Ariel's Room

Ariel was lounging. There was little else to do these days. She had not seen her last student in a while. All she had to do was read, and associate with the Rogues. She really did not want to do that though. There was only passion in her life, and that was reading. The second was... Teaching. Yes. Definitely not pocky... She shook her head swiftly, as her stomach gave a little grumble, and she lift a chocolate covered stick, placing it between her lips and suckling on it while she lay out on her bed in nothing but a nightgown, and a rather transparent one at that. She had no problem with her body. She thought it was attractive.

Her eyelids fluttered shut for a moment, shutting out the words of the book she held with her other hand. The arm fell for those few moments, resting the book over her chest. She was not naked beneath the nightgown of course. A full-cup bra held her breasts snugly, pure black in color. Her panties were the same black, and just as modest as the bra, though it was nothing like a pair of bloomers. She hummed to herself quietly, letting her arm rest along with her eyes. She had become so used to her glasses that even in her mind she could see their images burned into her retina, appearing on the back of her eyelids as their inverted color.

She obviously was not expecting any company, at least, not any company she had not already had sex with once. The thought did not even spur movement between her legs. She rarely felt the strong sexual urges that she had just earlier in the year, where she seemed never to be able to calm down. Now though, she never seemed to think of it, though that did not stop her from dressing as she did. Her bed on both sides had a tower of books above them, that while stacked precariously, stood straight and still. There must have been fifty books in each stack, yet each were placed with such careless precision that despite looking like they should topple at any moment, they stood still. She was an English Teacher. Balancing books was as easy as breathing. Easier. She could forget to breathe sometimes in the middle of a climax.

Books still could arouse her, of course. The thought of reading through a climax actually stirred just a slight stiffness between her legs, causing just a slight bulge in her undergarments, though it quickly receded after a few moments of exerting her will. Books were wonderful things, they were. She lift her book again, and let her eyes flutter open, beginning to read through it again. Whenever she set down a book, it meant, including whatever she was thinking about frontally, that she was digesting what she had just read. Something of importance had happened, and she was gauging its significance throughout the world.

A moment of sadness fluttered into her chest as she read the book. She had gotten it out of the Rogue's magical library, yet that was the only time she ever visited her friend from the library; when she was getting books from it. She rarely spoke to anyone anymore. It was a wonder she could still speak. She could still speak, couldn't she? "Ye-Yes... I can still spe--eak..." It was a little odd, her voice, yet she would warm it up again, now realizing that it was not the most worthy thing in the world. Well, teaching was usually the only thing she ever talked over... Without someone to teach she really was not... her anymore.

She was just a mindless puppet, only brought to life through whatever she was reading at the moment, changed as easily as a page.

The sound of footsteps could be heard as they made their way up towards the attic, obviously that of two people, one walking with the sounds of clawed toes tapping along the steps, the one behind wearing shoes and moving quietly. The sounds of these footsteps paused right outside the door of the attic, and there was the sound of a soft voice giving instructions. There was no voice that replied, however. After a few minutes of this, there was what sounded to be an agreement, and there came a knock on the door. A growling voice called through it, "Miss Astinus, there's someone here to see you. It's asked of you to look over her learning and teach her what you can. She's not very used to people, so it's also asked that you be careful with her."

There was again the sound of footsteps, clawed feet descending down the stairs, obviously leaving someone there at the door. Who was there was simply a girl, a human girl no less, who hid behind shades that she had possibly stolen when she escaped the Vatican. Her face was framed by gray/black hair, malnourished, though in the best shape it had been for most of her life, trimmed and brushed. Before her escape, that hair had grown longer than she was tall. Having it cut off recently left a gentle but relieved ache in her neck. Her skin was pale, too, and there was hardly a sign of scarring on her, as though it was rare for things to touch her. Furthermore, she was rather thin, though again, much healthier than she had been, having eaten good meals for the past week or two.

She stared quietly down after her companion as they left before reaching out quietly to grasp the handle of the door, letting herself slip in after a moment without much notice. Not that she could have given notice any way. She hardly spoke, only doing so when her response was necessary. She was timid on speech, only having learned a little of the basics. Well, wait. The knock on the door might have been notice enough, or even the sound of people walking up the old sounding stairs.

