Antonio continued to listen, too mentally exhausted at this point to really contribute much to the conversation. He knew he would feel better once the term started and he began interacting with the students, he truly did enjoy teaching and was even more excited about this coming term as there would be both boys and girls in the classrooms, as they should be. He pouted and sighed slightly to himself, last term had been truly crazy but that was behind them now, hopefully never to be repeated. Meanwhile, he was learning a lot just by listening to what everyone else had to say.

Max came back after spending time down at the student tables and wedged himself between Dumont and Clark. "Hey, guys. I've got a new deck that needs to be broken in. Interested?" he said and looked over at Kapoor, Meyers and Masterson. He chuckled and raised his voice. "You guys in or are you out?"

Astrid only had to be told once. As soon as Allie said, that it might be a broken ankle, she made a beeline for the staff table. When she got there, her adrenaline was already pumping hard. When she spotted someone that looked like she fit the part, she walked right up to the front of the table and said, "Excuse me, Miss Healer person, I really need your help! Two students just had an accident and I think that they are really hurt bad." She hoped that she wasn't gonna get in trouble for interrupting but she was really desperate and she hoped they would understand.

"Rey, will you excuse me?" She turned to Myers and smiled. Two points for me so far... She thought to herself. Oh yes! She was going to keep track of how many students were in need of her help... Not of how many she healed, but how many needed her.

"Lead the way Miss Deschain..." she told the Gryffindor. She didn't know the girl, but she had heard of her.

Angela managed to smooth her face into one of polite interest despite the fact that Fabian seemed momentarily peeved at her. Perhaps something had happened at home, but whatever it was, she would not push it, for it was quite obvious that he didn't want to speak of it.

At the change of subject, she peered down the table towards the man that he indicated. He was speaking with the new intern. "I would imagine so." She answered. "That's Miss Trelawney." She pointed out as well, watching as a student approached the woman asking for help.

As Max joined the group, Angela shot him a smile before greeting him with "Hello, Max."

Astrid was so relieved that someone was offering to help that she hardly noticed when she said her name. "Oh Thank you so much. They are right over here, Miss." she said, still a little frantic. She lead her over to the Hufflepuff table with a definite sense of urgency. When they had arrived back by Allie's side, Astrid leaned down and tried to comfort her, all the while making sure to stay out of the Trelawney's way.

"Hello, Angela!" Max called out cheerfully. "Ready for another great year?"

"Well, I'm in!", Kapoor said, taking to the invitation of a card game. Merlins ghost, but he was out of practice! He looked towards the other two acorn-loving gents to see if they too would be in for a little card game or two.

"What sort of card game is it?", he wondered out loud.

Angela grinned over at Max. "Very ready, though I'm certainly hoping this year will be better than last year. I imagine you're eager for Quidditch to begin again." It was more of a statement than a question, for the answer was rather obvious. After all, Max was one of few that she knew that possessed a high passion for flying and Quidditch.

Looking curiously as Professor Kapoor wondered aloud about a card game, Angela eventually relaxed back in her chair, finishing off the last of the juice in her goblet. Card game...sounded quite entertaining.

"Oh, whatever everyone feels like playing," Max grinned and nodded his head at Angela. "Are you in or are you out?"

"Wizard-born, right?" he guessed from that slightly dazed look on her face when she mentioned the interesting work. It was a common response from purebloods who had no idea what you were talking about but, didn't want to admit ignorance. "I'm sure Meyers could take him. Good dueler. Don't underestimate him."

Immediately, Angela's eyes brightened in anticipation. It had been quite some time since she had experienced a good card game. "Definitely in." She answered, glancing towards the others who had been invited to join in.

Alex laughed, "I'm sure your presence would have been welcome, we were all rather starved for male company." With smile she added, "I'm glad I wasnt the only one who oposed the Ministry 'Occupation'." refering to his lesson.
"I'll have to ask him next time we're around each other, and not in front of the whole school." Alex giggled. She beamed as Angela wrote down her ideas, maybe she had writting talent?

Her ears perked up as she heard the words 'card game'. She looked around the table, hoping to be invited by whoever had come up with the idea.

'So close...!' "The School Librarian!" Kapoor beamed and shook her hand. "Oh, how wonderful it must be to surround yourself with books all the day! Are you an avid reader, Madame Kohan?" His mind began racing with the volumes and volumes of books and information that would be available to him and his students once the term progressed.

He freed his hand from the handshake and reached for a tiny sauce covered drumstick as he sat somewhat oblivious to the conversations around him. He did manage to catch Angela's agreeance to joining himself and Professor Vindictus for a card game.

