Truth Economy
Jessamine had been pacing for the better part of an hour as she'd tried to figure out what she'd say to the students once they arrived. She did not want to make the more sensitive one cry. Hell, she did not want to make either of them cry. Quite the opposite in fact – she hoped to impart some form of lesson that they'd find actually helpful, not awful.
But she had no idea how to go about it.
Her first idea was to have them write an essay, but she immediately thought better of it because that was boring and was the type of thing that had made her itch with disdain back in the day. But how else did one have kids explain how they would better perform in the art of not getting caught?
Still no idea.
Thus, once it got too close to the time she'd given them, she decided she'd have to wing it. She was leaning against a wall once they came in, seemingly having an aversion to sitting down, and she'd been unable to stop herself from drumming her fingers against her arms, which were crossed over her chest. At least she'd stopped pacing.
Jessamine would offer them a nod and a smile and a little half-wave when they entered. 'Hi.' She nearly said 'thanks for coming' but instead closed her mouth. 'Feel free to have a seat, or don't, whichever makes you feel more comfortable. This isn't meant to be awful, just a... a thought exercise.' Yes, that sounded great. 'I wasn't cross in the forest. I mean, concerned, yes, there are some dangerous things there. But angry? No.'
Jessamine would pause. 'However, if the two of you want to avoid having detention in the future – as it's a detraction of the time you would spend doing, I don't know, whatever it is you like to do for fun... well, it might be worth it to at least learn how to avoid getting caught.'
She would uncross her arms and fold her fingers in front of her, glancing from Maximilianus to Azrael. 'Sooooo. There are two routes we can go here. One, skill in sneaking about. Two, skill in... obfuscating. Bending the truth. I'm not going to tell you lying's okay – it's not – but also, if you're going to lie, you might as well be decent at it. Let's start with the first, though. Say the two of you are in the forest again. You hear twigs snapping – it might be footsteps. What do you do?'
But she had no idea how to go about it.
Her first idea was to have them write an essay, but she immediately thought better of it because that was boring and was the type of thing that had made her itch with disdain back in the day. But how else did one have kids explain how they would better perform in the art of not getting caught?
Still no idea.
Thus, once it got too close to the time she'd given them, she decided she'd have to wing it. She was leaning against a wall once they came in, seemingly having an aversion to sitting down, and she'd been unable to stop herself from drumming her fingers against her arms, which were crossed over her chest. At least she'd stopped pacing.
Jessamine would offer them a nod and a smile and a little half-wave when they entered. 'Hi.' She nearly said 'thanks for coming' but instead closed her mouth. 'Feel free to have a seat, or don't, whichever makes you feel more comfortable. This isn't meant to be awful, just a... a thought exercise.' Yes, that sounded great. 'I wasn't cross in the forest. I mean, concerned, yes, there are some dangerous things there. But angry? No.'
Jessamine would pause. 'However, if the two of you want to avoid having detention in the future – as it's a detraction of the time you would spend doing, I don't know, whatever it is you like to do for fun... well, it might be worth it to at least learn how to avoid getting caught.'
She would uncross her arms and fold her fingers in front of her, glancing from Maximilianus to Azrael. 'Sooooo. There are two routes we can go here. One, skill in sneaking about. Two, skill in... obfuscating. Bending the truth. I'm not going to tell you lying's okay – it's not – but also, if you're going to lie, you might as well be decent at it. Let's start with the first, though. Say the two of you are in the forest again. You hear twigs snapping – it might be footsteps. What do you do?'
This is a detention thread private to @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler & @Azrael Holloway. Neither of you are in trouble OOC, just IC! Here are the requirements and guidelines for this:
Feel free to owl me if you have any questions!
- You cannot join or create new threads until you've completed the posting requirement here. (You can still post in current threads, though.)
- The in-character task of the detention is just talking about how to avoid getting caught, or trying to talk about it.
- To complete this detention, you must post at least 400 words.
- Once you've each fulfilled the requirement, we can keep posting! It's up to you, but I'd be happy to continue.
Truth Economy
Banner by Julia EvansPermission to godmod was requested and granted. I know I reached the wc already, but I would love to see this thread through!
Interacting with: Words:
He had met up with Az like usual, and headed towards the scheduled classroom. How on earth was Az so composed? Max was a mess, though it was more internal dread than outward anything. The professor were leaning against a wall when they entered, and he gave an uncertain nod. «Professor» It was probably a good thing to be polite. Merlin knew he wasn’t when he first started yapping.
He closed in on a desk as she talked. Not really feeling comfortable sitting while the adult was up and walking, he decided on half sitting on the desk itself. He shot Az a look before he dutifully directed his gaze to the one speaking. A thought exercise didn’t sound so bad. He didn’t really know what he had imagined, but this didn’t seem even close to as bad as that. They had not been scolded in the forest, that was true. He wondered for a moment if that part was also going to happen now, but he lightly shook his head to get rid of the thought. Trying to keep his attention where it should be, he pulled a small pine cone from a pocket and began picking at it. He would much rather use his wand as a drumstick, but he doubted that would be appreciated.
