Reality Check

[GuestGuest]

Yes, definitely she needed a reality check as she walked out of the dining room door of The Honeycomb and onto the brick walk that led along side the Caretaker's cottage and across the grass to the chain link fence that separated their quarters from the school's land. Rowan leaned her arms on the top of the fence and stared out across the fields and the large white home that was now known as Gippsland Grammar School for Young Witches. It felt like a dream most of the time, a nightmare part of the time and like she had somehow stepped into the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. But the top bar of the fence was cold metal and she could feeling it through the sleeves of her top as she leaned on it looking across the pastures. Had it only been less than two weeks since she and Marcus had made the decision and packed everything up, thankfully with lots of magic to help speed up the process, and drove the Ute to Noojee and Gippsland Grammar School for Young Witches?

Oddly enough, Rowan had never even sought the position, having thought she would just forever remain a deputy headmistress dealing with the usual day to day chores of one. But it was not what was meant to be. Perhaps it was the fact that she had not sought out this that made it seem so surreal and alternate worldly to her. But that meeting with Robert Ashton and a few others had been real enough and so had the frenetic packing and making sure she had everything before climbing into the passenger seat of the Ute that took them to the front of a large white home which had now been converted to a school for young witches. But it had been true and it was real and she was now leaning against the dividing fence of their new home looking out at the school grounds of which she had just become headmistress.

[Marcus Hobson]

Marcus was a early riser, years of habit drummed in by the day to day choirs where hard broken except by a paticularly late night or of course.. Sunday. There was something crazy about all of this, over twenty years he'd spent at Tally and now.. he was gone, the dry flat floodplains replaced with green hills and the awe inspiring sight of mountains rising up to the peaks of Mount Bulla what felt a mere stones throw away on a clear day. Over Two hundred kilometres away from the place he'd been a prisoner of for much of his life, driving though the mountains and watching the dry dead pastures come alive into bushland and forest. It was cooler down south, he'd realised that one immediately, greener too and the brochure he'd been handed had mentioned nothing but fun and exciting possibilities..also a goat farm.. he hadn't expected that one! Mind you when he'd visited the area as a teenager goat's had been the last thing on his mind, instead the weeks he'd managed to spent at the Ashton's brought back memories of fishing and fun, sitting on the back varanadah watching Rainbow Lorikeets and of course the never to be forgotten time he managed to crash Mel's Dad's car into the back dam. There was a lot to be done of course, moving and sorting had taken up most of the past weeks.. his office left a stripped shell was strange and alien but he guessed that was normal when saying goodbye to a place that had been home for so long. He didn't have a office anymore, nor did he need one when for the first time they had a home, a real home made of bricks, wood and real stuff, no magic. Marcus felt good about that. Yesterday he'd spent fixing the hinges in the kitchen and cleaning gutters, old messy jobs but they felt 'right'.

It had been his birthday yesterday too, funny how things almost manage to slip your mind, there wasn't time for a big party but he'd spent the morning fixing up the new hives and perusing the book Mel had given him .. he'd yet to find use for the Space suit but no doubt there was to be some fun to be had there. He was thirty-two, engaged, free, he had a powerdrill and a beekeeping guide for Dummies and the same job he'd had since he was nineteen. It was the only thing in his life that had remained the same, consistent, everything else in his life had fallen away or blown into chaos at one point or another and yet in the end he was still the guy who inspected the septic tank to make sure it was running correctly, and stuck the 'do not put pygmy puffs down the toilet' signs in the girls loo's. It was different, the shadows and press of years he'd always felt at Tally, the mythology that built and wrapped itself around the school till you lasted long enough to become a part of it or became just another shadow, a initial carved into the handrail that M.H was here. Marcus had never been part of something 'new' before. His entire life felt second hand but here, everything was clean, pressed scrubbed, no students had scratched their initials into the dining room table, there was no fear of finding 'unmentionables' hidden away in the cupboards or questionable substances in the fridge.

Noojee was freedom, Gippsland Grammar was too small to be anything but a blip on the radar of his fathers 'psychometer', sure he'd probably rant about it for a few hundred words in The Voice or call in on WWBN to complain but a girls school far away from anywhere Marcus felt safer then he had ever before in his life. Chloe would be safe here, Kat was already going on about how it meant being a whole 200ks closer to the beach but really Marcus didn't care. For the first time they where living their own life, no more rubbish lies about uncles and nieces, no more lies, no more stories. Marcus couldn't help but wonder about what his father would think of him now, striding though the long grass wondering if it was worth getting a sheep or cow to do the lawn or if Bertrand would manage to keep it trimmed down enough to not need to. Rob had once said that he'd be a natural farmer - if the animals didn't have such 'odd' opinions of him. Marcus wasn't sure about that but with a familiar figure ahead Marcus knew that there was no question he'd try, it was his dream after all, a stupid daydream and yet just like the Talking Heads song but not questioning the turn of good fortune. "Hey hun" Marcus said as he settled in next to her, looking out at the white building, all wood and tin roofs clean and new. It was one of those moments where he felt a loss of what to say, so much had happened and while for him there was always the routine to fall onto, for Ro.. everything was new. Something that big deserved it's moment of silence as Marcus looked around, the sound of birds ringing in the air and warm sunlight unbroken by clouds. Green and Blue where the colours of their world now.. well green blue and a shock of red hair, Marcus smiled at that. No psychovampires, no blue eyed freaks and useless self-proclaimed royals.. just peace - it was a life that he could get used to quite easily.

[GuestGuest]

It was peaceful out here and Rowan wondered if she could get used to that again. Living a bit out of the town but close enough to go in if they wanted too, almost like back home in Scotland. It was beautiful there and it was going to be good. Sure, there would be issues and difficulties, that was part of life but it was new and fresh and different. It wasn't until they had the car unloaded and were unpacking things that Rowan realized how badly she had really needed something new. Strange, considering she had not even been looking for another spot to work or live in and then it all happened.

