Talitha Cumni
March 21, 2007 11:24 PM
After the Charms Club Meeting by Talitha Cumni
Talitha bid her friends good bye and wished them happy holidays. Her friends! What a terrific sound. It was good to win, but what happened over the last hour or so was worth a million prize bags and more! She threw her head back, spread her arms and spun around and around until she was dizzy. Talitha plopped on one of the bean bags, catching her breath and thinking she'd better leave and finish packing.Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tiny white downy feather on the floor by her feet. Talitha picked it up and carefully tucked it into her medicine bag. It would symbolize her courage rediscovered. Unbidden, tears began to spill over her cheeks. They weren't sad tears, but tears of relief and gratitude. Funny, she hadn't cried once in all these weeks and now she couldn't stop. Hugging her knees and resting her forehead on them, she allowed herself a few moments to just let go to cry and heal.
In the back of her mind an ugly monster's voice that commanded her the past few weeks tried to undo the all the good that just happened. What if, instead of lifting the up, the rock and backpack flew out and hurt some one? What 'It' causes you to loose the friends you've just made? What if 'It' harms someone you care about here, a friend or teacher?
Talitha laughed at the monster through her tears and asked it the same question she'd heard her Mother ask worriers time and again. What if the sun rises in the west? When "It" happened, if it happened, she would deal with it then.
She couldn't wait to get home and tell her family all that had happened the last few weeks. The bad (confession was always good for the soul) and the good (so they could celebrate with her). Maybe Nana would go with her on a dream journey to decide the best path to take when she returned. She had a lot to make up for that's for sure. But for a little while, it was all right just to sit and cry... \n\n
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Talitha Cumni
After the Charms Club Meeting
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Talitha Cumni
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Professor McKindy
March 23, 2007 9:31 PM
*blinks* Is there someone crying in my classroom? by Professor McKindy
Aaron had looked up periodically during the Charms Club meeting, making sure that the students weren't killing each other or attempting dangerous spells or attempting to blow up his classroom. Not that he was expecting any large amount of havoc, even giving that a few students attending had less than an exemplary record so far as getting through the school year without detentions. From what he had heard around the school, Josiah seemed to have landed a good several detentions with the Quidditch Coach. The professor had not, as yet, technically met the woman, and wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. He had identified her as the one sitting down near the end of the table at the Opening Feast. With the boots.The club wrapped up neatly, with no intervention required on his part, and Aaron returned his full attention to the essays before him. The fifth years were working on the theory behind some of the more complex spells, and some of the papers had a bibliography almost longer than the actual paper. It was a bunch of complicated, fiddly bits, but that was what Aaron really liked about charms. Besides, at the school he attended, the major tests were taken in the fourth and seventh years. If the students here had not yet taken them, then surely they would soon. From his experiences with tests, the proctors nearly always looked for the irritating fiddly bits.
He frowned at a reference in one of the papers and flicked his wand absently at one of the books sitting on a chair in the corner. Flipping to the notated page, the professor ran a finger across the page, searching for the spell. Then he stopped, hearing something from the other room.
That didn't bode well. Sonora was, after all, a magical school. The last time he had heard some sort of odd sound out of nowhere, he had ended up firing hexes off at it in the dark and knocking the bookshelf down. Pushing back his chair, Aaron got up. He was wearing Muggle clothes, as he was used to when not required to dress formally. Walking into his classroom, he was slightly surprised to find a girl sitting in one of his bean bag chairs, crying.
Had he missed something that he should have dealt with? Walking over to the girl in question, he looked down on her with a slightly worried expression on his face. Why was she crying? "Is there something wrong?" he asked, concerned. If this was his fault...why had he been in his office instead of out here paying attention? Children could get up to all sorts of things when only half supervised, and Aaron knew it.\n\n
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Professor McKindy
*blinks* Is there someone crying in my classroom?
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Professor McKindy
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Talitha Cumni
March 24, 2007 2:18 PM
oops by Talitha Cumni
Talitha looked. Is there something wrong? She had totally forgot she was not entirely alone. Professor McKindy's shoes came into her vision, then his legs, his torso, his face, his eyes full of concern. She scrubbed the tears from her face with the heel of her hands. The last thing she needed at the moment was sympathy. She needed to celebrate!Standing to her full height of 3' 11", she looked up into her teacher's eyes. "Not at all," she assured him. Feeling as if iron bands binding her chest were released, she broke into a beautific smile. Suddenly she felt so much joy, so much love for Mother Earth and everything and everyone in it, she thought she could fly without a broom!
