Training Area

[Felixir]

The Training Area is where Flying classes are usually held, but is otherwise open to anyone at any time, curfew and individual restrictions permitting. While flying is possible here, this area is not a pitch and should not be treated as such. There is space for practicing flying technique - tricks, control, even casual racing - just be mindful of those around you both in the air and on the ground. A large running track circles the centre green, where there's plenty of space for whatever non-flying training takes your fancy; if you need any specific equipment, Mr Kazmi may be able to arrange that for you. Sitting here to relax is also fine, as long as you don't get in the way of anyone using the area for its intended purpose. Benches are spread evenly around the outside of the running track; sit here if the centre green is busy.

Every square foot of ground in the Training Area has been bespelled with a neat little charm which cushions the ground in the event of a sudden, high velocity impact; this prevents serious injury in the case of a fall during classes or free-flying, but shouldn't affect running or other grounded exercises. The charm is effective, but not foolproof, so... don't behave like a fool.

A high fence surrounds the entire area, so that the only way inside is through the proper entrance. As the flying information board can be found here, this leaves few excuses for using the Training Area without being aware of the rules. Namely: respect each other, be sensible, don't put yourselves in danger, tidy up after yourselves, and, should there be any incidents, find and inform Mr Kazmi (or another member of staff) as soon as possible.

Mr Kazmi's office overlooks the training area from its high up vantage point, but it's difficult to tell exactly when he's got eyes on you, if he's not already out here supervising. Probably a good idea to behave regardless.

[DaniDiNardo]

…

….

So close.

Emmerson had done her best to blend in with her classmates when flying class ended. She made sure to not walk next to Kizzy, too, just in case the Professor was using her bestie as a marker to locate her. All she had to do was make it across the training area and out of sight.

Too bad Professor Kazmi didn’t ever want her to be great. If he was better at minding his own business, he could learn to stay out of hers. What was so wrong with not flying? She had a whole broken arm. You’d think that would be enough to get the man off her back but apparently not.

A p p a r e n t l y she hadn’t suffered enough.

Jerk.

Reluctantly, Emmerson turned and headed back toward the man, sullen as all get out. She would cry as needed, just saying.

[Felixir]

Some of these kids, Kamran wouldn't have been surprised if they'd tried to high-tail it out of here even after he'd called them back. If Cambridge had tried that - on top of trying to sneak off - he wouldn't have gone after her, but it would only have made things worse for her in the end. It was encouraging to bear witness to a(n eventual) wise decision.

While the Gryffindor headed back towards him, Kamran turned to the lesson equipment; with a flick of his wand, the cones, podiums, and spare brooms set about packing themselves up and gathering together. All the better to give his full attention to this student.

"Miss Cambridge," Kamran said, fixing his eye on the third year again, his voice level. "I was sorry to hear about your injuries. How was it you managed to break both those arms?" He knew, of course, had heard the story. Had a good idea as to why as well. He just wanted to see what Cambridge chose to tell him first.

[DaniDiNardo]

Of all the questions Emm expected to come from Professor Kazmi, she honestly wasn’t expecting that one. The Gryffindor thought for sure the man had already heard what happened, convinced herself this was more of a reprimand.

No?

Well that certainly made this easier. Emmerson put on her most pitiful expression, needing to garner as much sympathy as she could from the man with a heart of stone. She probably only had one shot at this and knew too much dramatics would see this going south fast. That meant, of course, she really had to think about it.

”I was only trying to improve my defense, Professor. I’ve been falling behind in that subject and thought I could get in some extra practice with the dummies in the training arena. I didn’t know Headmaster Trent turned them into demon dummies outside of classes, too.” Not a soul could deny there was something menacing about those dummies. Relentless. Unfeeling. They stopped only when you made them.

“I guess I need even more practise than I realised. I never stood a chance once they kicked into action. There…there were just so many of them and I panicked. Next thing I knew, I was being helped to the hospital wing and forced to help cleaning for the weekend.” Difficult with a busted arm. Thanks Peralta.