She tilted her head curiously, looking around and closing the door behind her, slipping in before her eyes suddenly latched onto Ariel from behind the shades. She pursed her lips quietly with a faint coo of a sound, her head dipping down after a moment in greeting. She didn't know there was anything wrong with barging in, apparently. She straightened back up a bit, watching curiously, without another sound, though it was a bit obvious that her eyes were glancing off to look at the stacks of books and such, and at the other door, too.

She was told there was a library through here, though she couldn't really imagine it. It was an attic after all, and it made sense to her that there was simply not enough room for an actual library, and yet, there was a door when there should have probably been a wall and air on the other side. She said nothing, however, keeping her thoughts to herself. Maybe there was simply a trick to things like that. She realized she wouldn't doubt that.

She clasped her hands before her, one of those hands wielding carefully an envelope that was wedged between two of her fingers. She seemed to have forgotten it being there, though the neat writing on it obviously said Ariel's name. She fell still where she stood, giving soft hums now and then. She also had to admit, she had never seen so many books in one place before. She also didn't know how to read, but she hoped, no, she prayed that would change. She wanted to do all that she had been prevented from doing.

When the sound of footsteps alerted her to someone coming up the stairs, she was... well, not alerted. Her eyes were drawn into the book, and the shuffling feet no more than background noise. She let her eyes continue to roam over the page, while sucking in every last detail that she could. When a knock came to the door, however, she could ignore it no longer, and slid a finger inbetween two of the pages, and closed it, letting her eyes wander to the door. She blinked once or twice. A new student? Fascinating! Her figure slowly sat up as the girl entered.

She slowly pulled herself to the edge of the bed, staring out at her, and nibbling on the inside of her lip for a few moments. She had to be careful with her? She wondered what the woman had meant by that. Was she really that rough of a person? She slowly lift another pocky stick to her lips, suckling on it softly. Her eyelids fell half shut, wiggling the thing between her lips, and making it point at the girl. Even undressed as she was, the English Teacher aura surrounded her. Even this girl, who had never seen an English Teacher, must have felt it. Felt the terror. The feel that this woman knew she was a god, and judgment day was at hand, where her red pen would fall upon the paper. The feel that this woman, every second, was weighing you with that pen, judging you at every breath.

She slowly stood up, that pen sitting in one side of the scales within her eyes. The girl rest in the other. It was uncertain whether or not the scales were balanced. Walking quietly towards the girl, she stared down at her, and lift a pocky stick, planting it chocolate-side within the corner of the girl's lips, murmuring in a gentle tone; "You look like you just walked out of the valley of death." With that done, she slowly backed away, noting the girl's curiosity of the books, and the letter with her name on it in the girl's hands. She reached down, plucking it gently from her--it was a practiced gesture, looking as if she had done it a million times. Snatching passed notes was something she had done for eight years running, after all. "A letter, for me?"

As she slowly backed away to the bed, and sat down upon the edge of it, she let her nail dig under the sealed side, stating as she tore it open; "Come. You can sit on the chair if you are too shy to join me on the bed." She chomped down on her own pocky stick, sucking it a little further up between her lips and letting her tongue slowly drizzle over it, lapping the chocolate off of it. "Mmm... A pleasure to meet you. I am Miss Astinus. I suppose I will be teaching you." Her teeth pressed together just a little, though her lips were closed by then. The pocky stick crunched. She was still a prisoner here, after all.

She slowly opened the envelope, and plucked the contents out. She let her eyes wander over it then, studying it appropriately.

The girl pursed her lips quietly, her head dipping back down when the woman's eyes focused on her. She said nothing, remaining silent, though she did offer a faint smile. Yes, the woman was intimidating, more so than others, but she did not let it show outwardly. On the inside, it felt like most people were intimidating anyway, simply because she had never really been around them before. But she had been brought here by one that had helped her, had taken care of her and cleaned her up and didn't treat her like a prisoner of a religious war, so she felt it in her best interest to trust what had been decided for her.

