Defending Yourself Against Magic | Friday, period 2

[nuclear_snide]

"Well, hello." Bob greeted them all with a smile that was equal parts grim and wicked. "I'm Hrothbert of Bainbridge. You can call me Sir, or Bob." There was a moment of narrow-eyed daring anyone to say anything about his name.

"In this class, you'll be learning how to defend yourself against magic. Spells, creatures, people using it, whatnot. If you didn't mean to be here, stay anyway. You can probably use it, particularly if you're the sort who can't even make it to the right room for class."

Yes, Bob still called it like he saw it.

"So, introductions, which I imagine you're all heartily sick of by now." His dismissive gesture said how much he cared about that. "What I'd like to know from you is your name, what sorts of magic your world has, what you're familiar with, and what, if any, you have experience in.

"Personally, I'm from Earth, Chicago of around six years ago at the moment. My world has an entire range of beings and magical forces, from dragons to vampires. Magic users - wizards and sorcerers - mostly do their best to keep other humans from being aware of them. I am a sorcerer. My specialities are magical constructs, enchantments, and necromancy. I'm also, since apparently you lot don't gossip near enough, a ghost. I've had well over a millennium to learn all sorts of things, and I've taught generations of wizards."

He eyed them all for a likely candidate, then sighed. "I'll need an assistant to fetch and carry; I'd appreciate volunteers. And introductions."

He waited.

Comments

Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

Name, class, sorts of magic you know and can do!

Re: Introduce yourself!

[rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com]

"Hi! I'm Mabel Pines!" Which Bob, at least, already knew. Hi, Bob! Sorry you were going to have to deal with this crazy girl again. "I'm in my Freshman year, and I'm not a natural at magic or anything, but I've used it before a few times with the help of magical talismans and potions and things!"

Usually not with disastrous results!

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"Just to be sure," Bob said, "your brother is the one that raised the dead, not you?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com]

"Right," Mabel confirmed. "And I specifically asked him not to."

For what Mabel had thought were pretty obvious reasons.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"How on earth did that come up, anyway?" Bob asked, looking pained.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com]

"Some government guys crashed our Grunkle's tourist trap gift shop to try to bust him for doing some kind of illegal paranormal whatevery things, and Dipper thought it would be a good idea to try to prove to them that the place was weird by reciting the first spell he could find in this journal he dug up in the woods one day."

Mabel was rolling her eyes so hard.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"He what?" Dipper, Bob was teaching someone a spell to hang you up by your toes. "Please tell me you can immediately think of at least a dozen reasons why that is a very bad idea?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[boneyard_girl]

"'M Ada Miller," Ada said, giving everyone a little wave. "Junior, and my world ain't got magic as far as I can tell, but 'm a tad sick of it screwing around with me here."

Christmas demons. That just wasn't kosher.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"Good to see you're sensible about it," Bob said.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[boneyard_girl]

"Are there people that ain't?" Ada was mildly appalled. "I mean, demons runnin' around deliberately tryin' to make people go mad wasn't exactly my cup of tea. But are there people that like when that happens?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"At least a few," Bob said. "But no, I meant you're willing to accept the idea of magic, even though you're not used to it."

Re: Introduce yourself!

[seeks_truth]

"My name is Cassandra Pentaghast," said Cassandra, but she was lifting an eyebrow. "I am a junior, and-- you are a spirit and a mage?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

Bob raised an eyebrow right back and wiggled his fingers through the table at her in a little wave.

"I can't actually perform more than illusion without a physical body," he clarified. "I am still, however, an excellent teacher of theory, and this room allows me to duplicate many spells for our purposes."

That was her concern, wasn't it?

Re: Introduce yourself!

[seeks_truth]

"That is not my concern," Cassandra said sharply. "Are you hoping to find another mage to possess by doing this?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

Bob blinked at her, rather taken aback. "Well, I've never said no to a ride or two; intangibility can get rather dull. But I hardly need it to be a mage; I'd have my own powers, after all. And never without asking. It's a condition of my employment here, if nothing else."

Re: Introduce yourself!

[seeks_truth]

"And I am expected to trust your word?" Cassandra asked.

Well, it came out like a demand, but it was a genuine question. Honest.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[not_a_moonie]

"I'm Alana and I'm a senior," the girl said. "I don't do magic at all. I'm here because my planet's in this really long-running war, and the other side does use spells and stuff. I figured it'd be good to know how to fend it off."

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"Only one side?" Bob asked. "Does your planet lack the skills, or is there a moral objection to magic?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[not_a_moonie]

"Lack of skills," Alana said, with a little shrug. "Far as I know, we just don't know how to do it. But I'm not exactly a magic expert."

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"Well, we can change that," Bob said cheerfully. "Or start to, at any rate. What sorts of magic do they use - anything specific you'd like to learn to counter?"

Re: Introduce yourself!

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"I'm Frank Doyle and I am a junior in class, but a senior in drinking ability," Frank raised a toast and drank. "I'm well acquainted with spirits, both in the obvious pun of alcohol and the obvious non-pun of ghosts and the like. I worked for a Church going from supernatural thing to supernatural thing taking care of whatever supernatural thing I might find, but we broke up. Anyway, I know enough to confidently coast through this class as inebriated as I always am."

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"What about not inebriated?" Wouldn't that be a better option?

Re: Introduce yourself!

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"An interesting hypothetical! Here's another one: What if we had gills and held class underwater?" Frank asked.

Re: Introduce yourself!

[nuclear_snide]

"You'd still drink like a fish, I take it," Bob answered dryly. "Should your inebriation pose any danger to yourself or the rest of the class, either it or you will have to leave."

Re: Introduce yourself!

[halfaclink.livejournal.com]

"Most likely both would leave together since I'd hate to leave it here without me," Frank said. "But I wouldn't worry if I were you. Of course, if I were you I'd be teaching this class and it would be about the aforementioned pun sort of spirits."