<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong>Merryweather's Office<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Alundra<br/>"Come in," Professor Merryweather said, retaining her seat at her desk.  Most of the walls were covered in various ancient and faded charts, explaining various magical phenomena the same way an elementary mathematics teacher would have posters for multiplication.  The same laptop from class was open and ready as an aid, and on the wall with the same side as the door, a wet black umbrella hung from a hook and dripped into a vase.<br/><br/>The professor listened with folded hands and perfect patience to give Alundra plenty of time to find her words, but her smile was pure warmth and reassurance.  "I've had students who came in already knowing the material," she explained.  "Frankly, I think it's cheating to let students in who already know how to work multiple practices.  Compare it to a student who's spent several years in France and is coasting by taking an intro to French class for an easy A.  I'd much rather students who came with bright eyes and open minds, ready to soak in as much as possible, and I think that's what I have in your class."  It pleased her.<br/><br/>"If I came across as suggesting that you already needed to be able to cast, don't worry."  She gave a gentle shake of her head.  "Most mundane classrooms have a lab test for their science experiments.  By midterms, I expect students to be able to work a single spell, one that interests them, even as they learn the principles behind various kinds of material.  I didn't mention that yet, but I apologize if my e-mail came off with other implications."<br/><br/>Considering a moment, she paused, then decided to say what she felt.  "I know that with some, the supernatural can seem horrifying, especially if they're thrown headfirst into a world they don't fully understand without those who can guide them through the difficult points.  For me, I was guided into it slowly, able to appreciate all the nuance well before I was introduced to any of it, but I know that my experience has been kinder than most."  Her eyes held sympathy; while she didn't know the pyrokinetic's specific circumstances, many such stories were the same.<br/><br/>"If you'd like to start early, have me work the spell with you, I can, but the version I help you make will need to be different from what you make for your midterms, even if you want to make a second Flash Flood in a Flask."  Her smile warmed.  "I'd much rather begin early with students eager to learn; far too often, I get students at the last minute."<br/><br/>One might expect the teacher to eschew eye contact given that it was the limitation for sorcery, but Professor Merryweather was all too happy not only to make it but maintain it just like an ordinary person in casual conversation.