A Warm Welcome Turned Cold PV Sabine

january 9, 2023.

The first day on the job had proven to be anything but stress-free. Sabine had spent a better part of her day running around her new office, unpacking boxes and arranging everything in the order they were required. She had to scope out the class area, examining every inch of the premises to understand the area she was working in. Then, to boot, she had handled her first one-on-one case with a student already. Yesterday had been exhausting.

So, to decompress, Sabine did what she always did. Sat down to enjoy some relaxation time. Sabine was midway through painting her index finger with a steady brush when someone thrust their way into her space.

In another world, perhaps Sabine Blumenthal would appreciate Finley Greer’s gesture. In another world, perhaps they’d be friends.

This was not that world.

The nail polish brush wavered and a long stripe of pungent deep purple flicked its way up Sabine’s finger. Her eyes traveled up to meet the other professor. The woman was the first professor she had seen since Caradoc Browne’s unceremonious entrance alongside her. In her hands she held a potted succulent, which looked pathetic when compared to the flourishing bonsai tree behind Sabine’s desk.

”Yeah, hello,” Sabine greeted. ”Come in.”

It wasn’t that she hated the other woman--she certainly didn’t (not yet, at least). Just didn’t appreciate the energy that was brought into the space. If there was anything Sabine believed in, it was energies. And Finley’s energy was exhausting.

Or, maybe, more likely, Sabine didn’t like that Finley Greer had an extroverted personality to rival her own. Even more likely still was the idea that sometimes people just didn’t mesh, sometimes their personalities weren’t a good match. Even so, she had the decency to be at least the smallest bit polite.

Sabine suddenly found herself awfully grateful to be in an entirely different wing than the caretaker.

@Finley Greer.

The Care of Magical Creatures office was a far cry to what Finley had imagined. She wasn't even sure she'd been in here since she'd graduated, was it always this large? It was quite impressive how put together everything was, especially considering the room was practically abandoned by the last professor.

"Wow, you've done a lot in here in such a short amount of time!"Finley stepped into the office proper, noting the photographs lining the mantle of the fireplace. Another lover of travel, perhaps? She sure hoped so, it was a little suffocating to be surrounded by people who didn't hold the same passions as her. Especially when it was something that seemed so important to appreciating life itself.

"Right, well, I brought this for you! Although it seems you haven't needed any help sprucing up the space," she chuckled, placing the succulent on Sabine's desk, the overwhelming scent of nail polish wafting into her nose. Something about the professor's gaze seemed... Off. Finley suddenly felt like she was on the defensive of the conversation, but she couldn't quite place why. "I like your photographs," Fin gestured. "Are they yours?" An attempt for connection, one that, unbeknownst to Fin, likely wouldn't be as appreciated as she intended.