Literally Literature (Lesson 1)

Well, he had done it. Despite his little "quirk" he managed to convince the Institute that he was trustworthy enough to hold and meld the minds of the upcoming generation. Vitalé took this job VERY seriously, so much so that he almost became physically ill at the thought of making an error. Hi every interaction with one of these pupils had the potential to leave a mark, an imprint upon them. Some consequences not even able to be seen for years to come. With a deep breath in to calm himself, and a sigh of relief when the anxiety faded he looked to his desk.

    He would be slow to anger, patient, kind, and treat the children with unconditional respect. Granted, being slow to anger did not mean he would never be angry, and one can not always be patient, but he certainly could try. He cleared his throat, his hands behind his back as he looked to the clock. He ws already beginning later in the year than most, and honestly he was unsure if students even knew his class existed yet. He had taken the liberty of sending a few letters to the students, though if any would respond...that was a differenty story, by a different Author altogether.

    He nervously checked his Victorian styled vest with the shiny silky blood red shirt beneath it. Upon confirming his clothing was stright and proper he began to wonder if hhe should put on his blaiser. If He wore the Blaiser then he would seem more professional, however he would be less approchable to the students. Establishing ones self as an authority figure to an adolescent is identical to that of an Alpha to an adolescent wolf in the pack. They will try to prove themselves and challenge authority. Thankfully unlike wolves they don't fight to the death. In fact Vitalé intended to skip this phase entierly and warm up more casually with the class. If the class recieves HIM better, than the knowledge he can offer them will flourish.

    With a game plan and a totally prepared agenda, Vitalé was left only to wonder one thing. Will anyone show?

Briana followed the instructions given in the letter she received from Professor Vitalé to the location of where his class would be held. She was elated to find out that Literature was actually going to be offered and he was going to be teaching it. This was one of her favorite subjects, and she was eager to get started. Her brown boots made soft footfalls as she approached the classroom. Instead of hiding her dual-colored eyes, she actually had her blonde hair tied back allowing both eyes and piercings in her ears to show. Her baby blue top accented her fair skin, blonde hair, and green-grey eyes nicely. Paired with a pair of medium stone-washed jeans, she held her head high.

Slipping into the classroom, Briana smiled brightly. "Good day, Professor," she greeted Vitalé and moved to a seat at the front corner of the room. Setting her pack on the floor, she took out her supplies and stuck her blue pen behind her right ear. "Congratulations," she said looking back at him after she got settled, echoing back to their conversation a day or two before.

Silus walked into the room form the note he got from this "professor" that Brianna had spoken too and apparently she thought it was going to be great. Silus mulled it over a little and he realized that he kinda needed the credit, and while he was already busy as all get out with his schedule, he needed to keep himself academically sharp. He also was kind of hoping that by taking this class he'd be more mentally exhausted. Once he walked in he rolled his eyes, seeing the same man who had been out at night, still awake and oriented as ever. The man was still dressed like he was out of the Holms novels.

"Hi, Silus. Nice to meet you." Silus said as he walked to the last seat in the class, the farthest one back. He really wasn't sure how this was supposed to go, and the way this guy was it was just annoying to look at him. Seriously, who wears their hair like that? Silus suddenly took to heart what he had just thought and shook his head, purposefully running his hands form the back of his head to the front, eliminating the familiar hair-style. He began chewing on the tip of his thumb as more kids began to pour in, none of them really interesting or noteworthy, maybe save one or two others.

Brandon walked through the class door, rolling his shoulder as the joint issued light pops. Playing across his face was his usual grin, brown eyes scanning the room as he walked through the door whimsically. He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt, with an unbuttoned flannel button up over it, and simple khaki colored cargo shorts. There were a few people here, a girl and a guy that looked strangely familiar, though that was probably his mind associating faces with people they didn’t belong to. HI schedule however said that this was one of them so here he was. Part of Brandon wondered why he was even there considering that he didn’t read much.

