..:New Teacher

[K:anode]

The school was quite something to look at, if nothing else. The architecture was a little dated, but he'd heard it was kept quite up to date on the inside and anyway, it added character. The grounds were well kept and not too many students were seen to be loitering about. K:anode assumed they would be found in less obvious places, behind fences, bushes, walls. Anywhere teachers were less likely to find them. Though, from his now rather distant memories of school, teachers usually knew where all those places were, who was there and what they were doing.
They just couldn't be bothered doing anything about it.

Out of sight, out of mind.

He found his way to the principal's office after a call in at reception. He knocked on the door once, softly, then leaned against the wall in the corridor. Now glancing over his appearance, he wasn't so sure if it was the best idea. He wore his usual clothes, more or less. Blacks and whites only, even the laces of his trainers had been changed to white rather then his preferred red. His top didn't hang like he usually wore them and the sleeves reached just a little bit past what most people considered normal. He shifted uncomfortably in the different outfit.
Getting more anxious by the moment, he ran his fingers through his hair, instantly regretting it. It was probably all the worse now... stupid uncontrollable....
Ah well, it couldn't be helped now.

[Alexia Flynn]

Alexia Flynn was putting away papers in her office when she heard a soft knock on the door. Quickly, she straightened her jacket and smoothed down her hair. The person at the door was sure to be the new professor that had been hired, and so she wanted to look as professional as possible before she opened the door.

Once she was finished, she strode across the bare expanse of carpet and opened the door. A young man with bright red hair and pale skin, dressed in white and black, stood leaning against the opposite wall. A slight frown touched Alex's mouth.

"Ah, are you..." she trailed off as she consulted her papers for the new professor's name. It'd been a slightly different sort of name, and she couldn't quite place her finger on it. "K:anode?" she finished. Alex stepped to the side and waved her arm towards the room in a 'go on and step inside' gesture.

[K:anode]

K:anode almost jumped when the door opened. He gave the lady who opened a slightly startled look. He glanced over her. Clearly she was the headmistress. She was frowning. He quickly stood up straight, noticing that she was a tad taller then himself. Not that that was anything unusual. Everyone was taller then K:anode.

"Yes, Madam, I am."He replied, trying to be polite. He smiled weakly as he walked into the room, gazing about with mild interest. Fairly normal really. When he reached the desk, he waited for her before taking a seat. She seemed quite strict, and didn't seem too impressed. Rather, he was fairly sure he'd already irritated her.
"Thank-you for the opportunity for the interview."He began, turning to her, "I haven't seen much of the Academy, but it looks very well run and kept." better then any of the schools I've attended myself... and that's a lot., he held back from adding. He had of course listed a few of the schools to his CV, but if he listed too many it would look strange and she'd probably ask questions about it.

[Alexia Flynn]

Alex followed the man in, a bit worried about the interview to come. The man here certainly wasn't what she'd expected, with his brightly colored hair and small stature. He looked more like a student might than a professor. She circled around the desk and seated herself in the chair there, noticing that the man waited to seat himself until she herself had sat down.

Well, she thought, at least he knows his manners.

Alex picked up the pile of forms that K:anode had filled out and given to the office prior to the meeting. Laying them flat in front of her, Alex folded her hands on top of the papers and looked K:anode in the eye.

"It's not a problem at all, Mister...." she trailed off once again, glancing back down at his papers. He didn't seem to have a last name, and Alex was at a loss at what to call him. "Mr. Anode." It was the best she could manage. "I do like to think that we have a well-run academy here. We hold ourselves to high standards, as I like to think that even though our students may be different, they deserve the same quality of education as everyone else. This is also why I take the time to personally interview each professor before they are hired."

With that, Alex picked up the paper on top of the pile and held it up in front of her, reaching for her reading glasses and perching them on her nose.

"So...it appears that you haven't attended any colleges..." she mused, looking up over the top of the paper, "but it seems that you are qualified to teach high school courses." Putting down the paper, she placed her hands together, fingers steeple-style. "So, Mr. Anode, tell me a little bit about yourself. Your interests, your past, anything you deem important for me to know."