She released a faint sound when the woman stood and slipped forward, cooing again softly when the woman lifted a pocky and placed it between her lips. Even through the sunglasses, she gave a look of confusion until tasting the sweetness. To her, it was still bitter to taste something sweet, but at the same time, it was a strange taste that she enjoyed. She offered another quiet smile up at the woman, widening when she spoke. She gave a squeak when the letter was plucked from her grasp, watching the woman back up and sit back down.

She did know shyness towards other people, intimidating or not. She knew fear, but certainly, not shyness. She followed quietly, sitting lightly beside the woman, lifting her hands to grasp at the end of the pocky in her mouth, which she suckled and nibbled slowly on. Despite her thin figure, and how close she had constantly come to starvation, she refused to eat much or very fast, by instinct more than anything. Recklessness was something else she didn't seem to have, because reckless gorging could very easily put her life in danger after near starvation or living a life on little. She watched the woman quietly behind the darkness of her sunglasses as she read the letter.

Miss Astinus,

My apologies for not visiting more often, despite our living in the same home. There have been many recent events keeping me from doing such. It's also come to my attention that my daughter has not been seeing you recently. Rest assured, this will most certainly change.

As for the matter at hand, I would like to request that you teach someone new, likely the one that delivered this letter to you. Her name is Samael. As far as we know, her parents have long since passed from this world. She'll be living among us from this day forward, learning to socialize, and hopefully be happy with her otherwise dark life.

She does not speak very much, so I will tell you what I can about her. When she was at a young age, the Vatican stumbled upon her and took her away from her family, or perhaps, her family simply left her to the Church. She has been under lock and key since, and is now somewhere around the age of seventeen. She has spent her life in darkness, uneducated and alone. Her only experiences with other people have been painful, both physically and emotionally.

I have yet to find out just how trusting she is, but despite the wrong done to her, she seems to have a fair understanding of things, and knows that we are here to help her. I'd like you to look over her development and learning, which I hope you will find most pleasing. She seems to be quite a fast learner, despite only now starting at such a late stage.

Please, take care of yourself and her. I plan on seeing you soon, and hope you wander through the house more in the future. It'd be nice to have you join us sometimes.



-Rose Rogue

She stared at the letter quietly, though she had finished reading it within seconds. Her eyelids closed after a few moments, and she quietly set the thing down on the nightstand behind the stack of books. Her arm bumped it, but the stack did not fall. It only wobbled very dangerously. She turned towards Samael, and said; "Samael, huh? Very well, Samael. Welcome to my class. I am sure you will be a wonderful addition to this empty room." She said with a sullen playfulness. She slowly scooted back on the bed, marking her book permanently and setting it aside.

She slowly settled her hands behind her head and stared at the girl silently for a few moments, plucking up another pocky stick and slipping it between her lips. She let the box snuggle itself between her thighs, so that both of them could reach it. "Help yourself. I have a billion boxes. Metaphorically speaking." She added thoughtfully, realizing the girl might or might not have a knowledge of exaggeration. She slowly stared at her as she sucked on the new stick, teasing it with the tip of her tongue. "My name, as I said, is Miss Astinus. If, by some chance, you decide to verbally hail me, that is what I will answer to."

Her eyelids fell shut then, and she stared at the back of them, for all the world looking as if she would go to sleep. Her hands still resting behind her let-loose hair, which hung around her shoulders and back at the moment, she lay lazily, before stating; "You seem to understand English, as you were smiling at things I said, and from what the letter says. But you either cannot, or do not want to speak it. Either way, I am sure we will be able to drag your potential out and air it up like a hot-gas balloon." She let out a soft little hum, opening her eyes half way and staring at her.

"Also, my diet consists of disobedient children, so watch out. Those are my natural prey, being a member of the English Teacher race." She lightly lowered one of her hands, tapping her finger upon her lips, as if in thought. "I don't think I will have much trouble with you though. Shame. You look rather tasty." She tsked her lips softly as if in vexation. She slowly smiled and sat up after a moment, and gazed upon her. "Rose did not tell me exactly what it is, besides English, that I am supposed to teach you, but if she decides later, then I can change it when it happens."

