Nurse Office Day 2 / Atticus [C]

[LucaRominov]

It had been a pretty eventful day, constantly seeing students from the new school to ensure that their physical, mental, and arcane health were all within safe or healthy standards. The fact that it was eventful, however, was the lone pillar that upheld Kalen’s immense boredom. It was a drudging monotony that yielded no reward to him. Seeing as Kalen was here for ulterior motives, the aid he provided under the guise of a selfless or concerned faculty member was simply a means to an end. Nothing more. There was no telling how long this would go on for, but he prayed that he could participate in more engaging activities during his temporary stay. Blackmail…Murder…Betrayal…There were plenty of possibilities, but he just had to make sure he seized them as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

The sound of his fingers tapping at a nearby laptop filled the small office as he typed all the info he collected from the previous student. Rap tap tap tap…tap tap. Blah blah blah, a bit of emotional trauma…blah blah blah get over it. Of course, his words on the legal document were far more empathetic than that. Brilliant golden irises peered behind a head of hanging curls as the final key was pressed, saving the document to a growing collection of forms that were all to be collected into the student’s health record. Suddenly, Kalen smirked. The Fox demon was scheduled next. The magical world was oddly progressive, giving even creatures of infernal nature a chance at standard education and growth. He wondered if the fear of their behavior was ever haunting the minds of the staff here-briefly at least.

Students were instructed to knock on the door and await for Kalen to answer and guide them in. Whenever Atticus finally tapped on his door, the Nursing teacher would open the door and welcome kindly. ”Ahhh, Welcome LeBlanc. Please, come in. You can sit at that chair in front of my desk. The chair had a nice cushion with well designed arms. It wasn’t your typical chair, but it also was far from regal. Comfy…that would be the best word for that chair. Once the demon walked in Kalen would simply begin his journey over to his side of the table. ”How are things going so far? You figure out that food thing?” Aside from having the pleasure of putting the kid through detention the following day, that was one of the things he remembered.  

[StarryNightLight]

It was the brand new start of a brand new school experience, and Atticus for one couldn’t be more excited! So many new people to meet, so many new souls to manipulate and consume… If only he could find willing prey to do so. His friends on the other side were eagerly awaiting for their next meal, and Atticus had a job to do when it comes to satisfying their needs. What’s the cost of a few worthless souls if it meant him having such grand powers for his own? Sadly, sacrifices must be made. The weak were made to be consumed by the strong after all. Or so Atticus liked to believe.

Atticus walked down the hallway, heading in the direction of the nurses office for his ‘check up’. While Atticus himself didn’t feel he needed it, knowing that it was mandatory, he might as well as get it over with. He could only hope the nurse didn’t expect to get much out of this secretive fox~ The gentle sounds of a small tune chimed from around Atticus as he made his way down the hall, humming along with the music, a pleasant and friendly smile on his face. “Hm-Hm-HmmMmmm…~” Atticus hummed aloud, causing a few heads to turn and look at the fox as he walked past.

Soon enough, Atticus arrived at the nurses door, and with his smile growing, he brought a hand up to gently rap at the door. knockknock… knockknockknock. He steps back from the door, ears twitching slightly as heard footsteps approaching. “Heheheh…” Atticus chuckles softly to himself, trying his best to hide the devilish grin that formed on his face as stands there, waiting for the door to open, already plotting and scheming on ways to get a little bit of information out of the teacher. Perhaps enough to even strike a deal~? Atticus could hardly wait to find out!

“Hello, and good afternoon!” Atticus’ cheerful voice chimes from the door as he looks past Kalen to peek his head inside the room to get a better look for himself, ears twitching in a comical fashion as he tilts his head to the side. So, this was the nurse's office? A place Atticus was sure he wasn’t going to be visiting often as he found himself to be in tip-top shape. As he turns his stare back to Kalen, addressing the older male with his best and most innocent looking smile, Atticus sent a silent command to his shadow to start investigating the room. From behind the doorway, and out of view, Atticus’ shadow wiggled to life, before breaking away from Atticus’ side and went slithering into the room, hiding itself within the shadows of the room to begin its own investigations. If this teacher thought he was going to get one over on Atticus, boy did this man have another thing coming!

