Falling is Magic

[imyoubut]

Who: Urtz Cromwell and YOU!
What: A network post, class log, and other shenanigans
Where: Around campus
When: Mid-February and throughout the month
Notes: I'll match your format.



[Prompt 1]

During the month of January, it came to my attention that many of the students among us are unfamiliar with one of the most widely-regarded works of classic literature-and one that actually deserves such acclaim. I am of course referring to the Sherlock Holmes series of books. In order to right this wrong, I've decided to inject a bit of culture into the nutrient-lacking veins of this once fine academy. Whoever reads at least one of the novels or five of the short stories and writes a report on them will receive a 100 on their next test grade in either of my classes.

Now you may be asking what does a series of books have to do with magic? It's quite simple; magic is a tool. And without proper knowledge, a tool is useless. These books teach you critical thinking. They give you the potential to solve the case for yourself and reward you for thinking unconventionally.

This assignment will be treated as extra credit, but I will be very disappointed if you all decide against it. A detailed rubric for the assignment will be provided at the start of both of my classes. That is all.

[Prompt 2]

Magic 101, despite its name, was perhaps a bit more difficult than one might expect. When Urtz said she would go over ever type of magic, she meant it. From healing magics to necromancy, she planned to be very thorough. Today, when students arrive, they will notice that the seats and chairs have been arranged in a C shape. In the center is a large cauldron, with small cauldrons sitting on each the desks. Two tables, one in the center of the C near the cauldron and one at the back of the room, are filled with all manner of ingredients and supplies for potions.

"Alright, students. Today we are going to be learning the art of potion making. Although no magic is an exact science per se, potion making is the most volatile of all. Thus we will be going step by step in order to craft the base brew itself. However you will each be able to make your own potions at the end and you may bottle them after class and use them as you see fit, within reason. I've taken the liberty of ensuring the ingredients provided are relatively safe, but you will need to be careful even so. All of the ingredients are labelled and there is a stack of recipe cards on each of the tables; enough for everyone to be able to take two of each, but please only take one of each."

She then gestures for the students to get up and grab whatever ingredients and supplies they need, including mortars and pestles, and even...notebooks and pens & pencils?

"Before we begin, I must make one thing clear. All of you must have a notebook and whatever writing utensil you prefer, because you all must take accurate notes regarding what ingredients you are using as well as the accurate amounts. Failure to comply will result in a 0 for the day and possibly disciplinary action, providing the attempts were done on purpose. If you make a mistake in your notes or your potion, come see me immediately. I will help you. Now then, are there any questions?"

And once any questions have been asked, the class begins. The mandatory first ingredients are making the base brew itself, which includes ground dried mandrake, water from a jug of water everlasting and...sugar? Weird.

[Prompt 3]

[During the later half of February, Urtz can be found all over campus doing a variety of things. Eating in the cafeteria, snacking in one of the lounges, enjoying some stupid practical joke, going on a walk, sitting in her office, etc. Yet every so often something will be off about her. Maybe a groan of discomfort, maybe she stumbles while walking, or maybe she just flat out loses her balance and falls...possibly even down some stairs. Whatever the case may be, it doesn't seem like she's doing all that well.]

[Prompt 4]

[Wildcard! If you want to tag but none these prompts interest you, feel free to come up with one!]

Comments

3

[lifeforced]

[With the afternoon classes over and done with, Rebecca's starting to make her way to the infirmary for her usual work there. She isn't paying a huge amount of attention to the things going on around her since a majority of it is just other people going about their own daily routines, but when Urtz takes a spill on her own way to wherever she's going right now, that doesn't go unnoticed.

Without so much as a second thought, the girl abandons her current plans and rushes over.]

Lady Cromwell! [Upon arrival, she's already putting down the things she had been carrying with her, in case her hands are needed.] Are you alright?

[imyoubut]

[On the one hand, Urtz is glad that someone who volunteers at the infirmary is here to help. On the other, she's not exactly happy that one of her students is here to see her in a moment of weakness.]

Ah, Miss Fulton. I'm fine.

[It takes her a few seconds to pull herself off the ground, but that's mostly because she's making sure she's not going to fall again.]

I've just been feeling light-headed today. It's possible I didn't eat enough. My metabolism is much faster than a human's.

[Though she doesn't sound completely sure.]

[lifeforced]

[For now, at least, that uncertainty is being taken as an indicator that the suggested possibility is one of several. Maybe it's just the most-likely scenario, or even simply the first possibility to come to mind.]

Were you going to the cafeteria, then? I can follow you there if you want, just in case.

