Time to get away (All Staff)

[jason]

Jason had been teaching for nearly four years now and it never got easier. The constant homework grading, the lesson planning, and of course trying to keep dozens of teens and pre teens interested in actually learning magic. That's not to say that he did not love his job or the kids he taught, because he really did. It was just that after a long day like this one, he was glad to get away just for a bit.

He had just finished up his last class of the day, fifth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and he had spent the last few hours drilling them in summoning charms, getting them ready for their OWL exams. Most of them felt as though they were more than ready for them, and he knew for a fact that those that thought they were ready were a long way from being ready. Still, he patiently walked them through each charm, seeing it as his personal responsibility to see that each of his students did well. Again, he loved each and every one of them.

Dinner was about a hour away and Jason was looking for somewhere to relax a bit. He thought for a second about going to his quarters, but quickly tossed that notion aside. He did not feel like being alone now. He needed to be around people right now.

He changed his direction and walked into the staff room. It looked like any common room in the school, save it was decorated in neutral colors. There were multiple comfy chairs situated over a tasteful rug in front of a fireplace that currently held a roaring fire. And more importantly, there was a small cabinet set to the side of the fireplace that held a small supply of firewhisky and the makings for tea. Weighing his options, Jason summoned a glass and a bottle and poured himself a generous measure. Sighing contently, he eased himself into a nearby armchair and pondered if he would have company.

[maks]

Maks entered the lounge, he didn't often come here, typically preferring the solitude of his living quarters, but darkness had fallen early, permitting him to wander the castle without worrying about sunlight streaming through the windows. Honestly, Maks was having a bit of trouble focusing on his teaching, what with Cosette. She was still abroad, his love, learning to control her thirst under him, and the instruction of the Russian vampires that had been something of a family to him when he was a fledgling. He was with her every opportunity he could get, but he had needed to return to the castle, needed to do what he was hired for.

Sighing inaudibly, Maks instantly caught the scent of someone else, he had been stupid to think that he would be alone here. Without having vision to aid him, Maks identified the other person as Jason Birch, the charms professor. Maks kept to himself for the most part, but he at least knew the names and scents of the staff. "Good evening, Birch," said Maks, his voice still retaining his Russian accent, it was getting lighter throughout the year, and using English almost exclusively as he had yet to meet anyone in the castle who spoke his native tongue.

Mostly it was just him talking to his cat. Pathetic, really, he couldn't even hold a conversation in Russian, merely croon it to his albino cat, who was presently laying across his shoulders, her warm, purring abdomen across the back of his neck, as if she wished to be a scarf. Maks absently reached up to scratch behind her ears, Anastasiya's fur like silk beneath his fingertips. By sound and smell, he located the the firewhiskey, running his fingers along the inside of the cabinet until he found a glass. He poured himself a very full glass, rather than taking a shot or two like humans might.

Waiting for his colleague to instead lead the conversation, Maks took up a chair beside one the roaring fireplace, Anastasiya immediately slipping from his shoulders and curling up on his lap, still purring. Maks sipped his drink, stroking his cat, waiting for conversation to begin.