If Rowan had had time to think things out and be logical about it, she would have probably played it safe but there was no time. When Robert Ashton had approached her with the offer it was then and there an answer was needed and she gave it immediately with just a look to Marcus to see if he had any opinion. He only nodded his head and later told her it was a good fit for her, she needed to take the chance. Maybe not in those words, but it was what his message was when they did have time to talk about it all as they packed and loaded up the Ute. Speaking of said Marcus, it was his voice that broke through her thoughts and she smiled as he joined her. "Hi," she said softly. "Finding anything to work on?" she asked, though the previous owners had kept it in good repair but there were always those small jobs that ended up being needed done when something had been vacant for so long.

[Marcus Hobson]

"Hi" it was almost as if all the space sucked away all the words, there had always been a abundance of sky but for the first time he was painfully aware that right now, it was just them. Well them, a goat, Chloe, Kat and the kids and teachers who would be showing up at the school any day now. It was a tradition he was well used to, the post-holiday scrub and check before the next batch of kids and staff came to mess it all up again. Normally around this time he'd be run ragged trying to make up for the staff cuts and lax hiring, doing the work of two but now his list was short, manageable and while in one respect he'd taken a minor paycut Marcus could hardly turn his nose up at the feeling of goodwill they'd received ever since turning up to find a 'welcoming hamper' placed on the kitchen table of what was to be their home. Marcus didn't know if that was a usual thing, one thing about having grown into his job was never going though the process of being 'new' at it. "Always" Marcus said giving Rowan a brief kiss before settling back to watching the world, there was always something to do, idle hands and all that. "I was thinking that big old machinery shed our the back could make a good potions lab.. or Alchemy if youknow.." mumblemubmle.."we find a teacher" which was about the best admittance you'd get out of him about a certain Alchemist. Marcus had a talent for holding a grudge to a point where they got ridiculous and it took someone shouting at him or a chance encounter to bring the whole thing to a end. "Anyway.. least that way if the kids blow the thing up it won't take out the whole house". Marcus was serious about that one, one thing that he was a bit twitchy about was fire... and rabbits.. he'd noticed there was lots of them about too.

"Its good though.... a good building.." a nod of approval, there wasn't much more to be said about it, he used to know all the stories about every room, the time so and so let off a stinkbomb in the hall and how so and so used to sneak beer in though the upstairs window.. Marcus wondered if there would be anyone to tell those stories soon. "..maybe we should see about getting a pair of house elves.. young couple like us" Marcus winked, although it was a odd thing, of everyone he had said goodbye to it was the house elf crew that he felt the most regret. He'd been one of them, celebrated with them, drunk with them and now would anyone care? Probably not, it was a sad thought. Marcus knew how names lingered but there was something about this, this one choice that made it hard to look back. Maybe it was because it was such a balmy idea.. to leave everything behind and start afresh, but it was hard not to feel good about the decision with the sun out and nothing but farmland cut out of the bush as far as the eye could see. No more underground corridors and the scent of Spencer's socks, sure it was going to be weird getting used to the whole 'girls' school thing but compared to dealing with Sturt Jerkwards for the rest of his life Marcus was feeling pretty damn good about the whole thing.

[GuestGuest]

Rowan was suspecting Marcus was the lucky one in this current change they were dealing with. His list got quite shorter than it used to be at the old school. Smaller building, as a matter of fact, for all intents and purposes, less buildings since it was mostly just the one large former residence plus a shed or two that cold be used for storage and/or converted for certain classes. Everything was in much better repair than the previous site, not to any fault of Marcus' caretaking abilities but you could only do so much without support and cooperation from the rest of those using the buildings.

It didn't work out that way for Rowan, however, since the amount of preparation and paperwork she needed to do was the same in the long run for any amount of students. But she did not mind at all this time because it was new and fresh and a different style of learning then almost any school she knew of. The methods were progressive and geared to providing the student with individualized studies as best as possible. Yet the tuitions were not an outrageous sum with scholarships having been established for those with funding difficulties.

Yes, it was going to be an adventure once everything was unpacked and put up where it needed to go, something Rowan had been working on in their new home since breakfast. Returning the kiss Marcus gave her, she listened at his idea and remained silent as she thought about it for a moment. "That would be good. Even better if we could enlarge the area and have both Alchemy, if we're fortunate enough to find someone willing to teach it here, and Potions in the same building. Cupboards on either side, with the central part of the building for the work area since the classes would be at different times," she mused, half to herself and half aloud, bouncing the idea out for Marcus to consider and let her know if it was even possible.

It was his comment about the house elves that made her grin. "Funny you should mention that," she told him, looking toward the house as two little figures made their way out, a digital camera hanging around the neck of one. "Meet Tetris and Pacman," she introduced them to Marcus, taking the note out of her pocket that the elves had given her when they arrived earlier that morning. "It seems their cousin felt they would find a good home here," Rowan explained. Considering the rather professional camera hanging around the neck of Tetris, it wouldn't take much to figure out who their cousin was.

[Marcus Hobson]

"Enlarge?" Marcus' eyes lit up, there was only one way to enlarge the space and that meant demolishing stuff. While fixing was the mainstay of his job there was no question that the real work satisfaction came with the chance to swing a sledgehammer around. "I'm sure we can see about that.. do you know they have two hardware stores in town... two!" and that didn't even count the ones in Warragul or Drouin, it was like suddenly finding a candy store on the end of every street.. matter of fact he was quite sure there was a lot more of them as well! It made him wonder how on earth he'd managed to survive in Narrie for so long, one pub, one hardware store it was all so.. small. Sure Noojee was tiny but it was only a half hour drive into Warragul or Drouin where they could eat out at a different restaurant or pub every night of the week and still have more to chose from next week. The fact that the brochures said that they where slap bang in the middle of the Deli trail full of good food and other awesome stuff didn't at all sway his decision to support the wif.. eh futurewifey.

