their names." Renaye shot Josh a look. "But I like them! They're great." Renaye grinned.
Laurie's topic that brought up muggle-life inspired more thoughts of home. At Uncle Mike's magic wasn't really used for much. Uncle Mike was in the same boat as Laurie's family. Magic was second. Renaye and Josh didn't mind the muggle-ness of home. It was sort of refreshing. Josh liked the calm of the little amount of magic. It was... simplistic, like Laurie had said. Josh nodded in response to her.
"I just miss the calm. Magic is homework when you're here. I like that there's less hassle at home, you know?" He said, picking at the grass in front of him like Renaye had been doing previously. Josh lay back on the blanket, the CoMC class replicating the atmosphere of the pond at home. It was terrific.
“Think we should join them and pretend excitement or something?” Josh and Renaye groaned in unison. “I don’t know what it is, but coming outside today just makes me want to stretch out and laze.” The twins each agreed.
"Sitting here pretending to care seems to work so far," Renaye said, joining the other two and laying back. Josh nodded. "Lazing sounds good to me..."
Josh turned his head to his right, towards where Renaye was laying basking in the Arizona sun. He turned his head to the left, towards where Laurie was doing the same. The sun was streaming down, catching in her brown, but still sort of blonde, hair. The sunny weather made her skin look like it was glowing. Josh blinked and turned his face back up towards the sky, closing his eyes and welcoming the warmth. Friends was good...
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Raye and Josh
Props to under-achieving then!
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Raye and Josh
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Professor K.
May 06, 2008 7:49 PM
How about props to those that work? (Answers here!) by Professor K.
Kiva almost sighed with relief when a student actually raised her hand and asked a simple question. She wasn't worried for receiving questions that she might not answer or would be surprised about, but worried that her students didn't care enough about her lessons that they wouldn't ask anything at all. Kiva was well aware that after the students fifth year with her, only a couple returned to follow through until their seventh. She tried to keep it interesting for them to keep them involved and wondering what creatures she had in store for them in hopes that they would want to continue working with her, but even the Ranch hadn't been enough incentive to keep them interested.It was a sad reality for Kiva, but it wasn't one she could really fix. They had choices, she couldn't really blame them for not wanting to be here with her a couple of days a week if they didn't plan on doing anything with animals after Sonora.
"That's an excellent question, this Fire Crab doesn't actually live in the gardens here at Sonora. Before coming to Sonora as a Professor, I traveled and made quite a fair few of friends who work with special creatures like this guy-" Kiva gestured to the fake-tortoise in front of her, "And, after becoming a Professor, those friends of mine are more than happy to lend a creature for teaching purposes because they know that this will help mold the minds of the young and give understanding of why animals of all kind are important to our societies." Kiva paused realizing that she was rambling and smiled apologetically at her students.
"Anyway, to answer your question, while he's here with me, I keep him in a special habitat until I'm able to get him back home to Fiji." After answering the first girl, Kiva's attention went to a second girl who asked a question. Kiva took a moment to work out a proper way of answering that but really didn't have one. Instead, she went the direct route, "Well, there really isn't anything about the shell that makes it better than any other cauldron. But, for those who have more exquisite taste than what a gold cauldron might give to them, they wish to have the jeweled shell of the Fire Crab. One of the sad realities for creatures who have a beauty about them that human beings can't quite let go of."
Kiva looked out at her students to see if anyone else was raising their hands but didn't immediately spot anyone. Instead, she noticed a small group of students lounging on a blanket and seemingly disinterested in her lesson. A small frown appeared on Kiva's face as she looked out at them. "I'll be right back." Kiva said to those who were actually paying attention. She gave a quick tap against the table creating an invisible barrier around the edge of the table to prevent the students from touching the Fire Crab without Kiva's guidance and from keeping both the Fire Crab and the students safe incase of a fire outburst or the creature wandered too close to the edge.
Leaving the table, Kiva moved towards the group of students, pausing just as she reached them and cleared her throat for their attention. "I realize that I give you students leeway when it comes to how I conduct the class and how much free time you all have, but, this is still a class and I do expect my students to give me their attention and respect while I'm teaching." Her voice was polite and though she hadn't meant to, Kiva couldn't keep a tad bit of hurt from creeping into her features. "You can nap on your own time. These creatures will be on your exams and possibly on your CATS when it's time for you to take them. I do my best to keep this entertaining, so please show me a little bit of courtesy?"
She heard a couple of students squeal which usually meant that the Fire Crab had burst again. Giving them one last look from their spots on the blanket, Kiva returned to the table and removed the ward. "Alright, does anyone else have questions or would like to touch him? I know he seems like a mess with the fire, but he's actually rather gentle."\r\n\r\n
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Professor K.
How about props to those that work? (Answers here!)
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Professor K.
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