Homeroom: Day 1

Subject: Homeroom: Day 1 Sun Sep 09, 2012 9:01 pm

Aleks pushed open the door to the classroom, glancing at the clock as she entered.

Two hours early, she thought, I really am nervous, aren't I? The classroom was empty, of course, and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Aleks' classroom was on the west side of the school, so it was incredibly dark. But, Aleks was fine in the dark, so she didn't bother turning on the lights.

The sound of rustling papers was the only noise for a while as Aleks placed a test on each of the desks. It was a simple thing: completely situation questions. There weren't any right answers, although there were a few wrong ones. Aleks intended to teach these kids how to survive, and she needed to know what she was working with.

Once the papers were handed out, the Death Scythe hopped over the teacher's desk, and picked up a piece of chalk. She spent a minute considering her words, then scratched out a message onto the chalkboard.

Finish the test. Wait for the teacher to come in.
DO. NOT. LEAVE.

Aleks took a step back, and nodded to herself. She glanced at the clock again. An hour and forty five minutes to go until class started. She threw the piece of chalk back to the small ledge on the board, and sat down in a seat in the back row, right next to the wall. Aleks opened the window next to her a crack, then got comfortable. She propped her feet up on the desk, put her headphones over her ears, and closed her eyes. If any student came in, they'd probably think that Aleks was another student, or a TA at best. They'd probably ignore her.

Aleks shifted a bit, making herself comfortable, then relaxed. Within minutes, she was half-asleep.

Posts : 28 Join date : 2012-09-04 Age : 29

Ralph pushed open the door and walked in, he looked over at the girl sitting in the back row.

Who is that, is she new? He thought as he walked closer to her.

"Early bird catches the worm right?" Ralph said anxiously. Huh, no response, I guess she is sleeping.

Ralph walked to the front of the room and read the bored and quietly went to the back row where this strange new girl was sitting and waited for more people to show up.

"I'm so pumped for class" Ralph whispered quietly as he waited.

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"Mmmph.." Tacker breathed as he rolled out of bed. His alarm was furiously screaming at him to wake up. What the hell? He thought, slapping the snooze button. The professor didn't usually set his alarm, let alone at such a relatively ungodly hour. He rolled over in a desperate attempt to scrape a few more minutes of sleep together.

Lord Death had assigned him to offer help to the new teacher today. Being genuinely interested as to who this new teacher may be, he gave his utmost effort into getting out of bed. Tacker slipped into his usual attire and wiped the sleep from his eyes as he made his way to the DWMA.

Let's see... Room 201? No that wasn't it. His mind wandered as he strolled down the hallways of the Academy. "Ah, here we are." He pushed open the door and glanced inside. There by the window he saw Aleks, dozing off as he would like to be doing. "Hello there, Ms. White, is it?" Tacker greeted, tired eyed and grinning.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:44 pm

Aleks was aware of students filing through corridors, their souls pinpricks of light behind her eyelids. She paid them little mind until one came into her classroom, and tried to strike up a conversation with her. Aleks didn't respond to the boy, but started scanning him with her soul perception.

She noticed drive right off the bat, and a good heart. This kid...he'd been through a lot, but came out a nice guy. Rare quality. Aleks certainly hadn't done that. But he didn't seem to have a partner. Aleks would keep an eye on this one.

One by one, as students came into her classroom, looked at the board, and started taking the test, Aleks scanned their souls. She was lucky; most of them seemed like they would learn quickly. Sure, there were a few bad eggs, but Aleks was good at hitting people over the head until they listened.

Aleks had been planning on waiting a bit longer to actually start teaching, but another professor stuck his head in. The Death Scythe cracked an eye open. Yea, she'd seen this one around the school. Tacker, his name was. Lazy by reputation. Aleks quickly scanned his soul. Lazy didn't seem to be the proper word for it, but Tacker would certainly come off that way.

Pushing her headphones down, Aleks sat up.

"What do you need?" She asked the older professor, "I'm waiting for the shrimps to finish something."

