wrong century

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

hamishofdunbroch:

Here Hamish just laughed, beyond glad to find a teacher that shared his sense of humor. It’d been rough trying to fit in and actually befriend people in the new city; it probably helped that they weren’t stuck in the stuffy teachers lounge trying to hold a conversation. “They’re often overlooked, don’t worry about it,” he chuckled, waving it away. “So, where to you recommend for drinks? Any favorite spots in town, yet?”

Ophelia grinned towards the road when he laughed, pleased with herself for making it happen. Perhaps it was just being locked up with teenagers for so long, but she really appreciated the adult conversation where she didn’t feel old or ostracised. “So long as you don’t think me ignorant.” She tipped her head towards him with a charming smile. “I haven’t been out that much but I went to The Swan and that felt like a pub from home, you know? I liked that. And I found this lovely little cafe and it had a record player and some vinyls and it was really relaxed and quiet. I sat and read my book in there for a few hours.”

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

Delia chuckled at the notion of being a teacher. The very idea set her nerves on edge, and she shook her head. “I wouldn’t want your job; I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be you.” She commented, and then wanted to clarify. “I just mean teaching is one of the hardest jobs out there, I think!” Delia was reminded of the lessons her mother taught them back home, and wondered where on earth she’d be had she never learned to read, or write, or do sums.

Ophelia gave a surprised laugh at Delia’s comment, sipping her cooking tea as she tried to explain herself. “It can be difficult, kids don’t listen and want to mess about all the time.” She nodded slowly, one of her fears was the day that she’d get an unbearably rowdy class that she had no control of. “But I think that when the kids do care, and you can really help them get to where they want to go, and actually teach them something and they’re interested, that feels really nice and important and like I’m doing a good thing. You take the good with the bad, you know?”

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

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hamishofdunbroch:

Hamish chuckled, looking down for a moment as they walked, hands in his pocket playing with the keys to his apartment. “Oh, completely understandable. If I find someone who knows what they’re doing, I’ll send them to you directly to assess you,” he offered, kicking a rock off the path. “Yeah, it’s a common mistake. I was taught all of my lessons by Scottish Highlanders, so I’m afraid the accent caught on.” 

Ophelia giggled, lips pressing together to stop how big her smile was getting. She’d always had an insecurity over her smile. “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” She nodded along, before opening her mouth in faux surprise. “Of course! I can’t believe I forgot about the huge Scottish Highlanders settlement in Japan.” She tutted and bopped her hand to her head in a ‘duh’ motion. 

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

“The library on campus is full of books on other worlds and lands! I spent quite a lot of time there when I first arrived. There’s one on Atlantis that I just couldn’t put down!” Delia enthused, feeling herself stepping back from the precipice of insanity.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” Ophelia shook her head at her own obliviousness to the world around her. She wanted to blame it on the fact that she’d not been around long enough and had been very busy with prepping the semester and being trapped by this incessant storm. “Perhaps you should be the teacher rather than me Delia.”

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

hamishofdunbroch:

“Oh, nice!” Hamish nodded, having visited the year just previous. “Oh, I’m sure you’re doing great. I think that you’re doing great! Then again, teaching is a lot harder than I thought it would be, so I may be doing shit, and everyone else just looks like they’re doing wonderfully. So maybe my word means nothing,” Hamish laughed, feeling for the first time in a while like he could be himself. “What do you mean? I’m from Japan,” he commented teasingly, before laughing again.

Ophelia looked sideways at him with a slight smile, looking and feeling quite touched by his comments, but she let him finish and laughed along with him. “I don’t think that’s the case, or perhaps that’s just me wanting praise to come from someone who knows what they’re doing.” She joked back, eyes going back to where she was walking, mocking him with attempted seriousness. “Oh! Excuse me for being so far off, Japan, wow. Your accent is very odd.”

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

Delia could feel herself slipping slightly, and felt the desire to turn and run back to her dorm room so that she wouldn’t explode with rhymes and tales of gore. At the question, however, Delia smiled. “I like it a lot! I never knew that anything existed outside of Wonderland, so it’s been really fun learning the history of this world.”

Ophelia raised her brows in interest, unfortunately oblivious to the storm going on inside Delia’s head. “That’s an interesting thought and something I hadn’t thought of! I sort of feel bad for not teaching the histories of other worlds, I’d like to learn that myself honestly.” She wondered if that could somehow be worked into the curriculum. Perhaps she could have the kids do a project about their home worlds.

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

hamishofdunbroch:

“Thanks,” Hamish chuckled, following suit and heading toward town. “Oh yeah? Where’s home?” He asked; he knew she was from England from her lilt, but wasn’t sure where from. 

Ophelia tucked her hands in the pockets of her jacket, the weather was warming but it didn’t feel quite Summer yet. “Hampstead? In London. Sort of known for it’s academics, I partially feel I’m not exceeding expectations.” She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. “I’d ask where you’re from but it seems fairly obvious, Mr DunBroch.”

