Study break. on Library

Allie and Lila St.Martin

May 30, 2006 1:44 PM

Study break. by Allie and Lila St.Martin

The silence in the library was almost deafening as Allie peered at her Transfiguration notes and bit her lower lip, hoping to look like she had at least some idea of what it all meant. Some of the concepts, she was surprised to note, were starting to make sense, at least a little. Beside her, Lila was muttering not-very-polite-sounding things about Professor Bulla and Charms in general. Studying together in the last two days before finals was an act of mutual desperation, but Allie thought they both stood at least a chance of passing...well, if not everything, then the better half of everything at least. Enough that Mama wouldn't be too terribly angry with them, anyway.

She frowned, leaning closer to her parchments unconsciously. They had only covered this a few days earlier, a sort of second-year prep, and it was still confusing her... "Lila."

Her sister broke off her diatribe against Allie's Head of House. "What?"

"Can you explain Moiner's Law of Base-Product Transfigurations to me?"

"It doesn't matter."

"But it's going to be on the exam."

"Let me rephrase that. It doesn't matter for you, because you're going to fail anyway."

"Professor Marlowe said I wouldn't. Not if I tried."

"Oh, her," Lila scoffed. "Allie, are you really so far out of it that you believe anything the teachers say?" When Allie just looked at her, not saying anything, Lila shrugged uncomfortably. "Ask Anne, if you're so keen to know. I'm not gonna waste my time." Allie's automatic response - but she'll yell at me - rose to her lips, but she didn't actually say it. A moment later, Lila sighed and gave up. "Fine. Base-product relationships are the ones where the original thing and the product - that's the thing you turn the first thing into - are made of the same stuff."

"But that doesn't explain - "

"Allie, will you please just let me study? That's all I know about it, okay?"

Allie didn't push it, but instead comforted herself with the thought that she would look it up on her own later, maybe - she'd never have the courage to actually do it, but thinking about it was all right - even seek out a professor to explain it for her. It was Lila who spoke next.

"You ought to straighten your hair, Allie."

What did that have to do with anything? "I don't know how."

"Well, I do. See?" Allie obediently looked up as her twin threw her long, perfectly straight sheet of dark hair over her shoulder. "Want me to do it for you?" Lila actually had her wand out.

"Here?"

"Why not? No one else is around." And then Allie thought she understood. It wasn't that Lila didn't want to be around her, but that Lila didn't want to compromise herself by being seen hanging out with her mousy, unobtrusive sister. Before Allie could think of anything to say, Lila had stood up. "Just hold still a minute, I don't want to set you on fire." A glimmer of a smile flashed across Li's face. "I'm not that big on revenge." A few moments later, Lila was sitting down again and Allie's head felt heavier. She didn't know if she liked it or not. "That looks so much better," Lila commented. "Really slims down your face, Als." Yes, she did like it.

"Um..." She liked it, but she didn't know what to say. She wasn't used to compliments. "We should keep working..."

Lila laughed. "What's the point? I'm gonna fail, too. It's pretty much inevitable that we're both gonna be right here again studying for the first year exit exams next year."

Allie felt a surge of something akin to panic. She was the one who failed, not Lila. Lila wasn't supposed to have thoughts like that. They were her province, hers and hers alone. "Well...shouldn't we at least try to fail by as little as possible? I mean, they might..." What was the term? "Curb the grade a little?"

Lila opened her mouth, probably to say that they wouldn't, but then stopped, an odd look on her face. She muttered something indistinguishable, then shrugged. "Maybe. Even if they don't, I might go nuts if I have to listen to Anne preaching the virtues of living in this dump - " she gestured around the library, clearly referring to it rather than to the school as a whole - "all summer. Guess it's worth a shot just for that."

The twins settled back to studying in silence. \n\n

16 Allie and Lila St.Martin Study break. 76 Allie and Lila St.Martin 1 5

Tavarius Mims

May 30, 2006 4:13 PM

There is no time for a break by Tavarius Mims

"I will not allow this to happen," Tavarius Mims, Sonora's point keeper, could be heard muttering all the way from his station outside the Cascade Hall to the library. He looked rather more disheveled than usual, with an expression of pained disgust across his face and his bow tie at the point of almost falling off from his nervous habit of straightening it. But, he had what he considered to be a very good reason for such lack of attention to his appearance. Pecari was only five points behind in the point totals. They were close, too close and he just knew the house of pigs would be plotting to gain those few extra points.

Though he was generally not a man of action when it came to such things, this particular vendetta ran deep. Of course, he could have always changed the point totals to prevent a win for Pecari, but he did have his integrity to think about. No one could ever say Professor Mims was a cheat. It was one reason he held the great honor of points keeper in the first place. Instead, he wanted to have a chat with some of the more studious members of the non-Pecari group. He would of course instill the importance of Sonora's great house competition, and provide assistance in any way he could to be sure that they could secure points for their house. Crotalus was the obvious choice as they were not only the more respectable and worthy of houses, but also the current leader. However, Tavarius would be glad even if those weak dolts in Teppenpaw wanted to put forth the effort.