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Immediately Tacker realized that she meant business. Aleks did not intend to waste time chatting with him. He decided to not push that limit that had become so obvious so soon.

"The name's Tacker." He said offering his hand. "I came to see if you needed anything. I know how difficult the first day can be." A slight hint of nostalgia and sympathy came naturally as he spoke. Being a meister Tacker could tell almost instantly that she was a weapon. He planned on not letting on that Lord Death had assigned him to helping her. In all honesty he would have checked up on a new teacher anyways.

"Perhaps I could sit through this class?"

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"Hey Professor T!" Ralph said loudly. "I'm glad to see you! If your planning on sitting in on the class, id love to talk to you privately afterword, if that is alright of course."

Wow he hasn't changed much at all, and who is the Aleks girl he is talking to?

"Hi Aleks, I'm Ralph, are you new here at the DWMA? If so i can help you out, just let me know." Ralph smiled and turned back to Professor T expecting an answer.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:16 pm

Aleks stood up and hopped over the students' heads to get to the front. She shook the man's hand, and shrugged.

"Do what you want. Take my seat back there if you're staying." Aleks gestured to the seat she'd used by the window. She sat on her desk, and looked at the class, who had all looked up at the arrival of the other professor. One student had made an outburst, the one Aleks had noticed for his drive. Ralph. Aleks nodded once to the boy, then faced the class.

"Is everyone done the test?" She asked the class. A few people were done, but the majority were still working. "Keep working then, there isn't a time limit. When you're done, put the papers up here." Aleks pointed to the corner of her desk at the front. "If you have any questions, ask."

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Tacker felt much more at ease once he had permission to sit in on her class. "Thanks, I will." He nodded to her and walked up the steps. Lord Death sure know how to pick them. Tacker thought, still unable to pinpoint Aleks' personality type. I'm interested to see how she teaches.

He knew most of the students he passed and grinned warmly as he walked by. Particularly Ralph. "My man Ralph. Good to see you too." Tacker said casually - he had Ralph for the past 2 years in his class - before answering. "Sure thing, but ace that test first." Shooting one final thumbs up at the student, Tacker continued, and found his seat at the back.

The sun was high in the sky, breathing heavily as it usually did, making the seat she had taken nice and warm. She had a feeling about her that one could describe as 'precise'. He leaned back in his seat and focused intently.

Posts : 28 Join date : 2012-09-04 Age : 29

Ralph looked to the front of the room in amazement. Huh, so she is the teacher. Ralph thought as he sat down.

"Of course Professor T, I wouldn't have it any other way!" Ralph Quickly got up and precisely placed the test on the corner of the desk. As he was walking back, He glimpsed at Tacker who was focusing intently on the new teacher. He must be doing something for Lord Death, why else would he be in here.

As Ralph got back to his seat and He decided to move closer to Tacker. "Excuse Me, sorry, pardon Me, sorry, sorry, excuse me" He said as He squeezed through the people and sat down two chairs away from Tacker. Huh, He didnt even look at me.... oh well.

He took one more glimpse at Tacker and one more glimpse at the new teacher who was starring directly at him, He then put his head down and waited.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:49 am

Aleks waited patiently for the remainder of the class to finish their test, glancing at the pages as each student brought it up to the desk. A couple of them had obviously never been in fights besides those with Evil Humans, or had never fought against overwhelming odds. It was understandable, but it meant that Aleks would have a good deal of work.

"Right then," She said to the class as the final student handed in his paper, "Introductions are in order. My name is Aleksandra White, and I really don't care what you call me. Most people call me Aleks, but if calling a teacher by her first name feels weird, then figure something else out. You're my first class here at Shibusen, so if my methods seem unorthodox, it's probably because I have different ideas as to the best ways to get you guys to learn.