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

claireeporter:

Claire laughed before getting to her feet. “I’m sure people have gotten married for less.” she replied, walking over to where her coat was hanging and throwing it on. “Did you drive to work before the storm hit? Or do you need a ride?” she asked, turning back around to offer Ophelia a smile. 

“Oh I know they have.” Ophelia said with a nod implying she had a story there, which she did, except it related to a friend rather than herself. “This guy I was at Uni with got married for a bet. He won a fiver.” She pressed her lips together in a smirk, heading to the door to hold it open for Claire. “I walked in, so if you’re driving I’d love a lift.” She smiled back, sometimes glad of how close everything was to each other, but also wishing she’d driven in for convenience. Walking home after a difficult day was killer.

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

Delia had meant books that had scenes on the beach, but she didn’t feel like clarifying or saying anything that might make her teacher feel bad. She just smiled gently and gave a little shrug. “Right, we do live a life of adventure,” she gave another little grin, a bit weaker than the last. Dee nodded as Miss Carter described her holidays, and tried to fight the slight ringing that was beginning to buzz in her ears. She knew what was to follow if she couldn’t get it under control; the fuzzy, glowing feeling that would wash over her body, the blurred vision, and the incessant rhyming that caused most people to run in the opposite direction. 

Ophelia raised her brows slightly, pausing a moment. She’d expected a slightly bigger response or a follow up tale that evidenced the magic that she herself had foregone all these years. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but she did her absolute best to hide it from her features, trying to remember it wasn’t the students’ jobs to thrill her with their personal lives. “I’m sure,” Ophelia sipped her tea, deciding on something new. “What do you think of your textbook? I think you might well be the only student bothering with my assignment with this snowstorm.”

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

hamishofdunbroch:

Hamish nodded, rolling his eyes. “I was getting a bit stir crazy stuck in my apartment,” he commented, rubbing the back of his neck. “If we’re drinking, we should probably walk; that’s the great thing about the city,” he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Bounds City. “Everything’s within walking distance,” he chuckled, still feeling a little foolish for having had his car transported from Scotland to America; he should’ve left it for Hubert, who was constantly eyeing that particular model before Hamish had bought it. 

Ophelia giggled, wondering whether his kids had driven him round the bend, but it felt too rude to ask, especially when they weren’t that close. “I thought so, plus I don’t want to force designated driver status onto you.” Ophelia giggled along, crossing her arms as she started to head towards the gate to the main road. “That is something I appreciate, public transport was dreadful back home.”

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

claireeporter:

“Remember Ophelia, i’m from the jungle. How civilized could I be?” she responded with a giggle before getting to her feet. “There’s a bar I like in town, mainly because there are never students there. You’ll see the occasional graduate student but not often, and they don’t bother you. It’s relatively dark, almost no music, and a large wine selection. Sound like something you’d be interested in?”

“Something tells me more civilised that what I just went through,” Ophelia nodded earnestly, shaking her head looking fairly traumatised. With every word of description Ophelia felt both calmer and happier, smile spreading ear to ear. “Honestly Claire, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything better. I could marry you for that idea.” She joked, momentarily wondering if that was an entirely inappropriate comment.

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

“Yes! I love reading on the beach; especially novels about the beach, because then it’s like you’re actually in the book with the characters.” Delia shrugged at the question. “Not really; we’d just set up right off of the beach. There aren’t a lot of campsites near the beach we go, but my parents always set up the home in a little grove of trees nearby.” She decided to leave off the whole never having a real place to call home, and that the beach had always been her favorite place to hang out; it always seemed so serene, like nothing could go wrong. However, being in one place for too long made her anxious; she’d never been more nervous than lately, being stuck at this school made her feel like a sitting duck.

“About the beach?” Ophelia questioned, “I like the idea of putting yourself in the book with them, but I’m drawing a blank on any books about the beach.” Or at least, books that wouldn’t be terrifying to put yourself in to. “That sounds like it would be fun, adventures a-plenty?” She smiled hopefully, still painfully naive about what the backgrounds of her students could really amount to. Disney was happy, right? “For me, the beach was a holiday. If we got lucky, we’d get in a caravan and drive across the country until we found a beach. Always rocky, mind you, not quite the glorious sandy beaches of here. And with significantly less sun.” It was painted badly, but she sincerely loved those holidays and wouldn’t trade them.

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

claireeporter:

Claire had been sitting on a couch in the teacher’s lounge when the storm cleared and classes were allowed to resume. She knew her friend Benji, the criminology professor, had managed to make it home before the storm hit and she thought of him with envy. Hearing Ophelia’s voice, Claire looked up to smile at the newer teacher. “I won’t say no to that. And then I think i’m going home to sit in absolute silence for a good day or two.” she chuckled.  

Ophelia came and perched on the back of the other seat of the couch Claire sat in, hands gripped to the velour. “Right? That’s how I feel, I need wine to dull my senses and then I want to sit in the dark for a good few days.” She rolled her eyes and sighed, tipping her head back and shaking her hair from her shoulders. “I just need a break from teenagers, take me somewhere civilised.” She grinned down at Claire.