“It was just awful, sir.”

[Felixir]

If there was something that could be said for Cambridge, it was that she had a certain level of commitment, a dedication and determination of sorts. It might have been admirable, had she applied it to the problem at hand, rather than trying to deceive her way out of it. No doubt they could re-channel it.

Kamran nodded along as she spoke, might even have been sympathetic, going by the look on his face. "Hm, yes, it definitely sounds it." He paused, considered her a moment, then went on. "Now I want you to tell me again. This time, keep two things in mind. One: the staff here, we talk." Actually, Kamran was fairly sure a lot of these students never once considered the fact that, this being a school - the point of the place being the education and wellbeing of the students - it did turn out that the students were at the centre of pretty much every conversation amongst staff. Occasionally it surprised him how much it surprised them that issues of behaviour and concerns as well as more positive occurrences did tend to be shared, especially between the relevant parties. "Two: with every lie or deception I detect from you, I become significantly less sympathetic."

Really, Cambridge was getting a wealth of chances here, more than he should really have given her. But given some of the answers she'd given in class, plus the outcome of that ridiculous stunt with the dummies... well, there were factors that ought to be taken into account. "So. Try again."

[DaniDiNardo]

"With respect, Sir," Emmerson said carefully, green eyes looking straight up, trying to meet the man's own. "I don't think you're much sympathetic to begin with." So there really wasn't...that much...she could loose there. Fact is, she stood to lose more by folding in on her story now. Changing it would be an outright admission of a lie and the Gryffindor would be damned if she told on herself like that.

Oh no, this was her story and she had no choice but to stick with it at this point. It was far better than admitting to any other stories she may or may not have known about. That being the case, Emm squared her shoulders as best she could.

"If you all really do talk then you must've heard how horrible the attack was. The real problem is Headmaster Trent trying to charm dummies to murder children the way he does. I know we have to learn defense but I'm proof enough some of us need a gentler approach to learning how to save our lives." He was a menace even when he wasn't Rosier, clearly.

Her concession? I really am uh...sorry....that....this happened the way it did. It should never have had to come to this, truly."

Yes, very sorry she had to break her arms. Skipping out on the class activities? Yeah...she was...less sorry about that.

[Felixir]

It was curious, the way openings such as 'with respect' often prefaced statements which were anything but respectful, especially when delivered by teenagers. Kamran was ready for that to be the case here, and to use the opportunity to teach Cambridge that dressing up an insult did not absolve her of responsibility for saying it, but it turned out not to be so bad as all that. It was her opinion, she was entitled to that much.

He quietly waited out the story again, nodding here and there as he followed along, clearly listening even if it was a little less clear exactly what he made of it all. When she was done, he nodded once more, with a touch more finality. Nobody could say he hadn't given her a chance.

"Well, you're right about that, at least." It really shouldn't have come to this, there was simply no need for it. Kamran glossed over the apology for now; he wasn't one to fall for cleverly worded displays of alleged contrition, didn't even want his students to apologise for the actual wrongdoing if they didn't mean it, only to see an improvement in behaviour. "To be clear, Headmaster Trent has your best interests at heart, you and every other student here. I will not have you spinning a lie like that to get out of lessons, especially with all that's happened here recently." As if the environment around here wasn't already tense enough what with one thing or another. As if the man in charge didn't have enough on his plate. "I am perfectly aware you orchestrated this quote-unquote 'attack' yourself. So. That will be detention for trying to deceive your way out of my class, and, for keeping up the lie now, you will serve it on a Saturday. I'll be informing your Head of House." And that just happened to be... look at that. Funny how these things worked out.

All this was delivered perfectly calmly. Kamran wasn't angry, he was just disappointed. Even if he was, years of experience told him not to escalate the situation unnecessarily, especially as he did still intend to get Cambridge talking, though with a bit more honesty next time. He didn't doubt he'd need to do all the prompting there.

