Office of the Academic
If you enter the office of the Academic, the first thing that you notice will probably be the bookshelves that are made of fine, dark wood, with carvings, and filled with all kinds of books. The books are in pristine condition. There are no dog ears and no stains on the covers or pages which gives you the impression that the Academic is someone that really loves books and takes good care of them. In truth, the books are only in such good condition because Mister Thorn – that’s the Academic’s name – dislikes reading, unless the books have a lot of pictures, a lot of magic or a lot of nudity in them.
You will likely also notice the collection of random shiny stuff on the shelves. Apparently, Mister Thorn likes collecting knick-knacks. He’s worse than a crow or a magpie in that regard! There are glowing stones, sculptures, pieces of jewelry, bottles filled with brightly colored liquids and even the odd dried plant or two. If you then take a look at the desk in front of the window, you will notice that is made of a different kind of wood than the shelves. In fact, all the pieces of furniture in the room are made of different kinds of wood, and while they were obviously expensive, they don’t quite match, and the carpets on the floor are kind of gaudy.
And then there is the smell. It is very faint as Devin regularly opens the window, but it is there, nevertheless. To these that frequent such places, it is slightly reminiscent of some kind of bar. The Academic quite enjoys smoking cigars and drinking alcohol. Such is of course not illegal, but it is not the kind of behaviour you'd expect from the man that is responsible for your children’s education!
Finally, there are the animals. Most of the time there is a parrot sitting on a perch next to the desk, and every now and then a crow and a flunny are also present. The flunny usually sits on one of the bookshelves. While the parrot is quite talkative, the crow and the flunny fortunately don’t have anything to say. They are just there, watching any visitors closely.
You will likely also notice the collection of random shiny stuff on the shelves. Apparently, Mister Thorn likes collecting knick-knacks. He’s worse than a crow or a magpie in that regard! There are glowing stones, sculptures, pieces of jewelry, bottles filled with brightly colored liquids and even the odd dried plant or two. If you then take a look at the desk in front of the window, you will notice that is made of a different kind of wood than the shelves. In fact, all the pieces of furniture in the room are made of different kinds of wood, and while they were obviously expensive, they don’t quite match, and the carpets on the floor are kind of gaudy.
And then there is the smell. It is very faint as Devin regularly opens the window, but it is there, nevertheless. To these that frequent such places, it is slightly reminiscent of some kind of bar. The Academic quite enjoys smoking cigars and drinking alcohol. Such is of course not illegal, but it is not the kind of behaviour you'd expect from the man that is responsible for your children’s education!
Finally, there are the animals. Most of the time there is a parrot sitting on a perch next to the desk, and every now and then a crow and a flunny are also present. The flunny usually sits on one of the bookshelves. While the parrot is quite talkative, the crow and the flunny fortunately don’t have anything to say. They are just there, watching any visitors closely.