Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 1, 2014 15:25:04 GMT -5
School. The place most human children see as prison. It's also seen as a necessity by the human adults. Gin couldn't care either way. He didn't need any of the information being fed to the youth. He was there mostly because it gave him money. Then he used that money to pay for games, which he promptly beat. Then he needed to go to school to bet money again. It was a horrible cycle.
He walked into English class. Why is it so boring? School needs to be... Interesting. It would encourage the humans to learn more. He didn't know why he was even giving this a second thought, yet he couldn't get his mind off of it. Maybe I could help make school better...
Last Edit: Mar 1, 2014 15:29:56 GMT -5 by Gin Takemoto
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 1, 2014 15:44:33 GMT -5
Phoebe tried not to run down the hallway. She walked fast and briskly, but did not run. It really wouldn't do to run. She was, after all almost late for her class. Heck, she wouldn't even be teaching this class normally but Mr. Sheraton, the regular English teacher, had called in ill. He couldn't make it. So Phoebe got to do her job, for once, and actually teach. She already knew all of Sheraton's material because, heck, she typed out most of his shit.
But the memo had come at such short notice she was afraid of being late for the class. With her folder and books under her arm, she marched down the hallways, telling herself to keep it together and keep it cool. She had to be professional and confident and not let the kids push her around. The class was after all the seniors and she hoped that at the very least, they could be civil. If not... well, she wasn't afraid to dish out a few punishments.
She slid the classroom door open and stepped in. Yikes!
Immediately all eyes were on her. Whispers among the students flew around. She hadn't taught this particular class before so they didn't really know her. Well, time to rectify that.
"Good morning class!" she said with a confident grin. "Bit of a change today. Mr. Sheraton has called in sick, so I'm going to be teaching today's English class instead. My name is Miss Phoebe Minola."
She dropped her books and folder on the desk casually and turned around and wrote her name on the board. Then she turned back around and scanned the class. "Now then, roll-call time."
That's gone well. Not to keep it up.
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 1, 2014 15:57:32 GMT -5
Gin had been seated when the door opened behind him. All of the other students had turned to look at the newcomer. Refusing to look out of place, he turned as well. The teacher was either new or a sub, and he didn't care which. She introduced herself to the class, then strolled up to the front of the class. A human would assume that she had it all under control from the way she was carrying herself, but Gin wasn't human. He could feel her emotions.
She was nervous, if not completely scared. Gin looked around at his classmates. They were all in awe of how confident the sub was. If they knew the truth, they would be having a field day. He kept a small smirk on his face as the sub started roll-call. His name wasn't too far down the list.
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 1, 2014 17:00:41 GMT -5
Phoebe sailed through the names. She stopped on any she didn't think she could pronounce correctly and asked the kids to do so for her. One kid gave her a dubious look and looked like he had a 'can't you do it yourself' at the tip of his tongue -- tall, well-built kid, must be on one of the sports teams -- but despite her nervousness, Phoebe wasn't about to let him intimidate her. She repeated her request before he could speak and the boy sheepishly said his name in correct pronunciation. Quite a mouthful too.
Then came another underhanded attack-- a student flirted with her!
"Hey Miss Minola, do you have a boyfriend? I like curvy ladies~" he chuckled after responding to his name.
Not a bad-looking kid, but altogether too cheesy and a bit slimy for her tastes. Even if he wasn't just trying to mess with her, she would've grounded his ego with impunity.
"Pipe down kid, save the pickup lines for girls with some booze in their system!" she said with a poker face her uncle Spyros would be proud of. "Who's next-- Gin Takemoto! Did I get that right?"
Last Edit: Mar 1, 2014 18:53:12 GMT -5 by Phoebe Minola
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 1, 2014 17:12:02 GMT -5
Hmm... The sub had been able to avoid being messed with by two of the punks in the class. The first was one of the class jocks, and it didn't take long before she got rid of his possible remarks. The other one was a punk who had a reputation of sorts. Gin looked on with a smile as she shot him down. Then she called his name.
"Right here, Ms. Minola. And don't worry about him, he's harmless. If a little unsavory." He smiled as the class laughed at the remark. Not all out guffaws, but chuckles. The boy in question looked as if he was enjoying the spotlight, but Gin knew that he was feeling immense hatred. Probably mad that Gin had ruined any possible chances with the sub.
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 2, 2014 7:01:15 GMT -5
PHoebe straightened out her glasses a bit. Those had been close calls for her. Keeping her composure under all this was an uphill fight. Once they got down to the nitty gritty of English though, she'd have it easier. It was her thing, after all. The chortles from the class pepped her up a bit because by all appearances, the two failed attempts to psych her out had earned her some brownie points.
