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 Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:26 pm
-Ecology-
Fulfills requirement any S&T majors
Instructor: Sir Ardanay Veilwood Quote: Field training class in a classroom. Through readings and film studies, students learn the principles of the economy of nature. Students are urged to take this class in combination with the field study class Prompt Oh man, you haven't eaten all day. Today in ecology, you've been assigned to make food chains with the help of animal crackers. There's lots of labeling and explanations involved; energy levels, transfers, things like that. But do your animal crackers ever make it down to the paper?
His eyes were on the assignment that'd been sent to his tablet and he glanced around the room before approaching some high-up cupboards. There they were. Boxes and boxes of... Animal crackers? What an odd type of food. Did they taste like animals? Cane's brows rose and he grabbed a stool to pull over and stand on. Soon enough several boxes were in his arms and he headed back to the long table, lifting one to his eyes to read it.
Interesting.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 7:19 pm
The same daily routine for the same sort of event. Nothing seemed really changed, except for the clothing he put on, or the new laptop he carried. He wasn't quite sure he liked the thing; written notes seemed the way to go, though now he supposed he could have a backup and do more research at the same time. The British lad sighed, straightening his jacket out once more before checking his things and heading to the Science and Technology building.
For the first time in all his time here at Shinkami, he was going in as a student of the school. A real true blue (or green rather) student. There was a sudden elation filling him. What would real classes be like? In truth, they were not that different, as he soon discovered... except there seemed to be a bit more going on.
Nathaniel felt a little nervous despite everything. He wasn't his old confident self anymore, he was... just a person. Just a teenager, albeit a smart one... but still just a teenager. He had a boyfriend, he had his ...father... back, and he had this uniform. He had his life to contemplate. And so, amongst all of this, he hadn't really considered proper nutrition, after all, he really only ate when he cared too and he had never been a breakfast person.
Today was Ecology, and as he ruffled his growing brown hair nervously, he hoped nothing would go wrong. As he stepped into the classroom, he felt like something had already gone terribly wrong. There was a strange kid in the room, someone he'd never seen, and he was grabbing boxes of animal crackers down from the cabinet.
He stood in the doorway, looking perplexed. What was the right thing to do? Introductions? Independent study? Being 'normal' might be a little more difficult than he'd planned! Still, he stood tall as he tried to find the solution, taking perhaps one second too long.
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Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:37 pm
Cane wasn't the type to be startled, in fact, he was always aware of his surroundings, and knew the second Nat walked in the room. As he headed back to the table, reading the box, his blue eyes flicked up, to meet green ones. Interesting. The other boy looked uncomfortable in his very skin. The exact opposite of the native.
Carefully setting the boxes down on the table, he reached across to hold out a hand to the brunette in greeting. "I am Canaan, prospective Guardian. Well met." A easy smile. "It looks like we are sharing a classroom." This was a new face. That was also interesting to Cane, as he was quite social and had met many students already.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:01 pm
By contrast, Nat was far less aware of his surroundings. He'd never needed to notice them before. If it hadn't affected him, he'd paid it no mind. Heeded nothing. The world was an expanding realm now though. It was broadening outwards and heightening all of his senses. He felt naked and alone in this kind of world and shifted slightly from one foot to the other as he moved to set his things down, gently of course.
Wetting dry lips, he ruffled his hair again before shaking Canaan's hand, firmly and confidently, as he'd always done. This was something far more familiar to him. Standing a little straighter, he offered an awkward smile, nothing like the easy one's Canaan had shown.
"My name is Nathaniel Jacobson, a pleasure to meet you..." The British lad paused, looking around the room before nodding, "I suppose so." And at that, he glanced around to look for the assignment, finding the sheet on a table and grabbing it. Food chains? He paled a little. That was certainly not part of his expertise. This assignment might be more than a little difficult in more than a few ways.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:52 pm
Cane was an incredibly observant being, at at Nathaniel's reaction to the assignment, he tilted his head slightly, moving to the more slender boy's side. "Are you troubled, Nathaniel?" A pause and another slow, easy grin. The native had been around animals all of his life, had been instructed by his elders on their life cycles and the way their spirits related to each other. "Are you unfamiliar with the subject? That is nothing to worry about."
Opening a box of the crackers, he poured them out carefully onto a piece of paper, examining them. "Let us see what brothers and sisters we have been provided with..." What kinds of animals were there?
