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Post by Ms. Juliette on Jul 17, 2012 6:12:27 GMT -8
Ms. Marina Juliette stood at the top of the class before the desk. She flattened down her hair a little and looked around at all the faces, boredly staring back at her, or looking off in random directions to their friends or the walls. She gave a bright smile. A Fresh new day! She thought. I'm ready to face it!
"Okay everyone?" She said softly at first, "Lovely to meet you, my name's Ms. Juliette --How was everyone's day so far?" She looked around to the blank faces who weren't really interested, most of them too distracted by their own conversations to hear her. She cleared her throat. Again, no avail. She huffed out her cheeks and rolled up her sleeves.
"OKAY CLASS, I'M HERE SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE QUIET, B-BECAUSE OTHERWISE... " She paused for a moment and looked around the room. The students seemed slightly surprised that she started shouting at them. She sighed, "Because otherwise, you won't be able to learn anything, and then how are you meant to save the world? I mean, if you can't understand what your enemies are planning..." She shook her head before looking back up to them.
"I'm here to teach you how to speak any language you wish. Today is sign ups for the coming year, so I have all these sheets..." She said in a more projected voice as she rummaged through the bag at her desk and pulled out a roll of paper tied with an elegant pink bow. "I want to make sure everyone gets one, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd check the boxes for the languages your interested in, and we'll see if we can make proper class sizes out of that. Also, there's a column for your current level in said language. Don't forget to write your name at the top." She nodded, handing the roll of paper to the nearest student to pass around.
"Oh!" She added, deciding to continue talking while she still had their attention, "Also, I wanted to say that I'm really super looking forward to teaching you guys, you seem like lovely kids." She said with a big warm and welcoming smile.
"You can go back to practicing your base languages now! And Remember! Talking things out can sometimes be the strongest super-power you can have!"
Mao woke up from his nap on the teacher's desk as she said that. Funny how the shouts didn't wake him. He opened one golden cat-eye to glance at her. "That's the cheesiest--"
"I know Mao, I'm just.. kinda nervous, I'm sorry."
He looked slightly smug, "Marina... how many times have I to-"
"A billion."
"Exactly. Relax."
"A billion and one." She sighed.
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Creda Shields
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Post by Creda Shields on Jul 17, 2012 6:53:11 GMT -8
This is to blend in. I do not require to talk with this idle prattle. I wouldn't waste words on these people at the best of times, therefore they are not worth my time.
Creda just sat patiently, ignoring the few people who tried to talk to her, eyes closed. She almost looked asleep if it wasn't for the fact her fingers kept drumming against her folded arms. Her wings were fully sealed away in their tattoos and she honestly wished she could shut a few of these obnoxious people up. Creda didn't care what their life stories were, nor would she ever sully herself by allowing them to "go on a date" with her.
The teen opened her eyes once more when her teacher bellowed to the classroom.
A loud one. Joy. she thought, before listening. Languages had seemed like a subject she would be interested in although the way to book the classes had been very odd indeed. Apparently, you could pick and choose.
Fate, it seems...is testing me. she thought to herself as their teacher introduced herself and her cat. Saving the world? What is this nonsense? Only those who can control can manage that. None of the people in this room will even come close to saving the world. Speaking of which, nobody here seems to have potential either. This has been a waste.
Still, she stayed. She had no idea why. However, it was probably a trial by God, so Creda relented and let herself stay.
Receiving the pink paper, she unfurled it and immediately checked the boxes for English and Latin, surprised it was so high up on the list. Maybe this wouldn't be as braindead as she had originally anticipated? Another surprise was the cat speaking aloud. Creda should have expected other powers but a talking cat was one that came right out of the left field.
White eyes narrowing slightly at the rest of the list, she finished up checking a few other boxes. Some French, a tiny bit of German and that was that. She honestly had no idea why the words Elven, Klingon, Celestial, Wolfish, Dwarven and The Black Speech were included as languages. She just left those blank, thinking them to be some sort of poor joke.
Rolling up her paper and putting her name at the top, Creda walked up to the front desk and handed the roll back to the teacher, before turning back to her seat, folding her arms and closing her eyes once again.
Hopefully, these peons finish their brainless chatter soon and we can actually learn something.
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Gleam
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Post by Gleam on Jul 17, 2012 12:31:55 GMT -8
The door swings open and a tall, brown-haired boy enters, his arm set firmly around another's shoulders. "Sorry for the late entry, just retrieving a slacker from the nurse's office."
