Univers[al clar]ity

[Perdita Westcott]

University

11th Cylus, 721

S

he had been thinking about this for a while, and Perdita still wasn't entirely sure that it was a good idea. Sometimes, she thought that it was, and other times she was quite sure that it wasn't something she was ready for. Or clever enough for. Or able to do. They'd expect her to speak, to take part in classes, to raise her hand and be with other people.

At least, Perdita considered, she'd be warm. So would everyone sitting near her as her inevitable blushes would radiate across the classroom. Lecture Hall. Filled with people. But no.

The thing was, Perdita had decided, she was getting old. Well, older. Her twentieth birth-trial would be here soon and she had not really done any of the things she wanted to do. She certainly had not done any of the things her parents wanted her to, and she was starting to think that maybe what she needed was a little ... push. A gentle nudge.

Besides, it sounded fascinating.

Perdita had - of course - looked in to this thoroughly. She had researched pricing and time, what courses were available and how much time they would take. She wasn't sure that she'd be able to do it in a room in the Inn, which was where they were currently staying, but the library was good and she was hopeful that there were houses for sale. That, of course, posed another question. Did Eli want to stay here? It was a commitment, she knew, and she didn't want to tie him down to something he didn't want or wish to do. So, she'd prepared all the information and she was getting ready to talk to him.

They had rooms adjoining each other, and there was a door in between them, so Perdita tapped on the doorframe of that door which was, as it almost always was, open and she smiled as she saw him. The feelings she had for Eli washed over her and Perdita felt a wave of fondness for him. Fondness. Was that the right word, she thought? No, she knew it wasn't. She had developed a deep relationship with Eli, they were like siblings and she was sure that was how he saw her. Unfortunately, she knew that she had something of a crush on him. But, she was sure he hadn't notice.

"Hello," she said quietly. Her cheeks burned, of course and she forced herself to meet his gaze. Immortals, but sometimes she was ridiculous, she thought. "Can we talk?" She didn't want to make it sound like it was more important than it was and she knew that he would be supportive. But she needed to let him know. "I've decided things," she said, her voice quiet as she walked into his room and sat down. His room was very different to hers, his was full of things, there were widgets and gadgets and gizmos all over the place. Clothes on the floor, the bed wasn't made. Hers was neat and tidy and everything was in its place. It was like them, she thought, opposites. Him, imaginative and full to bursting and her organised but rather significantly less interesting. "About the future."

Plucking at the blanket which was flung over the chair, Perdita paused. "I.." she didn't know if she could say it. If she said it to him of all people then it would be real. She would have to do it because she wouldn't ever want to let him down. No, that would be unbearable. He was looking at her so intently and Perdita realised that she'd been quiet a while. "I was thinking," she said, and then handed him a leaflet. "I think I could do it." She nodded. "It will be hard." There was no doubt about that. "And I don't want you to feel pressure." She could look after herself. After all. "I'm nearly twenty." There was no denying it. Why did he look so confused? What was wrong with him? "I'd like to try" Why wasn't he nodding? Did he think she couldn't do it? "It will take time."

Perdita sighed and looked at him, almost pleadingly. "Say something? What do you think?"

Of course, it didn't help that the leaflet she had pushed into his hand was about a place called the Scholars' Nook. A place with books and coffee and cake. The leaflet about the University? That was on her dresser - - - in a nice, neat pile.

[Elijah Lamoreaux]

When Perdita knocked on the open door between rooms, she'd find Eli seated on the floor at the end of the bed, legs and feet crossed and focused on a small, bronze but malfunctioning compass that he held in one hand, while manipulating a very small and narrow screwdriver in his others. That was no gadget in existence, in his mind, that was ever broken beyond repair. It was only waiting for just the right person to come along and fix it.

Meanwhile, pieces of paper, drawings, schemes and so on were scattered all around him. Big plans, some just whims and some more serious. But all might eventually come in useful. And while it might appear to be chaos all around him, from his perspective it was meticulously ordered disorder. Just as he liked it. He looked up and grinned though when Perdie knocked and finally came in. "Hey," he said, getting up on his feet when she finally spoke and asked to talk. "Course we can. Is it suppertime yet? I've lost track of the time." By way of identifying the particulars of that, he set the faulty compass down on a low table, before sitting on the edge of the bed.

