Post by claudius on Jul 22, 2013 20:26:37 GMT -5
"Ttt. No."
The aging professor licks his finger, and turns the yellowing page of an old leather-bound volume, not conscious he has vocalized his thoughts on the passage.
Everything here is as you would expect. There's the broad and heavy wooden desk, with a reddish leather top to match the comfortably worn chair. There's the disorganized pile of priceless books and scraps of paper with insightful notes, confined to a corner of the otherwise neat desk. There's the empty porcelain teacup, stained a bit at the bottom.
The broad office's walls are lined with shelves of more books, save for one taken up entirely by antique copper work windows, providing more than enough light to read by, and the occasional glimpse of impressively sized owls napping in the shadows among the limbs of the venerable tree outside.
Without any apparent cue, he comes to a stop, marking his page with a scrap of paper, and patiently taking down a few last notes in a notebook. He stands, takes his tea cup to a cabinet, and takes out a second cup to fill, when there is a knock at the door.
"Do come in," he says, pouring two cups of tea.
A younger and much more animated professor joins the Chancellor in his stately office. She asks him to go over a map she has discovered, which appears to be an original battle plan for an early conquest of General Otto Germaine.
The two speak for over an hour. Wherever possible, he lets her work through her ideas, and reach her own conclusions without interjecting. Where he can help her make progress, he interjects patiently. Eventually, the tone changes.
"So, if that's the case, then this symbol like a circled sigma most likely stands for the Cavalry, don't you agree?"
"I see your point Prof. O'Hare, but alas that symbol cannot possibly refer to cavalry. You see, General Germaine was not a fool, and only a fool would place cavalry downhill from a line of pole arms, especially in the spring."
He says this with no fire, ice, or steel in his voice. Simply an observation of fact, despite the somewhat inflammatory choice of words.
However, the young professor cannot be sure, and begins her retreat, "Oh."
"I see your line of thinking," he continues, "It suited your theory on the cypher. I'd look into whether, at this particular battle, this could represent footmen with longswords."
"No. Thank you, but you're right. I-- I should remember to ground my theories in more pragmatic, um, perspectives. I'll look into your suggestion, thank you Professor."
As quietly, and as she came, the young woman departs, closing the door behind her.
"Ttt. Patience, Claudius. Patience. She would have gotten there on her own."
He shakes his head and pauses, stirring his tea and looking out the window, "There was no need to sting her feelings like that. Thoughtless, unkind."
He turns back to his desk, opens his book and notebook where he left off, and continues to read. In a few moments, he is once again lost in thought.
"Mm. Perhaps."
The Chancellor isn't able to keep up the same schedule of office hours he once did, since being named Minister of Education, so he welcomes having a rare day to spend just on reading and making himself available.
He's beginning to wonder which of these the rest of the day will consist of, when a little bird tells him that someone else is coming down his hallway. He gets up to pour two fresh cups of tea, wondering who his second visitor will be...
The aging professor licks his finger, and turns the yellowing page of an old leather-bound volume, not conscious he has vocalized his thoughts on the passage.
Everything here is as you would expect. There's the broad and heavy wooden desk, with a reddish leather top to match the comfortably worn chair. There's the disorganized pile of priceless books and scraps of paper with insightful notes, confined to a corner of the otherwise neat desk. There's the empty porcelain teacup, stained a bit at the bottom.
The broad office's walls are lined with shelves of more books, save for one taken up entirely by antique copper work windows, providing more than enough light to read by, and the occasional glimpse of impressively sized owls napping in the shadows among the limbs of the venerable tree outside.
Without any apparent cue, he comes to a stop, marking his page with a scrap of paper, and patiently taking down a few last notes in a notebook. He stands, takes his tea cup to a cabinet, and takes out a second cup to fill, when there is a knock at the door.
"Do come in," he says, pouring two cups of tea.
A younger and much more animated professor joins the Chancellor in his stately office. She asks him to go over a map she has discovered, which appears to be an original battle plan for an early conquest of General Otto Germaine.
The two speak for over an hour. Wherever possible, he lets her work through her ideas, and reach her own conclusions without interjecting. Where he can help her make progress, he interjects patiently. Eventually, the tone changes.
"So, if that's the case, then this symbol like a circled sigma most likely stands for the Cavalry, don't you agree?"
"I see your point Prof. O'Hare, but alas that symbol cannot possibly refer to cavalry. You see, General Germaine was not a fool, and only a fool would place cavalry downhill from a line of pole arms, especially in the spring."
He says this with no fire, ice, or steel in his voice. Simply an observation of fact, despite the somewhat inflammatory choice of words.
However, the young professor cannot be sure, and begins her retreat, "Oh."
"I see your line of thinking," he continues, "It suited your theory on the cypher. I'd look into whether, at this particular battle, this could represent footmen with longswords."
"No. Thank you, but you're right. I-- I should remember to ground my theories in more pragmatic, um, perspectives. I'll look into your suggestion, thank you Professor."
As quietly, and as she came, the young woman departs, closing the door behind her.
"Ttt. Patience, Claudius. Patience. She would have gotten there on her own."
He shakes his head and pauses, stirring his tea and looking out the window, "There was no need to sting her feelings like that. Thoughtless, unkind."
He turns back to his desk, opens his book and notebook where he left off, and continues to read. In a few moments, he is once again lost in thought.
"Mm. Perhaps."
The Chancellor isn't able to keep up the same schedule of office hours he once did, since being named Minister of Education, so he welcomes having a rare day to spend just on reading and making himself available.
He's beginning to wonder which of these the rest of the day will consist of, when a little bird tells him that someone else is coming down his hallway. He gets up to pour two fresh cups of tea, wondering who his second visitor will be...
