IoD Class #1 :: Morning

[davian]

The lazy sun was just beginning to creep up over the horizon when the door to classroom #506 swung open on its hinges. A man dressed like some awkward (but stylish) fusion of steampunk scientist and modern cowboy stepped in, taking in the sights. Empty seats and table-desks rose in gentle amphitheater arches up to a row of high windows along the back wall; at the front a large semi-circular table sat bare with an empty wall behind it. The traditional chalk board had been removed days earlier at the request of the man who would soon be making use of the room. Davian breathed in deeply as if inhaling memories from years back. This room had played host to countless classes he'd attended... and now...

... now it was his. He couldn't help but grin.

The next hour and a half went by in a flurry of activity. Most of it was spent assembling, mounting, and programming the custom order extra-large smart board he'd had shipped in. The titanic screen covered almost the entire wall and was encased behind a double layer of bullet proof glass (just in case any of the students turned out to be the "feisty" sort). He tapped busily on a tablet, uploading programs and OS components, making the gigantic window of cyberspace his own. Syllabi and handouts were stacked on the desk. The time flew by, yet like any good professional he'd allotted enough to get everything done.

The classroom was ready. The stage was set. Now all that was needed... were the students.

With a tap of the tablet's touchscreen the smart board lit up.

Welcome To
INTEGRATION
OF DISCIPLINES
AKA
'USING WHAT YOU KNOW'

Prof. Davian Boyle
Class #1

A satisfied nod and a small grin; everything was ready. And was that the sound of footsteps out in the hall? He checked his watch with a glance -- morning classes would start in about twelve minutes. Just enough time for the early birds to start flocking to their desks.

Let the learning begin...

[[NOTES: Student characters will earn Points for every class they attend. Today's class is an easy 40 Points. You must sign up in order to get credit, though.]]

[Vespera Velázquez]

Vespera quietly stepped into the classroom, carrying a black messenger back slung over her right shoulder, the strap going across her chest. She appeared to be the first person to arrive as she scanned the room with her eyes. This classroom was unlike any she had ever been in before, and she looked around in awe for a second. She quickly regained her composure before nodding at Professor Boyle with a smile and taking a seat. She sat towards the middle row on the side of the room closest to the door, very close to the wall in an attempt to go unnoticed, but that probably won't work for long depending on how many other students show up.

She set her bag down and pulled out a yellow 3-ring binder followed by a pencil. She had a lot on her mind, like finding a job because she doesn't want to stay in the dorms, or making friends, or most importantly, finding a Meister willing to partner with her. But she needs to push all of this out of her head as she opens up the binder to a fresh page and picks up her pencil.

[Rick Fader]

Following Vespera, a second blue-haired student walked into the class. It was none other than the infamous Rick Fader, Demon Chair of Shibusen and one of the most bloodthirsty students in the school. The scarred student strode casually into the classroom. Today, he left behind his usual hoodie, wearing only a gray t-shirt that involved a stick figure being decapitated on a roller coaster. Aside from that, his usual blue jeans, fingerless gloves, and hiking boots were present.

Rick's yellow eyes scanned the room around him. Mostly, it was your standard Shibusen classroom. The same auditorium classrooms that Rick had been used to for the past three years of his life. However, the addition of a smart board was something he hadn't seen in all of the classes he had attended. But then, what would you expect Professor Boyle himself to do?

"Mornin' Professor Boyle!", Rick greeted the steam punk-garbed man with a grin and a wave. The boy then walked up the incline towards the back row of the class. Rick took position in the mid-section of the class, where he pulled out a new notebook, a three-ring binder, and a freshly sharpened pencil from his bookbag. Integration of Disciplines was neatly written on the white of the cover with a black sharpie.

[cirrus]

James Madrox followed the blue-haired students into the classroom, easily distinguished by way of his blonde hair. Trailing behind his blue-themed garb was his satchel, which was in its usual place; down by his waist on the right side of his body. Contained within were the tools the demon weapon would need for the day: a laptop, a notepad, pens, and a phone. His class, Intergration of Disciplines, would be his first for the day, and as such James still had a chocolate bar in his bag.

