"Blue Oblivion, largely lit, smiled and smiled at me."
Substitute
Solo 11.12.10
His footsteps padded softly down the hallway towards his classroom. There had been a last minute change and the instructor took the rest of the day off and the next two months off. Hugo was the substitute.
His job had its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage was that he seldom worked in a classroom more than a couple months. That allowed him time to go digging and exploring as he saw fit. But the disadvantage to this was that he did not get a steady paycheck. Even the few artifacts he found were seldom worth very much. He had yet to find something that paid more than a few coins.
His opalescent eyes gazed ahead noting that the halls were mostly empty. One or two students moved slowly talking as they went. A few giggles heard from the girls in the side hall as they watched one of the boys sitting nearby slipped out to the main hall causing him to turn his attention that direction for a moment. He nearly sighed as he shoved the hair from his face and glanced out the shaded window on the other side.
The sands were blazing today and he did not need to be out there to know it was so. The hot reflections coming from the crystal sand were bright even through the coated glass. It was one of the things Nyota was known for. The Crystalali sands covered nearly 3/4 of the continent. The sun's brightness and reflections were what gave them their snow white hair and opalescent eyes as well as tanned skin. Even visitors who remained more than a few days would change slightly, but their alterations would disappear after a week elsewhere. Not so with those born on the planet. It was a natural phenomena to them and expected.
Pushing the door, he glanced around the class as a hush came over the group. All were astron or college level and considered adults. They were expected to act appropriately. Most did.
"Mirs Carlson is going to be absent for the next two months. Get used to seeing me. My name is Hugo Farnsworth. Hugo suffices, " he stated as he began placing his books and things on the desk. "Someone want to tell me where you are in the book?"
Mirs meant the lady was married while Mur would mean she was single. Urth meant that the man was married while Irth meant the man was single. Hugo would have been called Irth Hugo or Irth Farnsworth if he had demanded his title. But to Hugo, he was simply Hugo and did not care for the etiquette most others demanded in the Nyotae society.
Jens sighed. Would this guy even know the material? He hated having substitutes. They seldom knew what they needed to . Somehow he did not think this fellow would. He seemed too young to know much of anything.
Hugo knew the information and it was quickly understood that he was not the average substitute. It was simply a matter of knowing where to begin for him. The class was a combination of geology and archaeology and one of the experimental combinations that the school was testing. It made the class longer than normal, but the information was more viable for work on the excavations later.
Two hours into the class, he dismissed the students. All were younger than he was. Most had just begun the astron level of training which meant they could not be more than 18 or 19 years old. Hugo almost felt like an old man to them when he was barely ten years older than they were. He didn't feel the difference anyhow.
"Good class, Hugo," Jes commented as he moved towards the desk. "We were worried that we could get some lame old man."
"And I"m not a lame old man?" he asked amusement sliding across his face. His lips curved upwards as he turned his attention to the younger man.
"Well... no. You aren't that much older than us and if today is an indication, you aren't going to teach boring.. I mean... " Jens turned slightly red.
Hugo did laugh then. "I know what you mean, Jens. Information can be dry sometimes. I'll try to keep it lively for you. We might take a few field trips and get some hands on though she has none scheduled. But she's gone and I'm here so we will see what happens. There's alot of information to cover."
"We'll get it done," Jens replied confidently. "All of us are here because we want to be. And just wanted to say that we like you. That's all."
"You might not like me at examination time," the older smirked.
Jens groaned. "Yeah... there is that... Anyhow, see you tomorrow."
"I'll be here," Hugo nodded as the boy walked away. He studied him for a moment. Jens' hair hung down to his waist neatly pulled back and tied. He was a large muscular kid. In that moment Hugo decided that he liked Jens. The class might be more fun thatn the last one he taught.
--
As the next two months wore on, Hugo and his students got closer, getting to know one another. They took various field trips as well as learned the information in the books and on the previous teacher's schedule.
"Next week, " he began, moving around to sit on the desk. "Mirs Carlson returns on the fourth day. On the third day, my last day, I was thinking that we might go take a tour of the Nightfall vein and learn a bit more about its creation."
A murmurr of disappointment rippled through the class. They had learned more from him in the short time he taught than the entire class with her. It had taken them a couple days to get used to his disheveled appearance, but he was one of the better teachers they had.
"On the third... Aw.. man... can't we just keep you?" Jens grumbled, as the others laughed, agreeing with him.
Hugo smiled. "I'm not a puppy, Jens. Besides you are all smart enough to take this and keep it interesting whether I am here or not." He glanced up at the clock. The class was almost over. "Trip on the third day then."
The class nodded, but glanced at one another. They would have to do something special for Hugo. They began plotting as they walked away. They wanted him to know how much they really appreaciated him.