Throwing her arms around his lower waist and capturing him in a huge bear hug, Talitha squeezed with all her might.
"Happy Christmas, Professor!" Talitha cried with her whole heart and ran from the room. She couldn't wait to get home, but most importantly, she couldn't wait to return to Sonora!\n\n
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Talitha Cumni
oops
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Talitha Cumni
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Talitha
March 24, 2007 2:19 PM
OOC sorry about the italics...brain stutter (nm) by Talitha
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Talitha
OOC sorry about the italics...brain stutter (nm)
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Talitha
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Professor McKindy
March 24, 2007 4:58 PM
A bit unexpected by Professor McKindy
The girl stood up and looked at him, informing him that there was nothing wrong. She was small. Aaron was taller than quite a few of his colleagues and most of his students (although there were a few exceptions among the later years), but this girl seemed to be smaller than most. Despite the fact she had been crying, she also seemed to be practically radiating good feeling as she broke into a huge smile. The professor was rather surprised; out of the potential situations that could have arisen from this sort of meeting, this was definitely not one he would have even considered.Of course, this was all before the first year (or, at least, he assumed the girl was a first year) hugged him around the waist. After that, Aaron could do little more than blink in mild confusion and return a belated and rather bemused "Er, happy Christmas," as the girl bolted.
After he had stood there for a moment, Aaron shook his head and returned to his office and the grading of essays. The only fairly plausible explanation he could come up with was that the girl was a Teppenpaw. Or, at least, he assumed she was. All of his most...enthusiastic...students thus far had come from Teppenpaw. Lexi Stafford and the first year she had been working with had been Teppenpaws, he thought, as were Hikaru and Josiah. Yes, the girl being a Teppenpaw would probably be the best explanation for the seemingly random behaviour. Glad that there hadn't been a problem he had missed, Aaron returned his full attention to the essays. Now where had that spell gone?\n\n
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Professor McKindy
A bit unexpected
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Professor McKindy
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Professor Deck
April 03, 2007 5:31 PM
Even more unexpected, I'd guess... by Professor Deck
Deck skidded down the hall in his stockinged feet, pushing off a wall to round a corner more effectively. A glimpse of gray fur further down the hall told him he was on the right track--if more than a little behind. He swore under his breath as the cat disappeared again. Deck had never been much of an athlete, but he'd always enjoyed running; still, chasing after a stubborn cat in stockinged feet on a rather slippery floor--not to mention the indignity of doing so in full (or at least possible) view of his own students and peers--Well. Soon-to-be former students and peers. It wasn't that he didn't like it here at Sonora, not at all; he was the happiest now that he'd been since Michael's death. Deck would have gladly spent the rest of his teaching career here in the Arizona desert, if it hadn't been for the frantic owl he'd received from Maggie two weeks before.
Deck stumbled to a halt, bent over with his hands on his knees, fighting for breath; the blood pounded in his ears, and not just because of all the running. He knew Maggie's boyfriend was bad news. He knew, when she accepted his proposal, that it'd all go to hell in a handbasket. He just hadn't been able to foresee how quickly it would all progress.
Their father (well, Deck's stepfather) was, curiously enough, as furious with Maggie as Deck was with Maggie's arsehole of an ex-fiance. Besides, what with the madman's stalkerish tendencies, their mother had thought it best that Maggie leave the area for a while, preferably with someone to keep an eye on her. So Maggie was moving into a flat in a Muggle town near Hogsmeade... and Deck was moving in with her. He'd already gotten in touch with the headmaster at the magical day school in the area, which was growing quickly as Hogsmeade expanded; the man had been more than willing to take on a teacher of Deck's capabilities.
And so, that was that. He was leaving America, possibly for good. His heart clenched a little at the thought of leaving Sonora and the children he adored so much (yes, even the troublesome ones), but he just shook his head, took a few more deep breaths, and continued onward. As badly as Deck was taking it, Twitch was taking it even worse.