Funny how a mind could so easily swap from one mode of thought to another all together. His mind was starting to go in another direction when Rowan suddenly spoke up and Marcus looked confused at the names to find two young house elves. "Oh hey! Hi!" You'd think Marcus was greeting a old cousin of his own as he waved at the elves. There was a moment of confusion as his eyes where momentarily boggled by a flash. "What did you say their names where?" Marcus asked Rowan as he rubbed away the afterimages of Tetris' camera. He'd really have to bribe him with one of those ones with a less flashy flash or something. "Well I guess that explains the who's.." Marcus had very vague recollections of a couple of young elves that used to hang around the tv for a few weeks back in the day when Mel had brought the Nintendo in. Who'd have funk that elves could be just as addicted to gaming as wizards? That had been a veery bad year for grades and productivity all round when most days where spent in a rush to be the first to get the controller.. not that he'd ever been any good at it, Mel had been constantly telling him off for 'going the wrong way' most of the time.

Meanwhile the house elves where babbling to each other, Marcus was liable to roll his eyes, he'd come all this way with the thought to being no-one and already the house elves where looking at him like he was a celebrity.. he really didn't even want to know the stories the house elves had passed on about him, they where bound to be rather...... interesting.

[GuestGuest]

Rowan simply smiled and nodded as Marcus began to extol the hardware store wonders of their new hometown. She nodded as he went on about how definitely, they could enlarge the building under discussion to contain both Alchemy and Potions areas. It was the mention of house elves that brought forth the new arrivals.

"Master Marcus!" squeaked the pair in unison. "It's us! Remember when ...." and from there on, it was hard to figure out which memory of their younger days was coming from which house elf as both Tetris and Pacman greeted the former student who had allowed them to hang around with him and taught them the finer points of their namesake games, not that they really excelled at them. "Auntie Windex says hi and that we are to help however we can and we even bought a new camera to record things and and and............." the pair finally ran out of words, at least for the moment.

Rowan grinned as the two greeted their favorite student turned caretaker. "Apparently, we have our first two 'assistants'," Rowan informed Marcus as she, too, blinked from the effects of the flash. "

[Alassima Sam Salkfeanor]

Walking was hard, Sam wasn't sure if it had ever felt like that before, had her feet always felt so heavy?.. or was it the fact that she knew every step was taking her further from her homeland and even that of the place she had spent her last turns of the season? The time between had not done her well, her foxy features where more drawn, her hair no longer flame red but faded and copper, hanging limp around her face. Things where not well, before while she had been tolerated in the town she had found herself singled out and feared, all of which was beyond her understanding. How would she have known that WWBN had been reporting that Elves where behind the recent disasters, how was she to defend herself against accusations that she had never heard. Like all things it seemed humans did not like what they did not understand, and what they didn't like they hated. Or worse, misunderstood. Stopping at a river Sam knelt and put her ears to the sound of rushing water, mountain water clean and white. The blight had been upon her, little by little she'd taken the poison in from the farmers who did put chemicals upon their land. Sam was lost, or had been lost, lost amongst hard stone paths that stunk of toxins, lost on roads littered with piukka and cracks where grass tried to survive in the unnatural landscape. Now in the high country she stopped to breath in the thin air before continuing on a path towards a faint feeling in her mind, the stirring in her Corm that somewhere, walking barefoot, crossing rivers and scary roads where humans did travel in metal boxes.. somewhere far to the east she might again find food to eat and a land that would welcome her underfoot.

Sam had been walking all day, and all the night before. waiflike and thin, unwell from the little food on her journey.. at least until she had stumbled upon a farm and taken all she could to eat from the flowers that grew there before fleeing at the large yellow haired woman. Even that had been familiar though, the woman had smelt of earth and it hurt her heart to have to flee when the feeling in her Corm said that she was near to safety. The wide eyed golden stare of one hunted as she followed the bushland, pushing herself up to race across the land towards.. what she did not know. "Car City.. you get a whole lotto more out of life" Sam sung under her breath as she followed her feet, letting them guide her though the bush towards.. a clearing.. no a hill with a house. There where many land buffalo's, large beings that humans seems to be fond of. Quietly she crept up on it, step by step, sniffing the air she caught.. Goat.. and honey.. and....... "Arwenamin?" Sam was sure her senses where addled. Yet as she covered her eyes, her long ears twitching with every sound the small elven woman did indeed catch sight of the Caretaker talking to Periannath but even better there was Arwenamin the ever so kind human who had given her the job to teach young wizards and witches. "Arwenamin! It is Amin Sam Aiya!" The young (at 223 anyway) elf said hurrying as fast as she could, totally unaware of how scratched, tired and generally beaten up she appeared. "Amin was looking for Aiya but instead found Arwenamin.. most good fortune yes?" it was only then that she realized she was still holding a battered bunch of flowers stolen from a certain local herbfarm. Looking down in surprise to see them Sam offered the bunch to Arwenamin "They are most fine.. Keen is good here, Amin likes it most certainly" anyone would think that she was hoping to stay? No no way at all.

[Marcus Hobson]

Somehow Marcus had the feeling Rowan was giving him the -yes dear- treatment over the Hardware store joys. He payed her back with a funny look before the onslaught of house elves sidetracked him all together. "Great.. way back to the old days all over again.." he muttered as the two elves.. Twins? Maybe it was hard to tell since to a untrained eye all house elves looked the same. "Just..Marcus" Marcus corrected as the two elves fought over shaking his hand.. man this was sooo embarrassing. "Yesyesyes.. mhm..yes.. oh yeah I remember.. oh and Mel.. yep oh you heard about her and the Doctor? Yep Baby.. half timelord.. not long now.. oh well youknow" Marcus scratched his head, had he really once thrown the controller in the compost bin? He must have been drunk. "Um so.. yeah.. eh.." he said attempting to escape the path of embarrassment memory lane.. but not before being blinded again! "AHH.. okay.. enough with the camera already!" Marcus said rubbing afterimages, and he'd thought Windex was bad! At least old age and Noodle was starting to slow her down. "So you've found your way around alright then?" he asked and was unsurprised to see the two nod before elbow each other. He knew exactly where this was leading. "No, you can't have a tv in your room and no playstation except after teatime okay?" Four House Elf sized eyes stareeeeeeed at him.

