Aftermath and Apologies PV Aoi Closed

The night before had been hectic. The young woman was sitting in her office, dark rings under her eyes. She looked drained, as she had gone to bed late, and was up in the early hours of the morning to start on setting up a syllabus for her class. She had visited the Library, searching for validating information on various subjects she had planned for the year. She had special ordered book from America to complete her module on the Salem Witch Trials. And now she was writing away, working on the Squib Rights Marches of the 1960’s. She had resorted to using old syllabus’ for the older students, working to redo the newer students’ work so they’d be prepared for her OWL’s.

There was a knock at the door. It had been left open, for any students to greet her. Though she hardly expected any so early in the morning. She glanced up at the noise, her bright hazel eyes creating their piercing glare. Her face didn’t show any anger, it was simply how her eyes appeared. It was the man from the previous night. The drunk and injured one she had been quick to assist, recognizing the symptoms of distress. Here he was with….roses? He looked nervous, as if unsure how to present himself. Aoi sat down her quill gently, brushing back her hair as she leaned back in her chair. She had yet to put it up for the day, so the raven black hair was brushed out, resting on her shoulders.

The man introduced himself, although no title was with it. Aoi smiled at the gesture. “Accio Vase”, she exhaled quickly, wandlessly as well. An ornate jade vase, decorated with off-white lily flowers, floated over to the desk. It came to rest before her. “Augamenti”, came the next incantation, again wandless. Instead, the woman simply held her finger before the vase, and water spouted out from the tip into it. Looking back up to the man, her smile was still apparent.

“Thank you, Mr. Cazarez. They are lovely. Although roses are generally used more for romantic gestures in European culture are they not? If I'm wrong feel free to correct me. That said, there is no need to apologize to me. You did not drug yourself. There is nothing to apologize for, at all. Is there something else you needed, or was this it?”

So much for losing that flirty reputation. Sebastián had felt good about this gesture and making amends with this Professor. Now she was accusing him of making a romantic advance with the flowers. The Spaniard at least did not sense anger from the woman yet. She was truly a beauty though, and seemed so sweet. A romantic gesture would certainly be something to consider for the future. Sebas was not always mister smooth though.

"That was... um... that was all." He felt like an idiot now, but managed to let out an awkward laugh. "It was not meant to be romantic. Not that I wouldn't want to be romantic... er well not that I do either. I think I wou... Maybe after making a better impression I'd... well, you're beautiful but... I wasn't trying... um... "

The Spaniard was turning red now and a smile crossed his face after he stopped himself from talking. What a mess of an attempt at conversation. Maybe the drugs had not worn off? No he was just a wreck. One that was making a fool of itself in front of this girl yet again. That had to be a record for him. The ex-curse-breaker felt the need to start over.

"Let me... start over." He tried to cover up how awkward he felt but would fail miserably. "Those colors are traditionally used as a thank you, rather than romance. Though roses in general are romantic flowers..."

Sebas was beating himself up on the inside. This woman was beautiful and had his old teaching position. She had to be intelligent as well. While in his drugged state she was a shining angel and now she hardly seemed lesser. It wasn't a jump he was going to make but now it seemed he had done so by accident.

It really was quite amusing to watch the man before her stutter and stammer in nervous chatter. She had seen it before, and frankly, it was amusing. Aoi let out a small, girlish chuckle as he struggled to figure out whatever he meant to say. The blood was spreading to his face, and she simply waited for him to trip through the rest of his words. Eventually, he became aware or perhaps wise enough to stop. Restart. Some hope at least that he possessed more intelligence than initially presented.

“Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Cazarez. I by no means meant to imply you had romantic intent. Simply a note on Western culture is all. I’ll keep the color thing in mind for the future.” She had a grin on her face as she spoke. Flustering men was more or less fun for the outgoing woman. Despite his recovery, he was clearly infatuated with her. Aoi waved her hand, nothing said this time, and a teapot floated over to the desk. She did this to make a point, but would he get it? Time would tell. Gracefully, she pointed her finger at the teapot, flames coming from her fingertip this time, gently heating the ceramic china. She patiently waited and smiled at Mr. Cazarez as the few required seconds passed, heating the pot to its whistle. She never broke eye contact as everything transpired. You didn’t have to be too bright to know she was taking measure of him.

“Well, if you have nothing more for me, perhaps you have time to entertain a few questions from me? Tea?” She gestured at the pot on her desk, now joined by two handleless cups. Traditional bamboo wood cups. “I’ve yet to be informed as to what your role is at the school, Mr. Cazarez. Perhaps you could shed some light on the matter?” Her eyebrow raised as she spoke, her countenance shifting from that of amusement to one of utter seriousness in an instant. She would have an opinion of him, one way or the other, by the end of this conversation.