Deck had always had an inkling that the cat had Kneazel blood somewhere in his line, generations back. Twitch's current behavior wasn't helping. Deck had just been packing, and absentmindedly ranting about the situation to his feline companion when Twitch began to exhibit strange behavior. In fact, it was strangely reminiscent of an unhappy, sullen child.
"Twitch," Deck cooed, his voice rasping a little bit. "Twitch-cat, come on. Neither of us can do anything about the situation, and running away certainly isn't helping matters."
At least this corridor was a dead end; Twitch had to be down here somewhere. And, much to Declan's relief, further investigation showed that there was only one door opened. Much to his chagrin, that was the door to Aaron McKindy's classroom and office.
Deck took a deep breath. Honestly, what were the chances the man was in there? And even if Deck did look ridiculous (his feet were bare but for socks, the hems of his jeans were tattered and his wand was sticking up out of one of the back pockets, the shirt he wore had shrunk as a result of a poorly-executed washing charm, and his hair had certainly seen better days) he still had his dignity.
Right?
Merlin's balls...
He knocked on the door a little, then pushed it open to stick his head in. "Hullo?"\n\n
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Professor Deck
Even more unexpected, I'd guess...
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Professor Deck
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Aaron
April 04, 2007 8:00 AM
Yes, you do tend to be that by Aaron
Aaron settled into the back of his chair, absent-mindedly tapping the end of his quill against the arm. This was turning out to be one of the better essays, despite the misquotation at the beginning. The student had a few very interesting ideas about the use of runes to aid the potency of the charm in question as well. Perhaps he would catch Sadi at some point and talk to her about the possibility of a joint lesson. After all, runes could be used for quite a number of things. Dipping the tip of the quill into the ink, the man began to scrawl a semi-illegible note to the student to see him about the runes idea. He would love to find out what they had been reading to come up with that; most people didn't look outside of a particular area for assistance with that area until well past their preliminary magical education.A series of thuds, crashes, bangs, and what sounded like someone talking reached him, just as he finished the note. Aaron jerked, sending the ink bottle flying. He cleared the mess quickly with his wand. What was going on? His office door was closed, the office itself almost disturbingly neat. Yanking the door open, wand in his jeans pocket, the professor walked briskly across his classroom. The door was ajar, and the noises were definitely coming from that way. Out of the corner of his eye, the man thought he saw something dash in through the door, but disregarded that immediately. If the Charms Club students were playing some sort of prank--and he wouldn't put it past them, particularly Josiah or Hikaru--Aaron would....
Reaching for the handle of the door, Aaron started to open it fully just as someone knocked, then pushed it open. Suddenly, the charms professor found himself practically nose-to-nose with Declan Chatterjee.
Damn.
Then again, I don't think I'm quite as appreciative of student pranks as I should be, Aaron thought wryly as he stepped away from the door and opened it fully, half starting into an ironic and flourishing bow before catching himself. His stomach had dropped at the sight of the Astronomy professor, and he began to feel more than a bit ill. The other man made him nervous, although he couldn't precisely place why.
"Er..." Aaron blanked for a moment. Why was Declan running down halls? In stocking feet, nonetheless. "Hello. Um. Come in, then?" Damn. He could speak normally, really. "Do you--need something?"\n\n
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Aaron
Yes, you do tend to be that
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Aaron
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Deck
April 04, 2007 1:26 PM
It's my goal in life. by Deck
Declan fell back a step, arms wheeling a little awkwardly as the door opened directly upon Aaron McKindy. He gasped an expletive at the sudden meeting, then clapped his hand over his mouth and apologized. What was it about this man that always put him at his worst? Always stammering and tripping over himself and having to deal with wayward students and bugger all where was that cat?At the moment Deck wanted little more than to find Twitch, give him a very stern talking-to (preferably not in the presence of other humans, as they usually found it odd when he spoke to his cat as he would a particularly troublesome child), and vacate the area as quickly as possible. With as little conversation between himself and one Aaron McKindy as could be managed. And hopefully without the other man noticing his state of undress. Bollocks.
"Er... yes, well. Thanks." Declan stepped hesitantly into the Charms room, peering sidelong at the curious professor. "I--um--seem to have misplaced my cat. Again. Silly bugger wasn't too fond of the idea of leaving, or something."
