Day offs are boring

John didn't have any classes today, which was sort of a relief but sort of a shame as well. With no classes, he didn't have much else to do but linger in his classroom. He sat at the desk, his feet propped up on it as he leaned back in his chair. There was a book placed on his lap that he had been reading on and off for a while now. The sound of him turning the aging page seemed deafening in the silence of the classroom.

John took a sigh and let his head loll back for a moment, staring at the ceiling. To say the least, he was bored out of his mind. He did wish he had a class or at least papers to grade. He could always work on his book, but he just wasn't in the mood to do so. John ran his fingers through his gravity defying hair and scratched at the back of his head. He let out a yawn and was half tempted to go back to sleep, but then he would really waste his day away and he didn't want to do that.

Vanessa darted through the wall with ease, into the next room. She had intended to simply pass through this classroom, knowing there was not a class in this room today, however she had not anticipated that the teacher who used the room might still be in here. Now that she had seen that somebody else was here, and that he had not noticed her, she found herself unsure of what she had originally intended to do for John Smith sat at his desk, leaning back slightly in his chair, head rolled back, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't certain what he was doing: perhaps he had acquired the skill of looking through walls and ceilings and floors and was staring up at the above classroom. But Vanessa highly doubted that.

Deciding that whatever she had planned to do before seeing him (and also wondering why she had so easily forgotten once she'd caught sight of the teacher) could not possibly be as entertaining as Professor John Smith could be, Vanessa floated silently over his desk. She tilted her head, glancing down at him, and smirking as recognition lit up his eyes, she said: "Boo!"

John, as it always seemed to be, was lost in his thoughts and had not noticed Vanessa float into the classroom. At least, he hadn't noticed until she looked down at him with the word 'Boo' upon her lips. At first it startled him, as it would have most people, but after the initial shock, he smiled. "Corvus, lovely to see you," a smile played across his lips as he sat up fully, letting his feet fall off of the desk and onto the floor. He leaned forward a bit and cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, looking up at her. "How have you been? Haven't seen you around too much lately," He asked, his smile still ever so present on his face.

[ew, sorry it's so short, /tired]

Vanessa grinned, crossing her legs underneath her as she settled into a comfortable position. She wasn't hovering above John anymore, instead she had drifted so that she was practically sitting on his desk. "Hello there, John." She greeted him, glancing at his hair, which was sticking up awkwardly from where he'd been running his fingers through it.

"I've been good. Well, no, actually, I've been bored out of my mind. It's so dull when there are no students, or teachers, around. I spent the holidays mostly arguing with Sir Cadogan! It got that bad..." She rolled her eyes, almost wincing as she thought back to those lonely August evenings where she'd spent far, far too long bickering with the undoubtedly insane knight in the portrait. She'd inform him that his painting wasn't even that good, and it'd go from there. "I am quite glad the school year's started again, it get's ridiculously quiet and lonely when it's the holidays... but the woes of a teenage ghost are not that important, nor are they interesting: how have you been? I actually wanted to visit you earlier, but never got the chance to and I was given a warning that I should stop barging into lessons, and whilst I have no intention of obeying, I think I should lull the teachers into a false sense of security, first. If I do it too often, they will begin to suspect it and so will the students, and it'll ruin the fun of surprising them. Especially if the class are First Years: I love it when I make them cry. I'm babbling, aren't I? You bring out the worst in me. Actually, no, I think you're the reason I behave better now. But I shall blame you anyway. You and Riley. But, anyway, I'm sorry I didn't come see you - the only time I could think of when you wouldn't be busy was at night and I thought you'd rather I didn't pop in then..." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear subconsciously, trying not to imagine John getting ready for bed. She certainly did not need to picture that. "But I wanted to see you. I missed you." She mumbled, under her breath, hoping he did not hear.