He swings around and plants both hands on the other boy's shoulders, smiling wide. "Now. Daniel Hawthorne. You are an upstanding student, yes?"
"I had a nurse's excuse, Cape!" Daniel protests.
"Alas." The pushier student sighs. "My name is Cael. Close! But, onto our original point, I spoke with the nurse beforehand, and she does not recall meeting you today. Or yesterday. Or at all. Sit, sére, and attend to your education, and hopeful good health."
He pokes the other student in the belly hard enough to knock him into an empty seat, then plants the worksheet being done on the desk in front of Daniel. "Remember: first impressions are important!" Cael advises with a political smile fit for television. Then he heads for the front of the classroom and hands in a late notice from the same nurse.
"Sorry to interrupt your class." Cael comments, his eyebrows flying skyward enough to make him look startled. "Should I go ahead and join the crowds, or does my tardiness merit punishment?"
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Post by Ms. Juliette on Jul 17, 2012 13:09:13 GMT -8
Marina was very happy to see the sheets getting passed around and people easily jotting down the details she required to make the class run smoothly. She smiled to herself, and ran her hand down Mao's back once before scratching him lightly at the top of the head. Mao purred as he looked half-disdainfully at the class in a way that only a cat can pull off.
Soon, students began to come back to the top of the class to drop off the pink rolled up paper, and she accepted each one graciously with a "Thank you so much." In a very sincere tone.
There was a large group of students in the classroom, so Creda coming up to her didn't cause her to have any qualms or words on the matter, except to thank her for the paper. She did however find her eyes catching the angelic tattoos visible on her back. There seemed to be an increase in students with visible scarring on various parts of their bodies, and this worried her a bit. Mao didn't seem to pleased by the situation.
"Why are you so worried, Mao?" She asked him directly in tongues. None of the other students would have been able to understand what she was saying, as it would have sounded like gibberish.
Mao, when replying to her, was speaking the same language without realizing it, but he was used to the sensation of being unable to control what words he actually said. Instead, he focused on the meaning he wanted to convey.
"Hahaha, oh Marina, I'm not worried. I just think that the group of them... they all look so much more out of place this year. It's like their all wearing masks, can't you see it?"
Marina looked around the room, and was starting to notice the unique expressions on every student's face- just as the late students arrived.
She turned her head at the 2 boys. "Oh, don't worry about being late! It's only the first day I know how these things happen. I would really appreciate it if you tried your best to be on time next time though! Is that okay?" She smiled warmly. She handed the boys the pink paper with the list of languages. "Could you please fill these out and hand them back to me when you're through?"
Most of the students seemed to be nearly finished with the list now, and there seemed to be less of a rush to get rid of them and hand them back up now.
She would wait for just a minute or two more for the sheets before beginning their introductory lesson.
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Creda Shields
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Post by Creda Shields on Jul 17, 2012 13:46:59 GMT -8
Hearing the interruption, Creda opened her eyes slightly. The winged girl just watched as the newcomer took it upon himself to pick up the one student who had decided to slack today. She smirked at his predicament slightly, one corner of her mouth curling upwards.
Well, at least it won't be completely boring. It can be sometimes entertaining watching the peons act their own little plays out under what they think is free will.
Silently, she continued to await instruction, eyes open and watching the teacher now.
How is she communicating with the feline? Maybe I was too hasty in writing her off as completely useless...
Relaxing back slightly in her chair, Creda once again ignored a request of talking from another student, eyes locked onto the teacher and her pet with obvious interest.
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Gleam
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Post by Gleam on Jul 17, 2012 13:54:06 GMT -8
Cael took the paper, marked English, Welsh, and French (fluent) and immediately handed it back. Then he took a long step back and plopped himself into the nearest seat, crossing his legs and beaming up at the front of the class.
Or, more specifically, the cat.
He smiled very, very widely at it.
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Post by Ms. Juliette on Jul 17, 2012 14:07:08 GMT -8
Ms. Juliette soon received the last of the papers, glancing around to be sure that no one was left writing. Meanwhile, Mao caught a glimpse of Cael grinning widely at him. He blinked, then squinted a bit, "What are you so happy about?" He asked nervously, eying the boy with suspicion as he sat with his paws beneath him upon the teacher's desk.