May all the celestial buddhas in their personal heavens damn the infuriating Charms professor with his let's-make-Deck-as-uneasy-as-humanly-possible ways! And his rather charming sense of style... no no no! Bad, bad Declan. No. Stoppit. He trained his face into what he hoped was a very cool, nonchalant expression (and what ended up looking half-petrified and half about to burst into hysterical laughter, oddly enough), and turned back to Aaron.
"You... haven't seen him, have you?"\n\n
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Deck
It's my goal in life.
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Deck
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Aaron
April 04, 2007 2:37 PM
What, to drive me absolutely insane? by Aaron
He had misplaced his cat again? Was there any time when the man wasn't chasing after the animal? That did, however, explain the flash of gray that streaked into the room just before Declan's rather unexpected arrival. Although in that case....Aaron reached past his colleague and shut the door rather quickly. If they knew the cat was in here, then there was no point in leaving the door open for it to get out again."I think he came in here," the professor explained quickly, definitely wanting to avoid any questions of why he had just shut the door. Turning away from the door, he surveyed the room quickly and sighed. The door to his office was open and, from his office, the door to his living quarters was as well. The gray demon could be virtually anywhere by this point.
Of course, at that point, he realised just how utterly inane and obvious his last comment had been and somehow managed to resist the urge to hit his head on the nearest wall. Of course the animal had come in here; the only open door in a dead-ended hallway that Declan had been running down in a state that certainly showed he was not expecting to be seeing anyone. Half to give him something to say, half to block out the utter idiocy of his last comment, Aaron looked at one of his posters.
"Hey, Ruisi!"
"What do you want McKindy?" the subject of the poster in question drawled back, ignoring a snitch flitting around in the background.
"Did you see Declan's cat?" Aaron gestured a bit, demonstrating. "About this big, gray...ish...." Oh, gods. Just remind him why he didn't talk to his colleagues if he could help it. Just remind him why he spent most of his time in the library or the Gardens or his classroom, avoiding people. Would someone please shut him up? Now?
The subject looked at the two men in amusement. "You two look," she informed them, "completely foolish, I'll have you know." With that, she flitted off through the other posters, presumably to look around his office and living quarters for the cat.
Aaron's face burned. He was fairly certain it didn't appear too badly through his very Italian complexion, but he was embarrassed nonetheless. Starting to shoot a gray-green glance at the Astronomy professor out of the corner of his eye, the professor quickly stopped himself. The point of the exersise was to avoid looking at Declan, avoid talking to the man, avoid making himself look any worse than he already did. Get the cat and get him out. Still, that exchange did require some explanation. Again.
"Delanna Ruisi," Aaron said shortly. "Seeker for the Italian reserves. She has...a sense of humour."
OOC: to let you know, if you didn't already, you can write for the posters. There are some Muggle and some not...more detailed description is *vague gesture* down there, somewhere.\n\n
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Aaron
What, to drive me absolutely insane?
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Aaron
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Deck
April 05, 2007 7:21 PM
That, and achieve nirvana. Either works for me. by Deck
Deck stepped forward quickly as McKindy reached past him to close the door. For a moment, he felt panic squeeze his lungs unexpectedly--why exactly was the taller man closing the door, a move that forced Deck further into the room? Then McKindy spoke, and Deck's eyes, which had widened to a size reminiscent of tea saucers, returned to a vaguely normal size, though he was willing to bet that his pupils were still dilated, and his breathing was definitely a little quicker than usual. Honestly, what was it about this man that put Deck so on edge? Well, he's got perfectly lovely taste in cologne, whispered a treacherous voice in the back of his mind, which he hurriedly shushed.One of the posters looked at him askance. "Something you want to share with the class?" the old man asked, scratching at his chin with the tip of his wand.
Deck blushed crimson upon realizing that he'd actually made the shushing noise aloud. "Er... no, thanks." Much to his relief, by that point Aar--McKindy was questioning one of his posters. Declan tuned into the conversation just in time to catch the woman inform them that they looked ridiculous. Was she referring to their garb? Probably--or possibly the fact that as scarlet as Deck was, Aaron was just as fidgety and uncomfortable, and indeed seemed to be avoiding his eyes and any extraneous speech.
