Treat me with respect, and I may just teach you

You watch as the storybook characters play out their scripted lives, day in and day out.  As though fettered, they stick to their routines; they fulfill their roles - or lack thereof. They do what must be done to keep the main beats of their storybook life going. But what happens if something new and different were to be introduced by an outside force? Will they continue on as if nothing happened? Or will they instead break? Perhaps you might be inclined to find out. [Grants Reason +1]

It did not take long before Deirdre was able to piece together that she has somehow been transported into the pages of the very book she had been enjoying.  She recognized the animal features of the villagers and and even some of the names that the residents call each other.  

Everything looks exactly how it had in her mind as she was reading.  It is so incredible that she does not bother to question what is going on and simply opts to enjoy the time she has here while she has it.  It is far from a daily occurrence that a person gets swept into a book!

The villagers go about their mundane lives but something strange happens as the clock strikes noon.  Everything and everyone returns to the exact same place they had been when she first appeared in this strange world.

It is toward the beginning of the fourth repetition of this cycle that something different happens.  Another face she recognizes from the monastery joins her.

“Oh!  Professor!”  She greets him with a wave as she waits outside of one of the houses.  “You will want to move a little bit out of the way.  In a few moments, a cart will run through that puddle and the mud will splash right where you are standing.”

Kempf was interrupted by the splash of mud caused by a cart running through a nearby puddle, just as Deirdre predicted. His anger at his clothes being soaked and sullied soon turned into bewilderment that this seemingly random occurrence was perfectly predicted. Being stuck inside some sort of magical book looking for the younger version of the former Empress wasn’t weird enough, apparently. Walking towards Deirdre, he expressed his disbelief. 

“You were right! Wait, how were you right? You’re not one of those future seers, are you?” 

Kempf figured that if she was capable of seeing the future, she would have avoided her untimely demise in his world’s history. Heck, if she could predict anything at all, Deirdre would have saved him some time and not wandered off into some ridiculous fantasyland to begin with! Kempf only accepted the task of searching for her because he thought it would be easy, and yet he can already tell this isn’t something that will be resolved by dinner time.

Velouria once again stared at him in confusion. Formal traditions? What were those? She tried to think back to any balls or parties that she had attended with her daddy, but she couldn’t think of anything. Wolfskin weren’t much for formal things, perhaps she could tell him that.

“Uh… we don’t really have any formal traditions. Or ideas really. Wolfksin don’t like being formal. It’s more fun to just roll around the hills of Nohr and play in the dirt than to get all dressed up and try to be fancy. But I guess I can do it just this once. I don’t mind getting all dressed up for this ball as long as I get to dance with some of my friends.”

No traditions? None at all? Kempf was shocked! “How could a proper civilization exist without an appreciation for fancy affairs?” Velouria was in a highly unusual situation, but not an entirely unfixable one. Rather than despair at the thought of attending the Ethereal Ball with a cultureless furball, Kempf used his brilliant mind to flip the situation to be in their favor.

“Velouria, you may not realize it, but the Ball presents a glorious opportunity for you and your people! The wolfskin may not have any traditions currently, but that just means you get to be the one to start those traditions! Think about it! Whatever you say, goes! You’ll be a trendsetter! A visionary! Nobody could ever tell you that you’re wrong, because your people have no rules when it comes to these occasions yet! Together with me, you’ll be able to create the wolfskin’s place in high society! Think hard about how you want to show the strength of your people, and rest well!”

Once his task for Velouria was made clear, and before she could possibly argue against his idea, Kempf finished his meal and set off. Tonight, he would prepare himself in both body and mind for the chaos that may unfold at the Ethereal Ball once Velouria is set loose upon it. Should she impress everyone, he would take credit, obviously. Should she manage to be an embarrassment, Kempf would utilize an escape route in order to evade any responsibility or involvement. Backup plans are critical in important matters such as these.

“I do hope she manages to pull off something spectacular! After all, everyone would clearly assume she got her talent from being around me!”