It took her a while though, to start speaking again. But Eli simply waited her out, watching her eyes and as was always, charmed by the blush on her cheeks. Sometimes he wondered if it would ever stop happening when she was around him. The rest of the time, he hoped it never would. When she finally did start talking, he'd be hung if he could quite figure out what she was talking about. Sure, she handed him a leaflet to look at. But he didn't. Not just then. Instead he just listened and tried to sort the rest out.

She'd decided things. About the future. He nodded. Because well, that could mean lots of things. Though a bit of him worried but was afraid to ask, if those things about the future involved him being around, or no. Maybe he should have, but they'd come to Scalvoris together and it had never occurred to him that she might be looking forward to a future without him in it. "Ok," he said as a way to urge her on, but he was still as confused as ever. Pressure? What did she mean, pressure? Why would he feel pressured?

She was turning twenty, she wanted to try. What was she worried time would run out on her for? The thing that immediately jumped to mind, was, well, who could have blamed him? And truth was, it was a little terrifying. Sure, fair enough. Up to now, no other girl had caught his interest and kept it the same way that Perdie had. But he'd only wondered if she might feel the same. But still, they hadn't even... What did he think? "Are you worried time will run out?" he asked, seeing it as an entirely fair question.

"I mean, one time when I was working in the curiosity shop, two women were talking about that sort of thing. I shouldn't have been listening but they weren't whispering either," he yammered on. "One of them was worried her break-glass would run out on her and I thought that she was talking about a faulty time keeping device." It was an honest mistake, after all. He worked in a shop that sold all sorts of things, including time keeping devices. "Turns out," Eli added, barely pausing to come up for air, "they were talking about babies."

"But they weren't twenty," he said, frowning thoughtfully. "They were getting closer to sundown than they were to sunrise. Like maybe thirty or so." It was only then that Eli remembered the leaflet that Perdie had handed him, and he finally glanced down at it and frowned. "The Scholars' Nook. I know about that place. Books, tea, that sort of thing. Is that it? You thinking of getting a job there?" he asked.

[Perdita Westcott]

University

11th Cylus, 721

W

as it supper time yet? Perdita shook her head and smiled.

Did Eli want to eat? Perdita thought that, since he was awake, he probably did. He was a young man and he was, it seemed, always hungry. She sat down, though, and looked at him, frowning in interest at the compass and screwdriver. She sat on the chair, him on the bed and she talked. Or, she tried to. It was not an easy thing, because she was nervous, but she did her best. If he could just stop looking at her, it would help, Perdita considered. He looked at her and she was too busy thinking about him and how he looked to focus on her words. He certainly wasn't helping her in her quest for lucidity, Perdita would be the first to admit.

But, he let her speak. He urged with a quietly spoken 'ok' and then he smiled encouragement. That made it worse, of course, and visions of her failing this course, of being thrown out of the University, of totally letting him down swum before her eyes and she stumbled over her words as she tried to explain.

Was she worried that time would run out? That was a fair question that he asked after she, eventually, lapsed back into the silence which was so much more comfortable for her. "Yes," she said honestly. She was. She didn't want to get all old and befuddled and unable to make sense of what she was doing. He told a story, then, of two women in the shop where he'd worked, and Perdita nodded. The women had been talking about a break-glass running out. What was a break-glass, Perdita wondered. Was it something that people had when studying, like terms and semesters and things? That would very much make sense out of the story so she nodded.

He'd thought it was a time-keeping device? Perdita nodded again. Well, that made sense. He wouldn't have known anything about Higher Education at that point, and she nodded some more. But they were talking about babies? Why on Idalos would they be talking about babies? There was confusion on her face as he said that. Why did he tell her that story? "Oh." She said, but said no more and, instead, let him finish. Maybe he was showing that time was running out? That must be it, yes. They weren't in their twenties, but maybe thirty and that meant that, if she didn't get a move on, she would never manage it?

That must be it.

Perdita sighed, slightly. Was he saying that she shouldn't do this? It sounded like he was, but in a nice way. Like her own break-glass was done, run out. Maybe that was it? Then, when she was trying to work out whether he was saying she'd better be quick because her brain was about to die, or he was saying it was already too late, he looked down at the information she'd given him. A deep frown briefly crossed her expression as she realised that she'd given him the wrong information, but his next question told her what she had begun to expect.

Was she going to get a job there? A job somewhere because she should just get a job and not think about study or anything? Perdita shook her head. "No," she said. She forced herself to look at him, although it wasn't something she found easy normally and, right now, she was upset. More than anything, she didn't want to show him that, but she was bad at hiding her feelings. "That's the wrong thing." She gestured out into her room.

