|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 3:45 am
She'd arrived precisely fifteen minutes early to the tutoring session, just as she normally did for every other tutoring session she'd ever held. Sophia Thomas had a habit of being timely, if anything, because she required the extra time to prepare herself. As a particularly shy person, it took a great deal of inner strength for her to pretend to be outgoing, to greet students (new ones, especially) with a smile and an encouraging word as she introduced herself and imparted a fraction of her knowledge onto them during their specified weekly time slot. Each new school year brought about a handful of new students - most of them just needed a little bit of help starting out while others continued to meet with her throughout the semester. She'd already arranged meetings with two or three of her faithful students (poor Rufus had barely scraped by last year, they would have to add in a few more sessions it seemed) but the school email had notified her of a new pupil wishing to be tutored in math. Math... wasn't exactly her favorite subject but she was more than happy to brush off her knowledge and help this poor soul get through their course. They'd suffer through the subject together and hopefully - hopefully - her insight would prove helpful. Pencils, paper and a few of her own personal workbooks were lined up in perfect harmony with one another as she glanced up at the library's clock. She'd reserved one of the large tables - a typical spot of her choosing - and waited for the new arrival to appear. In the meantime, she mentally practiced her greeting, over and over again. Hello, I'm Sophie Thomas! You must be...Strickenized If I need to change anything, please don't hesitate to let me know!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 6:37 am
Seconds remained until the clock struck the top of the hour. Eion swept through the glass double doors wearing typical summer attire — vertically striped leggings overlaid with a patterned periwinkle-and black tunic, cinched at the waist. His sleeves were rolled mid-elbow while black gloves uncharacteristic of summer came to just below the wrist.
Cork had a habit of announcing one's presence as it thocked hollowly on private marble. In a library so large, many of the studious elected not to look up at the intrusion. And as Eion wound around the floor, checking the more public use tables, he found no sign of the tutor in question; only friends and associates commingled over quick-and-dirty rebranded Starbucks coffee and teas. And with no study rooms available on the bisected ground floor, Eion moved up the stairs.
Two minutes late, he was now. After reaching the top of the stairs, he exited out and circled the opposing stairwell to find sets of quieter tables. Up here, the chatter of students and boisterous faculty dulled to an indistinct white noise. Many of the attending students either perused Facebook and Tumblr or studied complicated-looking textbooks, but either way, they did so with headphones on and in use. He passed only a handful of desks before spotting the one person actually attentive of her environment and lacking the ubiquitous headphones, and this person was likely his tutor. With the way her eyes lingered, as if trying to discern his identity (and for a moment however brief, he wondered which identity), Eion figured her for his tutor.
Four minutes late now.
Vibrant purple hair, glasses, dressed like she still lived with her mother, face like she wanted someone to speak to her. Maybe this was the one. "Sophie?" He asked as he halted. Thin fingers slid up a strap to adjust the bag he'd carried, where inside sat a math textbook and a pair of notebooks. ghouliboo it works great! likewise to you though!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:13 pm
Pencils had been rearranged several times now, Sophie finding it difficult to accept when the pink, unused erasers were technically even with one another. The notebook had been opened to a fresh page, as well as the workbook that she'd purchased from the student bookstore at her tutor's discount. While working on homework was always a safe way to spend the time, workbooks, she found, were the best way to prepare any student (including herself) before the classes actually begun. Her own workbooks had been scribbled on, each page covered with words and notations she'd made to herself as she'd focused on the upcoming classes all the while taking her summer courses at the same time. If she wanted to ensure a good scholarship into medical school, even sailor scout duties took a backseat to study time. The mention of her name had her head jerking up in surprise, eyes wide behind thin-rimmed glasses as her gaze took a moment to focus on the newcomer. The dark color came as a surprise for such warm, sunny days Destiny City had been enduring as of late but with her own conservative outfit hiding most of her legs and skin, she was far from able to judge anyone on their clothing style. Out of habit, she scooted her chair back and practically bounced to a standing position as one hand reached out in practiced fashion to receive his. "Y-Yes! Hello, yes, I'm Sophie." She did her best to suppress a wince - duh, of course she was Sophie, he'd just identified her as such! "You must be Eion? I..I hope this spot works for you - I find there to be less distractions upstairs and away from all of the computers." Strickenized Lovely descriptions, as always <3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:31 am
She remembered his name. "How observant," Eion returned dryly. His gaze combed her for clues — displaced wefts, mismatched attire, any indications that she spent less than her best efforts on her appearance.