She stared upon Samael then, before murmuring; "Have you understood everything that I have said so far?"

She allowed her head to dip a bit, watching the woman over the rim of the sunglasses while using their shadow to hide her own eyes. She flinched back when the woman's arm brushed against a stack of books, threatening to knock it over, when she had set the letter aside. Someday, she thought to herself, she'd be able to read, too. She'd work for that. She perked quietly after a moment, offering a coo around her nibbling on the pocky when the woman spoke her name. She glanced around after a moment, looking through the room before offering another faint smile. Secretly, she was glad that there were not others around at the moment. She was still frightened by numbers of people, after all.

She sucked what remained of the pocky she had been nibbling on up past her lips, crunching down on it in her mouth and swallowing moments later. Her eyes dropped back down to the box curiously for a moment, but she did not reach out for another until the woman said it was okay. She plucked one out quietly, bringing it back to nibble softly on the thing, reaching up to fiddle with the sunglasses. It was obvious, somehow, at that moment that she hated the things. They were so dreadfully annoying, clinging her face, but after living in the dark most of her life, they were also the greatest relief to her eyes, until she adjusted to the light. They also hid the eyes that had gotten her in trouble with the Vatican to begin with. "Miss Astinus..." She mumbled after a moment, mostly under her breath, as though saying it just to see if she could. A warmer smile spread over her face.

She shifted a bit, sighing softly as she watched the woman relax. She herself became a bit more relaxed, letting herself pull a leg up and curl it beneath herself. She couldn't help but realize that the woman seemed so much livelier than herself, despite the fact that Sam' looked like the one who was about to jump and run if something happened. It was probably because Sam' also looked like she was something that had been brought back from the grave and regenerated. She gave a soft hum as the woman spoke before giving a happy little nod at the idea of filling out her potential.

She shifted a bit after a moment, looking more attentive suddenly when the woman spoke of eating disobedient children, and spoke of being a part of this English Teacher race. Surely she was joking, right? Even if she was, an arch went along Sam's spine, making her straighten up. She straightened further when she was told she looked tasty, though she doubted this was actually the case, her nibbling at the pocky having fallen still for the moment.

She gave a faint sound and nodded gently after a moment, eager for any guidance she could get. But even uneducated, she felt that it was probably the best thing anyway for her to learn English first, to speak, to better understand, to read and write.. She felt a soft smile make it's way back onto her lips and she smiled softly with a gentle little nod when the woman asked if she understood. She just.. wasn't going to think about the 'eating disobedient children' thing. And hope that she wasn't disobedient, of course...

Ariel slowly teased her lips up into a slow smile. It seemed the girl believed her, even if she tried to pretend she did not. Good. She wanted the girl to believe. A small grin twisted out of the smile upon her lips, and her eyelids fell half shut, staring at her through the rims of her glasses. She noticed the girl's dislike of her own sunshades, and reached up to a lamp beside her, flickering it off, and letting an oil lap take it's place. The tower of books blocked direct light, but still illuminated the room dimly . The small flame flickered back and forth within the glass lamp shield, causing the shadows to begin dancing back and forth.

That lamp the only light in the room now, she slowly lift her foot, and let her big toe and the one beside it grasp the sunglasses on the side of her head, slowly plucking them off, but keeping them within range just in case the area was still too bright. A slow smile came to her lips as she murmured to her slowly; "Such beautiful eyes, you have. It would be such a shame to conceal them." She slowly held her foot positioned infront of the girl, so that she could reclaim the glasses if she wished. Her hand slowly plucked another pocky stick, setting it within her mouth.

As she sucked on it, her hands went up to the glasses setting on her own nose, repositioning, to maximize the magnifying effect. She slowly hummed to herself for a few moments, murmuring; "I suppose that first of all, I should teach you to read. Speech will come with it. We will need to work into your v... vocal chords as we go on." She stuttered over vocal, remembering that not too long ago, her own voice had been cracking. She guessed teaching was all she really needed. "They will need to be strengthened, I am sure." She said, teasing her lips with the tip of her tongue.