"The university here," Perdita explained. "I was asking about that. Me. Studying." She smiled, trying to make sure that he understood that there were no hard feelings. "You think my break-glass has run out?" She tapped her head as she asked that. "I'd like to learn." With a frown, she looked up and there was a different expression on Perdita's face. She was cross.

"I'm enrolling." She sounded - she was - determined. "Twice." That was a new idea, but she'd been unable to decide between two courses so, she vowed, she'd show him. Deeply aware that she was both frowning and blushing, she added. "So there." She didn't stamp her foot, but it came close. And, with that, she grabbed the leaflet out of his hand and turned, storming off to her own room to grumble to herself about break-glass and brains and how she could do it.

She could

[Elijah Lamoreaux]

Wait: What?

One bit she'd been talking about time running out, and handing him leaflets from local tea shops, and the next bit, Perdie was plainly annoyed with him. With him. Or, well, as annoyed, upset, as mad as Eli had ever seen her become. It was all relative, really, to a very high degree.

So she'd handed him the wrong leaflet. But if Eli was being honest, it didn't explain much. At least not there on the spot and he was left with a plainly befuddled expression on his face while he tried to sort out just what the misunderstanding was, and how they'd arrived at it. He was a very good hand at figuring out just about any sort of gadget or mechanical whatnot. The ways of females, apparently, not so much. "The university?"

"You mean you weren't talking about...?" Never mind what he'd thought she was talking about, Eli figured. The color in Perdie's cheeks was already higher than ordinarily it was. "That's not what I meant. I didn't mean your time was running out," he tried to explain, "I was thinking that you were worried about it." Except clearly, he hadn't known the reason why she'd have thought it. So finally, it clicked.

"You want to enroll at the university?" he said, just to make extra sure that he got it right this time. And then he grinned, even in the face of Perdie's agitation with him. "Never too late for that. Not ever." He'd never quite seen her this determined, demonstrative and Eli's eyes widened just a little when she said, So there. He almost grinned wider, but didn't dare. Especially after she snatched the leaflet from his hand and stormed off. Relatively speaking, that was.

She didn't have the dramatic exactly right though. If she had she'd have slammed the door between them on her way out. Eli took that as a good sign and got up from the bed, strolled on over the threshold between rooms. He didn't go in without being invited, but propped a shoulder on the door frame. "You wanna sign up for classes. Why didn't you just say so?" he asked. "I think that's a grand idea," he told her.

Actually, "I'd been thinking on whether or not I should consider it myself. Engineering, or design. You know?" he said. "I mean I always figured doing was enough to learn. Or look something up in a book now and then. But," Eli added and shrugged. "If I want people to take my bigger ideas seriously, that piece of paper might mean something to them. And besides, maybe there are things that are better learned and known in advance, than learned in the middle of a disaster." Like the proven existence of gravity and the possibility of flawed engineering colliding without warning, in unexpected ways, while he was in his new flying machine, gliding far above the ground. That sort of thing.

But he wasn't yet sure if he would or wouldn't anyway. And right now, it was about Perdie. "So anyhow, I think it's a great idea. You should do it. What sort of classes are you going to take?" he asked.

[Perdita Westcott]

elodramatics wasn't really her style but Perdita firmly believed that she had just utterly lost her temper and, as she sat down on her bed with a huff she realised that she'd forgotten to slam the door behind her. That was probably a good thing as Eli would be reeling from the shock of her deep emotional attack on him. He was indefatigable though. Unconcerned in the face of her tirade of fury and Perdita looked at him as he leaned there, oh-so-casually against the door frame. "Come in," she said, quietly. "Please? I'm sorry." She should apologise, she knew - she didn't stop to think of the damage that her temper could do.

"I'm too fierce," she said, as apology. Perdita had come from a very calm and placid household and her mother had told her, more than once, that she had a vicious temper. But that was her take on things. Eli seemed much more relaxed about it all, in fairness. He said that he thought her studying was a grand idea, and Perdita breathed out, obviously relieved. "Thank you." Her voice was quiet and she looked up at him. There were a hundred things to say to him, but she kept quiet.

