JUST PRACTICING

For some reason, Lucy felt strange, a bit flustered, and without a doubt startled. She was slowly backing up, attempting to gain a bit more distance between her and the Prof, who for some reason, suddenly grew very dark and drawn. Lucy could certainly tell what he had shifted into, but for whatever reason, and why now, she was oblivious to. He was slowly and swiftly drifting closer, eyes gleaming amber bright and eerily threatening, yet disrupted by disheveled strands of darkened violet-red hair. Soon enough, Lucy hit a sort of dead end, back pressed up against the bookshelf she was drawing nearer to. The Prof had finally cornered her then, there alone. And Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit more than helpless.

Lucy was, in way, frustrated with herself. She let herself be cornered, be a little shocked and scared. The Prof - or for now - Potty Prof, was someone who she was able to handle, well at least well enough to organize an escape. There was something about him now, though, in the strange and dim lighting of the room, accompanied by his rather sudden outburst of differentiated behaviour, that made her grow weaker. Somehow he made her stop, before she had even began anything.

"Oi...'Ey Prof. W-what're you doin'?!" Lucy managed to burst out, "Ee, c-could ya give a lass a little space 'ere?" Alfendi Layton was all together far too close, merely a few inches apart from her then. Her breath had to be shared with him, in the close quarters he was giving.

He then let out a short, yet deep chuckle, and began lifting up an arm to grasp the side of Lucy's face. His fingers found the tip of Lucy's ear, and rested there. He slowly pulled up her face, and he looked her straight in the eyes. She was stunned, and she silently questioned the necessity of the eye contact. When one of his fingers idly tapped the tip of her ear, and suddenly she found she had lightly shivered. Lucy quickly grasped the Prof's outstretched arm, and was about to declare a disruptive word of protest, when Alfendi leaned in close, stopping just at her other ear.

Lucy could feel his breath, calm a steady, right before he began, "What was it that you called me..?" he whispered, silent and empty from a distance, but clear and precise in her ear, "..Potty Prof." The way he spoke was lightly accusatory yet eerily and unnaturally tranquil. "Well then...Do I displease you? Do I make you uncomfortable, my dear Lucy?"

"W-what's up wit' ya, Prof? Y-you're jus' makin' me confused..." she whispered, hands a tight grip on his sleeve, "Did I do summat to make ya upset?"

"Lucy..." he mumbled, "What do you think of me. Am I frightening." she fidgeted.

"Is this what all this queer stuff's all 'bout then, Prof? Ya don't scare me..." she paused, "I jus' think you're actin' a bit weird 'ere. D'ya think you can lemme go?" Lucy then began to try and wriggle out of his grasp, although it proved to be unsurprisingly unsuccessful. A few seconds in the midst of Lucy's wriggling, the Prof suddenly burst up and grasped Lucy's shoulders. She let out a short, startled and sharp gasp, and gaped at Alfendi.

Potty Prof was about to say something, maybe even yell out a few phrases, when he suddenly stopped and let go of Lucy. He held a hand to his head then, looking sick. His hair shifted, and his eyes seemed to lose that mischievous gleam. Lucy knew what was happening, Placid Prof was taking over again. Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit relieved, knowing then that some peace would then take place.

"Geez, Prof. Where'd that come from?"

"Ah...I don't really know." he said, not quite looking at her eyes. "I'm sorry, Lucy. Maybe he's getting a bit frustrated."

"With wot? Everthing's pretty fine 'ere. Well I still hope ya sort it out Prof." Lucy chuckled, "Ya kinda caught me off guard there."

Lucy just laughed everything off, after mentally shaking her jitters away. The Prof apologized a couple of times, and she deemed it all okay. Since, no real harm was even done. Everything else that day was pretty fine, concerning Lucy's impression of it all.

Anyone else that might have been observing, however, might have felt a slight and strange aura emittating off of the Prof afterwards. Just a bit.