“Fancy bumping into you again. Hmhmhm~ Looks like you can’t get enough of me it seems. Ha! Luckily enough for you, I’ve decided I like you enough to grace you with my presence today~” Atticus steps into the room, gently closing the door behind him, before moving to fold his arms neatly behind his back; his way of coming off as harmless and showing he had no intentions of harming the older male. Yet. As he was instructed to sit down in the chair in front of Kalen’s desk, crimson orbs blinked before slowly shifting to look at the chair in question. “... Mmm…. Very well then.” Atticus nods his head before crossing the room, his boots making not a single sound as he crosses the room. The only sound Atticus did manage to make was the pleasant white noise of radio static, that seemed to be a constant presence with him.

Once he was at the chair, Atticus casually sat down. His back gently rests against the back of the couch, as he moves to carefully cross one leg over the other, holding about him an elegant presence. Clasping his hands together, he moves to rest them upon the top of his left knee. His left foot taps the air in front of him, as his claws move to lace with one another, his posture relaxed, yet serious. He turns to look at Kalen, his crimson orbs filled with curiosity as he assesses the man before him. It was time to find out what made this man tick! Just who was this man behind that seemingly calm and friendly mask?

Let's see how he intends to start this conversation… Atticus silently thought to himself. No sooner had Atticus thought this, Kalen spoke up, starting off the conversation with something a little more casual. Atticus arches a slender brow skywards, ears flicking about on top of his head as he tilts his head to the side. “Hm? Oh, yes, that,” Atticus begins, giving a small nod of his head. “Things have been going well for the most part. I have already begun to make new friends! Though, my only complaint is the fact that I can’t wear my usual outfits. However, I can make anything look good, so I shouldn’t complain too much~ Ha!” He replies, puffing out his chest in a moment of confident pride. While he was forced to wear this horrible school uniform, at least he was able to style it up with his signature bow tie and suspenders. He was also able to get himself some long sleeved shirts to cover up his 'ugly' scars. Atticus had an image of perfection to uphold, and the less a person saw of his skin, the better off he was. Though without his trusty coat to hide his tail, Atticus found himself getting tired, being forced to conceal it from view all day. One thing at a time he supposed…

Atticus lifts a hand up to gently point at his suspenders. “None of my outfits are truly ever complete without these. Not only are they stylish in their own way, they are also able to hold my pants up. For you see, it is rather difficult to find pants that fit my size. With my slender waist, if I didn’t wear my suspenders, I would be concerned that my pants would fall down. And I wouldn’t want something like that happening, now would I?” He speaks so casually, adding a playful little chuckle at the end of his sentence.

When asked about the food, a delighted little sparkle formed in the foxes eyes as he moved to place his hand back down on top of the other one. “Indeed! I was able to prepare a grand feast last night, for My Dearest Shiori as well as myself! Venison Stew, and some strawberries for a delightful dessert.” Atticus chirps, smiling brightly. “I rather enjoy cooking, especially for Shiori. I mean, what man wouldn’t want to spoil his woman with their own culinary talents? It's as they say, the best way to one's heart is through the stomach! Hmhmhm!” Atticus replies, in a smug tone, holding his head up high, as he moves a hand up to wave it about in a dismissive manner.

As Atticus speaks, he tries to keep the teacher engaged with conversation, the clever fox keeps a close eye on his shadow, without making any gestures that he was actually doing so. “And how have you been, dear teacher? Have the students of Sakura Prep drove you mad yet? Hahaha!” Atticus replies, a bell of melodious laughter rising into the air. His peers were truly a handful, but somehow Atticus felt Kalen would be able to handle(most) anything they could throw at him.  

[LucaRominov]

Kalen’s golden irises peeked out from under his curly hair, following the demon as he waltzed on in. It was hard to see, but his features pinched inward as if to say ‘uhhh, actually no’. Lucky me…” Kalen returned sarcastically before closing the door behind him. The man had no way of knowing that there was a furtive extension of the infernal being sleuthing around his room; He didn’t even figure to check the boy’s shadow because…well…who does that? That being said, the head of the nursing department wandered back to his chair, taking note of the magnified static sound that came with a closer proximity to the young fox. Interesting… typically demons feature some quality of their former mortal lives…that or procreation allows them to inherit those mortal features from their parents. Kalen wondered which one it was.

