Selina Skies
December 30, 2019 5:21 AM
What the heck indeed (Tag Felipe and Jeremy) by Selina Skies
Given that one of the people involved was bleeding, it was highly unlikely that the fight in the third year boys’ dorm was going to end up any way except in front of their Head of House. The sounds having attracted attention and the matter being reported, Selina had been straight up there, and both boys had been marched across the common room to her office.It would not have taken a genius to work out that she was furious. Clearly, given that they had started a fist fight, neither of them met that description. However, she was assuming that even they could work it out. Her mouth had gone so thin it had all but disappeared. She was firm in class. Perhaps she had a reputation for being austere or tough. Anything they had seen until this point paled in comparison to the cold fury currently radiating from her and the look that said that if non-verbal, wandless magic was possible there would currently be two little piles of ash in front of her desk instead of two boys.
“I will send a note to the medic to ask her to see to that lip,” she stated coolly. Whilst it would no doubt heal easily enough on its own, magical children were not used to suffering their injuries to heal naturally, and from their perspective would constitute medical neglect. “Is there anything you need seeing to?” she asked Felipe.
“I would say that in the meantime you should explain. However, I am not convinced that there is anything you can say that could possibly meet the definition of that word. Nonetheless, try,” she invited. She suspected she might have to separate them at some stage, to properly here what each of them had to say, but for now she’d see how far she got with them together.
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Selina Skies
What the heck indeed (Tag Felipe and Jeremy)
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Felipe De Matteo
December 30, 2019 6:29 PM
It wasn't my fault. by Felipe De Matteo
Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Not only had Felipe caved and stooped to the level of the cockroach he shared a room with, but now they both were going to be in trouble for it, possibly in equal measure. Sorry, professor, he's just such a jerk that his face basically begs to be smashed, didn't seem like a very good excuse somehow. In fact, Felipe realized with some horror that he didn't really have a very good excuse in any way. He shouldn't have attacked Jeremy, no matter how much Jeremy was awful and pompous and wretched. No matter how much Felipe was just as much all of those things.His stomach clenched as he wondered whether Professor Skies was going to tell his parents what had happened, although some of that was due to the bruises he could already feel forming on his abdomen. Breathing was still a challenge and far from comfortable, not to mention the soreness that was developing in Felipe's shoulders, his bruised right hand knuckles, and his backside where he'd landed hard on the floor. As the adrenaline and anger wore out, so too did his body. He didn't think he could find it in him to fight now, even if Jeremy turned and attacked him on the spot. With Professor Skies leading them to her office, her face set in the most terrifying expression Felipe had ever seen her wear, without a doubt, it was unlikely for Jeremy to do that. Still, Felipe didn't want to let on just how uncomfortable he was at this point, and walked with his head held as high as he dared.
Professor Skies was a scary woman at the best of times, made all the worse by the fact that she was a teacher and Transfiguration classes were definitely going to stuck for the rest of the year. Possibly the rest of his life. At least he wasn't particularly inclined towards that subject anyway, and didn't have particular plans to continue it into his Advanced years. Still, that meant he had three more years of it to go.
When the Head of House said she'd send a note for the medic for Jeremy's stupid face, Felipe quickly squashed a sick sense of pride that bubbled up within him; he had landed a solid blow and Jeremy had not. Felipe was hardly about to ask for something for his own bumps and bruises, and their robes would cover any marks except his hand, so he wasn't worried about that. It felt wrong to be proud, though, and he knew his family would be disappointed. Zara would be disappointed. Everyone would be disappointed. More disappointed.
"I apologise, Professor Skies," Felipe said, knowing his best chance was to speak up first. Jeremy could tell his side exactly as he'd seen it and it wouldn't look good for Felipe, so it was best to offer an apology before it got there. But he wasn't about to get into details about what set him off. "I was upset about a perceived slight and reacted inappropriately. It won't happen again."
His words seemed to fall like ice in the room, although heat and shame rose in his chest as he spoke. It felt like Professor Skies' office was swallowing his words as he spoke them, turning them over and evaluating them, and then frowning in disappointment at how little merit they held. He knew his explanation and apology were worthless in this situation.
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Felipe De Matteo
It wasn't my fault.