Strolling confidently as he passed Dr. Boyle's desk, James greeted his teacher with a rather nonchalant nod. More attention was put towards finding a good place to sit. Looking around, the Trishula realised that he barely knew any of the people currently in the class. Sure, he'd met Rick once or twice, but the amount of words they had exchanged he could count on his hands. And the other girl...well, she was a complete stranger.

Deciding to take the initiative and get acquainted with the other student, James walked up the stairs closest to her desk.

"Hi," He said, as he put his satchel on the desk behind the girl.

"I'm James, James Madrox." He continued, before sitting down in his seat and taking his laptop out of his bag. As the computer booted up, James gave an acknowledging nod towards Rick.

[Vespera Velázquez]

Vespera's face was just staring blankly at the empty page in front of her, not even noticing someone was walking up to take a seat behind her. Not enough sleep, perhaps? Maybe. she did hate staying in the dorms. Was she deep in thought about trying to be useful to Shibusen? Another potential answer. Whatever her train of thought was, it was broken when the person behind her spoke up.

"Hi, I'm James, James Madrox."

Her head perked up and she turned to the right to face him, giving a single wave from her left hand as she smiled.

"'E-'ello, I'm Vespera Velázquez." she replied, her nervousness and British accent were the most obvious things from her voice. This was the first time someone's tried to talk to her since she arrived, granted she hasn't been there very long.

"That's a mouthful, though, so most people call me either Era or ViVi. Up to you, A, B, or C." she added, the nervousness leaving her rather quickly.

[sowilu]

[atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k187/Picture_Online/test.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px dashed #110000, bTable][atrb=style, width: 300px; height: 200px;] kate bell, When I first saw you with your smile so tender, my heart was captured, my soul surrendered.	[atrb=style, width: 200px; height: 150px;]
[atrb=style, font-family: Tahoma; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #ffffff; opacity:0.7; border: 3px solid #fd813b; color: #000000] Good at least Kate was able to find the class room as she had followed the instruction of another student and now she arrived at the class room in time. She had expected to be late, or at least that there already would be many other student, which would make her entrance even more embarrassing. However when she walked into the class room it was emptier and more quiet then she had expected. Only three other students were sitting in the benches. For a moment she looked around and nodded at the professor in a nod. She had met the professor before, when she just had arrived at the school and she was glad to see at least one familiar face. The other three persons who were sitting but she did not know them. She wondered who they were and if they were nice, and maybe a possible friend. Two students were sitting close to each other, but the third one was more separated from the others. Not that she really knew why and that it really had a reason she decided to sit near the one male that was sitting alone. The female student placed the little paper with instructions in her bag and walked to the separated male and smiled at him as a little greet, same as she did with the professor. It was really quiet right now and she did not wanted to speak to break the silence, and get everyone watch her because of that. So she just stayed quiet and sat down, getting a small notebook out of her bag and a pen for notes. Now she was settled she had some time to look around more, and she first watched the class room, there was nothing really special about the room, it after all was only a class room and it was quite sober. So that did not really was able to get her attention long. Kate now looked at the two students who were sitting together. A male and female: The male was blonde and the female was blue haired. They did seemed nice, but that was only an opinion based on their looks. The other student, that was sitting behind her, and a row higher than her was also having blue hair, however he seemed to be more reserved and she did not really knew if he was nice or not.

[cirrus]

"'E-'ello, I'm Vespera Velázquez." Said Vespera. She seemed to be rather nervous, starting her conjecture with a stutter before really getting into the flow of speaking. James would have smiled politely had he not be caught by surprise at the name. He baulked; his usual grin fading slightly, but relaxed as she continued, for her next sentences alleviated his fears of jumbling her name.

"That's a mouthful, though, so most people call me either Era or ViVi. Up to you, A, B, or C." She continued. James chuckled to himself as she finished talking.

"Hey, that rhymes!" He said, before realising he was being idiotic and bringing his chuckle to a grinding and noticeable halt. His cheeks flushed from embarrassment. The demon weapon decided not to look at ViVi for the next few minutes; as if the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' was true for any social faux pas. By taking his eye of his fellow student, James was able to catch sight of another girl walking into the classroom. At the rate this was going, the Intergration of Disciplines class was soon to turn into a harem.