(The length is fine. I'm just glad to get back to these two interacting. I've missed it terribly. I also mentioned Riley in case you wanted some way of me started off the rivalry, but if you have something else planned or want to bring it up later, or whatever, feel free to ignore it. :3)

John chuckled lightly. "That is quite unfortunate. You know if you get Sir Cadogan going that he'll never stop," John warned, waving a finger at her slightly. His features softened then as he studied her face. He wished he could have been able to be here to keep her company. "Oh, don't say that, I don't mind listen to your woes. I did ask, after all. Oh, it's okay. I've actually been pretty busy planning lessons and such; I would have come to find you sooner as well, but that's all behind us. We'll just have to promise to visit each other more often then, yeah?" John shook his head, a small bit of laughter forming on his lips. "That's a shame; I'll miss you kicking books off of my desk while I'm teaching." He leaned back in his chair once more, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her ramble on. He honestly didn't want to say it; it sounded a little bit too cheesy, but he couldn't help but think it - she looked really beautiful. Her smirked. "I can see that. Now I'll never get you to shut up," he teased her lightly.

"I'm glad someone's a good influence," John mused, though he wasn't too happy - happy wasn't the word, but it was the only word he could think of at the moment - about the Riley comment. He wasn't trying to be a jealous boyfriend type or anything, but Vanessa was "his" in a sense, not Riley's. He smiled, having heard her saying that she missed him - but he wouldn't comment on it, no, he knew she hadn't meant for him to hear that. Instead, pretending he hadn't heard her, he waved his hands about. "You know, it was quite dull without someone knocking things about over the summer; I quite missed it, you know?"

[I love them~ They're so cute and slightly awkward and adorable and ajs lk;asdnlkashf ALL THE FEELS! :3]

Vanessa nodded. "It got quite tiresome, having to put up with a painting calling me 'cowardly' and threatening to run me through with his sword, every time I went past." She shrugged, glancing at the book he had been reading. Nothing particularly interesting. "Although, I'd quite like to see him try... running me through, I mean." She looked back at him, smiling. "Well then, if you don't mind... thank you. Not many people would mind. Listening to what I have to say, I mean. Most find it unimportant and boring - and really, it is, most of them time: just me whining needlessly. But anyway... at least we've gotten to see each other now." She flinched at how cheesy that sounded, and bit her lip. "I promise."

"Oh? Don't worry, I'll be back to kicking things off your desk soon, just not straight away." Her head shot up as he teased her. "Don't flatter yourself. You're not that good an influence. And you make me babble." She watched him curiously. He was such a strange man, waving his arms about as he spoke, and he spoke a lot. "Oh, you've missed it? Well then..." She reached out, and shoved the book that rested near her on the desk off the desk. It spun in the air, and spun further on the ground, making a slapping sound as it landed. She watched it with minor interest before turning to look back at John triumphantly, a smirk on her face.

[OMG, I know, they're so ridiculously adorable. I love them so much. ;_;]

John chuckled slightly. "Well, he does know how to threaten a ghost, now doesn't he?" He gave her a small smile, cocking his head to the side just a bit. "Well now, it really depends on the person. I'm sure there are a lot of people here that would love to listen to you if you gave them a chance... and didn't throw things at them or pull their hair," John gave her a knowing smile, raising one eyebrow ever so slightly. "And I'll hold you to that promise, Miss Corvus," he told her, his smile never fading.

"Ah, okay, well as long as it's soon," John laughed. He then couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, so I'm a bad influence now? Babbling is hardly something bad, honestly. I quite enjoy babbling, it gives me time to work out my thought process as I realize what's being said. Plus, it leads to many interesting conversations - even if most of the time they're by myself, but that's besides the point, I think. But yes, I quite enjoy your babbling and I think you should do it more often," John gave her a toothy grin before straightening up and stretching just a bit, he had a small kink in his back.

"Hmn, perhaps I spoke too soon," John joked as he watched the book fly off onto the floor. He chuckled a bit. "You're something else, Corvus, I'll give you that. Now, you're not going to make an old man go pick up that book are you? I mean, really, that's a cruel thing to do, you know?" John raised both eyebrows at her, wondering if in fact that would actually get her to do it - though he highly doubted it because this was Vanessa after all.

[;_____; sorry this took so long, I have a research paper I'm working on and finals I'm studying for >_____> TWO MORE WEEKS then I'm free for a little while. :3]

[It's fine, I'm seriously busy right now too so I completely understand.]

