One Of The Only Times Scarier Than Halloween (Dated Mar. 23 - Mar. 29)

[arcadianvampire]

Who: Valvatorez and whomever attends.
What: Study Session, Final Examinations, and Office Hours
Where: Largely his classrooms, as well as his office
When: Mar. 23 (Study Session) Mar. 24-29 (Finals and Office Hours)
Warnings: Probably none, though Final Exams may include practicals, which... well. Are what nightmares are made of.



Optional Study Session

It's the scariest time of the year for those attending Valvatorez's classes. Final examinations are soon upon everyone, and this notoriously challenging professor is quite looking forward to it. Not because he enjoys watching his students be afraid or stressed, but rather because he is eager to put what they have learned to the test.

And in the interest of fairness, Valvatorez is more than willing to aid whoever takes his classes, and set up study sessions for each of his three classes on March 23, a couple of days before finals start. Each session will include a rudimentary summation of many topics covered in his classes, but won't be enough to see you pass if you didn't put in some work either by asking questions, attending class, or doing your homework. Preferably all of those things.

For each class, here is a rough breakdown of some of the things he has taught:

Defense Against Daemons and Vampires: Doppelgangers, were-creatures (emphasis on the more daemonic variety, rather than human lycanthropes), several common varieties of Daemons including the ones that attacked Daybreak during the dance, daemon dragons, daemonic marionettes and gargoyles, daemonic orcs, and of course, Vampires.

Introduction to Dark Magic: Control, dark magic theory, risks and benefits to utilizing dark magic, responsible casting, basic rituals, and common attack spells

Oceanography and Marine Biology: This part of the semester primarily focused on marine biology, with emphasis on fish and larger marine mammals. Mostly fish. Especially sardines. He's not sorry. You might be though.

He will be accepting questions and offering individual instruction if desired during these study sessions.

Date: March 24-29: Finals and Office Hours

Expect Valvatorez to proctor his exams with a careful eye. He seems to have a nose for sniffing out cheaters, and expect to be caught if you think about trying to cheat his tests. His tests aren't multiple choice either: they're all short answer, and he expects his students to know their stuff. No lucky guesses will get you through this. It's now or never.

Alternatively, you might be taking the practical portion of either the Dark Magic or Daemon Defense examinations, and you can expect to be ferried to the Mythril Cage to either face an actual foe or Valvatorez approximating one. The choice is given to the student. Do not expect these exams to be easy. They will test your mettle. Unless you're straight up facing Valvatorez himself, losing your fight will result in a poor grade. Valvatorez himself will prove to be a much, much more daunting opponent, and few students ever best him even when he's holding back; however, a loss against him will be graded more charitably. It's about how you handle the fight that matters: smart, capable fighting even in the face of a loss will be graded better.

As long as Valvatorez is not proctoring an examination, he will make himself available in his office for hours to consult with students if they so need it. You can even speak to him about your examination later in the week, and he'll offer his insights as desired.

He'll be waiting, his office still gaudily decorated in that almost cartoonishly gothic fashion, though the singing fish on the wall might be missing. How strange.

Comments

27th - Mythril Cage

[yokeye]

[Toki had attended a number of Defense Against Daemons and Vampires classes, and was actually paying attention in half of them. Until the dreaded day Valvatorez covered daemonic marionettes. Toki's worse fear come to life. He vaguely recalls leaving that class in a panic, and possibly crying. He never came back after that, so he's missed a few lectures on important things. Unfortunately, he hasn't been studying as much as he intended to either. It seems there were always things getting in the way, like excursions to the woods, vital experiments, failed attempts at extra credit for other classes, and awkward dates with too much alcohol involved.

Fairly certain he's already failed the written portion, Toki is here to try the practical exam. He is not at all prepared and has no idea how this is going to go. At least he showed up, and that counts for something, right? It can't possibly go as badly as the self-defense class had.]

So, what do I do here?

[arcadianvampire]

[When Toki approaches Valvatorez and asks that question, the vampire stares back at him, a little blankly.]

...Toki, I did not think you were taking the practical portion of the class.

[Honestly confused, Valvatorez looked the boy over. If ever Toki might have seen the professor look concerned, it was now. He'd noticed Toki's absence, and had noted the boy excused himself during one of the lectures. By now, his reputation was fairly well known, and Valvatorez had expressed his concerns about the boy's mental well-being to Ekkehardt in the past.

That being said, Valvatorez found himself actually quite liking the boy, even taking a shine to him, despite everything that had happened. Valvatorez had met real slackers before, real people who were just lazy and lackadaisical. Toki had his issues, but hearing the report of his work in Mission Control at the last operation had convinced Valvatorez that the boy had potential and just needed time to grow and eventually flourish in his own ways.

So when he volunteered for trying a practical final, something that seemed completely out of his wheelhouse, Valvatorez was actually momentarily disarmed.

After a moment, he continued, his voice carrying with it an amount of... empathy, really, that might rarely show in Valvatorez's tones.]