"Shibusen exists to keep order, and you are the tools it uses to maintain that by taking the souls of Evil Humans. That's your job. His job," Aleks nodded to Tacker in the corner, "Is to make sure you're capable of doing that. That's his job, and just about every other professor here. Not mine. My job is to make sure you don't die in the process. I'm guessing that most haven't had to fight overwhelming odds yet, but believe me when I say that they suck. Most people can't make the better of those odds; that's why they're overwhelming. What I plan to teach you is how to take those odds, and make the best of them that you can. To take full advantage of good luck, to roll with the bad luck, and how to make the best decisions while undertaking a large operation in the field.

"This test was to give me a baseline. I needed to know what your reactions would be. In no way does this effect your grade in my class. In fact, none of the homework I assign will affect your grade, but each assignment will help you learn, so I recommend doing them. Each day in class, we will go over various scenarios, and all possible reactions. Some days, we make take a field trip, and put you through a practical lesson.

"But for now...we stay here. You." Aleks pointed to Ralph. "Ralph, right? What was your answer to question four? It was 'You and two other meister/weapon pairs are taking shelter in a cave for the night, when a large company of the enemy settle down just outside your cave. What do you do?' Your options were 'wait for the enemy to leave,' 'sneak out when everyone's asleep,' 'charge out and take on the enemy,' or 'other.'"

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Once Aleks had started talking, Ralph immediately sat up and payed close attention. She is a great speaker, I wish i could talk in front of people without getting nervous. He thought.

"Yu, yu, yes, My name is Ralph." Why did she call on Me! Everyone who is paying attention is looking over here, oh no, I'm getting sweaty, not good! "Ummm, I circled other because I wasn't exactly sure of what I would do, I would have to know more about these enemies before I made a decision." That wasnt to bad, I think I answered that rather well.

Ralph relaxed himself and let all the tension in his body disperse, He glanced over at Tacker who was still starring at the front of the room and then turned back to Aleks and waited.

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Using life and death as a motive. She doesn't beat around the bush, that's for sure. Tacker thought. He leaned up from his usual reclined position almost instinctively as she spoke. He was determined not to judge her too hastily. It already seemed that her voice had demanded respect from the class. Every head was turned to her, not daring to fiddle with anything else. "Impressive, Aleks." He whispered, a grin creeping across his face.

Ralph was chosen to answer the first question, and he responded - although rather shakily - with a good point. Very true, don't make moves until you know what's what. Tacker shot a quick glance at Ralph and a small nod.

That may just be my opinion, though. Let's see what Aleks has to say about it.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:07 pm

Aleks nodded as Ralph was talking.

"Fair point," she said, "I'll expand the scenario for you. You and your team are on your way home from a mission. Like I said, you're staying in a cave for the night, when a Kishin army decides to camp just outside. As far as you know, it's a very large company, a couple hundred soldiers, most of them relatively easy to beat but you have about twenty that you're almost positive could kick your ass from there to the moon. They don't know you're there, but they're blocking your exit. Posted around the perimeter are sentries, focusing their attention outward. Some people are still awake, but most have gone to sleep. Your teammates are a sniper, and an elemental attacker, who uses water. That's as much as you can tell without being spotted." Aleks grinned a little.

"What do you do?"

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"Pray." Tacker said jokingly in a low whisper. It was a good follow-up. How would you handle that, Ralph?

Although a situation like that seemed nearly impossible to handle, he was sure that Ralph would approach it as optimistically as possible. Such was Ralph's 'style'. However it wasn't the students answer he was interested in, as much as the teacher's question.

Someone's full fledged survival instincts won't kick in until they are placed in a situation that could cost them their life. Although it's only a simulation, a question like this will force students to think outside the box. I'm eager to see how effective such an unconventional method will be.

Tacker rarely expressed so much interest in anything, however, this affected the students, so he felt slightly protective.

Posts : 28 Join date : 2012-09-04 Age : 29

"Well first off, I would consult my fellow team and see where they stand, however though, I feel as though we should wait in the cave until they leave unless we have an opportunity to escape. If we do need to fight however, I think the best strategy would be to lure them into the cave so that we are not in the open where all the enemies can have there way with us."

I hope I answered that well, I don't wanna sound dumb.