Or if you weren't, I can still follow you if you want, and then when we get to where you're going, I can go make a trip to have something brought to you.

[imyoubut]

It's probably for the best if I go straight to the cafeteria. If that is the problem, it wouldn't make much sense to let myself get worse.

[She hopes it's what the problem is, but it's difficult to say at this point in time. Not like she's used to falling like this.]

And yes, I would appreciate you accompanying me. It's just a shame you had to see me like this.

[Her pride's a little sore after that.]

[lifeforced]

I won't tell anyone about it. [Except Ekkehardt or Hieke, if she has to.]

I'm gonna be walking next to you instead of in front or behind. That way, if you think it's gonna happen again, just grab my hand and we'll see if I can maybe slow it down or just keep it from happening outright.

[By now, Urtz is likely aware of how Becky's ability works, as knowing what she can actually do also means having a better idea of what specific kinds of things she might need out of the classes she's taking.

In a case like this, that ability could potentially slow or stop whatever's happening, for as long as she's doing it. Whether it would work on a changeling of any sort or not is up in the air, but it's at least worth a try if it becomes necessary to try.]

3 because I had to

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[It was just after one of his classes - a quiet walk to grab himself a bottle of water before his next one - and he'd been coming up the stairs without much in his mind beyond the lesson plan for today.

A noise caught his attention, and looking up, he'd seen Urtz, going to say something - before she tripped, heading down the stairs.

He doesn't even really think about it - one moment, he's taking a step up - the next, he's dropped his bottle and is rushing to her aid, arms outstretched.]

Miss Cromwell!

[Thankfully, he's able to reach her in time - managing to anchor himself and not topple over due to his strength and catch her firmly in his arms.]

Are you alright?!

[imyoubut]

[James Moriarty just saved her life.

...well, okay, she probably would have been more or less fine, depending on how many stairs she fell down, but also shut up. It would have been painful at least and that's enough for her to be grateful on its own. Though her pride is definitely hurt from needing help, the fact that it was him of all people makes that pill much easier to swallow.]

I've been worse. You have my thanks, Professor.

[It doesn't take her much time to get her balance back, though she does need both the wall and Moriarty's help to do so.]

...your reflexes were quite impressive, by the by. I don't feel confident enough to let go of this wall just yet, but it is worthy of applause.

[So she casts a spell and suddenly the sound of an audience clapping and cheering fills the air around her for a few seconds.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Hey, he's just happy she isn't hurt. Supporting her enough, he lets her grab onto the wall and still hovers about, just in case she loses her balance again - and actualy widens his eyes with a faint blush as she conjures the applause out of the air.]

H-Hah, well...such a thing is merely expected of a gentleman, and I have greater than average reflexes, so..

[It almost sounds like an excuse, but the smile under that mustache says differently as he clears his throat and nods.]

A-Anyway, no need to give me your thanks! I was merely going back up to look over my lesson plans, but...

[The blush fades, however, as he looks at her.]

...Are you alright, Miss Cromwell? Do you need someone to accompany you?

[imyoubut]

[While seeing Professor Moriarty blush does get a small smile out of her, it quickly fades once he drops that bomb of a question on her. She shifts a little in place, unsure of what to say.]

Truthfully...I am not entirely sure. This is the second time I've fallen this week. The last time was nothing more than a slight spill, but perhaps I should have taken it more seriously.

[Finally getting a comfortable footing, Urtz stands up to her full height without the aid of a wall and promptly moves away from the stairs.]

Initially I thought I simply wasn't eating enough. A changeling metabolism is quite fast normally. So if that were the case, there may be something that's speeding it up even more? Or it's possible I'm off the mark entirely and there's something else wrong with me.

un: xx_heartoffire_xx

[stavros]

Wait, weren't those from when it was popular to not let the reader solve the mystery along with the characters? My apologies, but how does this work?

un: miss-chievous

[imyoubut]

Mystery novels are a bit of curious case. Sherlock Holmes predates the typical detective novel so you can't quite say there were many trends that were expected of such a novel. Not to mention Sherlock Holmes often tells the reader by informing Watson of how his thought process works. So even if you are unable to deduce the culprit, the stories help to teach you how to think critically, as I mentioned.

Not to mention they're one of the few mystery stories that don't cheat. You aren't likely to encounter a culprit who you could have never predicted.

[stavros]

So we're supposed to learn to examine small and inconsequential details? That makes sense, I suppose. It does seem to be the sort of thing that might be useful... or perhaps cause problems, but maybe be useful.

[imyoubut]

[Kokoro can't see it, but Urtz's eye twitched slightly upon reading the message.]