"Yes, John, you are a bad influence: you are the worst. You make me talk incessantly and whilst it's fine for you since we've all established already that you are completely insane, for me it is not so good: there is very little one can talk about when they are dead. I'm finding myself running out of topics and conversation starters quite quickly." She watched him stretch, and heard his joints groan a little as he did so and she tutted. "You really are old."

Vanessa glanced back towards the book that now lay on the floor. Then she looked back at the Transfiguration Professor.

"Get it yourself, you lazy fool. Or, perhaps you should use some sense and use a spell? You are a wizard, after all." She rolled her eyes as if to say that he was truly the worlds finest idiot (and in her eyes he wasn't far from it.) An idea struck her and the corners of her lips twitched upwards. "Or, if you really felt that incapable, you could beg"

[This is disappointingly dull and short but I haven't had the greatest amount of inspiration lately. Sorry.]

"Me? Completely insane? Why Vanessa, I'm quite insulted by that! Honestly, I'm not insane... maybe a little odd, quirky even, but insane I think not. At least, I'm not sure if I've been called that before. It might be a new thing for me. Maybe during my younger years, maybe once... and that was by Max, so it hardly counts as anything," John rambled on a little bit, getting slightly sidetracked as he happened to do so often. He shook his head, clearing most of his thoughts away before turning back to Vanessa and giving her a small smile. "I'm sure you have a lot to say, you just need to find the words."

"Mmhm," John agreed, "Nearly thirty - I'm almost over the hill." John smiled once more. He wasn't really that old, but it was a running thing between them. He often complained about his old age anyway, but Vanessa - despite being dead - was still older than he was.

"Oh, Corvus, that hurts," John pretended to be wounded, holding his hand to his heart. "You know, not everything revolves around magic, but you are right I suppose. But then that would definitely make me lazy, perhaps I should stretch these old bones." John eyed her for a moment and smirked. "You would like that, wouldn't you?" His eyes sparkled with laughter, but he wouldn't beg. He stood up slowly and walked over to the book, leaning down to pick it up.

"There, am I still lazy now?" John questioned as he brought it back over to the desk, placing it down lightly. He hadn't even bothered to see which book it had been - there were numerous on his desk - as he looked at Vanessa, a small smile on his face.

[it seems we are in the same boat then, huh? my inspiration hasn't really been strong lately and you know I always try and give you the best, so I always try and wait until I have a little more than nothing, haha~ which is why my posts always take a little longer. All my loving is for these two~! <3 ]

Vanessa simply raised an eyebrow at the buffoon sat before her. She had let him ramble on and now he was lost, entranced in his own little world: a world that Vanessa was not privy too. She'd quite like to be, though, and she wondered if, perhaps in the future, she would ever be able to join him in the must-be wonderful world he had inside his head. She imagined it would be colourful and breezy and the air would smell of freshly cut grass or maybe smoke from a camp fire, something heavy and obvious. If that was the world that was in his head then she prayed she might find a way to reach in, pull it out, and go there herself, somehow. It sounded lovely in her head. Then Vanessa realised that it was she who was lost in an imaginary world this time, and not her silly little professor friend. She swallowed, and considered what John had said. "Perhaps. The words are so hard to find though - I'd much rather they'd come to me."

Vanessa cocked her head to the side, admiring the man before her. He did not look old, although she would always find joy in saying otherwise. He looked younger then he was, childlike even. His eyes were far too large and far too bright, and his cheeks quite pink and his lips moist and his voice smooth. Vanessa thought he looked nice. As far as faces go, she decided he had an awfully nice one. But she noticed the thin lines on his forehead, the small wrinkles on his knuckles, the small creases by his eyes, and knew they would only get deeper and he would get older. Technically she was older than him, but she was stuck in the body of a small, pubescent 15 year old.

Her eyes sparkled at the comment on her liking him to beg. "Yes, I would." She smirked. She almost wanted to lean in and make him beg, but decided that would be silly and that it would only make things uncomfortable between the two. She watched as he got up and fetched the book she'd thrown. "It's your fault anyway, you goaded me into doing it." She said, simply, a small smile on her face as she shrugged nonchalantly. "I suppose you aren't so lazy." She wanted to throw it again, make him jump and run after it, play fetch with him as if he were a puppy. "Pity. I had hoped you would beg."