Velouria stared at herself in the mirror that night as she prepared for the ball. She had borrowed a few things from Morgen, not realizing that she could truly make herself look so pretty with a little makeup and a good hair brushing. She giggled a little as she did a little twirl, satisfied by the way that the dress she had ended up picking out spun. She grabbed a cloak that she had bought especially to go with this outfit, drapping it easily around herself. Mmmm cloak. Cloaks were always so comfy. She could always put it on if she got too cold and take it off if she was too warm. Heh. She stepped outside of her dorm room, into the cold brisk air, looking around for the silver haired man who was supposed to be her “date”.

Kempf looked over his punctual partner for the night and was pleasantly surprised at how she chose to dress up. Velouria had elected to not wear her usual hood, and instead selected something formal but also distinct. She isn’t like the other girls, so why dress like them?

Of course, he wasn’t looking too shabby himself. For tonight’s occasion he brought out his old tuxedo and pants he wore back in Friege. He felt no need to show off with some overdesigned mess of an outfit unlike some people he knew back there. Kempf felt that if you needed a fancy outfit to stand out, you were an insult to the nobility! That, and his fanciest outfit was destroyed years ago in a tragic fruit punch incident.

After a short stroll, the two arrived at their destination. Analyzing his surroundings, Kempf noticed that the students and staff were wasting no time in getting the night underway. He looked the students over and felt some of them glaring towards his direction. Understanding the situation Velouria was in, Friege’s star tactician felt the need to give her some unsolicited advice.

Dog Date Discussion

Velouria blinked at him in confusion. This had not certainly been what she was expecting. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to be rude and not answer his questions, but uh… well he was odd. Very odd. Odd little man that she wanted to throw into a ditch and forget about until it was convient for her. Oh, wait, that probably wasn’t very nice. Her ears twitched and her tail wagged behind her gently. She would answer his questions, but if she brought up her daddy and he said one bad thing about him, she would… well it wouldn’t end well for him.

“I’m a Velouria. Or rather, a wolfskin. Though I’m only half wolfskin. It just seems like I take more after my daddy. I do like to climb up stairs on all fours, but that’s only because it’s faster most of the time. And I can track by scent. I have an exceptionally strong nose, even for a wolfskin.” She preened proudly that fact. She had always been so proud of her nose, her daddy had said that she had the greatest nose in generations of the wolfskin tribe.

“I don’t think there’s cat people, but we do have foxes. I like them though! One of them is my best friend! And I also like cats, but they don’t really like me.” She giggled softly, hoping that her answers would be satisfactory. She would hate to disappoint him when he seemed so eager.

“Is that what you wanted?”

Shockingly, she had answered without any fuss or hesitation. Not very academic answers, but that should have been expected. The whole bit about fox people was new to Kempf, and he was also glad to have an official term with which to refer to Velouria’s people. Of course, he would have preferred more information on how the wolfskin differ from the usual human, but that’s something he will be able to observe for himself over time.

“That is exactly what I wanted, yes. Thank you for being reasonable about answering! You’d be surprised at how innocent questions can provoke such a strong response from people sometimes! As thanks, I’ll let you choose how we handle things for the Ethereal Ball. I rarely let people tell me what to do, but I’m interested to see what traditions and ideas the wolfskin have when it comes to formal affairs.”

I’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t suggest I start sniffing butts or anything…

Velouria once again stared at him in confusion. Formal traditions? What were those? She tried to think back to any balls or parties that she had attended with her daddy, but she couldn’t think of anything. Wolfskin weren’t much for formal things, perhaps she could tell him that.

“Velouria, you may not realize it, but the Ball presents a glorious opportunity for you and your people! The wolfskin may not have any traditions currently, but that just means you get to be the one to start those traditions! Think about it! Whatever you say, goes! You’ll be a trendsetter! A visionary! Nobody could ever tell you that you’re wrong, because your people have no rules when it comes to these occasions yet! Together with me, you’ll be able to create the wolfskin’s place in high society! Think hard about how you want to show the strength of your people, and rest well!”