"Delanna Ruisi. Seeker for the Italian reserves. She has... a sense of humor," Aaron explained.
"Ah," Deck stammered, his hands jerking in surprise as the man addressed him. "Right--right amusing, isn't she?" Just shut up just shut up just shut up just shut up. To distract himself, he bent at the knees and peered around under the tables, clucking his tongue a little. "Inane beast is never around when he's wanted, and always about when he's in the way," he grumbled a little under his breath when, after a minute, there was still no sign of Twitch.
He straightened and looked back at the Charms professor. "So--er--going home for the holiday, then?" What? Did you really just ask that? Declan, you idiot!
Well, it would be rude of me not to at least try to make conversation!
No. No, it would be merciful of you not to try to make conversation.
Deck barely restrained a vocalized grunt of disgust at the internal argument, and only glanced nervously back at the Charms professor. It certainly didn't help that several of the man's bloody posters were smirking at him; it was making him even more nervous.\n\n
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Deck
That, and achieve nirvana. Either works for me.
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Deck
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Aaron
April 05, 2007 8:44 PM
Then you really needn't worry about nirvana by Aaron
Declan stammered his way through a response to Aaron's somewhat wry statement about Delanna, and the charms professor immediately felt guilty. The feeling only increased when he finally braced himself for the drop in the pit of his stomach that he knew would happen and looked at the other man. He was blushing furiously for the moment that Aaron really got a clear look at him. Then Declan dropped to his knees to look under the tables for his cat, presumably, and Aaron was freed to go and look behind the stacked beanbags for the cat.Astonishingly, he felt himself calming down as he searched. The heat completely drained from Aaron's face and he even considered speaking to the other professor. After all, the man did look younger than Aaron. Not by a considerable amount, but by enough that it could make a difference in how he acted. Perhaps he was new to teaching as well. After all, Sadi had mentioned that Declan had only arrived after midterm of last year. It wasn't uncommon to change professions after a large upset. Declan certainly had that. His--boyfriend had died recently, after all.
"So--er--going home for the holiday, then?"
The temporary calm dissipated faster than Declan's cat ran as Aaron found himself addressed by the younger (yet entirely unnerving) man. Worse, it was about holiday plans. His plans for midterm? Stay at Sonora. Read, work on his pet projects, perhaps stroll in the Gardens. Avoid mentions of WAIL and his colleagues.
"No," he said, briefly looking up at Declan again.
Almost immediately after he answered, he felt a twinge of guilt again. Declan was younger, probably excited to see midterm approach. Perhaps all the astronomy professor wanted to do was speak of his own plans; many people lead with questions to give them openings. Standing up, Aaron smiled, half apologetically.
"No," he repeated. "I assume you must be, though, if you're trying to corral your cat! Looking forward to the holidays?"
It was a miracle.
A bloody miracle.
Aaron had managed to speak about three sentences to the man without looking completely inept or, presumably, offending him. Something made a noise to his left and the professor turned, frowning at the poster in question. The subject seemed to be snickering into its hand. Not only that, but several other posters seemed to be smirking much more than was necessary. What were they up to?\n\n
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Aaron
Then you really needn't worry about nirvana
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Aaron
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Deck
April 05, 2007 8:57 PM
Now I can die happy. by Deck
Deck was somewhat startled by Aaron's brusque negative, and even more by the fact that the other man seemed surprised to be asked such a basic (if incredibly inane) question. He parted his lips and wetted them briefly with the tip of his tongue to buy himself a few more seconds in the search for something vaguely intelligent to say, but by the time he'd gotten to "that's," the Charms professor was speaking again.What he said, however, was just another surprise; going home for the holidays... that made it sound like Aaron wasn't aware of...
"Holidays? Well--you haven't heard?" Deck inquired curiously, then winced. As if he hadn't already come across as more than enough of a self-righteous prick, now he was assuming--or at least sounding like he assumed--that everyone else in the school had some vested interest in his own personal news. Still, he knew that by now most of the student body had heard about his unexpected resignation, and he'd assumed that his fellow faculty members would've known as well. Well you know what they say: to assume is to make an ass of u and me...