John smiled softly, breaking free from his little tangent. "Well, sometimes you just have to search them out," he shrugged, "but it can be hard sometimes. You'll learn, I'm sure, especially with me rambling on and on and on and on and on." John chuckled, teasing just a bit. The problem with his rambling, despite knowing of it, was that he just couldn't stop. Often it would end up like a stream of consciousness type of speech and whatever came into his head would be blurted out through his mouth. Sometimes his mouth betrayed him.

Out of the corner of his eye, John could tell Vanessa was staring at him. He hid his smirk and decided not to say anything - she'd only get embarrassed and then angry, which would probably result in something being thrown at him; no, he'd keep his mouth shut for once and just relish in the fact that she was admiring him instead of the other way around.

John snorted. "Yes, I'm sure you would," he smiled up at her. He nodded his head, fully aware that it was his fault. Mention anything of the sorts to Vanessa or even tell her not to do something, and she'll most likely do it. It was something he had picked up on easily. "Why thank you," John smiled as she admitted the he wasn't so lazy. If he could have, he would have reached out and ruffled her hair - and then he probably would have lost his hand.

John leaned forward on the desk just a bit, crossing his arms over his chest as a small smile crossed his face. "I'm sorry to disappoint, I don't often beg," he gave her half of a shrug and continued to smile. It was true, he didn't often beg for much of anything. Actually, he couldn't even think of a time when he did, but then, his memory wasn't the best and he could very well be forgetting something.

"So, Corvus," John stood up straight, "Any plans to make friends - other than me and... Riley?" He knew it was a shot in the dark, but he also knew she didn't like to be alone all of the time. Maybe she'd meet some interesting students or maybe she'd just terrorize all of them for pure fun. Either case, it was probably good if she was socializing.

[that last paragraph makes him sound like a parent... oh John, stop it~ xD]

"At least with our conversations I don't have to worry. You do all the talking, for me." Vanessa smirked, but the smile on her lips kept growing wider and soon she was grinning and trying to suppress a laugh. She did let a small squeak of a giggle slip through. Damn. She blushed, her cheeks turning opaque, as she stared at the wood of his desk. There was a small, crooked spiral near the edge of the desk, where a thin branch had once been. She imagined a pair of birds sitting on the branch, then she imagine the tree being cut down and the branch being snapped off. Vanessa wondered what happened to the two birds - if they ever found each other again and if they ever settled down. She imagined them, two different species entirely, a robin and a blue tit. Should they even be allowed to be together? Then Vanessa wondered why her mind was producing such images and thoughts, and why her chest felt empty and her limps cold, when her face felt ever so hot.

When she glanced back up she noticed he was suppressing a smirk and a flash of annoyance, like hot metal, scorched the back of her mind. "What are you smirking about?" She asked, concerned that she might look stupid. She hated not knowing what was going through his mind. "Please, tell me." She added, sweetly, batting her eyelids, knowing that being harsh would get her nowhere. She wanted to chop off her hands for sounding so... childlike. She wanted to sound womanly, if anything. Intelligent and perfect. Shame that Vanessa was neither of those things.

She swallowed, shifting so she was no longer cross-legged, and positioning herself onto her stomach, as if she were laying down on a bed, propping her head up with her hands, elbows resting on a non-existent force. Being weightless had its benefits. She moved forward slightly, feeling as though she towered over him. He leaned forward in his chair. She almost wanted to pull away, she'd not been this close to someone in... well, ever, really. He had not intended it to be this way, he was just shifting positions as she had done, but they were a little closer than she anticipated. She refused to back away like a frightened kitten, however, and she remained where she was. "I bet I could make you beg." She said, nonchalantly, wondering how uncomfortable it might make John. Wondering how long it would take for her to feel so unsettled that she had to move away.

