I came here looking for help! (I be cursed.)

[Aethera]

Finally reaching the castle, Aethera almost isn't strong enough to open the castle's door. But after a few tugs and the recollection of why she traveled all this way, she manages to squeak inside. I only hope someone can help... Her blanket slides off one shoulder, getting caught in the door, and she has to yank it free, which sends her stumbling backwards into the foyer.

She turns around and freezes, staring in awe at the grand staircase. And fish tank. Though she immediately understands the concept behind a glass wall holding the water in, she's never seen a fish tank before, and all the colorful fish swimming around stun her. She takes a step, then another, until she's nearly pressed against the fish tank. "Hello, pretties," she greets the fish quietly, locking her hands behind her back so she doesn't get fingerprints on the glass. She'd hate to have to clean it off later. "How did you all get in there? It looks like a nice home to me, though you don't have very much room..." She's never spoken with a fish before, but it's just her nature to converse with all of nature's children... whether they can reply or not.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

With a nice new fishing rod in tow, Rendaz left his room, relieved that it was so close to the vestibule. It was then his thin, red eyes laid upon a female human. She was unfamiliar, and he wasn't certain if she was another student or a member of staff. As she oogled at the aquarium, he chose to go with the former.

"If you keep starin' like that, you'll break the glass," he snapped, walking up next to her. He frowned as the fish swam in circles, clueless of their own situation. The only time he'd ever recalled them looking pleasant was when they were served upon a fresh platter. Without giving one glance at the girl, he put his fishing rod to his side, to lean on it much like a cane.

[Aethera]

Aethera flinched at the voice, stepping away from the tank and away from the source of the voice as well. Glancing sideways she shivered, not having any idea what manner of creature had spoken to her. He was more or less human-shaped, and while the fishing pole (and speech) indicated he was intelligent, she couldn't comprehend how that state had been bestowed upon such a... creature.

Opening and closing her mouth several times she finally realized she was being very rude and shrank back further, dropping her eyes to the floor. "I beg your pardon," she whispered, only a tiny squeak accompanying the utterance. "Can you tell me where I might find the... Headmaster? Or a professor of, um... magic?" Saying it aloud is a first for her, and she winces, rather expecting to get smacked for being a fool, or for speaking the unspeakable, or something like that.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz raised his eyebrow at the way she was staring at him. It was almost as if she'd never seen a bipedal lizard before... And that was probably true. Twirling his boa with his remaining hand, he eyed her up and down, noting nothing of interest in her. Just an ordinary human - how boring.

"Magic?" he repeated, looking quite insulted. He hadn't known a single magic trick, but he was pretty sure it didn't mean he was less capable than any other professor. "You're talkin' to Professor Rendaz, and I use machinery, not magic," he hissed. Seeing her frightened features, he backed down a little, regarding her with a demeaning stare. "Whatever Everly needs to know, I'll know it too," he stated, folding his arms.

[Aethera]

Aethera's eyes widened. "I... I'm sorry, Professor! I didna know..." Her accent is only betrayed slightly, but disappears just as fast as it came. "I got a letter... an invitation..." She closes her eyes to control herself, and for a moment her slender body shivers, threatening to be out of her control.

She takes a deep breath and looks at the lizard, then bows slightly. "My name is Aethera Vervaine. I was invited here as a student, but I could not get here at the time. But after... I came as fast as I could. I'm hoping someone here can help me. I'm cursed, you see. Bad things happen around me." Her eyes fill and her lips tighten for a moment, fighting back tears. "It's me. It must be. I... I usually know something's going to happen, I just never know what."

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rolling his eyes at the mention of 'curses', Rendaz didn't seem to be at all concerned about the girl's welfare. "Oh, get over it, girl," he snorted, looking rather exasperated. "It's all superstition, y'know, in your head." He pointed to his hatted noggin for emphasis.

Seeing as she was about to burst into tears, he decided not to act too harshly against her, lest some knife-weilding chef arrives and chops him to pieces. He forced a smile. "The hell is wrong with you?" Naw, he couldn't keep his 'nice' facade up for more than two seconds.

[Aethera]

Looking at the fish rather than the disbelieving professor, she sighed. "I thought it was superstition too. And then there was the flood. And the forest fire. And the quake. And the hailstorm. A few months ago, my... my house burned to the ground... with me in it." She unwrapped her blanket-shawl to show him the flawless skin on her pale arms. "My mother nearly died. I didn't have a mark on me."

She glances sideways to see how her story went over, but looks away quickly. "They threw me out of the town after that. I didna have anywhere else to go."

((Sorry for short, can't think of anything else to say that won't be totally whiny.))

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

He wasn't in much of a mood to listen to the girl's sob story, not when he had a paticular mission to go to. However, she seemed paticularly intent on spilling her confessions at their first meeting, which baffled him slightly. "Well good for you, you're in a nice new academy now, what's there to whine about?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he went on.

"Yeah, I got chucked out like twenty or so years ago. Y'know what? I grew thicker skin and got over it. I learned your dumb language and made a livin'." Shrugging, he turned his eyes to the fish again, tapping the glass with his fishing rod. He watched with a scowl as some fish fled to the other side.

[Aethera]

"D'you... Beg pardon, Professor. Might you know someone who could help me? I can't control these things. They just happen. I can't stay in a nice place like this if things start burning down around me... or flooding..." That particular addition had her eying the fish tank as if it might shatter and flood the room at that very instant. A fish happens to turn and regard her (or stare in her direction, at least), and she makes a tiny 'eep' sound and takes a step backward. Yup, 'fraid of the fishes, now.

((Short post, one-handed typing... LUNCHTIME.))

