26 Jan 2021, 15:30
Early Mornings
The first weekend of November brought with it a sense of peace and quiet for Marcus. After the chaotic events of last weekend - Halloween had involved the kidnapping of students and the lockdown of the castle - he was looking forward to relaxing. Or at least, trying to. Ever since that night he had been more eagle-eyed than ever. He spent some of his mornings and evenings walking the grounds even when he was not scheduled to patrol, a bit paranoid about keeping an eye out for threats. Of course, he couldn't keep that up for long with all the other work he held as a Head of House. Especially because, although he had healed quickly from the events of that night, he was still rather sore and unable to physically exert himself this week.7 November 2020, before breakfast/morning curfew
He woke up early that Saturday morning, as he did most days. It was ingrained in Marcus to wake up around the same time every morning, despite how hard he found it to drag himself out of bed. The only times he really slept in were after fights when he needed to heal, or after full moons for obvious reasons. In all honesty, his sleep schedule was all over the place, but his body's consistency in waking up early was one of the many reasons he depended so heavily on coffee.
Speaking of coffee, Marcus was soon on his way down to the Great Hall seeking some out. He had dressed today in dark clothes, as was his default - black slacks and a dark blue dress shirt buttoned completely. He was fixing the cuffs as he descended the stairs of the castle, his eyes taking in the emptiness of the halls. It was before curfew let up - students weren't allowed out of their common rooms until seven. Not to mention it was a weekend, so he expected they and most of staff were sleeping in, as per usual.
As the Head of Ravenclaw entered the Great Hall, he was pleased to see the emptiness of the room. No chitchat for once. Of course, Marcus had grown used to the chatter of hundreds (possibly thousands) of students enjoying meals, but the occasional moments of silence were still nice. As he started walking towards the staff table and lifted his eyes, he almost paused in his advance. There was one other in the room after all. A familiar visage to Marcus, who had fought at her side only seven days ago. Marcus covered his near misstep as he continued to the table and approached the Head of Gryffindor.
"Good morning, Professor Pendrast," Marcus said, inclining his head in her direction. He took a seat near her, but not too close as to invade her personal space. As he sat, a steaming pot of coffee appeared on the table, and he filled his mug to the brim with the liquid. Its strong smell overwhelmed his senses, but he welcomed it. As he took his first sip, his eyes briefly settled on the woman near him. The memories of Halloween were coming to mind, the thoughts and questions that he hadn't had the chance to ask her. His curiosity in her had not faded. Was now a good time? This was the first time they had been alone since that night.
@Elaine Pendrast
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
26 Jan 2021, 22:34
Early Mornings
Elena had slept. From 10 pm to 2:13 in the morning, when she'd woken from a nightmare she'd immediately chosen not to remember for the next several weeks. Instead, she'd showered away the cold sweat and sat down in her study with a glass of red wine in the left hand and Breaking Body and Mind on her lap. Katya's owl had arrived only a few days ago, but she hadn't had the stomach to open the tome until that very moment.
Her shadows had watched over her, movements gentle on her cold skin, staying well out of sight even when there had been no one there to lay eyes on them. Just the witch and her book, her dark brown eyes glued to the paper, the sound of turning pages, and the crackling of the fire burning in the fireplace.
She'd put the volume down when the sky had started to fade to violet outside her window, eyes tired and the wine bottle emptied. There was something haunting about the descriptions of the injuries, the vividness and detail of each wound. Instead of her usual, clinical detachment and some faint, scientific interest, reading had left Elaine feeling drained and exhausted. The scenes had hit too close to home this time. With Constanta still unconscious, she'd been too invested.
Usually, she was among the first to arrive in the Great Hall for breakfast. Now, with the curfew for the students in place, the hall was completely empty. The heels of her boots clicked on the tiled floor, the sound echoing off the stone walls.
It was a lonely sight to greet one, but it suited Elena especially well on this particular morning. Sometimes, when she was so early that the castle was still asleep around her, the house-elves made her mamaliga, fresh and hot and topped with plum compote or blackberry jam or apple sauce. Today was one of those fortunate days, and a plate appeared in front of her the moment she sat down, a pot of steaming black tea following only seconds later.