[K:anode]

K:anode stayed on his feet, since she hadn't told him to take a seat. She met his eyes, and he tried to do likewise. She was starting to scare him though. Taking a breath, he tried to slow his breathing, to relax. As she organized her papers, he counted to ten and back. Hopefully the students wouldn't be this... draining?
"Uhm.. It's Dechrau.. K:anode Dechrau"He said, almost mumbling. "I'm not really fond of my surname though.."he explained, knowing it probably seemed silly to her. Probably seemed silly to anyone who didn't recognize the demon's name.

"I didn't attend college, no. I didn't have much luck with high school and it kind of seemed boring. I'd studied a lot myself you see."He replied, trying to sound confident, but not arrogant. He knew well loads of people left school thinking they knew better then their teachers. Really it came down to missing the scholarship exam and his mother not having the money for college. He hadn't the heart to ask. To this day he wasn't sure if he would have enjoyed college had he gone.
"I mostly know about Sciences, social studies and languages."

He looked thoughtful, trying to think of an answer to her question. Finally, something she said something that he felt confident about answering. Her pose was still intimidating though.
"Well.. when I left high school -having passed the exams of course- I took up some investigation work."he began. "Range of things.. can't really say much about it though. It's been my main income since I left home." He paused, again thoughtful. "Outside of that I just like reading books, learning new information. Nothing too interesting really."He shrugged. Then thought... maybe teachers thought that kind of thing was really interesting? He sighed. Taking it back would just make him stutter and loose his cool. "I think that's it...."He finished, not sure if he'd said enough. Probably not.

[Alexia Flynn]

Noticing that K:anode hadn't seated himself yet, Alex gestured towards the chair across from her. Each chair in the room was specially made to suit people with wings, having low backs that wouldn't rub and cramp the wing area.

"Please, seat yourself," she invited, her tone slightly more friendly now. The man seemed nervous, and she wanted him to relax a little bit. "So it's Mr. Dechrau, then? Or would you prefer Mr. Anode?" In her opinion, he should just stick to Anode; it was much more simple to say than Dechrau was.

"So, are these the areas you would most likely wish to teach?" the headmistress asked, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other in a questioning expression. She waited for his answer to her previous question, then leaned back in her seat, looking completely at ease.

"Well, Sir, you seem to be a very well-educated individual," Alex told him, studying his expression as she did so. He didn't seem to be a particularly proud person, which suited Alex well. She wasn't fond of excessively proud people. They tended to annoy her.

[K:anode]

K:anode took the seat.
"K:anode please. Can-ode."He sounded to emphasis his point. "I'm not quite sure why it's spelt how it is... I'm not sure I want to either.."He added more quietly. He'd noticed the element Potasuim in it and his reaction to water... he suspected they were related. But whether there was some great reason for it, or just a poor pun, he wasn't sure.

"Hm, yeah. I suppose."He replied as she leaned back he already felt more at ease himself. It wasn't so much like she was assessing him. Though really, she probably was. He smiled a little, "I could hardly teach Spanish when I don't speak a word.."He added, trying to lighten the mood, though he was a little unsure if he should.

"Well enough I hope."He replied, trying to look a little confident, but compared to his collueges, who he imagined probably all had PhDs and Masters in their chosen subjects, he was weak.

[Alexia Flynn]

Alex nodded. "Alright then. Mr. K:anode, then," she said, steepling her fingers once again. She smiled ironically at K:anode's joke. It was the dry sort of humor that Alex appreciated, which made her much more inclined to like this man with the strangely colored hair.

"You've got a sense of humor, I see," Alex commented passively, as if she were talking about the color of the drapes. She was glad to see that the man wasn't over-confident. She'd had too much experience with younger people who believed themselves to be just a tad bit above everyone else, just because they were slightly more intelligent.