The teacher was rather nicely dressed, compared to most of the people inhabiting the room at the moment, and if that was saying much he could not tell. Something about him seemed different than your average guy, and Brandon could pick up on it, but then again that was one of the few things the male was actually paying attention to. ”Yo Professor Vitaly.” Brandon said with the usual grin, not getting the fact that he had said it wrong entirely. Taking a seat near the back, Brandon propped his elbows up on the desk, turned to look at his neighbor, Silus and then his mind kind of wandered.

Last edited by Brandon Hale on Mon Dec 30, 2013 9:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

Grazie, Briana" Vitalé said as he greeted Briana. It was good to see a familiar face after all. Vitalé smiled upon seeing Briana. She decided to delve into the world of literature, something that he enjoyed greatly. He smiled and nodded his head as another walked into the room. It was the young man that had 'replaced' Briana, perhaps her friend or whatever was going on there. He was very "lame" in his introduction, which told him more than he needed to know about the child. His many years granted him a decent understanding of human behavior, and this child was no different. Briana was the innocent but tormented girl who just wanted acceptance and to be free...this Silus character...he was a rebel, the kind of kid who pushed others away, you could see how he walked that he was used to doing things himself...

      ”Yo Professor Vitaly.” Another voice came in. A child in a white shirt and an open flannel showed up like a bat out of hades and just mispronounced his name, slaughtering it like a lamb offered to God. He could only laugh at it however, simply because the child seemed to find nothing wrong with his version of the name. Vitalé even actually liked the name, strong and proud Italian blood still alive in his icy dead veins. He stepped forward and watched as a few other little kids entered in, but of all the children he could feel that the three he had already been acquainted with were going to be the most interactive of the bunch.

"Alright then. Attention, Allievo....erm...how you say, "Students". Attention." He said, the students making little clamor as it was looked to him as he cracked his knuckles and looked around with his usual warm smile, seeming elated by the turn out. "I am Professor Vitalé. Vee-Tall-EE, or if you are the young man back there you may call me Vitaly, or Professor Muraro. I am so glad to be able to welcome you all into Literature, even if it is only upon a trial basis. I hope to come to know you as not only a teacher but as a human being...or a mutant-being if you rather. With that said...I would like all of you to introduce yourselves to the class. Please stand up and tell us a little about yourself." Vitalé instructed as he clapped his hands eagerly, pointing to the first kid to start, soon it would find itself all the way to one of the three he had already assured himself would be fine contributors to his class.

Briana watched as Silus walked in followed by a boy she didn't know and then a small handful of other students like herself. As Silus walked by, she tipped her head to him in a small greeting. When class was called to order, Briana watched as Vitalé pointed to the student at the end of her row requesting they introduce themselves as a start to class. Each student took a turn standing and telling a little about themselves and before long, it was her turn.

Briana took a deep breath and stood, removing the pen from behind her ear and began to absentmindedly roll it between her fingers. Trying not to look at her fellow classmates with her dual-colored eyes, Briana tried to simply stay focused on Vitalé. "I'm Briana. Ummmmm.... Originally from Oregon, just started school here a few weeks ago. Have been a...mutant in one fashion since birth and in the other for about six years," she said glancing around the class before taking her seat again, continuing to keep her hand busy by rolling the pen back and forth in her fingers.

Brandon blinked a few times, realizing that he was staring slightly and turning his attention elsewhere as he mentally scolded himself. Spacing off in a lit class was not good, especially since one could assume that he was staring, which is rude within itself. Brandon tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, creating a rhythm all its own while he waited for the class to start, not really sure who anyone was and acting like a little wallflower. His attention however did shift when the professor did speak up, calling the class to listen to him and …revealing that Brandon’s genius linguistic skills were wrong on the pronunciation. Of course the professor made sure that his pronunciation error was made known, and causing Brandon to grin and blush lightly. As much of a social butterfly as he was, Brandon did not take well to embarrassment; turned as red as a beet.