She pursed her lips quietly, biting quietly at the inside of her lip for a moment before returning her nibbling attention back to the pocky. She wondered quietly to herself if it really was true that, as an English Teacher, the woman really would eat her if she was disobedient. She was unwilling to test that. She forced a crook in her back so she could slowly relax again, letting her hand fall in her lap and letting the pocky between her lips move when she nibbled. She gave a curious look when the woman reached out to turn off the lamp and replace it's like with that of an oil lamp. Immediately, there was relief in her eyes, her head as a whole. The light of a flame was so much kinder to her than the light in those bulbs.

She squeaked, however, and ducked back a bit when she realized that the woman's toes were reaching up to grasp her glasses, only quickening in pulling them off. She gave a faint whine, closing her eyes for a moment, pursing her lips before blinking them back open, looking up timidly again. This light made the red portions of her eyes dark, almost black, while the nocturnal shaded green reflected in a peculiar glow. She seemed rather shocked for a moment, her eyes widening at her words before her head dipped down, her lips pursing. She gave a quiet coo, reaching out quietly to take up her sunglasses from the woman's toes, folding them and setting them aside, out of the way. She seemed rather dazed at the moment, probably because of the compliment to something that had always been a curse to her.

She gave a gentle little sound and perked again after a long moment with her attention once more on the woman. Yes, yes! Read! She wanted to know how! A bright glimmer sparkled in her eyes, another smile curling on her lips, a hopeful one. It seemed childlike at the same time, though why that element was there was not really certain. She was eager to start, whenever the woman let her at least. She crunched the last piece of her pocky, swallowing it quietly before quietly muttering, "Alright..." Her voice held a scratch to it, like a scratch on an old record, so she spoke quietly so her voice would not be annoying. Her hands curled gently in her lap, teasing the thin fingers along the cloth of the socks covering her ankles.

She watched the girl curiously for a few moments, tilting her head just slightly to the side as she lowered her foot to the bed again when the sunglasses were removed from them. Her hands rest behind her head quietly while she suckled on her pocky, teasing the chocolate off of it with the tip of her tongue. She hummed to herself quietly for a few moments, smiling with a little bit of interest in her expression. She enjoyed the girl's eagerness to read. It would do her well in the months to come. She slowly wiggled her toes for a moment, before sliding off of the bed, and shuffling over to her bookshelves. She reached out to take one of the larger books, and taking it back over with her, and laying back out on the bed.

"Now then... Come lay with me." She said, nodding her head towards the pillow beside her. She needed the girl to be able to see the words on the page, and light was necessary for that. She slowly lift her foot, and crossed it over the opposite ankle. What she held within her hands was, of course, a literature textbook. No English Teacher would enter a class without one of those laying handy around. "Well, that is, if you want to begin your lessons today. But, I suppose that you would not have come had you not been ready." She contemplated, wiggling her toes again to make sure they stayed warm. You couldn't teach English properly with cold feet.

"Now, I've never really taught English from the very beginning. Usually my students have at least some prior knowledge, such as speaking it their whole life. However, I am sure a bright young girl like yourself will prove to be little difficulty." She slowly propped open the book, and lift her legs up so that her feet were resting against her bottom. She used her legs as a stand for the book so that she did not have to hold it. "I wonder what it will be like teaching someone how to wield grammar while learning how to speak at the same time. My prediction is that when you can speak, you'll be quite charismatic. Of course, I could just be thinking too highly of myself."

Samael watched the woman quietly, tilting her head. The usually dark green shade of her pupils flashed into a luminescent light green, shadows dancing around in that light as shadows danced from the light of the oil lamp. When the woman rose, her head lifted, her eyes flashing back into darkness, watching as she slipped over to the bookshelves to take one of the larger books. She perked quietly, her head tilting when the woman returned to lay herself out on the bed.

She blinked quietly as the woman spoke and nodded towards the pillow beside her, creeping a few inches up towards her for a moment until she spoke again. Well, of course she wanted to begin right away! She gave her a curious little look after a moment though before creeping on up beside the woman to settle beside her and lean on the pillow, tilting her head to look at the book she held. She seemed a bit more cautious though, simply for the fact that being close to others in the past generally meant pain on her part. She doubted the woman would be cruel to her, considering she was the one who was going to teach her. All she had to do was be a good girl, no?