As he found himself in his own seat, Kalen listened in about the beings predictable disapproval of the uniform as well as his vain approach to culinary etiquette. Still, given his nature, that was all within the Demi-god’s expectation. ”I’m glad to hear that things are going well for you then, adapting can be…difficult for some…but you seem fine,” Kalen was then approached with an inquiry of Atticus’. ”Not yet,” he laughed, ”But im sure my patience will be tested.” he pulled out a laptop from a small bag beside his chair and began starting it up.

Meanwhile, his shadow might discover that there was a safe hidden behind one of the bookshelves, covered by a fake square slot that made it look like part of the structure. It was really well designed to appear normal, but the dark detachment would likely find a small space between the opening and the rest of the book case. It was on the 3rd shelf…and it held several phones on the inside…with no evidence pointing to a particular purpose…though among them was also a flash drive…interesting. ”Alright…so this little health interview is quite simple. I’m primarily going to ask a few questions, perform an arcane assessment, and then likely move on from there…so first things first: how did the Sakura incident affect you…if it did,” It was then that Kalen caught…something.

Kalen had little experience as an educator, but he did have experience in interrogation…and for the particularly tough ones to crack there was always an incredibly subtle sign he could pick up when their attentions shifted or if something said had some underlying significance to them…Atticus made a similar motion… For now Kalen ignored it. That, however, made the infiltrator far more perceptive, focusing on little things despite coming off both calm and collected.  

[StarryNightLight]

Just as Atticus thought, he really was growing on Kalen! Each and every encounter brought them on the fast track to being ‘friends’! Wasn’t that an exciting thought? Atticus sat down in the chair, the smile still etched permanently onto his delicate features. “How kind of you to notice! Hmhmhm! What can I say? I can easily adapt to anything fate throws my way~ Just is the way of the world. If one wishes to thrive, one must learn to adapt to the environment. Because if not, then… How does one hope to survive in the cruel and unforgiving world?” He replies casually, giving a dismissive shrug of his shoulders.

Hearing the answer to his question, Atticus chuckles lightly. Oh, if only Kalen knew just how rowdy the students of Sakura prep could get. Atticus could see Kalen pulling out his hair by the years end – assuming, of course, they were still here by the end of the year. “Soon enough, you will see just how wild the students can get.” He replies, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. This was going to be so much fun to watch! Just how much can this man take before he cracks? Atticus couldn’t wait to find out!

As Atticus continues on with his casual conversation, he observes the room through the eyes of his shadow. Everything the shadow took in, played within Atticus’ mind. If this teacher was hiding something, Atticus would be sure to find out somehow… His shadow slithered along the walls of the room, taking note of anything of interest. And it was while doing this, it happened upon something rather curious indeed! Its eyes grew wide with surprise, as it took in the sight of the fake square slot. A smile grew upon its face as it moved closer to the bookcase. Looks like its master wasn’t the only one that had a habit of hiding things! The shadow moved to wiggle itself between the tiny space between the opening and the bookcase. And what was it the shadow spied with its hollow eyes? A safe! And what did a safe mean? Lots of little secrets to discover! What secrets was this teacher hiding? The jagged tooth smile on the shadow’s face grew as it decided to find its way inside the safe to investigate.

Atticus held back the look of surprise on his face, as his shadow found its way into the safe, and began to reveal the hidden contents. What would a man want with several phones(Atticus could hardly stand the desire to have even one to begin with!). Then there was something else included in the safe. A flash drive? What kind of information was stored in that little trinket? What secrets was this man hiding? Could it be plans for a great scheme? The records to all the people that resided in the city? A dark nefarious plan to destroy the city? Plans to create some sort of weapon? You better believe this fox’s curiosity was piqued! Now the question was, how was Atticus going to sate his curiosity? How will he be able to get hold of the safe to retrieve the prize? Ohh the blackmail that could be had if Atticus could have any of these items in his greedy claws… The shadow silently chattered as it moved to get a closer look.