This was when it all became rather confusing. He knew he was a bad liar, and not the best at avoiding trouble either. But it almost sounded like Professor Lancaster was going to offer advice on how to get better at it. No, that couldn’t be. He was sure he had missed something. Something that would change the meaning of what she said to… he didn’t know. Determined not to miss any more, he squinted faintly and focused.
It didn’t make much sense at all. Building skills in sneaking around and in lying. It couldn’t possibly be what was the intention. So when asked the question, he hesitated. Should he answer like he would naturally, or like he interpreted, or like he hoped she were expecting him to answer? All this thinking was going to give him a headache. He stood up on his tippy toes and sat on the desk he had been leaning on. «Well…» He hesitated once more before blurting the rest. «I would probably hide. Cause this sounds like the perfect setup for a jumpscare, and those are really funny!» He turned to Az with a bit of a grin, hoping he would agree. He began slowly kicking his feet as he continued talking, only upping his speed as he went along. «But… it isn’t necessarily so easy, you know? Sometimes I’m just loud. And besides, it’s not like I’m that good at staying hidden either» He shrugged a bit. Surprisingly insightful from a boy with all the energy of a tornado.
PC: Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler—————————"Life is short; make it weird and slightly chaotic."
iNPC: Harvey Dunn—————————————————————Roadhouse Radio
Truth Economy
It didn't take long for Jessamine to realise that having any relatively antsy child sit during a detention was just setting them up for failure. So, after Maximilianus had had a chance to talk, she nodded. She wouldn't exactly smile at the mention of a set-up for a jumpscare, as she'd never been much of a prankster herself, but a small exhale of chuffed laughter would show she wasn't a total bore. 'Fair enough. When I was about your age, I stood out like a sore thumb. You know, red hair and all. I also couldn't sit still.' Some things never changed, and it seemed they also held true through generations. Jess let her gaze hang on the Gryffindor, the words also pointedly hanging in the air, before she finally offered a small smile. 'Come on, it's stuffy in here. Let's go for a walk.'
Jessamine detached herself from the wall and opened the door, holding it ajar for Maximilianus before shutting it behind them. She wouldn't be taking him far, at any rate, and it seemed like both of them would be better able to think and discuss if they were moving. 'I guess sometimes you need to be caught a few times to learn how to avoid it. No, I'm not telling you to break the rules, but...' She would trail off before digging a deeper hole. It was so difficult to be a responsible adult to school-age kids. With her own, it was easy – she and her husband made the rules for them, after all. But with the students, it was likely their parents had their own rules, or that the students had their own rules, and there was no way for her to know what those were.
'But you did say you might hide earlier. It's a good start. Sure, it can allow for a... jump-scare, if that's really what you want to do. You can also run if you don't want to get caught.' They would round a corner. 'What would be more helpful for you, though, is coming up with actual excuses. You know of theatre?'
Without waiting for a response, Jessamine would talk about improvisation and bouncing off of one's accomplice. She mentioned suspension of disbelief and the importance of telling people what they wanted to hear. But then, right as they made it back to the original classroom, she added, 'Of course, I'm not going to tell you to lie. That would be silly. But it's up to you how forthcoming you are with the trough.'
With that, Jessamine leaned against the threshold of the door and folded her hands in front of her. 'That's really all. I'm not a fan of keeping you stuck in a room, bored out of your mind. Run along, do whatever you do for fun. Try not to get in too much trouble.'
**Slight godmodding of Max approved in DMs.
**Thread Finished
@Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler
Jessamine detached herself from the wall and opened the door, holding it ajar for Maximilianus before shutting it behind them. She wouldn't be taking him far, at any rate, and it seemed like both of them would be better able to think and discuss if they were moving. 'I guess sometimes you need to be caught a few times to learn how to avoid it. No, I'm not telling you to break the rules, but...' She would trail off before digging a deeper hole. It was so difficult to be a responsible adult to school-age kids. With her own, it was easy – she and her husband made the rules for them, after all. But with the students, it was likely their parents had their own rules, or that the students had their own rules, and there was no way for her to know what those were.
'But you did say you might hide earlier. It's a good start. Sure, it can allow for a... jump-scare, if that's really what you want to do. You can also run if you don't want to get caught.' They would round a corner. 'What would be more helpful for you, though, is coming up with actual excuses. You know of theatre?'
Without waiting for a response, Jessamine would talk about improvisation and bouncing off of one's accomplice. She mentioned suspension of disbelief and the importance of telling people what they wanted to hear. But then, right as they made it back to the original classroom, she added, 'Of course, I'm not going to tell you to lie. That would be silly. But it's up to you how forthcoming you are with the trough.'
With that, Jessamine leaned against the threshold of the door and folded her hands in front of her. 'That's really all. I'm not a fan of keeping you stuck in a room, bored out of your mind. Run along, do whatever you do for fun. Try not to get in too much trouble.'
**Slight godmodding of Max approved in DMs.
**Thread Finished
@Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler