[ P ] enlightened

The heat had finally, mercifully, blessedly retreated, though the effects of it in the once-beautiful Arboretum were still being felt. For a while, it had been nearly impossible to stay. Many had fled to the heat camps, Florence included, to offer their services and to escape the oppression for themselves. Though it had been a disaster, she selfishly had been glad to put some of her medicinal talents to use. She had done her best, and for a while, it had been all she could think about. The summer had been terrible. The pain and confusion that had radiated through the evacuees had been palpable. She had not seen that type of mass suffering in her life and it was not something she intended to see again.

But now, the world had cooled. Life was slowly returning, the soldiers had been dispersing, and the evacuees had been slowly traveling back to their homes. That mean that Florence, at least, was sent back to Melrose, where she was to resume her studies. But now, she was exhausted. Her days were endless and full, with little time to herself -- the same as in the summer, but different entirely, too. She spent the majority of it flitting about the grounds of the Arboretum from one class to the next, trying desperately not to appear like she was drowning, even though she was. In truth, she had never been this busy, and it all felt like it was coming back around to the fact that she had not seen her brother in months. She knew she needed to focus if she wanted to graduate, and she knew his duties took his attention as much as her studies did her own. But she wondered if he had been near her when she'd been assisting in the camps, if he'd been okay. Or if he'd been trapped somewhere in the heat.

She shook her head forcibly, coming to as the lesson she was attending ended. In fact, most of the students had already left, leaving her quite alone with the teacher. She knew his name was Khepri, but beyond that, not much else. She'd taken some of his lessons before but had not taken the time to speak with him. Now, to spare further awkwardness arising between them, she smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "Thank you for the lesson, Professor." She had been listening quite well up until the last two minutes, when her reverie had taken her elsewhere. "Would you -- was there, er, any homework assigned?" She looked abashed now. She would have missed this part.

"florence rose."

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@Khepri

khepri tiamat.

It wasn't often that Khepri truly thought about his position in the college, but when he did... boy, did he really get into his head about it. This was weird wasn't it?

He was a teacer... of students...

As he carried on with the lesson, he tried not to think about just how strange it felt to be teaching a class today when most days it seemed like a breeze. He was just thinking too much about it. He didn't feel like a teacher, like an adult even. He still felt like a child, lonely and lost. But he wasn't a child, in fact he had a child. Now that was an even weirder thought. He shivered lightly, the furs along his nape bristling as if he had caught a chill and nothing more.

...

With the lesson coming to a close, he watched the students begin to filter out. He began to clean up the herbs he'd gone over today, glad that he'd been able to find samples after the heatwaves that had devastated Rionnach lately. There was still life out there and with the rain and the relief from the heat, it would all come bustling back swiftly before winter swooped in took hold again.

"thank you for the lesson, professor. would you -- was there, er, any homework assigned?"

The small voice caught his attention and he looked up to see who it was -- Florence, he believed -- had asked him the question.

"Oh, no. Not today... I know, a shame, right?" he said kindly. He didn't mind that she hadn't been paying attention (at least when he'd mentioned it by class's end). "I could scrape something up just for you, if you like." he added, the tease plain in his light tone.

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She was embarrassed, but Khepri's voice was kind as he replied. "Oh, no. Not today... I know, a shame, right?" She let a little sigh of relief puff through her lips, though she tried not to show it. "I could scrape something up just for you, if you like." Florence smiled brightly in response to his jest. She liked this professor. He was gentle and serene in his lessons, unlike some other professors who used cold-calling tactics to keep their students on their toes. "I think I'll pass," she said, her voice cheery.

Her eyes searched his face, and then quickly down to the herbs he'd used for their lesson. "It must mean things are coming back," she said more somberly, "to find those out there." Her eyes lingered on the herbs, and she felt an echo of the hectic summer wash through her. And then -- Victorian. She winced slightly, turning her face away from Khepri, looking at the last student filtering out of the class.

She wasn't sure what kept her there, lingering. Maybe it was his calm, soothing demeanor. Maybe it was her desire not to be alone with her thoughts. She looked back at him. "I have a brother," she said, unprompted, "in the army. Every time I see something like those herbs -- like a little miracle -- I...think of him and hope he gets one, too." She gave a small, half-smile.

"florence rose."

table ▶▶claerie. artwork▶▶raven

khepri tiamat.

"I think I'll pass," she said, and he smiled. Of course.

As her attention wandered, so did his, he glanced to where her gaze traveled and a somber look crossed his face as he thought of the toll summer had taken. "Oh, yes. Slowly but surely everything is coming back. Just in time for winter to wipe it all out again, huh?" he said. Though his tone was light, there was some seriousness to his words.

