The Halls of Medeia - Prologue

[A G Thing]

Christine listens to George as he speaks about chess and then mostly his classes. She does not react until after he finishes speaking though.

She answers about her glasses first, pushing them back into place a bit. "I will get them fixed soon enough George... Don't worry about that!" She smiles slightly the thought.

While he does not seem to care much for music the fact that he thinks she would take offense from such strikes her as odd.

"No offense at all George. Not everyone is drawn to music or performing... I just like the idea of music, performance and the stage life. Besides I am sure you at least like to listen to music? Just because you don't have interest in music does not mean you don't like or appreciate it at all does it?"

She says this last part as more rhetorically, assuming that George is not wholly against music or the arts. She had met one or two who had dismissed it completely before, sometimes to the point of offense to her or others but she did not think George was such.

"Still archaeology and cryptology... Those sound like professions that will take you across the world! I guess you want to travel a bit eh?" She smiles at him and speaks a bit more animatedly. "Travel and adventure, like in the tales I hear of explorers going to Egypt or the Heart of Africa... Seeing the world! It sounds exciting!"

She glances about making sure they are on the correct path still and continues on seeing they are fine waiting for his reply.

[steveflam]

Christine listens to George as he speaks about chess and then mostly his classes. She does not react until after he finishes speaking though.

She answers about her glasses first, pushing them back into place a bit. "I will get them fixed soon enough George... Don't worry about that!" She smiles slightly the thought.

George nods, understanding. "I just would find it tiresome, me specs always slidin down me nose, Christine."

While he does not seem to care much for music the fact that he thinks she would take offense from such strikes her as odd.

"No offense at all George. Not everyone is drawn to music or performing... I just like the idea of music, performance and the stage life. Besides I am sure you at least like to listen to music? Just because you don't have interest in music does not mean you don't like or appreciate it at all does it?"

She says this last part as more rhetorically, assuming that George is not wholly against music or the arts. She had met one or two who had dismissed it completely before, sometimes to the point of offense to her or others but she did not think George was such.

He thinks about music and doesn't want to offend her neither pretend. "Well I never had a fancy fer music. I just have no interest but that isn't ter say music is bad. Me interests might not be someone elses, but that is me interest, jest like yers be music. Nuthin wrong with music, it just ain't me cup 'o' tea."

"Still archaeology and cryptology... Those sound like professions that will take you across the world! I guess you want to travel a bit eh?" She smiles at him and speaks a bit more animatedly. "Travel and adventure, like in the tales I hear of explorers going to Egypt or the Heart of Africa... Seeing the world! It sounds exciting!"

"Hmm, I never thought of it that way. But I suppose I would travel fer that. But that ain't why I like em. I just do. I find them fascinatin is all. I aint had much in me life, but I always bin fascinated by knowledge. An I gots knowledges. I don't care what anyone says but knowledge is powerful. I always wanted ter know stuff and me parents always encouraged me, though not with money. We ain't got much. I just be lucky ter have a good friend who is allowin me this experience here at school."

He looks at where they're going.

[Ail]

Christine leads George to the floor above the administration. That, and the floor above, are where the sleeping quarters of the pupils can be found. Further down the hall are the teachers own rooms.

The lecture rooms are on the ground floor, mainly on the West Wing.

OOC: feel free to go on roleplaying, and do tell me where you want to go. When nothing else happens with you, I will shift scenes.

[Ail]

Christine leads George to boys dorms and shows where he will stay. There are more boys around, settling into their rooms, but Christine offers to show more of the grounds to George. He leaves his things in his place, while she waits outside, then she takes him back to the ground floor.

Thinking that perhaps George will want to know where the classrooms are, they come out into the quad to cross to the West Wing.

There are still some students around, but since it is now past noon, most have already arrived. But a young man, maybe in his early twenties, seems to be actively trying to talk to the pupils and ask them to do something. He notices George and Christine, and comes in their direction.