Then, he said that he'd been thinking the same and Perdita's face lit with excitement. "You should!" Her enthusiasm for it was undoubted; there was no doubt in her mind that Eli would be a fantastic student - he had a quick mind and she did not doubt that he would excel in all aspects. "You're exceptional, Eli," Perdita fully believed it and she said it with as much passion and determination as she had said "so there" previously, more even. "You should enroll."

Getting up, she moved over to him and took his hand in hers. "We can get a house," they'd talked about it just the trial before, and agreed it was a good idea. "With rooms." Her blush deepened as she realised that of course it would have rooms. Still, he knew what she meant she was sure. "We could study together, go to classes." Excitement reddened her cheeks, of course, but it also provided her with words. "You'd be so happy there," she said, and she meant it. Surrounded by people who thought like him, who had the same interests and dreams. The same ability to take two twigs and a scarf and turn them into a kite.

What would she study? Perdita shrugged slightly. "History and Art," she said, quietly. "At first. I want a job. Repairing books. Maybe in the Scholar's Nook," she smiled slightly, blushed more. It was rare that Perdita spoke as much, but being here with him and talking about this? She was as excited for herself as she was for him - for both of their futures. "I might take a few courses in Art," she said. "I want to learn sculpture and pottery, too, and glassblowing and jewelry making. I think also Religious Studies." There were so many courses that she wanted to learn. "Illuminated manuscripts, one book for each Immortal, and stained glass windows, too. Artwork. It's... I want to make beautiful things, Eli." Her eyes lifted up to look at him, her gaze firmly on him. "I think we can do it. I really do"

With a smile, she glanced at the door to the Inn. "Want to go house hunting?"

[Elijah Lamoreaux]

It was just as well that Eli wasn't privy to the inner workings of Perdita's mind. Or any woman's, for that matter. What she perceived as a furious tirade; from Eli's perspective, her fit of temper had charmed him in a way he wasn't about to admit to. Amused him too, and he'd never admit that to Perdie for sure. It brought to mind a young, wide eyed, fluff of a kitten discovering its moxie for the first time and trying it out. Spine arched, tail upright and bouncing springs on it's toes. Not that he didn't realize she was miffed with him though. He did, and was knocked off guard just the same.

"It's alright," he said, grinning a little in spite of himself when she apologized to him. "I'm sorry I wasn't listening better." Eli wasn't entirely sure it would have helped him out just a few bits ago. Nonetheless he was relieved to discover that she hadn't been talking about time running out on babies and the like. They'd never even shared a kiss yet. Not that he hadn't thought plenty about it. Probably more than he ought to, considering that he wasn't at sure about her thoughts on the matter.

When she took his hand, he pushed himself off from the door frame and entered her room. "We could definitely buy a house. One with plenty of room for both of us," he agreed. "And if I was to take a class or two, it would be nice to trade ideas or bounce them off a professor or two," he admitted. Plus, he figured if he was attending a university and gained a letter or two, it could make finding an interested patron a bit easier.

Perdita then rattled off the many subjects she was interested in learning about, and Eli grinned again while sitting down on the edge of her bed. He didn't suggest that it was an awfully ambitious list she had there. Because from his perspective, there was nothing concerning about it. In that respect, they were more alike than different. "You can do that. All of those things," he said, and he meant it. But first? "Yeah, we probably ought to do that first, then sign up for classes," he figured. "Better to spend our coins on a house of our own, than to keep paying to stay at an inn. Let's go then?" he suggested.

It wouldn't take him any time at all to pull on a coat and cloak, gloves, hat and boots. Scalvoris was the kind of cold he'd never quite imagined before. But he liked it. It was busy, noisy sometimes, colorful and just a little bit weird. So far as he could tell, it would be a great place to settle down for a while.

[Perdita Westcott]

uying a house together - for the second time - with Eli was a big commitment, Perdita knew. She was a thinker, by nature, and she often really considered things from all angles. But not this, not him. She didn't analyse that too closely, but instead she chose to just focus on what he said. He'd like to bounce ideas off a professor or two? Her smile widened and she looked at him fondly. "I'm so glad," she said. They could go to university together, come home. Cook and eat and talk. A shared workspace and their own space, it had worked so well on Desnind, and she had felt truly at home there. She was sure the same thing could happen here.

He believed that she could do whatever she wanted, Perdita knew. He hadn't been saying that she was getting too old to be imaginative and creative, and as such the misunderstanding they'd had earlier was because she had not been clear. It wasn't that he wasn't listening, she knew that. As she slipped on her coat and carefully buttoned it up, Perdita replayed their conversation in her head.

