Touring the Library

<<Cheshire>>

From the Dining Hall, Cheshire led his students to the Library.

He knew that the librarian would be waiting there to give an over view of the rules, but he also knew that the assistant librarian would also be there, and it was important that, once the bejeebers were scared out of the new students, that they had time to work it off during the rest of their tour while Cheshire could still supervise.

He nodded to the librarian, and to Michael, introduced them to his students, and then stepped to the side while the library rules were impressed upon the students. With that done, they'd take a mini-tour of the library, and then it was off to the next stop.

<< Michael York >>

He stayed back until the librarian had said her piece, going over the rules, the ones that were posted on the door to the library. She served her purpose all right. She was fine for finding things, but he could already see a few students already not really listening, not paying the place the proper respect.

"Thank you Mrs Fiddle. Ill take it from here." he said, his voice heard before he was seen. Indeed, even his aura preceded him as he let fear slip from his body and into the air around. Mrs Fiddle scuttled back to her desk at the other end of the room. He stepped from the shadows between bookcases and moved forward towards the group. "I am the library assistant here. And if you break any of the library rules I am the one that will hunt you down and extract the proper penalty from you. These are generally as severe as I feel like dealing out, and mercy for rule-breaking is about as rare as students breaking rules more than once. Do I make myself clear?"

His gaze moved from student to student, before his gaze fell on the professor. He and the head of air dorm had a history. History of him scaring the crap out of him. For some reason the air dorm Master was not exactly that comfortable in his presence. Funny that. Though in all honesty, not many people were that comfortable in his presence.

So far, apart from letting a touch of his presence set the mood, he hadn't actually done anything to truly scare the pupils, but then, he knew, one of them would make a mistake during the tour. A smile touched his lips, and it was not a pleasant smile. "Come along." he said, turning and moving off as he started the tour, his walk graceful as any predator.

<<Cheshire>>

With a little shiver and grimace, Cheshire sidled out of Michael's immediate eyesight. His ears still stung from being dragged out of the library ear-first as a new freshman, and he'd never forgot the scathing reprimand he'd received. The supernatural ability to know what was happening in the library at all times still freaked out the wind dorm master. It was like all the books served as Michael's eyes!

He shook himself and grinned wanly at the man. Cheshire was not a big reader and rather disliked being cooped up indoors. Research projects were the bane of his school years, and he'd prefer a dungeon to a library. Especially this one.

But the students chattered merrily as they followed on the tour. As usual, Cheshire hid his own unease behind his friendly smile, but made sure to stay on the far side of the group from Michael. He'd never quite gotten over the suspicion that Michael wouldn't still toss him out by the ear if he made a misstep.

<< Michael York >>

He watched the professor move out and around his students, using them like a shield against him. His contempt for the man only increased. That was something at least about most of the other professors that they would at least attempt to shield their wards against him, but this one acted just like a scared student himself still. He almost felt sorry for the students under his care that they would get the full blast of his displeasure should they incite it, for their teacher would prove no use. The man really needed to grow some bigger balls, but then, he had sort of shrivelled them back when the guy was a freshman. In some ways that made him rather pleased. It lightened his mood, which in turn might actually save the students a little of his anger. Perhaps the teacher wasn't so useless after all.

"This is the Great Library Hall. You will find most of your text books here. It is also the only room that as a first year you are allowed to travel without a letter of permission or an escort. If you cannot find any books you wish to read in here, you can ask Mrs Fiddle or myself, but I suggest you look properly yourself first. The book inventory is here for you to use. People that cannot be bothered to use it in favour of asking do not deserve privilege of seeing the books that they seek and will be asked to leave."

He strode down the place, forcing the group to keep up (those that lagged behind would find their heels getting nipped at by unseen dogs or something of the sort. Perhaps just shadows with teeth). "On the east side are the senior study rooms, which you will not enter without an invitation from a senior studying there, but down here are the junior study areas. That means you. You will find them all down this west wall. Keep all communication to a murmur. You are not the only ones in this library and talking any louder disturbs the place. Anyone found with food, drink, or confectionery in the library will deal with the unpleasant consequences of their actions. This is a library, not the dining room."

