InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "But were they really giants?"

in_the_grass (in_the_grass) wrote in wished,
@ 2010-09-01 12:40:00

Entry tags:

!2003: 08, !complete, essery oakby, severus snape

Who: Severus Snape and Essery Oakby
What: Chess.
Where: Headmaster's office, Hogwarts.
When: Backdated to August 31st, evening.
Warnings/Rating: Probably none/low

He wasn't certain who had left this set behind, but doubted it had been Dumbledore. It hardly seemed whimsical enough. By the look of it, it might not have been enchanted at all; it was all perfectly plain black and white stone, and none of the pieces showed any sign of jumping to life and murdering one another. But then, there were probably plenty of things hiding away in this office that weren't what they seemed, and five years hadn't been enough time to make a thorough survey. It didn't seem to be cursed, in any case, so it would serve. He set it out without incident, lining the pieces up with a flick of his wand.

"You can go first, if you like," he said, with a faint smirk. "I believe that's the courtesy usually afforded the party occupying the disadvantaged position?" Not that he saw any cause to doubt her chess-related abilities - but she had set herself up for an unwinnable argument.

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oakbye
2010-09-01 08:41 pm UTC (link)

To be honest, Essery wasn't sure exactly what it was she had been trying to prove in the debate she'd signed up for - it was either that crises weren't inevitable, or it was that things didn't have to be as they always were. Either way, she knew she was the optimist for tonight, and getting the game going was probably a better way to start.

Also, the idea of sitting down to a game with Severus Snape, even a game of chess, was definitely a little mind bending.

She reached for a pawn, picking him up carefully as she wasn't sure whether or not it was a muggle set and ordering the pieces about seemed a bit daft if it wasn't, but she felt him wriggling in her hand and then rolled her eyes and sat him back. "Sorry," she said to the pawn. "Right then, you. E four." And she smiled up sheepishly at Snape, relaxing into her chair.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-01 09:22 pm UTC (link)

Just a particularly subdued wizard chess set, then. He supposed he could appreciate that. He had never played on anything that didn't move itself.

He hadn't played at all in quite a while, really. It was an appropriate ending to summer, though, an opportunity to engage in something a little more challenging than making reports to the board or overseeing curriculum changes or coping with unhappy professors. September usually came with a marked downturn in intellectual stimulation - much like what had come from grading the first wave of first-years' papers every year. He considered this less a game than an exercise now, which was at least better than when he had considered it a competition. But that had more to do with whom he was playing than with anything else.

"C five," he said after a brief hesitation, and his pawn slid abruptly forward. "I will admit that the first crisis I expected hasn't come to pass. We're well and fully staffed, at least." He expected not everyone thought so, however. He was curious as to how they all regarded one another.

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oakbye
2010-09-01 09:34 pm UTC (link)

"Then there's a point for my side before we even start," She said with another smile, directing a second knight forward. She couldn't really remember the last time she'd played - she somehow suspected that her last serious game might have been with Heath while they were both in school, but she wouldn't admit that she was rusty.

"And there don't seem to be any imminent threats from the board yet, right?" She wouldn't be privvy to those, really, but she hadn't seen any of the stodgy board members lurking about while she'd been moving in to her rooms.

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in_the_grass
2010-09-01 09:40 pm UTC (link)

"No. Not yet. After tomorrow, we shall simply have to wait and see," he said, considering the pieces in front of him. He nudged a knight in behind his pawn. "There are very few members who have what most people would be able to recognize as a sense of humor. Fortunately, they seem as happy to disagree with each other as to disagree with me. And you?" He was already drumming his fingers gently on the edge of the table, trying to remember how he had mucked it up the last time he'd played. "Any early predictions?"

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oakbye
2010-09-01 09:46 pm UTC (link)

"Predictions?" She shook her head and directed her own knight to move next to her pawn defensively, though she wasn't sure it was a good idea. "You'd be better off asking Sybil about that sort of thing, but I think it's going to be a decent year. The staff is all young, all these new professors and new ideas, it feels a little bit like a Renaissance, doesn't it? Without all the arty bits."

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in_the_grass
2010-09-01 09:56 pm UTC (link)

"A Renaissance." He arched an eyebrow, still looking at the board; it was clear he thought the term a little overly confident. His knight took her pawn, resulting in an impressive if not particularly inspired shower of stone shards. He didn't bother with the dust - he expected it would disappear on its own, although one never knew. "It's possible. I'd like a few less new additions next year, to be perfectly honest." It was only natural to go through a few before finding someone who intended to stay until she was a hundred and fifty years old, but it always felt a little like a waste when someone left after one year or two. "But it's not for everyone, I suppose."

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oakbye
2010-09-01 10:00 pm UTC (link)

"Well, then we'll hope that our Renaissance sticks," Essery seemed to be joking, but only a little, she did like that there had been so much turnover, really, if only because she didn't feel like the only person who wasn't quite sure how to manage their new roles.

For a minute she was quiet, looking over the board, and then another pawn moved to threaten his knight.

"It isn't. And it's better that they leave than that they stay around and drag everyone else down with them, right? I mean.... whats his name, who you let go from Transfiguration? He was nice enough, but he was horrible."

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in_the_grass
2010-09-01 10:08 pm UTC (link)

"That's right," he said with a stiff nod. "Wiltingdon." The memory of sacking him still brought a bit of a smile to his face - it was so much better than when they submitted their resignation. "He was an idiot. Better that someone has the brains to recognize a poor fit." He slid a bishop out to the frontlines, thoughtfully. He could bear to lose a few pieces if it helped him lean how she liked to play. "At least they're all - I believe - enthusiastic; people who hate it are bound to spread the venom soon enough. But there's also reputation to consider. Parents like good names."

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	oakbye 2010-09-06 11:25 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm sure they'll love it," Essery moved her knight to block a path the bishop could take, then relaxed back into her chair. "I mean, I thought I'd hate it, when you hired me on. But here I am." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

in_the_grass
2010-09-06 11:33 pm UTC (link)

"Then it was foolish to apply, wasn't it." He spent a moment thinking about mobilizing his queen, but decided against it. he wasn't in any rush at all. "There are certainly better-paying jobs." He wasn't in a position to question her decision to take on a job she thought she might hate, as he'd done exactly the same thing but it was curious. "And easier ones to get." He pushed another pawn forward, working up a slow defense.

	oakbye 2010-09-13 12:31 am UTC (link)
	"Perhaps they had no emotional problems to speak of?" She offered, almost hopefully, and moved her remaining knight to a defensive position. "But I'm sure they found their ways. I never used Professor Sprout to air my woes, and I managed my way through school." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	oakbye 2010-09-13 12:44 am UTC (link)
	"See, I would be impossible at that." She shook her head. "Not political enough to deal with the sort of wizards who tend to become governors, from those I've known in the past at least." Which reminded her of something she'd meant to ask. "When exactly am I to take up answering all your mail, by the way?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)