Valvatorez (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
arcadianvampire) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
daybreakacademy2019-05-27 08:53 pm
arcadianvampire) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-05-27 08:53 pm
Entry tags:
School of Hard Knocks and Tough Love
Class Time: May 28
[There was a certain foreboding in the air. Valvatorez had called a special assembly session of his class, taking up a much larger auditorium than his normal class would be seated in. He only wanted to give this lecture once. And boy, was he going to give one. Attendance was mandatory to anyone taking his classes, even unrelated to Daemon Defense, and even students outside of his class were encouraged to come. He'd only made one exception, stating that Toki did not have to come if he did not want to. The ordeal surrounding that was enough, and the lad probably needed time to recover himself. He was harsh and strict, but he did still care.
The auditorium dimmed down when Valvatorez came on stage, to a podium with a microphone. Today he as joined by Professor Atchison on stage as well, who likely was not a comforting sight for the student body. And he wasn't supposed to be.]
I expect all of your undivided attention. Anyone goofing off in this lecture or otherwise not paying attention will regret it. And I will allow Professor Atchison to assign punishments. Expect them to be... unpleasant.
[Just given the chilly tone in the professor's voice starting out, he hoped that would be enough to get everyone on the same page.]
Most of you have doubtlessly heard of the recent incident on campus regarding a certain individual who made a contact with and summoned a Daemon onto campus without authorization. And I am sure many of you have since learned, through rumor or not, that students "died" or were severely hurt in the ensuing chaos caused by those daemons. Fortunately, thanks to some quick working faculty members, the threat has been suitably eliminated. But the consequences of the summoning remain.
[The vampire narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping down to a deeper, more threatening tone.]
This is why I warn you. This is why I teach my class. This is why I am so adamant that you take what I have to say to heart. Why it matters that you know how best to defend yourselves, and that you do not summon daemons under any circumstances without faculty supervision and approval. They are not your friends. Their offers of power are shams, meant to serve their own benefit, not yours. No matter how good of a deal it may seem now, they will inevitably come to collect.
If they do not come for you, they will come for others. Daemons are not toys. They are not here for your amusement, and they definitely do not give a damn about whether or not you think you're cool or powerful for summoning one. I know that many of you already have contracts or contacts with various daemons already, and some of you might be considering it.
To the latter group: Know this. The faculty will be cracking down hard on unauthorized daemon summoning, contact, and contracting going forward. We gave the lot of you some slack, and it ended up with some of your peers dead. We are very fortunate their state of death was only temporary, and unique to the specific type of daemon summoned. Most people do not get second chances with life. Do not expect any of you to luck out if you dare try on your own. If you hear about anyone making preparations to make any unauthorized contact with daemons, you are encouraged and honor-bound to report it to faculty. Knowledge of such an incident and refusing to act on that makes you an accessory to it, should something catastrophic happen, and you can expect discipline to be meted out to you as well.
To those of you who are in the former group: I have brought Professor Atchison here today to give a speech about the importance of how to exploit your contract if you have already made one. Some of you might have already taken his course. If you have, consider this a refresher. If you have not, I highly recommend taking his class to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to fight back. Even if you do not have a contract or do not plan to have one, knowing how to "play the game" will serve to arm you in the event where you may be coerced. Listen to Professor Atchison. What he tells you could save more than your life.
Once he has finished, I will give a lecture about the daemons that were summoned, as well as safety protocols and procedure for how to handle potential daemons on the loose.
I am not so naive to believe that the lot of you will take this warning to heart. I will be watching, and if I catch any of you doing anything dangerous and unauthorized involving daemons, know that I will be very, very disappointed in you. And you do not want that to happen. Unless you are very interested in learning everything there is to know about sardines.
[With that, he'll allow Avery to take the stage and give his lecture, and after which, he will give a briefing about what he said he would, before opening up the room for questions and concerns.]
Office Hours
[After the class, Valvatorez returns to his office, just in time for appointed office hours. Anyone, student, or staff, is welcome to drop by. Despite his unending intensity at the assembly, Valvatorez seemed calmer and more approachable back in his office, and what time he has to himself while there he spends grading papers and enjoying a cup of fresh, black coffee.]