She listened quietly as she watched the woman prop the book up, shifting herself so she would neither crowd the woman nor be too far away or at an angle that would prove difficult to see the book. She looked up at Miss Astinus curiously for several moments, biting at her lip just a tad. In all, she had the education of a kindergärtner, since she was five when she was taken from her parents, and having been locked away for so long, what she had learned was certainly smeared by now. She gave a soft sound after a moment and hummed gently. This woman, she felt, was going to do a fine job of teaching her, and in turn, she was going to make her proud!

Ariel watched as the girl seemed a little shy about approaching her. She waited patiently for the girl to settle down beside her, though not too close. Well, Miss Astinus was not going to be having any of that. She smiled gently, and slowly stretched her arm out, winding it around Samael's shoulder's in a most motherly fashion, and drew her close, up snug against her own form. The pocky, now just barely visible from beneath the book, she had to squirm a hand beneath it and her abdomen to grab a stick, but she did, placing it within her mouth and murmuring;

"Now that we're all snug and warm, we can begin." She had gotten used to the private tutoring scene. Teaching in a classroom was a cold environment, both physically and socially. The room temperature always seemed to be in the sixties--which she liked whole-heartedly--and the student-to-teacher relationship was cold, if not outright hate. In the Rogue's estate, things were much better. The same chilled environment, yet she often taught in her bed, meaning that if she was not able to snuggle up with a student as she was now, she could always climb beneath her blankets. It was odd, but refreshing.

While she held the girl against her with her right arm, she slowly indicated the book with her left, slowly setting a finger upon a sentence. "The building block of Literature is the letter. A letter is a symbol we attribute to a certain sound we make. Such as the letter 'b'. It represents the sound 'buh'. When you combine the sounds, these letters, you make words. Such as 'Bee', which is a combination of the letters 'B', 'E', and 'E'." Miss Astinus then indicated a picture of a bee, as well as the word that represents it. "Do you see, miss Samael?"

She gave a faint, curious sound when the woman moved to wind an arm about her shoulders, shrinking down a bit when she was drawn closer. It took a few long moments, but she eventually did start to settle back down against the woman's side, pursing her lips and looking up to her strangely. Eventually, her fear also calmed, and her head dropped to nuzzle against the woman's shoulder. The woman was not going to hurt her. She said that to herself in whatever voice her thoughts took, in whatever language, if any. The woman was not going to hurt her. The more she said that to herself, the more she believed it, and the more tenseness melted out of her muscles.

She gave a soft sound in response to her words before quieting, straightening a bit and turning her eyes down to the book when the woman began pointing at one of the sentences. She gave little of the sounds she often gave weeks before, though occasionally a soft coo like sound escaped her. As the woman spoke and pointed at a picture of what was apparently a 'bee', her brow furrowed only slightly before giving a faint nod. She understood. Later, when she knew more, she'd learn about other creatures, too! But she needed to learn to speak and read first.

She smiled at the girl's seriousness, and leaned over, nuzzling a cheek against her shoulder for a few seconds, murmuring; "And of course, when you put words together, you get sentences. Sentences make up paragraphs, and paragraphs make up pages, and pages make up a book." She gave the book a little shake to indicate it, before murmuring; "Now, follow along with my finger, and I'll show you the letters and what each one of them sounds like, all right? Then when I'm done, I want you to say them back to me as I point at them." She slowly stretched out her left finger, resting it beneath A, and slowly sliding it along the list. "A, b, c, d..." She went through the entire alphabet quickly enough, and soon stopped at Z, before slowly sliding her finger back to A again.

"Now, if you understand so far, I want you to say it. Do you think You can, sweetheart?" She slowly teased her finger along the page, looking fully confident that the girl would learn, if not immediately, rather quickly. If Rose praised the girl, then she was willing to believe that she was brilliant enough. She slowly ticked off the letters, her eyes wandering down to the girl to watch her, instead of the page she was teaching out of. Oh, she was going to have lots of fun with this student--and not of the sexual kind, either.