He welcomed them all, as Brandon simply internally slunk into himself, and then his mind shifted towards pickles. That reminded the Hale that he was hungry and that he had a yummy cheeseburger in the mini fridge in his room, though it was cold as the ninth circle. No microwave meant he would have to improvise, unless there was one he could find and use, but where? A mutant could have microwave powers and just heat it up, and fix everything..unless they were evil, then he had to punch them. That was when Brandon felt someone tap him on the shoulder and he came back to reality, eyes locked upon the desk with an intensity that could possibly sear holes through it. He was then informed that he was up….for the last two minutes. Smiling awkwardly Brandon shot to his feet, hands digging into his pockets as he looked over everyone.

”I’m Brandon hale, I like to punch cheeseburgers and eat werewolves…I mean eat cheeseburgers and punch werewolves…..yeah.” He turned red for a second and sat down.

Students left and right were introducing themselves as who they were, Briana Walker was of course the first face he recognized. He let out a friendly nod at her, basically his way of saying "hiu" without having to "girl-out and run up to hug her. Silus didn't mind people knowing he was friends with Briana...but he would NOT ruin his "tough-guy" persona by acting like a girl. HE didn't really thing Briana would even really like him to act like that...which made him realize... I gotta do that!! he thought of messing around with his friend as a little trickster's smirk played on his face. The "snake" of people finally got to the kid next to Silus, and the kid was like...staring.

It. Was. Creepy.

Silus let the kid sit there for a second...he was seriously for like two minutes at his desk, like it was a treasure map. He snickered as he watched the kid, there was a little murmur and light laughs trying to be stifled, but escaping. The Professor seemed to be waiting so Silus leaned over and tapped the kid on the shoulder. The kid jolted up and seemed to immediately know where he was supposed to pick up on. Silus waited for the kid to finish before he took his own chance.

"I'm Silus Mason...I'm pretty sure everyone here knows me enough, am I right?" He asked, an arched eyebrow as he leaned forward, elbows on the desk anf looking around. Heads bobbing up and down as he did so, an affirmation that they knew him. Then again...who doesn't know the bad-boy' who put's people into coma's. WEll...in his defense it was only one person. They deserved it. Not really. When he was done the Professor could continue on, but he leaned back and put his hands on the back of his head, stuck his elbows out and began to relax. He finally looked over to the guy next to him, the one who likes to ear werewolves...

"So...uh...you're not gonna like try and steal the declaration of independence or anything are ya?" Silus teased him as he chuckled and closed his eyes.

Vitalé listened intently as each and every student sounded off with their name. Little did the student's know that with every "introduction" he already knew more about them than they probably knew about themselves. The first child was your average student, the second was hesitant, shaky and jittery...which means they are a worry-wart. The third was nothing special, but then they came to Miss Walker, and her introduction had actually surprised him. When he last heard Briana speak, she was so timid, mild and perhaps even secluded. But she spoke to him as if she had known him for a while, the reluctance to observe the class was noticeable though. Vitalé's evaluation on the girl? She is already making such process. Had I not met her that morning, she would not have been able to adapt to that as well I don't think. She will learn quickly and her heart will be pure. A true student that many would wish they could have. He thought. Before she could sit down, Vitalé smiled at her warmly, nodding as he listened to her. "Indeed. But as you will find in Literature, as it is in reality... The character can never help their circumstance. But they are ultimately the ones that have touched our hearts, and it is those characters that we truly love...no matter how different they are. Thank you Ragazza." Vitalé said with a single excited clap. She took her seat and then the line continued. Many fascinating children, all of them with different attitudes and passions. All of them with quirks fears and strengths.