"If you don't mind Me asking, how would you handle that situation?" I might as well make this a learning experience for myself, who knows maybe I will be stuck in a situation like this one day.

Ralph sat back and patiently waited.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:27 pm

"You did well until the end bit, Ralph," Aleks said, "In that particular situation, waiting would be the best option. Because you don't need to fight, avoiding battle with superior opponents is a good idea." Aleks faced the rest of the class.

"Can anyone tell me what Ralph did wrong?" There was a long moment of silence when no one wanted to be the one to criticize the other student. Aleks shrugged. "Right, here's what you did wrong. You don't want to be in close proximity with a big army. You don't know if they would find you later. Also, if you must fight, no, you do not want it to be in a cave. Remember what your teammates strengths are. One is a long-range fighter, and the other is mid-range, so confining them in a small cave would seriously limit your fighting potential. Another point is that there are people in that army that can, and will, kick your ass, so you do not want to be trapped. If combat cannot be avoided, you want to be outside, and running for your life. That way, your teammates can become useful, and you'll probably get away. And I say probably, because nothing is concrete."

"As for what I would do, or what I did considering this actually happened to me," Aleks continued, slipping off the desk to stand, "We posted the sniper to watch the army, and she let us know when everyone except the sentries were asleep, then she took out the nearest sentry, and we all snuck out undetected until the sentries changed shifts. By that time, we were gone."

"Any other questions?"

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Damn, what was i thinking. I must look like a fool. Oh well, whats done is done, at least I learned something.

"That is crazy, I never would have expected you to have been in that situation." Ralph said with a big smile.

Ralph sat up more and got more attentive.

"I have no more questions, but I was wondering something. Maybe after school today you could show us your skills and your fighting styles, perhaps against Professor T." Ralph pointed to Tacker and grinned.

I haven't seen Professor T fight since a few days after he started teaching here, I'm sure he has gotten stronger. I hope they both agree to this.

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Interesting, a tactical veteran. More experienced than I took her for at first. She seemed too young. Tacker quickly analyzed Aleks' response, trying his hardest to piece together her 'style'.

His train of thought was broken when Ralph responded.

"I have no more questions, but I was wondering something. Maybe after school today you could show us your skills and your fighting styles, perhaps against Professor T."

Ralph... Come on... Tacker thought, frowning upon the prospect of a fight. All the same, he too wanted to see what Aleks was capable of. "Well, I suppose it could be a learning experience." The professor commented, a sort of doubtful tone followed his words. "That one would be up to Ms. Aleks. But for now, focus. Class hasn't let out yet."

Posts : 17 Join date : 2012-09-09 Age : 28 Location : PA

Obviously at the worst time, as everyone was waiting for aleks to respond, the door got kicked in with Dunto walking in. there were a few sparse chuckles in the crowd of students who knew him well enough to know that is exactly something that he would do. as he was walking up to the back row he looked at Ralph and nodded acknowledging him as a friend then rudely sat down with his head flat on the desk not showing any attention to the new teacher.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:47 pm

Aleks cocked her head to one side as the door was kicked in. She held up her right index finger.

"One sec Ralph," she said, and held her hand out toward the new kid, palm first. There was a moment of silence as all the students waited to see what Aleks was doing, then a spiked chain burst from her sleeve. The chain dashed across the room, and wrapped itself around the chest of the unruly student. Aleks made sure to turn the chain sideways so the spikes weren't tearing the boy to shreds, but he was going to have some scratches. Once the student was suitably constricted, the chain lifted the student into the air. Aleks floated the boy down to the front of the classroom, completely ignoring his struggles and words.

"I was a student here when the Kishin was resurrected," Aleks told Ralph, not even acknowledging the kid being held up by the chain next to her, "It's only natural I found myself fighting against him. Not personally, of course, but in the field. A lot of people my age have similar stories." Aleks shifted her eyes from Ralph to Tacker when Ralph asked his second question. A fight? For what purpose? Showing off? The only benefit she could see from fighting the older professor would be in gaining respect, both from her students and other teachers. It wasn't much of a reason, but it was still a reason.