Marina meanwhile took a deep breath. Here we go,
"Okay Students," She began again, projecting her voice so that they might hear her, "I just wanted you all to know that today will be the only group lesson we will have. The sheets you've handed up will decide which group you belong in. I will have details delivered to each of you for your individual class times, so I can fit all the various languages in. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope that after today, you guys might be too!" She beamed.
"Today, we're going to go over the origin of Languages. Who's heard the story of the tower of babel?" She said, looking around eagerly for some meager show of hands at least. "It's a very well known tale..." She added for incentive.
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Creda Shields
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Post by Creda Shields on Jul 17, 2012 14:51:04 GMT -8
Creda's interest was perked. The Tower Of Babel? Of course she knew it. It had been one of the first tales she'd ever read from the Bible. The fact that no one else had answered (and some morons were even staring with blank confused faces) disgusted her slightly, but maybe that was because she was expecting too much from these cretins.
"After The Great Flood, humanity was united and spoke in one tongue." she began, speaking aloud and now aware all eyes were on her. She carried on, regardless. "The people migrated to the land of Shinar in the west. However, in their hubris, they decided that to be closer to God, they would construct a tower of stone. Brick by brick, it was built up, until God Himself demanded answers as to what they were doing. Full of righteous anger, He confounded their speech and twisted their tongues, separating the humans with the barrier of several languages. The tower was destroyed and the Earth never again spoke in one single language."
Sitting back with a confident smirk, Creda just awaited the response.
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Gleam
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Post by Gleam on Jul 17, 2012 15:00:49 GMT -8
"I am calculating the probability of one of the girls in this class requesting custody of you for a day as a prize." Cael said, with that wide smile. "It is approaching one. How do you feel about owner exchanges, sir Puss?"
He continues watching the cat throughout the wing'd girl's spiel, although he grants her a nod and raised brows at her careful knowledge of the Tower's backstory.
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Post by Ms. Juliette on Jul 17, 2012 15:27:39 GMT -8
Marina turned her head, positively delighted that the girl with the wing tattoos decided to speak up. She seemed very religious with the sincerity and accuracy which she recounted the story from the bible.
"Very good, that's the gist of it alright!" She said with a hint of pride. "Now Why do you think that was written?" She wondered next aloud to them all. "I personally think it's because people wanted to know what made their languages separated, what had put barriers between them, and they created their answer, or perhaps were given it by some higher being, I am not one to tell anyone that sort of thing. What I Can tell you, is that all of the languages have similarities that are inexplicable. And It isn't just humanity that has connections, it is as though all sentient minds that have the ability to speak have common bonds. All languages can be linked. Isn't that fascinating?" She said, slipping into Tongues, directing her voice to the class.
"I wonder why it is that you can understand me. All that is required is the ability to grasp meaning from sound. A bird hears a call, a dog hears a bark, but these minds aren't sentient. Yet it can be argued that there is a universal language of sound. Higher pitched noises denote youth, weakness, submissiveness, cries for help. Lower pitched sounds are for threats, warnings, and denoting control over situations. Perhaps it is these basic instinctual, animalistic concepts that create the root of all languages. Perhaps there are some questions?"
Mao was glad that Marina didn't mention Cats in her spiel or he would have been slightly offended. Sure, he was a spirit, not a true cat, but still. Offense would have been taken. He turned his ear back towards the boy who spoke of giving him away as a prize. His whiskers on one side of his face twitched as though he was annoyed.
"My name's not 'Sir Puss', Monsieur Homme, My name is Mao, and Ms. Juliette is not my owner, I'm her spirit guide, now pay attention to your class." He said with a roll of his eyes. It was a rare thing indeed for a cat to roll their eyes.
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Creda Shields
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Post by Creda Shields on Jul 17, 2012 17:37:47 GMT -8
Why was it written? Isn't it obvious? It's a warning. Creda thought to herself, but biting her tongue nevertheless. A warning to any who think they're above their station. Try to leapfrog of the worthy and God will smite you down and take away your privilege. Undeserved pride come before a fall.
When she slipped into the odd language though, her eyes widened in shock.
What was that?! That was pure gibberish, I'm certain! But...I could understand it?
Looking around, she saw others with the same confused expression.
So it's not just myself. But her words make sense somewhat. Although I believe language was created PRECISELY to separate us for the beasts.
She then looked at the cat are the tardy student, locked in some staring contest/argument.