"So, Mr. K:anode, do you enjoy being around children?" This was a key question that Alex always asked her interviewees. She herself loved to be around children, and would never even dream of hiring someone who did not like them. Teaching jobs at Galaxium were highly sought after, as Alex paid her professors quite handsomely, and they were the few that did not discriminate if you had wings or not. She had her pick of many different people, and so she could afford to be choosy about who she hired.

[K:anode]

K:anode still felt she was was acting as though he were some experiment... he wasn't quite sure if she was just humouring him or being honest. Her next question shouldn't have thrown him... but it kind of did.
He thought about it for a moment. Something about her hinted to him that this mattered alot to her, as it should. He'd be surrounded by kids everyday.... He knew they'd probably find it ever so amusing to tease him a little, as the students in his other schools had their teachers -and himself. Then, he had taught a few grinds to family friends and really liked doing so. He liked explaining things to people, particularly if they appreciated the help. In addition, if they were nice kids, he found them easier to speak to then adults. Adults were forever looking down at him, treating him like a child and thinking he was some near middle-aged type person who was desperately clinging on to their youth. Simply because he was a little short and his hair was odd. And of course there was nightclubs -who constantly refused him even when he had ID.

He blinked, coming out of his thought. "Yeah, I do. More so then adults if I'm honest."He replied finally. "They tend not to look down at me quite so much.... I like helping people, hence why I applied for a job in teaching."

[Alexia Flynn]

At the man's words, a true, albeit small, smile broke out on Alex's face. Now this is what she looked for in a teacher. Someone who truly appreciated children and was happy to just be around them and help them reach their full potential. In Alex's mind, K:anode had already passed her most difficult test without truly realizing it. She also appreciated the fact that he took some time to think about how he would answer the question, instead of blurting out what he thought she wanted to hear. Because of it, Alex was sure that he was telling the truth, which was good for him in that case, since there was nothing Alex hated more than being lied to. Her mind made up, she clasped her hands together and leaned towards K:anode, her elbows resting on the desk.

"Well then, Mr. K:anode, I am prepared to offer you the Science position we currently have available. If you accept, you will be teaching all levels of Chemistry we have available, as well as a Physics class. All you have to do, is sign this contract." Alex took a paper from a nearby file cabinet, turned it so the print was readable for K:anode, and set it down in front of him, along with a pen. "Please, take all the time you wish to review our teaching contract. We have nothing to hide, no fine print, and so we encourage others to complete read their contracts so they are familiar with all the terms of their employment." With that, Alex leaned back in her chair, prepared to wait as long as it took for K:anode to read through the terms of his contract. So far, no one had ever turned down the opportunity to teach at Galaxium, and Alex was sure that this would be no different.

[K:anode]

After he answered, K:anode noticed she didn't seem as tense. He didn't relax however. He'd learnt to always expect the unexpected from people. Then she said the unexpected - that she'd offer him the place. He looked at her incrediously, with even a hint of suspicion as she explained.
"Yeah.. I think I can manage that.."he replied, checking his knowledge on both. He smiled, they his favourite sciences. Though he knew biology, he didn't much like it. Blood made him feel a little weak.

He took the page, almost cautiously, skimming over the titles first, then reading it more slowly. As she said, there was no fine print, and he could see no problems with it. Standard and compliment with laws. He glanced up at her for a second, through his fringe. Her expression was expectant, with almost a hint of.. pride? Well, it was understandable. Anyone would have the right to be proud of a place like this. He took the pen, still pausing. He held the faintest smirk for a second, it was purple. Twirling the pen in his hand for a moment more, knowing he was setting his life down for at least the next school year -something he'd never expected to happen- he was uncertain. A future of moving from place to place had always been his expectation (though not his preference.)
"M'Kay..." Finally he signed the dotted line.