"Once both your arms are healed up, you'll be making up the lesson you missed as well." They might even do the lesson and detention on the same day, but he wasn't promising anything. It really depended on how long it took for Cambridge to start making better choices, and learn that Kamran was not a man who appreciated being lied to. "Have I made myself clear?"

_____

SPOILER!!: V (different timeline, after lesson 2)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

But now that the lesson was over, she had to see Professor K and talk about her "behavior." She was NOT looking forward to it. "Professor Kazmi...you wanted to see me?" she asked, trying to look as normal and CASUAL as possible even if she was panicking on the inside.

In the interests of being as considerate as he was willing to be in these circumstances, Kamran kept Gellar waiting just a little longer, with a quiet, "One moment." Maybe it didn't seem so considerate, but it was for much the same reason that he kept her after class to talk in the first place, and not in the midst of everything.

So, when the last student was out of earshot - and after he'd watched them move off a little further - Kamran set his broom and the container of fake wands aside and turned his attention to the Slytherin.

"This shouldn't take too long. Firstly, I want to make sure you understand why I took those points, and why I won't allow any kind of lashing out in my classes. If so, we can draw a line under it, and have a clean slate next lesson." Grudges helped nobody, and that was not limited to flying. Kamran didn't like to assume which of these kids might or might not hold a grudge over a simple conflict in a lesson - he'd been surprised too many times over the years - and so just preferred to make it clear that he considered the matter closed on his end. Sometimes it was all you could do. "I'm also curious to know what made you throw that ball so aggressively at Miss Blaze." More specifically, had it been a case of temper, or had he missed something important, or anything else. "If you have anything you want to say about it, now is the time."

[kayquilz]

V waited patiently. Quietly. Rocking back and forth, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. It was once most of the class trickled out of the area that Kazmi turned to Victoria at last. She swallowed when he said it wouldn't take long.

Well.

Here goes ;____;

SO....he wanted to know if she understood why he had scolded her, and V nodded. "Because it wasn't a nice thing to do, and lessons aren't a place to be mean to people in. And Claudine didn't deserve it I guess. All she did was get my name wrong," she said with a small shrug as she peeled her gaze away from his. She was still doing that rocking back and forth thing as she fudged with the edges of her robe's sleeves. Uncomfortably. "I got really mad because she was flying with Lisa, and Lisa is one of my only friends, and she got my name wrong, and Lisa started questioning if my real name WAS Violet, and it means that Lisa didn't remember my real name. And that made me upset. And Claudine is annoying, sir." She added at the end. "She thinks she knows everything." And V would like to point out that she did not, clearly, since she had totally thought V's name was Violet.

Did that answer all of his questions?

In a small voice, she added, "Do I have a detention?" She had never gotten one, and she was a litttttle scared to get one, to be honest.

[Felixir]

See that, right there, that was a good start. Kamran didn't shy away from trying to get the kids thinking in terms of respect for each other when they didn't seem to understand why it was necessary, but it was always a relief to know he didn't need to. He nodded along with her response, "It's also one of my class rules. Respect. I would hope you - all you students - refrain from behaving like that outside of lessons as well." Chasing that goal was probably a fool's errand; this was a school full of adolescents, an age group not known for its members being all unerringly kind and balanced one hundred percent of the time. But that was the point, this was a school, and that was one of the things the staff was here to guide them on.

"It might be that your personality and Miss Blaze's don't mesh very well. I know plenty of people who don't find her annoying, myself included." Oh, but the knowing everything part. That was a statement that applied to half of the students at this school, and most of the Slytherins. Kamran didn't say so, but he wouldn't have felt bad about it if he had. He was much the same at that age.

"No detention, unless it happens again; I'd just like to talk for a bit longer. This business with getting upset, losing your temper. Does that happen often? Are there a lot of things that make you angry?" There was no judgement in Kamran's tone, not even curiosity, exactly, but it was clear he was interested in the answer.