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

A carefully neutralized expression overtook Sherlin as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. His eyes flitted back and forth between the two girls like a bee, as busy as they appeared. Minutiae of stances, wand grip, eyes, chin tilt, hip leveling, foot placement, height, balance, confidence, and heart rates all flickered through the professor's mind like a data stream as soon as the pair stepped into the circles. More than simple enchanted lines, the dueling circles were an invention of a previous instructor of his, and something Sherlin had taken with him upon finishing out that course, along with the instructor's shoes. First strike Bailey, Helen. First blood Hudson, Olivia. Retort None. Victor Hudson, Olivia. The women squared up, wands at the ready. Sherlin gave no inclination of when to begin, nor did he intend to. A very short silence picked up as all eyes centered on the duelists. Helen's eyes flicked to him, and, seeing his clear intent take up living statue work as a hobby, jumped right in with a fully-worded stunner jinx. Check. Olivia's shield came up smoothly Check and she shot back what Sherlin thought to be the weakest stunner he had seen in all his life. That... was not a real retort. Check. Helen's own shield came up and pounded it easily into non-existence Sherlin barely noticed it out of the corner of his eye, his attention much more intent on the area above. Aguamenti, wandless covered by the smokescreen of Stupefy's residue. Opponent unaware? His eyes flicked to Helen, who was already gearing up for her next spell. Opponent unaware. Another respectable Stupefy bolted across the room, dissipating against a shield that Sherlin was not quite sure even he could get through without resorting to a punchier spell. Sherlin expected just that from Olivia A change of pace, a more aggressive and more targeted spell. He certainly did not expect her to raise her wand skyward and cast a vanishing Oh. Tricky minx. Sherlin curled his knees up to his chest, sidelong disappointed at Helen for the very stupid look she gave Olivia as the chandelier vanished. A torrent of water splashed down atop Helen's head, taping her blonde locks to her cheeks and chin and glued her white blouse to her skin, bright green underneath showing through like emerald cups. She sputtered, shaking the icy water off her arms and looking down, throwing her other arm over her chest when she did. The water began to ripple off of her as she darkly muttered, Tergeo. It was the bitterest spell Sherlin had heard in quite a while, and it was not only him that cracked a half-laughing grin at the girl, though he suspected the frat boys were grinning at her for a different reason. On the board, the chalky owl had drifted over to the zero under Olivia's name, viciously pecked it to death, and scrawled a 1 from the zero's blood. Helen moved to step out of the circle and squeaked as she seemed to run into a glass cylinder. Olivia would find herself similarly trapped. What did you learn, Miss Bailey? he asked, stepping in between the two circles. Helen looked at him, confused, and he leaned forward a bit, as if he had not heard her. That was not a rhetorical question, Miss Bailey. He stood straight, not moving his feet but taking them all in with the parrot-twisting of his neck. This will be one of your primary learning mechanisms for this class, he explained, gesturing with his wand to the circles. You will not always be physically enclosed, but you will always be asked what you learned. And you will not leave that spot until you have given me something , even if it is trivial and obvious. He smiled, a real smile, and for the first time, it appeared that he actually cared about them, and about his job. If you are not learning anything, what good am I to you? Then the warmth was gone, his face once more focused on Helen. So, I ask you again, Miss Bailey. What did you learn? The girl considered for a moment, her eyes briefly traveling to her toes, where she examined the puddle of water she was standing in. Then, her eyes cast back up to where the chandelier had been. Ah, yes. Finite. His wand flicked casually, and the light returned to the room along with the very expensive chandelier that even Sherlin's intellect could not understand why was placed in a combat classroom. Helen's eyes lingered on the chandelier for another moment, and as they came down, Sherlin was pleased to see the light of recognition dawning in them. My wand... is not my only weapon, she began slowly, gaining more confidence as Sherlin did not interrupt her. My environment is important, and I lost because I was only paying attention to my opponent, and not my environment. Sherlin clapped, a quiet affair where his palms stayed together and his fingers flapped back and forth against each other and his wand still clenched in the hooks of his thumbs. It was somehow less enthusiastic than a golf clap. Exactly correct. A Sherlin point to you. He waved his wand and the circle around her feet dissipated. The one around Olivia, though, did not, and Sherlin soon turned to her. Winning does not excuse you from learning, though your victory was well-deserved. Same question to you, Miss Hudson What have you learned?