[A G Thing]

Christine smiles at George's expination of his interest in archeology and cryptology... She thinks about her answer as George gets settled in at his dorm area.

"All settled in then? I don't know... I think that exploration and first hand experiences are always the best parts of learning! Nothing better than being the one doing the discovering!"

Still her voice calms as she looks up distractedly at something in the hallway.

"Your friend is very kind indeed... It is nice when people support you!" She looks calmly focused for a second with a slight smile and then lowers her head back to being level with her finger already pushing the errant glasses back up on her nose.

"So where do you hail from George?" She smiles as she speaks up. "Do you live nearby?"

As George answers she notices the young man striding up to meet them. She however has taken her glasses off to try and clean a smudge off of them so she cannot tell who it is just yet.

If he speaks to them she is sure she will know if she does not put her glasses on before then.

[steveflam]

George replies "I'm from East End of London." George has noticed the man as well, but doesn't think anything of it. "So, besides music, what other classes are ye lookin' forward to? An I guess I should be askin where ye be from, Christine?"

[Alastor]

Niles approaches the two undergraduates and, after giving the young woman polishing her spectacles a moment to answer her companion's question, remarks:

"I couldn't help but notice you touring the campus. Would you be interested in seeing the Reception Hall or the Chapel?"

When Christine puts her glasses back on, Niles recalls with some embarrasment seeing her on the grounds last year, but adds to the appeal, pretending he hadn't mistaken these students for newcomers.

"I would appreciate a hand preparing them for tomorrow's ceremony, and it would give you a chance to examine some of the finest artwork on display at Fairfax College. It tends to be difficult to appreciate during our crowded receptions, and of course at Mass one's mind is occupied by higher things."

He speaks with a heavy Gaelic accent which takes a moment to decipher.

[A G Thing]

"Well I have been a bit more or less looking forward to all of them except for Chemistry and Math... I like them fine but I only get so interested in them. Been mostly looking forward to more of my Literature and Drama classes as well as Art History. I do like history though as it is like literature as well!!!"

She places her glasses upon her face again and gives a glance at Niles waiting patiently for her.

"As for where I am from well my mom was from the north England by way of Scotland and my father was French so I lived in France for much of my time and then I came to this school when I could manage it by living with a close family friend nearby while I attend."

Christine switches between her Scott-English and French accents quite easily as she speaks aloud and then settles into an almost accent-less English that seems to be a mixture that she had been speaking to him in before. The switch between them is seamless though she does it with no real effort.

Looking to George as Niles offers both a suggestion and a request for aid she responds. "You are...? Huh? Excuse me... Father... But while your voice and face are familiar I just can't for the moment place your name! This is George and I am Christine... May we have your name?" Christine smiles as she waits for his introduction.

Assuming he introduces himself then after that she then says... "Well I guess we could help you Father... If George does not have any objection..."

[Alastor]

"Of course," Niles replies "I am Fiachra Niles, the new assistant chaplain here. We may have met in past years of study. It is certainly a pleasure to be introduced to each of you now."

He extends a hand to Christine and George in turn. After Christine expresses her willingness to help, Niles turns to George to see what he has to say.

[steveflam]

Keeping his ideas about theology to himself, he merely replies "I will help you as well, sir. Time will pass by faster if I do."

[Ail]

Happy to have found two couples of helping hands, Fiachra leads the students first to the reception hall, then to the chapel. He explains them briefly that on the following day, the year will start with official ceremonies in both places. As assistant chaplain, it is his duty to oversee the preparations of both spaces. It is also part of the school's tradition that younger students help in performing this kind of tasks.

Indeed, the fagging system requires younger level students to perform house-work chores to students in later years, with the double purpose of instilling discipline among the pupils and reducing the needs for staff.

