10th Howl [Action, Friday all day, OPEN to anyone at Locke High]

[professorwolf]

It's Friday, and it's been a long and strange week after that terrible "hunt", and Lyall has a treat for his students. And for Romsca. Rather than leaving her at home with some food and water and toys, he's brought her to school.

No matter where they are in their coursework right now, instead of the next topic in their science book or the usual Friday "test your learning" quiz, each class gets a lesson on mammals in general, and mustelids in particular. For those classes who are particularly well-behaved, there's even the chance to pet her if she allows it. She's been so well-behaved, Lyall thinks that's potentially all right for her. Especially if the students ask her politely, which weirdly seems to work for him, at least. She gets introduced to everyone as "Stella", and the first question he asks is why he might have chosen that name. Extra credit to anyone who guesses right.

If she gets too frisky or troublesome, though, Romsca gets a time-out in the storage room in the back, where there's nothing she can really wreck besides a stack of papers. The microscopes are all too heavy for her to push from their shelves, and everything else is safely in plastic tubs or locked cupboards.


((tag whether you want Romsca or Lyall or both :) this is for CR-building for everyone's favorite ferret!))

Comments

[seabeast]

Stella is currently taking an active interest in the students of the class! She isn't a particularly social creature, but anything besides the interior of Lyall's apartment is a welcome change from taking back to back naps and struggling to read from Lyall's small collection of books. (She's making progress! She thinks. Biology textbooks aren't the best learning materials, but she's got about three months of active vocab collection under her metaphorical belt and she's starting to pick out patterns.)

She's doing one of three things: Sitting as politely as she can on Lyall's desk, neck craning in interest as students pass Lyall's desk (so there may be a nose shoved in your way while they try to get to their desks); padding around the classroom, poking her nose into various bags on the floor; or oddly enough to anyone watching, she might also be dallying around Lyall's laptop, staring a little more intently if the network is up on the screen.

[professorwolf]

Getting too far from the front of the class, and potentially digging in students' bags, isn't really encouraged on Lyall's part. At least once a class, he casually walks back, still talking to the students, to pick her up once she's gone too far or looks like she might be trying to get into some students' lunch, and plops her back on the lab counter at the front again.

At least the laptop's there, too.

After the third or fourth time he's done this, he muses at her, "You certainly do like wandering, don't you. I suppose this must be very boring for you."

[seabeast]

This would actually be the most interesting outing ever if Lyall would stop poking his nose into her business! And if the kids didn't want their food stolen, they would have to keep a better eye on their things. For her part, after the fourth trip back to the front of the class, she sits primly and trills. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for your meddling ways! She figures he'll probably take it as a sign of a lack of training instead of moral ambiguity on her part, which is how she prefers it.

[professorwolf]

He's actually taking it more as she's a willful and curious animal, than necessarily lack of training. As far as Lyall can tell, ferrets seem a lot like cats-- and it's hard to train a cat to do much of anything. It does make her response to his voice all the stranger, though, to compare the thought of "training" with the thought of "hard to train".

He does laugh at her trill, though, and gives the underside of her chin a scratch. Then, a moment later as the class files out for lunch break, he explains, "Not all of my students are as friendly as someone like Bakura or Kenji. I just don't want anyone deciding to intentionally step on you or snap rubber bands at you. And besides, I know you well enough by now to know you'll be getting into their backpacks looking for food."

Oh the irony of thinking he knows her.

[seabeast]

Oh, he knows her very well... that what, and the when, and the how, of course. She's very satisfied with herself on the matter of keeping the who and why to herself; she's not kidding herself, he's sharp, but her sense of caution seems to be paying off. Almost in spades, really... Maybe she's starting to get comfortable. That doesn't occur to her, though. She's convinced she's in perfect control of the situation. A ferret with a strong personality forever? Only until she gets tired of it, though.

They only need ask for their things to be left well enough along, really... or, well, at least keep them in bags that are harder to open. It can't be that hard! She doesn't have have the fingers for opening basic clip locks, after all.

She sways her head from side to side, then snakes her way over to the laptop. The network tends to be her only source of entertainment while he's away, so she's in the habit of constantly checking up on it. The deprivation is mildly irritating... Her only chance to get at it while she's in this classroom is to check up on Lyall's computer while he has it open.

[professorwolf]

Lyall drifts after her. He's between classes now, after all. He might as well see what else has been going on today. It's been open all day, since no one who isn't actively allowed on the network can see it, and all he has to do is scroll past whatever's shown up on various posts since the last time he checked.

