Faery Magic 101 (Open)

The first time Oren set foot in his classroom he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Stiff wooden desks and chairs sat in neat rows and a larger but equally stiff desk was stationed at the front of the room, in front of a dull grey chalkboard.

Oren shook his head distainfully and waved his hand, casting a complex illusion over the room. The desks were replaced by oak and pine saplings, sunlight streamed into the room from where the blackboard had been and the walls were now covered with crawling ivy. The floor itself was blanketed in a thick carpet of grass and the smell of spring overtook the room.

Oren lowered himself to the ground and crossed his legs, he figured he would get some meditation time in while he waited for students to arrive. He had yet to see his cousin at the school but he figured that she would show herself eventually.

((anyone? feeling kind of lonely here...))

((Now that I have my classroom threads open.))
"Fairy magic? Hmm." Belle glanced at the textbook in her hand. The closest thing she knew to fairies were the branches of nymphs in her islands. But fairies were different; this would be a wonderful chance to learn something new. When she opened the door, her eyes widened in wonder. The old, musty classroom was transformed into a glade. She recognized the fresh scent of lilac, a sign of spring. Interesting that the class was so sunny as opposed to the bitter winter. Belle found a spot in the grass, deciding to look in her textbook to orient herself in the studies.

Terra wasn't sure how well she would do in this class, considering that she wasn't really a fairy and that her powers could only move earth-related things, but apparently, that was enough for the school to stick in her in here. Apparently, some fairies had powers similar to hers, like controlling only one element and stuff, so she hoped she would be able to fit in alright. Luckily for her, she spotted Belle inside the classroom and hurriedly sat near her, glad to see a familiar face. Of course, the fact that the room was changed to look like the outdoors was a bit disconcerting, but Terra figured she would get used to it in due time.

Oren cracked open one eye when he heard the door open, catching sight of the brunette entering and settling herself on the grass. He was mildly impressed that the school had provided text books for the students, but he highly doubted that they covered some of the more crucial topics.

He drew himself fully from the meditative state when a second girl stepped into the room this one with sandy blonde hair. She rushed over to the brunette as though relieved that there was another student present.

He got to his feet gracefully and dusting off his hands, a pointless excersise considering that the natural aspects of the room were just an illusion but it was a habitual movement.

"Is this it?" He questioned raising a brow, "Or should I leave the room accessible for those who will likely make tardiness a habit."

Bloom came flying in "I'm so sorry I got loss" said Bloom as she look at Oren with a very sorry look on her face. Bloom when and sat down at one of the desk as she look around the room.

"It's your choice," Belle said respectfully. "You wish to keep the room open for latecomers, by all means." She was relieved that Terra was with her; they had exchanged one conversation but got along pretty well.

Terra fidgeted when she heard how stern Oren was. He definitely looked like he wasn't going to take any crap from anyone. She was just glad she hadn't come in late. She wondered if it was just going to be her and Belle in this class until another girl rushed in. Terra noticed the wings on her back and figured she was a fairy of some sorts.

Oren glanced at Bloom as she rushed into the room, "Very well," with that he lifted a hand and the door slammed shut and became a wall of crawling Ivy.

"For future reference; I could not care less about whether you are late or not, it is your education not mine and being here only benefits you."

He strode to the centre of the room and stood before the three girls, "It is however unfortunate that so many of your classmates believe themselves to be so incredibly wise to the ways of the world."

"That being said; tell me what ridiculous, preconceived notions you have about the fae folk." He lowered himself to the ground, waving his hand dismissively and waited for one of the three to speak.

Talk about being proud of your race. This professor clearly took his ideas as a fairy seriously. Something in his tone made Belle think he had some disdin towards some of the practices. But rather tha spew out human notions, she raised her hand. "The Seelies are a fairy court on some island that is unreachable by man," she explained. "It is headed by Oberon and his queen, Titania."

Terra bit her lip, her usual shyness creeping in. Luckily, Belle spoke first, much to her relief. Although she felt that Oren was expecting her to say something too. And Terra's knowledge about fairies wasn't that good, to say the least. Blanditia Academy was the first place she had really encountered other supernatural creatures. Come on Terra, say something before he yells at you, she thought. "Um...each fairy is talented in something and it varies from fairy to fairy?" she suggested, hoping that sounded some-what right. She figured that would apply to fairies, since her specialty was earth and Belle's powers mainly consisted of water stuff. Surely there had to be fairies like that if the two of them were accepted into this class.

Oren nodded in approval at the brunette's statement about the Seelie Court, when the blonde spoke he frowned slightly, "I'm afraid you are thinking of Pixies, a different race altogether. The fae folk, like humans have a great variety of talents and though some fae have certain duties to preform during the changing of the seasons they are not restricted to those particular abilities."

"For example, as you can see I, myself, am a master illusionist and many of the fae folk share this talent. But my task at the end of summer is to ensure that the evergreens remain exactly that through the reign of the Unseelie."

"In regards to the courts you are correct, my father and his queen reign over the Seelie Court, we are the fae folk who rule over the spring and summer months but as soon as the summer solstice passes then the reign transfers to the Unseelie Fae. And yes, both courts dwell on the Isle of Avalon to which only two human men have ever been granted access to."