Which is why the cat concerns me...
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Gleam
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Post by Gleam on Jul 18, 2012 3:32:19 GMT -8
Cael's fingers ripple against the desk for a moment before he speaks. "Well, arguably speaking, that is due to the fact that larger animals have larger vocal cords, and thus more access to lower octaves. " A brief smile. "The best example, quite honestly, is the laugh. It's universal, a behavior shared amongst all humans. But no one is taught it."
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Post by Ms. Juliette on Jul 19, 2012 13:29:37 GMT -8
Marina looked around the room at all the surprised faces who had experienced her power. Language is a powerful tool indeed. She smiled as someone spoke up. It was the tardy boy in class that spoke.
"Yes, Correct, The size of the animal does effect it's vocal capacity, but even then the point should still stand, right? It is instinctual to animals such as humans that the lower octaves are something to fear, and higher octaves are ones to protect." She said. She paused for a moment, "There's also the argument that an average sized dog will imitate the sounds of larger animals, lower octaves, to seem more threatening when they growl, or whimper whenever they're in pain."
"The laugh is a good example. It's a universal language of sound. Language then, or more simply put, creating specific audible sounds, you might say, is perhaps a sort of instinct, inherent in people to create."
She gazed around the room, "Would you agree or disagree class?" She wondered, honestly interested in their opinions. Mao was starting to fall asleep again, and could be heard softly purring to himself as he dozed off.
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Creda Shields
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Post by Creda Shields on Jul 20, 2012 11:06:12 GMT -8
"You can say that, but a well placed silence can sometimes be more devastating than any spoken word." Creda spoke up again, eyes not leaving Marina. "And instead of instinct, I prefer to believe that humanity created language to separate us. Secrets. Codes. All of these things. Language is a barrier to keep us safe from enemies and in turn, allow us to communicate in relative peace and security."
She gave a slow smirk.
"An ability to communicate in plain view with no one allowed to listen in. Isn't that somewhat desirable? Every person prefers their own privacy and sanctity to themselves, after all."
She leaned back in her chair slightly, relaxing a little.
"Even if Fate decrees that their voice be heard."
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Post by Ms. Juliette on Jul 27, 2012 2:21:30 GMT -8
Marina listened with interest to the religious one. She nodded, "Yes, that is true. A silence can say a lot in itself. The lack of sound can say just as much as the most elaborate sound could." She agreed.
It was the next part that had Marina growing a smile on her face, "Well you say Humanity... But you must see that Language was never created to keep secrets. It was made perhaps to share them with the select few, I can agree with that." She said, "But you do not create a language in order to keep things entirely to yourself... Languages are created to share things with people, whether it is to avoid other parties becoming privy to it or not is up to the individual in question."
"But it isn't just Humanity that created Language you know. Many beings speak." She corrected her, without really elaborating. "Of course people do enjoy their privacy, and so there are a number of languages that developed from basic code. Regardless, Humans are social creatures, so most languages were developed to communicate, not hide things..."
"However you do make many valid points, I really appreciate you speaking up. Does anyone else have any further comments or questions on the subject?" She smiled around to the students. Today seemed to be going real well so far.
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Creda Shields
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Post by Creda Shields on Aug 5, 2012 2:34:42 GMT -8
The lesson continued in that vein, many other students offering their opinions as if they actually meant something.
This grows tiresome. Treat it as a test, Creda. A test to see how devoted you are.
She gave a small smirk at her own thoughts. No one was more devoted than her.
Her eyes flicked to the clock some time later. Fifteen minutes left of the class.
Already, I've seen a few flashes of potential for Him here and there. It's often sullied by sheer stupidity and ignorance however. The teacher though. Miss Juliette. She seems different somehow. An ability to speak to all at once and understand every language? Fate seems to have lead me to the ultimate in diplomacy and other speech matters. She may be worth investing time into.
Ten minutes to go.
We shall see. May God guide me.
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Gleam
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Post by Gleam on Aug 6, 2012 16:30:56 GMT -8
Cael had abandoned proper attention. The little lantern on his wrist pulsed a soft melody like a steel drum or a hanghaus.
"I'd agree that languages were created to share meaning, rather than conceal it." Cael commented with a crook of a smile. "After all, previous to their inception, everything would have been a secret. No one would have understood each other. Our conversations in this classroom are evidence enough that such a state is long past."
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