Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Aug 18, 2007 20:03:56 GMT
"KIRA!"
Professor Pott's voice cracked like a whip across the classroom. Kira jumped, and the bubble of water above her hand imploded, and cascaded down her back, soaking her. The class erupted into giggles as Prof. Pott advanced on her, nostrils flaring angrily. Kira smiled nervously as the stout woman came to a halt in front of her, legs shoulder-width apart and hands on hips.
"Well?!" snapped the 'Crackpott', her eyes flashing.
"Well what?" It was a mistake. Kira would've dearly loved to cut her own tongue out.
Crackpott's nostrils flared impressively; always a warning sign. Kira gulped, bowing her head; ready for the blow. "Kira," came the tense voice before her; sinisterly sweet and shaky. "What exactly is the purpose of this lesson?"
"To learn how to blend our powers with those who posess the gift of ice," Kira supplied quickly.
"Good. You're not completely zonked out of this world, then." There was another soft smattering of giggles. Kira bit her lip, refraining from biting back, as the Crackpott leered before her. With this woman, you had to get used to the snide comments. They came at Kira like darts; it seemed every second she wasn't going at Kira was a second wasted.
"No, Professor," Kira replied meekly, feeling slightly ashamed of her response.
Her teacher snorted. "So... if you knew what we were doing, why were you sitting there, playing with mini-waves, instead of working to create- "
"Slush?" she muttered.
Crackpott raised an eyebrow, her voice dropping to a deadly low. "Water and ice are compatible; but only if their posessors are good enough to combine them."
"They're sort of the same," muttered Kira. "I mean... ice is frozen water, right? I don't see why we're trying to re-create the same effect of a broken freezer."
There was more laughter, but this time, it was for her benefit. Kira forced herself not to smile, for she knew it would only antagonise the Crackpott further.
Instead, how ever, the Crackpott smoothed her face into a tight-lipped smile. "So... you think it completely pointless, do you? A bit of a dead-ender?"
Kira didn't answer; but she met her teacher's gaze with a hard glare, a defiant look gleaming in her eye.
"I see..." the Crackpott said slowly. "Well then... Allison, will you step forward please?"
A smatter of murmurings ran through the crowd like a ripple as it parted. Pushed forward roughly by a few hands, a small, dark-haired girl made her way forward; looking nothing short of petrified as to what the Crackpott had in store for her. She did not meet Kira's gaze as she faced her, but stared determinedly at the floor. Kira had a feeling she knew where this was going. The Crackpott was going to prove Kira wrong.
She must be having a field day.
"Kira," smiled the Crackpott, revealing her small, eerily white teeth. "Meet Allison."
"Hi," Kira said dully to the girl before her.
"Allison," the Crackpott fixed her with a gleaming blue stare. "Meet Kira."
"Hullo," the girl surprised Kira with a thick, and strangely echoing Scottish accent. She seemed all too aware of it, and flushed momentarily pink.
"Allison is an excellent student," the Crackpott continued happily, gazing fondly at her. "Excellent... very artistic. She creates ice sculptures you know, with an incredible likeness. As for you," her cheerful tone dropped to a snarl, "you have talent, to be sure. That's why Professor Hoodham chose you, no doubt, to become a Head. But you do not apply yourself. You do not work. And you do not appreciate your own Gifts. Allison here could teach you a lot."
Allison's cheeks were now a dull red colour. Kira could feel nothing but pity for the girl.
"Create a water whip, Kira," said the Crackpott, turned to stare at her.
Kira blinked. "Pardon?"
"A water whip," she smiled, crossing her arms. "Surely you can do that."
"Yes, Professor Cr- Pott."
"Sorry?"
"Yes Professor Pott!" Kira repeated loudly, grinding her teeth.
Water was traditionally seen as cooling... perhaps the most relaxing of the elements... but the water whip was an example that water was far more than that. Water lacked the ruthless beauty of fire and smoke, which Kira thought so often would suit the temper inside of her, but there was no denying its terrible destructive force. The water whip was more of a sharp snap; and had everything to do with the way your wrists and fingers correspond. The theory went that if you could snap your fingers loudly ten times in quick succession, you could do the water whip. Kira had always felt a certain liking for this particular move. She'd always felt its stingng slap was something of a reminder to the world of what water was truly capable of.
The water whip was pretty easy to conjure. Everyone has a certain percentage of water in their bodies. People with the Gift of Water could not only control the water around them, but could excercise some control of the water within them too; provided they stay hydrated. The water whip was basically like an extension of your arms.