Closed to Puella
[Prior to the assembly, he had sent notice to Puella to meet him at his office after his office hours concluded, as he had something to give her and something to talk about with her.]
[There was a certain foreboding in the air. Valvatorez had called a special assembly session of his class, taking up a much larger auditorium than his normal class would be seated in. He only wanted to give this lecture once. And boy, was he going to give one. Attendance was mandatory to anyone taking his classes, even unrelated to Daemon Defense, and even students outside of his class were encouraged to come. He'd only made one exception, stating that Toki did not have to come if he did not want to. The ordeal surrounding that was enough, and the lad probably needed time to recover himself. He was harsh and strict, but he did still care.
The auditorium dimmed down when Valvatorez came on stage, to a podium with a microphone. Today he as joined by Professor Atchison on stage as well, who likely was not a comforting sight for the student body. And he wasn't supposed to be.]
I expect all of your undivided attention. Anyone goofing off in this lecture or otherwise not paying attention will regret it. And I will allow Professor Atchison to assign punishments. Expect them to be... unpleasant.
[Just given the chilly tone in the professor's voice starting out, he hoped that would be enough to get everyone on the same page.]
Most of you have doubtlessly heard of the recent incident on campus regarding a certain individual who made a contact with and summoned a Daemon onto campus without authorization. And I am sure many of you have since learned, through rumor or not, that students "died" or were severely hurt in the ensuing chaos caused by those daemons. Fortunately, thanks to some quick working faculty members, the threat has been suitably eliminated. But the consequences of the summoning remain.
[The vampire narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping down to a deeper, more threatening tone.]
This is why I warn you. This is why I teach my class. This is why I am so adamant that you take what I have to say to heart. Why it matters that you know how best to defend yourselves, and that you do not summon daemons under any circumstances without faculty supervision and approval. They are not your friends. Their offers of power are shams, meant to serve their own benefit, not yours. No matter how good of a deal it may seem now, they will inevitably come to collect.
If they do not come for you, they will come for others. Daemons are not toys. They are not here for your amusement, and they definitely do not give a damn about whether or not you think you're cool or powerful for summoning one. I know that many of you already have contracts or contacts with various daemons already, and some of you might be considering it.
To the latter group: Know this. The faculty will be cracking down hard on unauthorized daemon summoning, contact, and contracting going forward. We gave the lot of you some slack, and it ended up with some of your peers dead. We are very fortunate their state of death was only temporary, and unique to the specific type of daemon summoned. Most people do not get second chances with life. Do not expect any of you to luck out if you dare try on your own. If you hear about anyone making preparations to make any unauthorized contact with daemons, you are encouraged and honor-bound to report it to faculty. Knowledge of such an incident and refusing to act on that makes you an accessory to it, should something catastrophic happen, and you can expect discipline to be meted out to you as well.
To those of you who are in the former group: I have brought Professor Atchison here today to give a speech about the importance of how to exploit your contract if you have already made one. Some of you might have already taken his course. If you have, consider this a refresher. If you have not, I highly recommend taking his class to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to fight back. Even if you do not have a contract or do not plan to have one, knowing how to "play the game" will serve to arm you in the event where you may be coerced. Listen to Professor Atchison. What he tells you could save more than your life.
Once he has finished, I will give a lecture about the daemons that were summoned, as well as safety protocols and procedure for how to handle potential daemons on the loose.
I am not so naive to believe that the lot of you will take this warning to heart. I will be watching, and if I catch any of you doing anything dangerous and unauthorized involving daemons, know that I will be very, very disappointed in you. And you do not want that to happen. Unless you are very interested in learning everything there is to know about sardines.
[With that, he'll allow Avery to take the stage and give his lecture, and after which, he will give a briefing about what he said he would, before opening up the room for questions and concerns.]
Office Hours
[After the class, Valvatorez returns to his office, just in time for appointed office hours. Anyone, student, or staff, is welcome to drop by. Despite his unending intensity at the assembly, Valvatorez seemed calmer and more approachable back in his office, and what time he has to himself while there he spends grading papers and enjoying a cup of fresh, black coffee.]