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Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 7:23 am
Still lost in thought about the assignment when Canaan spoke to him, he shifted slightly startled. Looking over to the other boy, who had a strange way of speaking, he tilted his head. Though the other was different, it was comforting. He spoke in a way that was understandable, as well as calming. It was easy to talk to him and not worry so much, almost like it was with Jaden though those conversations produced quite a different effect.
There was a slight flush of pride about his cheeks. He didn't like being unfamiliar with things. However, he managed to convince himself that that was what classes were for: learning. If they didn't learn, then they could not familiarize themselves with new things. In particular, food chains hadn't been one of his favorite things. The energy transfers always seemed a waste of time when he'd rather be memorizing the periodic table.
"You're familiar with the subject?" responded the youth, almost incredulously but with no intention to be rude. He paused, trying to correct himself and then looked rather puzzled. It was still so hard to try and figure everything out. He was definitely uncomfortable in his own skin, "...brothers and sisters?" Okay. So Canaan was comforting, but Nat was beginning to be unsure if he'd be able to understand the otherss speech.
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:59 pm
Cane's large finger pointed out one of the animals, a bear. "There is the... bear." The pause was him choosing to use the english term for his totem animal. "They share this earth as you and I do, therefore, he is our brother." Moving on from that explanation he nodded slowly. "Yes, my grandmother spoke of the way of these things often."
Cane rubbed the back of his head, before spreading out the animal crackers. "We do this simply. We will find the unique animals, as there are many of each kind, and label them. I am sure we can find their... Scientific terms in a book in this room, or on our tablets." Cane gestured to his own, which he'd grown found of. "Then we will arrange them by food chain, prey and predator, and finally review their energy levels."
A large, friendly smile. "Easy, yes?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:34 pm
"The bear... is our brother..." Nathaniel repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow but not daring to pursue the matter further. It was not his place to say what was right or wrong. Not his place to judge another's choice of words or beliefs. He seemed to be the kind of person that understood nature far better than Nathaniel might at this point in time, and so if the brother was his bear, well so be it. There was nothing wrong with that. At least he could believe in something like that. Nat had nothing of the sort himself.
Tilting his head to the other side, he watched his new companion spread out the crackers and point to them and then blinked, "Tablet? The laptops?" He pursed his lips, still not being fond of the technology. It was only partially trustworthy. He used it for back up. It was more distracting to him than naught. Still... that was not the purpose of the assignment, so he nodded his head to Canaan's plan.
"When you put it that way," said Nathaniel, offering a very small smile but the best and most honest one he had, "Yes. It sounds quite easy..."
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Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 9:34 am
"Mmn." Was the affirmative grunt, and Cane grabbed his own, thick fingertips tapping away at the screen rapidly. He was the intuitive, tacitile sort, and so for once, he'd found technology coming to him quickly. The native loved being able to touch and move things with a finger tip, flip them over and examine them. It was great for looking at mechanic schematics.
"Ah, there." A grin. "If you do not mind, Nathaniel, you could write this down," a gesture toward their printed assignment. Cane then began to read aloud information about the various 'animals' they'd identified. His voice was a bit halting at times, as he stumbled over a word or two, but the teen's reading skills had increased ten-fold since his arrival.
Each time he glanced at the animal crackers, though, he felt a pang of hunger, and soon enough, stopped reading, a frown on his face. "Hungry." It was more of a grunt to himself than to Nathaniel, but it was more than audible.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:56 pm
Nathaniel watched as the other youth began to type rapidly on the computer, something he himself cared very little for. There was a bit of shock in watching the other, he seemed to be so at ease with the machinary, as if it was a perfectly natural thing for him. And yet, he spoke about the animals as if they were kin and brethren and sacred alike. Someone like that certainly couldn't be all that familiar with technology like that, could they? Well who could really say!
They were still in class though, there would be time for personal observations later. Grabbing his notebook from the table behind him, he took a pen and began to jot down the animals as well as the actual assignment. Occasionally he would look up, towards the screen Cane was typing on, reread something himself and jot it down. This happened most often when the other stumbled over a word. He had begun to make a rather simplistic list and chart that showed what they had and what they needed. He examined it a moment more before he felt it proper and then when the other stopped reading, poisonous eyes looked up in confusion.