Atticus smiles, tilting his head to the side, allowing a small lock of hair to fall in front of his face. “A few questions? I see… So long as I can ask you a few questions in turn, as well as having the right to decline to answer any question I deem to be too personal.” Atticus replies, placing his conditions of their little chat. “I’m sure you can agree to these terms, correct?” His tone was light, yet firm, letting it be known that he wasn’t going to back down from these terms. If the man didn’t agree, then Atticus will simply become unresponsive to any prying questions, and will likely change the conversation onto something else. “Despite my rather talkative nature, I am not one that likes to disclose things about myself to just anyone.” Atticus explains simply, waving a hand in the air around him, before placing it back on top of his knee.

The way Atticus saw it, this little meeting wasn’t going to last too long. Which he hoped it didn’t, considering the fact it was going to be time for his afternoon tea! He didn’t wish to keep Shiori waiting for him to return to his side. The only thing that bothered Atticus out of all this, was the questions that were yet to come. Were they going to be basic get to know you kind of questions. Or was he going to try to ask the questions that pry into his life, without seeming too personal? Those questions were the worst! It didn’t matter, Atticus would be ready for whatever was thrown his way, and if needed, could find a way to manipulate the conversation into his comfort.

So, when being asked how the Sakura incident affected him, Atticus opens his mouth to say something but notices something suddenly felt off. There was no way! Did the teacher catch on to his little investigations already? Atticus sends a silent command to his shadow to be careful. “Hmm.” The corner of Atticus’ lips curls into a charming smile as he reaches up to place a hand upon his cheek. “You wish to know how the Sakura incident affected me? Well,” Atticus began, rolling his eyes to the side. “It disturbed me when I was in the middle of doing something. You see, I was enjoying my time with Shiori, busy at work studying something of great importance when the earthquake happened. It was out of nowhere, as is the case with earthquakes. However, I feel inclined to believe it wasn’t the clashing of the tectonic plates that caused this earthquake,” Atticus declares as his eyes narrowed, thinking back to what he had witnessed happening within the walls of the school, before it had come crumbling down, through the eyes of his shadow. “No, I feel as if it was something else that caused this random shake, and crumble of the once proud walls of our dorms. And me, being the curious fox that I am, wish to investigate this incident closer.” Atticus speaks, tilting his cheek further into the palm of his hands. There we go, reveal a little bit of information on the metaphorical hook, and see if the man took the bait.

“But other than being bothered for having my study time disturbed, thus messing up my entire schedule, I am one of the few students who weren’t affected by the incident much at all. In fact, I see this as nothing more than just another act in the play that we call life! Ha!” He chimes, letting out a cheerful laugh. “I actually found it fascinating, to see, within a blink of an eye, how fast life can change. Positively eye-opening, and gives you a greater view on life, hmm?” Atticus replies, looking into Kalen’s eyes, his crimson orbs sharp, and calculating. “Don’t you agree? Sometimes a great tragedy is all it takes for one to see the world for what it truly is.” His tone darkens as he leans his cheeks away from his palm. “Cold, cruel and unforgiving.” He declares, grinning from ear to ear. He waits for a few moments to pass, before laughing as he leans back into the chair. “Oh my! Listen to me babbling on like this. With this kind of talk, I might prove your thoughts on me to be true. With your earlier phrasing, it’s almost as if you didn’t think I had it in me to be upset over the fact my school had been destroyed. … Not like it’s the first time I’ve had to lay witness to a tragedy happening to a school I’ve been to.” He replies, before allowing his words to trail off. “Okay, next question~ What else do you wish to ask of me?” Atticus inquires, continuing to smile his carefree smile.

His shadow, after investigating the safe for anything else worth noting, left the safe and continued its investigation of the room, trying to find anything else of interest. At one point, it slithered up the back of the seat Kalen was sitting in. Its smile grew wicked as it began to extend its arm starting to reach towards Kalen, intent on spooking the poor man with its bone-chilling touch but was stopped by a silent command from its master. The shadow scowled, feeling it's fun ruined, before it slithered back into the shadows, continuing to look around the room.  

[LucaRominov]

Kalen simply nodded to the demon’s conditions; They were reasonable, afterall. As Atticus offered up a curious narrative regarding the fall of Sakura High, Kalen simply nodded as he began typing away. Students were students, and it wasn’t outside his assumptions that it wasn’t caused by natural means. Hell, it might not have been a student at all, perhaps the faculty was involved. Honestly though, none of that really mattered. The question wasn’t meant to probe into the mystery of the destruction at all. What was important was the undertones of the fox demon’s response: the reinforced fact that it hadn’t meant much to him…his paradoxical interest in the series of events. Now those were just a few things that Kalen found moderately important.Then there was…a moment of..something…danger. Kalen felt it on the back of his neck almost…an instinct if you will. But that was impossible…or was it?