He cast another look about, though he hadn't cared much for their surroundings. Flashing screens and clacking keys must distract her so, but she looked pleasantly spread out here. Her notes, her notebook, her workbook where she worked on some uncouth science looking to take the world apart, and a harried chair that was scooted aside with a little too much force. Yes, she looked quite ready to study precisely here.
"Let's get a study room. There's a few on the other side." He motioned with a thin, bracelet-ridden hand down the hallway that bisected this floor's hollow square. Two elevators flanked it, then on the other side, tables sat before a glass wall. That was the research area, if he remembered properly, and flanking that were a series of insulated study rooms. They were largely bare but for a solid oak table and accompanying whiteboard and blackboard, but they smelled of chalk and disuse and that was enough sentiment for Eion to be drawn to them. Whether Sophie was or not — whether she was the capitulating type of customer service or the superior kind — remained to be seen.
He leveraged a few steps, leading her, then tossed a comment over his shoulder. "What sort of distractions were you dodging? People or their habits?"ghouliboo this cat can't decide if she wants on or off my lap
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:21 pm
He motioned towards the smaller rooms to the side, ones she'd noticed but had decidedly determined were too small for her liking - as much as Sophie was uncomfortable around large groups, large spaces provided ample room for her to feel open and the furthest thing from trapped. Eion didn't seem to be bothered - nor did he seem to want to offer her a choice in the matter as he'd already begun the short trek towards the study rooms. Sophie was left scrambling to collect her perfectly laid out supplies, wide eyes looking slightly alarmed as she tried to swiftly stack and pack her belongings into a manageable enough state to follow. She'd never had a student tell her what they'd be doing before and it was leaving the wallflower slightly frazzled as she murmured a quick, "O-Oh! Okay then..." amidst her packing. Thankfully, she wasn't too far behind him when he asked his next questions, arms now full of notebooks while fists were clutching pencils. "How about both?" Popping gum and idle chit chat on top of the students who tended to press down on computer keys a little too rough were on the top of her list for study annoyances but the idea of having to make eye contact with any of the strangers seemed equally as daunting to the poor girl. "I'm not much of a conversationalist, I'm afraid. Books have always turned out to be better friends, it seems." Strickenized Amusing, as my own stout feline has taken residence in mine
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:21 am
"Books don't talk back," Eion observed in kind. Books were predictable — every page remained the same, so one could read the same story for a new perspective. Books remained through days, weeks, years; one was given the time to let thought percolate over a story until one devised new meaning for it. And, eventually, those books were torn down via current world thought declaring them exclusionary and new books found their place to serve the same cycle.
The answer remained the same — avoidance of engagement. Stay away from everyone else and they have less reason to confront. You don't think on your feet, do you? I wonder if you're ashamed of your lack of wit.
"But I like books. I like them better than esoteric symbols standing for the universe's building blocks. The way the periodic table looms unintelligibly sucks my soul out. But that's why we're here, isn't it?" He tossed over his shoulder. He slipped inside quickly when they reached an open study room; he found little more than a short desk and blank boards flanking both sides, but with the door closed, the room detached from the rest of the world. They could only hear themselves, not the bustle of life that drew the library out of its stupor.
"I hate being told that I'm made of Carbon and Oxygen and Nitrogen. That the rest of the world is made of the same stuff. That we're all uniform in that dry, abstract, tactless lump of symbols." He sat on the edge of the desk, heels of his hands braced further back. "Chemistry's loathsome. How can anyone stand it?
"That's what I want you to teach me — how to tolerate chemistry. How to swallow it down without vomiting." His gaze lit on her, expectant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 2:23 pm
Eion's return comment had her internally wincing inside. No, books certainly didn't talk back -- but that also meant that books wouldn't reject or judge, as she was so fearful of human beings of doing. No, books were quiet, books didn't cause any problems or stand you up on a date. Books had always been there for her when people hadn't and so it was much easier to see them as the friends she'd never acquired in high school and college. "They may not talk back but they've certainly got a lot of stories and lessons to share." There was a hint of sadness in her tone but she forced a smile on her face as she tagged along with the other student, secluding themselves away in the study room. The silence was almost deafening, up until he broke the quiet with his surprising comment. "Chemistry isn't all that bad," the forced smile curled up into an almost genuine one, Sophie at risk for finding enjoyment in the playful banter. "Sure, we share elements but think of all the things they combine to create. By itself, carbon is simple but think of all of the organic compounds it can create when you add it with other things." Her book found itself opening without a second thought, fingers skimming across the pages as eyes widened, a brightness appearing that hadn't been there only moments earlier. "Sure, we have symbols for descriptions but the level of detail that goes into each component, the intricate little --- sure, carbon may not be much of anything but you can't have something as beautiful as a diamond without it, can we?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