I suppose the question I should be asking you is... what do you think you can handle? We take precautions to ensure students do not get hurt, but these tests can get... very intense. Injuries can be avoided, but...

[Fear and anxiety can only be mitigated so far.]

I will not turn you away if you really want to do this, but I reserve the right to put a stop to your test if I feel like you're in over your head.

[He can't show preferential treatment as a professor, but he can tailor challenges that meet the capabilities of a student at his prerogative. In this case he knew his job couldn't be to put the lad through the wringer; this would be about getting him to use his head in a stressful situation and keeping calm.

Still, unspokenly, Valvatorez admitted to himself that he was impressed that Toki showed up and volunteered to have a go of it at all. Perhaps it was foolish, but it could also be a marked sign of effort.]

[yokeye]

[Valvatorez doesn't expect him to be here. Oh shit. It's not a requirement. He's already here, though, so he's going to pretend he thought this portion of the class was voluntary. This is fine. Toki is even more determined to at least try here after noting Valvatorez's look of concern, or probably pity. He assumes the professor has not yet heard what happened in Ekkehardt's class, or he doubts he would be allowed to take part in this at all. He does have decent Mission Control results on his side, though.

Valvatorez seems to be trying to reassure him he can stop, or that he won't get hurt too much, but all it's doing is confirming Toki's theory that the entirety of the faculty, minus maybe Jail, thinks he's useless and fragile and should just stay out of the way.]

I'm up for anything~! We all have to die sometime~!

[That was a stupid thing to say, but he can't take it back. Off to a good start.]

[arcadianvampire]

[He might fear that the faculty thinks he's useless, but Valvatorez's expression hardens a bit more, back to a more normal expression.]

While I appreciate your devil-may-care gumption, lad, I'm quite serious that you should pick something you can handle. Part of the grade is determined by proper alignment of your challenge with your capability. A final that's suicidally hard is just as useless to a student as a trivially easy one.

Think of this as your chance to show what you can do and apply what you've learned. That's what a test is. I want to see what you can really do.

[yokeye]

What do I have to choose from? Vampires and daemons? You? Can I pick like one of Hieke's mushrooms? I think I could take a mushroom~! If mushrooms are out of the question, then I'll just pick you~!

[He's given no thought to this.]

[arcadianvampire]

Any daemon we covered in class or in the notes. Anything we do not have available for you to combat, we have a reasonable stand in. ...Usually myself, fighting and behaving like the monster in question.

But if you're going to pick me, as in, the Daemon Formerly Known As Tyrant Valvatorez, well. I will tell you up front that such an action is terribly, terribly unwise.

[Toki might recall a certain incident in the class where he simply appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with a pen.]

...I suggest you do not leave your choice in my hands either. You may not like what I choose.

[yokeye]

[Anything he picks from what was covered in class will probably win very quickly, much like Valvatorez would, so Toki doesn't really have a preference. Except. Maybe.]

A were creature! Something dog-like~! And what do I get for weapons!?

25th Office

[hippocarnival]

Yuya approaches his office after his final is finished, stretching in an attempt to stall before he knocks on the door. He needs to have this conversation, but... he's nervous.

"Professor Valvatorez?" Yuya gently pushes the door open. "Are you busy?"

[arcadianvampire]

When the door opens, Yuya will see Valvatorez browsing one of his bookcases; surprisingly, not one of the ones regarding marine life. No, this time he seems to be browsing the handful of history books in his office; to what purpose? That would remain only known to him as he turned his head when his name was called.

"Ah, Yuya," he replied, straightening up and gesturing for the young man to come in. "Not so busy that I cannot help a student. What can I help you with today?"

The vampire wondered if it was about the same issue they'd spoken of before, but thought it safer not to make any assumptions. ...Nor until he was convinced of their having privacy, unsure if someone else might be outside the door.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods, sliding inside and closing the door behind him. And makes certain it's completely closed before he approaches the desk.

"Uh, I wanted to ask if you had time to talk about... that thing from before." He wrings his hands together. "About daemon contacts."

[arcadianvampire]

Valvatorez nodded, motioning for Yuya to come take a seat. He noted his nervousness, but didn't call attention to it.

"Absolutely, of course."

He walked back over behind his desk, and took a seat at his desk.

"Make yourself at home, and whenever you're ready, we'll get right to it."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya glances around before sitting in a seat. He shifts, finding this is as 'at home' as he can really get in a teacher's office with the subject at hand.

"So... if you were looking to find where some--demonic influence came from, where would you start?"

[arcadianvampire]

"That's a good question, and unfortunately one that's very challenging to answer, given the vast array and dizzying variety of powers we daemons can possess. Ultimately, a starting point is when and how the daemonic influence started showing itself."

He folded his hands, resting them on his desk.

"How it manifests matters, because daemonic influence can be a myriad of things. What more can you tell me about it?"