[Alexia Flynn]

"Alright then!" Alex said cheerfully as K:anode handed the contract back to her. She was glad that the interview part of hiring, at least for this person, was finished. It was her least favorite part of her job, and she relished every moment she had where she didn't have to interview someone. She signed in her own place on the form, making it completely official. Detaching the carbon copy paper from the back, she slid the contract into its correct folder, and handed the carbon copy of it to K:anode. "This if for your own reference, in case you ever need to refer to your terms of employment," she told him. Next, Alex pulled out another form from her desk, this one with a sort of floor plan on it, with lines to write on. She turned this form to face K:anode and began to speak again.

"Okay, Professor," she started, using his new, more official sort of title. "This is our dormitory sign up. As you will have read in your contract, both the students and professors live on campus during the school year, and during the summer break as well if they wish. You'll pick the dorm room you wish to stay in on here. The rooms on the third floor are single-person, and the rooms on the fourth floor are two-person. If you sign up for a fourth floor room, you will be paired with a roommate. These particular rooms are co-ed, but you will not be forced to share a room with a person of the opposite gender if you do not wish it to be so. Either way, the choice is yours. Just sign your name where you would like to be placed, and you'll get the key to your room, as well as a map of the school grounds to help you with navigation." He still held one of her purple pens, so there was no need to give him something to write with.

[K:anode]

K:anode looked over the page as she spoke, listening carefully. Normal enough. He looked a little confused for a second hearing her call him 'professor'. He wondered if she was joking, suggesting he was insane or something to that effect. He doubted it though. Surely she hadn't known him long enough yet to think so.
"Uhmm.. Okay."He wrote signed his name on the fourth floor. He'd been living alone for the past 4 years. He hated it. He knew the person he may be staying with may be difficult to get along with, but he could deal with that. Such was normal life. He left the pen on the table, and leaned back again, letting her continue. Interviews were pretty boring, but mandatory.
"Do many stay around for breaks?"He asked casually, as if just to let the time pass. He didn't really have anywhere else to be, the contract on his old apartment long gone.

[Alexia Flynn]

"Thank you," Alex said, taking the paper back and putting it in her files, and handing K:anode a packet that had his key and map inside it. "You'll find a mail container outside of your dorm room; all mail will come to the school's address, and our groundskeeper will deliver it to the correct dorm rooms. Tomorrow morning you will find a key to your classroom and a list of standard class etiquette that is to be followed in every class room. Any further rules for your classroom are to be made by you." Finally finished with the more 'official' part of the interview, Alex leaned back in her own chair, regarding the strange man across from her. He was different, it was true, but heck, it was a school for winged people. Who here wasn't different? She noticed with some amusement that he seemed confused when she called him 'Professor'.

"I don't know how things were run at your past schools, but here at Galaxium, the students refer to their teachers as 'Professor', instead of the standard 'Mr, Mrs, and Miss'. It's part of our discipline protocol. Though...many of the students will come up with nicknames for their teachers. It's up to you whether to allow them to call you these nicknames or not." Alex smirked, thinking of her own 'nickname'. "And if you hear them talking about 'The Warden', that would be me."

Alex's smile faded as K:anode asked about students staying over the break, and she nodded slowly. "Yes, many of them do. Most don't really have a safe place to return to, since a majority of them were kicked out or rejected because of their differences... So we allow these students to stay here."

[K:anode]

K:anode nodded as appropriate as the Headmistress finished explaining how things worked here. Somehow making rules amused him just a little bit. He was used to following them. Generally to the letter. Well... maybe not so much in recent years. It can be tricky to get to the end of a case while following the law perfectly.

"The Warden?"K:anode repeated weakly, trying to think why. Ah.. He could see it fitted her. He wasn't too sure if he wanted a nickname.. but then, you usually didn't get a choice in these things, did you? He frowned a little at the thought of his former nicknames... though they were more like out-right insults.

Seeing her expression change, he got the feeling he shouldn't have asked. When she answered, he wasn't sure if he should be glad or not. He didn't know yet if the students prepared to be here and among their own, if they had families or what.
"Hm.. Okay then."He replied, not sure what else he could say. "Oh, when do the classes start? Have they begun already?"He added. The school was so quiet when he came in, he guessed the students were either in classes or in some other sections of the school.