Thirty two years of experience of dealing with house elves all boiled down to this.
"No"
The eyes went to new targets. Marcus 'almost' felt no guilt at all in crushing their dreams of 24/7 gaming marathons. "Well I guess it's better then bloody soaps" he said to Rowan with a sigh. "So that's sorted then?" Marcus added feeling a bit weirded out that the two elves where still staring at him. Windex must have told some whoppers and a half. "Now all we need is some teach.........ohbloodyhell" So much for peace and quiet! "Not another elf" Marcus mumbled too quiet for the house elves to hear. He was still a bit bitter about learning that the terms of his agreement with the MWU meant that Lambytoes aka Ianto the Bunnyfaced Git wasn't so easily gotten rid of after all. Marcus had assumed the guy would stay on behind but nope, fat chance, it seemed he was stuck with him. Goat knew who was going to take on the care of the school now. Either way Marcus just stared, a look of dumb incomprehension as the insane elf yammered at Rowan.. wait..he knew that voice. "Sammo?.." Marcus stared at the small women-thing as it thrust a bunch of flowers at Rowan.. "I guess thats elvish for hello I'm a crazy person in a nightie with flowers?" of course the two house elves just had to correct him that it wasn't. Go figure. Guessing that he had better be 'nice' Marcus shrugged "Hey.. wasn't your hair more.. fluffy and you don't really look too great there eh.. Sammo?" Day one and he was already out of his depth at dealing with what on earth to do. Lucky for him that wasn't his job.. this time.

[GuestGuest]

It wasn't really the 'yes dear' treatment Rowan was giving to Marcus but more of a 'okay, dear, it makes you happy so it is a good thing' treatment. She was giving herself the 'Oh goat what isn't he going to repair and remodel with two hardware stores that close' treatment silently. There would be no stopping him now with that much access to Marcus' version of a toy store. Well, maybe having to catch the house elves up on who was where might, though Rowan held back a grown as Marcus told of the half timelord he believed Mel was having. Rowan had to admit, she felt sorry for poor Ethan with Marcus' insisting he was the Tenth Doctor.... Well usually. It had its fun moments sometimes. However, he may have met his match on that with the house elves.

Both Pacman and Tetris looked rather confused. "Time Lord?" one asked, Rowan wasn't sure which. "Lord of Time?" the other asked. "Is that near here? Is it a big country? Is it ......." Well, you can insert the other fifty or so questions that they were rattling off in the belief that this Ethan that Marcus spoke of was an actual lord of a land they had never heard of. Rowan left it to Marcus to answer the questions and correct the misimpression that his own misimpression had created.

Of course all the while they were asking this, pictures were being taken and when Tetris asked the last question, she really hoped the camera had caught Marcus expression. "So if the baby is half a lord of this land Time, which half will actually be born? The right half or the left half?" Apparently, this young pair took things rather literally. There was no time to dwell on the possible consequences of their doing so because the pair were looking quite forlorn when Marcus dashed their hopes of gaming marathons. "Well, we'll see after everything is settled and more of a routine is established," Rowan hedged, not able to take seeing such sad faces and was sure they must have taken lessons from one Abigail Wright. "For now, there's plenty of work to keep us all too busy."

Rowan almost didn't hear the name she had been given by a certain elemental magic professor, mainly because when she couldn't find her by the time they were moving, she was sure that she'd never see the young (for an elf) woman again and at first, when Marcus commented on another elf thought the assistant caretaker, Ianto had arrived. However, seeing who it was, Rowan almost had an Abigail Wright moment of her own and would have squeed except she managed to stop herself in time. "Sam!" She called back to her friend, waving madly at the elf as the woman closed the distance between them. "Good fortune! Yes!" Rowan said happily. "I hope you came planning to stay!" she added.

[Alassima Sam Salkfeanor]

At first Sam was sure there was danger, Arwenamin was waving her hands in the air and so naturally Sam ducked, turning around to check that all was safe. For a moment she just stood still to attention, listening, a frown crossing her narrow features as she overheard the small fuzzy man speak unkindly. There was a sense of relief at finding Arwenamin, excitement too as she hurried on tired feet, the land before had felt hard and unyielding but here she could feel soft soil deep with Corm. It was good keen, the kind that once upon a time her own people would have claimed but like all things was the domain of the humans that did crowd Aiya. "It is so very good to see you once again Arwenamin.. Amin did " Sam paused for a moment, going thought the words in her mind trying to find one that matched the growing unease that had overcome her, it was all the worse for being 'alien' a feeling unlike those she knew and understood. Finally she did find one "worrie?" she asked, unsure if the word she had spoken was correct.

Caught up in the moment she cast a sideways glance at LittleFuzzyman "is not important!" was all she replied before turning her adoring attention back upon Arwenamin, it had been a very long time since she had felt welcome by anyone. "When Arwenamin left Amin was most.. worrie, human they did not have sense and allow ai-almarin... most untrustworthy ai-almarin but one never listen to Sam no" the young elf insisted. "Amin did feel Corm go bleak, Amin did feel ai-almarin take of Amin.. ai-almarin did take of Amin Corm" Sam spoke, unaware that as she grew more distraught she was making even less sense then usual to the humans around her. "ai-almarin try to be Amin.. but bit Amin did keep secret.. Amin Sam is not... Amin.." Sam looked around, all senses keen for the slightest sign of someone to overhear. Quietly and quickly she spoke in a whisper to Arwenamin "Amin Alassima Sam Salkfeanor..secret Amin keep yes?" there was no questioning the sense of urgency in Sam's voice, at any moment she was sure the angry woman from the place of many flowers might return, or the ai-almarin might manage to overhear and finish it's job.