March 24-29th -- Practical Exams

[subconmodo]

A: 2-on-One - Open

Avery never misses Valvatorez's practical exams--as long as they don't happen to coincide with any of his own teacherly duties, anyway, though he's at least done his best to clean up any popcorn spills and keep any laughter to a minimum. There's just something so amusing about seeing some of these kids think they have a chance against any of the things they're pretending to fight against. Something a little sad too, he supposes, but mostly he just likes watching the overly confident ones fall flat on their faces.

As far as he's concerned, those one's deserve any laughter on his part.

He doesn't interfere, however. He's a professional. He knows better than that. Those moments are better saved for situations, creatures, and, of course, students that call for it.


B: Missed Opportunities - just Val

It's later at night, when he's sure students are either sleeping or studying, that Avery comes to knock at Val's office door, a scrap of paper in hand and a faintly amused smile on his face.

He didn't remember writing the note he'd found tucked in one of his blazer's pockets, but then again, he didn't remember much of the night he suspected he wrote it at all. "It's me," Avery calls through the door. "Not with a student, are you?"

[arcadianvampire]

The quieter moments of the night were very welcome after such a long day; exams and helping students were indeed an important part of the job, but it could be stressful and tiring even to someone like him. He had taken the time to start reading a book for leisure in the meantime. But the quiet and the solitude being broken by a colleague was something he didn't mind at all.

For now, his long black cape had been put up on a coatrack, leaving Valvatorez unusually without his cape, but still wearing his white shirt.

"Ah, Avery! All's quiet on the western front, do come in."

[subconmodo]

Avery lets himself in with an easy smile, immediately making himself at home in the chair across from Valvatorez. "You know, you'd make a killing if you charged people to watch those exams of yours. Beats watching most movies!"

[arcadianvampire]

Val's face is impassive for a moment, before reaching for a bookmark and sliding it into his book. He snapped it shut with one easy movement of his hand, the pages clapping together audibly as a somewhat dark smile tugged at his cheeks.

"I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind once or twice, but I do feel it better serves the students not to."

No need to give them more performance anxiety than they already had, at any rate.

"Thank you again for your help, however. Some of them never saw it coming and learned an important lesson. I would worry such an action would be unfair, but... unfortunately, better that they learn that now. Still, I believe most of them did quite well, given how the deck was stacked, wouldn't you agree?"

[subconmodo]

Avery answers with a one-armed half-shrug. "If they'd actually shown a little bit of humility, maybe I would have let them off easy. You know what they say, pride comes before the fall!" And watching their panicked faces as they realized what was about to happen, their dismay when it was pointed out that they were facing a creature that generally acted in packs or in the dark of night and that it was all "purely" for teaching purposes...

These moments were what made life worth living.

"Almost a shame that some of them are getting wise to it. I mean, sure, it's for the best, but it takes some of the fun out of it!"

[arcadianvampire]

Pride before the fall. Avery couldn't be more right. But the vampire simply left that one alone.

"Well, look at it this way," Valvatorez responded, casually raising a hand as he spoke. "The stronger and smarter they get, the fewer punches you'll have to pull, even in mock battle. Surely that must excite you."

It excites him, certainly. For as even-keeled as Valvatorez was now, he still loved, and often craved, a good challenge. Better that they were contained like the mock battles in the school than with actual bloodshed, but it could still get his daemonic blood to boil with satisfaction.

"Besides, don't pretend like you aren't going to be learning some new tricks of your own. I can tell you have plenty of cards left up your sleeve that you've not yet played yet."

Mythril Cage

[hattersgonnahat]

[Since a practical exam at her level would be literal death, what better way to learn than to watch other brave souls try to take the former Tyrant down? Puella had better be taking notes anyway, they were...written down somewhere next to the bowl of popcorn--wait how long has that even been there?]

[She wasn't sure how long she was going to stay and watch fights, but sat through a couple matches now. Between battles she was shuffles through some papers but who knows how productive they actually were.]

[arcadianvampire]

[After one of the finals, Valvatorez called a temporary break for both his students and for himself. Far from being winded, but the Daybreak Staff did also require time to clean up the arena and prepare for additional encounters. The young Puella hadn't gone unnoticed by the teacher, and during one of the breaks, he approached her and sat down next to her.]

You seem like you're enjoying the show. Keeping notes of the battles?

[hattersgonnahat]

A little! [...Puella, those look more like doodles. What have you been doing this whole time?]

You're better at kicking butt than I thought.

[arcadianvampire]

[Well, that just brings something of a proud smile to his face.]

Well, thank you. But just you wait, Puella. I've not yet begun to kick butt. I've been doing it for a very, very long time.

[hattersgonnahat]

Wha, really? But you already beat up all the other students without trying. How much more can you do?

[arcadianvampire]

Indeed! Quite a bit more, though I am by no means strong enough to do everything myself. I once thought I was, but... well, even Daemons make mistakes. It was a valuable lesson.

Still, do not let the defeats of many of my students fool you. They're much stronger than they may appear. [He chuckles a little, proudly.] They may have more to learn, but the potential they have... it's impressive. I'm proud of them. Even those who may not choose to be warriors and fighters.