She blinked, thinking about his question. "I'm not very good at making friends. But I suppose I'll have to if I have only got Riley and you, if even that." She bit the inside of her lip. "I don't think I'll be very successful though. But thank you for caring, it means a lot." And she meant it, because nobody had ever asked her about what she wanted to do (regarding friends) before, and she told him that.

(Chose the Robin to represent John because it's adorable and it's warm colours make it seem friendly (although I have had no experience with them that can confirm that, but that's just how they seem.) Blue Tit for Vanessa because I love them but also they have cold colours and seem mysterious and stand-offish to me, plus they are so shy and they tend to hide away. BIT OF TRIVIA FOR YOU, AND ALSO I FIGURED MY LAME METAPHOR WOULD MAKE NO SENSE SO I FELT OBLIGED TO MAKE SENSE OF IT FOR YOU. XD )

John gave a small chuckle, scratching at the side of his neck. He definitely did do most of the talking, that was for sure. Sometimes when he started, he just couldn’t stop. It was as if he were a stone, pushed down a hill; a rolling stone that doesn’t know when or how to stop. John looked up at Vanessa, amused and mesmerized with her small squeak of a giggle and the opaque blush that spread across her cheeks. For one so dead, she seemed so alive - and there was a small pain in his chest at the thought, one of the major obstacles.

John held his hands up defensively when he saw the small bit of annoyance on her face. “Nothing, nothing, sorry,” he laughed slightly. He let out another small chuckle when she asked sweetly. Well, how could he refuse? “I was just a bit amused when I caught you staring at me, is all,” he shrugged, though preparing for anything to be thrown at him, and gave her a small smile.

John had noticed only slightly how they had seemed to move closer together without really trying to. Now it was his turn to suppress a blush, hoping that his ears didn’t turn red like they often tended to do. “Oh, do you think so?” John questioned her, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t doubt her ability; he was a bit weak himself to be honest and might easily give in.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be able to. There are a lot of people in the castle, there has to be someone that you can connect with,” John smiled at her. He didn’t want to push it or whatever, but he really thought she ought to find someone to connect with. He worried about her sometimes - correction, all the time as she was almost constantly on his mind - and he just wanted to make sure she was happy and had someone she could be with if he or even... Riley was busy. Surely there was someone out there.

[LOVED the metaphor~ <3 Ah, sorry this took so long. My John inspiration is like... so small... Damn you John! Why must you be so complicated to write! >3< but yeah, sorry about that and the fact that this is lame. Inspiration is coming back to me slowly... oh so very slowly, haha]

Vanessa nearly squeaked again as he admitted to noticing her staring. "I-uh... shut up! I wasn't staring, don't talk such crap." She wondered if smacking him would help convince him. She assumed that hitting people you liked would only result in them not liking you in return - and she would rather that didn't happen. It'd be nice to actually keep a friend for once. She didn't many and most she scared off. Embarrassed, she shoved a large pile of sheets of paper off the edge of the table, and, deciding they didn't make enough of a mess, the same book she'd thrown earlier. Serves John right, for embarrassing her. "You're the one who usually stares, anyway..." She snapped, poking her tongue out and folding her arms over her chest, not feeling quite as triumphant as she would have liked.

He was blushing, she noticed, from their closeness. Honestly, she hadn't intended for that to happen, but her pride stopped her from moving away. His ears were going red. She smirked, but refused to outright grin - she was still embarrassed over being caught staring.

[GAAAAH IT'S SO SHORT, AND SO LATE. I am sooooo sorry. But my exams are finally over so I am free. <3]

John held back another chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back. He gave her as much of a neutral look as possible and nodded slowly up and down. “Yes, yes right. I’m sorry, I was wrong,” he gave her the tiniest of smiles; he rather liked it when she got flustered and upset.

John laughed this time. “Yes, I suppose I do, don’t I?” He asked, though more as a rhetorical question than anything else. He watched as she smirked, not moving away from him. It was rather nice, though it was a shame he couldn’t touch her. He blinked for a moment, just watching her as he happened to do quite often - like she said.

“So, if you weren’t staring, what were you doing?” He asked coyly.