It was only after Sam had finished her story that she remembered the words that Arwenamin had first spoken. "Amin would like to stay yes, but Amin does not wish to cause.. worrie." Sam added glancing over at the caretaker. "Amin do not know what for place.. it is building yes?" Sam turned her head sharply to the side to look at the school. "Is Miss Chloe in building? I do smell goat" Sam added as if that explained everything. Humans did smell strange, but Sam had grown used to such strangeness in her time amongst them. It was just a pity that she hadn't yet learnt that people didn't necessary like being described upon their smell but to Sam it was common sense for a smell did linger and present itself much easier then ones face and appearance. "Amin is most.. worrie to say that Amin did lose Miss Chloe's hat, it was most fine" the young elf's downcast eyes full of the shame of losing such a gift. Had she known that her bag would be taken from her she never would have dared put such treasures within.

[Marcus Hobson]

"Yeah.. don't you remember......" Marcus realized a bit too late that Doctor Who hadn't been on while the two elves had visited, this was sure to lead to some loopy question "Youknow.. time like Ticktock.. um I guess? Eh.. it's not really a country more kind of timeywimy?" he said trying to explain.. man since when did house elves get so hyperactive? In the midst of it of course Tetris..or was it Pacman was taking pictures "Heyhey no taking those back to your aunt!" Marcus cried and suddenly the 'assault' ended. Aha he knew it! "I should have known" Marcus said to himself.. of course Windex wouldn't give up on them without a fight. Cue susface. Unfortunately one Meliae Ashton and Ethan Hunter where going to be left with a serious case of susface when they found out that only the right side of the baby would be Time Lord on account of it being the arm that was chopped off and grown into the .. well you got the point. He did have to smirk though as Rowan gave into the elves "You shouldn't do that.. moment you give them a inch.. first it's 'oh well we could watch Days of our Lives while your at work' and before you know it your stuck outside your office for the entire lineup every Thursday night" remembering the conversations over his tv that had lead to Windex and the other elves taking up residence in his office during their offtime. One big downside of house elves was that like him they where a right pest to keep out when you didn't want them. Marcus of course never thought of himself in such terms of course, there was nothing wrong with him 'inviting himself in' but a entirely different matter when it came to interrupting his own private time.

Had it been for much more of the hyper assault he might have been just as glad as Rowan to see the elfy professor return if only because it had managed the impossible in making the house elves shut up! Well not before translating something about being lost and land and.. well Marcus wasn't really a massive nature aficionado but he kind of got the idea. It was like Kitchens.. you needed a kitchen to call home where you could muck about and make a bit of a mess without feeling bad about it. The rest of the talk prettymuch lost him, a glance at the two house elves finding them lost in quickfire babble to each other that was even less easy to understand. Safe to say he didn't take kindly to the elf telling him off. "Oh right.. fine, suit yourself" he said rolling his eyes. Of course the fact that the woman-elf-thing had tango'd with a lawnmower wasn't at all worth a moment of consideration. Nor was he too impressed about the elf being all lovey with his future wife. Okay maybe it wasn't like that but there was always something about 'Sammo' that set his teeth on edge - and not just the whole crowding out his office with a assortment of dead ugly goat statues thanks to Chloe's education in instant goat statuemaking.

Eventually the conversation got back to earth, "It's a school.. " Marcus said at the 'building' question, trying hard to keep the 'duh' out of his voice. It had only been in the local newspaper, radio and talked about on campus so you'd think she'd have heard about it by now? Clearly not. At least the other question was easier to answer "I think she mentioned going to town with Kat" which itself was a worry, Marcus was more then a bit weary of his younger sisters bright orange deathtrap of a car... let alone her driving! Yep, real case of pot calling the kettle black right there. Mind you despite the situation Marcus was beginning to have a hard time keeping a straight face as Sam went on about smelling goats and some rant about loosing one of Chloe's hats. "Eh.. I wouldn't worry about it.. she'll probably not miss it one bit". It wasn't like Chloe had any spares.. just youknow.. a hundred or so? It had taken moving to really get a eye opening experience of just how much junk a Hobson could manage to collect in even a short spate of time. Even Kat of the jungle had filled her car to the brim on the trip down. Mind you it probably would have helped if she hadn't insisted on leaving the boogie boards in the back.

[GuestGuest]

"Oh no no!!" Tetris exclaimed in response to Marcus' concern and belief about what would happen should they be allowed a television. "We'd never watch that garbage. Those stupid soaps don't hold a candle to Miss Oprah!" Well, at least they'd not be sneaking away to watch soaps and considering Oprah only had a few more shows left, that meant that Marcus' dire prediction could possibly never come to pass .... Well, at least till the new daytime season premiered, but we digress. Rowan only smiled and told both the elves and Marcus. "It would be an only after chores are done privilege and for now, we won't have much television time to worry about till we get everything we need to do done."

Of course, the arrival of one sad looking elf added another chore to the work list which was 'prepare an elemental magic classroom' because there was no way Rowan was going to let the young (by elf standards) woman leave. "I worried about you too, Sam," Rowan admitted. Her friend had been on her mind since they had moved on to a new life but now she was with them and it was going to be better for everyone. A fresh new clean school with wide open possibilities. She grinned as Sam asked about Chloe's whereabouts. Smelling goat wasn't a too far off reason for wondering if the girl was around as Bertrand contentedly munched oats in the pen.

"We must have a celebration now that we have old and new friends here today. Marcus," Rowan began to ask him with a smile, "If I got the recipe from Tiffany, could we bake that organic recipe mint cake with honey icing to have with dinner tonight?"

