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Post by maplesurple on Sept 21, 2010 11:25:02 GMT -5
Matthew stood outside the door of Professor Kirkland's office. He had been stuck in that same spot for the last ten minutes, staring at the wooden door as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. The Ravenclaw's eyes would blink languidly every now and then in time with the pace of his thoughts. Matthew knew that if he looked away from it, he'd go back to gazing at the rather bothersome woodland sprite that had taken an interest in him the last time the teen had ventured out on the grounds.
It had been shadowing him ever since. Normally, the longer that Matthew ignored the presence of these creatures, they would eventually lose interest in him and go back to where they came from. This little guy was persistent. And as much as he wouldn't have minded the company of other people, having a mythical creature that they couldn't see had gotten to the point where Matthew needed to do something about it.
He raised his hand up, prepared to knock his fist against the door. Then he paused, lowering it as his courage faltered. Matthew didn't want to risk his secret getting out. He had seen the looks that people had given Professor Kirkland for his 'quirk' in the past.
So Matthew stood there, frozen and indecisive, with a hand poised in front of the door like the chump he was.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Sept 24, 2010 19:45:20 GMT -5
Arthur sighed as he finished the last test he had to grade. The poor saps were doing so horribly - the average score was barely an A. He had a few students who were doing decently, getting Es and, in one case, an O on the test, but for the most part, students were getting A's and D's, and a few were even earning themselves T's.
He sighed, looking over the one O he had graded. He wasn't really surprised with who it was - Mr. Williams worked hard in everything, seeming to give his best on every assignment. Every test. He honestly wondered sometimes if the boy had a life outside of his studies, despite his being a Ravenclaw (probably for the right reasons).
He stood and walked toward his chair by his fireplace, where a book sat with a bookmark halfway through. He hadn't had much time to himself to read lately. Perhaps tonight, a night when he knew that he had nothing else he needed to do, and that the other heads were off doing... things that he was pretty sure he didn't have to worry about, he would be able to relax and read. He was almost to his chair when a small flash of light by his door caught his attention.
"Aya?" he asked softly, focusing on the impish little faerie girl who had taken to floating around out of sight. "What is it?" she was peering through his peekhole, looking intrigued at what she saw there, and chittered to him.
"Blond boy! He has..." her tiny face scrunched up in disgust, "...wood sprite following him."
Arthur shooed her from the door and sighed, pulling it open, "Ah! Matthew. Such a surprise to see you here. Something you need? You know there's a wood sprite floating by your left shoulder, yes?" this sort of greeting was normal from Arthur - pointing out things other people couldn't see.
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Post by maplesurple on Sept 24, 2010 21:34:06 GMT -5
Matthew's eyes increased in size as Professor Kirkland answered the door without him even having to knock. That was an impressive talent! Though, with a subtle shift of his gaze, the teen saw that fairy hovering near the older man and figured out that Professor Kirkland had probably been informed of his arrival.
Now was the moment of truth. He could have either played it off and thought up some excuse as to why else he might have come to visit his Head of House, or just tell the truth and let someone know -- once and for all -- precisely what he was struggling with. "S-sir. I didn't mean to bother you s-so late. But I..."
He sighed wearily. If he wanted the creature to leave him alone, there really was no other choice. So Matthew just blurted it out. "Sir -- he won't leave me alone. He's been following me for days! They usually aren't this persistent but this fellow is stubborn." Matthew wrung his hands together nervously as his words kept rushing out of him. "He steals my things and hides them. When I'm trying to sleep, he'll jump all over the place and keep me awake. P-please, Professor... how do I make this problem stop?"
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Sept 25, 2010 10:29:59 GMT -5
Arthur blinked - well, that was a first. Usually people just chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject when he told them they were being shadowed by an invisible creature. Or - far too often for his liking - they would pretend they were being followed and attempt to fool him (which never worked, obviously, but it still annoyed him to no end). Matthew was breaking the mold, agreeing with him as though he was actually aware of the tiny creature.
"Come in, Matthew." He blinked slightly, frowning, "I'll see what I have." He opened the door wider and held out his hand to Aya, who fluttered down and landed on it with a small thump as she sat down to stare at Matthew. The faerie hmphed and shook her head toward the wood sprite.
Arthur walked into the room after shifting Aya to his shoulder, where she complacently held onto the collar of his robes to let him work. He poked around in a few chests and things, muttering to himself.
"Wood sprites... wood sprites... I know I've dealt with them... I know I should have some..."
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Post by maplesurple on Sept 25, 2010 21:48:09 GMT -5
"I... I don't just mean the wood sprite, sir." Matthew stammered respectfully as he watched the older man dig through his chest in search of something unknown. "I was rather curious to know if you might have a cure for, well, all of it." The teen adjusted his glasses with a nervous gesture as his eyes traveled from the sprite to the fairy on Arthur's robe.
It crossed his mind a few seconds after he'd spoken that Arthur might have gotten insulted with Matthew dismissing it as a 'problem'. He waved his hands hurriedly in the air in front of him. "I mean--! What I meant was that I would like to know how to get the issue under control. S-so I can stop seeing them. Or if you... might have some advice."
He sighed heavily, face lowering towards the floor as he admitted at a whisper. "I haven't told anyone about this before, sir..."
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Oct 23, 2010 18:53:47 GMT -5
"I don't blame you, Mr. Williams." Arthur muttered, "Wanting to get rid of problematic things is a natural thing." His voice had lowered a bit more at this statement, and he continued rummaging through the chests until he pulled a small bottle out and swirled it around, standing up again. He checked how much liquid was in the bottle and sighed. "Almost out. I'll have to buy more..."
He walked back over to the Canadian boy who was standing awkwardly by his doorway, and spritzed him quickly with the liquid. The smell of woodsmoke quickly permeated the air around Matthew, and Aya covered her nose as the wood sprite fled. "Too strong!" she fluttered into the air and across the room, to one of the chairs. Arthur gestured towards them. "Have a seat, Matthew. I know it's a hassle to deal with things no one else can see."
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Post by maplesurple on Oct 29, 2010 2:07:54 GMT -5
“Thank you, sir.” Matthew mumbled gratefully as he sought to take a seat in one of the chairs offered to him by Professor Kirkland. He eased down gingerly into the chair, bringing up the sleeve of his robe to sniff at it as the Canadian puzzled over what the man had just coated him with. At least it had gotten rid of that pesky creature that had been plaguing him. His relief was visible on his face and in the grateful sigh he let out.
Smoothing out his robe once he’d settled, the Canadian peered over at Professor Kirkland, a little solemn as they began speaking on the topic of invisible creatures and their negative effects. “Yes, Professor, it is a hassle. More than a hassle – I barely know what to do with myself half the time because of it. Most people just respond to me like I’m… crazy if I react to these creatures, and the creatures act even nastier towards me if I don’t acknowledge them enough. I still haven’t been able to find a balance yet.”
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