"Hm. Thank you for that, Mr. Takemoto," she sighed and carried on with the roll call.
With that said and done, she put it aside and picked up the textbook.
"Right, let's get on with it then. Mr. Sheraton tells me you've already gotten started on Hemingway. While I feel Papa's fare might be a little too ambitious for kids your age, it can't hurt to try. Let's talk about 'Death in the Afternoon'. Anyone read it before?"
"Book? Isn't that a cocktail?" one of the students blurted.
"Bingo!" Phoebe chuckled and pointed at the student with the corner of the book. "Yes indeed, there's a cocktail called 'Death in the Afternoon' and I can tell ya, it's a delicious doozy if you're into that sort of thing. Anyone know the ingredients? No? Oh well. It's absinthe and champagne."
"They named a cocktail after a book?" the same student scoffed.
"Yes they did! In fact, Papa himself is supposedly the originator of this little booze bomb. The book was first published in... come on, who's read the goddamn material?"
"Uh... 1932," a student ventured.
"Correct! And in 1935 a different book was published, containing cocktail recipes contributed by famous authors of the time, Hemingway included. He contributed this recipe and in fact suggested one drink three to five of these babies!" Phoebe chuckled."It's a very strong and decadent drink and it suited Hemingway's alpha male image he so strongly projected. This man was all about that and it permeates his work just as much as his philosophical nature on strength and courage. Anyone remember if he had some kind of motto or a quote that became strongly associated with him?"
"Um... 'Man can be destroyed but cannot be defeated', is that it?"
"Exactly!" Phoebe said happily to the student who answered. "I'm glad you all aren't as behind on material as I was afraid. Hemingway was a deeply philosophical and intellectual man who chose to apply to himself the image of a super-masculine ego. He was a fascinating personality and so are his books. We're gonna start talking about Death in the Afternoon now -- the book, of course -- but before that, anyone know what other cocktails are associated with Papa? No comers? Alright. It's the daiquiri!"
"No way!" blurted a girl. "A Daiquiri is a girl's drink!"
"Yes way, and no it isn't! While living in Havana, Cuba, Hemingway was a devout patron of a bar called El Floridita and he chugged daquiris like you wouldn't believe!" Phoebe chuckled. "In fact, there's a variation of the daiquiri named after him. Normal daiquiris are white rum, lime juice and simple syrup but go into a bar that knows its stuff and ask for a Hemingway Daiquiri or a Papa Doble. You'll get a rather different and all together more delicious drink. It'll be white rum, lime and grapefruit juice, exactly six drops of the finest maraschino liqueur and no sugar at all It'll be blended with ice and served frozen. That's how Hemingway liked his daiquiris, you see."
She dropped the book on the desk. "Alright then, now that I have your interest in Papa, let's talk about the book. What do you guys know about bullfighting?"
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 2, 2014 16:45:11 GMT -5
Gin raised his hand immediately. "Well, I know for one thing that the red is to excite the crowd, not the bull." he listened to some of the other students murmur. what they were talking about wasn't a mystery to him. After all, this was the first question in class he had participated in. With a small smile, he continued. "Also that the bull-fighter is called the matador, and that it is one of the deadliest sports around today. As for the book, he was influenced by a certain bull-fighter. I think I'll leave it to someone else to say who that was."
He doubted that the sub, who was now feeling much more comfortable, would understand the significance of his answering. Still, it surprised his classmates. And that could come in handy later.
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 2, 2014 21:42:35 GMT -5
Phoebe nodded in approval. Well, at least someone in there was trying. "And you are correct Mr... Takemoto wasn't it?" she said and adjusted her glasses. "Yep, Hemingway wrote the book inspired by a certain matador. Indeed, points for whoever can recall the name. It's in your books, by the way..."
There was a small flurry of some students looking it up during the lengthy pause Phoebe gave them.
"Ah! Isn't it Pio Baroja... or something?" one girl blurted.
"Yep, that's him," Phoebe said, relieved that someone had studied-- or rather, found it in the textbook. "Anyway, before we delve into the nitty gritty of text extracts, let's have a bit of a summary. The book you're about to dive into is essentially travel literature. Hemingway was very influenced by his experiences in Spain and it trickled into his writing. In Death in the Afternoon, Hemingway explored the metaphysics of bullfighting. He was interested in the ritualized, almost religious practices associated with the blood sport. From this he eventually drew an analogy between the blood sport and a writer's search for the meaning and essence of life -- his own search for it particularly."
Phoebe put the book down at last. "In bullfighting he found the elemental nature of life and death and this discovery would follow him throughout his writing. So we're gonna read a few extracts from the book. Open your books on page 12. We'll start with a little background..."