Meanwhile, if the shadow continued to investigate under the banner of caution, it would likely find some…oddities if it was focused. One such finding was nearby the safe, just a few shelves up. There sat a nice little owl ornament…with one eye just slightly darker than the other. It was hard to tell, but perhaps the fact that a wire was not only connected to the ornament, but also obviously hidden would uncover the purpose of it. If it wandered around it might even notice that there was a slight fading to a portrait that was hung up behind Kalen, right where one of the eyes were so that a lens could see through it and get a view of both the student sitting down and Kalen in a shot. There were other hidden cameras and even mics hidden similarly, but not many more.

”I see,” Kalen murmured as he began typing on the laptop, ”I find it bizarre that you would want to look into the event out of curiosity alone. I pinned you for someone more calculating and self focused than that.” golden irises looked up briefly from behind the forest of curls. The nature of the statement was hidden in observation. Vanity was a starkly obvious quality in Atticus, so it would only make sense if he had something to gain, hide, or defend from the event…which meant he may or may not have been involved. There was a brief pause before Kalen continued. ”Take it for what it’s worth, but I would leave that to the authorities. Curiosity can be…dangerous. Especially if you are suspicious that the catastrophe was arcane in nature.”

Kalen sighed and pulled away from the laptop. ”Off the record, I would much rather you stay a student in my eyes instead of a patient…and before you say anything it’s Not because you're growing on me or anything.” Suddenly The jocular demeanor returned as the Nursing teacher smiled and wiggled his finger. Maybe atticus would wonder whether or not there was a threat hidden in there? Or perhaps not. ”Anyway, next question: As a demon have you experienced any blatant racism? Like…kinda like that one dumbass, but from rengoku students…We are really trying to curb that kind of behavior here…”  

[StarryNightLight]

The shadow had continued it’s exploration of the room under its masters requests, making sure every inch of the room was went through. There was nothing that this teacher could hide, that Atticus wouldn’t find. The shadow returned towards the safe, being sure to check it out again, showing the front of the safe to Atticus. Atticus looked to the safe through his shadow’s eyes, noting the spin dial that kept him from gaining the contents it held inside. Of course, this man had to have the old fashioned safe. This one might prove a little more difficult to get into. But don’t think Atticus was down for the count yet! There was always a way to get what he wanted. And when he wanted something, he stopped at nothing to get it. The shadow silently chattered as it moved away from the safe and continued to trail up the side of the safe, heading a few shelves up to see an interesting little ornament. A seemingly innocent and cute little trinket, that is until the shadow decided to creep a little closer. From behind the statue, the shadow hovered over it, it’s lips curled downwards into a curious smile as it moved to poke its finger through the object, its touch feeling wires hidden within the ornament. What was this? The shadow tilted its head down, to look past the ornament, to see the trail of wires heading off in a different direction. The shadow made note of this to its master, and Atticus responded with a subtle rise in the staticy white noise that lingered around him, as he placed a hand on his cheek.

Oh yeah, this man was certainly hiding something… “Oh-ho-ho! You really do like to go out of your way to flatter me don’t you~?” Atticus replies with a laugh, as Kalen pointed out his observations. “Such observations, you were able to figure out on our few face-to-face interactions. Mmm… Am I that predictable I wonder. You are very perceptive my dear teacher.” He replies in a jovial tone as if he was waving off Kalen’s suspicions about him. Calculating and self-focused? Ohh, if only he knew just how right he was with his assumptions on Atticus. Everything Atticus did was for his own amusement, his own form of entertainment. While it may not have seemed obvious in some cases, everything Atticus did benefitted him in the end. Though this did lead the fox to question, was Kalen onto him, with the whole ‘calculating’ comment? No, of course not! Why would Kalen be on to what Atticus was doing? “What can I say, foxes are curious by nature, so how can I not be drawn to the mystery, the wonder behind the incident? I simply must sate my curiosity…” Atticus declares, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders. “My curiosity is what compels me to do most of what I do. The fascination of finding out the ‘what ifs’, the meaning behind all that life has to offer. I do enjoy a good mystery from time to time. There is no secret, hidden too deep that I cannot find~ So, it'll only be a matter of time before I find out the truth behind the incident, along with some other mysteries~” Atticus replies, locking eyes with Kalen, for that brief moment in time. Atticus’ lips curled back, taking on a devilish gleam to it, as if to mock the teacher and say ‘I caught you~’, before he tilts his head to the side, letting out another humming of interest.