"I wonder what you see when you look at this," he muses, amused that she's always at his computer when she can be. "Do animals see what people don't? Or are you just interested in following the mouse around the screen? I've seen cats do that, you know."

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura, being the model student that he was, spent the entire class period ignoring the lecture and watching the small creature, periodically sketching her antics.

Once class was over, however, he walked over. "Good to see you're being taken care of," he greeted her, crouching a little to be more on eye level. "Bet you're a lot happier with Mr. Lyall than out in the Dead District, huh?"

[seabeast]

Chicken fellow! She rears back on her hind legs, her nose flaring as she sniffs him. It does seem to be the same boy, sans food offering. At the moment, she's content with letting him know that she's all right with seeing him again.

[shiromadoushi]

The sniffing gets a soft laugh. "I didn't think to bring anything, sorry! Didn't realize you'd be here."

He still holds a hand out. Maybe now that she lived with Lyall, she would be calm enough to be petted?

[seabeast]

Yes, she would. It should be getting old by now, but ferret instinct tells her that she's enjoying this diminution. Well... She'll take it. She lets herself be petted before shifting back, blinking at him. Well, what do you want now?

Both!

[reckless_fire]

Well, here's something new. As he passes Lyall's desk, Kenji extends a finger to the inquisitive little critter, wordlessly offering a friendly scratch. Seriously, all teachers should bring small animals to class--it would make things a hell of a lot more interesting.

For once, he actually pays attention instead of trying to sleep through the class--although, as his eyes remain fixed on the ferret as she moves around the classroom, his attentiveness might not be apparent to an outside observer. If Stella makes her way over to Kenji's backpack, about the only thing of interest she would find is a small package of jerky.

At Lyall's question regarding the ferret's name, he finally looks up. "Is it because she's nocturnal? Or did you find her at night or something?" He doubts either of those is the correct answer, but now he's a little curious as to where the name came from.

[professorwolf]

"It was evening when I found her, yes," Lyall nods, smiling a little at the offering, "and technically ferrets are what's called 'crepuscular', which means they are active most often around dawn and dusk. Like cats, they require eighteen hours of sleep a day."

There's your mini-lecture in response to your question, Kenji. Most guesses are getting explanations like that, too.

"But," he finishes, "that's not why I chose that name. Good guess, though!"

[seabeast]

Your jerky? Sorry, that will be her jerky in a few minutes... As soon as the class' attention is elsewhere, of course. For the moment, she is very innocently making her way down his aisle, comfortable with the class' scrutiny... but the moment the subject changes...!

[reckless_fire]

"Eighteen hours of sleep a day, huh? Man, I can relate to that," Kenji has never understood why school had to start so damned early anyway. It wasn't like lessons wouldn't keep if they started at a more civilized hour. Like, after noon.

Lyall's response to his guess invokes a grin and a small shrug, "Well, unless one of you is a big Brando fan, I got nothing, then," he replies.

Oh, and Kenji sees Stella making a bee-line for his backpack--and has a pretty good idea of what she's after. Ordinarily, he's fairly protective of his snacks, but he doesn't mind sacrificing them in a good cause, so as far as he's concerned, she's welcome to plunder to her heart's content. Hell, he'd reach down and retrieve the jerky, even open the bag for her, but he doesn't want to startle her or scare her away.

[professorwolf]

"Anyone else?" Lyall asks, looking around the room. When no other volunteers put up hands, he answers the question himself: "The family name for the group that ferrets belong to is mustelinae. I just took a segment of that word, which makes an actual familiar name, and gave it to her."

He smiles, and adds, "Obviously I am not very creative about naming pets. Does anyone know what other species belong to the same family?"

((and from here, you two can go on without him, he's moved on to lecturing/teaching XD ))

[seabeast]

She wouldn't mind that, actually, but seeing as how he seems pretty absorbed into the conversation, she's just going to carefully paw at the front pouch of the bag. For all of her new intelligence, it seems that she's never heard of a zipper before...

[after school, both!]

[amberhearted]

He swings by after the initial rush of high schoolers belting it the hell out of there has passed, leaving smaller cliques chatting among themselves in their wake. He hasn't been around the campus in a while, but his feet remember what his mind doesn't, and after a few pauses and turns, he's walking down the hall of the classroom Lyall asked him to meet at.

