Halcyon Halls

Who: Selene and Jillian
When: Sunday afternoon
Where: Selene's office


Stark raving bitch. That was one way to describe Selene's behavior with most everyone as of late. Did she wish to apologize for this behavior? Maybe someday. But not at the moment. She did wish to curb it, at least somewhat when she was within the school walls. Her bitterness aside, she knew it didn't deserve to be directed toward the student body. She had been a young person once, she had been turned and introduced into a whole new world and did understand how... complicated it could be. Especially for those that lacked the guidance that she'd had.

But such reminders of Cassius only served to set such progress toward tempering her behavior back another notch.

The weekend had been spent with the usual amount of time spent away from the school. As much as was possible that was. She had stuck to her office for the minimum of her office hours, though she was rather certain her surly demeanor in most of her classes had discouraged questions from most outside of class. That was preferably at the moment but she knew it wasn't what was expected and she would have to cease her behavior sooner rather than later. Her agreed upon appointment with one of her neglected guide students was perhaps step one on this path to righting her temperament. Or maybe it would just be a test to see how long it was she could hold her temper in check. Hopefully longer than with that were Sydni.

She had done her part, dressing as she typically did in the school setting. Black pencil skirt, a soft gray sleeveless blouse and black sling back heels. There was something to be said for dressing the part, it was almost half the battle. She seated herself at her desk and forced her mind to settle on reading over notes and assignments from her classes, best to keep the academic mindset as she awaited Jillian.

Who:  Sydni and Selene
What:  An accidental meeting
When:  Late night
Where:  Hallway near instructors' offices

Sydni was pleased.  It had been another successful meeting with Miklos.  Again, they'd talked late into the night.  That might have been normal for Miklos, but it would really suck for Sydni in the morning.  Really, she didn't care much, though.  She was learning so much, and it really was invigorating to have the kind of one on one instruction of an independent study.  Why didn't she do an independent study earlier?  She could have gotten more out of some of her classes; she was sure of it.  With her head spinning with what she'd learned, the topics they'd discussed, she set down the hallway with a small smile on her face.  Eventually it faded as she walked, however.  Not because she was displeased, but because she had a lot to think about.  Some of what Miklos pointed out contradicted some of her personal thoughts and beliefs, and she needed to ponder through them to reconcile the differences.

Her week had so far been more enjoyable than she'd imagined.  It had also been more low-key.  Yesterday, she'd met the newest member of the staff, and she'd had a successful chat with Dav - er, Shaye.  Things were really starting to look up.  Plus, she was fairly certain she'd get to go out diving this weekend.  At last, a good week.  Her mind continued to be absorbed by the discussion she'd just had, but it was probably more positive and open now that she'd finally settled into a less stressful time here at the school.  That was one thing about her tendency for overloading - stress often inhibitted learning, but somehow, it seemed to work for her.  She needed to keep herself occupied to deal with her stress, and she was successful at managing both.

With her mind fully occupied with the cognitive dissonance of tonight's discussions, Sydni rounded a corner without paying attention to what her ears were telling her - that someone was headed on a crash course for her.  Luckily, her reflexes were better than her ears, and she stepped to the side barely missing the tall blond.  "Whoa!" she muttered in surprise.  She knew she was at fault - the word escaped out of surprise.  Gasping slightly, she offered a quick apology.  "I'm sorry!  I wasn't paying attention.  Are you ok?"  They hadn't collided, but it was still instinct for her.  Besides, she looked none too happy and Sydni wanted to mollify her before she launched into angry words.  She didn't need anything to kill her good week vibes right now.

Who: Selene and Axel (or Val your choice Linda!)
When: Tuesday Night
Where: City



Emotions were a funny thing. Felt singularly they could be so strong, so intense that it could be painful to act in opposition of those feelings. Felt en masse and Selene found she had no where to go. Overwhelming as they were all she could do was sit in the midst of them. A push and a pull that led her nowhere. The proverbial one step foward one step back, though perhaps it was two steps back in her case.

She had agreed to take over the bloodlust class, in fact she'd had every intention of walking through the doors Monday morning and sitting down to teach the class but as Monday drew closer and closer, she'd found herself swallowed up in the emotions that she couldn't quite harness. The thought of that classroom where he should be was too much. She just needed some time.

Could time really change anything though? Once before she'd sat alone and wondered where he was and if she would ever see him and it had taken quite a bit longer than a week for her to pull herself from the inner most reaches of her brain and function. But she had. And she hoped now that it would take nearly as long. She had to, there were students that needed this instruction. It didn't go unmissed on Selene the struggles that many of them held. It was impossible for that to go unnoticed as those concerns and fears swirled around them. A week. That was all she gave herself to run grieve his absence and find that inner resolve that had never been quite so hidden before.

It was day two. And day two was not the prettiest of days. Selene had kept to her room for the hours that sunlight beat down unceasingly on her windows. Too bright for her to even wish to remove herself from the dark sheets she had twisted her form into. But as the sun set she had pulled herself from them and slid clean clothing onto her body. A black sheath of a dress, hair loose and wild around her shoulders. She honestly couldn't be bothered to care.

