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The Occult | Period 1 | Tuesday

So, it was time for her first class. Paige had found the school just fine and taken a moment to marvel at the fact that it was a damn castle. She hadn't seen buildings like this in a long, long time. After that moment of awe had come and gone, Paige had slipped inside and found her classroom.

She didn't write anything on the board of do anything else ridiculous like that. Instead, she took a seat behind the desk and waited. She didn't really know what to expect of the class but she figured most of them would be amaurotic.

Eventually, the small group of students filed in and took a seat. Paige stood up and circled around the desk so she could lean against it.

"Hello." Good start, obviously. "My name is Paige Mahoney and I'm really rather new to both America and teaching. To give you a little background on myself, I was born in Ireland but I come from London though it's probably not like the London some of you might have visited. You've all signed up to learn about all things revolving around the occult so either you're interested or chose classes by closing your eyes and pointing."

Either one was a sound option to her. "We'll start everything out by getting some background on each other so I know where we stand. For instance, I'll let you all know that I'm clairvoyant. Specifically, a dream walker."

She didn't really think any of the students were going to be wanting her power so she could be a little more open about it. She was still adjusting to the lack of NVD or SVD. "I've a connection to the aether, or the spiritual realm. Right now, in addition to seeing you all, I can see your auras as well. And some of you might sense a few spirits around me. I keep a few close by for protection. I'm not sighted so I can't see the spirits but I sense them."

Paige paused and gave a quiet, almost rueful laugh. "I'm still getting used to being able to say these things in meatspace. Or, you know, the corporeal world. But, I have been assured that this place is different then where I came from."

Paige smiled briefly and hoped that was a decent enough introduction for the moment. "In this class, we'll be exploring a few different subsets of the occult. We'll learn why people seem to fear occult studies and objects and why they don't always have to. I'll be looking for your input on certain things since my knowledge of some things is limited due to a variety of factors. But first, again, let's learn about each other. All I'd like to know is your name, if you have any experience with the occult and if there's anything you'd like to learn."

Paige circled back around and took her seat. "And, from what I hear, I'm allowed a teacher's assistant. If anyone wants that job, let me know. For now, let's start with the introductions."

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Like it's early.

Alec Lightwood

Stiles Stilinski

Celia Bowen

Toby Logan

Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar

Isabelle Lightwood

Anna Korlov

Enjoy the lecture, stay warm, wake up a little more.

At the mention of aura-sensing, Toby sat up a little straighter, wondering if his telepathy made him stand out in that respect at all.

[ooc: your call on if it does!]

When she noticed Toby sitting up a little straighter, Paige took a little closer of a look. All the auras in the room were different, some denoting things she recognize and some not.

With Toby's, she recognized some markings of clairvoyance that she'd seen back home but it wasn't completely familiar. She gave him a small smile but didn't comment on anything just yet.

Where Toby perked up at Professor Mahoney's mention of aura-viewing, Sholeh shifted in her seat a bit and tried to make herself more inconspicuous. She wasn't sure if her teacher would notice that there were three of them within the body--or, worse yet, that they were demons.

She was just going to be very quiet and hope that she didn't draw attention to them all.

[Also your call!]

People from home would be having quite the field day with this sort of thing, to be honest.

Paige had seen quite a few interesting auras in her time but seeing what looked like three auras in one person was definitely something that gave her pause. She looked a little longer, picking up on calmness and energy all in one person.

There was a lot there, without a doubt, and Paige had to wonder how one person cold contain so much.

She felt Professor Mahoney looking at her and tried to make herself even smaller. Nope. Nothing to see here!

Sholeh wasn't the best at being playing it cool.

It wasn't hard to see that someone didn't want to be noticed. Paige stopped looking as she didn't want to cause any further discomfort especially not during her first class.

Anna didn't sleep and was unaffected by temperature, so she was just sitting calmly in her white dress and bare feet. She hadn't been going to comment on the spirits Professor Mahoney mentioned, and she still felt no need to--it might be rude--but the aura viewing was a little...alarming. Or rather she suspected what one saw when they looked at her would be a little alarming.

Maybe more than a little.

You know the drill by now. Just get it done and you won't have to do it again for a another few months.

Name, experience and something you'd like to learn.

"I'm Celia Bowen," she said with a shy little wave of her fingers. She hesitated on what to say next, but considering this was only the first of her two classes, and both seemed to address her gifts, she had already decided she probably ought to reveal them. It just seemed...unnatural to do so.

"I don't have any experience with the occult, per se, but I'm open to ideas. I can do...magic, and my father wanted to hire me out as a medium, if I hadn't come here -- using my tricks to make it seem as though I was talking to ghosts, of course, not actually doing so. I suppose if there's anything I'd like to learn it's how to combat people who'd be afraid of this sort of thing." She shrugged, and added, "I'm not used to speaking so openly about it, for exactly that reason."

"You're not alone in that regard," Paige said in response to Celia's last remark. "Where I'm from, speaking about this sort of thing was a dangerous thing, indeed. I've been told this place is differently."

And she sincerely hoped she hadn't been lied to just for Jaxon's amusement.

"I know a few mediums back home," she continued after a moment. "Although, they actually do speak with spirits. We'll definitely take a look at dealing with those that don't believe and turn their fear into aggression. Welcome, Celia."

"Toby Logan," Toby introduced himself. "I don't really have any experience myself, I guess," except for seeing ghosts-by-proxy sometimes, when around people who could see them (or make them visible). "But I have a friend who, uh. Talks to ghosts a lot." Which was somewhat understating Sam's abilities, but he wasn't about to go into detail there. "Something I'd like to learn, um. Maybe about how those who see or hear the things most people can't, how they deal with it?"