    Vitalé ended up waiting on Brandon Hale, who was looking to his desk as if it were talking directly to him. Vitalé was uncertain as to the nature of this staring however. Was it 'spotlight freight' or was it maybe simple 'zoning out' and looking to the desk. Vitalé was about to speak when the last boy in the "snake" had tapped him. The blonde boy shot up like a bat out of Hell (And Vitalé knew those bat's VERY well). HE proceeded to explain that he loved to punch cheeseburgers and eat werewolves. Vitalé was no fan of the Lupan hunters that would end his unlife....but he felt terrible for them being eaten. Vitalé smiled as he noticed the boy's error and upon the correction of said error he could see the boy turn beat red and sit back down. Vitalé's assessment? This child is by no means bright, he would never make it in a profession where quick-wit was a mandatory skill. Though the boy COULD still learn. Just because one is not the brightest bulb, doesn't mean it cannot hold charge. The boy also likes punching werewolves...it's a rather easy A on his part. He joked with himself. He clapped his hands together one more time before leaning back on his desk, partially sitting as he crossed one leg over the other. "Mister Hale, I can tell you that in Literature, there is never a story without a hero...one who must overcome and adversity...whether it be brute strength, emotional toils...struggles within himself...or even a mental struggle of sorts. I can also tell you that there is rarely ever a book in literature that the hero doesn't grow in the areas of his weakness. So Mister Hale...I earnestly now ask you. I beseech you...please Punch every werewolf you can find. And when you punch them, quote a line from something we are reading. I promise you, you will soon not only be punching werewolves, but you will be mentally punching them as well." He said it with a smile and then he looked around the class. HE cleare dhis throat and scratched the back of his head.

   "Erm...before we go any farther...do we have any particular lupines I should be aware of?" Vitalé asked. One boy in the front row raised his hand and Vitalé smiled sheepishly as he motioned for the boy to come up. "Okay...don't punch this one...But hit all the other ones twice." He corrected himself
.
    His assessment of Silus was short and to the point. He was a punk, a little child who was so trapped by fear that he needed to turn himself into a "feared" person to get respect. Vitalé went through that stage of life too...it's cute for the first year or so but then the novelty fades. That child will be the toughest of them

    "Very well now...I actually would like to begin the year with YOU picking your book. So I want you all to give me some ideas. What would you LIKE to read first? What Style, what author?" He asked with an unnatural fervor, almost as if he were the most excited man in the world.

Raven was red as a tomato when she entered her literature class. Who wouldn't be when someone just saw you doing something..it's just so shameful. But as usual when she entered the class she didn't bother to greet. She just sat and stare cursing herself for being so careless.

Briana listened as Vitalé offered a little something about each student as they introduced themselves. She was touched by his words that he offered her most of all. That no matter how different someone might be, it is in the differences that they grow and become what they truly are. Such wisdom made Briana smile as she listened to each little tid-bit. When the introductions paused, Briana happened to look behind her and count how many introductions she had heard before the pause. Reaching the boy that had come in with Silus, she found he looked as if he was focusing on nothing. Did he have a physic power, too? She glanced at Silus to see if he knew what was going on with him. When he reached out and tapped the boy, his introduction came rapidly and mixed, but the boy, Brandon, quickly recovered. He was a unique one, Briana mused to herself. Then came a few other introductions, and ended with Silus. His 'tough-guy' reputation showed when he asked if he even needed and introduction, which made Briana smile slightly and shake her head with a small eye roll before turning around. She meant nothing rude in the action, more of a 'yeah, yeah...' kind of answer to his question.

When asked what they wanted to read or would like to read, Briana thought about all the authors she knew about and enjoyed. But none really popped out. "Professor, are there any authors....like us?" she asked timidly. She had never looked into such a possibility, and she was sure there were. Perhaps that would be a good place to start if they were looking for books to study.

Raven walked into the classroom a bright faced as Brandon had been moments ago. He felt a small smile playing on his lips as he looked to her. The woman so very rudely didn’t even acknowledge him when she walked in, not even with an excuse or a greeting. Vitalè was only slightly irritated, however he could tell by the flushed face and the fast walk that something had happened that she likely did not wish to have attention drawn to her at the moment. Vitalè could respect her wishes, unspoken as they were, and he continued to listen to those who had questions. His faith was well placed in Miss Walker it would seem, she was already proving to be the first participant by asking a question of her own.