And so, he left his portrait in the not so able hands of Zweena the Oblivious, taking care to threaten her with a visit from Gunter the zombie if she even so happened to think about touching his point booklets. He was now in the library, the most logical habitat of the good, point winning student.

He walked in just in time to see a girl performing a beautification charm on another, which was certainly not the best use of the library! Tavarius' stopped at a painting short of their table, his mustache twitching in disapproval at the sight of their activities. These too girls were his only hope for an overthrow of Pecari? At least one of them appeared to be a Crotalus.

It was then that his only hope of a Crotalus mentioned failing. His mouth dropped. The other replied with a suggestion of a grade 'curb', a modern slang term he knew to mean 'give away grade points willy-nilly, as though they had no more value than dirt'. His mouth dropped further. Then, the first one had the gull to call the library a 'dump.' His silent composure abruptly broke at this last remark.

"That is not the proper attitude for a young lady like yourself to have!" he barked, forgetting for the moment he was in a library. "I expect you two to study, and study well!," Professor Mims continued. "'It is always best to impress', I always like to say." \n\n

0 Tavarius Mims There is no time for a break 0 Tavarius Mims 0 5

Allie and Lila St.Martin

May 30, 2006 11:09 PM

Um...how about a short-term distraction? by Allie and Lila St.Martin

Lila dropped her eyes back to her own notes, but found them jerked up before she could focus back in on her own handwriting by the sound of a male voice reprimanding someone. Her immediate thought was that Bulla had arrived and decided to go off on Allie, but the wide-eyed look of surprise her twin gave her was identical to the one on her own face, and Lila knew Allie well enough to know that the older twin would be falling apart if her Head of House turned up and started yelling at her. Allie would fall apart if she thought anyone was yelling at her, come to that...

Two sets of hazel eyes found the disheveled, mustached portrait of a man almost at the same time. It was a moment before Lila recognized him, and the recognition did little to ease her surprise. His portrait hung in the foyer, along with those of the Founders, and he kept up with the points. There was no real reason that Lila or, by the look on her face, Allie could think of for him dropping in on the library and jumping down their throats about...whatever he was on about. Study well...he must have heard part of the conversation between her and her sister...

The startled look vanished, and a bright, almost innocent smile took its place. Sure, the individual lecturing her was only an image of a man, the actual man having most likely died about a hundred years previously, but it retained at least part his personality and could as easily drop in on Dione, Bulla, or Marnett herself as it did on her and Allie. She'd heard that the paintings sometimes acted as spies for the teachers, and it was better safe than sorry. If she could charm real people, she could certainly charm an image of one.

"I absolutely agree with you, sir," she said, nodding and kicking Allie under the table so she would do the same. She didn't draw herself up to as much of her full height as was possible while sitting, but altered her posture slightly, straightening her spine and working hard to assume the appearance of a good little schoolgirl. She had been acting when she denied any interest in passing, so why not overexaggerate the desire to do so? "Impressions are the basis of all interactions." Introduction. She hated to do it, but...it would look worse not to, and if the painting was a spy, she wouldn't be hard to identify even if she did withhold her name. As far as she knew, she and Allie were the only identical twins at Sonora. "Lila St.Martin, of the South Carolina St.Martins, and my sister, Alexandra." Just a note of deference, there. Allie was nodding and smiling timidly, clearly, in Lila's mind, having no idea what was going on. \n\n

16 Allie and Lila St.Martin Um...how about a short-term distraction? 76 Allie and Lila St.Martin 0 5

Tavarius Mims

June 02, 2006 7:38 PM

Only if it has educational value by Tavarius Mims

That was certainly a change of attitude for the better. Tavarius straightened his posture and the look of disapproval dropped from his face, immediately replaced by his usual haughty expression. He adjusted his tie and looked down on the girls, feeling rather pleased that they agreed with his motto on impressions. Unlike his former self, Mims' portrait self was not the best at reading the underlying falsities of an inveigling student. He saw only what was on the surface, two smiling girls who obviously knew their manners. And this eased his worries about the upcoming end of year tally of points.

"It is lovely to meet your acquaintance, Miss St. Martins...and Miss St. Martins," he said in a formal and noticeably quieter tone while bowing to each child in turn. Bowing, of course, was rather difficult considering he was standing so close to a table with the customary bowl of fruit on top. A fly lazily buzzed around his head, apparently confused about the new lively addition to its portrait. It wasn't exactly the place Professor Mims cared to visit for long. Still, there was his original reason for visiting the library to think about, and he was not one to sit around chatting idly when he had a purpose. "You will forgive me for my interruption, I'm sure, as the year is drawing to a close, and we certainly can't have any failing." The emphasis on the last word had a sort of threatening air to it. In his day, students would have paid dearly if they received a failing grade. There were no second chances. The original heads of this school were at least that much in touch with reality, unlike the current headmistress.

"I assume you've heard of the current point standings this year?" He directed this question particularly towards the Crotalus student. She was the obvious leader of the two, not a surprise considering her sister was only a meek Teppenpaw.
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0 Tavarius Mims Only if it has educational value 0 Tavarius Mims 0 5