Post by vincent james snape on Dec 20, 2010 15:54:25 GMT -5
The sun beamed down on the grounds of Mille-fueille Academy, and with very little clouds in sight, the weather was perfect for the students’ first trip to the nearby town of Colchester. A line of horse-drawn carriages pulled into the cobbled driveway before the grand doors of the academy. Fine gold detailing of vines, flowers, and leaves adorned the exterior of the carriages; the interiors were a soft grey to keep the summer heat from suffocating its passengers. One could lift the cushioned silk seats in order to store things in the trunk-like spaces underneath; however, the coach could seat four adults comfortably with plenty of room to spare for luggage or shopping bags. Painted on the doors was the school crest, as these were once used to receive and send off students and staff members before the more convenient use of trains and automobiles came about. But rather than dispose of them, the academy continued to use the carriages for school trips to the nearby town of Colchester.
Students and staff quickly filled the carriages. Those who had hoped to catch a glance of the headmistress and her assistant would be disappointed, as they would either not attend or go ahead in a different carriage. Mystery, indeed. The rest of the staff, however, were all required to attend—not that many objected in the first place—with the exception of the one or two who volunteered to stay behind to watch students unable to go.
Vincent, unfortunately, was not one of the latter, this time around. Due to his…special circumstances, the headmistress would always send him along in her place on days she would not join the school trip, this day being one of them. Generally, he chose to sit up next to the driver of the front-most coach, but lately, he had been riding his own horse among the line as well as some of the stablehands. He had taken riding lessons briefly as a child and picked them up again at Mille-fueille. That wasn’t to say he was very good; he knew enough to keep himself upright on the horse and to maneuver through the line to make sure things were all right.
God, he hated when it was put in charge like this.
Due to the isolated location of the academy, the road to Colchester was a simple, straight shot through the Western Woods; towering trees lined each side of the dirt road. And it was the time of year when one could get lucky and spot some kind of wildlife in the trees, generally deer or squirrels.
Some time after they left the academy, Vincent checked his watch. It was about 10:30 in the morning, a half-hour since they started on the trip, and about halfway to the town. Good. They were making good time. Luckily, the weather today would be nice, too.
He tucked his watch back into the pocket of his greenish-grey waistcoat and readjusted his grip on the reins. He was dressed for the warm weather, wearing a light, long-sleeved shirt and wine-red cravat underneath his vest and dark grey slacks. Laid across the saddle in front of him was a light jacket he brought just in case, but so far, it looked like he wouldn’t be needing it.
“Let’s go, Merriweather,” he said quietly to the peach-colored mare he was riding and urged her forward from the back of the line as one of the other stablehands on his own steed came around to replace him. The gardener made a slow advance to the front, glancing over to the carriages in case someone needed to stop.
For the most part, it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves, chatting amongst each other or looking around at the scenery. He had to admit, even though he was stuck chaperoning, the woods weren’t all that bad. And it wasn’t as if he had to really converse with anyone. Continuing forward, Vincent’s gaze wandered over to the woods. The morning sun filtered through the still green branches and danced along the forest floor, stretching for almost as far as the eye could see. It was calm, quiet. He didn’t really mind this all.
Looking farther ahead, though, the gardener started; a dark grey shape loomed some distance off before disappearing. A frown crossed his face as he silently cursed. He glanced back at the carriages before catching up to nearest stablehand. “Benjamin,” he said quietly.
“I know, sir,” the older man said, continuing to look forward. “There’s a wolf in our midst.”
“Alert the others, but don’t let the students know,” he said quietly, sighing. "It's most likely harmless."
He forgot that was the one thing about the fall he didn’t particularly care for. Vincent sighed, his thoughts darkening as he made his way to the head of the line.
The rest of the trip went without a hitch, and soon enough, they broke out of the trees into a wide clearing. Small houses, barns, and pastures began to appear on the outskirts of Colchester, gradually turning into more a residential area. As an historic town, the buildings were more or less the same as long ago, but there were obvious signs of modern technology. The carriages pulled onto cobbled streets and made their way to the center of town, an open, paved area where most of the popular shops lined its edges; a large fountain of wrestling lions was nestled in the center as the primary landmark.
At the town square, everyone was let out of the carriages and were to gather around the fountain. Prior to the trip, students had been assigned into groups with a teacher in charge of them; as per headmistress’ instructions, the professors were to relay to the students some guidelines to follow while they were on this trip:
-They were allowed to wander without the supervision of an adult, however, it was required everyone to stay together in pairs at the very least.
-Lunch and dinner would be provided by the academy; students were to remember to get meal vouchers from their chaperone that would be good for any restaurant, café, or bakery.
-Everyone was to exchange mobile numbers with their assigned chaperone and their trip buddies prior to the trip and if not, to do so now.
-Everyone is to meet in the town square, at the fountain by seven o’clock. Sharp. The carriages would begin their return trip by seven thirty.
-No shenanigans. Even though it is a school trip, everyone is a representative of the academy and therefore should be on their best behavior. Anyone caught misbehaving will be suspended from any future trips.