After the work is done, the places look this (minus the obviously modern elements):

Reception Hall:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zrih ... C06823.JPG

Chapel:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3zu0 ... C06813.JPG


OOC: feel free to roleplay some of the conversation if you wish. This is an opportunity to know each other. Then I will advance the scene to the next day.

[Ail]

The rest of the day passes without incident. Fiachra manages to recruit two or three more students in the meanwhile and the work is soon done. After that, each leaves to their own devices and retires to their room.

In the evening, dinner is served in the Dining Hall, exclusively for students. There is some confusion regarding where everyone will sit, but the monitors of the corridors divide the students according to their lodgings and eventually the places are set for the rest of the year. The High Table, where ordinarily will sit the masters, stays empty. It will only be filled on the following day, after the introductory ceremony to the new year.

After dinner, students retire to their rooms. George and Christine can see other students of various ages, but there is little talk among them.
Fiachra has his own exclusive room, a privilege that comes with age. But his status as a post-graduate student and assistant chaplain give him the privilege of a more comfortable room than that of other pupils.

The next day will start early, with a Solemn Mass in the Chapel, followed by the official Reception, where the Headmistress and the teaching Staff will greet the students for the New Year, and give them the most important directions for school life.

[Ail]

The next Sunday is the big First Day, when the School Masters officially greet the new new and the returning students, and welcome the whole community to the start of a new year.
Early on, the students are gathered by the monitors of each corridor, and brought down orderly to a brief breakfast in the Dining Hall. Everyone is then led to the Chapel, where Mass is celebrated. The Chaplain's sermon is directed at the students, at remembering their values as good and honest men, with emphasis on honest labour and integrity of character.

All the staff is there, occupying the stalls nearer the altar. The students fill the remaining places, with the youngest at the front and the eldest near the entrance. As the service concludes with great fanfare of the organ, the Headmistress and the senior masters lead everyone to the opposite reception hall, where all sit for the speeches that follow.

[Ail]

The Headmistress is the first. Emilia Fairfax is a tall elegant woman, not much over 40 years old, who has a warmly face and a dignified, but not severe, presence. Her tone is congenial, almost as if crossing the space and the time between her and the students to stay in their minds as one of their household: a younger aunt, maybe a long-separated cousin or a wise older sister. She sketches the history of the building and only superficially touches the creation of the university: they are lucky to be able to study and live in the old grounds of the ancient Rythgallos family. The castle was in ruins until recenty, when it was bought to the purpose of creating a university for the worthy students.

She addresses the assembly, at one point, with a rather more stern than for the rest of her speech.
"Regrettably, I have to say that we could not yet finish the recovery of the building. Of the initial castle, only one half is currently in use, and the south yard is off-limits to students. It may appear standing and in good condition, but it is not, and for the sake of safety, all students should remain away from it. Despite the fact that the two sections of the building are connected, the doors that lead from the north to the south yard are always closed."

She then presents all the teachers that compose the staff of the school, and finally gives her place to the Dean of studies, her sister Victoria.

[Ail]

Victoria Fairfax is a rather imposing sight, markedly different from her sister. She dresses more coldly, and despite being younger, she exhudes an aura of age that makes her look 10 years older than Emilia. She walks almost stiffly, and with her back in an perfectly correct posture. She has the air of one who will not have patience for trivialities nor excuses. She delivers her message quickly. She is the Dean of Studies, and the responsible for the academic excellence of the School, and the defense of its Moral values. She describes the courses and the degrees offered by the school and then proceeds to the rules that the students must follow, in particular their schedule. Students are expected to get up at 7am, and to be in their beds at 10h30pm, when the lights in the building go out. The House is locked up at 10pm, and students are required to be within the grounds at sunset. She is also responsible for discipline, and any matters of conduct or conflict between the students will ultimately be adjudicated by her. However, a system is enforced in the school allowing discipline for minor cases to be dealt by the senior students, who have leave to give certain punishments for the younger. This is not limited to the Hall monitor, although this is the last appeal before the Dean.