[Flashback] There's no escape from Homework (Oluse)

[Alea Davenport]

27th Spring, 508

Alea could not believe how boring this class was. She and the other children had just spend the better part of the day falling asleep in the Academy in an attempt to escape listening to a lecture on the value of "contributing to society." It was some attempt to make them realize that they were becoming adults and had to start choosing their professions. They had to be finishing up any chime now. Alea was itching to try out a new fishing spot she'd found hidden among the rocks further down the coast. The last thing she wanted was what happened next...

"...and I want each of you to find a partner and write a report on one of the professions in Denval. You will be presenting what you learn to the other students in class next week."

Alea groaned. Not only did she now have homework, she had to find a partner! The other students were already pairing off, of all things excited to learn about doing work. The room emptied quickly as they rushed off to start their projects, and soon there was only one other student left.

[Oluse]

An entire day of learning that which he already knew! Oluse had been bored for some time in the standard classes, but today was especially soul crushing. For he had known for years what his profession would be, he would help his family heal, and see what income he could derive from his herbalism. The worst, and most ironic aspect of the lecture was how much more he would contribute to society if he was at home, studying medicine and herbalism, helping his mother, instead of wasting his time here at the Academy.

The class slowly creeped to it's end, and he began to fidget in his seat. Almost free, he could head out into the edge of the debris around the city and look for what plants he could, spring had given way to an impressive selection of new species to experiment with. Oh how he longed for the sweet fresh air, outside this suffocating room!

"...and I want each of you to find a partner and write a report on one of the professions in Denval. You will be presenting what you learn to the other students in class next week."

He blinked, stupefied for a moment. A moment that seemed to last just about long enough for everybody in the room to pair off, except him. The assignment was so unusual, so out of the norm, he had no real structure or framework for it, and so much of it depended on a person he couldn't group with because there was nobody left! Terror and panic struck him, as he realized the situation couldn't possibly get any worse. Then his ears detected, as if supernaturally fixated on his own doomed grade, a shift in the chair a few rows back. Slowly he turned, to stare his fate in the eyes. Alea... Sitting unmatched, alone near the back rows, and the window. His brow knit together, in worried recognition of the pain and suffering he very well might need to endure to milk even a halfway decent grade out of this situation.

No turning back now, he thought to himself, eye contact has already been made with the beast. He closes the book on his desk, and begins to stand to head back to her.

[Alea Davenport]

With extreme reluctance, Alea approached the only person left in the room. She had seen him enough times before to remember his name, but they'd never spoken before. She stood at least a full head taller than him, which did not exactly help her impression. She stood with crossed arms, glaring, not specifically at Oluse, but at the situation in general.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered (speaking in Denvali, of course). "What's the profession that will let us finish this the most quickly? I have things I wanted to do today." Before she let him answer, she added, "If you say anything related to fish, I will hurt you." Her parents made her clean fishguts too often as it was. The last thing she wanted was to give them any reason to believe she was interested in the profession.

[Oluse]

His worried expression shifts instantly to annoyance upon the opening of her mouth. He couldn't help but be a little impressed by her innate talent to come off as abrasive. However, he suspected there was something deeper in her, something she was hiding with her intimidation. He wondered briefly what it was, why she was so crude.

In response he nodded slowly, and with a tone resting on the very edge of sarcasm speaks, "Right, whatever you say. Speed, no fish." His face then relaxed as he began to think.

"Reporting on something we both already know will be quickest... But." A smile dominated his lips, an idea had struck him. She was hiding something with that aggression of hers, and he wanted to know what it was. He had to know what it was to work with her. His father always told him that if one does not understand the merits, and flaws of their partner then no reward could be won between the two.

"Lets pick something fun," he pauses a moment contemplating how that must have sounded to her. "I mean," he interrupts himself,"If I'm going to be wasting my time on this... lame assignment with you, I may as well have a good time doing it." He stops, almost biting his tongue, did he just implied spending time with her was a waist of time. He hoped she missed that.

"So, what is the coolest job in the city?" This question was genuine, for he couldn't think of a single thing in this city which was even remotely fun, let alone "cool."

[Alea Davenport]

Alea's frown deepened slightly. He thought SHE was a waste of time? Fine. It's not like she even wanted to be here. She gave some thought to his question. Fun? There was no such thing as a fun job, especially in Denval. Ignoring this line of thought, she tried to think of the simplest job in Denval. Something simple and obvious would probably take the least time to research. Unfortunately, she was coming up blank.

At his last question, about the "coolest" job she was confused enough to be startled into answering, "Something having to do with the Vantha maybe? The only place I know of that's cooler than Denval is Avanthal..." Now that she thought about it, he may be onto something with that line of thought. Denval was utterly boring, but the Vantha were from somewhere that was NOT Denval, and were therefore automatically more interesting. But they still had to report on a Denval profession... "Who in Denval has the most dealings with the Vantha?" Determined to do as little work as possible on this assignment, she left it to Oluse to answer that question.

[Oluse]

His mind pondered, completely missing the buck being passed into him. "Well traders, and... Do we have an ambassador? Couldn't be a hard job just talking all day in Vani."

He smiled at her, and switches to speaking a crude version of Vani. "I like idea of studying Vani. Good words of thought." He hoped his sentence came out sufficient. He enjoyed practicing Vani, and was hoping this project might be a good opportunity to do so.

He silently wished he actually knew somebody from Avathal, but that would be far too much to ask from this unimportant city. He couldn't conceive of any reason for them to travel to Denval.

oocEdit time! Frudginess approved.

That's when a spark went off in the back of his mind. A mischievous grin stretched across his face. He wasn't sure what Alea would think of the idea... but. It's not like she needed to know right away. "Wait." He said suddenly, looking at her excitedly, then put a finger to his lips, glancing cautiously to the others in the room, encouraging her to stay quiet.