"I--ah. I'm leaving Sonora, indefinitely," he offered the other man a wan, tight smile that clearly conveyed how thrilled he was about those plans. "Twitch isn't too keen on leaving, I s'pose. Come to think of it, I'm not either, but there's--" he stopped himself, realizing that his British-tinged voice had continued to speed up into all-out babble-mode. "Families, you know." He gave a little shrug and a nervous laugh.
You're doing bloody fantastic at this whole conversing thing, y'know. You should think about going professional.
Stuff it, you!
That's good advice. Maybe you should follow it, as well.
Deck blushed again.\n\n
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Deck
Now I can die happy.
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Deck
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Aaron
April 05, 2007 9:26 PM
Er, <s>please don't</s>...erm...*coughs* by Aaron
Leaving indefinitely?Aaron was surprised. A bit perversely, he was also mildly disappointed. Uncomfortable though Declan Chatterjee might make him, he still was acquainted with the man. Speaking to someone he was acquainted with about their obstreperous students was somehow mildly less awkward than doing so with someone he had not spoken to before. At the rate the Teppenpaws were going, the first years in particular, he doubted he would finish out the year without having to speak to someone and their Head of House.
The second reaction was that of irritation at himself for not knowing this beforehand. True, he had been teaching and helping Josiah prepare for Charms Club. True, he did have a few pet projects that he was working on, not to mention a book to finish and papers to grade, but Aaron still should have made time to go to Cascade Hall at civilised hours. Information tended to be rather important, no matter what one did. Actually, given the current state of things, Aaron would not have heard about the WAIL fiasco at the Quidditch game without the students gossiping about it practically nonstop.
"Oh," the professor said, a bit flatly, slightly tinged with the unexpected disappointment. Then, with an ironic tone in his voice, "yes, I know precisely what you mean with families."
He stepped forward and briefly touched Declan's arm. Aaron was actually fairly comfortable with physical contact, under the right circumstances. This certainly counted under something approaching the right circumstances, anyway. Predominantly because Aaron knew exactly how obnoxious families could be when it came to interfering with one's plans. However, also because with this new development, he would not have to deal with Declan on a professional basis again. Actually, he mightn't have to deal with the man again period.
"We will certainly miss you here," Aaron said. It was the polite response, after all. Not to mention that the students would miss Declan. Even Aaron himself would, if only for the sake of dealing with troublemakers. Again, he heard the snickering and turned a full glare on the poster in question. "Shut it, you," Aaron snapped.\n\n
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Aaron
Er, <s>please don't</s>...erm...*coughs*
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Aaron
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Deck
April 05, 2007 9:43 PM
Cough drop? *offers tin* by Deck
The man's hand was surprisingly cool against Deck's skin, but if his arm was half as warm as his face (which had, once again to his great dismay, flooded with blood) then it really shouldn't have come as a shock. Deck sucked in a surprised breath, and got a hefty whiff of the man's cologne again--it really did smell good. He'd have to remember to ask what kind it was; the least Maggie could do after dragging him away from his job and back to Scotland was buy him a decent bottle of cologne.Wait--was it just Declan's imagination, or had Aaron seemed disappointed to hear that the Astronomy professor was leaving? That was certainly unexpected. Shouldn't he have been down on his knees, thanking the deity of his choice right about now? Instead, he seemed to almost regret it... and "We will certainly miss you?" Deck seemed to have missed some sort of important memo. He looked, confused, straight into the other man's gray-green eyes, looking for some sort of clue as to how to progress without tripping over his own tongue.
"Er... thanks, Aaron."
...Yep, that was about as much as he could manage at the moment, at least without making a complete idiot of himself. Though it looked like he was doing that without having to revert to spoken language; he realized a moment later that he was still staring into the taller man's face questioningly, and he jerked his arm away from Aaron's touch as though he'd been burned, dropping his gaze.
"Hopefully the Tepps will behave themselves for you, yeah? I've left all my notes on them--especially the troublemakers--for my replacement, and with any luck they'll have a better handle on how to deal with kids than me." Stop babbling, you fool! He could've slapped himself, especially when he noticed how the posters continued their snickering. He blushed brighter.