"Professor, are there any authors....like us?" She would ask. Vitalè arched an eyebrow at her and nodded, taking in the question for her. Many assumptions could be made for the question. Perhaps because Like compels the like. When one knows that there is another like them in history that has truly made a difference then it compels one and drives them forward. Fortunately for his young friend, more than a few such mutants existed. Vitalè smirked and hummed about it for a moment, thinking over what to tell her. With a nod of his head he answered her.

”Indeed there are! Not many of them, but some of them were the greatest writers of the world. I will tell you ONE of them. I Will be clear. MY Literature class is very different from others…it is one part history, one part reading, and one part psychology. By the end of this year, you will know of the time period, the beautiful artisanship of the literary work itself, and you will know the mind of the man or woman who wrote it.” Vitalè said with a smile. He turned around and went to the whiteboard, and took his favorite purple colored marker and wrote it upon the board.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Sturm und Drang
The Sorrows of Young Werther
Faust

”Goethe was a brilliant man who wrote all manners of literature. He went from legal training to anatomy and botany, biology and even venturing into the occult with his greatest piece ever written. Faust! Faust is about a man who makes a deal with the devil and gains an uncanny “servant” known as “Mephistopheles” with unholy power. This is considered the greatest piece of German literature even to this day.” Vitalè said with a smile and he let out a little sigh as he returned to face the students. ”But what the majority of the public did not know…was that Goethe himself was…how Miss Walker says… ‘like us’. Goethe was a mutant. His gift? Astral projection. He conjured up the ideals of the “occult” and uncanny storyline of Faust when he accidentally transported himself into the Realm of the living, and breathing Mephisto. Upon his return to out plane, he began work and constructed one of the greatest stories in history.” He informed them, looking between each and every student. When he finished his eyes fell back upon Briana, hoping his answer was satisfactory enough for her.

”Now then. At the back of the room you will all find translated copies of Goethe’s Faust. At the end of class I’d like you all to take one. But for now I will entertain further questions before getting into more detail. Anyone?” He asked with his usual warm smile as he looked upon the group of young mutants with his violet eyes.

Raven Summers walked in, Silus met her briefly out in the downtown scene, but he never really got the chance to meet her, mostly because of an unforeseen issue he was having. She seemed rather red-faced, and he assumed that she was angry. The Professor ignored her and seemed to act as if he hardly noticed the interruption, or expected her to be late. He just trucked on until Briana asked her question and you would have thought the guy was just handed a blank check. It deeply...deeply irritated Silus to no end. He bit his lower lip trying to distract himself for a moment.

Eventually the Prof. turned his back and he began to write on the board. It was a long complicated German name obviously, and it was an actually renowned book under it at the far bottom Faust. The first thing Silus thought of was the guy who sold his soul to the devil and ended up dying. It wasn't a happy ending from what he knew...then again, he never read it. It would be interesting to see what this was going to be about. The man instructed them to take one of the "Faust" books from the room before they left, though he said that he was going to take questions. Silus looked around for anyone who might have a question.

”No….” He said quickly before grinning widely. ”Maybe.” A slight chuckle escaped his lips, mostly because he thought about something, and then forgot that something. He turned his attention elsewhere, perhaps trying to keep his mind on the lesson and whatever it was that the professor was saying that pertained to him. The problem with that is he has the attention span of a mayfly, which meant his mind would quickly snap elsewhere. He rested his chin in the palms of his hands, and let his eyes just kinda of wonder really, mind barely snapping up the bit about them grabbing the book before the end of class, not that he would probably read it anyway. One thing Brandon could not do well was pay attention for something for too long, and that extended to reading, which required attention.

Okay, he did pay attention to the kid being a werewolf and if anyone were paying attention they would have seen Brandon pale considerably before seeming to actually try and space out, eyes turning wide for a second with fear before narrowing. That within itself was a difficult task but was done within a good minute and so he was back to not paying attention.

Faust.... Briana remembered that story from the 'Must Read List' she had  back when she was back home in Oregon. She hadn't quite gotten to that one before she left home, and had left the list, among other things in her room when she took only what she knew she would need for her journey. It excited her to know that they were going to read it, and not just that, but also that it was written by someone like them. Briana was pleased with her decision to add Literature to her list of classes when it became available. Good call, Bri... Unbeknownst to her, Briana had suddenly started flipping her pen around her fingers instead of simply rolling it...