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

[ophelia-carter]

hamishofdunbroch:

As soon as he got the go ahead, Hamish had headed into school to get things set up for the next days classes. After a long afternoon of organizing assignments and setting up a power point for a lesson on William Pepys diary regarding the Great Fire of London, he decided to take the long route back to his parked car. He passed Lucy’s dorm, glancing at the illuminated window as he did so; he could see his redhead sitting on her bed chatting rather fervently about something to who he could only assume was Reagan in the opposite side of the room. At the professor’s words, he startled slightly, even though he wasn’t really doing anything wrong. “Ah, Miss Carter; happy hour sounds great! Haven’t had a drink in a week; hell of a storm.” He grinned, shaking his head, hoping he’d made an alright recovery. 

The redhead tipped her head with a small smile at the use of her formal name, “Mr Dunbroch,” she replied in amusement, smile growing wider. She expected it from students, less so from her colleagues. Perhaps it was because she was still fairly new, and boundaries hadn’t been established yet. “Hell of a week,” She replied with a widen of her eyes. “I love these kids, but a week in their dorms was a nightmare.” She continued a nod, feigning a harrowed look though it wasn’t exactly a lie. It had been difficult and she felt worn thin. “Would you like to drive, or would walking be a better idea?” Personally she didn’t feel comfortable driving after even a sip of wine, so it felt like a walking home kind of night, and she didn’t think she’d mind that, the fresh air was entirely welcome. 

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

Delia gave a little laugh at the blackout blinds comment; though she was always too skittish to sleep through the whole night, she could see how it could lull people into a sense of security and sleepiness. “Yeah, they’d install them and the next day wonder why attendance was so low,” Dee added with a giggle. “I love the seaside!” She smirked at her teacher’s comment about England, and nodded, remembering hearing that it was a small country, though one of the strongest. “Yeah, I mean we would hoist anchor for a while; I grew up in a caravan so we didn’t exactly have to sleep on the sand. It was nice; I miss it,” she gave a somber smile, a lot going unsaid.

“Exactly, perhaps not what they’re going for.” She laughed and pursed her lips slightly, “but maybe I could get some for my house, for the weekends when I need time to myself.” She commented, and thought perhaps her current desire for that was coming from a place of dormitory living, and her wish for some peace and privacy. “Hopefully when the sun comes out again you could go have a look at the shore, I think last year they held lots of events there over summer which sounds nice. I’m not one for a tan but reading on the beach, it’s almost classed as heaven in my book.” Ophelia wondered briefly if perhaps she was giving too much of herself away to a student, but on the other hand Delia seemed so harmless. She’d allow herself this, and try to hold back with other students. “Oh! That sounds fun, I’m guessing you didn’t quite have the caravan sites that we have back home?” She couldn’t believe that the Wonderlander’s were going to their own little Butlins for their holidays.

[ophelia-carter]

nothing on our minds || open

The sudden clearance of the snowstorm was quite possibly the biggest feeling of relief Ophelia had ever experienced. As much as she liked her students, being stuck in their dorm block was going to drive her round the bend. She needed some maturity, or at least, less pettiness, more common interests and a less shouty voice. Fingers pressed to her mouth, Ophelia inhaled the fresh air of freedom drinking it in as if she’d been trapped in a mine for a month. “So I’m in desperate need of a glass of wine. How does happy hour sound to you?” She offered, though if they were unwilling she was more than happy to go alone.

[ophelia-carter]

battylittlehattress:

“Oh, I know! I had to sew a few heavy sheets together to block out the light.” Delia sighed, turning her book over in her lap so the text was against her legs. “Yes, we would travel to the seaside. It wasn’t a long trip, but Wonderland is a little different from around here. Why, this is such a big land I’m not sure exactly how to explain; it’s almost as if the whole of this New York state was the size of Wonderland, with as much difference in climate as Maine to California.” Delia had always been a good student, and with her background of constantly traveling, she’d always had a knack for remembering maps and facts on each place in case she had to make a sudden dash to one of the many made-up sounding states in this country. “Anyway, we always would travel to the seaside and camp; we’d make a holiday out of the winter times.” Dee smiled fondly, sighing inwardly.

Ophelia smiled, shaking her head slightly before taking a sip. “I’d say they ought to get some good blackout blinds, but they might work too well. I once slept in until two with those, that’s probably not what they want to encourage on school days.” She told the younger girl, a smile in place and hoping to amuse her. She was interested to hear of Delia’s life in Wonderland, she’d only known England herself and it wasn’t much similar. They both had seasides, perhaps was one of the few things they could bond over. “Did you like the seaside? I think we’re quite close to the ocean, though I’ve not had much time to explore here to have seen it myself.” She dipped her head, making it sound as if they were sharing some sort of secret. “I think I know a little about what you mean, I’m from England and there driving five hours is one side of the country to another, unlike here where you’re still in the same state.” She chuckled to herself, touching the trackpad of her laptop briefly to ensure it didn’t go to sleep. “That does sound nice, beachy winters, though I think I’d find it hard to celebrate the holidays on a sandy beach.”