Welcome to Gaia! ::

SDRP Academy Tutoring Session

Current Course: POL 101
Tutor: Umbraja (umbraja)
Student: Ellen (Dumpling-san)

It was a beautiful, early spring day on the Academy Campus. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and flowers in bloom just outside the windows but Ellen Cosmos found herself cooped up in one of the classrooms for tutoring. She'd only really met her tutor in passing before and it had been a rather awkward situation, the woman having been her father's wife but not her mother. Those two were still working things out but her father had assured her this 'Umbraja' lady was a good teacher. "Well, at least she knows her stuff and isn't likely to hurt. . . well. . . it will be Ok," he'd told her as he sent her off. "You have my cell number in case she does anything crazy. Only dangerous crazy though, I don't want a call every time she opens her mouth." He'd half grumbled the last as he waved his daughter good-bye. Not two months in this strange new world and she was already being thrown out on her own.

And so she found herself in a modest little classroom with simple white walls, floor, and ceiling tiles. Windows lined the back overlooking the green space where the sun, and birds, and flowers all celebrated the nice day. A large blackboard made up the front and right side walls and there was a long bookshelf full of various books on the left. A desk sat in front of the board at the front of the class and there was a mess of papers strewn about it, held down under the weight of interesting things. It looked almost like a treasure chest had been spilled on the desk, or maybe a tackle box. There were rich jewels next to bits of broken glass, wax sealed scrolls sitting beside a jar of what looked to be fireflies only they were blue instead of yellow, a strange black box and a rather large serpent's skull, and laid across it all was a fine, silver sword. On the blackboard was written in a wide and scrawling hand a simple message, "Welcome to POL 101. Find a seat and draft up a quick introduction of yourself while I go make sure the Bandersnatch hasn't gotten out of his cage. Back in two shakes."

"Why must I be cooped up in a little classroom for tutoring when it's wonderful outside!?" Ellen grumbled this to herself as she trudged down the academy's hallways to get to her tutoring session on time. She would much rather have spent time outside reading in the cool shade of the trees by the pond while the gentle breeze rustled her hair. Even better, Ellen could spend some time with her best friend Lucian. She hadn't seen him around lately and hoped that everything was okay.

Lost in her thoughts, Ellen walked right past room four hundred seven. She didn't notice this fact until she walked right past the auditorium. Wait, isn't room four hundred seven supposed to be five doors away from the auditorium? Ellen reminded herself. Ellen flung open the door to the classroom and stormed inside. Not only was she stuck inside on a beautiful day, she would have to spend some time with the woman who stole her father's heart. Their last meeting was so embarrassing and awkward, that Ellen just wanted to crawl inside of a hole and spend the rest of time there. However, her father assured her that she would be all right.

Ellen sat down at the only student desk in the room and surveyed the wide arrangement of surroundings. The white walls and floor contrasted the black t-shirt, hoodie, skinny jeans and Converse shoes that Ellen happened to be wearing. In the window reflection, Ellen noticed that the bright classroom light made the piercings in her eyebrow gleam. She ran a finger down the white scar on her face, thinking about what her tutoring session would be like. Ellen was not one to follow orders; she would rather be the one giving them.

Ellen took one last look out of one of the windows in the back of the classroom. The celery green of the grass matched the color of Ellen's left eye, and the light gray clouds matched Ellen's right. Too bad she could only see through her left eye. She then turned to face the front of the room from her desk. Her tutor's desk had a strange assortment of items strewn about. Ellen even thought she caught a glimpse of a sword. How dangerous would these classes be? For the first time since entering the room, Ellen noticed the writing on the board. Once she had finished reading it, she burst out laughing. Wasn't a Bandersnatch a creature from Lewis Caroll's poem "Jabberwocky"? Ellen was well-versed in the field of Lewis Carroll's stories and poems because she read one each day.

Ellen pulled a pencil out of her pocket and tapped her chin thoughtfully. A quick introduction of herself? Ellen was terrible at introducing herself. She always found a way to make things awkward for everyone. A lock of jet black hair fell into her eyes. Frustrated, she pushed it out of the way. Perhaps if she broke her ideas up, it would be easier to complete the assignment. Why not start with words that described her? Then, she could construct them into sentences with a little effort. Ellen scrawled out a moment later. "My name is Ellen. I've been called El, and Ellie, and these are the only nicknames you're allowed to call me. I enjoy reading and giving advice. I do not enjoy boring lectures or mathematics. I'm terrible at introducing myself. One interesting fact about me is that I can fluently speak fifteen different types of languages. Some words that people have used to describe me are: arrogant, egotistical, pessimistic, bold, daring, stubborn, loyal, and reliable."

Was this good enough? Eh, she wrote down enough to cover what her tutor asked. It wasn't the best report, but it was satisfactory. Ellen shot a curious glance over at the bookshelves. I wonder if she has any Lewis Caroll material. Curiosity bested Ellen. She stood up and strode over to the bookshelves. To her amazement, she found "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Ellen sat back down at her desk and began to read, waiting for her tutor to make an entrance.

Just checking in to see what happened.