CISD 101: A Required Class PV Vernatis/Lian

It was rare that Cy didn't have some kind of work to do even after all her classes were over, and tonight was no exception. Not that she minded it completely, of course, especially this particular night - because it gave her a change of scenery. Instead of her quarters or her office, where she usually did most of her work, whether it was grading or planning lessons, she'd levitated her entire desk - no real point in shoving everything she needed off of it and into a bag or box just to take it out again once she'd passed two flights of stairs - into the Charms classroom.

She had known Artemis for more than a year now, and he was the only one of her coworkers that she regarded as a companion who didn't have a set nickname yet. Regardless, he was no less of a friend than, say, Kat, though she'd known her for longer. But the occasion had come up for she and Vernatis to teach a joint lesson to their third years, and suddenly collaboration became a much more important element during work.

Why didn't she ask him to come to her classroom instead? Well, she had nothing against switching up the environment a little - monotony had never been her thing - and, well, he had lollipops in his drawer, who was she to miss out on that? Besides, she had a few pieces of more delicate equipment in her classroom at the moment, a few boxes of potassium, and some of these kids could hardly be trusted to keep their hands off the jars of strange silver butter-like metal. If somebody managed to accidentally throw it in some water, she'd have the planned activity completed much earlier than she expected.

It hadn't been long since the ball. Well, less of a ball, more of a catastrophe. As much as Cy loved to see some chaos, even this was a little overboard for her. People had gotten hurt, and she'd done her best to get as many people out as possible. She'd been lucky enough to avoid injury, but she had also performed a transformation that had cost her a pretty penny of energy, and that wasn't including the reparifors's that she'd stayed up to help the nurses with in the Hospital Wing all through the night and in her spare time afterwards.

With everything happening, plus the extra time needed to make sure all the kids who had missed class in the Hospital Wing were caught up on what was happening, it was no wonder she didn't feel like also handing out dozens of reminders to not touch the potassium that night. The worst of it had been over in the first bit of time after the ball, but the aftershocks were still going on. The defense mechanism she'd put in place above the doorway of her classroom meant that people could enter if she was inside and couldn't if she wasn't, so she'd taken refuge in the Charms classroom for tonight. Easier to work that way, without worrying about spontaneous combustion.

She didn't, however, expect to hear knocking on the door. Well, she wasn't exactly surprised, either; it wasn't rare for students to come wandering into her classroom, that probably held true elsewhere too. "I'll get it," she muttered, since she'd been too lazy to plop her desk down any more than five feet from the door, and turned the handle, swinging the heavy wood out. "Uh. Hi. Who's this?"

The muffled sound of a voice within had not gone unnoticed, and yet, for one reason or another, it hadn't triggered Evelynn to question it. Perhaps it was because the tone was so familiar, one that she heard nearly every day, that it just seemed like a normal occurrence. Never mind that the location of that voice was decidedly out of place. Of course, it could also have been that the Gryffindor's mind was very much distracted with the reason of why she had come — the six weeks or so of torment since the ball's conclusion that had led her to such a state of decline that she could see no other way out than to seek help from adults.

Naturally, however, when the door pushed forward with the image of Professor Lian framed within its borders to greet her, Evelynn could hardly ignore that. She blinked. Then brows furrowed. After which, she reflexively craned her head to the side a touch to peer past the woman and glean the interior of the classroom. Where she thought her feet might have carried her to the wrong door in error, she soon found they had not.

"Er.." She chewed her lip, reeling in her gaze to train up at the young professor before her. "Twenty-three.."

Silence. All the effort she had invested to build her courage to come this way, all the time she had spent talking and reassuring herself that this is what was needed, all the energy she had promised that she would find again when this was finally talked through and sorted out… it all vanished in an instant. Adaptable. That was what she normally was. Able to take in stride whatever was thrown her way, whether in class or by her peers. But.. Professor Lian unnerved her. Despite her apparent lack of vision, Evelynn always had the impression that the woman could see right through her and rifle through her thoughts at a whim. Not to mention Transfiguration was one of those classes that she actually had to really really try at to be adequate. Which she was, of course. At least after she'd figured out the expectations and worked through how to magic. But…standing there, before her, in the hall, when she had come to see Professor Vernatis… Evelynn suddenly felt very, very small.

"I'm.. Maybe this isn't a good time."

Yes. Good. Great. Make that excuse. Would she even find the courage to try again if she retreated now? Maybe. Maybe not. Who even needed Hogwarts anyway, though. Maybe it really would be best just to retreat, lick her wounds, and take up the life that her mother had initially wanted for her anyway. Maybe her mum had been right all along…

NO. She was a lion. She was meant to be brave. Dignified. Cowardice wasn't an option. Shouldn't be an option. Shoulders rose and fell with a steadying breath and Evelynn release the lip she had been biting. Nails dug into her palms hanging to either side in compensation. God give me strength.