Though the purpose of the visit on Lyall's side is an inquiry to ferret care, the purpose on Alex's side, besides answering, is the topic of the network -- namely, that Lyall is on it and that he's apparently got really good senses now. A good man, so judged Alex on his interactions with him and his participation in the club, Alex has no qualms with chatting about their current situation to him. It's almost like having a sense of camaraderie.

Stepping inside the classroom, he grins and throws his hands up in greeting. "Hey, Randy! Long time no see!"

[professorwolf]

Lyall looks up from his laptop-- a sliver of his attention still on Romsca, though a bit less now that there aren't any student bags for her to get into left-- to offer Alex a wry smile. He puts up with the nickname because Alex doesn't mean it maliciously, unlike some who have used it on him.

"Hey, Alex. It's been a busy few weeks, I'm afraid. How've you been?"

[seabeast]

More visitors? She pokes her head up from her curled position on the desk, but doesn't exactly give him a warm greeting. In fact, she just stares a bit... now, who was this? A friend of Lyall's, obviously, and perhaps an older one, but she hasn't heard word of him at all... She doesn't exactly have a reason to dislike him, though, so all he gets is a suspicious gaze for the time being.

[amberhearted]

Nicknames are a(n unfortunate, for some) regularity with Alex. They ranged from shortened versions of names to nicknames that seemingly had no tie to their person yet tumbled through his thought process to hold meaning to him.

"Yeah, no kidding," he says with another wave, dropping his hands onto the edge of the desk when he reaches it. He casts Stella a curious glance with a crooked smile. "I've been all right. Hey, girly." He cocks his chin. "You gonna bite me?"

Without a beat, he continues, now addressing Lyall. "I don't got a lotta experience with ferrets. Or any, actually. Where'd you get her?"

[professorwolf]

"The dead district, wandering around scavenging bird eggs," Lyall answers, sounding rather thoughtful about the whole situation. Mostly because of Romsca's reactions to things, more than where he picked her up-- but he hasn't ruled out where he picked her up as a potential source for those reactions to things.

"She's really a very clever thing. Responds well to your voice, though apparently headstrong enough not to actually obey all the time." He watches her investigate Alex, and adds, for her reference, as if she needs it, "This is Alex. He runs the 4H club on local campuses, and he's a friend of mine."

[amberhearted]

With a breathy laugh, he says, "That's not limited to ferrets, I don't believe."

He casts a side glance at Lyall, brow quirked. "So, what were you doing there?" By the tone of his voice, it's obvious he expects a certain kind of answer, but he continues on, eliminating any potential suspicion. "String of numbers tell you to go there?" he asks, wiggling his fingers, mock spooky-like.

Both, if acceptable!

[scramasax]

All the half-truths and scrutiny since the hunt have been wearing on Anthony harder than the events of the hunt itself. The fact that he tried - horror at the werewolf lunging at him, panic when his still-unfamiliar new sword had hardly done a thing, unexpected degrees of pain from teeth ripping skin and all - had had his soul swelling underneath his tiredness and wooziness dragging himself back to safety. Even if they hadn't killed the wolves, nobody had died. It hadn't been a failure; it had been a lack of failure that he had been there for, and felt that he'd done more good than he had since all of this had begun at the beginning of the month.

Dread had gone spidering up his back as he'd headed home, though, weary and with lacerations on his face and in his sleeves, trying to keep a weapon hidden. He'd made up an excuse, if an embarrassing one, straining all the way. And it could have been worse, but his bites were healing rather more slowly than he'd estimated they should have, still dark and still red around the edges, which made them troublingly bold on his still-too-pallid face.

Newness does refresh, though - and the sight of a fuzzy little pet animal is ever-therapeutic. Anthony brightens up a little inside on seeing Mr. Lyall's ferret up on the desk, cautiously leaning down for a closer look.

"Is it from 'mustelid'?" he tries in regards to the question.

totally acceptable! :)

[professorwolf]

It's been hard not to keep glancing to Anthony whenever he has the boy in his class, with the evidence of the awful hunt all over his face. He can't help feeling guilty that he hadn't been there for him, to help protect him, no matter how useless he might have been-- he might have made a difference, somehow.

But the answer to his question does make him smile. "Very good, yes. Mustelidae is the family ferrets belong to, often shortened to mustelid."

[seabeast]

And he's one of the first to get it right without Lyall having to supply him with an answer. Stella looks up from her curl on the desk. That's certainly different.