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Angie · 05-16-2011, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

"Because she will have to answer a riddle and if she cannot answer there will be dire consequences?" Kurumi asked throwing her hand up in the air.

"Not exactly, Kurumi," Lachlan said, and then added, "But I like the way you think."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roselyn

Whaaat!??!

Staring in disbelief at the Professor, Evelyn was seriously considering second thoughts on whether she liked him or not and that...just gave himself negative points. No, she didn't like him. At all. Glancing over to Cookie Girl, the Slytherin raised a brow as she turned her attention to everyone else in the class...and then to the Professor. "If that was the case, it shouldn't have been a huge deal since you're here right?" she said to the Professor in a reply to both his and Cookie Girl's question. The Professor could just...stop the sphinx. RIGHT? "But, a sphinx is rather dangerous and do have violent tendencies as we discussed a few minutes ago sooo...it would be wise to stay away from her." Obviously.

And...that creature was only three months old? SERIOUSLY? "That could mean...a sphinx's brain matures fast?" Eh? Did that make any sense at all? Or they were just naturally like that. For being only three months old, and acting like a teenager, she was pretty...teenager like.

"That's not exactly the point, Evelyn," MacFusty said in response, to the Slytherin girl; but did not expand on why it wasn't the point, hoping someone else would. "Though you are right on saying that they are dangerous creatures, and should be approached with caution."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Nika was a bit disappointed when the professor didn't actually take those points away from Slytherin. Not like she had anything against the house it's just that Gryffindor could use anything to get them back into the lead again.

Nika raised her hand to answer the two point question but she was late. "Because it would be highly dangerous." She said just in case maybe someone's answer was wrong.

Nika sighed. Three years old last month, one hundred years old... Same thing... Sort of. Okay so maybe her guess was way off but her professor had just sad that they could live up to two hundred years old without looking there actual age so AHA! Her answer wasn't completely stupid. "Maybe it tells us that she's a master of disguises?" Well because she can fool all of these students into thinking she's WAY older.

"Yes, they are--or rather, can be dangerous," the Professor said, and opened his mouth to add something else before he was interrupted by a student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by v_a_l_e_r_i_a

''Good Morning, Lachlan MacFusty. Nice to see you near, Rosamund. I am Anasta Lora Riddle, Slytherin House, Third year.
Pleasant sounding names!

I am glad You, Professor Lachlan MacFusty are my new Care of Magical Creatures Professor.
I expect from subject this year MY good points classes and Homework, good points Slytherin House and all this Hogwarts. Good points with paper understanding what to do if in your life often show themselves Magical Creaters to be with Respect. How do make them all worthy difference.

Rosamund is the name I have memorize, she is my Favorite Dear. Rozamund is wondeful Magical Creater Sphinx, creature with the body of a lion, & the face of a lion. There is in truth very an enigmatic Riddle'', - smiles Anasta Riddle for coincidence.

The small voice was coming from one of the youngest students, a Slytherin. Lachlan stared at the girl, blinking. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Riddle." Well, that was a bit late for an introduction, was it not?

At least she had good manners.

Quote:

Originally Posted by princess of*hp*

Theodore's hand had shot up immediately into the air. This was the chance to bring Ravenclaw back to a smooth, less pitiful house points balance: zero. "Well, Professor, it's ill-advised to approach really any creature with speed. Like you said earlier, all creatures appreciate respect and if you were to rush up to a sphinx, or, erm, a hippogriff, they would see it as a sign of naive disrespect. If I were a sphinx, I would be offended that someone had the gall to run up to me with seemingly no care for the riddles and puzzles I wanted to play. Or, it could be that a rushed approach could seem like an incoming attack." He exhaled slowly after his miniature speech. If that didn't get Ravenclaw out of the hole, who knew what would?

He scribbled down a few notes as the professor began to speak again, chewing on his lower lip as he thought of an answer. "Well, erm," His eyes looked longingly at his closed textbook as he desired to quickly find the answer. "Sphinxes could be like other animals, who age by seven for every one year, but... no, that couldn't be right..."