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Jeremy Mordue
December 30, 2019 8:41 PM
It definitely was by Jeremy Mordue
This wasn't fair. This wasn't his fault. They were going to be in so much trouble. Jeremy more or less didn't care what kind of punishment Professor Skies gave them. He was more worried about what Uncle Alexander would say. Nathaniel would obviously lecture him if he found out and Jeremy was already pre-emptively annoyed by the tone he felt sure his brother would take with him. And it wasn't even his fault.He had opened his mouth to say as much but Professor Skies wasn't willing to let them speak until they had reached her office. So, Jeremy shut up. There were certain lines even he knew not to cross. He followed her across the common room, trying to look vaguely affronted and hoping that the rumours that were bound to start circulating made it clear that his roommate was clearly a sociopath who had made Jeremy bleed. Whilst he would never have wanted to be the weaker one in a fight that his peers heard about there were higher stakes here - if Nathaniel and Uncle Alexander heard about this, he definitely wanted to be able to play the victim card. It had the added advantage of actually being true too. Felipe had attacked him, both verbally and physically.
He was quite surprised when the first words out of Felipe's mouth were more or less an admission of that fact. He had been annoyed at his roommate getting a word in first, but if it was to incriminate himself, then he was welcome to the floor.
"It's true," he added, not taking care to pronounce the words well around his swollen lip, just in case anyone was missing the point that Felipe was way, way more at fault here. "He yelled a bunch of stuff at me when I came in. Something about not liking the way I walk? Then he punched me, with about as much reason or explanation."
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Jeremy Mordue
It definitely was
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Selina Skies
December 30, 2019 9:05 PM
You're both at fault by Selina Skies
Selina, it seemed, had quite the dilemma. Judging by what both boys were saying, Felipe was the main aggressor. Or at least the one who had crossed major lines first. He was also the one behaving with more decency and reflection at the present moment, whilst Jeremy seemed keen to play the blame game and land his roommate in as much trouble as possible. That tipped the scales sharply in each direction in terms of Felipe, which she supposed brought them back to balance. Equally, Jeremy might be less at fault but... well, generally just more annoying. It would have been unprofessional for her to find it unsurprising that someone wanted to punch him in the face, and so she definitely did not think that. She was also not ever able to condone the actions Felipe had taken, whatever the level of provocation. She was, however, willing to consider the provocation deeply relevant. Especially if Jeremy had crossed lines verbally, particularly in respect to race, nationality or blood, that was something that was also deeply serious."From what I saw and heard, you retaliated in kind," Professor Skies observed to Jeremy. "I hope you both know there is no excuse or possible justification for physically attacking one another," she glared. Felipe seemed to understand that, at least. She was not yet going to point out that he was apologising to the wrong person or force them to make fake apologies to each other because she first wanted to understand the whole problem, which she still sensed she did not. With the fact made clear that Fighting Is Always Wrong, she certainly had no objections to hearing Felipe's side of the story in more detail. But not in front of Jeremy. She already sensed he had a good idea of how to push his roommate's buttons judging by what had occurred but that didn't mean that spelling it out, along with her commentary on which of those would get him into trouble, was good information to arm him with. Fortunately, at that moment the medic arrived.
"I suggest you step outside with Ms. Kapoor," Selina requested. "I will talk to you again in a moment."
Once Jeremy was removed the office, she returned her attention to Felipe.
"I am not going to condone or excuse your behaviour, but I think you already know and understand that. I would like to know what Jeremy's been saying to aggravate you so much, because there are certain things I will not let go on that front either."
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Selina Skies
You're both at fault
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Felipe De Matteo
January 01, 2020 12:19 PM
If you're sure. by Felipe De Matteo
Felipe did not watch Jeremy leave the room. He didn't want to give the toad the satisfaction, or else give in to the temptation to look haughty at him. Instead, he took up a pose he had rarely used himself - one he typically only saw reserved for people who had committed crimes and we're being confronted by Ilefonso De Matteo - and looked down at his feet.Professor Skies' next comment surprised him, though, and he looked up with plain shock on his face before he got control of it again. All the feelings he had refused to put words to, feeling insane, feeling paranoid, feeling like he was just lashing out because he was the problem, suddenly found context. They were probably all still true, but Jeremy was objectively a pighead too. He had enough of a reputation for it that Felipe's confession of guilt and complete willingness to take the blame was not accepted without discussion. Perhaps that said more about Professor Skies than Jeremy or Felipe, but it was a comfort to the latter nonetheless.
"I didn't mean to punch him," Felipe began, speaking softly. "I was upset because he had made someone angry at the Feast." He couldn't exactly say 'friend' because Professor Skies had likely seen that he and Jessica had not been talking, but he also hadn't heard exactly what happened. "I wasn't there, but I saw it, and I was worried. He and I... Disagree fundamentally. Our families." It was hard to get everything out. His words felt stuck in his throat and his sister telling him he was a tattler was stuck in the back of his mind. "My family cares a great deal about non-magical people, and not so much about status. I blamed Jeremy because I was upset with myself."