"Ehm.. Actually, Professor Lian.." She faltered, just for a moment. "I.. Was hoping to speak with Professor Vernatis. If he's available. It's… important. Well.. To me it is, anyway. If it's not too much trouble."

Goodness, could this be any worse. Not only was stammering as though she had a speech impediment, she was pretty sure her voice had cracked at least once, and she felt like she needed to drink about a litre of water. Her lack of confidence in this moment could not be more apparent, and she had tried so hard to make herself a successful student in the eyes of the Transfiguration instructor. She wanted to melt. Right then and there. Just disappear through the floor and pretend this never happened. Wake up from the nightmare that this was becoming. But she didn't wake, and she remained quite rooted to the floor. There was only forward or back, and she had to be determined to go forward — even if just one step at a time — if she wanted to stop her aspiring career as a witch from going up in flames.

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Cypresse Lian | MENTIONING @Artemis Vernatis

Interacting with @Evelynn Decipio Mentioning @Cypresse Lian

When today started, Artemis had planned to just sit back, grade a few assignments, create a few lessons, sip some tea, and snack on some of his snack stashes while students were cramming for the upcoming exams. It was a rare day off for the school and the Charms professor was intent to take advantage of the quiet. After grading and lesson making, maybe he would take a stroll around the castle to see the sunset, which is something he hadn't done in a long while. His plans were solid and he was quite ready to enjoy his day in solitude.

Until his classroom door opened and the small alarm he placed in his office alerted him to a visitor that he didn't directly invite. Rolling his eyes skyward, Artemis gathered his papers off of his desk and walked out into the classroom. He retrained releasing the heavy sigh that was trapped in his chest as he saw the culprit placing her...entire desk... near the door of his classroom. What the hell? Why does this woman always come to him?

Granted, Artemis didn't dislike Cypress. She was quirky and unique in her own way. She was more like a little sister that, if they were children, he would want to shove her face into mud one day and beat up her bullies the next. She...confused him...mainly because his younger sister wasn't like Cypress. Granted, they were only a year apart so were much closer to one another, whereas Cypress was twelve years younger than he was and was more...energetic. Now he was stuck grading or...doing whatever it was she was doing in his classroom. He prayed that he would be able to get some kind of work done.

He sat down at his desk and released that sigh that he was holding in. He opened his mouth to ask his young colleague what it was that she thought she was doing in his classroom, and with her desk no less, when another interruption in the form of a timid knock on his door sounded and he let his head fall hard onto his desk. Before he could even groan internally about who it was at his door, he heard Cypress open the door and address the person on the other side. It was a girl...who addressed herself as a number. Odd...but knowing how Cypress conducted her classes he knew that she gave all of her students a number to make it easier to teach them in class. The girl stammered while talking with the Transfiguration Professor but her request was quite clear when she mentioned his name.

This time, Artemis released a soft groan out loud and stood up from his desk. "Come in, Miss Decipio. What can I help you with today?"

I apologize for the extremely long wait and the short reply. I've been on and off sick lately and been busy with RL stuff around the end of June and still a bit busy this week as well. But I wanted to get a reply out to you ASAP.

In the brief quiet that spanned after her request, the silence could not be more deafening. Adrenaline surged with peaking nerves. It was odd in a way. Evelynn had never been one to shy away from any of the Professors, nor to find them unapproachable. Well, save a select few. But not Professor Vernatis. Still, in that moment as she waited an answer — any answer — blood coursed through her veins to drum out a rhythm at her temples. As but as she tried to push past it, to set her gaze to the class's interior, the beat was exigent and took considerable effort to prevent her breath from hitching to a tempo to match.

One breath, and then another. Then came the summons to enter. And all of a sudden, as though his words — his question — had been the trigger, Evelynn felt her knees weaken, a shiver course its way up her spine and the all-too-familiar prickling heat at the inside corners of her eyes. Not here… Not now… I will not cry… Fingers clenched furtively at her hanging robes, as though that would somehow ground her and give her the strength she needed to get out a coherent sentence without ultimately dissolving. For the moment, however, it was the act of actually moving on which she focused. With a solemn bow of her head and a rise and fall of her shoulders with a steadying breath, Evelynn took a step with one lead-laden foot. And then the other.

"I.. Um.. " She began when she had entered a few paces into the room. The frog in her throat cracked her voice and she had to swallow it down. A brief glance was cast in the direction of Professor Lian before shifting timidly back to Professor Vernatis. Ultimately, she dropped her gaze to his desk before continuing. "It's about the.. About the ball.. I just.." She cleared her throat again, pads of her fingers wringing at the cloth of her robes. "I don't know what to do anymore…"

For a few seconds, words failed her. In that moment, her mind had turned its coat and ceased to process. Why had she come again? What was it that she hoped to accomplish? How had she gotten to this point?

"I'm scared," she admitted, deflating slightly. What an un-Gryffindor thing to say. "I can't sleep.. I can't stop seeing.." Her gaze flickered around the desk as though surveying a scene that wasn't there. "Seeing it all.. Them.. The fire.. Professor Lear is missing.. There's dhampir attacks, and hag attacks, and mosps, and half-giants, and laced chocolates, and changing tapestries, and someone in a mask that wants to hurt people.. I just.. I don't know what to do.. I didn't think it was going to be like this.. Being a witch.. Coming here.."