[I have been sitting on this for way too long. It’s horrible and short. I’ve rewritten and kept trying to make it longer, but it hasn’t been working. I figured I should give it to you anyway, since it’s been so long. Hopefully next time it will be better!]

Vanessa huffed as she saw a small smile appear on his face - at her expense. Granted, it was better then him out right laughing at her, but she still felt embarrassed at being caught staring. And at him not being embarrassed himself when she caught him doing it. That just wasn't fair. And if the balance should be tipped at all then it should be so in her favour; that was how she liked it. He was teasing her too, and her insides felt very hot. Privately she wondered if that was because of humiliation or excitement because she hadn't been teased playfully in a very long time.

And then, of course, he went straight back to watching her. Git. And all the while they hadn't moved away and Vanessa couldn't help but wonder what would happen should a student or teacher walk in. She almost wished it would happen.

She pouted unconsciously as he spoke next. He was mocking her. Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows, glaring at him and wanting very much to smack that look of smugness off his horribly lovely face. She opened her mouth to insult him, 'I was admiring the stupid look on your face' she wanted to say, but then she re-considered. Insults were too easy, and were getting predictable now. He'd most likely expect it from her. And that was almost as bad as not retorting at all. So she chose a different way to play.

"Imagining what was under those silly suspenders of yours."

As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted it. There was a slight ringing in her ears and she felt a little too hot to be comfortable, but she remained cool and collected. She wanted to see where this would go.

[Honestly, you keep telling me how bad your posts are but I really like them - and I really just appreciate this being active still. SO.

And I am assuming he dresses the same as Matt/11th Doc but I don't know so... D:

Oh god they need to just confess their love for each other /well vans does anyway/ and kiss and get married and be perfect together already.]

Sometimes, while watching Vanessa, he wandered what was going on in her head. What was she thinking of? How was she feeling? Sure, John was probably one of the better people to determine these things, but he was hardly good at it. Sometimes he just got lucky.

To be honest, what Vanessa had just said threw John off. He hadn't exactly expected that, though perhaps he should have. He tried to hide his somewhat embarrassment of the statement by giving her a small smile. "My shirt, of course," he said in a smart-alecy sort of way. Hopefully this would deter away from any sort of embarrassing, shirtless John sort of situation. It would definitely be hard to explain any of this - conversation or acutal - to someone if they barged into the classroom. Yet, he couldn't refrain from speaking these next words - sometimes he thought he should have a filter on his mouth to keep certain words out, but he had yet to acquire one. "And why, dear Nessa, would you be imagining my shirt? It's just a normal shirt, you know, cotton and white. Nothing too special. Would you like one?" And that was when the image of Vanessa in one of his shirts creeped into his mind and he tried to keep his eyes from widening and a blush from crossing his face. He bit his bottom lip slightly and gave a strained smile. He should really invest in a filter. Soon.

[this is really short, but I actually really like it... or at least, that ending part. >3
These two are the King and Queen of Awkwardness. I love it. <3]

[DO YOU EVER JUST WANT TO HURL YOURSELF OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH BECAUSE OF THESE TWO?]

Vanessa glared at him icily. She'd hoped he'd blush, and stammer. She'd hoped she'd win. Instead she'd lost. Again. He was the only person she'd ever lost to.

She spared a hateful glance to his shirt. She would have quite enjoyed burning the shirt. She had honestly never felt to passionately angry at a shirt before - and the suspenders, they were also to blame. Very much so. She raised her head to once more glare at the man wearing said shirt and suspenders, listening to what the git had to say. The glare was soon wiped off her face though as she considered his words.

"You've never called me 'Nessa' before. Only ever 'Corvus'." She considered the word in her head. She'd only ever been called 'Nessa' before, by Riley. She debated mentioning that to John, but she remembered that the last time she had brought him up, a very sour look had appeared on John's face. Then again, that would serve him right for teasing her. But Vanessa decided that her being teased wasn't as important as her getting a nickname. Because a nickname meant he was fond of her. Him being fond of her meant that she wouldn't be alone anymore. Right? She'd completely missed everything else he'd said but now he was biting his lip and smiling (but it was more of a grimace than anything else, Vanessa thought.)