"We'll see about the fight," She told Ralph, "An autonomous meister fighting an autonomous weapon is an unorthodox spar. Personally, I'd rather see all of you in action, but we can save that for another day. Now..." Aleks finally turned to look at the kid being grabbed by her chain.

"We're discussing survival scenarios," she said to him, "Purely hypothetical at the moment. Lets say you're facing an opponent much, much more powerful than you. She's got you effectively trapped, and if you run, you'll be mocked by your friends for a good long while. You can either attack, try to escape, or try to make up for the interruption you just made. What do you do?"

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looks smugly up at Aleks "HA! youve got nothing on me! I''ll take you down in five seconds!" looks at classmates for approval as the start to chant for the fight between the two soloist weapons to fight

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Well would you look at that... My favorite student, Dunto decided to show up! Tacker thought, grinning even wider than usual. He put his head on his hand, leaning forward slightly as Aleks promptly captured and ignored the young weapon. And what's this? A challenge? You don't miss a beat, do you Dunto.

The professor did nothing to get involved, he only watched as one of his own students tore and lashed against the confines of the chain. Even though this was the first time ever seeing him, Aleks didn't hesitate to doll out punishment, and likewise, Dunto wasted no time before challenging the teacher to an all out brawl.

Subject: Re: Homeroom: Day 1 Mon Sep 10, 2012 7:15 pm

Aleks arched an eyebrow at the boy. Cocky probably wasn't a strong enough adjective to describe him. She regarded him, and pondered the best course of action.

"If you can get out by the end of class," Aleks said after a moment, "You'll get a shot." Aleks looped the chain a few more times around the boy's chest, and tightened the loops a fraction. She floated the boy up to the ceiling, and held him there.

"Now shut up, we still have class. I believe we were done with Ralph...you." Aleks indicated another boy, a younger one, who was wholly terrified. "Your answer to question two. Explain it."

Jojo froze as the teacher pointed at him. M-m-me? Oh, why me? Um, question two...that was the one where I had to defend the fort, right? Shit, what did I say to that one? Realizing the entire class was waiting, Jojo swallowed a few times. His mouth was dry, and didn't really feel like working. After a moment, Jojo managed to answer.

"Um, I-I-I said that I'd send the soldiers of the fort out to fight the enemy, but in small guerilla groups. Psychological warfare. Keep them distracted, and take out their supplies, so they can't stay for long. In the mean time, use any defenses to keep the enemy at bay, and keep as many people behind the walls as possible." Jojo stared at his desk, completely unable to meet anyone's gaze as he spoke.

Aleks watched the kid answer, then looked at the rest of the class.

"Any opinions? Is there something he could have done better?"

Posts : 17 Join date : 2012-09-09 Age : 28 Location : PA

Dunto struggles and is losing his breath from trying to escape from Aleks' outstanding grasp. he barely musters out "HE COULD HAVE DONE AN ALL OUT SURPRISE ATTACK AND KICKED ALL OF THEIR ASSES!!!!!" then goes back to struggling at removing himself from his embarrassing prison, while squirming he quickly changes into weapon form and falls out of Aleks' chains before she can clench them tight.

Dunto then Transforms partially, his arms and upper body become disconnected and chains connect them, then his arms turn glowing purple and become the ends of nunchucks. and then stands at the ready for battle!

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Professor Tacker stood up, deciding it was about time to bring a stop to this. "Hey Dunto!" He shouted, his voice booming from the top of the room. "Chill out for the rest of the class and I'll proctor a fight between you and Ralph afterwards! How's that sound?" It was a long shot, but perhaps he could calm the feisty student by offering him another option. Besides, it didn't look as though Aleks was keen to start a fight with a student in the middle of a lesson.

Calcifer crossed his arms, analyzing the situation from his seat in the third row. Does he actually intend to fight her? he thought, glancing at Dunto and Aleks in turn.