[Alassima Sam Salkfeanor]

Sam was more then a little singular with her attention, but that was only natural when Arwenamin had done so much to save her from being cast out by the iskar ministry. Now it was even more important for Sam to find a job like human. She was already on her last warning before having her visa stripped and returned to her homeland, but with her people no longer welcoming her.. well she did not know what it is she would do. "It does not look much like school" Sam said, human schools to her where rectangles of red earth. "Arwenamin.. if this is school is it to have lato to teach?" Sam asked fiddling with the hem of her dress. "Amin would very much like to teach of young human iskar again" Sam added. Maybe children where like flowers and the better keen would mean they too would be more fertile in mind and Corm. It made sense to Sam anyway.

"Miss Chloe is in town with Cat?" Sam said with obvious puzzlement "Sam does not like of cats, they are savage." Or maybe it was a case of cat's being more like elves in nature then they where willing to admit. Either way Sam was clearly indifferent to any state of affairs beyond what she could see, hear or sense and knowing that there was cat's involved made Sam that bit more weary. "No it is most wrong that I did lose such gift" she argued, "Amin saddened, Amin never had such gift from student before, it very special." the elvish woman spoke slowly, fussing as she tried to remove a twig tangled in her hair and not doing a all too good job of it. Of course no mood could ignore the simple word of celebration. "Celebration.. that is good word.." Sam stated nodding approvingly while letting the rest of the conversation go right over her head until the mention of cake was brought up. Elves where notoriously fussy eaters. "If Arwenamin not offended Amin would come for cake" Sam said cautiously. She had made the mistake to wander into The Great Hall during dinner time and had run in horror of what she had found there. "Amin is not wanting to be bother" indeed she was quite happy to nibble her way on flowers, seeds and raw fruit and vegetables. "Amin did find most fine flowers.. they good almost as home make" she spoke remembering a advert for food locked in nastyplastic.

[GuestGuest]

"Then you will teach," Rowan said, not one bit of question in her voice. "It will be smaller number of children in your class because it is a smaller school but more .... focused on the subject," Rowan tried to explain, hoping Sam would understand. With less students in the classroom, it would allow the teachers to be more varied in how they taught their subjects and give more attention to each student to ensure they understood the subject and the spells.

Rowan was so used to the difference between 'Kat' and 'cat' that it did not register with her at first that Sam might not or would not know of Kat at all. So much had happened so fast recently. "Oh... not cat.. animal... Kat.. person. Kat is short name for longer names like Katherine or Kathleen. Kat is Marcus' sister. I don't know if you had a chance to meet her before but she's here now with us, too." She smiled at the elf and the question. "Of course I would not be offended if you came for cake. We shall have snacks as well. Sunflower seeds and other kinds. Whatever your favorites are Sam and Marcus, whatever ice cream you think everyone would like? Definitely a fresh organic kind for Sam? And honey kind as well?" she asked him smiling. No one had ice cream connections like Marcus did.

[Alassima Sam Salkfeanor]

"Oh that is most wonderful Aminamin!" Sam said clapping her hands before giving a bow to the taller woman, a rare mark of deeply earned respect. "Amin will prepare immediately for it will be most joyful" yes she could already feel the land at work, restoring her strength and renewing her purpose just as she promised to not make the same mistake before of risking what little good she had in this world, for humans did get upset at the smallest things she had come to learn. "I do like the sound of little class.. before there was so many children Amin knew not what to do with them all.." Sam looked down at her feet a moment, she knew she hadn't had the best teaching record what with randomly throwing students out of her class and canceling (or just not showing up for them) at a moments notice but she had tried. For one of her race it was a downright miricule she'd lasted this long. "Maybe Amin could teach iskar to be like Amin as well.. " Sam mused as she scratched a itch behind her long ear before pushing her hair back out of her face. "My people, they say I am foolish to be amongst human, that they cannot be taught" there was a hint of out of character frustration in her voice as she repeated the worlds that had lead her to be outcast amongst her own kind. Had she known that she was to never return she might never have made the mistake? to venture beyond their lands.

After all there was so many things that even now she didn't understand, it was obvious as her thin brow knotted while she tried to understand how one could not be cat but be cat. At least until it was explained that Kat was but nickname. "Ah Amin understand.. Sam is short name too for Alassima Sam Salkfeanor.. it means Little Pebble who dances with spirit of fire". Sam explained speaking the half-singing the elvish words as was custom. She was curious however and nodded excitedly as Aminamin explained that Cat was the sister of LittleFuzzyman "She is one with spirit of possum Amin did think she was too big and red to be fuzzy like Li..Marcis" Sam said catching herself at the last moment when she saw the face the man was giving her. "Amin does not eat of frozen alu.." Sam said making a disgusted face "and cream is but food for lato" Yep, elven law 101 rant coming right up. "If L..Marcis will help then Amin might have of time to assist" which of course wasn't a thinly veiled excuse to keep a close eye on the food preparations to ensure they where 'safe' at all.

[Marcus Hobson]

"That's a good thing" Marcus replied to Sam, as he looked up at the white building amongst the sea of green. For once the elf was right, there was nothing like being trapped in the school system for 20 years to make you unenthusiastic to see yet another boring brick building with the same old kitchens, hallways no doubt a couple of secret passageways and the same old stuff. For all that it was familiar it was time for the new and exciting, Marcus had come to worry that against all odds his life had lost the 'newexciting' against the rush of everything else he'd fallen into a routine. Now it seemed the perfect time to shake things up a bit. Unfortunately it seemed the first shakeup was going to be in the staffing of yet another Pointyears but he knew it would make Chloe happy at least. Either way Marcus had zoned out of the conversation a bit, caught up with thinking and daydreaming about what the future held as Rowan and Sam chatted. At least until the subject of Kat came up and Marcus started giggling. "I dunno.. I think Sammo might be on to something there" Marcus said thinking of his 'wild' middle sister.. or well 'wilder' funny how none of them Hobson kids where particularly good at laying low and having a quiet life.