Closed to Puella
[Prior to the assembly, he had sent notice to Puella to meet him at his office after his office hours concluded, as he had something to give her and something to talk about with her.]
no subject
Not busy enough to turn anyone away. Do come in, Ekkehardt.
no subject
[ He opens the door. Rather than paperwork or something else that might be expected of him, he has a small, covered basket on one arm.
He places it on Valvatorez's desk. Something clinks inside. ]
I thought you might like a drink after today, but I'm not sure what you'd prefer to have, so. [ He uncovers the basket to reveal several bottles of alcohol. There's also a glass and possibly the smallest ice box that's ever been made. ] I decided to be thorough in my selection and let you choose.
What would you like?
[ It's not something he forgot, but there's several options, so he thought he'd just...bring everything to make those. ]
no subject
Ekkehardt, my friend, you are truly a port in a storm sometimes.
Today has been a Scotch day. A good old Rusty Nail would be perfect tonight.
no subject
(He could easily mask the momentary, mild surprise that flashes across his face when the daemon refers to him as a friend. He chooses not to.)
He assembles the cocktail with trained precision, placing the glass down within easy reach for Valvatorez. ]
That rough, was it? [ He hadn't attended, having other business around campus, but he'd heard several students had disrupted the lecture. His voice is sympathetic. ] They didn't take it well?
no subject
[He watched as Ekkehardt prepared the cocktail, and gave a small smile as he reached for it to take a sip. Nice and strong, and full of a slightly sweet overtone masking the strength of it. Quite perfect, really.]
Thank you.
I honestly expected some of it. Most of them think they know more than they do. It's normal. But this one was different. The nonchalance about it, the refusal to see the importance of the lesson on a grander scale. For Hades' sake, students died in this incident. Would it have taken us burying them for them to listen? What happened is already failure enough on our parts as instructors. And then they don't want to listen about the greater issue at hand... it's like I failed them again. To say nothing about the response I got from Mr. Rikugou.
[Another sip of his drink, and the instructor leaned back into his chair and massaged the bridge his nose with a thumb and forefinger.]
He still worries me. And I fear I've done nothing but harm to him. I may have to accept the possibility that the lad's beyond my ability to help. Not that I'd ever give up on him, but... I just may not be what he needs right now.
...It was easier when I was teaching would-be heroes. Some of these kids... they need more than instruction and a mentor. ...Are we giving them enough, Ekkehardt? How can we do better?
no subject
He thinks carefully about what to say. ]
...It's the burden of being a teacher, I'm afraid. Not everyone learns in the same way. And some won't understand a lesson until they experience the root of the issue themselves. Everyone takes it differently, and our power to influence is limited.
[ A faint, wry smile flashes across his face. ] Especially since many of them have already had outside experience, and this encourages their resistance to authority...or, because of it, they see the world in...odd ways. The price we pay for housing so many unorthodox children.
This academy exists to give students the tools to protect themselves at need. But it also exists to protect those who are vulnerable from a world that will easily do them harm.
There are some things that can't be predicted, or planned for. All we can do is keep them as safe as these times allow.
Not that there's not room for improvement in methods. But you've done what you can. All else is up to them.
[ He shrugs, a little. ] That's only my opinion, of course. Take it as you will. But try not to stress yourself too much.
[ Another slight smile. ] That's my job.
no subject
[Despite what it sounds like, and the rather morose worries Valvatorez opened up about, there was nonetheless a deep fondness in the way he described the school.]
But... where some may see that as a weakness... I see it as quite the opposite. There's no better way to open up the mind and heart than an experience like that, and Daybreak is one of the few places that offers such a thing.
And you're right, of course. We do our best to give them what they need to survive, grow, and thrive, as well as what we can do to help and protect them. It's fundamentally a wonderful idea, even when we make mistakes. The good that this school does far outweighs the mistakes. I have to remember that.
[He takes another short sip.]
...But I will not allow complacency of myself either. Self-improvement is a never-ending road, considering perfection is impossible. It can be trying, but it is always worth the effort.