Secret and Mystery (Justyne, Birçan)

SATURDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2002, 8:46 AM

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.”
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

The summons had actually come two days prior, but Professor Akyıldız had replied by immediate owl that she had responsibilities to her students and the House that she had recently been appointed Head of, and if they wanted her to grace their precious Council with a visit, they had to wait until Saturday. She bore no grudge or ill feeling toward them, but that was the way she spoke to everyone - student, colleague, authority, and stranger alike. Regardless, the final response had been "Saturday then at your convenience."

Birçan was in fact quite curious about the invitation to the Council of Inverness, but she was fairly certain she knew what had occasioned the offer. Ever since signing on at Koldovstoretz as a professor, she had made it as clear as possible (short of blatantly saying it) to the Water Manipulation professor, Volya Nikolov, that she knew what he was. The telltale signs, the limited use of wands, an affectation of hidden age, the talent in the subject itself, all of it pointed to the fact that he was a so-called Hor Elementadam. Her time with "Grandpa" Ramazan had been quite instrumental. It had not just been Professor Nikolov, but other Elementadami, who she had encountered and made a few revelatory barbs at. She was not really afraid of the Council, so she had no concerns about retribution or punishment... but on the other hand she didn't think that was about discipline. This felt more like they were as curious about her as she was about them. And they might be curious about how she learned so much about the Elementadami, too, but she wouldn't mention Grandpa.

Ever one to take advantage of her time, she decided that "her convenience" was early in the morning so that she could perhaps spend more time at Inverness observing and learning further about the Elementadami. It certainly didn't seem like they were going to keep secrets from her that she already knew, and perhaps additional ones as well. The correspondence had been sent from one "Typh Harbinger Justyne Jaracas," and it had been in Russian, so Birçan assumed that the Harbinger was fluent in the language. Otherwise there'd be a bit of a barrier; Birçan did not speak English, and she assumed nobody here (or very few of them) spoke her native Georgian or Turkish. She was conversational in Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, and Chinese because of the student base at Koldovstoretz, and also in Greek because of her independent studies before joining the Koldovstoretz staff.

Such speculation led her to wondering, as she sat waiting in the outdoor atrium she had been ushered into, if the Elementadami had a native language of their own. Or, not native, because they came from all over the world; perhaps an historical linguistic practise, like Latin or Greek or Aramaic. It would be interesting both to see what she could discover here, and to find out what Harbinger Jaracas wanted to discover from herself. @Justyne Jaracas

Justyne felt like a stranger in the Council of Inverness; internal conflicts of interest and her personal affairs outside of the world of Elementals meant that she was often more invested in other pursuits. However, as was the tendency of the Typh Harbinger, relegating her time to personal pursuits did not mean that she was unaware of what went on in the world around her and when she caught word that a certain professor at Koldovstoretz might be a little too aware of the ongoings of the secret society, Justyne was determined to get to the bottom of it. The witch had considered how her new position at Hogwarts would affect her personally, after all with more eyes upon her it only made sense to think that like Professor Nikolov, others would catch on to her secret if she allowed it. Nevertheless, choosing the position of History of Magic had been a strategic choice, particularly because the skills she lacked as an Elemental would not be as easily detected by others.

The Typh Harbinger was a huge supporter of living out of the overbearing shadows of the Council of Inverness however not when it put her, and the lives of others at risk. While Justyne was not particularly afraid of a professor, she found it necessary to contact her and meet with her as early as possible in order to gauge the level of damage the woman could do. She did not intend to be forthcoming with any information, though it seemed as if the woman already knew quite a bit about their society, but rather, she wanted to open up communication to see if Professor Nikolov was in danger or if he himself had brought upon suspicion by doing something out of the ordinary. Who knew what side anyone was on anymore, the dissent among the counsel was not as vocal as it had been at one point but it was still there.

Interestingly, Justyne arrived early to the appointment on Saturday, though she blamed this uncharacteristic behavior towards her desire to know. The meeting had keep her up late into the night, as she did her research and found herself rehashing much of her early training through the books that had served her well during her years as a student. However, by the time she was ready to see Professor Akyildiz, she had already arrived and was waiting in the outdoor atrium. Justyne took a moment to compose herself before stepping outside to greet the woman, reaching out for her hand and resorting to Russian as the language of choice. Justyne was still comfortable speaking it though she assumed the woman might pick up some of the minor grammatical mistakes she still made.
 
“Professor Akyildiz, is it?” she said, though she already knew the answer. “I hear that you are a professor of Runes at Koldovstoretz,” she continued, again, repeating information she already knew. Justyne wanted to establish some familiarity with the woman before accusing her or assuming anything. “I’ve only recently become professor at Hogwarts myself, it’s a fascinating concept, shaping young minds,” she said, motioning for her to take a seat. “I assume that you’ve an idea as to why you’ve been summoned to the Counsel of Inverness. You are a good friend of Professor Nikolov?” she asked, waiting to hear what the woman intend to say before giving too much information herself.