Rosamund, who had been quiet ever since someone had dared to come closer to her, looked at the only student who seemed to be making sense. She stopped pacing, cocked her great head to one side, and then looked at Lachlan. "Unless I am mistaken, Professor," and she never was, "this one seems to have given the best explanation of them all."

Lachlan disregarded the slight sarcasm Rosamund's words carried, and nodded. "You are, of course, correct." Both of them; Theodore for answering correctly, and Rosamund for pointing it out. "Have two points, Mister Dumble." Then he addressed the rest of the class, as a whole. "Just because Rosamund decided to retreat rather than attack does not mean any other Sphinx would react the same. In fact, most creatures would not."

Or animals, as some of the students had called them. "In reality, it works the same way between us humans. Abruptly approaching a complete stranger? I can guarantee you they won't be pleased." Most likely, they'd either react the same way as Rosie did or simply walk away with a look on their face that clearly told you they thought you insane. "Remember, as I said earlier, Respect above all." And common sense, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by samthehpfreak

Millie scribbled dpown the notes and took some more as Mac-whatever his name was kept talking. Before having a SERIOUS thinking moment. Was there anything like that in Indiana Jones? There was the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But that would never work. Ever. MAYBE THEY WERE TIMELORDS. SO THEY DIDN'T AGE. That made sense to Millie. Better say the more logical answer first though "they're not fully human so their brains could mature much faster than ours." she said after raising her hand of course, then quietly adding "or they could be part timelord" yup, she may be a Huffie but she knew her sci-fi alien type ... things.

Timelord.

Now, what on Morgana's name was that?

"I..." Don't know what to say to that? "Would you mind expanding on this Time Lord theory you have, Miss?" No, really. Now he was curious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Kurumi looked over her shoulder at Cookie Hater as she addressed Kurumi's response by asked a further question of their new professor. He did seem on rather good terms with the SUPERAWESOME Rosamund, but would it be enough to stop her were she to try and pounced on one of them? Kurumi would rather not be mauled into hamburger meat and then carried in a small bowl to the hospital wing for the Healer to attempt to put back together.

Kurumi thought for a moment, more specifically about the longevity of a sphinx's life, and she was reminded of those giant tortoises you see in zoos that are almost 300 years old...or was it 500? Either way, it was a BIG number.

"Perhaps, seeing as sphinxes are native to desert regions, their long lives are connected. In general desert beings live longer due to unpredictable or harsh environment where it's hard to reproduce on a regular basis. Instead of using all of their energy while they are young producing offspring, desert dwelling beings focus their energy on other areas. Also, living in constant fear of something bigger and stronger coming to get you makes one's life much shorter. I would assume that sphinxes do not have many predators, if any. Due to their long lifespan, I think it is safe to say that they have evolved some way to protect themselves from predators." Kurumi leaned a bit forward in her seat to take a look at SUPERAWESOME Rosamund claws. Yep, they certainly had ways to protect themselves.

Well, Kurumi had touched base on why they lived so long, but now there was the question of WHY they looked young. "We have already discussed how intelligent Lady Rosamund and her kin are, and I think that the fact that they remain looking young for so long is connected to this." She wasn't sure how exactly, but it was worth a shot. "Or..." Kurumi peered a little closer looking for any hint of enchantment, knowing full well that she shouldn't be able to see anything. "Because they are magical by nature, there is a charm that they emit naturally that helps maintain the appearance of being young despite them aging. You said that they remain looking young for 200 years without looking their age, so perhaps as they grow older, they have a harder and harder time maintaining the spell and will then begin showing their age?"

Lady Rosamund tilted her head to one side, and smiled a small mysterious smile. She stopped pacing, too, and sat down upon her hind legs At first, she did not speak right away, knowing that MacFurry would not dare to interrupt her. When she did, she raised one of her front legs to point at the girl with a paw. "You seem to have all the traits of a Ravenclaw, and yet you are part of the house of Godric Gryffindor." Gryffindor Misfit, perhaps?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starbreeze

As Eino jotted down some notes, copied additional ones from the board, and then a few questions came to mind, and he didn't hesitate to raise his hand and ask. "Professor, are Sphinxes as good at answering riddles as they are at asking them?" It only seemed fair to Eino that they should otherwise any old ordinary lion could guard a treasure. "Also, can we call them kitty cat?" People sometimes, even grown ones, would refer to others as "babies" and "dears" so maybe that was the equivalent for that.