Now that the most awkward bit was over, for now, Sebas could think a bit clearer. This beautiful woman at least was entertained by him. He was not totally certain that was a good thing. The Spaniard sat across from the new History of Magic Professor slowly as to not embarrass himself again by falling or something. That would be a typical Sebas thing to do right now. He was glad to sit now and enjoy some tea with her. That had to be harmless.

"Tea sounds wonderful," he said casually, much more relaxed now as he accepted the bamboo cup filled with tea. "And hit me with whatever questions you have."

Sebastián truly had no idea how to answer the question. He had apparently been away for some time during a lot of shifts in the school. There were still bits and pieces he was learning so his own position was not exactly clear. Where he had once been the Deputy Headmaster, that was not guaranteed now that so much had changed. Seeing Lear as Headmaster was certainly a strange start. He had almost wondered if it was a dream at first.

"My position is... well, I don't know." He was blunt about not knowing, no reason to beat around the bush here. "Last year I was the Deputy Headmaster under Ackerley Blackburn. I had my... well... kidnapping I suppose is the word for it. Months later I return and so much is different. Before that I actually taught this class, History of Magic. I had to meet whoever was taking my favorite class over."

A chuckle escaped and Sebas shook his head slowly. It was anyone's guess what was going on with him. Maybe Lear would keep him at his old role. Maybe he'd be told to leave the school as he was no longer staff. There was no clear future for him and he assumed they were still discussing him behind closed doors. Though he had to admit he was more interested in this woman now that he was here...

Aoi nodded thoughtfully as the former Deputy spoke. She had the cupped the bamboo cup in her hands properly, sipping the green tea. She valued it greatly, having it imported from Japan on a regular basis. She was always sure to keep her supply up, as to share with honored guests, but mostly her sister. He had accepted the tea, so at least he had shown her culture some respect. He also hadn’t requested a handled cup, as the British were always so keen to do. The handles made no sense to Aoi. But touching the cup itself, one could feel the relative temperature of the tea. Handles removed that ability. It was a pity, and foolish, in her mind.

Her eyebrows went up at his mention of his former post as the History of Magic teacher. It was a quick, almost unnoticeable movement. The dark shadows left her face, switching to one of anxiety for a brief flash. Within two seconds her face returned to normal, showing the bright smile of gleaming white teeth.

“History of Magic, you say? I’ve been looking over the old syllabus as a matter of fact. I would hope you don’t mind that I’m changing it up. Updating it, if you will.” She waved her hand in an offhand way as she spoke. “Then again, if you do mind, it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s my class now.” This was not said in an aggressive tone, more an assertive tone. She was laying down her dominance. Her aggressive nature was showing through naturally. She usually kept it mostly restrained. “That said, feel free to drop in anytime to see how I handle your favorite subject.”  It almost seemed a good-natured jab at him. Another testing probe by the young woman. 

“However, your...kidnapping, as you put it. One must wonder. Who and why? Did you have enemies, Professor? You don’t have to answer mind you. Simply the nature of a past career. If this line isn’t comfortable for you, perhaps you have a better line to follow?” She took another sip of the tea, enjoying the light flavor warming her body in the cool morning.

It became even easier to relax as he drank the delicious tea and began to converse about the History of Magic a little. That was where Sebas felt more confident. His focus could at least be off his potential accidental romantic move on this beautiful new professor. He had gathered a little bit of info before blindly jumping into the room, but there was little to find. Now was a chance to learn about her up close and personal. This is ultimately what he wanted but it was not quite the introduction he had desired.

"History is a wide subject. I changed Binns' lesson plans and I would not expect you to keep mine." He agreed, giving a big smile. "It is indeed your class now. I'd be more than happy to drop by and see how you handle... things."

Sebas was thinking he could like this woman. She was certainly different and somehow reminded him of... something he often tried to forget. That wasn't a bad thing necessarily, but it'd be interesting nonetheless. He took another sip of the warm tea while considering her second line of questioning. His old work made life much worse for him than this at times. Some of them he hoped to forget, but never would. Sebastián was not afraid of the school or his misfortune.

"Enemies, I probably have a few. Who and why is still... fuzzy at best but I have a decent idea formulating about it. I'll have to chat with Profes... Headmaster Lear." He was deeply considering what had happened still and it was slowly taking shape for him. "Nothing that will scare me off. You might be surprised that this History Professor used to be one of the top Gringott's Curse-breakers."

There was little else to say. He knew little in the first place. Sebas just wanted to get everything cleared up over the next few days one way or another. In the meantime though he was happy to turn his attention to this woman. Now he had to learn more of her rather than be grilled the entire time.