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Searching his memory for anything of use, he gave a slight shrug at Aethera's question. "There's some bird guy who teaches science who might know," he muttered, hardly able to remember the name. Shrugging, he turned to face her again, looking a little less than pleased.

"If you end up destroyin' stuff, you know I'm gonna end up being the one repairing it?" he said, his face expression a rather stern frown. "I got my own stuff to do, an' I don't need to be runnin' after some little girl as she wrecks the place, y'hear?" In frustration, he slammed his hand onto the tank, as that last fish fled to the other side.

[Aethera]

Aethera flinched away, to the distant sound of a rumble. "I repair what I can..." she offered in hopes of somewhat appeasing the man... lizard... thing. "I don't want to cause trouble. I just... do." She looked around sorrowfully. So pretty... so much she could theoretically destroy. She wrapped her blanket-shawl tighter around her shoulders and watched the tank for a moment, hoping a fish might come back.

"Maybe I shouldn't stay," she muttered mostly to herself. "But if someone can help..." She sighed. "Might you know where I can find this science teacher, Professor Rendaz? I don't want to impose longer than necessary."

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz gave a snort at her question, looking away. He'd nowhere near memorised the layout of the building, and he certainly didn't know or care where the science teacher resided. "Eh, he comes and goes. I dunno where he stays," he said, looking thoughtful. Then he pointed towards a door on the left side of the vestibule. "But his classroom's just through that door. Right next to mine..." He seethed for a moment. "...And the math teacher's...."

He did consider just shooing the girl away from the academy, but there was no doubt that the other members of staff would have his throat for it. He'd be better off playing it safe, for now.

[Aethera]

"Thank you, Professor," she replied, looking at the door in question. "I'll go see if I can find him." Soon. I don't know how long I can stand this place... She blinked. Did I hear thunder? No, please no...

Aethera gave Rendaz a jerky little bow, messy curly hair falling in her face, and then tried to smile (though how well she did is questionable). "A pleasure to meet you, sir. Good luck fishing." She hitched her shawl more closely about herself, staring at the door she was directed to as if it might turn into a wild beast of some sort. It took her a moment, but she did manage to move one foot and then the other, gaining momentum the further away she got.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz snorted, trying his best to completely disregard her gratitude. However, he was unable to hush the pride that swelled inside him. When she mentioned fishing, he raised his head in attention. "Ey? I ain't fishing, girly." Looking aside suspiciously, he continued. "I'm huntin'. There's an intruder, y'know." He raised his fishing pole again, and fiddled with what was at the edge of the hook. A fifty dollar note. Assuming that the intruder was human, he'd have no problem luring the greedy fiend over to where he'd be able to capture him. Humans were guillable and greedy - they craved money like a precious drug. It would be too easy.

"You might wanna be careful 'round here..." he warned, smirking slightly. "I hear he's dangerous!" He chuckled a bit to himself, marvelling over his flawless plan.

[Aethera]

Aethera turns back, frowning. "Intruder? Dangerous? Shouldn't you hunt him with... well... a gun?" Obviously she doesn't know how things work around here. "Should I be doing something to help?" Lots of questions now, though she's still speaking hesitantly. She's curious enough, at least, that she stops clutching her blanket-shawl quite so hard.

Her eyes go from the door she was heading for, to Rendaz, to the fish, and to the main door. "I don't know where I'm going yet, but I should help out if I want to stay..." She could be talking to herself, it's rather hard to tell. "Sir, um... Professor? Is there something useful for me to do?" She stresses 'useful' as if she doubts her capability.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

At her suggestion, he gave a slight frown. He'd use a gun in normal circumstances, but he was pretty sure that Everly would strip him of his right to use them after taking his anger out on a few rowdy students. "We're gonna need 'im alive," he pointed out. "For interrogation stuff."

When she offered to help, Rendaz smirked slightly. "If the money doesn't work out, we could always use a different kind of bait..." he mused to himself, rubbing his claws on his chin. Stepping close to Aethera, he eyed her thoughtfully. "Exactly what experience do you have with your powers?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Would you be able to - say - defend yourself?"

[Aethera]

"Oh, right," she said, looking sheepish. "Maybe a gun isn't such a great idea." Interrogation, why didn't she think of that? Of course, she's just a silly superstitious girl, not a professor of the Academy.

And then the creepy lizard asks a creepy question. "Um... I don't know if you'd call it defense, but I'd survive," Aethera answers with the best straight face she could muster. "So sure, I can defend myself if I have to. Can't really say if you'd be able to interrogate anybody afterward, and I can't really control the, um, reach in terms of, well, stopping anything..." If she starts shuffling her feet, could she drill through the castle and bury herself in a hole? Might work better than the excuses she's trying.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz appeared to look obscenely bored at her barrage of excuses. He allowed just about every word of hers to sail directly past his head, while he stood forward to grab Aethera's arm. "Good 'nuff," he exclaimed, aiming to pull her along to the door.

Assuming that she was probably just lying to get herself out of doing the job, he felt confident that she'd be able to aid him in the capture of the intruder. He'd already had a plan in mind, and it wasn't about to be ruined...

[Aethera]

Aethera jumped when he grabbed her, and this time the rumble of thunder isn't in her head. It's far off, but she was nervous enough to look furtively around the room as if the thunderclouds might be circling the ceiling. "Yessir," she replied belatedly, glancing down at his 'hand' on her arm. After a minor shudder at the sensation, she followed with no resistance whatsoever (after his intent processed in her slow-moving brain). Her blanket-shawl slid from her shoulders and she had to bend down quickly to grab it before he pulled her away and left it lying around, cluttering the entry hall.

Following (letting him pull her), she licked her lips and finally spoke up in her quiet voice. "Might I know your plan, Professor?" Of course he has a plan. He's a mighty professor!

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