"Very good! Now then. I understand I may have been...troppo zelante. Erm- Overzelaous. So I will go back and start with the basics. Who can tell me... What is literature?" Vitalè said with a little chuckle. He had gotten ahead of himself. He still had a few basics, he had seen Briana and remembered that she had said abut having taken a class or loving the class...so he dove right in. Not to mention that even as a vampire...he was still very much able to be nervous. This may not have been the case for his kin of the night...but Vitalè was a little more... "human" than the lot of them.

He couldn't help but notice that Brandon was having a bit of a hard time, and so he decided that he needed a little incentive...though he couldn't risk granting said "motivation" with the remainder of the children about the classroom. He would need to keep mental note of this for a later date...like before next class. That would be the best time probably...before there were dozens of people congregated- Eureka! Vitalè COULD get to Brandon this class, and not waste his precious life staring at paper. He had a plan and he cleared his throat, waiting for one of his students to answer the question presented to them just moments ago.

At Professor Vitalè's question of what was literature, Briana knew the answer right off. But, she didn't voice anything, giving the others in the class a chance to answer. Not hearing anything and even risking a small glance around at the others, she noticed that it didn't appear that anyone was going to voice an answer. Looking at her desk and giving a small sigh, Briana looked up at the Professor and said, "Literature is any written work, especially those that are considered superior or of lasting merit." Stopping the flipping of her pen, Briana began to simply roll it between her fingers.

Fingers tapped lightly against his desk as is mind mulled over many things, like what the deal was with vampires vs werewolves was. Granted he was more of a vampire guy himself, so he would have obviously said that vampires would win, if only because he also hated werewolves. It was then that he remembered that he was in a  class, one where he had to learn about things, and that meant that he was not paying attention. Brandon grumbled internally before turning attention to the professor whom as asking what literature, and he…had no clue. Was it stuff that is written down, or was that just a book? Luckily Briana was the one that spoke the answer out, Brandon quickly fishing out a pen and trying to scribble down what she had just said, however it ended with those, because his finger punctured the pen and ink spilled out along the page, muddling the words and coating his hand. ”Crap crap crap.” He muttered lowly.

Brandon broke the pen. Silus snickered as he took his own pencil and leaned over, placing it on his desk. He smiled, amused by the fumbling blonde who spilled ink over the pages. He then turned back to Briana who managed to answer Professor Muraro's question. Silus knew the answer too obviously, however he wasn't bund to be known as the smart one...reputations and such. He smiled to Briana.

"Teacher's pet!" He said, but the tone in his voice was outright...playful. Not malicious but an obvious joke. He waved slightly waved to Bri. Hopefully she didn't take that the wrong way. Silus froze up...why did he care? His stomach churned, hoping that she knew he was kidding. What if other people saw him being friendly. Oh man...this friends thing was rough service. He cleared his throat and reached into his bag, pulling a little box of Kleenex. He handed it to Brandon. Don't ask why he carried Kleenex around... it's better off to just say that a lot of fights end up with nose-bleeds.

Teacher's pet! Briana knew that voice... Resting her tongue between her cheek and top molars, she tried to keep from smiling as she gave her blonde hair a gentle flip and turned in her seat to glance at her friend, Silus. She caught the joke easily and her eyes showed it, as they smiled the smile she was fighting to not let pop onto her face. Returning his wave, her smile softening slightly... That's different.... But....nice.... Seeing his bag, she tilted her head and used her power to unzip all the zipped zipers on the pockets. When all of them were open, she smiled playfully and gave her head a small shake.
 
Before turning around, Briana noticed that Brandon had 'destroyed' his pen, causing ink to pool on his notes. Not knowing if he had another pen, Briana looked at the one she was using to keep her mind focused and let her power lift it from her now open hand. Looking at her blonde friend, she sent the pen to him, setting it down parallel to the top of his paper.