"Splendid!" He looked forward to her joining them, perhaps he could befriend her so that she might overlook an overdue fee in the future if he happened to fall particularly in love with any of the books he would undoubtedly be checking out. He looked down at the tiny drumstick and stopped just short of taking a bite when he noticed a tiny bite-mark and spot where the flesh had been removed. He quirked an eyebrow. Could it have been a hungry house elf?

"Of course! Of course!", he said turning towards the Ruins instructor, whose name he'd replaced. Now what was his name? Watson? Schubert Anagnos? Reaching for his neumonic device, he mentally drew up the Chariot. He had linked the staff with the major arcana and Professor Fabian Clark was the diplomatic Chariot. "Whenever you're free to, come right up to my office, Professor." The younger man did seem a bit nervous and the sooner the better.

Before the student walked away, Caleum sat up on the edge of his chair and then felt a nudge from one of the professors. "I dare say that 10 points will be taken from Slytherin," he said with a frown on his face. Honestly, who did this kid think he was? That was no way to talk to any staff member no matter whether you were...an intern, Merlin rest her soul, or the Headmistress. "No! No restrictions at all, thank you."

Caleum's eyes turned to the intern yet again. She was becoming annoying. Really annoying and well, he could do just the same to her as well, but she really wasn't worth the effort at this point. "What I do is my business and yet I do recall the Headmistress speaking to both of us to play nice, Ms. Intern."

"Why thank you," Caleum stated nodding his head in the direction of the new potions professor but was also aimed at the little intern as well. He was more than thankful at this point that she was excused from the table and he would excuse her any day. Really. He would.

"Count me in, Max," he stated with a sigh of relief. "I'm ready for something stress free and fun." His eyes looked back to Neo as the man needed to join as well. Nothing like a good card game amongst staff.

Drago chuckled softly. Ten points... that should be easy enough to get back. But the new assistant would need to learn to get the hang of things first, after all. He calculated things out, then nodded. Yes, ten points would be fine. He sipped at his coffee and looked to Myers. "The students have been rather cocky lately. I dare say that you need to set a precedent, before they walk all over you."

Caleum smirked knowing that what he was being told was true and he agreed. "Yes, I do. But I also have to say that my mind has been elsewhere since right after arriving, not only at this table but other things as well," he sighed knowing that there were far worse things that were going on at the moment. "I just need to clear my thoughts, place them somewhere else besides where they are taking up space now." Well, that was the truth but a hard one to speak of just at the moment. He was not in the mood to deal with the cocky students at the moment and knew that 10 points was something that was just a slap on the wrist. Why it was only last term that he took away 100 points from Slytherin. No need to start things off on the wrong foot this year as well.

Cassandra returned to the table from the Hufflepuff table shaking her head. Her eyes glanced to the hourglasses... She sighed.

She listened to him as she sat down. "Indeed. I'm a Pureblood." She clarified. Wizard born could be misinterpreted... She looked at the assistant again... There is no way she was underestimating him... she pretended not to hear Rey when he spoke of Myers.

"You recall incorrectly, Mr. Assistant." She said not looking at the prat! "And I AM playing nice..." she said under her breath. Ms. Intern... REALLY!

"You know what you need?" She said to Myers loud enough Masterson would hear... "Cookies. Stop by the medical ward, I'll bake you some special, then you will know just how nice I play."

Oh. She left. He shrugged it off and finished off his pumpkin juice before turning to Meyers. "So, how have you been, Meyers? Staying out of trouble?" he asked, remembering the man from Meyer' brief stint with the Ministry of Magic early in Meyer's career.

"I like cookies. Chocolate with white chocolate and macademia nuts," he obliviously replied. Bontecou wasn't aware of the fiasco last term, though he was familiar with Sophie Melita.

Dumont stifled a chuckle, hearing more hearty banter between two other staff members, a professor and the very young nurse intern. Having spent the entire time between terms by himself, it was good to be around others once again. He watched as others began to join in to a card game. The camaraderie this group had together was wonderful. Would he fit in? He hoped so. He sincerely wanted to turn things around for the better and not become lost in a cloud of pessimism.

Oh great! She was back. Caleum rolled his eyes to her pureblood statement. "Pure something, but pureblood was not what I was thinking," he mumbled under his breath with his hands covering his mouth. And then she just felt the need to speak to him.