\n\n
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Deck
Cough drop? *offers tin*
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Deck
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Aaron
April 05, 2007 11:06 PM
Yes, thanks. *takes one* by Aaron
"Give it up, McKindy," Delanna said from behind his left ear in a mock-whisper that was clearly audible throughout the room. Aaron was a bit surprised to find himself up against the wall again. Had he really backed away that much? He was certainly blushing enough. Even with his complexion he knew that it was very visible. Declan had been staring at him. Had started babbling something or other after moving away from him.Aaron could, possibly, be a bit more dense. Maybe.
No, on second thought, he could not.
His new philosophy went flying out the window as he recalled a few pieces of information that had been lurking in some disused corner of his mind. Firstly, that Declan was...not quite...straight, to put it bluntly. Aaron hadn't precisely forgotten, but he hadn't brought it into the context of their interaction since that too-damned-early conversation in the Gardens. Yes, he had been aware that the astronomy professor tended to make a few vital parts of his brain shut down, particularly those that regulated coherent thought and tact, but it had not quite registered that his actions could be interpreted as....
Damn.
"What, Ruisi?" Aaron asked, his patience and usual outer calm fraying. He ignored Declan fully. The misstep was his fault, he should have thought.
Delanna smirked at him. "You look like a sunset, McKindy. And so does Chatterjee. So what do you think I mean?"
Aaron glared up at the poster. He did not need her interfering with his idiocy. Delanna was hardly tactful and what she was implying....
"Declan, I'm sure your cat will be found," he said shortly, turning abruptly, not looking at the other man, and heading towards his office. "I shall send a student down with him when he is found."
The door clicked shut. A moment later, another door shut, rather a bit more loudly, signaling that Aaron was now in his living quarters, attempting to drown out his echoing thoughts by reading and swearing under his breath. Declan was leaving. His life could resume relative normality. Gods.
If Aaron had to deal with another person today, he thought he would die of pure frustration.\n\n
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Aaron
Yes, thanks. *takes one*
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Aaron
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Deck
April 07, 2007 4:52 PM
You're welcome, of course. by Deck
Deck chewed his lip momentarily as Aaron turned to argue with Ruisi, who seemed to have cottoned on (with typical feminine wile) to his heretofore unnoticed attraction to the Charms professor. Why she was addressing Aaron, though, was a mystery. In any event, the other man's attention was taken from Deck, which gave him long enough to recover from his blushing fits. At least, he was recovering until he heard Ruisi mention his name.Then, to compound matters, Aaron turned to him and spoke with what Deck could only call chilly stiffness. "Declan, I'm sure your cat will be found. I shall send a student down with him when he is found." With that, he closed his office door, and a moment later Deck thought he might have heard another door--that to his quarters?--close sharply as well.
Deck's heart froze--or at least, he had a sudden clenching, cold sensation somewhere in the vicinity of his upper gut--and he blinked blankly, surprised into inaction. What just happened? His cat would be returned to him--Aaron disliked him that much? Misery writhed inside him, and he was surprised by just how miserable it made him feel.
Beyond the door, Ruisi was smirking again, but didn't bother speaking to him. Abruptly, Deck's misery transformed into pure frustration and--dare he say--even fury. He directed a rather impolite hand gesture at the Italian Quidditch player and stormed out of the classroom, not bothering to close the door quietly, followed by Ruisi's imprecations and reprimands.
When he reached the Astronomy classroom he strode purposefully through to his office and sat down heavily behind his desk, rummaging for parchment and a quill. He chewed the tip of the quill thoughtfully for a minute then began to compose a letter. Two minutes later he swore creatively and hexed the words off the parchment to start again. Finally, after much more hexing and violent crossing out, he was done, and reread the note one last time.
Aaron, it read. Thank you for your assistance. Unfortunately, I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning, and Twitch is fond of neither Side-Along Apparition nor the Floo. If you find him, please be obliging enough to find a good home for him with someone here at Sonora. Beneath is my owling address in Scotland.
Thank you again,
D. Chatterjee
Gorsemoor Lane
Hogsmeade, Scotland
It was cold, but he sincerely doubted that Aaron would mind much--if he even noticed. A few minutes later, a school owl was winging its way from the Astronomy wing to the Charms classroom, carrying that letter.\n\n
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Deck
You're welcome, of course.
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Deck
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