James returned to his previous conversation with Vespera, picking up where he left off.

"Uh..I think I'll choose ViVi, ViVi." He smiled.

"So..when do you think class will start?"

[davian]

"Mornin' Professor Boyle!"

Those words rang in Davian's ears like the sweetest of music. Professor! Such a glorious term! One who professes, who speaks and declares, who leads others in the ways of great thought and expansive ideas! To be finally called "Professor"...

It almost brought a tear to his eye.

He breathed in deeply to steady himself, determined not to let his anxious and excited mental state show to the students. Act casual, yet professional. Smile. Greet everyone and make them feel welcome.

Then pour in the knowledge till it bursts out their ears!

"So..when do you think class will start?"

Catching the remark, Prof. Boyle cleared his throat. "Well, I'd venture we can get things moving right now." He smiled warmly, turning to face the four in their seats, More would, he was sure, be pouring in soon enough, but these would do for now. He gave a slight nod towards Kate, recognizing her from their earlier encounter.

"Welcome, all, to Integration of Disciplines, or 'IoD', if you like. I am Prof. Davian Boyle, and this will be my first time teaching solo at Shibusen."

"This class is all about one thing: learning to use what you know and what you are being taught in your other classes. As such, the content may seem somewhat random and --" Here he emphasized with finger-quotes. "Out there at times... but, rest assured, it's all connected."

"In fact, it's no stretch that the goal of this class is nothing shy of revealing to you how everything is connected, as well as how to use those connections."

"Now to get us started off..." Here he strode towards the center of the room, pulling out the tablet as he did so. "I have a little exercise for you. On a clean sheet of paper write out your four strongest and four weakest areas. These can be classes, in combat, aspects of your personality, talents, hobbies, anything. And don't think on it too much; just write whatever naturally pops into your mind."

Giving the students a few minutes to work on that, Davian then tapped in a few quick commands and the screen changed. "Now, don't feel you have to show these to anyone; just so you know I won't ask anything of you that I wouldn't subject myself to, here's my list:"

[/u][/b]
Machinery
Science
Marksmanship
Zen gardening

WEAKEST
Melee combat
Art
Socializing
Cooking[/ul][/color]

"When you've finished your list, put it aside. We're going to have a quick class discussion."

"And the topic... is Shibusen's guiding principle -- the one thing I'm sure you've all heard so often you could recite it in your sleep. 'A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body'."

"The question -- and, mind you, there are no wrong answers per say -- is this: in what way, or ways, do the mind and body influence the soul? How do they interact, and why do they depend on each other so much?"

[Vespera Velázquez]

Vespera went silent as soon as Professor Boyle stated that class had started, completely forgetting to acknowledge that James was talking to her. She'd probably have to apologize later. When she heard the instruction to turn to a blank sheet, which she had already done earlier, she instinctively just wrote her name down in the upper right hand corner, expecting she would have to turn something in. When she heard what it is they were righting, she turned red as a beet and suddenly looked very depressed.

Strongest and Weakest areas...? "I don't have any strong areas..." she thinks. There's a lot of things she's enjoys, but... Ah! There's one! She perks up and quickly writes down "Football" then just as quickly erases it, remembering that the Football she's referring to it usually called Soccer here, so she writes that down in its place. Then she thinks "Maybe fashion...?" She didn't really consider herself the "Fashionista" type, but she did love scoping out what people wear, but is it really a strength...? Oh well, she wrote it down anyway as the instruction was to write what came to mind. Speaking of fashion, she quickly glanced up at the Professor and thought to herself "He looks cool wearing that..."

What else? She loved to run, not just for combat purposes but in general. Racing people on foot is a serious rush for her, so she writes down "Running" next. One more... Music. She couldn't play a lick but she knows good music when she hears it. It'll have to do. Being able to listen to a beat and follow it is a lot like following patterns, only with your ears.