As Oren spoke of the courts, images of the rulers appeared in the glade, Oberon and Tatiana in all their brilliant glory as well as the rulers of the Unseelie, shrouded in cold and darkness.

"This class is not only for those of fae origin to hone their birthright but also for those who are not of the fae blood to identify and escape the fae folk. I will be the first to admit that we enjoy using humans and other creatures to our pleasure."

He looked at the three girls, "Have you any questions before I continue?"

((First, sorry for the wait, Christmas and all, second; all of my fae knowledge comes from being a follower of the Fae Faith as well as extensive research, I am taking some liberties to include other fairy characters in the roleplay))

A wave of relief washed over Belle's face. She was right about the Seelie courts. Back in the Mediterranean, the main story of the seasons was Persephone, but in all honesty the fae's turnings made much more sense. That and the class was meeting her expectations; Oren clearly knew what he was speaking about. The idea of checking on pine trees sounded fascinating. Belle shook her head in response to his inquiry of questions; she would learn what she wanted to in time.

((First off; happy belated holidays! Second of all; the facts you've given us are really interesting. I've done my research on Fae, but you;ve clearly gotten a lot farther than I have.))

Pixie, fairy, they were all the same in Terra's mind. But she didn't say it aloud. She'd probably get a stern look from Oren. Looks like I have a lot to learn, she thought. But at least Belle seemed to know a lot about fairies and stuff, so at least Terra could always ask her questions if she got lost. "So...we're talking about the same Oberon and Tatiana that were in A Midsummer Night's Dream?" she asked. Those names always seemed to be associated with the play.

"That's correct," Oren nodded, "Tatiana enjoys keeping pets and Shakespeare was her guest for a time. Most poets and songwriters who use fae imagery were one of her favourites."

"During summer Tatiana would hold lavish parties for the court and when a human stumbled upon them and ate the good of the fae, which is irresistible to human kind, they would be trapped for seven years."

Belle raised her hand, a wuestion formin, "So would someone like J.M. Barrie be trapped with them? He wrote about fae - unless I'm confusing his ideas with another creature."

"Whoa." Who knew that Shakespeare actually met Oberon and Titiania in person? Terra wondered how many other famous authors actually encountered fairies to base their plays/books off of. Belle brought up a good point by mentioning the author of Peter Pan. That story had fairies, and even mermaids, in it. Had he actually seen the creatures in person?

"I'm afraid I do not remember all their names, the remained with us for only seven years at a time and I have see many decades pass." He replied, "but it is entirely possible and quite possible."

He waved a hand and a grand picnic settled on the ground between himself and the students, "This is a good way to start, the food of the fae is dangerous for other creatures to consume, highly enticing and addictive as well as a memory altering property. Which is why each of Tatiana's pets perceive the fae world differently. But the most important thing to remember is that is it simply a very cleverly laid illusion since the fae do not need to eat in the way that humans do, personally, I absorb energy from the sun in the same manner a tree does."

"Your challenge is to try and see through the illusion, since I am present you need not worry about consuming the food, since it will vanish should you try to take a bite."

That was a relief. Anyone who would suffer the consequences of eating fae food, especially if it mad you mad, was frightening, Belle didn't dare stretch her hand over the food. She squinted her eyes at the illusion. Nereids ate the same way as humans, but she took Oren's thoughts in mind. Belle didn't touch the food knowing it would simply vanish. However, as she looked hard at a particular apple, she noticed something odd about the water on the skin; it wasn't falling at a regular speed but more like it was going through a vat of honey.

Terra blinked, trying to see what Oren was talking about. But she was inexperienced when she came to stuff like this, so she saw no difference between the food that was illusioned and any other food she had seen in real life. She glanced at Belle, who seemed to be concentrating hard. But it looked like she had a better idea on what to look for. "I don't see any differences," she muttered, hoping she could get some help. If Oren would allow it.

"It's not about the differences, there aren't supposed to be any," Oren leaned over and placed an apple from a bowl of fruit, "But I can guarantee that this is far better than any apple that could ever be found."

"That was its purpose, to entice humans to eat it. In eating the food of the fae they became trapped. So a human would look upon this food and see the finest feast they had ever laid eyes on, how could they resist."

"But remember this is an illusion, that is the skill you must master, to see through the illusion and know what you are truly about to consume."

"Far better..." Belle mumbled. Oren was tempting them to eat the apple. But by eating the fruit, no matter how seductive it sounded, one would nver see past the illusion. Belle looked closer at the apple. But suddenly, an odd glimpse was made out. The shape went from being perfect and plump to almost pruny. An idea striking, she raised her hand. "The illusion is to make oridinary look even better. The fae used their magic to seduce other creatures into eating it; as a result, the food would taste better but with the magic no one could really tell. Also," she pointed to the slow dew, "as you said before, time passes slower in fae realms; the dew on that is falling slower than regular."

Terra glanced closer at the apple after what Belle said and she could see that she was right. The dew was indeed falling slower than normal. But she was still having a hard time seeing how it was ordinary. She couldn't get past the plump apple in front of her eyes and see the puny one that it really was. "Ugh, this gives me a headache," she muttered. How could she ever compare to fairies when she couldn't even see past their illusions? She was so inexperienced.