"Canaan?" Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, about to ask if the other was okay, but the answer came soon enough with no questions needed. The youth was hungry, and he was eying the animal crackers. Nathaniel tapped his pen almost impatiently, almost thoughtfully. He was used to not eating breakfast, but he always had a set time for lunch, and sure enough... with a glance at the clock... that time was arriving. Soon, he too would be suffering from the same condition as Cane.
Well, weren't there enough boxes and doubles of the animals in every box? Would it really be such a problem? He frowned. Yes. Yes it would. They needed to do this first! First and foremost. "We'll be done soon I'm sure... I suppose we could eat the doubles when we finish..." He was awkward about it though. Socialization and hunger were strange topics for him. Not all too pleasant to discuss either.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:38 pm
Cane's grin was toothy, wolfish as Nat guessed his thoughts and he shook his head at the other's reserve. Wait? Why? It wasn't as if there were adults around. If they waited until they finished, they could just leave and get food. The point was that he was hungry now.
Raising an eyebrow, that large hand scooped up several of the cookies, popping them into his mouth. He chewed with relish. They were delicious. Blue eyes were mischievous as he turned them to the other science student. "Have some, friend, they will make the work go easier."
It was true. Working on an empty stomach was never fun. Luckily, they were almost finished.
Another twenty minutes or so, and Cane set his tablet down, sending in his assignment. There, another class finished. Sitting back in his chair, he opened another box of the animal crackers, munched away as he watched Nat finish up his part of the assignment.
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:46 am
However, Nathaniel's response to the reaction of human necessity was less than welcoming. Rather than follow the other's lead and reciprocate the response, he shook his head gently. Something about eating lab equipment didn't seem quite right, nor did it seem very proper either. Instead it seemed almost invalid, almost as if he were watching in horror. Now, he wasn't sure if they weren't allowed to eat the things per say, but he also wasn't sure if they were. He gave a slight shiver, as if the idea went against all his morals. In a way, it felt disobedient. It felt almost rebellious, and he would rather finish his work first.
Despite his slight hunger now, and that familiar pain creeping into him. Despite the fact that he was now distracted and less likely to finish the assignment properly. Despite the fact he knew that it was slightly foolish pride keeping him from doing anything.
"I'll be fine, thanks," he replied after a strained moment, green eyes almost glowing with debate on the situation. After another moment, he forced those very eyes to go back to the paper. He stared at what he'd come up with so far and made a few rearrangements and adjustments. After this, he began to take down notes, looking constantly back at the chart of animal crackers he'd made. It took him a little longer than Cane, and by the end of a half hour, he could barely think for the hunger.
Well he was finished wasn't he? Almost, just about. It needed a few more sentences but then he was sure he'd have it. His eyes scanned it over and then he found himself reading the same sentence again and again. At last, he took another look at the box of animal crackers.
Well he was... finished wasn't he? So wouldn't it be okay, to just have a few? He was sure it would be. Nothing terrible about that. Slowly, he picked one up and examined it, before popping one into his own mouth and looking away from the other youth. There was something slightly shameful about the whole thing.
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:07 am
Cane laughed and laughed as Nat finally gave in, eating the animal crackers. He didn't understand the dilemma. If they didn't eat the crackers, the food was just going to go to waste anyway, as that was how white people dealt with their excess of supplies. Shaking his head, the blue-eyed native got to his feet, a box of crackers in hand as he headed for the door.
His tone was good-natured as he spoke to the British boy. "You have a lot to learn, Nathaniel. What difference did you find, by waiting to take care of your body?" A warm smile as he supplied the answer. "None, other than my mind staying clear, and yours becoming clouded with hunger.
Pausing for another warm laugh, he opened the door. "We will meet again, friend."
With that, the native was gone.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:41 pm
Nathaniel sighed a little, looking after Canaan while he pondered the questions the other youth had asked. What could be so strange about this? Really, it seemed that Nathaniel had learned more about himself and another person than he had about food chains at all. Mind clouded with hunger? Well at least he'd completed the assignment, albeit slowly and perhaps not as well as possible.
The Brit popped another cracker into his mouth as he continued thinking about it. "Yes... we will meet again," he hummed to himself quietly. Definitely. He definitely wanted to meet the native again. Something about Cane made him curious. What did the other see that Nat couldn't? He was a strange boy. Strange but kind. This brought a small smile to his face.
Could this be... friendship?
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