Moving onwards, he came to the doors of the Hathford Room, opening them and stepping inside before turning. "This is the Hathford Room. This room contains all the books on Magic and magical study you will need in your later classes. You will undoubtedly need to read one or two of the books in here. Unless you have a permission card or an escort, you will not venture into this room, and as such you may ask for assistance from the librarian or myself in getting a specific book for study from here." He looked at the students who were overeager and were not listening properly. His aura darkened until all the student's likely fearful eyes were likely back on him. "There are reasons you are not allowed in these rooms on your own, or until you have the skills necessary to come here alone. This room especially is so bound with magic that several students a year get lost in it. More than one student, before I came here, actually died in here, having got lost and starved to death. This room is as great a size as is needed for the books, and there are consequences of that. Until you have taken the relevant classes, you will not understand how to extract yourself from the web that makes up this room. Be warned."

He stepped back out, forcing the others to backtrack out the room before he closed the doors behind him. He stood there a moment, before he turned and opened them again, and there was a different room beyond. "This.." he turned, his eyes dark, blazing dark as he turned on students who were talking through him to each other. "You will be quiet while in this library." his voice was like a murmur, but it shivered like something terrible through any that heard it, though more specifically and strongly at those it was directed to. It was the epitome of that which you fear about the dark, the terror that chokes the back of your throat. It was, perhaps made all the more powerful because he did not shout, for that murmur was far louder to their primitive little brains than a shout would have been.

When they were too terrified to make any such noise, he would turn. "This is the Artisan Room" he said, his voice having returned to normal, though there was still that hint of dark anger hinting at the corners of his voice, one that would keep the student's attention on his words. "Usually you would get to this room through the Hathford room, for it is directly North of that. However since I cannot trust you not to talk while I am speaking, I am certainly not going to trust you to move through that room without at least a tenth of you getting lost." He moved into the room, though would stay near the door where the dimmer light was. The room itself was otherwise flooded with light, both from the windows, and from spelled light. "This room has all the books on the arts, art history and all manner of crafts. It is also a room where you can work on such projects, as long as you have permission to come here. You can obtain permission from Lady Anstruther, the Arts and Music professor, and Mrs Fiddle will bring you here." Soft classical music played, and there was already a senior student at one of the tables drawing. He nodded to the student before ushering the juniors out of the room once more, closing the door, tapping it, before moving onwards.

Back down the Great Hall to a door at the west side, where he would pause before ushering the students into. "This is the Quest Room. Here you will find books on languages, histories, and maps. Many of the books in this room are quite rare, and as such, you will need permission to come in here, just as all the other rooms siding off the Great Hall." The room had many different world globes. "This room also has speaker crystals that will aid you in your study of languages. There are some that can be borrowed for the junior study area. You can ask for one at the main desk, and returned to there when you are done."

Moving them back out into the Great Library Hall, he would close the door behind them before turning to the group. "I would remind you most seriously to study the library rules, because ignorance is not an excuse that works with me, only increases the penalty. Does anyone have any questions?"

Casey followed the general lull towards the Library. She wasn't really interested in the tour as such, but the library was something she had wanted to see. If there were answer to be found about her current condition, then they should be here. She had heard rave reviews about the content in these rooms - she only hoped those people weren't lying to her.

Another thing that was bothering her was the elf. He had enchanted her, that much was clear and normally she wouldn't be too fussed because what worse could you do other than have to share a body with your brother! - but it disturbed her because he was a student here. There should have been magical charms in place that prevented such goings on - especially for the safety of other students, but nobody had called him down for it.

Well! She was going to fix that! That elf - what was his name? - would pay! Even if she had to go the headmaster himself. Well, seeing as he was an incubus, probably not. But at least she could complain to Cheshire. If she ever got hold of him. Since entering the library he had been slipping around like an eel. She almost thought it was to avoid the assistant librarian, but that surely couldn't be the reason? Perhaps a man that looked like he came straight out of a manga was slippery? Mentally, she shrugged.

It was at that moment that Casey took control - and stuck his tongue out at Michael (while he was looking!) - and then promptly fled. Jess blinked and only had to wonder what was going on.