"Your friend would probably be having a good chat with my companions here," Paige remarked with a small nod. "Unless they weren't feeling in a chatty mood. I lived with a spirit for awhile. He was a talkative one. And yes, we'll take a look at how people deal with seeing things that most people don't."

In her world, they were shunted to the underground or tossed in jail so they made due by becoming criminals. Probably not the best way to deal.

"You have a friend who talks to ghosts?" Anna whispered to Toby, her tone somewhere between 'what am I, chopped liver?' and 'wait why didn't I hear about this sooner?'

"He graduated a while ago!" Toby said defensively. And as for not mentioning that he in particular was friends with one specific ghost, well. Anna was in the class! He was clearly waiting for her to make her own introduction.

"I'm Alec Lightwood. I'm fairly familiar with the laws of the supernatural in my world, but that doesn't always correspond with everyone else's. And I don't really have anything specific that I want to learn."

"Yes, the multiple worlds intersecting in one location is still taking some getting used to," she admitted after Alec had finished. "The pink pony who was assigned was the biggest indicator of that."

Talking pony. Paige shook her head.

"Anyway. Hopefully, the class will be diverse enough for you since you're familiar with things like this. If not, feel free to sleep. Just don't snore."

"Hi, I'm Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar," Sholeh said shyly when it was her turn. "I don't have any occult experience or powers or anything. I'm pretty boring, actually." If she could start whistling to show her innocence right now, she totally would be. "I'm mostly just curious. My world has demon races in it, so I like to learn about them."

Not that she was from a demonic race or anything. Oh no. Not at all.

"That's quite the name," Paige remarked with a little laugh. And she'd also seen your aura so she knew you weren't boring. Still, she didn't make a direct comment on it.

"And nobody's boring," she assured her, shaking her head. "So, I'm pretty sure you aren't. Demon races are something I've...just come in contact with myself. They're fairly new to me so hopefully we'll learn together."

Which Sholeh appreciated, since she didn't know what she'd do if someone called her out on anything in the middle of class.

The Tryad issue was slowly becoming less of a secret, but their demonic heritage? She'd prefer to keep that under wraps for as long as possible.

"Have you met any good ones?" she asked, peeking up at her teacher from under her veil of red hair. "Demonic races, I mean."

"I think so, yes." She didn't exactly know what race the Rephaim were but she knew they were not of this world, at least. "Not the entire race, perhaps, but some of the individuals I met were good. But, I think that occurs in almost any species. I want to think there's always good."

"Ooooh." For the first time today, Sholeh met Paige's eyes and offered a tentative smile. "That's good to know. For when I go home, I mean."

Sure, kid. Sure.

[Anyone else with opinions on demons is more than welcome to share!]

"For when you go home," Paige agreed with a nod. "If I ever find out more, I'll let you know."

But, she didn't think she'd be having much contact with Warden and the Rephaim for awhile. She didn't need to deal with a vengeful Nashira if she could help it.

"Isabelle Lightwood," Isabelle said, and nodded towards Alec. "What my brother said. We're a matching set."

She reconsidered for a beat.

"But I don't snore."

"No one will admit to snoring," she replied with a slight smile. "But, thank you. If you do snore, just expect something to be thrown your way to stop the noise."

Nothing too hard and heavy, mind you, but still.

"I'm Anna Korlov," Anna said, "and, um." She hesitated, tucking her hair behind her ear, before she volunteered, "I'm a ghost. Kind of a weird ghost. There's a...I was cursed, because a witch made a pact with a demon, and then a ghost hunter managed to undo it, but I'm still...different. And to be honest I don't understand that much about it, but I'd like to." She'd been the victim, after all, not an active participant. That had come later. "And I fought a sort of--I think voodoo spirit, once, called an Obeahman," and ripped open a hell dimension and dragged him into it, la la la, "but that's about it."

"So, yes," she said after a moment's pause, because she realized that was kind of a lot, "I'd like to learn anything that might help me better understand my own situation and what to do about it, if possible."

"...and quite the situation it is," Paige remarked after Anna had finished. Her aura was definitely a dark, dangerous one. The spirits around Paige almost seemed to be drawn towards Anna but Paige kept them back.

"We'll see what we can do about that," she added after a moment. "And while I know that I'm just meeting you and really know nothing, you do look like you're dealing with everything quite well. But, I'll send some feelers out to people back home for any information and try to incorporate it into the class."

"Thank you," Anna said. "It's just...there's another side to me, and I don't think you'd like her as much." See also: the aura.

"Understood," Paige said, nodding. "We'll try to avoid that, if at all possible. I promise."

She's around before and after class for anyone who needs her.

Brr.

Hi there! If you wanted to have Paige pick up stuff about my girls, I thought I'd provide you with the way they're sensed canonically. It's not auras (and I have no idea how auras work in your canon, so feel free to do whatever you want), but I thought this might be helpful to have anyway.

In canon, their 'heartcores' feel like:
Sholeh--brook of bright waters
Zeela--gathering storms: lashing winds and heat lightning
Zhahar--a calm summer lake

Also, Paige won't pick up anything demonic from the girls because they're not actually demons. They just think they are. It's very Tara from Buffy, only their whole race has been taught they're demonic. They're not.

Hopefully that's helpful to you, apologies if it isn't.

No, it's definitely helpful especially as I was just about to comment back to you up in the lecture thread and make a mention of the demon thing, since she'd definitely pick up on that. The aura descriptions you've provided are pretty spot on! She won't pick up pictures such as that but the general feeling will definitely be readable.

So, thank you!

Oooh, glad I pinged then!

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The Occult | Period 1 | Tuesday

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