As to her age, Eino wasn't particularly good at guessing people's ages, let alone a Sphinx. He had never seen one before so how was he suppose to compare? Everyone was guessing young, but Eino initially thought she was an old lady or an old sphinx lady, but he didn't want to insult her. Plus, do Sphinx even age like humans do? Cats age faster than humans so maybe Sphinxes aged like cats or somewhere in between humans and cats? He was in shock to know she was so young.

Rosamund took Lachlan's silence as an indication that the question was for her to answer. Cooly, she glanced at the boy. "Yes, we are and no, you may not." Kitty. Rosamund supposed, however, that it could be worse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwistedHearts

Zara finally decided to speak up. She's been silent the whole class, too busy admiring the creature quietly in her mind. 'Aww, why is she so beautiful? No, way beyond beautiful. And she's not even human. I want to pet her.' She thought, pouting a bit. Despite these silent praises, she still didn't forget to take down notes.

Text Cut: Zara's Name Card

Yes, she made it big enough for the professor to see it right away in such distance using her pink ink.

Text Cut: Zara's Parchment; Notes

Blinking, she realized that the professor had accidentally written lion instead of human. Slowly, she hesitantly raised her hand. "Professor.." She softly said. "You wrote face of a lion, instead of face of a human." She said as she pointed to the board. She hoped he wasn't mad.

"Because approaching a sphinx and merely shocking it would raise up its alertness and might think danger is approaching so the sphinx might pounce on you by accident because of shock?" She guessed, though probably a lot of students got the correct answer.

Lachlan blinked once, twice, thrice and then eyed all the things he'd jotted down on the blackboard.

Oh. Sheepishly, he smiled and fixed his mistake. "You are right. Thank you, Zara."

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnbwxsprinkles

"Professor, I think it's because a sphinx is much too advanced a creature to show age like us. After all, sphinx has to look beautiful at all times." That first part was simply to butter up Rosie, Olivia had to admit. It made her happy when the creature smiled and she hoped to make Rosie do so. "I would assume that they have magic that allows them to mature quickly in mind, but age physically much slower. In that way, their minds and bodies can both remain in peak conditions for matching wits with lucky humans and taking down the less fortunate. Also, professor, I was wondering... would you be able to give us an example of a riddle a sphinx might use to challenge an opponent?"

Rosamund's long eyes rested on the young girl as she spoke, and her eyebrows rose a few inches into her forehead at her compliment; but she made no comment. Instead, the sphinx sat down upon her hind legs and directed her question to Lachlan, in her usual musical voice. "Yes, Professor, when will be hearing a riddle?"

No, really, when? Wasn't that the main reason she was here?

Excitedly, she wagged her tail.

"As many of you have already guessed," Lachlan began, after raising both eyebrows at Rosamund, "Sphinxes DO have a different aging process and lifespan than us." He gave Kurumi a small smile, seeing how the girl had given an exceptional explanation, before continuing. "Sphinxes mature very quickly. Say, by the time they are between five or six years old, they will be adults. After that, their aging process becomes very slow, and the physical changes they suffer then are nearly---"

Rosamund rolled her eyes through Professor MacFusty's speech until she grew bored, grunted and interrupted him. "Yes, yes, yes," Enthused the Sphinx, rolling her eyes heavenwards once more. "You are boring them to death." Or at least he was boring her to death, which was quite a feat considering Rosie had at least one hundred and ninety seven years to go. "What is the point of having me here, pray tell, if you will not let me speak? Who better than I to explain this to them?" Hmm? Hmm? Human men (and women, too, sometimes) could be horrible dim sometimes. Rosamund was certain that if it were able for her to suffer second-hand embarrassment, she would have to put with it with such a terrible feeling whenever she found herself in the presence of a human. Fortunately, though, she could not.