Felipe really hated this a lot. He hated that he didn't want to say anything at all, just take his punishment and go, but that as he said one thing, the rest poured out with it. His throat was warm and he absolutely refused to acknowledge any hint of tears in his eyes. He was a boy, and he was the heir to the De Matteo legacy (sorry, family), and he was the one who had punched first. He also hated how desperately he had wanted, or needed, to talk to someone that maybe reminded him a little of his mom. Both Professor Skies and Felipe's mother were beautiful, kind, and terrifying women. That was about where the similarities ended, but it was enough somehow.
"He said something about someone I care about 'getting their panties in a twist'. That's an idiom, right? In English? It sounded... I didn't like it. I didn't like him talking about that person like that. I didn't mean to hit him, I just did it. It's my fault. I'm so sorry." He sniffed and really hoped it looked more like disdain than like he was crying which he absolutely wasn't because he wouldn't cry in front of Professor Skies.
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Felipe De Matteo
If you're sure.
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Selina Skies
January 04, 2020 6:32 AM
Pretty sure by Selina Skies
“A temper is not a good thing to have,” Professor Skies reminded Felipe, although her tone was a lot more gentle than one might have expected for such a remark. “I can see that, with hindsight, you seem perfectly able to see that what you have done is wrong. So, I will not continue to lecture you on that. I will have to decide what to do about this once I have the full story from both you and Jeremy. I also hope that I can trust that you will work on that, and that this won’t happen again. Life is full of unpleasant people. They will learn how to push your buttons – learn how to provoke reactions from you, especially if you show them you are reactive. And, as you seem to be realising already, you do yourself, or what you believe in, no favours by lashing out. I certainly doubt you’ve convinced Jeremy to change any of his politics by assaulting him,” she pointed out, fairly sure she had an accurate enough reading of Felipe’s character to know that that would be the way in which the lesson hit home the most, even if it still surprised her that he had resorted to violence.“I assume we’re talking about Jessica?” she stated bluntly. She kept an eye on her students during the feast and someone leaving their place was a noticeable action. She was not surprised that Jeremy and Jessica did not get on. She had even considered that it might have been an unpleasant exchange. However, she suspected Jessica did not particularly like her and was not sure she would welcome the interference. She had more marked it down as something to keep an eye on than an immediate issue that needed dealing with. Perhaps she should have been more proactive…
“Yes, that is an idiom. A somewhat patronising and vulgar one, but probably nothing warranting a punishment. Was there anything in what he said to you, or to Jessica, that you want me to take up with him?” she asked. Felipe had mentioned not being present during the incident but she assumed he would have heard about it afterwards. Given that he and Jessica were not permanently glued to each other when being friendly, a couple of days of not seeing them interact had not been a noticeable pattern. “You mentioned having very different attitudes – has this come from anything specific in your interactions or more just… a general impression?” she asked. It was hard, very hard, not to take sides. To essentially say, but without saying it, that she knew what Jeremy was – that every nuance of his attitude screamed racist, spoiled snob. But that unless he put words and actions to his thoughts, there probably wasn’t much she could do about it.
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Selina Skies
Pretty sure
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Felipe De Matteo
January 04, 2020 5:30 PM
That's good. I'm not going to jail? by Felipe De Matteo
Felipe squirmed under the bluntness of Professor Skies' inquiry, both in terms of his temper tantrum and the subject of his outburst. While he agreed that he hardly did himself or his values any favors on the temper tantrum front, he was pretty sure that it was worth it. Even as much as it was totally not worth it. His goal had certainly not been to change Jeremy's politics it had been . . . what? To punish him? To make him the object of a power dynamic he inflicted on other people? That didn't sound good.But Jessica was another issue. Confirmation that the idiom was vulgar felt good, but it didn't solve the problem at hand and he certainly didn't want Jessica to know what had happened. Of course, he doubted he could keep that from the rest of the school when anyone who had been in the Crotalus Common Room had just seen he and Jeremy being escorted to Professor Skies' office, blood everywhere.
Whether there was any one particular incident or whether it was a general impression was harder to say though. The majority of it was certainly a general impression, but it wasn't as if Jeremy never said anything gross or racist. Unfortunately - or fortunately maybe - Felipe hadn't actually heard whatever his roommate had said to Jessica. That saved him from having to answer, but it also saved him from having any proper justification for his behavior.
"I don't know exactly what he said," Felipe replied quietly. "Only that it was bad enough to make her really upset and that he looked very pleased with himself. He . . . I don't know what it is." He sighed to himself, giving up on making it any better. "I guess it's just a general impression, ma'am."
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Felipe De Matteo
That's good. I'm not going to jail?
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