Dismounting from his mount and grabbing his jacket, Vincent let one of the stablehands take her and joined the other staff at the fountain. Since he had gotten his iPhone, there was no excuse for him not to have assigned students since there was a means to contact him now. So long as he remembered how to answer a call or receive a text. Looking around, he searched for his students, hoping that they’d remember who he was, because he sure didn’t have any idea.
Students and staff quickly filled the carriages. Those who had hoped to catch a glance of the headmistress and her assistant would be disappointed, as they would either not attend or go ahead in a different carriage. Mystery, indeed. The rest of the staff, however, were all required to attend—not that many objected in the first place—with the exception of the one or two who volunteered to stay behind to watch students unable to go.
Vincent, unfortunately, was not one of the latter, this time around. Due to his…special circumstances, the headmistress would always send him along in her place on days she would not join the school trip, this day being one of them. Generally, he chose to sit up next to the driver of the front-most coach, but lately, he had been riding his own horse among the line as well as some of the stablehands. He had taken riding lessons briefly as a child and picked them up again at Mille-fueille. That wasn’t to say he was very good; he knew enough to keep himself upright on the horse and to maneuver through the line to make sure things were all right.
God, he hated when it was put in charge like this.
Due to the isolated location of the academy, the road to Colchester was a simple, straight shot through the Western Woods; towering trees lined each side of the dirt road. And it was the time of year when one could get lucky and spot some kind of wildlife in the trees, generally deer or squirrels.
Some time after they left the academy, Vincent checked his watch. It was about 10:30 in the morning, a half-hour since they started on the trip, and about halfway to the town. Good. They were making good time. Luckily, the weather today would be nice, too.
He tucked his watch back into the pocket of his greenish-grey waistcoat and readjusted his grip on the reins. He was dressed for the warm weather, wearing a light, long-sleeved shirt and wine-red cravat underneath his vest and dark grey slacks. Laid across the saddle in front of him was a light jacket he brought just in case, but so far, it looked like he wouldn’t be needing it.
“Let’s go, Merriweather,” he said quietly to the peach-colored mare he was riding and urged her forward from the back of the line as one of the other stablehands on his own steed came around to replace him. The gardener made a slow advance to the front, glancing over to the carriages in case someone needed to stop.
For the most part, it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves, chatting amongst each other or looking around at the scenery. He had to admit, even though he was stuck chaperoning, the woods weren’t all that bad. And it wasn’t as if he had to really converse with anyone. Continuing forward, Vincent’s gaze wandered over to the woods. The morning sun filtered through the still green branches and danced along the forest floor, stretching for almost as far as the eye could see. It was calm, quiet. He didn’t really mind this all.
Looking farther ahead, though, the gardener started; a dark grey shape loomed some distance off before disappearing. A frown crossed his face as he silently cursed. He glanced back at the carriages before catching up to nearest stablehand. “Benjamin,” he said quietly.
“I know, sir,” the older man said, continuing to look forward. “There’s a wolf in our midst.”
“Alert the others, but don’t let the students know,” he said quietly, sighing. "It's most likely harmless."
He forgot that was the one thing about the fall he didn’t particularly care for. Vincent sighed, his thoughts darkening as he made his way to the head of the line.
The rest of the trip went without a hitch, and soon enough, they broke out of the trees into a wide clearing. Small houses, barns, and pastures began to appear on the outskirts of Colchester, gradually turning into more a residential area. As an historic town, the buildings were more or less the same as long ago, but there were obvious signs of modern technology. The carriages pulled onto cobbled streets and made their way to the center of town, an open, paved area where most of the popular shops lined its edges; a large fountain of wrestling lions was nestled in the center as the primary landmark.
At the town square, everyone was let out of the carriages and were to gather around the fountain. Prior to the trip, students had been assigned into groups with a teacher in charge of them; as per headmistress’ instructions, the professors were to relay to the students some guidelines to follow while they were on this trip:
-They were allowed to wander without the supervision of an adult, however, it was required everyone to stay together in pairs at the very least.
-Lunch and dinner would be provided by the academy; students were to remember to get meal vouchers from their chaperone that would be good for any restaurant, café, or bakery.
-Everyone was to exchange mobile numbers with their assigned chaperone and their trip buddies prior to the trip and if not, to do so now.
-Everyone is to meet in the town square, at the fountain by seven o’clock. Sharp. The carriages would begin their return trip by seven thirty.
-No shenanigans. Even though it is a school trip, everyone is a representative of the academy and therefore should be on their best behavior. Anyone caught misbehaving will be suspended from any future trips.
Dismounting from his mount and grabbing his jacket, Vincent let one of the stablehands take her and joined the other staff at the fountain. Since he had gotten his iPhone, there was no excuse for him not to have assigned students since there was a means to contact him now. So long as he remembered how to answer a call or receive a text. Looking around, he searched for his students, hoping that they’d remember who he was, because he sure didn’t have any idea.