( She paid it all no mind, they could look as they wished. Come too close however and the situation might be different. )

Who: Selene and Valeria
Where: Hell
When: Tuesday, 11pm
Rating: TBD


It was clear that the blonde in the back of the bar had no desire to be sitting amongst the various individuals that found the dark trappings of Hell to be their particular cup of tea for the evening. Fingernails tapped with a certainly audible level of irritation against the edge of her glass. It didn't hold her customary glass of wine or even a drink more suited to one of her race. Instead, it was a simple human drink. An aged brandy rolling over the ice cubes that were occasionally swirled around the bottom of her glass. It wasn't a drink she indulged in often. The slide of the amber colored liquid over the cubes reminded her of years gone by, drinks and meals shared...

Shared with the one that was the very reason she was seated in Hell on a Friday evening.

Valeria. The one that had been before her but not the one that had remained. Selene knew of her, it hadn't ever been a secret that she had not been the first person Cassius had sired. That she held no problem with, though if she was being entirely honest with herself a small touch of that insecurity that almost every individual held lingered. Questions about what she had truly meant to him... and what she meant in turn.

For centuries she had never thought on those concerns. Had there been any need to? No. But now... now there was all too much to think. She knew exactly what Cassius had endured at the mercies of the demon, the demon that his childe was so tied to. For that alone, Selene could not stand the woman. But that she... was the temptation that threatened to push Cassius over the edge that Selene did not know how to help him back from any longer was enough to have her seated in Hell, waiting to see if the other would appear.

But what terrified her was whether or not he truly didn't wish for that fall.

Dressed for the part in hell, she had left her customary suit in her room. Left it in the room that felt different than it once had, closed off and walled off as Cassius was in her head. Her customary wear didn't fit what she needed to be this evening and she was woman enough to admit that there was something damn empowering about a pair of heels.

Trappings wouldn't be enough and Selene knew it. But it could all be for naught. If the other woman would even show up...

Who: Starbuck and Selene
When: evening (after his fight with Kat)
Where: Selene's office

Kat had appeared shell-shocked upon hearing Starbuck finally confess his feelings. When he finally dropped the bomb, said 'I love you', it was like she slipped into an instant coma. Her eyes went wide, but there was nothing in them. She stood frozen and unresponsive when he briefly kissed her. He didn't expect that reaction. Honestly, Starbuck figured he'd be slapped or yelled at. This was something new. He wished he could have stayed and talked to her, figured out what was going on in her head, but he was promptly escorted out of her room.

Starbuck was cooperative, so the guard didn't manhandle him or anything. They just walked silently through the halls, Starbuck a step behind, because he didn't know where they were going. He would likely be taken to see the headmaster to be told to pack his things and get the fuck out of the school. He wasn't ready to leave, not by a long shot. There was so much he still needed to accomplish as far as his training was concerned, and then there were his friends and Kat... he couldn't leave without saying goodbye to all of them.

All these thoughts, plus a million more, raced through his head as he followed the guard, and then suddenly the man stopped. Starbuck nearly bumped into him, and only then did he get his bearings and realize where they were. He'd been so focused on other shit, that he'd not paid one bit of attention to his location. They were standing outside Selene's office. The guard knocked on the door and then crossed his arms over his broad chest, looking at Starbuck without a hint of emotion. Starbuck looked at the man in return, "Am I gonna be expelled?" Starbuck asked in a weak, frightened voice, but he didn't get a reply. Hopefully Selene would have an answer... a good answer.

Who: Selene and all female students
When: Tuesday, after afternoon classes
Where: Energies and Emotions classroom


Classes were over for the day. They had been for quite some time for Selene, the energy and emotions class she taught being early in the day. Perhaps something odd for a Vampire but she had had many years to become accustomed to altering the hours that their race was perhaps a bit more comfortable in. Truth was, with the proper precautions there was no reason for her to embrace the night hours anymore than the day. Not always such an easy thing for every new vampire to embrace, especially any that had been burned by the sun that had once embraced.

Selene had used the hours between her various appointments and the end of her class to ready the classroom for the gathering she had arranged for the week before. The tables that were normally situated in the room were now pushed back against the walls. The chairs were moved into the center of the room, turned into a circle to facilitate discussion. Or so was the hope.

She had made a trip down to the kitchen an hour or so before the discussion was set to begin. Some light refreshments were gathered as she had advertised. A plate of crackers, several cheeses and fruits. Warm water was brought in and set next to several cups and bags of tea as well as plain water. Perhaps not a selection that would please everyone but hopefully there was something for everyone. And in that vein a small container also held blood for those that wished to partake in that particular beverage.

The rest of the tables were covered with various pamphlets of information for the women attending to take if they were interested. Something that Selene hoped all did. Packets of paper on self esteem, healthy eating habits, healthy relationships and relaxation techniques, all things that were important things to remember whether one was human or supernatural. All too often the problems were all the same.

The discussion was particularly important to Selene. She had been born to an age where women had rarely been known for anything other than their connection to a man. Their identity was nothing without that... other half if you will. Stepping free of that path when she had... had not been a simple process. While things were very different now, the issue was still one quite close to Selene's heart. She liked to now use the position she held now to help women now as best she could.

She poured herself her own cup of tea and smoothed her skirt down as she took a seat at one of the chairs. She could only hope that this discussion proved to be helpful for all the women at Halcyon.