You see, her contemplating about the elf had not exactly gifted her with concentration on the task at hand, mainly giving her full attention to the library assistant. So, she had actually just wandered after the othe students, frowning to herself mostly. And now, she was in trouble, though she didn't necessarily know it yet.

(ooc: just to be clear, Michael isn't based on any manga character. I really dislike doing rp with characters, my own or others, that are based on someone else's character, book, manga, game whatever. He IS loosely based around the dracula style of vampire though, with some exceptions and additions. You probably wern't meaning it that way, but figured I would clarify.)

<< Michael York >>
Ah, and there it was. They had an idiot in Air Dorm. His eyes narrowed a bit and he stepped forward towards the offensive sack of flesh. It currently had the same slightly discontented look on its face that it had had for the whole trip, showing no sign of what it had just done. Usually even the most ballsy students showed a little sign. "Tell me, Mr Terra, do you have some mental deficient that gives you no control over your bodily functions, or are you merely trying to grate my anger on purpose?" His voice was low with threat, and so it was either admit to being mentally disfunctional, or deal with the considerable threat of something nasty that was coming off the assistant librarian in invisible black clouds.

As he moved closer to the student in question though, he could smell, or rather sense the very fine telltale residue of a reciently cast spell on the student, one that he could track as being from Lux. Not many in the school could have pinpointed it, but he had spent a great deal of time with him and knew the feel of his magic, not to mention he was a hunter. Could Lux have made a student do that? Well yes, he obviously could, but despite the recent events, even Lux would not be stupid enough to do something like this. Perhaps especially after recent events. No, something this one had done had irritated Lux in some way and there was a spell on it in response. Clearly he had not been the only one to find this student irritating.

But there was more to this than met the eye, for there were different scents on it, or rather different tones of the same scent. It sometimes happened if different mental factors took charge at different times, like strong schizophrenia. Those ones could be fun to play with. He only smelled it because Casey had been in control during the breakfast earlier for more quite a number of minutes before coming when Jess was in control.

"Since there are no other questions, you may all go." his gaze turned to Casey "and Mr Terra will catch up". His words were final, and if some seemed reluctant to go, perhaps worrying for the other student, they would find themselves swamped by sphincter tightening fear that would have their fight or flight instinctive brains all but running for the exit.

When they were gone, teacher included, he turned back to look at the student, his gaze looking to catch Casey's, his hand snapping out to grip his chin if he tried to avoid it. Once caught by his gaze, his words would seep out like an inexorable fog coiling and hardening to chains in the other's mind. "The one that insulted me will come to the fore." He knew that in the minds of the schizophrenic many were split into parts of themselves, some more apt to deal with the behaviour responses others had made. That meant the part that had done it, was likely not the one in the fore at the moment. He was going to make that part of Casey deal with the repercussions. He would not let it hide, and he had the mental power to force the issue.

When Casey himself was at the fore, trapped there by the vampire's mind, then the punishment would start. 20 minutes later, Casey was left to stumble from the room, himself at the fore, and would be for the next half hour or so, so he could enjoy the full extent of the vampire's discipline. By the end of the session the youth would likely be shaken and tormented enough to never think about playing such a prank again on a teacher. That he still had any of his mind left after that was frankly a miracle.

In the library, Michael moved, as collected as ever, moved to a shadowed area of the library and would sit, opening the book he was currently reading, and settled down, well satisfied with having had an outlet for his irritation.

((hehe, Scribe, I think Wraith meant Professor C. She's referred to him as a anime caricature before.))

<<Cheshire>>

He felt bad for abandoning the new student -- Casey, wasn't it? -- but he was eager to be out of the library, and he didn't want the others witnessing the boy's humiliation. They would no doubt have other opportunities throughout the year to gawk at someone's misfortune to fall afoul of the library assistant. Cheshire had himself been tossed out or had his ears singed a half-dozen times in his first two years before he learned to avoid the library.

Anyway, there was much to see and do!

He would lead his students out of the library to tour the school buildings where their classes would be, and so on across campus to eventually wind up at the Rec Room.

((OOC: LOL yeah: Cheshire's the one with blue hair. I kinda imagine him to look like a blue Goku (the clouds help!) hehe))