There was a lot of babbling going around, but he guessed it was pretty exciting and all that. Marcus raised a eyebrow as Sam let out a string of Elven and then explained what it meant "Wait.. so that means Sam isn't even your name?" he asked, throughly confused by it all before covering his face with a hand as Sam called him 'fuzzy'. Clearly this was going to be one of those days. At least the two house elves had gone to grab the recipe from Tiff and hadn't.........ohcrap was it just him or did that look like two badly dressed up house elves running in their direction? Marcus figured it best to pretend he hadn't seen them just yet lest it upset the missus and cause trouble.. which it was no doubt bound to. "Youknow way this is going we might as well invite the Ashton's" Marcus said with a face at the idea of a organic fruit and nut salad dinner. Marcus was about to get into a ten paragraph dream sequence on the subject of 'honey' when a word broke through his mindfog "Wait..Sam you want me to assist? Eh.. with what exactly?" Marcus wasn't liking one bit of the sound of that, a pity because on the other end of the scale there was Rowan smiling at him and offering cake, honey AND ice cream all at once. Talk about being stuck in the middle of it.

[GuestGuest]

"Perfect, Sam!" Rowan exclaimed with delight, happy to have the elf on staff for elemental magic. "It may only be one or two students in the class for now, usually no more than six at a time. But I know you'll do a great job with it." Yes, things were beginning to look rather like 'home' for Rowan as she found herself with familiar faces and yet new ones as well. This was definitely a better situation for all of them and it was nice. Though as Sam uttered her words of frustration, Rowan shook her head. "Not all people cannot be taught. Some, I'm afraid they just don't want to learn," Rowan tried to explain. "But those that want to learn, those that aren't afraid to do something new... Those are the ones that you can teach so much to and they will love it."

As the conversation turned to Marcus' sister, Kat, Rowan looked puzzled and asked, "Spirit of possum?" wondering why Sam had described Kat that way. Rowan was sure there was a good reason, she just knew she was missing it. Of course, it was turned around when she heard Marcus exclaim about Sam's full name, which, of course, Rowan had been aware of from personnel files. "Well, it's part of her full name, and a bit easier to say," Rowan told him, smiling before letting her thoughts go back to the foods they could have for a celebration. Had she been more aware of the full conversation, Rowan would have caught the fact that Marcus was merely making a comment rather than a suggestion but upon Rowan hearing it, it became a fact. "Oh! That's a great idea, Marcus! I'll sent an owl off to them as soon as we go back inside and, Mel and Ethan and..." Yes, Rowan was off and running with ideas now!

[Alassima Sam Salkfeanor]

"Amin happy" Sam said, a oddly short statement from the elven woman. While she had felt very small the joy at finding her friend and a new homeland had brought her up to feel as big as the building itself and all the land surrounding it. "Amin would very much like that" Sam said showing Rowan a smile of pearly teeth. Smiling didn't come naturally to Elven people, it was a human expression and looked odd upon her face. "It would be nice to have home sweet home.. as human say" Sam said with a deft nod. Too much tv clearly had a odd effect on the fact that Sam had never heard a human use the expression in the real world. It was clear though that Sam wasn't good with conversing in multiple conversations as she just stared in confusion at the one called Marcus as he made odd sounds before turning her attention back to Aminamin "Yes possum.. small furred being with tail" Sam said assuming Aminamin had never seen one as she held up her hands to show the size of the 'possum' that she had seen the girl become. "She is most talented" Sam added, to take the form of another being was a most wondrous magic that had surprised Sam in her tracks to see a human undergo such a transformation.

It seemed very good to Sam that Aminamin understood, and even LittleFuzzyMan seemed to not be as hostile as she had remembered (of course the fact that she wasn't making a mess or caught taking things from the cupboards might have been the cause for his better mood) "What are Ashtons?" Sam asked looking up at the LittleFuzzyMan only to look confused as he seemed rather less then happy at his own suggestion. "Hodoer? Amin like him.. but Yellowhaired one is not so nice.. maybe laito make her well?" Sam offered remembering the woman who had been most awful to her what with firing strange Muggle arrows of toy at her. It seemed most strange to Sam that humans did have so many babies, but in a way she was pleased for surely it had been her ever so wonderful advice to Hodoer that had meant there had been sex and much happytime for baby to be made. She was just wondering if maybe she could find someone to have happytime with herself when the LittleFuzzyman asked a question and Sam looked confused that he would even ask. "Amin saw tree that would make for good nest.. Amin used to travel far to nest but this land good, does not carry the smell of Agaryulnaerea" the long word spoken aggressively, Elves hated Vampires.. it was just one of those things. "Amin will teach how to make and then Amin will have home like Aminamin and Marcis..oh Amin so excited!" which was obvious as she did a little spin on the spot to use up some of the excess energy that was creeping back into her body after so long of feeling lost and horrible, she was happy again.

[Marcus Hobson]

While the women where talking Marcus took a moment for damage control as a quick whispered conversation relayed what had gone on in town. Cue facepalm "Don't speak a word of it to Ro.. both of your are sooooo grounded" Marcus told the two elves rolling his eyes as they tried to talk their way out of it "Nope... nope..nope you guys know how much trouble you'd get in if the Ministry turned up here?" he felt a bit sick at the very thought of it. So far they'd even managed to avoided a big opening ceremony despite the Minister for Magic's spotlight addiction. The eyes softened his temper though and he sighed "Fine.. just no tv and you can only help Rowan with dinner if your asked okay?" Marcus had a feeling that the house elves would be keeping them on their toes for a long time to come. In a way it made him feel happier about the whole thing, life was boring if there wasn't someone causing trouble and the Tally elves had most certainly been masters of trouble back in the day all right.