Now weaknesses, she had little trouble with that. "Daydreaming" is number one on that list. She's doing good so far, but when she was a normal student she got called out all the time by teachers for not paying attention. "Conversation" was another. She didn't really have trouble socializing, it's just she doesn't know how to get into a conversation most of the time. "Ability" was a broad term, but she still thinks her weapon form, and by extension herself, is useless to most people. In addition to that she can barely fight as a human, so it really did fit. Then she looked depressed again as she wrote "Confidence" down. As much as she tried to act otherwise, she doesn't have much confidence in herself. She just looked at what she had wrote for a moment. "Strongest: Soccer, Fashion, Running, Music. Weakest: Daydreaming, Conversation, Ability, Confidence." There. It was done. She listened as the Professor continued, and then heard the question.

"The question -- and, mind you, there are no wrong answers per say -- is this: in what way, or ways, do the mind and body influence the soul? How do they interact, and why do they depend on each other so much?"

Uh oh. This was leaving her stumped more than the strong and weak areas. She was going to need time to think of that one. Better to let someone else go first on that one, maybe she'll agree with what she hears.

[cirrus]

"Well, I'd venture we can get things moving right now." An interjecting voice said. James looked up, realising that Professor Boyle had intention to start the class. It seemed that his conversation with ViVi would have to wait. The demon weapon quickly turned his attention back to his laptop. The Professor continued.

"This class is all about one thing: learning to use what you know and what you are being taught in your other classes. As such, the content may seem somewhat random and --" The Professor paused, emphasising what he was about to say next with finger quotes.

"Out there at times... but, rest assured, it's all connected." James nodded, showing that he was listening. What a riveting introduction that was! Perhaps the Professor could double as an orator too...James let his mind wander momentarily, before focusing back in on what Prof. Boyle was saying. Strong points and weak points eh? The demon weapon began typing with alacrity. He stole a glance at the board to see what Prof. Boyle had put, before going back to his own work. It took him about a minute. James put

[/color]
[li]Style
[/li][li]Glowing
[/li][li]Cooking
[/li][li]Academics
WEAKNESSES
[/li][li]Being funny
[/li][li]Keeping calm
[/li][li]Stubborn
[/li][li]Attention seeking
[/li][/ul]

The class moved on, and the prospect of a debate interested Madrox.

"The question -- and, mind you, there are no wrong answers per say -- is this: in what way, or ways, do the mind and body influence the soul? How do they interact, and why do they depend on each other so much?" The mind and body influencing the soul...It was a pretty philosophical quesiton, in James' view. On the one hand, there were those that didn't believe in a soul, and as such couldn't influence it. On the other, there were those that had the soul influence many of their decisions. So..if the soul influenced decisions, then the soul would in turn affect the mind and body...which would mean that the question really should be how does the soul affect the mind and body, but if there were those that didn't believe in souls then how could their mind and body be affected by something that didn't exist?

James' mind ran around in circles trying to come up with an answer for the question. Eventually, he resolved himself to try and find direction in the answer of someone else. He stared quietly at his laptop, trying to be conspicuous.
[/size][/blockquote]

[sowilu]

[atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k187/Picture_Online/test.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px dashed #110000, bTable][atrb=style, width: 300px; height: 200px;] kate bell, When I first saw you with your smile so tender, my heart was captured, my soul surrendered.	[atrb=style, width: 200px; height: 150px;]
[atrb=style, font-family: Tahoma; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #ffffff; opacity:0.7; border: 3px solid #fd813b; color: #000000] So she had to make a list of her strength and her weaknesses. Not really sure what the use was of that she looked at the list the professor made about himself. She then looked at her blank paper that lay in front of her on her desk. That was not one of the things she was able to do of herself, did that counted as a weakness? It would made one less to think about it. Yet Kate knew writing that down would only be foolish, as she sure would have some strengths and weaknesses. Kate remembered Vignir, who was able to do a partial transformation. She had met him in the park and he had shown her what he was able to do. He was a weapon just like her, and his form was a rocket hammer. Quite amazing, compared with her just being a shield. He was able to do that partial transformation, while she wasn’t able to do that. She needed a Meister to change. Sadly she did not had a Meister yet. That was at least one to start with. Weaknesses. She wrote it down in her neat handwritten and draws a stripe below it to make it outstand for when she would write her weaknesses below it. Below that she wrote: Partial transformation. Oke, that was one. Now she was thinking of It she could tell a few more, because she disliked fights. Mainly because she was not able to fight really well. So the next one was: Hand to hand combat. Nor did she was good with weapons, but she was a Weapon herself, the only way she would have to fight without a Meister would be hand to hand. This also brought her to the third one of the list. She was a coward. It would never come to an hand on hand combat because she always was too scared to cause a fight. That was three already, she would be happy if she could add a fourth one at the list, same as the professor was having. After a moment of thinking she added the last one to the list: Insecure. That was a fact. And her last one: Clumsy. Okay the hard part was over. Now the Strenghts. The first thing that popped up in her mind was her Art. She loved drawing, and without being arrogant she knew she was quite good at it. Now she was thinking of it, again her mind went to the male she had met in the park. He had made a piece of art for her. She wanted to draw him as an art trade. She was Helpful and protective. Then her last one: Positive. She always was positive. So her list was: Weaknesses Partial Transformation Hand to hand combat Coward Insecure Clumsy Strenght Art Helpful Protective Positive Then the second question the professor asked made her completely clueless. She really just hoped he would not ask her to give her opinion about it, because she had no idea what to say about that.

[Vespera Velázquez]

Vespera glanced back and forth, wondering if anyone was going to answer the question. If there's one thing that could fuel her own madness, it was silence. It's the reason she listens to music so much; she hates quiet rooms, and that's what this was becoming. Not even the sounds of pencils meeting paper could be heard now. She looked a little annoyed before she finally raised her hand and let out a sign of relief as she decided to try and answer. She lowered her hand and blushed a little as she attempted to word what she was thinking.

"I'd say... a mind that is less 'sound' would contribute to a soul becoming unstable... like maybe the madness that drives the Kishin eggs, and... a sluggish or otherwise unfit body would have a lazy soul that couldn't really become strong?" she said, nervously.

Regardless of what the reaction was to her feeble attempt at answering the question, she lowered her head, as if humiliated. At least it was over. Even if there isn't a wrong answer, she felt like she wasn't really saying anything that people didn't already know.

[cirrus]

"I'd say... a mind that is less 'sound' would contribute to a soul becoming unstable... like maybe the madness that drives the Kishin eggs, and... a sluggish or otherwise unfit body would have a lazy soul that couldn't really become strong?" ViVi piped up, and James pondered the notion. It didn't sound too far-fetched, and, for the most part, he agreed with her.

"Uhm, ViVi, what about a sumo wrestler? They're sluggish, but really well respected in Japan. I wouldn't bet against them having strong souls." He said. He hated to cut down a suggestion, especially in this case, seeing as it was the only one offered thusfar. A few "hmms" and "ahs" later, the demon trishula offered his 'answer'.

"ViVi has a point, though -- a mind that isn't sound, or, if we use the Latin, sane probably would lead to poor physical condition, through drugs and other addictions at the minor level, right up to kishin egg at its peak. Still, poor physical condition from nature, say...someone born with asthma or something, doesn't necessarily lead to a bad soul. My guess is that the mind and the soul -- the more spiritual side of things -- have a lot more gravity on a person than the phyiscal: the body."

[davian]

"Very good points, both of you." Davian smiled, rolling over the students' perspectives in his head. The question was really less about figuring out the soul-mind-body connection so much as getting a sense of the ways each student thought -- critical information if he, as a teacher, was going to be of any use to them. Vespera seemed to take things rather holistically and directly; to her, it only made sense that an ineffectual body and mind would result in a weakened soul, as they were all part of one being, one person. James -- quick to impress with a bit of Latin -- had his eye on the "psychic" interaction between mind and soul. Both were valid perspectives. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "In fact, you've summed up one of the great Shibusen debates rather nicely. And you both get credit for going out on a limb with your answers."

He jotted down a few notes on the touch pad before asking "Anyone else?"