Hearing the little word of caution, as Kalen spoke of leaving the incident to the authorities, Atticus felt the rumble of laughter swell from his chest, as he moved to slap at his knee. “My, my, with such a comment like that, it almost makes it seem as if you’re worried about little old me~ Hmhmhm!” He smiles brightly, unable to keep the smug-looking grin from his face and he begins to chuckle at Kalen’s words. Curiosity can be dangerous he says… Atticus moves to adjust the monocle over his right eye, as he turns to address Kalen's words. “Dangerous you say? Well, what is life without a touch of danger every now and again? It keeps things… entertaining.” He speaks, falling back into the seat without a sound. “While it is in the authorities duties to tend to and investigate the incident, I feel that they won’t be able to come up with a sufficient answer and will likely pass it off as an ‘act of nature’. My peers' lives were impacted greatly by this tragedy, do you think I can stand by and just let it all be swept under the rug? … I’m sure I’m not the only one that wishes to find out the answers to this mystery.” Atticus replies, shaking his head.

While Atticus continued to distract Kalen with meaningless conversation, the shadow had carefully moved to follow after the wires leading from the owl ornament, and towards a peculiar painting that was perched up upon the wall. The shadow eyed the portrait curiously for a moment, before making its way underneath the portrait to see just what these wires led to. To its surprise, there was a lens! A hidden camera of sorts? The shadow eyed the lens with caution, being sure to stay out of the lens's view.

Atticus, seeing the hidden camera through the eyes of his shadow, tilts his head to the side, keeping the look of interest from his eyes. So, Atticus was right in his assumptions when it came to not trusting this man. The fact he had a camera pointed in the direction of where he was currently sitting now, spoke volumes to the nosy fox. ‘So much for patient doctor confidentiality…’ Atticus found himself thinking. ‘Just what does he hope to gain by recording these sessions? Does he plan on using anything he learns about us to his advantage? I knew there was a reason why I didn’t trust him. And now I may have found my reason why…’ Atticus found himself wondering, feeling his guard suddenly rising as he turned to address Kalen with a smile as Kalen spoke up.

Off the record, huh? Atticus wanted to laugh at that comment, but continued to play the role of the blissfully unaware fox, as he blinked a few times, brows furrowing close together with curiosity. “Aww, how kind of you to say such things. Now, could this be because you’d rather not spend some quality time with yours truly? After all, being your patient would mean we’d have more time to get to know one another, correct? I have so many stories that I could share with you. Some of which I think you would find very intriguing.” Atticus declares, his lips curling back to show off his sharpened teeth. Atticus brings a hand up to his face to tap at his bottom lip, pondering over the man’s words again. Was there a hint of a threat Atticus detected hidden between the lines? Atticus himself was known to have his threats spoken, in a not so subtle way. Atticus hoped Kalen didn’t think he was winning Atticus over with that little smile of his. Atticus saw through the act, and wasn’t going to be so easily swayed like some of the other students… ‘You can’t out fox a fox, my friend.’ Atticus silently thought to himself.

His shadow watches Atticus’ movements with great interest, before looking to the camera. Was his master telling it to… pull the plug? The shadow let out a silent chattering noise before moving closer to the wires connected to the camera. Its fingers curled around one of the wires, and held it up to its face to get a better look. Let’s see, how should it go about doing this? Simply pull the plug or cause a little damage? The plug would be a simple fix, however if it were to destroy it… It would take time for Kalen to figure it out and have to repair it. This would give its master the most amount of time to get what he wanted to accomplish. Deciding on that thought, the shadow brought the wire up to its mouth, and with its jagged teeth, took a small bite from the cord. The cord snapped between its jaw, the action distorting the image that the camera had recorded. Dropping the cord from its mouth, the shadow moved to do the same thing to each and every other wire(in different spots on each cord to throw off any suspicion), grinning in victory as it spit the last cord from its mouth. Atticus hid the victorious grin on his face behind his hand as he watched the last wire fall. And now, there was nothing Kalen could do to stop what may happen next between them… The shadow took one last look towards the camera before slithering off, investing the rest of the bookcase for any other goodies for it to mess around with. Hey, at least it can have some fun at the teacher’s expense, so all wasn’t lost for the shadow! Now if only he could scare the man like it had wanted to…

