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

Sapphire rolled across pearl letters, taking in the meaning of the words with a bit of intrigue and excitementProfessor Sherlin was different. That much was obvious before she even walked in the door, but reading his introductory directions made it clear that he was going to be an interesting man to learn from. A few things were apparent just from these initial moments in his roomhe took a practical perspective on defending against every day problems, a stark contrast from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes that seemed to be emphasized over everything else. He was very perceptive, already categorizing the students left in the classroom based on their reaction to his puzzle before they even walked in the doorand even more impressing, he actually ended up being right . On top of that, his directions seemed clear, concise, and hiding behind a thin veil of high and inflexible expectations. It was the kind of expectation that told you that you weren't good enough now, but if you were truly dedicated, you could become greater than you could ever imagine. The only thing she couldnt wrap her head around was the fact that the crazed door was actually named Theodoor and that Professor Sherlin legitimately referred to the animal sulking on his desk as the Armadillo of Honor. He was eccentric, to say the least. Brilliant, but very eccentric. She wasnt sure whether to categorize that fact as a good or a bad thing. Her gaze followed him as he moved, somewhat seeming a bit casual despite his stiff appearance as he sat and met each students eyes pensively. The room was uncomfortably tense and quiet, unsure what to expect from the man until a pleasant grin radiated from his face, relaxing the students, but only a little. This man seemed too unpredictable to let their guard down entirely. Tension threatened to build again as he fell into silence, looking back at the notebook that had taken all of his interest these past few minutes, but the feeling ebbed once his hand raised, a finger pointing to the blank white ceiling above. The cue took a moment to sink in, hesitation finally giving way into action as the students began to stand, making their way up towards his desk with a bit of apprehension apparent in their eyes. Olivia was one of the exceptionsnot quite anxious, but just curious as to what would happen next. Surprisingly, things seemed to be progressing rather normally, with each student neatly filing across the desk as they retrieved their syllabus and found their way back to their seats. Olivia stood behind the brown-eyed girl shed sat next to, her high-pitched voice piercing the silence as she addressed Professor Sherlin. It was a little annoying to watch her whole face light up at the undeserved praise, but the moment was short-lived as soon her gaze shifted from the girl to lock onto the man, a bit of surprise evident in her expression. They would have legitimately been fired had they not solved the puzzle? Did he really have the authority to do that? Shed assumed his expectations were high and that those people were sucked out ofshe internally sighed Theodoor as a lesson, but only a temporary one. So that was it? That was the last, embarrassing moment of their careers? Landing on their ass in the hallway as if theyd been booted out of some wacky game show? She didnt know whether it was respectable or unsettling that he so easily disposed of those that he didnt feel were worth teaching. Probably both. Respectable in the fact that he wasnt going to tolerate students that would only waste his time, yet unsettling because one mistake could mean she ended up getting blown out of the classroom, too. The simple callousness of his reply shocked the girl into silence, staring at his face and trying to figure out why he didnt look like he was joking before taking her paper and the armadillo and uneasily walking back to her seat. Olivia hadnt thought it was possible for the armadillo to look any more displeased than when it sat atop the desk, but the face she caught before it disappeared out of her field of vision behind her certainly proved her wrong. Shed intended to just be like the students before the girljust take their materials, acknowledge the professor, and move on. Yet when her eyes met the cold, steely gaze looking at her, it became blaringly obvious that this interaction was different. He seemed almost knowing, at least until an oddly artificial sort of smile feigned ignorance as he greeted her, surprisingly the first he'd bothered to offer to anyone. Did he somehow know she was the one that the previous girl had gotten the answer from? Why was he bothering to greet her, yet fake a smile? Regardless of how different his actions were compared to what hed demonstrated just seconds ago to the other students, she wasnt going to squander one of the only amicable interactions he might ever offer her. The smile that warmed her features was a subtle quirk of the corners of her rosy lips, soft and humble as her gaze leveled with his. Thank you, professor. Im looking forward to learning from you. Her hand gently but firmly grasped his, two brief waves of rise and fall bobbing their cordial gesture in the waters of the calm atmosphere before they separated again. Her attention shifted to picking up her syllabus, promptly finding her way back to her seat without another word. With a soft sigh, her body settled back into the plastic chair, ready to peruse the document in her hands, but not without glancing over at the sleeping armadillo for a moment with a smile of amusement. He was as brash as his owner was apathetic about his students. Now Her gaze trailed along the words, the documents contents at about the same level of oddity as the board had been. There were a few expected or relatively unsurprising aspectspens and quills only, always armed in order to be better prepared for sudden simulated attacks, hands-on experience over homework, and a high expectation for grades. A few things like the specification that no pigtails were allowed or shoes during combat drills was a bit strange to see, but she could guess at their utility. The rest, though, only served to demonstrate even more peculiar aspects of Professor Sherlins mind and methods. Students would become practice targets if they were late? The Armadillo of Honor was a Horcrux? A flash of light in the corner of her eye caused her hand to instinctively shoot up, a white, shield-like energy hovering inches from her palm as a red jet of magic sparked and disintegrated against the surface. Her attention shifted to a black-haired man to her left, his wand still pointing at her as a dumbfounded and disappointed expression darkened his face. Guess this guy was already getting a jump start on the attack your own classmates at random part of the syllabus. The utility was understandable, but the method was absolutely questionable. Of all the things shed expected and hoped for from this class, a Battle Royale was not one of them. An unimpressed glare was shot his way as she resumed her reading, making a mental note of the materials she was to bring to class as she ignored the hard stares a few people gave her. Not only was she the only one to have been greeted, but she had just demonstrated her talent for wandless, non-verbal magic. She'd certainly just painted a giant target on her back. At this point, Olivia wasnt sure if Professor Sherlin had intentionally sabotaged her chances of keeping a peaceful relationship with her classmates or not, but one thing was for sureshe sure as hell would have to put in a lot of effort to fix this.