Obviously the girl's ears needed a bit of cleaning out. The Headmistress spoke to not only himself but to her as well. He clearly remembered her eyes floating back and forth between the two of them, first landing on Cassandra, the intern, and then to himself, but back to her. YES! She got the evil eye twice, he was only once. His sinister smile formed once again as his eyes faced forward, lost in his thoughts of victory for the moment. He didn't recall anything incorrectly. It was Ms. Trelawney that was incorrect. Oh how he loved being right, but had to play nicely. Indeed.

I know what you need, his thoughts ran away with him as a forced grin now played on his lips. His blue eyes turned in the direction of the little newly graduated witch. "Cookies? You want to bake me...cookies?" His brow turned upwards with a confused look. "How thoughtful." His words were dry and almost cold as there was not a hint of excitement anywhere. Sad thing was, he was trying his best to play nicely but with her around, it just wasn't going to work. Oh how he wish Bob was back. At least he could deal with that man a little better than this...thing.

Sad thing was that Caleum knew nothing of the incident that Cassandra brought last term as he was never informed of the situation. His mysterious friend never told secrets, which was one lesson that Caleum might have to learn on his own.

His eyes then turned to Rey and his real smile returned. "Well," he began as he ran a hand through his hair. His lips turned up on the corners a little more as this time both eyebrows raised. "Trying my best. Although at the moment it looks as though new troubles arise every now and then."

He thought for a moment back to Max's invite of a nice card game. "I say. You will join us in a great game of cards won't you? Share a few secrets of course and have a little fun." So far Rey seemed to be a pretty nice lad, funny indeed.

"Maybe if she bakes you and I cookies, I can trust that they will not be poisoned," his eyes fell back to Cassandra with an evil smile this time. "Especially since the Headmistress said that she was...giving you a second chance. A second chance at what, Cassandra?" Oh he wondered just what in the world the little pureblood had done that she was being given a second chance on. It obviously had something to do with...hmmm...Constantine?

Angela chuckled again. "Indeed. That would be the best way, I would think. Perhaps you can catch him in the staff room sometime." She suggested, returning Alex's grin as placed her quill back into her robes. "These are really good ideas, though. I'll let you have first read when I'm finished."

Angela smiled once more at the Divination professor's obvious enthusiasm. Returning the handshake, she nodded and spoke immediately. "Most certainly! I have quite the collection of books at home; and read every chance that I get. You'll usually find me with a book in hand if I'm anywhere near the library." She admitted. "And yourself? Do you enjoy reading?" She loved to meet people who shared the same type of passion that she felt about books. Conversations with them were so informative and entertaining.

As David spoke up after Angela had agreed to join the card game, she sent another smile in his direction. "It does sound quite fun. I haven't been part of a good card game in quite some time." She knew, as well, that with this group of people, the game would be far from boring.

Drago groaned. Dear Merlin how long could that brat keep this up? It wasn't often that Cassandra could drive him away, but he was certainly getting tired of the petty squabbling. Unable to take any more, and too impatient to wait for Rae's speech, he stood and bowed slightly to Caleum. "Do excuse me, but I think I'll patrol the tables a bit, just to make sure the students are behaving." He took a quick glance up to the younger Cassandra, then took his leave of the table.

Cale had managed to calm himself down by the time he got up to the staff table, seeing as how storming up there in rage was probably NOT the best way to handle the situation. He needed a professor who could settle this dumb fight once and for all...he quickly scanned the table and his eyes fell up Myers. He grinned and pushed a curl out of his face before walking up to him.

"Erm, excuse me Professor Myers, I hate to interrupt your meal but...I was wondering if you could help me settle an argument that has arisen at the Gryffindor table?" Between me and my girlfriend. He left that bit out, though--he wanted to choose his words carefully.

Anna shoved her way through the crowd of innocent bystanders and caught up with Cale at the staff table, looking up at him with a pair of evil eyes. "I can't believe you," she muttered under her breath. She turned and looked towards the staff table. The....gulp....staff table. She nervously smiled at each and every professor, hoping that they would all somehow turn their heads in the opposite direction and ignore the little charade of sorts going on between Mr. Egomaniac and Ms. Trying to Keep Him Under Control.

"Professor Myers, how are you this...bright...lovely...exciting...erm, day?" Anna asked, smiling sweetly. "There seems to be an...erm, interruption of sorts that has erupted. Since you are the Hufflepuff head of house, I'm quite glad that Cale chose you to come to." Anna looked towards Cale and gave him quite a sarcastic smile. Oh, when Professor Hufflepuff Head of House confirmed that Anna was correct, this was going to be a sweet victory.