In a hushed voice so the teacher, and none of the other students could hear he leaned up toward Alea a little, the very topic on his mind dissolving most of his awkwardness. In a very hushed voice he said, "I have the perfect idea, but we can't let the teacher over hear us. And you can't tell anybody until we are done with the project. It has to be a secret, and you can't be a chicken about it. Ok?" He looked her in the eyes.

He felt bad a moment, seeing how far her mind was from his own thoughts. He felt a little dirty being so manipulative, but it wasn't his fault. Well it was. But, the reasoning behind his scheme was completely pure! He could tell Alea was uptight, and he could only think of one place to relieve that tension, and maybe help her be a happier person. He really was doing it for her... Just her....

A kind of stupid smile crossed his face.

[Alea Davenport]

Alea grimaced a little as the boy got uncomfortably into her personal space. "Fine, whatever, let's just get this over with," she grumbled, leaning away and trying to reclaim some distance. She made a shooing motion, indicating that he should lead the way. The less effort she had to put into this project the better, and if he had an idea that would make him happy to do all the work, that was fine with her. Also, anything to get him away from her and get his breath off her face. She shook her head at his stupid smile, thinking that there must be something wrong with his head, and wondering how fast they could get this over with and she could go back to avoiding everyone.

[Oluse]

With a grin he went to run off, running into the desk behind him in his enthusiasm, almost knocking it over. After a stern look from the teacher he apologized, and quietly rearranged the desk, walking calmly out of the Academy door. He thought that likely could have gone smoother, but everything was going according to plan, aside from a small developing bruise. Once they were outside Oluse's smile returned. Finally fresh air!

"Hey, Alea. Try to keep up if you can." His feelings toward this project were getting better by the second, inhibitions melting. He couldn't think of a single place in the entire city he would rather go on a field trip. With that thought he bolted off in a sprint. He figured if he could get Alea focused on a race, she might not realize where Oluse was leading her!

Denval, not being a huge settlement, had everything a person could want pretty centrally located. All he had to do was make it through the market at full speed without knocking over any defenseless fruit stands, and he was there. He knew of course that Alea would win the race, should she choose to participate, but he decided to give his all anyway. His pride wouldn't be hurt at all as long as he could get Alea through those doors on the other side of the market. "Race you to the door!" He yelled back at her, taking a moment to see if she was following.

oocA hem, it's supposed to be on the ouskirts of town, my bad! Alea if you'd like to extend the trip go for it, if not we'll just um rewrite that in our minds =p

[Alea Davenport]

Alea enjoyed races more when she knew where she was going. As it was, she had to stay behind Oluse. She wouldn't have minded, except his legs were shorter, so their strides were completely different. It was awkward having to slow down for him. When he got to the marketplace, it occurred to her to wonder exactly where they were going, but when he said "race to the door," she was hit by another wave of annoyance. Which door? There were several buildings surrounding the marketplace. How was she supposed to know which one they were going to?

When she finally jogged up to the place he had stopped, she took a moment to look at the building. She had not yet had...occasion...to visit this particular place. Traditionally oblivious to anything that did not concern her, Alea was largely unaware of the building's purpose. She gave Oluse an expectant look. "Well? Are we going to get this over with or not?"

[Oluse]

Oluse had paused at the door, hand poised on it's heavy handle loop. He wondered if Alea would recognize the building, and the smaller grottoes sunk down around it. When she obviously didn't Oluse gave a relieved smile, revealing his white. "Oh yes, of course."

With some effort he pulled open the large door for Alea, and nodded his head for her to go inside before him. He followed closely after, his smile not in the least diminishing. This was going to be the best field-trip ever!

Deleted :

The interior of the building was simple, with little furniture. The main room being no larger than most the common shops in the city, but something about the layout was pleasing. Gave the room a calm, intimate vibe. The children's eyes, however, could scan the room for only a moment before their gaze was drawn onto something much more impressive.

Sitting on a rather comfortable looking leather and oak stool, covered by a soft dark fur stretch, was a man. His head rose calmly and confidently, in reception of the two juveniles. His features were strong, and intense, contrasting greatly with his warm and empathetic eyes.



Without removing his captivating gaze from the two newcomers, the man wrapped a small shining metallic item in his hand within a rich wine colored handkerchief, which he then set down on a well placed short table near him. He then rose, and traveled effortlessly across the small room. His stride held nothing truly impressive in method, but there was an admirable underlying confidence that gave the action a pleasing appearance.

Coming to an eased halt before the children he reached out his tender right hand, and placed it firmly on Oluse's left shoulder, making sure to include Alea, who stood to Oluses right, in the greeting. "Oluse, good boy, I was not expecting to see you return so soon." His voice carried with it no tinge of condescension, just a mysterious quality that permeated every word he spoke, as if he was always searching for some secret in the world around him, all for some altruistic master goal.

Oluse gave forth a devilish smile. "Yes, well you see I have homework." The grip on Oluses shoulder drawing snugger for a moment, the man looking kindly into the boys eyes, as if reading a book. Then as quickly as the moment began it melted, and the man continued.

"And, Oluse, who is this dignified young women that has honored us with her presence today? Or will you make her introduce herself?" His gaze shifted to Alea as he spoke.

Oluse remembering him manners immediately introduced the two. "Oh, well her name is Alea she is from the Academy. We have to work on a project together.

Oh, and Alea, this is Justus! He runs the Temple of Nikali, and advises Captain Astrid! He is a really amazing man, and he is going to be the topic of our report!" He finished with a proud smile to Alea, for his brilliant idea.

Tabby please take over from here with environment and NPCs, much appreciated.