"What's up with you? You've gone all bashful..." She blinked, trying to remember what he'd said. But nothing embarrassing came to mind. She glanced down at herself worriedly, assuming it must be her that was embarrassing. But she looked the same as ever. A hand shot up to flatten her hair, and Vanessa suddenly felt very self-conscious.

[FREQUENTLY!]

John cocked his head to the side, just observing the way she reacted. Obviously, he had not reacted the right way - not the way she wanted him to. It amused him a little bit, but only a little bit. He enjoyed being able to push her buttons just enough to get a small reaction out of her, enough not to get hurt by her.

John pursed his lips for a moment, blinking. Had he really never callen her Nessa before? Did he subconciously just do something rash in calling her a new nickname? Was it too soon to bring the Nessa name around? Now he was a bit flustered, but he didn't want her to see, so he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Really?" He questioned, turning to look at the black board. It hadn't been erased well the night before and he wondered if that had been him or Jayden, the other Transfiguration Professor. "Hmn, I thought I may have. Slip of the tongue, I suppose..." He didn't want to make too big a deal out of it, though he felt that perhaps he had underplayed it a bit too much. "I like it though, the nickname. It's cute, I suppose. Though, maybe you don't want to be called that, huh?" He chuckled, turning back around to see her. "Sorry."

He moved about the room; he felt that he needed to keep moving or at least keep himself slightly distracted. "D-did I, sorry," he scratched the back of his head. Of course he had known he did. He had been picturing Vanessa in his shirt... and his shirt alone. That would make any sane man bashful; although, he also felt slightly dirty. Vanessa was in a fifteen year old girls body or something to mimic a body. He wondered what she'd look like today had she still been alive. He bet she'd be just as beautiful.

John turned around to see Vanessa attempting to flatten her hair. He raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she was doing. Had he said something to make he feel she needed to flatten her hair? Did he even say anything about her hair?

This was like a dance they were having. Back and forth, both becoming a bit embarrassed by what the other has said or by their own thoughts. John thought it might be time to change the subject, but they had already gone over most mundane topics such as friends, plans, the like. What could he change it to? "You know, I had a student the other day, a young boy. He was such a pain, causing trouble. Detentions wouldn't do anything... but maybe a scare from a certain ghost could set him straight," John chuckled.

"No!" Vanessa said, a bit harsher than she would have liked or intended. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, almost apologetic. "I like it. It's nice." She was thoroughly embarrassed by the whole ordeal. But mostly, she felt flattered. Thrilled, really. She couldn't quite tell why. "I'd like to be called that, if you would like to call me that. Um. It's all up to you, really..." She felt so incredibly awkward. She didn't really know how to treat the matter of gaining a nickname.

Vanessa watched him as he got up and scratched the back of his head. She wanted his attention on her. And her only. And preferably all the time. Was he now getting bored of her? She would have loved to chase him and perhaps grab hold of him, seize his arm and force him to turn around. Instead she remained perched on his desk. She supposed she would annoy him further if she continue to go after him. He was the one trying to get away, after all.

At the mention of scaring a student Vanessa perked up, and beamed at him. "Yes, it'd probably do some good." Then she paused, and considered the matter. "So... what do I get in return?"

[Oh my god John don't encourage her...]

John turned, both of his eyebrows raised at her small outburst. So, she wanted him to call her Nessa? Well, he couldn't say he was diasppointed. A small smile formed on his face. "Okay, I'll continue to call you that, Nessa," He told her. If she wanted him to, than he'd oblige. He quite liked the nickname too, though he couldn't pinpoint when he first thought to call her that. It seemed like it was a subconcious thing.

John paused at the bookshelf, cocking his head to mindlessly read the books. There were books shared by both Transfiguration professors. He turned around and smiled, glad that she was happy at his suggestion - which would probably come around to bite him in the ass later.

"The joy of being allowed to scare a student without getting yelled at by other professors?" John attempted. He knew that might not impress her enough to do it (though, she'd probably do it anyway). She'd proably try and get all she could out of it. "What would you like to get out of it?" He questioned her, raising one eyebrow.

[John's such an enabler. xD]