Now, where was she? "See, Little Humans, this is how it works; I will stop aging in a around two years, and when I do, I will be considered what you can refer as an 'adult.'" Ridiculous term, if Rosamund ever heard one. "I think one of the young Lions mentioned this," And momentarily, her eyes set on Ariadne Marchbanks, "But maybe maturity represents the greatest part of a Sphinx's life. Then, when we are close to the Two Hundred Mark, once again we begin to age," And her small, button nose wrinkled at this, "Our physical fitness begins, to, ah, what do you call it? Decrease, yes. But never the mental one, never that one. And then, Little Humans, we perish." Rosamund spoke the last sentence as if it was the most normal thing in the world, as if death was nothing to be afraid of. Which, in her mind, that's exactly what Death was.

"Any questions?" Once more, she wagged her tail impatiently and eyed the students with both superiority and excitement. "Questions are either now or never."

Throughout Rosamund's explanation, Lachlan spent most of his time with his hands locked behind his back, and trying very hard not to chuckle. When she was finished and then fixed her eyes on him, he simply nodded at the students. "I could not have said it better myself. And like she said, if you've got any questions, feel free to ask them now." That Rosie was willing to answer them herself. "If you haven't, we can move on to the next part of the lesson."

At this, Rosamund moved to Lachlan's other side, and sat down again. A small, mysterious smile flirted on her lips as she waited.