Breathing first, Kira spread her legs to shoulder width apart, giving herself a good stance, and good balance. Slowly, and forcefully, she held her right arm (her writing hand) forward, and moved it in a repetitive circular motion, forcing her wrist forward first, before curling her fingers into the palm of her hand and rolling them backwards, drawing them towards her chest. Stepping backwards on her right leg, she kept the circular motion going. As she did this, her blood was gathering heat, drawing water from the different parts of her body, sucking them down through her veins and focusing their pressure on the wrist. After a ten circular motions, Kira had all the water she needed. Smiling, she unfurled her fist, and moved her hand upwards slowly, forming it into an almost claw-like shape. With an echoing crack that made quite a few people jump, she snapped down the claw very quickly, and the water ripped forth from her skin like her veins were jumping forward and through.
Stepping back triumphantly, she took hold of the end of the smooth, cool snake and held it aloof.
Prof. Pott was nodding her unenthusiastic and slightly resentful approval. "Perfect stance, perfect form, perfect whip," she muttered darkly, and- seemingly unable to resist- then added, "The way you would be more often if you just made an effort in class!"
Kira rolled her eyes as the Crackpott turned away to Allison, and examined her whip instead. She hadn't made one of these in a while, and she rather regretted it. Once the water whip was there, it was a cinch to maintain. People only had problems if they create one properly. Once you had that down, you were ready to go.
"Now, then, girls," said the Crackpott, moving away from Allison, who was now forming a roughly hewn ice block. "I want you to create... a sculpture."
Allison stopped, staring at the teacher. "Em... Professor?"
"Yes, m'dear?" asked the Crackpott, not unkindly.
"Er... it's just... whenever I create a sculpture, I usually start off with a rough block of ice, and begin to chisel away at it with my powers. It takes a long time though- hours."
"I know," smiled the Crackpott. "You persevere; it's excellent. Kira, on the other hand, would have no patience for such a thing. She... aah... how can I put this delicately? She would be one of those people who just 'couldn't be bothered'. She'd be far too easily distracted from her work- either that or would just get frustrated- and never finish the thing. Unfortunately, you find that a large portion of the world is like that, and they demand a far more immediate result."
Allison frowned, finished up her ice block as she did so. It was now a smooth, flat circular shape, and quite thick. "Yes, but I don't quite..."
"Understand?" laughed Crackpott. "Look- water is far more malleable than ice. Show her your water whip, Kira."
Kira complied, giving her water whip a quick flourish so it spun around in a spectacular fashion; like a ribbon. There were a couple of 'ooh's from the watching crowd.
The Crackpott sniffed. "Little show-off... Now; what have we been doing this lesson?"
"Combining our powers with those who are Gifted by Water," Allison replied.
"We do this by...?"
"Freezing their water," she replied.
"So if Kira was to twist and turn that little snake of a whip, couldn't she create a beautiful movement in the air, which you could instantly freeze to become a sculpture?"
Allison blinked, finally catching up. "Oh!"
Kira was already half-way there. Spinning the whip around the air, she turned, calling quickly to Allison, "On my count! Three... two... one... NOW!"
There was a whooshing sound from Allison and a silvery mist surrounded Kira's whip. Drawing back the remaining water into her arm, Kira stepped backwards, watching as Allison slowly lowered the now solid water carefully down onto the cut of ice she'd created. She smoothed it into the block carefully, and took a step backwards to examine their work.
Kira didn't like to admit it, but the effect was not the inside of a broken freezer. Actually, it was strangely beautiful, if you were into that sort of thing. The crowd of students were applauding now, and Allison caught Kira's eye, giving her a shy smile.
The Crackpott rushed forward, applauding more enthusiastically than anyone else. "Why'd you put it so high up, Allison could easily have dropped it!" she cried at Kira, before turning to her little Ice Princess. "Splendid result- even if with such short notice. You really came through!"
"Um... actually, it's okay, it was a good thing she counted because- "
"Marvellous!" Professor Pott cut her short once more, turning to address the crowd as a whole. "Water is much more easily controlled than ice; which can sometimes prove to be very awkward. It's solid, after all. Water however is very easily controlled, and moved, but it sometimes does not hold enough power. Ice is solid, and so has a lot more... ah... strength. By combining the two skills, you get the best of both elements. Combination is key."
The crowd was silent before her, and for some reason, her expression was now grave.
"This war has cut into our school life, and has affected many of you already. You need to know how to work together; and combine to give yourselves the best chance possible. Teamwork is important. Alone we are weak, but together, we are strong."
Kira felt her stomach slide a little. She had not been expecting the Crackpott to draw this from their lesson. She hadn't meant those freezer remarks- not really- and she hadn't meant to bring them onto such a ghastly subject. With a jolt, she remembered her training session scheduled for later that day. Would Madeleine talk like this?
It was weird, they'd all heard it a thousand times, but seeing it in practise was something a little different. Kira shuddered, and spent the last few minutes of the lesson in silence; praying for the bell to hurry up, so that she could just leave.