Once she was wrapped up, she slipped her hand into his and they exited the Inn. They had house-hunted in Desnind but here in Scalvoris there was an office for it. Perdita waited quietly as Eli asked about it at the bar as they went past and then she gave a slight shudder as they made their way out into the cold. She never spoke much, and that meant that there was a lot of time for thinking in Perdita Westcott's mind.

And so, she thought.

"Eli?" Her voice was muffled behind the thick scarf she had wrapped around her. She'd played the conversation around in her head and then done so again. "Earlier on," she continued, gesturing with her head. "Did you... " did he think she was wanting to have babies? Was that what was going on in his boy-head? Did he think that she had some kind of biological timepiece ticking? Some sort of yearning or overwhelming desire to create life? Perdita frowned, thinking that. One trial. Maybe. If she was in the right circumstance. She wouldn't rule it out, of course. But there was so much to do before she even thought about that.

But, if she didn't ask, she'd never know as her father often told her. What did you think I was talking about? Eight words, she considered. Eight of them, all strung together into a largely cohesive sentence. Did he have any idea just how much being with him allowed her to relax, to be chatty? Eight words in one sentence was positively verbose for her. But, she didn't say them. She couldn't in that moment because she wasn't quite sure that she could fully accept the answer. "I'm glad we talked."

The housing offices were just up the road. The Scholar's Nook a little way further. Just far enough, Perdita thought, that they could wander up there and buy a house together.

Again.

[Jackalope]

Thread Comments:

A study in how poor communication can turn a seemingly innocent, and even positive, situation into a nearly relationship-ending disaster. A common premise for sitcoms, but here it comes off as poignant and grounded. I look forward to seeing Elija and Perdita’s relationship develop! I hope they find a good place...

The writing was clear and enjoyable and did a good job of conveying Elija’s and Perdita’s respective concerns, as well as their differing and occasionally misaligned takes on their situation and relationship. A theme I enjoyed was how they both spend a lot of time inside their own heads, second-guessing themselves, and think they are more alone in their thoughts than they actually are. Talk it out, guys!

Elija

Experience: +15 xp

Knowledge:

Design: Variety can lead to more imaginative designs
Design: Being able to discuss ideas is helpful
Design: Education will provide a foundation for design
Design: A good design will help your inventions be safer.
Engineering: The inner working of a compass
Engineering: Small tools for small work.
Engineering: Write ideas down to add to them later
Engineering: Working with designs helps repair

Skillplay: Approriate to level.

Comments:

Two things: first, please update your thread lists to include ongoing threads in the current season; that’s important for both you and reviewers like me to see your timeline and ensure there aren’t any conflicts. (I forget to do this with my PCs, too.)

Second, I would have welcomed a clearer tie-in between the knowledges requested and the main thrust of the story. Some of these knowledges are easy to find in the text, others not so much. This can make a thread harder to review -but perhaps more importantly, less enjoyable, because it draws attention away from the really interesting parts of the story. [/rant]

Okay, three things: I would probably have listed something like Etiquette and/or Socialization among your Skills Used, even though you aren’t going for any knowledges there, since Elijah’s interaction with Perdita is so central to his activity in this thread.

All that said, I enjoyed this story. I didn’t mean to be such a Debbie Downer! You convey Elijah as nerdy, preoccupied, and focused on his gadgets, but not stereotypically so; he’s very dimensional and believable, with emotional warmth and depth. I can see why Perdita likes him and cares about him.

Enjoy your rewards.

Perdita

Experience: +15 xp

Knowledge:

Detection: Listening carefully to a story - even when it makes no sense.
Detection: Pay attention, even when emotional
Discipline: Speaking up about something when you're nervous
Discipline: Answering a question, even when you're furious
Etiquette: Apologize for losing your temper.
Etiquette: It's not polite to slam doors.
Logistics: Planning the future with another.
Logistics: Organisation is key to planning. When you do it right.

Skillplay: Approriate to level.

Comments:

“’Too fierce’”. So Perdita isn’t just a shrinking violet, after all, and actually has a temper! And yet, she tries to be kind and understanding even when upset; that is admirable. I enjoyed reading those other aspects to her personality. Her flubbing the dramatic flounce and how she reacted to realizing that was charming. Clearly, Perdita needs to hone her drama skills!

Enjoy your rewards.

Let me know if you have any questions/feedback. Enjoy your rewards!