"Thank you," she whispered in reply, bowing her head even though there was nobody in sight, the collar of her dark brown dress slipping a little and revealing the half-eagle's eyes keeping watch.
She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she only noticed another presence when the Head of Ravenclaw House suddenly entered the dais that seated the professor's table. Her head snapped up as if pulled by invisible strings, black hair flying loose and obscuring her face for a moment.
"Professor Iwasaki," she replied a beat too late. "Good morning."
For a moment she studied his features, the handsome face, the blue shirt that matched his house's colors. Then she turned her eyes back to her breakfast. Her wedding ring gleamed darkly in the first light of the morning sun that filtered through the windows in their back.
The man brought another set of memories with him. Of the dark forest and her children missing. The shape of a wolf with his head raised towards the full moon. Blood on the grass. Children screaming. The silver sword as it sunk into Alexandru's chest, the triumphant grin on his face replaced by a look of utter surprise.
Now Valeriu Drăghici was dead as well.
With a sigh, Elena pushed the unfinished half of her breakfast away and grabbed for her mug of tea instead. She'd have the leftovers for a second breakfast later. Right now she would only taste ash.
"I didn't expect company this early." The words were mumbled into the hot tea. It wasn't an accusation but rather an admission, a confession that leaving her to brood in silence might have been the better course of action, if simply for the fact that even at her most social, Elaine Pendrast was rarely delightful company.
@Marcus Iwasaki
Cu ochii deschiși.
28 Jan 2021, 22:00
Early Mornings
Professor Pendrast's reaction to Marcus' greeting indicated he had startled her. He thought she would have seen him approaching from across the room, but she must've been deep in thought. Or simply tired, as most people would be at this time of morning.
Just as the Head of Ravenclaw was wondering if he should eat now or finish his coffee first, he heard the woman beside him sigh. A glance towards her revealed a half-finished plate of food being pushed away. He couldn't help the slight hint of paranoia that her suddenly being full was related to him appearing, but he had no real reason to believe that aside from the coincidental timing. He didn't think they were on bad terms, and the dark-haired witch made no motion to leave.
Marcus turned his eyes back to his own drink and took another measured sip before speaking again. "Nor did I," was all he could think to say, his voice much more measured to match the low energy of the morning. Perhaps now was not the time for a lengthy conversation. It was extremely early, and she had likely come here hoping to enjoy her meal in peace. With that in mind, Marcus tapped gently on the table in front of him with his index finger.
At this gesture, food appeared in front of him. The house elves employed by this castle were extremely efficient with what they did. Marcus had worked alongside them during his time as caretaker, maintaining the cleanliness and integrity of the castle. Of course, their cooking didn't compare to that of his grandmother and the house elves his mother used to employ, but it was still good.
The spread that appeared in front of the man was almost like a small buffet. Eggs being the primary component of the spread, along with other protein-rich items. Despite the lingering soreness, he had a workout in mind for later that day, so he intended to fuel up. He would allow Professor Pendrast to stick to her thoughts as he began to eat, while he would ponder in his own.
Another topic that had been occupying his mind lately (and ever since the summer really) was the dark magic the hags had used. With his free hand - the one not delivering food to his mouth - he would instinctively rub his neck. His shirt collar barely hid the darkness that had spread across there after the fight in the dungeons. He was, of course, lucky compared to others like Nora, whose face had been scarred. He could cover his darkness scars with his shirt, while she had to use a combination of magic and makeup. Marcus had ordered more books on the subject, but they weren't due to come in for a while. His face became pensive as he continued eating, his hand dropping from his collar and reaching for the coffee mug instead.
Just as the Head of Ravenclaw was wondering if he should eat now or finish his coffee first, he heard the woman beside him sigh. A glance towards her revealed a half-finished plate of food being pushed away. He couldn't help the slight hint of paranoia that her suddenly being full was related to him appearing, but he had no real reason to believe that aside from the coincidental timing. He didn't think they were on bad terms, and the dark-haired witch made no motion to leave.
Marcus turned his eyes back to his own drink and took another measured sip before speaking again. "Nor did I," was all he could think to say, his voice much more measured to match the low energy of the morning. Perhaps now was not the time for a lengthy conversation. It was extremely early, and she had likely come here hoping to enjoy her meal in peace. With that in mind, Marcus tapped gently on the table in front of him with his index finger.
