Squall sat behind his desk and looked the hardwood as though the formula to turn grape nuts into platinum was going to suddenly magically appear ingrained into the wood, he had a headache just thinking about the last few days. If ever there was a time he wished he was a drinker it was now… or a smoker for that matter. But being neither he sat back and rubbed his temples and went back over the budget reports. He was till waiting on the ending of the period but he knew it was coming…. Again. Well maybe he'd get lucky and people would just accept it… and maybe he would suddenly become blonde and his car would flip directions…. On that rather solemn note his mind paused. His hand moved up to trace the scar he could still feel it on his forehead. He let his mind drift a little back to every fight with the man he had ever had…. And there were a few.

&8&

Fujin flew through a kata and then went to her desk and sat down looking at the screen and looking over the class list. Twelve students, nine male three female, a good split. She was never much for dealing with women, probably why she was comfortable around raijin and siefer, probably the two most manly men in this floating heap. She almost laughed on that thought until her mind wandered across the other, the Lion. He had probably saved her life… why did that bother her so much? She glased at the clock and noticed that it had been a solid two minutes, three left In the passing. She watched the door, at could be any second she'd have a bunch of brats to contend with for an hour and a half.

she watched with apprehension as the children slowly trickled in, talking to their friends she immediately noticed a few, they just sent her internal brat radar like wildfire. The first of them was one of the boys, he was a little taller than his peers about 5'0 or so, maybe a little less, his hair was brown and slightly curly giving his rounded face a rather childish appearance. However his black t-shirt and jeans over white sneaks labeled him as a little wannabe rebel, his large green eyes overflowed with equal parts malice and anger with sever overtones of mischief. Trouble, definitely a relative of his, seemed to follow his every movement. Next on the pre-emptive judgment shit-list was another child, he wore a maroon v neck shirt and kaki cargo pants, and she could see things rattling around in them., he was scrawny little more than skin and bones his hair was a rich pitch black pulled back into a short ponytail. His wardrobe spoke good boy but that smile told another story, he was the kind of kid who looked like he would use Fire to set someone's pants on fire just to prove the chant. She groaned inwardly, none of the students had noticed her yet, she hadn't said a word just stood shoulders straight with her hands on her hips eyeing them. Well little could be said of children these days, she knew first hand. She was young enough to be a babysitter, let alone a teacher.

&8&

slowly the group quieted and turned wide eyed to the only other person in the room beside themselves. They inspected her their two dozen eyes roaming and takeing in this person who they could only surmise was an aide. She was as young as Quistis. And she was the youngest Teacher in Garden they knew. So who could this Fair skinned one eyed woman be. It took them time. More than it should have. But she refused to squirm under their gaze. She was just looking over the girls when Brown-Hair spoke up, loud and clear his voice still rather high despite being one of the taller in the class.

"Who are you lady?" he asked and the pair of boys behind him agreed and asked again once from each. Wonderful. A little posse in her class… so help them if they proved to be the troublesome type. She knew more than one way to make their lives hell as long as her "Teaching" career extended….

"Teacher." She said swiftly her eyes narrowing and hardening as she looked over the now silent class, daring a one of the punks to say a word about it. Which, to her surprise one girl did exactly.

"No way, YOU?" she said as she leaned forward a few inches rising on her toes her eyes growing ridiculously wide. It was rather unnerving but it made all the other children giggle. And that noise alone put Fujin in a bad place. Well, found the catty girl right off. At least that little bit was out of the way.

"New Teacher." She said sternly and damn near glared the children into line when she pointed top a line of tape she had put on the floor

"Toes!" and they got the message there was much shuffleing of feet as each kid tried to line their feet up exactly to the tape line, one of the boys fell over trying to make sure it was perfect. The others laughed wickedly and the young fallen child slowly rose to his feet and putting his feet to the line did his best impression of a shadowy rock. That made Fujin's Blood boil. She nearly opened up with Aero and blew the children off their feet but she stopped herself. She settled on two syllables.

"SHUT UP!" her voice blaring through their heads and becoming nearly as effective as any spell would be. Casting Silence couldn't have made them more quiet. That was good to know. They were still vulnerable to loud. She eyed them and then takeing a breathe indicated the child on the end slightly, they followed her every move. Good first step. Excellent first impression.

"Name. Last, First." Her intense gaze settled heavily as the young man choked on his words and finally squeaked an answer.

"Harris, Nickolas MA'M!" he clamped his mouth shut and she almost smiled 'Ma'm' huh? Very nice. She motioned to the next child one by one. Mentally checking the names against the roster that sat on her desk. All present and accounted for. She stood still for a bit looking over them letting them sweat for a few more moments before walking to the whiteboard and writing in a rather elegant script the words "Magic 101" and motioned the kids up closer, they did so, knowing better than to start talking already as she began a lesson. Mostly written and diagramed with curt explanations verbally no more than a sentence really.

She finished the lesson without a hitch. The basic actions involved and how it all worked. First day. Just the basics, she turned on her heel feet together his face again impassive.

"Questions?" she asked swiftly and two mouths started working at once and she raised a and silencing them both. Then shook her head a moment in exasperation::

"Hands." They got the picture and the hands belonging to the offending mouths both raised fast, one boy and one quiet girl, hadn't spoken a word all class. She motioned to the boy first figuring to get the stupid question out of the way first. She was right. It was a whiney kid question.

"When do we get GFs?" Fujin just glared for a moment.

"When Responsible." Was the rough reply the boy looked dejected and would have tucked his tail between his legs had he had one. She then motioned to the girl who collected her thoughts a moment before speaking.

"W-were you the Lady who the older st-students were talking about… .the… C-criminal?" the last word a whisper. Fujin was kind of hoping that wouldn't be the question… well nothing to do but own up.

"Yes." She looked wide eyed for a moment her mouth dropping a bit, some mouths just kind of hung open stupidly for a moment as they assimilated this knowledge, Brown hair was the first to open his Trap.

"They let CRIMINALS Teach now!? HOLY S!" all eyes on him Fujin's went a little wide at the vulgar term she wasn't expecting from a young kid… well that'll teach her for expecting things. Of coarse before her mind could even register her actions the offending child was spinning across the room on the wings of an Aero spell before skidding damn dizzy to the floor hugging dirt as though it were life and death::

"Make the room stop spinning mommy…." He muttered and the other children began to laugh as the bell rang and they all got the hell outta dodge. Well…. So much for good impressions…. She was just waiting for the handcuffs to come flying down…. This would be interesting.