Professor Pott's voice cracked like a whip across the classroom. Kira jumped, and the bubble of water above her hand imploded, and cascaded down her back, soaking her. The class erupted into giggles as Prof. Pott advanced on her, nostrils flaring angrily. Kira smiled nervously as the stout woman came to a halt in front of her, legs shoulder-width apart and hands on hips.
"Well?!" snapped the 'Crackpott', her eyes flashing.
"Well what?" It was a mistake. Kira would've dearly loved to cut her own tongue out.
Crackpott's nostrils flared impressively; always a warning sign. Kira gulped, bowing her head; ready for the blow. "Kira," came the tense voice before her; sinisterly sweet and shaky. "What exactly is the purpose of this lesson?"
"To learn how to blend our powers with those who posess the gift of ice," Kira supplied quickly.
"Good. You're not completely zonked out of this world, then." There was another soft smattering of giggles. Kira bit her lip, refraining from biting back, as the Crackpott leered before her. With this woman, you had to get used to the snide comments. They came at Kira like darts; it seemed every second she wasn't going at Kira was a second wasted.
"No, Professor," Kira replied meekly, feeling slightly ashamed of her response.
Her teacher snorted. "So... if you knew what we were doing, why were you sitting there, playing with mini-waves, instead of working to create- "
"Slush?" she muttered.
Crackpott raised an eyebrow, her voice dropping to a deadly low. "Water and ice are compatible; but only if their posessors are good enough to combine them."
"They're sort of the same," muttered Kira. "I mean... ice is frozen water, right? I don't see why we're trying to re-create the same effect of a broken freezer."
There was more laughter, but this time, it was for her benefit. Kira forced herself not to smile, for she knew it would only antagonise the Crackpott further.
Instead, how ever, the Crackpott smoothed her face into a tight-lipped smile. "So... you think it completely pointless, do you? A bit of a dead-ender?"
Kira didn't answer; but she met her teacher's gaze with a hard glare, a defiant look gleaming in her eye.
"I see..." the Crackpott said slowly. "Well then... Allison, will you step forward please?"
A smatter of murmurings ran through the crowd like a ripple as it parted. Pushed forward roughly by a few hands, a small, dark-haired girl made her way forward; looking nothing short of petrified as to what the Crackpott had in store for her. She did not meet Kira's gaze as she faced her, but stared determinedly at the floor. Kira had a feeling she knew where this was going. The Crackpott was going to prove Kira wrong.
She must be having a field day.
"Kira," smiled the Crackpott, revealing her small, eerily white teeth. "Meet Allison."
"Hi," Kira said dully to the girl before her.
"Allison," the Crackpott fixed her with a gleaming blue stare. "Meet Kira."
"Hullo," the girl surprised Kira with a thick, and strangely echoing Scottish accent. She seemed all too aware of it, and flushed momentarily pink.
"Allison is an excellent student," the Crackpott continued happily, gazing fondly at her. "Excellent... very artistic. She creates ice sculptures you know, with an incredible likeness. As for you," her cheerful tone dropped to a snarl, "you have talent, to be sure. That's why Professor Hoodham chose you, no doubt, to become a Head. But you do not apply yourself. You do not work. And you do not appreciate your own Gifts. Allison here could teach you a lot."
Allison's cheeks were now a dull red colour. Kira could feel nothing but pity for the girl.
"Create a water whip, Kira," said the Crackpott, turned to stare at her.
Kira blinked. "Pardon?"
"A water whip," she smiled, crossing her arms. "Surely you can do that."
"Yes, Professor Cr- Pott."
"Sorry?"
"Yes Professor Pott!" Kira repeated loudly, grinding her teeth.
Water was traditionally seen as cooling... perhaps the most relaxing of the elements... but the water whip was an example that water was far more than that. Water lacked the ruthless beauty of fire and smoke, which Kira thought so often would suit the temper inside of her, but there was no denying its terrible destructive force. The water whip was more of a sharp snap; and had everything to do with the way your wrists and fingers correspond. The theory went that if you could snap your fingers loudly ten times in quick succession, you could do the water whip. Kira had always felt a certain liking for this particular move. She'd always felt its stingng slap was something of a reminder to the world of what water was truly capable of.
The water whip was pretty easy to conjure. Everyone has a certain percentage of water in their bodies. People with the Gift of Water could not only control the water around them, but could excercise some control of the water within them too; provided they stay hydrated. The water whip was basically like an extension of your arms.