05-16-2011, 04:32 AM	#139 (permalink)
Angie DoM Veela Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Themyscira Posts: 37,610 Hogwarts RPG Name: Nerissa M. Tate Sixth Year x8	Wowza! Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie "Because she will have to answer a riddle and if she cannot answer there will be dire consequences?" Kurumi asked throwing her hand up in the air. "Not exactly, Kurumi," Lachlan said, and then added, "But I like the way you think." Quote: Originally Posted by Roselyn Whaaat!??! Staring in disbelief at the Professor, Evelyn was seriously considering second thoughts on whether she liked him or not and that...just gave himself negative points. No, she didn't like him. At all. Glancing over to Cookie Girl, the Slytherin raised a brow as she turned her attention to everyone else in the class...and then to the Professor. *"If that was the case, it shouldn't have been a huge deal since you're* here right?" she said to the Professor in a reply to both his and Cookie Girl's question. The Professor could just...stop the sphinx. RIGHT? "But, a sphinx is rather dangerous and do have violent tendencies as we discussed a few minutes ago sooo...it would be wise to stay away from her." Obviously. And...that creature was only three months old? SERIOUSLY? "That could mean...a sphinx's brain matures fast?" Eh? Did that make any sense at all? Or they were just naturally like that. For being only three months old, and acting like a teenager, she was pretty...teenager like. "That's not exactly the point, Evelyn," MacFusty said in response, to the Slytherin girl; but did not expand on why it wasn't the point, hoping someone else would. "Though you are right on saying that they are dangerous creatures, and should be approached with caution." Quote: Originally Posted by ArianaBlack Nika was a bit disappointed when the professor didn't actually take those points away from Slytherin. Not like she had anything against the house it's just that Gryffindor could use anything to get them back into the lead again. Nika raised her hand to answer the two point question but she was late. "Because it would be highly dangerous." She said just in case maybe someone's answer was wrong. Nika sighed. Three years old last month, one hundred years old... Same thing... Sort of. Okay so maybe her guess was way off but her professor had just sad that they could live up to two hundred years old without looking there actual age so AHA! Her answer wasn't completely stupid. "Maybe it tells us that she's a master of disguises?" Well because she can fool all of these students into thinking she's WAY older. "Yes, they are--or rather, can be dangerous," the Professor said, and opened his mouth to add something else before he was interrupted by a student. Quote: Originally Posted by v_a_l_e_r_i_a ''Good Morning, Lachlan MacFusty. Nice to see you near, Rosamund. I am Anasta Lora Riddle, Slytherin House, Third year. Pleasant sounding names! I am glad You, Professor Lachlan MacFusty are my new Care of Magical Creatures Professor. I expect from subject this year MY good points classes and Homework, good points Slytherin House and all this Hogwarts. Good points with paper understanding what to do if in your life often show themselves Magical Creaters to be with Respect. How do make them all worthy difference. Rosamund is the name I have memorize, she is my Favorite Dear. Rozamund is wondeful Magical Creater Sphinx, creature with the body of a lion, & the face of a lion. There is in truth very an enigmatic Riddle'', - smiles Anasta Riddle for coincidence. The small voice was coming from one of the youngest students, a Slytherin. Lachlan stared at the girl, blinking. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Riddle."** Well, that was a bit late for an introduction, was it not? At least she had good manners. Quote: Originally Posted by princess ofhp Theodore's hand had shot up immediately into the air. This was the chance to bring Ravenclaw back to a smooth, less pitiful house points balance: zero. "Well, Professor, it's ill-advised to approach really any creature with speed. Like you said earlier, all creatures appreciate respect and if you were to rush up to a sphinx, or, erm, a hippogriff, they would see it as a sign of naive disrespect. If I were a sphinx, I would be offended that someone had the gall to run up to me with seemingly no care for the riddles and puzzles I wanted to play. Or, it could be that a rushed approach could seem like an incoming attack." He exhaled slowly after his miniature speech. If that didn't get Ravenclaw out of the hole, who knew what would? He scribbled down a few notes as the professor began to speak again, chewing on his lower lip as he thought of an answer. "Well, erm," His eyes looked longingly at his closed textbook as he desired to quickly find the answer. "Sphinxes could be like other animals, who age by seven for every one year, but... no, that couldn't be right..." Rosamund, who had been quiet ever since someone had dared to come closer to her, looked at the only student who seemed to be making sense. She stopped pacing, cocked her great head to one side, and then looked at Lachlan. *"Unless I am mistaken, Professor,"* and she never was, "this one seems to have given the best explanation of them all." Lachlan disregarded the slight sarcasm Rosamund's words carried, and nodded. "You are, of course, correct." Both of them; Theodore for answering correctly, and Rosamund for pointing it out. "Have two points, Mister Dumble." Then he addressed the rest of the class, as a whole. "Just because Rosamund decided to retreat rather than attack does not mean any other Sphinx would react the same. In fact, most creatures would not." Or animals, as