It was out of habit rather than out of respect that, when the woman she assumed was Typh Harbinger Justyne Jaracas came in, Birçan stood up. The Harbinger was barely an inch or two shorter than Birçan herself, but fuller and more curvy than the thin Georgian. She had the characteristics of someone pleasant to behold, and she had either fancied herself up quite a bit or just naturally looked primped all the time. And she had manners. Probably more than Birçan, to be honest. As gracefully as she could, Birçan took the Harbinger's hand politely and then resumed her seat as Justyne patted the bench beside her.

"Taken up the mantle of the teacher as well?" Birçan arched an eyebrow. "I suppose in a position such as Harbinger you likely did your fair share of teaching here at the Council. Though the student base was probably quite different." She relaxed somewhat, placing her hands casually in her lap and looking with an extremely neutral expression at Justyne. "So shall I refer to you as Harbinger, Professor, or just Justyne? I'm not familiar with the proper etiquette for this situation, as secluded as your 'order' is. But I don't mind being on a first-name basis. We are peers, after all. Two moulders of young minds." In truth she was attempting to be polite, but her natural inclination to sarcasm was peeking through.

So naturally, the Georgian became quite pleased that (although in veiled words) Justyne was getting directly to the point for the invitation. However, the Harbinger's information seemed to be either grossly inaccurate, or she was being a little too polite with her choice of verbiage. "I fear I am far from a 'good friend' of Volya. In fact the man irritates me to no end. But that's not what you were actually asking me."

Birçan glanced across the scenery of the atrium for a moment, turning her gaze back to Justyne's eyes midway through her continuance. "Your Council is either worried that he has revealed himself somehow, or that I am possibly going to out your grand coven to the rest of the wizarding world, or perhaps both. Both are invalid assumptions and you may put your fears to rest, though I hardly expect you to take me at face value for the latter. Suffice.... well, I suppose given your concerns I shouldn't use the phrase 'suffice it to say.' But Volya has done nothing to earn suspicion from anyone besides myself; his acts of misdirection are well executed and nobody realises what he actually is. And why should they? Even in a world of magic, who would have the imagination to consider there might be wizards who cannot use wands and instead use... well, runes?" Her eyes sparkled a bit as she said this.

"There's no need for circumspection here, on your home ground, Harbinger. I will be honest with you about what I know, within reason, and do my best to assure you that my interest is personally academic and not revelatory. In return, I ask for the same candor and reasonably limited openness from you." Birçan smiled with a fervor of discovery.

“History of Magic,” she offered with a smile shrouded in politeness, the woman seemed harmless enough. Nevertheless, Justyne was well aware of how a little knowledge could open the right doors for the wrong people, and so while she was not above offering information for the sake of creating a more comfortable environment, she carefully considered the words she spoke. “Students are more or less all the same, with a little force and a little dedication, almost anyone can achieve fantastic results,” she offered, though it was not a viewpoint she completely agreed with.

In her personal experience, her training as an Elemental had come forcefully, and with the expectations of her family combined, she had become who she was at the bidding of her parents. Even at her level in the counsel, Justyne did not feel completely confidence in her skills. “We are peers, aren’t we?” she agreed, smiling a little at her question. “Please, call me Justyne,” she said, waving the question off as if it were nothing. “But maybe we can continue our discussion on teaching strategies a little later,” she offered, pleased when Birçan moved to the pressing matter at hand.

“Yes, my apologies, I did mean peers,” she said, an eyebrow slightly arched as she took in the woman’s assessment of her coworker. Justyne was not privy of the sort of relationships that other members of their secluded society had, and in fact, many of them led very interesting private and professional lives. Nevertheless, as it normally had nothing to do with the counsel, her knowledge was limited. Of course, that never stopped the curious woman from speculating about the nature of the relationships between the people she worked with and the outside world.

Justyne listened to the woman’s words careful not to react to anything she said lest she mistakenly give the woman reason to believe that the counsel feared her. They were concerned, and rightfully so, it was often that others, whether they be disgruntled with their decisions or curious about their society, attempted to expose their work to the wizarding community or worse, the general public. Nevertheless, Justyne also understood that like herself, much of the curiosity rose from the mysticism that surrounded them. They needed to come out of the shadows but that had been an ongoing conversation for years; Justyne knew that the risk of exposure was a high one and therefore intended to level with the woman before her. Taking a moment to recollect her thoughts, Justyne considered the woman’s words before speaking. “Unfortunately, the council is cautious by nature and rightfully so,” she explained.

“However, I am very curious as to the knowledge that you possess and am willing to… exchange this knowledge for a little of my own. In fact, you may find that our world is not as exciting as one might think, or you may impress me, Birçan, and teach me a little bit about my own abilities,” she said, smiling just slightly out of politeness. “Either way, I respect your curiosity, it is after all one’s thirst for knowledge that can lead to a great many discoveries…whether those discoveries are worth the effort, well we shall find out. Do tell me how you came to this conclusion, about Volya.”