The tears where there, right on the brim. The more she'd spoken, the faster the words had come and at a slowly increasing pitch. She had raced to finish her thoughts before the arrival of shaken shoulders and the hitching of her breath would finish them for her. She'd managed to, though. Managed to at least hint of the depth of what was on her mind before the swell of emotion had overtaken. In doing so, it had been curbed, affording her a moment to prevent any loss of composure. Swallowing it down, she took a steadying breath and licked her lips.

She looked up then, seeking reassurance from her professors. "Is it even safe enough to come back?"

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Artemis Vernatis and @Cypresse Lian
My apologies as well for my own delay on this reply. Preparations to move and starting a new job placed limitations on my ability to focus on writing for the past two weeks.[/font]

It hadn't been long since she'd walked into the classroom with a levitated desk and announced "I live here now," but it seemed that she might not have been meant to finish grading that night. "Evelynn, right?" she smiled, opening the door wider and stepping to the side as her colleague's voice responded from behind her.

A sweep of her wand brought her own chair rolling across the floor to Evelynn as she spoke, a silent offering. Cy instead took a seat on the edge of her desk. The girl probably hadn't expected the Transfiguration professor to be there too, but she was there, and she wasn't about to get up and slink out of the classroom after having brought her desk down two flights of stairs. She couldn't see this being a quick question, though - Evelynn seemed nervous. Hesitant. Concern for her bubbled in her mind.

As soon as the ball was mentioned, she loosed a sigh. So that was it - honestly, she was a little surprised that nobody else had come yet. It was true that the year had been littered with catastrophes like a street gutter with candy wrappers, and it had left many students wounded physically, but even more mentally. Quite a few had brushed death, others had witnessed it happening. She'd been in the center of the chaos of the Blossomball with the professor whose classroom she was encroaching in and Kat, and it hadn't been good. That was the kind of chaos she remembered from breaking into vaults to retrieve dangerous magical items for MACUSA, not what should be taking place on a school campus, where students should be feeling safe.

She could feel the impact of the event by simply walking through the hallways. There was a nervousness there, like the shadows hid more hags, more mosps that would fly out at any second to stab them again. Yet it all continued, they all knew that it had to - in a muted, perfunctory way, even for the professors. It felt as if the castle was in shock.

"This isn't all of it, you know," Cy said gently. "I know it seems like that's all being a witch is like now. But there's so much more to it that you haven't seen yet, and I know it's so confusing and terrifying right now for everyone. But we're working on making sure that this castle stays safe." Aaaand then she turned to Vernatis, because her writer doesn't know how to comfort people. She nudged the chair closer to the girl. "Have a seat?"

The child was definitely nervous. She had every right to be. He would have been nervous as a child if he had seen the things that this girl had, even if he was a child during the war during one of the worse times of wizarding history. But Artemis would never want to subject a child to what he had to endure his second year of school. This was a different time and a different situation. The girl was scared and traumatized...even if the ball situation could have been avoided had the students stayed in their beds like they were told to be.

A chair was moved closer to Evelynn as Cypress tried to comfort the girl about how being a witch...being magical...wasn't all danger and trauma. Truly, Artemis didn't want to comfort the child, but it wasn't as if they knew that they would be attacked by mosps that night. Even still, it wasn't their fault for being idiotic kids who only wanted to have fun. Best way to have fun is to sneak out and have it on your own, right? Either way, Artemis knew that it was his job to protect and comfort the students who walked through his classroom door asking for help.

Artemis gestured to the chair and waited for the girl to sit before giving her a soft, reassuring smile. "Professor Lian is correct, Miss Decipio. Even in the Muggle world there is danger and people become traumatized, but magic and being magical is not all that you've experienced so far. The ball was an unfortunate...set of events. I won't lie, you children are extremely insane...at least your classmates are. I haven't seen such...violence since before I moved to America after my training."

Artemis sighed heavily. "I do not blame you for feeling the way that you do. I would be nervous and scared to return to the castle myself. But if you play it smart come the Fall, you will not have to worry about the dangers. Actually..." another heavy sigh left the older man's mouth. "I can't promise anything. It would be false promises and I do not wish to be considered a liar. All I can say is that you need to be smart if you choose to return and play it safe. If you suspect danger, find a professor and get yourself out of the situation."

Artemis really wished he could give the girl more confidence, but the best tactic is to not coddle the child and to give her the facts straight as it is. There was no real way that there wouldn't be danger in the school as it was now. The only time Hogwarts was safe was right after the re-build after the war. A peaceful time at least for students.

It broke his heart that he couldn't protect this child from trauma and possible nightmares.

But he could offer comfort as her professor and listen to her worries and concerns.

It's been months and I truly apologize for the long wait.