‘And with that, I win this battle. Like a cornered prey, I got you right where I want you…’ With his victory assured, Atticus chuckled deeply, as he looks into Kalen’s eyes, hidden behind the mop the male called ‘hair’. Ohh, Atticus was going to savor this! “Or “off the record”” Atticus speaks, mocking Kalen’s words while using them against Kalen. “Perhaps there was another reason behind why you said what you said. … Perhaps, you are… hesitant in allowing me to get close, knowing that you’ve met your match?” Atticus taunts, continuing to tap his finger against his bottom lip. “Whoops~ Did I say that out loud~? Hmhmhm! My, gracious be! I am quite the comedian, aren’t I?” He falls into a fit of laughter, seemingly amused by the threatening joke he bounced back towards Kalen. That had to be it, Kalen was aware of Atticus’ snooping, is that why he’d rather Atticus not be his ‘patient’? Was he afraid that his secrets would get found out?

“Hmhmhm~ There is no need to say that, for I already have grown on you. This session alone is enough to prove that little fact.” Atticus states matter of factly. Oh yes, Atticus had grown on Kalen, rather well it seemed. Stuck to the man like glue that is! There was no way Atticus was going to give up on his interest in this man, with all the secrets he keeps discovering! Just what other secrets did this man have? Well, that was enough fun for now. Atticus felt rather accomplished in this meeting. Not only had he put a (temporary) stop to Kalen and whatever he was scheming against the other students, but Atticus had found out something about Kalen, something about the teacher himself he didn't want others to know. Blinking a few times as Kalen mentioned the word ‘racism’, Atticus’ ears twitched, before moving to fall flat against his skull. “Racism?” Atticus inquires. “In school? Not that I am aware of, anyway. Outside of school, yes.” Atticus declares, thinking back to time he met up with the man that would wind up taking Atticus under his wing and train him. “Fox demons are always looked down upon as a ‘lesser’ species of demons. Known noteably for their mischief, as well as the illusions they cast.” Atticus explains, lowering his hand down onto the arm of the chair. “I am not one that likes to be mocked in anyway, so to hear myself being called ‘weak’, or ‘inferior’, simply because of what I am. Well, it only fuels my determination to prove them wrong.” Atticus explains, looking at his claws as they balled into a fist.

He lingers on thoughts of the past for a few moments, before giving a small shake of his head. That was a story for another day. As his fingers continue to curl and uncurl, and his claws scratch softly against the palm of his hand, Atticus’ eyes shift towards the clock. “Well, what do you know?” He states with a surprised tone. “It’s time for my mid-day tea. Yes indeedie~” He turns his head to look back towards Kalen, his smile stretching from ear to ear. “Would you care to join me for some tea?” Atticus casually inquires, before snapping his fingers. On the table in front of him, an old fashioned tea pot, along with two cups of fine china, on top of little saucers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Atticus leans forward in his seat as he reaches out to grab at the handle of the cup with one hand, while the other carefully placed the saucer down on top of his palm. “It’s peppermint tea, my favorite~ I hope you don’t mind.” Atticus chimes as he leans back in his seat, resting his back against the back of the chair. “The scent is so calm and soothing.” Atticus hums, a pleasant smile upn his face as he brings the cup up to his lips and takes a small sip.

“Drinking tea while having a pleasant conversation helps bring about a more peaceful atmosphere. Given the nature of our visit, I would like to keep things as peaceful as possible between you and I.” Atticus replies, as he places the cup down on top of the saucer. “Now, what else do you wish to ask me?” Atticus asks, bringing the cup up to the edge of his lips, poised to take a sip while he waited for another question.

OOC: Conversation and actions in the post were discussed prior to this post being posted. :3