At this gesture, food appeared in front of him. The house elves employed by this castle were extremely efficient with what they did. Marcus had worked alongside them during his time as caretaker, maintaining the cleanliness and integrity of the castle. Of course, their cooking didn't compare to that of his grandmother and the house elves his mother used to employ, but it was still good.
The spread that appeared in front of the man was almost like a small buffet. Eggs being the primary component of the spread, along with other protein-rich items. Despite the lingering soreness, he had a workout in mind for later that day, so he intended to fuel up. He would allow Professor Pendrast to stick to her thoughts as he began to eat, while he would ponder in his own.
Another topic that had been occupying his mind lately (and ever since the summer really) was the dark magic the hags had used. With his free hand - the one not delivering food to his mouth - he would instinctively rub his neck. His shirt collar barely hid the darkness that had spread across there after the fight in the dungeons. He was, of course, lucky compared to others like Nora, whose face had been scarred. He could cover his darkness scars with his shirt, while she had to use a combination of magic and makeup. Marcus had ordered more books on the subject, but they weren't due to come in for a while. His face became pensive as he continued eating, his hand dropping from his collar and reaching for the coffee mug instead.
@Elaine Pendrast
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia
1 Feb 2021, 22:44
Early Mornings
Compared to her small, half-eaten portion of food, Marcus Iwasaki was having a buffet for breakfast. He needed the energy, going by his physique. Both as a human and as a wolf, he was muscular, broad, such a vast amount of strength compressed into one singular body. It had been mesmerizing to watch him run below the moonlight.
Elaine looked on as the plates in front of the wizard filled with food, eggs and toast and a lot of other items that didn't leave any doubt that the Hogwarts elves held a fondness for the Heads of House — or maybe it was simply a treat for those early risers who came into the Great Hall before everyone else. She'd have to come in late one morning just to see which of the two theories would prove right.
Her pale fingers clutched her cup of tea, taking in the warmth that radiated from the delicate porcelain. Her joints felt stiff, her limbs heavy. If she hadn't been a witch, Elena would have considered that she might be getting old.
As it was, there was a century left in her cold bones, or near enough. She wasn't afraid of her own mortality, a thing that came with having looked death in the eye and come back realizing that there were worse fates. Sometime between casting her first curse at another being and losing Alexandru, death had become something of a companion to her, even. It was easier to take a life than to have to watch it being taken.
The hall was still silent. The guardians on her skin were too, sluggish and complacent now, for a reason she couldn't put a name to. Magic worked in curious ways.
"My husband was a werewolf."
Her voice was clear, without inflection, the sound carrying through the empty chamber. She had compartmentalized the pain from the sentence already, her dark eyes bleak and unfocused, staring into nothing. If it had been purely about herself, she wouldn't have spoken up at all, would have left the hall after she'd pushed her food away – but it wasn't, not really. The Head of Ravenclaw had let her run with him on the full moon, had let her see his suffering and his strength, had laid bare a part of his soul she wasn't certain he'd have shown had he had a choice.
Elena owed him. A secret for a secret, one kind of pain for another. At sixteen, when Katya had first taught her, she hadn't understood. Now she did.
A second passed. She blinked, the life coming back her eyes, and turned to face the man beside her.
He was still eating, but movement caught her gaze, the way he touched his neck, the hint of a shadow hidden beneath his collar. Her hand instinctively went to her own throat, pushing the high neckline of her dress aside to press long fingers against the dark ink of the half-eagle resting there. It cawed once, whether in her mind or for the other professor to hear, Elaine couldn't tell.
@Marcus Iwasaki
Cu ochii deschiși.
7 Jun 2021, 14:41
Early Mornings
Was? There was no cure for the condition. She hadn't said "ex-husband" so divorce was not something that crossed his mind. Marcus felt that she was telling him her husband was gone. Dead. But when he was alive, he had been a werewolf. For a minute, he was unsure how to react, especially given that she did not say anything further. Just that one statement, and then the quiet between the two Heads of House resumed.
The man swallowed the shovel of food that he'd been chewing during her words, then turned his head to look at her. Marcus' amber eyes blinked very suddenly, thinking he heard a bird call as their eyes met. Why..? But he did not linger on that momentary distraction for more than a few seconds, instead turning his focus back to the statement she had made.