Seemingly inconsequential details. If the details you might have missed wind up being important, then it is inaccurate to call them inconsequential.

Besides, having an eye for detail is not a bad trait. At worse you take note of unimportant things but suffer no ill effects. Best case scenario you might save your life or someone else's.

[stavros]

All right. I shall do my best, in that case. My forte may not be magic, but every field of study is worth note.

1 - private, UN: ThreeCoffins

[improbablenotimpossible]

Flattering, though I admit Watson's works aren't exactly the best at the 'fair play' with the amount of editing we had to do to keep certain things out of the public eye.

Private

[imyoubut]

[Don't think she doesn't see that this conversation is now private.]

A valid point, "Mr. Bell". Though I still stand by my claim. The works containing your adventures may not be perfect, they are still far better than most of the other drivel the masses dare call mysteries.

But I will not deny I may be biased.

[improbablenotimpossible]

I must confess, the fact his accounts endure all this time never ceases to amaze me. Hm, there are some dreadful mysteries I agree - and some that are technically good but I cannot stand the Detective.

I do wonder if anyone that took the extra credit will start connecting the dots.

[imyoubut]

Now that is an interesting prospect. What would you like me to do should that event occur? After all, our dear Professor Moriarty shouted your identity aloud for all to hear not too long ago.

[Plus she'd rather not lie to a kid when they were spot on, but she also realizes this isn't her business.]

[improbablenotimpossible]

If they figured it out on their own, well just encourage them to ask me directly.

2 because it's like science!

[hatesdragons]

[Emille is stopping by today because 1.) it's a Magic 101 class and 2.) it's a hands-on Magic 101 class and 3.) the activity is something she can do without any innate magical ability. Thankfully, the students who don't already know who she is will assume she's just another student due to her small size, so she isn't too intrusive.

As this is her first time working with magical substances like this, Emille decides to grab a recipe notecard and work straight off of it with no deviation whatsoever. She fills her arms with several items, most she had never heard of before, and returns to her cauldron. Of course, she also has her notebook and pen out, ready to transfer the recipe over if it's something she ultimately finds useful.

Step one is to make the base brew. As she's measuring out her ingredients, she's reminded of doing similar things in college chemistry courses. No wonder this feels so natural to her. It causes Emille to expel a little chuckle, a "heh," as the water in the cauldron begins to boil. So far, so good. What's next?

Oh, hm. A dash of sulfur. This could get smelly and possibly dangerous, as sulfur is flammable and releases toxic smoke. What exactly is she making? The notecard doesn't seem to say...]

[imyoubut]

[Don't think she didn't hear that chuckle. As Urtz walks around the room, checking up on those attending her class, she passes Emille as she does and smiles. It's nice to see she's enjoying herself. After helping a few others, she goes over to Emille specifically.]

Would you like any assistance, Miss Emille?

[hatesdragons]

[By the time Urtz comes over, Emille's added the sulfur and after waiting to make sure everything was okay, is now using tweezers to drop diaphanous insect wings to the cauldron.]

I do have one question, Lady Cromwell. This recipe card does not have a label on it, so I have no way of knowing what I am making. Could you please take a look at it and let me know?

[She holds out the card after picking up a vial of powdered mushroom spores in preparation for adding them to the brew.]

[imyoubut]

[Nodding, Urtz takes the card and looks it over. She seems confused for a second or two, tilting the card to the left and right before a sudden realization hits and she smiles.]

Ah, I see. I had forgotten about this one. There is indeed a label on it, but it's difficult to read due to the way I made it.

[She moves over to Emille's side and puts the card in her view. Tilting it so that the light hits it just so, a bit of text will be revealed. It reads: Potion of Invisibility.]

None of the recipes are harmful to make or ingest, should the instructions be followed, so I thought it would be fun to have the recipe card titles reflect the nature of the potions they contain. Not to mention it would give the students a chance to figure them out for themselves should they pick one out like yours.

2

[but_fear_itself]

Potions are one of John's big things so he's probably already past this particular lesson but fuck it, he enjoys it? Besides, you never know when a different person might have a different approach to teach you.

One hand goes up for a question even as the other is picking out ingredients.

"You requiring a set measurement system or whichever we're comfortable using? I know metric is big on this side of the ocean."

[imyoubut]

As John's hand goes up, Urtz walks over to him and stops several feet away. It's important that John hears the answer, though she wants everyone else to know it, too. Someone else might've had the question and was too shy to ask.

"Ah, excellent question. Whichever you prefer is fine with me. As long as your recordings are accurate, I couldn't care less what system you decide to use. And if anyone does not feel confident with measuring or making their records, come see me and I will assist you as best I can."