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 2, 2014 22:58:49 GMT -5
gin was impressed that someone actually found the name in the time given. It had hardly netted a brief mention at best, after all. Still, he wondered something. "Miss Minola..." he started to speak, but quickly quieted himself. He was drawing too much attention to himself. Sadly, he now had to ask the question or it seemed even more out of place.
"Didn't Hemingway tell Senor Baroja that he deserved an award more than Hemingway did? It was either the Pulitzer Prize or Nobel, something of that nature. Anyway, didn't they have a falling out when Baroja agreed?" The one thing that he kept out of the question was that Baroja was on his deathbed at the time. He figured that information would just distract the class further.
"I'm not intending to be rude or interrupt, Miss, but the question came to mind and I figured it tied in... Sorry for blurting."
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 3, 2014 10:10:23 GMT -5
Phoebe grinned at Gin. "Nope, you're right! That's part of the background we'll discuss now. If you pay attention to the introductory text..."
The lesson carried on smoothly. Phoebe was able to keep her composure and deal with all the questions the kids hand -- in fact, she was amazed she managed to keep almost everyone's attention focused on the material and the lecture. She felt like she gave them a good impression of the otherwise difficult book and just hoped everyone would read it. When the bell rang she dismissed everyone and told them that if they had any questions, they could find her at the faculty office. She gathered her papers and textbooks and slowly made her way down the hall.
I did it... woo-hoo... she thought tiredly. Damn, dealing with this is almost as hard as fighting Shadows....
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 3, 2014 14:42:44 GMT -5
The teacher was tired. Gin could tell this from the mental exhaustion running through her emotions. However, he was focused on something else.
Some students had been whispering, and they had constantly glanced at him. Sensing their emotions, Gin found something he couldn't define. It resembled surprise and curiosity, but it was neither. And it wasn't both. As such, he was curious. So, he confronted them.
Walking up behind them in a way so as to not draw their attention, he waited until they looked over at his seat again. Then he calmly spoke, causing most of them to jump. "What are you guys talking about?" He noticed that the group was mainly girls, but there was a single guy who didn't want to be a part of the conversation. And Gin could tell just from the guy's face.
"Umm..."
Only one of the girls even tried to speak, but what she was gonna say was obvious. Gin could feel their sheepishness and guilt. So he quickly interjected. "Let me guess... Nothing? Let me give you a tip: if you're going to talk about someone and not admit it, don't be obvious about it." With those words, he went and left the room. After all, class was over.
He came across Phoebe in the hall. "That was an excellent lesson, Miss Minola. You should go for a full-time gig here."
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 3, 2014 18:04:43 GMT -5
She'd been planning to head to the faculty office for her lunch now that her only class of the day was over, and then get to working on some reports some of the other teachers had asked her to fill in since she had free time. But then she was spoken to. Phoebe looked at her student. Strange that he should approach her after class. Very few students bothered to do so, especially to a substitute teacher -- unless he or she happened to be stupendously attractive.
Seriously. What.
"Ah, thanks Takemoto. Unfortunately, that's not my call to make," she sighed. "I'm only Mr. Sheraton's replacement. Anyway, you seem to know quite a lot about the material. Do you read a lot of classics?"
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 3, 2014 18:21:50 GMT -5
Gin looked at Phoebe oddly. Did she just call me by my last name? Then he realized that he was probably lucky that she remembered that much. As for her question, well... Gin had been a reader. Before his mind had become another's.
"I... Used to. I've not had much time recently. As for this book, it had been taught to me a few years back. Ireland's schools are... Different from China's." Of course, that was true. "And just a replacement. That has to suck, it seems you really get into your work. And that does a lot for helping cultivate the students, you know"
Post by Phoebe Minola on Mar 3, 2014 20:05:04 GMT -5
"Oh! You grew up in Ireland? Hmm, yes, I suppose the accent does come through in your English a bit," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "I should expect you'd know your Hemingway, it's regular curriculum in many European countries."
She blushed a bit at the compliment. "Ah. Well, it has to be that way. I'm very young and foreign. There's a bit of mistrust in Asian countries about this, but I don't really mind. I mean, there's not much I can do right now."
She shifted her books under her other arm. "Do you miss Ireland, then? It's difficult to leave the place you grew up in. I miss my home every day."
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Gin Takemoto on Mar 3, 2014 21:03:13 GMT -5
Did Gin miss Ireland? The memories of the place were filled with death; they weren't exactly dear. Still, he did miss it there. It was so much calmer there, with no blockade. There were no people to intrude upon his daily life there. And, besides, it would look odd if he responded negatively.
"I miss it there. But I like it here, too. There's such..." Gin started to smile. "There's such delicious food here." This, of course, was truth. he did enjoy the wide variety of food here. But this human would probably assume that he meant the sort of food that she ate.