"That explains a lot," he ended up saying. It explained why she seemed so unfazed by his aura from the moment they had met. And why she had hardly batted an eye on Halloween night when he transformed into a werewolf beside her. The Head of Ravenclaw recalled thinking that she must've met someone like him before, and her words now confirmed that thought.
Marcus understood why she was sharing this information - it was almost an unidentifiable feeling that came to him. Some sort of kinship had formed on Halloween, from the experience they shared hunting down the kidnappers as werewolf and witch. This particular information she was sharing spoke to that kinship.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he added, sincerity carried in his voice. The loss of a love - he felt like he could relate in a very small way. His love had fled, not died - a loss in a different sense of the word, perhaps.
Marcus was not going to press her on how or when or why it happened. None of that was his business, but just knowing about this particular part of her past made him feel like he understood Professor Pendrast a bit better than he had before. Maybe her husband hadn't been a werewolf when they first married, but something in Marcus said otherwise. That she had loved her husband in spite of that. Her unfazed attitude during Marcus' transformation spoke enough to that. And her very nature - the subject she was dedicated to teaching about - indicated something more. She was strong. And she had suffered loss.
In the next moment, his amber eyes followed her hands, which had reached for her neck. Marcus noticed the ink there, though her long fingers covered what it was. Her tattoos were always interesting to watch and observe, but it made him think of his own neck and the darkness that scarred him. The darkness he had subconsciously touched only seconds ago. He gently tugged the collar of his shirt down slightly, revealing the darkness that had touched him during the hag fight over the summer.
"And it seems we have even more in common," Marcus commented. He was pretty confident her neck tattoo was not a curse from a hag, but it was meant to just play off of the fact that both of their necks were being affected by something. A dark-hearted joke of sorts, but also a feeling that she - the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts - would take some interest in the curse.
The man swallowed the shovel of food that he'd been chewing during her words, then turned his head to look at her. Marcus' amber eyes blinked very suddenly, thinking he heard a bird call as their eyes met. Why..? But he did not linger on that momentary distraction for more than a few seconds, instead turning his focus back to the statement she had made.
"That explains a lot," he ended up saying. It explained why she seemed so unfazed by his aura from the moment they had met. And why she had hardly batted an eye on Halloween night when he transformed into a werewolf beside her. The Head of Ravenclaw recalled thinking that she must've met someone like him before, and her words now confirmed that thought.
Marcus understood why she was sharing this information - it was almost an unidentifiable feeling that came to him. Some sort of kinship had formed on Halloween, from the experience they shared hunting down the kidnappers as werewolf and witch. This particular information she was sharing spoke to that kinship.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he added, sincerity carried in his voice. The loss of a love - he felt like he could relate in a very small way. His love had fled, not died - a loss in a different sense of the word, perhaps.
Marcus was not going to press her on how or when or why it happened. None of that was his business, but just knowing about this particular part of her past made him feel like he understood Professor Pendrast a bit better than he had before. Maybe her husband hadn't been a werewolf when they first married, but something in Marcus said otherwise. That she had loved her husband in spite of that. Her unfazed attitude during Marcus' transformation spoke enough to that. And her very nature - the subject she was dedicated to teaching about - indicated something more. She was strong. And she had suffered loss.
In the next moment, his amber eyes followed her hands, which had reached for her neck. Marcus noticed the ink there, though her long fingers covered what it was. Her tattoos were always interesting to watch and observe, but it made him think of his own neck and the darkness that scarred him. The darkness he had subconsciously touched only seconds ago. He gently tugged the collar of his shirt down slightly, revealing the darkness that had touched him during the hag fight over the summer.
"And it seems we have even more in common," Marcus commented. He was pretty confident her neck tattoo was not a curse from a hag, but it was meant to just play off of the fact that both of their necks were being affected by something. A dark-hearted joke of sorts, but also a feeling that she - the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts - would take some interest in the curse.
@Elaine Pendrast
PC: Aaron Jones | iNPC: Madeleine Nakamura | Former staff account: Marcus Iwasaki
2nd Gen PC: Idalia della Torre
Best way to contact me? Discord or owl Idalia