Thread: The Dirty Part of Physics [ClockworkCadence ║ Ryees]

Olivia had hoped to just brush the incident off as if nothing happenedthis was going to be normal class protocol, after all, wasnt it? There was no reason for anything else to happen in response. Her mind settled into a firm stance of resignation at that fact, glad that at least she wasnt expected to retaliate, since nothing good would come of it. Thus, she had no reason to expect anything would follow her defensive actions, save for her peers being alienated even further from her. Yet something did happenProfessor Sherlins expertly executed spell enveloped her assailant, the effect seemingly lost on him until suddenly drops of red and black began to drip from his shirt like paint. The surprise on her face shifted to amusement as her gaze flickered over to the odd spells caster, trying to read his expression until a terrified sound demanded her attention to be turned elsewhere. That elsewhere was apparently at the coat covering the exposed man, the faded blue of his jeans puddling at his shoes and the absolute horror and embarrassment in his eyes eliciting a laugh from his previous target. Karma was a lovely bitch. However, once again she found the unfriendly glares of her classmates honing in on her, the indignant protest of the man that looked like he had clear plastic clothing hanging uncomfortably in the air. He had a pointthere was never any mention of punishment, yet here he was, standing in a swirling puddle of color that had relinquished their duty of shielding his body from the world. It seemed in everyones eyes that she had been designated the position of teachers pet, which unsettled hernot because she didn't want to be a good student, but because she was an ambassador. She wasnt used to people holding any animosity towards her that she just seemed to have no control over. Professor Sherlin began to explain his actions, and though it seemed to smooth over everyones impression of her, she still felt the prickling doubt that everything was entirely fixed. Still, it was impressive that he somehow managed to teach a lesson, terrify his students, and make a game out of something that definitely should not be treated as such, all at the same time. At least he made it clear that actual instructional time was safe from these sudden attacks, but just what was the purpose of Sherlin points? It was going to take a bit of time to get used to puzzling together the reasons behind his wacky methods. Brilliant methods, but wacky all the same. Yet his next challenge was sadly much more expectedunfortunate not because she would rather he be like every other professor, but because of the implications they held. Quickly the room began to take the form of an impromptu dueling ground, Olivia's heart dropping a bit at the prospect of combat. Of course she should have been prepared for this sort of thing to happen sooner or later, and she was, but that didn't make its arrival any less unwanted. The entire room settled with an awkward air as everyone pretended to have not heard him, all eyes wandering the room or focusing downwards in an attempt to not draw attention to themselves. And who could blame them? With how unorthodox his teaching was, nobody wanted to be the guinea pig for his next round of unpredictable lessons. Even Olivia buried her nose in her notebook, suddenly interested in tracing the shape of the words shed written earlier with a finger. Shed drawn enough unwanted attention to herself today. If she just laid low the rest of class, maybe this could all blow over in Or maybe not. Before shed even finished her thought, she heard her name through the noise of her mind, snapping back to reality with a look of disbelief shot towards her professor. He really wanted her social life to have a slow and painful demise in this classroom. For a moment, she considered just staying put, refusing to partake in this game, but the goody-two-shoes student in her convinced her to stand, apprehensively approaching a circle on the floor. Her stance turned defensive, the gentle spiral of pale wood at the handle of her wand slowly and seamlessly fading into a smooth tip that pointed at her familiar opponent. It was the girl that sat beside herHelen, she vaguely remembered hearingher expression hardened yet showing a small bit of satisfaction at getting a chance to take on the woman that had stolen her thunder. Olivia gave a proper bow to her adversary out of habit, not one to forego the respect that should be afforded to the skills of her opponent despite the bad first impression shed managed to gather from the entire room. The gesture was returned half-heartedly, eagerness burning in those chocolate eyes as a hand reached to fix her hairsomething Olivia took note of with mild interest. The moment quickly passed, however, as Helen wasted no time in kicking things off with a quick flick of her wand and a sharp shout of Stupefy! Protego. Came the soft response, sparks of light cascading down to the floor. The blonde shifted her weight, ready to defend against the half-hearted retaliation of the same spell that came her way. The spell wasnt meant to be an actual attack, rather, just a distractiona tan hand had waved up towards the chandelier above her opponent quickly after the magic of her defense faded but before the red flash of light came from her own wand, a jet of water extending from her fingertips and settling into the half-domes around the lightbulbs shining above. Another burst of dazzling red sizzled against a milky white shield. This time, Olivias defensive stance dropped to something casual, her wands tip pointed towards the ceiling as the simple spell left her lips Evanesco. Her opponents brows furrowed, taken off-guard by the non-offensive retaliation and trying to puzzle together the effect of this spell, gaze still burning on the small figure before her as she seemed to make the decision to go back on the offense. All the while, she was completely unaware of the room suddenly dimming a bit, not noticing the rush of water above her cascading down as the chandelier disappeared. The wand began to move, but came to a jarring halt as the water crashed down atop her head, eliciting a sharp gasp of surprise. Blonde hair instantly flattened from its previous bouncy vigor, shielding her eyes from the light that sent her flying backwards out of the circle. With a carefully neutral look, Olivia repeated her respectful bow from earlier to her opponent still on the floor, relieved that the duel was over as her gaze fell expectantly yet warily upon Professor Sherlin.