Once his task for Velouria was made clear, and before she could possibly argue against his idea, Kempf finished his meal and set off. Tonight, he would prepare himself in both body and mind for the chaos that may unfold at the Ethereal Ball once Velouria is set loose upon it. Should she impress everyone, he would take credit, obviously. Should she manage to be an embarrassment, Kempf would utilize an escape route in order to evade any responsibility or involvement. Backup plans are critical in important matters such as these.

Dog Date Discussion

Continued from here with @velouriavonwolfchild

With his offer of companionship accepted, Kempf was more than happy to take Velouria down to the mess hall and have a meal with her. As it turned out, she was much better behaved than he had initially anticipated. He didn’t even need a leash to have her follow along! Once seated, Kempf’s curiosity started to get the better of him. Sure, they were supposed to have a nice, frilly discussion about the impending Ethereal Ball, but Velouria is far from your average date! There’s just so much Kempf wanted to know about her! While taking the time to interrogate her may be rude, Friege’s finest general would never forgive himself if he squandered this opportunity.

“I’m not sure of a polite way to phrase these questions so I won’t even bother to try. What exactly ARE you? Are you just from a different country where everyone has this whole wolf thing going on? Is this some sort of genetic condition? Did a wolf bite you and cause this? Is your whole family like this? Do you ever walk around on all fours when nobody’s watching? Can you track a person down by just their scent? Are there similar people who look like cats, and if so, do you hold resentment towards them? I know I may be asking a lot, but I’d rather get these questions out of the way ahead of time! Geniuses like myself have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. You can ask me anything too!”

Pulling out a pen and paper, Kempf eagerly awaited her response. Should she give enough info, perhaps he could write a book about her kind in the future. All proceeds would go directly to him, of course.

Velouria blinked at him in confusion. This had not certainly been what she was expecting. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to be rude and not answer his questions, but uh… well he was odd. Very odd. Odd little man that she wanted to throw into a ditch and forget about until it was convient for her. Oh, wait, that probably wasn’t very nice. Her ears twitched and her tail wagged behind her gently. She would answer his questions, but if she brought up her daddy and he said one bad thing about him, she would… well it wouldn’t end well for him.

“I’m a Velouria. Or rather, a wolfskin. Though I’m only half wolfskin. It just seems like I take more after my daddy. I do like to climb up stairs on all fours, but that’s only because it’s faster most of the time. And I can track by scent. I have an exceptionally strong nose, even for a wolfskin.” She preened proudly that fact. She had always been so proud of her nose, her daddy had said that she had the greatest nose in generations of the wolfskin tribe.

“I don’t think there’s cat people, but we do have foxes. I like them though! One of them is my best friend! And I also like cats, but they don’t really like me.” She giggled softly, hoping that her answers would be satisfactory. She would hate to disappoint him when he seemed so eager.

“That is exactly what I wanted, yes. Thank you for being reasonable about answering! You’d be surprised at how innocent questions can provoke such a strong response from people sometimes! As thanks, I’ll let you choose how we handle things for the Ethereal Ball. I rarely let people tell me what to do, but I’m interested to see what traditions and ideas the wolfskin have when it comes to formal affairs.”

You better not be exhausted of war games just yet! Your survival professor has thrown a surprise test at the lot of you, and it’s worth a good chunk of your final grade to boot. One of you must head into the Sealed Forest and survive through the night, with only a small pouch of tools and a weapon to aid you. There is a twist: one of your classmates will be playing the role of an assassin from the enemy army, hunting you down. [Grants Bow + 1]

starter for @geniusmageknight

The best laid traps were ones that the enemy would never even see coming. That’s what she had learned from the tactics books that her father had leant her when she was younger. And sometimes, it was fun to lay a trap that they would totally see coming but would also totally still fall for because they wouldn’t expect for the other army to choose the obvious trap. Morgen sat up in a tree, surveying the surrounding area for a good place to set her trap. It was pretty weird to be hunting a professor, but she could totally do it! She was going to make this man regret ever living by the time she was through with him. Spotting the perfect place for her pitfall, she leapt down from the tree, trowel in hand to begin digging. She hopefully had enough time to dig as deep as she wanted to, but she would make do with a few meters if she didn’t.