"What about yourself?" He asked simply, smiling to her still. "What brings you here? A desire to teach, a desire to hunt weird mysteries, something else entirely? Perhaps a different line would be more comfortable for you?"

Aoi’s eyes nearly glowered in smoldering anger at his impudence. She clearly took offense the mocking of her attempt to give him a pressure-free environment. The chair she sat in creaked as she leaned forward, letting her elbows prop her up as she used her hands as a rest. The man was scoring points just to lose them again. Aoi was struggling to achieve a solid opinion of him, but there was still plenty of time. She donned a neutral face, deciding to let it go and move on. What better opportunity to get to the bottom of events happening at this place of learning. That’s all it should have been, but sadly it seemed more like survival camp for some of the students here. She intended to repair that posthaste.

“What brings me here you ask?” Aoi’s pride was bubbling to the surface, as mirth graced her lips with a half-smile. “I wasn’t informed of what decided my hiring. I’m willing to wager my credentials of course. I was a top-performing student at Mahoutokoro. I still have my golden robe.” She leaned back into an upright position again and took a sip of tea. “Perhaps it’s my adeptness at wandless and wordless magic, which I’ve been demonstrating for you very kindly.” She waved off the teapot, which rose and floated to its resting place on a nearby side table. “As to why I personally want to be here, well, a tad more complicated. My primary goal is to impart the ability to think.”

She raised her line of sight to lock onto his eyes, conveying all the gravity of her intent. “Critical thought is in short supply anymore. I can’t solve the entire problem, but a little effort is better than none. These students need to learn from our past mistakes, which are numerous. They need to learn to question everything, and everyone, around them. Including me, you, other Professors, the Ministry, their parents, everything. If even one student learns that, I’ve been successful. I learned that in my past career and past in general. But enough about me. Tell me about the life of a curse-breaker Mr. Cazarez.” She had given him enough information, she needed to steer this conversation on her course.

It seemed the woman had more interest in figuring out who Sebas was than talking too much of herself. She guided the conversation right back to his past. The Spaniard was hoping to learn more about her, but perhaps in time he could. He still missed teaching this class if he was being honest with himself. A skilled, engaging, and beautiful woman to replace him was at least a bonus. History of Magic would be a good excuse to barge in and annoy her later. Though first he had to figure out what all was going on in this school since he left.

"Quite interesting. I admire your reasons for being here," he said, almost staring at her now as he drank his tea without breaking eye contact. "To tell the truth, I often do not discuss such times so openly. I was good at my job and mostly enjoyed it. Many adventures were taken... but..."

Sebastián trailed off a bit as he considered the past. He never shared what happened with anyone. While he liked this woman it was not time to spit it out. Past trauma was meant to be bottled up and forgotten. Not that he had ever taken efforts to actually forget it. That would be just as difficult, or more difficult, than talking about it.

"But... it was time to move on." He decided to give her for now. "There were other mysteries to solve and I could do more good here than I could protecting a bank. You'd be amazed how many people put curses on their vault contents only to die or have us help them break it later. Or people trying to cheat the system..."

A grin crossed his face as he considered some of the silly, good times from breaking curses. Hogwarts was a good place to break weird curses too considering recent events. It also was a place he could shape young minds to help the future of the wizarding community. Keep them from repeating mistakes of the past while making sure they grow into good people. That was a good goal he thought to himself.

The man was holding back. She’d been through more than enough people to recognize trauma. To recognize regret. She had seen that look in certain remorseful fugitives throughout a few years of hard work. While she felt a tinge of pity, which was more than she had ever felt for those fleeing their punishment, it wasn’t enough to elicit empathy from the woman. She wanted answers and if she couldn’t get them now, she’d practice her patience and get them later. But this conversation would also end, and somehow she knew he didn’t want that. She held an advantage over him. Still, an ounce of caution and discretion could go far. She’d move one for now.

Regardless, her desire to keep up the discussion was ending. She knew he was here for something. She wasn’t sure if he had come with whatever it was, or it had come to him while here, but the time for banter was done.

Her slight arrogance and sudden irritation bubbled up in her voice. “You might be surprised what I know Mr. Cazarez. Let’s say my last line of work had me doing… careful work.” There was mirth in her voice as she spoke. “Let us cut the pleasantries. Is there something else you want? Surely you didn’t come all the way to my office to simply apologize? That’s quite a bit of effort for very little return. I have quite a bit of work to do sir. My time is valuable. I do appreciate the flowers, but I need to get back on my schedule unless you have something important…” She flicked her hand and the door to the office opened wide. Her eyebrow was raised as she appraised the man for any meaningful reply.