Unfortunately for Marcus he'd thought it was the house elves that would be the main trouble for the day, and not the somewhat larger one that was now going on about his sister before looking up at him.. he couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out to have the golden odd shaped eyes looking up at him. "Um.. youknow Mel and her folks.. ones you probably nicked them flowers off" Marcus added gesturing to the half crushed blooms the elf quickly hid behind her back "...and wait Ro what?" his voice rising in horror as he realized that by some mistake Rowan had misunderstood it for a invitation. Ohcrap and he couldn't back out now could he? Marcus sighed. Today surely couldn't get any worse.. or like a fool he thought that as his every instict told him that yes, they probably could and would near-immediately. "Tree.. huh?" he said just to get some thinking room to catch up with the womans rambling. "So.. you want me to build a treehouse?" the doubt on his face was clear before he shrugged "Fine.." still a bit annoyed at the woman constantly mispronouncing his name. "Honey can I go to the Hardware Store?" he asked Rowan in the 'please dear' whine. Had it been anything else and Marcus might have argued but Hardware store was the HARDWARE STORE after all.

[GuestGuest]

"So am I!" Rowan replied to the short but true statement from her friend and when Sam commented how nice it would be to have a 'home sweet home', Rowan nodded and told her "And you shall have that here. I'm so glad you found your way here." While the talk of Kat and possums was confusing Rowan, it was as the elf described the possum, thinking Rowan wasn't familiar with the creature that she actually realized that she was referring to Kat's animagus ability. "Oh when she changes her form," Rowan said, and explained, "Yes, but really it's an otter that Kat takes the form of which is also a small furry creature with a tail. But yes, she's a very talented young lady."

"Yes, Hodo... Ethan and Mel, the yellow haired one," Rowan agreed and once the idea of inviting the Ashtons took hold, that was the end of that. There was no way Marcus would convince her he was not serious when he said it. He was now! Though the discussion of a treehouse for Sam changed the direction of the conversation, thereby sealing the deal and at his request, Rowan smiled. "Okay, yes, love."

[Alassima Sam Salkfeanor]

It was hard for Sam not to be excited, against the time when she had felt her very soul grow dark in sorrow Aminamin had brought back the hope and joy. "Amin did search hard inside" Sam explained.. or more didn't explain as her grasp of English often missed the finer meaning from it's elven counterpart. "It was most horrible.. Amin was very scared". Sam shivered remembering the human chasing her, the dog with it's big teeth and trying to run on horrible hard oil surfaces that stunk of toxins. "Human does most dreadful things" Sam smoke softly as she tugged at a broken strand of her once rich red hair. "Amin people do say that human are Gorgaerea and evil.. they say Amin is fool to be amongst them but Aminamin not Gorgaerea" Sam was conflicted, Elves where always straight forward about their motivations so it confused her that humans could be both nice and bad at the same time. Crossing her arms she wished for a moment to have short memory like human so that she could be forgetful. Having a long memory was part of the reason why elves had such horrible attention spans when not focused on one task ahead of them.

"Otta.. very curious", her brows arched in thought. "Amin has never heard of Otta before are they endangered creature yes?" Sam worked on the assumption that all animals had to be endangered considering the way her tree-haired friends spoke. It was with shame that Sam hid the sad looking bunch of flowers behind her back as LittleFuzzyman pointed towards them, oh she had all but forgotten about them. The man was acting most oddly, but Sam had heard that he was rather odd for a human so she ignored it while worrying that the 'Ashtons' might be as bad as the Yellowhairedgirl. How strange that ones of the earth should be folk to the Yellowhaired one. "Treehouse.. yes.. Amin does wish for such" Sam acknowledged with a nod before asking "What is.. Hardware store?", her expression turning to one of horror at the answer "Tanya nae n'quel! No very not good.. Lit..Marcis must not make of Hardware Store.. Aiya gives all but needed. Amin show how" Sam called back as she hurried to collect twigs and fallen branches to construct her home.

[Marcus Hobson]

While Marcus may have been blind to the conflicts the Elven girl was going though, he certainly wasn't ignorant of the conflict going on between Mel and her Parents, there was no question that tonights dinner would probably lead to drama.. so maybe it was a good thing that he was doomed to be stuck playing nice with Sam-The-Elf-Formerly-Known-As-Sammo. Marcus had always found it weird the way House Elves had always spoken to themselves in the third person but compared to listening to Sam it was a bit of a relief. The girl was darnright confusing. "Yeah.. humans suck.." Marcus agreed wondering what had happened to spook the elf so much, but he only had to think of his own life to know that humans could be darn nasty. Maybe it was the healthy air or good memories but Marcus was feeling pretty lazy today, the idea to just stick around and wile away the day tempting despite the fact that he knew they had to get everything together and in order for the kids to start arriving. "You mean The Doctor" Marcus corrected Rowan at the mention of 'Ethan' pah, even Rowan had fallen for that disguise but Marcus alone knew the truth.

"Yes!" Marcus said in victory at Rowan's 'okay' "C'mon Sammo you can come if you promise not to touch anything that'll killya" Marcus offered in a show of good faith against his earlier 'grumpiness'. Instead he got a question that stopped him on the spot. "Oh.. right yeah.. Hardware Store" (cue dreamylook) "it's like this biig shop where you can buy wood and nails and powertools and youknow.. everything you need to build stuff.." Marcus stopped as Sam interrupted and even in another language he knew she was telling him off. "Oh you've got to be joking" Marcus said rolling his eyes as the small woman waved goodbye to Rowan and set off collecting sticks of all things. "Ro.. might wanna do a rancheck on dinner.. Sammo's going to be having me play fetch for the next fifty years" Marcus complained before kissing her goodbye and heading off to play catchup with the Elf. At least it wasn't all bad news "Hey that's totally cheating!" Marcus called out as Sam stretched a stick and curved it with her hands to fit perfectly into a gap in the trunk. So he'd forgotten the whole 'magic' think but hey that was hardly proper. Marcus set a lot by doing things 'properly' and building a treehouse out of sticks and magic without nailing anything down was surely going to mean a big heap of broken twigs come the next storm. Not that he'd be able to convince Sam of that, but at least one thing about it was that the whole process was quite fast, and there was hope on the horizon of Cake and something other than Mrs Ashton's famous lentil pie at the end of it. Marcus had to hope anyway, he was good at that.

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