                                       ★・・・・♧••••♧・・・・★

She hopped out the hole, stepping back to admire to her work before setting together the proper ropes. Normally she would just cover the trap as accurately as possible, but this time, she wanted to be the one to pull the trigger. That would make this hunting game a little more fun! She scrabbled back up the tree to wait for the professor to pass by, yawning slightly at the idea of sitting still and waiting for so long.

"If you're out there, feel free to get this started! I've a very busy schedule in the coming days, and I'd rather not waste my whole night in this stupid forest!"

“Clearly we must not have met! If we had, you would not have dared to-”

Before continuing with his response(one that would certainly end with an insult), Kempf noticed that he may have actually met this child before. According to his flawless memory, the little mage here was one of Leif’s brats, but not one Kempf encountered during the conflict in Thracia. In fact, she was the one who seemed to display an usually high amount of skill with magic, to the point where Kempf was interested in learning from her. Wait. Learn from her? That couldn’t be right, assumed Kempf. Clearly she was the one who wanted to learn from him.

sara remembers when it suits her. she can remember scores of incantations for spellcraft and the faces and names of men who are no longer in this world, having given their lives to leif’s cause. for years to come, she will see the faces of the priests who raised her around every darkened corner of the monastery. so when she does not remember the charade of a man before her, she knows it must be because he is not someone worth any place in her memory.

“you recall wrong,” she corrects him, disinterested.

every student has their preferences of professors, those they gravitate to most naturally and are favored by in kind. it is just a shame that sara really does not care for this one in the slightest. her face remains impassive for the greater half of his spiel, clearly not taken in by the offer. she exhales quietly, bored, “i learn better on my own. i’ll be going now. i’m not sure where yet, just not here. see ya.”

“Learn better on her own? How could she possibly think she’d learn BETTER without my genius lesson plan? Is she implying that I have no value as a teacher? Or has she already learned some secret knowledge that invalidates anything I could possibly offer her?”

Kempf was filled with many conflicting emotions at Sara’s complete disregard for him. On one hand, her complete confidence in herself was admirable, but to completely brush him aside like a leaf on the grass was uncalled for! Nobody gets away with that! However, Sara did have a point. Just as you cannot make a horse drink the water it has been led to, you can’t convince a student to work with a genius they have been led to. Well, unless you get creative. Before Sara could finish walking away, Kempf approached her and decided to tell her some “helpful information”.

“I was hoping it would not come to this, but I must confess that my initial offer of tutelage was somewhat dishonest. You see, I’m really here to do a bit of investigative work into you. Many of my colleagues have reported some, shall we say, concerns regarding your academic performance. Now, at first I was very confused as to what issue they may have had with you. Looking through your records, you’ve always seemed to perform well in assignments and assessments. But therein lies the problem. Apparently, you have a reputation of "wandering off” during classes in addition to failing to show up for them at all. That alone isn’t too terrible, but supposedly you’ve managed to know quite a bit about subjects taught in classes you didn’t even attend! This combination of poor attendance and good grades has led to other members of the faculty suspecting you of the most heinous crime in all of academia! You can probably guess what they’re thinking, no?“

As he rambled on, Kempf’s expression turned to a smirk. While he couldn’t send people to be executed like in the good old days as a general, his position as professor provided its own set of tools to bully those beneath him. And what kind of tactician would he be if he was not making use of the opportunities he’s been granted?

"They think you’re a CHEATER! Of course, because I’m such a nice guy, I advocated on your behalf and begged them to delay any serious inquiry into these claims. Unfortunately for you, this means you must prove to me your innocence by explaining your unique learning methods and talents. Should you fail to provide me with an explanation that satisfies myself and the other teachers, you risk a serious investigation into your background and academic integrity! So don’t try and play it off as the birdies of the forest giving you test answers or something stupid!”

With his threat plainly clear, Kempf wrote down a time and location for their next meeting on paper and handed it to the little forest sprout. Blackmailing this child had restored his wounded ego, and Kempf would rest easy tonight now that he was now “winning” in this conflict he had gotten himself into.

superior tactic, huh….. maybe this guy’s onto something!