some of the students had called them. "In reality, it works the same way between us humans. Abruptly approaching a complete stranger? I can guarantee you they won't be pleased." Most likely, they'd either react the same way as Rosie did or simply walk away with a look on their face that clearly told you they thought you insane. "Remember, as I said earlier, Respect above all." And common sense, too. Quote: Originally Posted by samthehpfreak Millie scribbled dpown the notes and took some more as Mac-whatever his name was kept talking. Before having a SERIOUS thinking moment. Was there anything like that in Indiana Jones? There was the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But that would never work. Ever. MAYBE THEY WERE TIMELORDS. SO THEY DIDN'T AGE. That made sense to Millie. Better say the more logical answer first though *"they're not fully* human so their brains could mature much faster than ours." she said after raising her hand of course, then quietly adding "or they could be part timelord"** yup, she may be a Huffie but she knew her sci-fi alien type ... things. Timelord. Now, what on Morgana's name was that? "I..." Don't know what to say to that? "Would you mind expanding on this Time Lord theory you have, Miss?" No, really. Now he was curious. Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie Kurumi looked over her shoulder at Cookie Hater as she addressed Kurumi's response by asked a further question of their new professor. He did seem on rather good terms with the SUPERAWESOME Rosamund, but would it be enough to stop her were she to try and pounced on one of them? Kurumi would rather not be mauled into hamburger meat and then carried in a small bowl to the hospital wing for the Healer to attempt to put back together. Kurumi thought for a moment, more specifically about the longevity of a sphinx's life, and she was reminded of those giant tortoises you see in zoos that are almost 300 years old...or was it 500? Either way, it was a BIG number. "Perhaps, seeing as sphinxes are native to desert regions, their long lives are connected. In general desert beings live longer due to unpredictable or harsh environment where it's hard to reproduce on a regular basis. Instead of using all of their energy while they are young producing offspring, desert dwelling beings focus their energy on other areas. Also, living in constant fear of something bigger and stronger coming to get you makes one's life much shorter. I would assume that sphinxes do not have many predators, if any. Due to their long lifespan, I think it is safe to say that they have evolved some way to protect themselves from predators." Kurumi leaned a bit forward in her seat to take a look at SUPERAWESOME Rosamund claws. Yep, they certainly had ways to protect themselves. Well, Kurumi had touched base on why they lived so long, but now there was the question of WHY they looked young. "We have already discussed how intelligent Lady Rosamund and her kin are, and I think that the fact that they remain looking young for so long is connected to this." She wasn't sure how exactly, but it was worth a shot. "Or..." Kurumi peered a little closer looking for any hint of enchantment, knowing full well that she shouldn't be able to see anything. "Because they are magical by nature, there is a charm that they emit naturally that helps maintain the appearance of being young despite them aging. You said that they remain looking young for 200 years without looking their age, so perhaps as they grow older, they have a harder and harder time maintaining the spell and will then begin showing their age?" Lady Rosamund tilted her head to one side, and smiled a small mysterious smile. She stopped pacing, too, and sat down upon her hind legs At first, she did not speak right away, knowing that MacFurry would not dare to interrupt her. When she did, she raised one of her front legs to point at the girl with a paw. "You seem to have all the traits of a Ravenclaw, and yet you are part of the house of Godric Gryffindor." Gryffindor Misfit, perhaps? Quote: Originally Posted by Starbreeze As Eino jotted down some notes, copied additional ones from the board, and then a few questions came to mind, and he didn't hesitate to raise his hand and ask. "Professor, are Sphinxes as good at answering riddles as they are at asking them?" It only seemed fair to Eino that they should otherwise any old ordinary lion could guard a treasure. "Also, can we call them kitty cat?" People sometimes, even grown ones, would refer to others as "babies" and "dears" so maybe that was the equivalent for that. As to her age, Eino wasn't particularly good at guessing people's ages, let alone a Sphinx. He had never seen one before so how was he suppose to compare? Everyone was guessing young, but Eino initially thought she was an old lady or an old sphinx lady, but he didn't want to insult her. Plus, do Sphinx even age like humans do? Cats age faster than humans so maybe Sphinxes aged like cats or somewhere in between humans and cats? He was in shock to know she was so young. Rosamund took Lachlan's silence as an indication that the question was for her to answer. Cooly, she glanced at the boy. "Yes, we are and no, you may not." Kitty. Rosamund supposed, however, that it could be worse. Quote: Originally Posted by TwistedHearts Zara finally decided to speak up. She's been silent the whole class, too busy admiring the creature quietly in her mind. 