Breathing first, Kira spread her legs to shoulder width apart, giving herself a good stance, and good balance. Slowly, and forcefully, she held her right arm (her writing hand) forward, and moved it in a repetitive circular motion, forcing her wrist forward first, before curling her fingers into the palm of her hand and rolling them backwards, drawing them towards her chest. Stepping backwards on her right leg, she kept the circular motion going. As she did this, her blood was gathering heat, drawing water from the different parts of her body, sucking them down through her veins and focusing their pressure on the wrist. After a ten circular motions, Kira had all the water she needed. Smiling, she unfurled her fist, and moved her hand upwards slowly, forming it into an almost claw-like shape. With an echoing crack that made quite a few people jump, she snapped down the claw very quickly, and the water ripped forth from her skin like her veins were jumping forward and through.
Stepping back triumphantly, she took hold of the end of the smooth, cool snake and held it aloof.
Prof. Pott was nodding her unenthusiastic and slightly resentful approval. "Perfect stance, perfect form, perfect whip," she muttered darkly, and- seemingly unable to resist- then added, "The way you would be more often if you just made an effort in class!"
Kira rolled her eyes as the Crackpott turned away to Allison, and examined her whip instead. She hadn't made one of these in a while, and she rather regretted it. Once the water whip was there, it was a cinch to maintain. People only had problems if they create one properly. Once you had that down, you were ready to go.
"Now, then, girls," said the Crackpott, moving away from Allison, who was now forming a roughly hewn ice block. "I want you to create... a sculpture."
Allison stopped, staring at the teacher. "Em... Professor?"
"Yes, m'dear?" asked the Crackpott, not unkindly.
"Er... it's just... whenever I create a sculpture, I usually start off with a rough block of ice, and begin to chisel away at it with my powers. It takes a long time though- hours."
"I know," smiled the Crackpott. "You persevere; it's excellent. Kira, on the other hand, would have no patience for such a thing. She... aah... how can I put this delicately? She would be one of those people who just 'couldn't be bothered'. She'd be far too easily distracted from her work- either that or would just get frustrated- and never finish the thing. Unfortunately, you find that a large portion of the world is like that, and they demand a far more immediate result."
Allison frowned, finished up her ice block as she did so. It was now a smooth, flat circular shape, and quite thick. "Yes, but I don't quite..."
"Understand?" laughed Crackpott. "Look- water is far more malleable than ice. Show her your water whip, Kira."
Kira complied, giving her water whip a quick flourish so it spun around in a spectacular fashion; like a ribbon. There were a couple of 'ooh's from the watching crowd.
The Crackpott sniffed. "Little show-off... Now; what have we been doing this lesson?"
"Combining our powers with those who are Gifted by Water," Allison replied.
"We do this by...?"
"Freezing their water," she replied.
"So if Kira was to twist and turn that little snake of a whip, couldn't she create a beautiful movement in the air, which you could instantly freeze to become a sculpture?"
Allison blinked, finally catching up. "Oh!"
Kira was already half-way there. Spinning the whip around the air, she turned, calling quickly to Allison, "On my count! Three... two... one... NOW!"
There was a whooshing sound from Allison and a silvery mist surrounded Kira's whip. Drawing back the remaining water into her arm, Kira stepped backwards, watching as Allison slowly lowered the now solid water carefully down onto the cut of ice she'd created. She smoothed it into the block carefully, and took a step backwards to examine their work.
Kira didn't like to admit it, but the effect was not the inside of a broken freezer. Actually, it was strangely beautiful, if you were into that sort of thing. The crowd of students were applauding now, and Allison caught Kira's eye, giving her a shy smile.
The Crackpott rushed forward, applauding more enthusiastically than anyone else. "Why'd you put it so high up, Allison could easily have dropped it!" she cried at Kira, before turning to her little Ice Princess. "Splendid result- even if with such short notice. You really came through!"
"Um... actually, it's okay, it was a good thing she counted because- "
"Marvellous!" Professor Pott cut her short once more, turning to address the crowd as a whole. "Water is much more easily controlled than ice; which can sometimes prove to be very awkward. It's solid, after all. Water however is very easily controlled, and moved, but it sometimes does not hold enough power. Ice is solid, and so has a lot more... ah... strength. By combining the two skills, you get the best of both elements. Combination is key."
The crowd was silent before her, and for some reason, her expression was now grave.
"This war has cut into our school life, and has affected many of you already. You need to know how to work together; and combine to give yourselves the best chance possible. Teamwork is important. Alone we are weak, but together, we are strong."
Kira felt her stomach slide a little. She had not been expecting the Crackpott to draw this from their lesson. She hadn't meant those freezer remarks- not really- and she hadn't meant to bring them onto such a ghastly subject. With a jolt, she remembered her training session scheduled for later that day. Would Madeleine talk like this?
It was weird, they'd all heard it a thousand times, but seeing it in practise was something a little different. Kira shuddered, and spent the last few minutes of the lesson in silence; praying for the bell to hurry up, so that she could just leave.