'Aww, why is she so beautiful? No, way beyond beautiful. And she's not even human. I want to pet her.' She thought, pouting a bit. Despite these silent praises, she still didn't forget to take down notes. Text Cut: Zara's Name Card Danielle Zara Griffiths First Year – Gryffindor Yes, she made it big enough for the professor to see it right away in such distance using her pink ink. Text Cut: Zara's Parchment; Notes Danielle Zara Griffiths First Year – Gryffindor Lesson One – Sphinx ~~One thing~~ Some things I know about Sphinx The sphinx right in front of me looks like a lion, with a head…of a human? And she can speak. *Call the sphinx Rosamund; prefers that than Rosie; does not like to be called nicknames, ever Written on the Board (About Sphinxes) ~ intelligent ~ often talk in riddles ~ XXXXX rating by Ministry ~ prone to violence ~ used to protect treasures ~ originate from Greek word ‘sphingo’ meaning squeeze; single sphinx in Greek mythology w/c is a unique demon destruction and bad luck ~ creatures w/ body of a lion, face of a LION?! (personally, I think it’s human) ~ only trained wizards should attempt to “handle” them (w/c includes Professor MacFusty himself) No wings Only human thing is the face and voice Blinking, she realized that the professor had accidentally written lion instead of human. Slowly, she hesitantly raised her hand. "Professor.." She softly said. "You wrote face of a lion, instead of face of a human." She said as she pointed to the board. She hoped he wasn't mad. "Because approaching a sphinx and merely shocking it would raise up its alertness and might think danger is approaching so the sphinx might pounce on you by accident because of shock?" She guessed, though probably a lot of students got the correct answer. Lachlan blinked once, twice, thrice and then eyed all the things he'd jotted down on the blackboard. Oh. Sheepishly, he smiled and fixed his mistake. "You are right. Thank you, Zara." Quote: Originally Posted by rnbwxsprinkles "Professor, I think it's because a sphinx is much too advanced a creature to show age like us. After all, sphinx has to look beautiful at all times." That first part was simply to butter up Rosie, Olivia had to admit. It made her happy when the creature smiled and she hoped to make Rosie do so. "I would assume that they have magic that allows them to mature quickly in mind, but age physically much slower. In that way, their minds and bodies can both remain in peak conditions for matching wits with lucky humans and taking down the less fortunate. Also, professor, I was wondering... would you be able to give us an example of a riddle a sphinx might use to challenge an opponent?" Rosamund's long eyes rested on the young girl as she spoke, and her eyebrows rose a few inches into her forehead at her compliment; but she made no comment. Instead, the sphinx sat down upon her hind legs and directed her question to Lachlan, in her usual musical voice. "Yes, Professor, when will be hearing a riddle?" No, really, when? Wasn't that the main reason she was here? Excitedly, she wagged her tail. "As many of you have already guessed," Lachlan began, after raising both eyebrows at Rosamund, "Sphinxes DO have a different aging process and lifespan than us." He gave Kurumi a small smile, seeing how the girl had given an exceptional explanation, before continuing. "Sphinxes mature very quickly. Say, by the time they are between five or six years old, they will be adults. After that, their aging process becomes very slow, and the physical changes they suffer then are nearly---" Rosamund rolled her eyes through Professor MacFusty's speech until she grew bored, grunted and interrupted him. "Yes, yes, yes," Enthused the Sphinx, rolling her eyes heavenwards once more. "You are boring them to death." Or at least he was boring her to death, which was quite a feat considering Rosie had at least one hundred and ninety seven years to go. "What is the point of having me here, pray tell, if you will not let me speak? Who better than I to explain this to them?" Hmm? Hmm? Human men (and women, too, sometimes) could be horrible dim sometimes. Rosamund was certain that if it were able for her to suffer second-hand embarrassment, she would have to put with it with such a terrible feeling whenever she found herself in the presence of a human. Fortunately, though, she could not. Now, where was she? "See, Little Humans, this is how it works; I will stop aging in a around two years, and when I do, I will be considered what you can refer as an 'adult.'" Ridiculous term, if Rosamund ever heard one. "I think one of the young Lions mentioned this," And momentarily, her eyes set on Ariadne Marchbanks, "But maybe maturity represents the greatest part of a Sphinx's life. Then, when we are close to the Two Hundred Mark, once again we begin to age," And her small, button nose wrinkled at this, "Our physical fitness begins, to, ah, what do you call it? Decrease, yes. But never the mental one, never that one. And then, Little Humans, we perish." Rosamund spoke the last sentence as if it was the most normal thing in the world, as if death was nothing to be afraid of. Which, in her mind, that's exactly what Death was. "Any questions?" Once more, she wagged her tail impatiently and eyed the students with both superiority and excitement. "Questions are either now or never." Throughout Rosamund's explanation, Lachlan spent most of his time with his hands locked behind his back, and trying very hard not to chuckle. When she was finished and then fixed her eyes on him, he simply nodded at the students. "I could not have said it better myself. And like she said, if you've got any questions, feel free to ask them now." That Rosie was willing to answer them herself. "If you haven't, we can move on to the next part of the lesson."** At this, Rosamund moved to Lachlan's other side, and sat down again. A small, mysterious smile flirted on her lips as she waited. __________________ Last edited by Angie; 05-16-2011 at 05:03 AM. Reason: Eino is a boy. Not a girl. Yep.