To her next words, Khepri couldn't stop his smile from returning, it was sweet, the way the girl thought of her brother. He could only say the same for his sister and daughter (and sometimes even his daughter could be downright unbearable...) but the rest of his family? They meant little to him and he was sure they felt the same. "I could say the same for my sister, and sometimes my darling daughter." he said, though he used an inflection on the word 'darling' that indicated she was not so darling after all. Lia could be... well, a lot. Still, he loved her. "Do you think you're learning a lot in my class, Florence?" he asked curiously.

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"Oh, yes. Slowly but surely everything is coming back. Just in time for winter to wipe it all out again, huh?" Khepri's voice was sweet, but Florence did not miss that gentle somberness that came with most talk of the drought. It had truly been a weapon of mass destruction, wielded almost mercilessly by nature. She had never seen such devastation in her young life. She had been training in medicine for as long as she could remember, but yet, in the face of that carnage, she had been rendered helpless -- however briefly -- and it had been terrifying.

"I could say the same for my sister, and sometimes my darling daughter." Florence arched an eyebrow at the obvious stress on the word 'darling', but she was polite enough not to tease more than that. Soon enough, her professor switched angles. "Do you think you're learning a lot in my class, Florence?" She blinked and came around out of the fog of current events and past, present, and future worries. She considered the herbs strewn nearby and nodded slowly after a moment. "Yes, I think so," she said. "I'm trying, anyway. This all...is really important to me. I want to be a combat medic, so..."

This was the first time she'd really said this out loud, but it felt right to do so. Victorian would croak if he knew she had been seriously considering it, but she couldn't help it. "When did you know you wanted to be in medicine? A professor?"

"florence rose."

table ▶▶claerie. artwork▶▶raven

khepri tiamat.

"yes, i think so, i'm trying, anyway. this all...is really important to me. i want to be a combat medic, so..." Oh? Khepri had been a medic during the war and it had... not gone well. But Florence? She still had potential. "It's a rough job. Scary, too. Are you sure that's what you want to do?" he asked. He never understood those that went into the Army. Without Armies there would be no wars and all those deaths during the rebellion... maybe they would have never happened. Then again, the King controlled the Army and without him... well maybe things would be better. But he didn't say that, of course. He didn't really know what to think about all of it and politics weren't exactly his thing. "when did you know you wanted to be in medicine? a professor?" she asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Oh, well. I was like you until I found out I don't do well in the field and so here I am, teaching what I know instead of doing it. I'm just... no good under pressure. And I only got into medicine right before my wife died, to try to help her, but... sadly there was nothing to be done. I only hope what I teach can save others now." he said. He was an open book, his life (well most parts of it) were on display for all to see and he'd not pretty up a sad story, even for a girl as young as Florence. "But I suppose what's kept me here is seeing young ones like you doing so well and learning so much. It brights a lightness to my heart." he said. A lightness I need.

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"It's a rough job. Scary, too. Are you sure that's what you want to do?" She nodded, understanding the inherent danger and risk that came with such a profession. But she had been coming around to this idea now for months. Knowing that Vic was a soldier, she just wanted to be closer to him. She wanted to help him. And if she couldn't help him, then she wanted to help others like him.

"Oh, well. I was like you until I found out I don't do well in the field and so here I am, teaching what I know instead of doing it. I'm just... no good under pressure. And I only got into medicine right before my wife died, to try to help her, but... sadly there was nothing to be done. I only hope what I teach can save others now." She blinked, surprised to know that Khepri had been a combat medic, that he had not always been the genteel professor he now was. Her sunshine eyes shadowed as he mentioned his wife passing away, and her lips turned down slightly in sadness. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"But I suppose what's kept me here is seeing young ones like you doing so well and learning so much. It brights a lightness to my heart." Now she offered him a small smile. "I had no idea you used to work in the field... and you make a good point: I don't know if I'll be any good under pressure, either." She laughed a little, but then her face grew more serious. "Both of my parents have passed. But it was my whole life really, up until then. Helping them. My dad died too quickly for us to do anything real, but my mom... It was like your wife. There was nothing we could do." She reported this facts somberly and quietly, but without tears. Her eyes, however, had traveled to a different place.

"And now that Victorian is a soldier, I feel like I might have a chance to help him before something bad happens. You know? Like, if I know how to help this time -- if I know what to do -- maybe I can prevent -- " She shook her head, pulling herself back from her reverie.

"florence rose."

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khepri tiamat.

Khepri simply nodded in acknowledgement when she said she was sorry. It wasn't like it was her fault, what happened to Rose, but it was still nice to hear. "i had no idea you used to work in the field... and you make a good point: i don't know if i'll be any good under pressure, either." "I seem a little big cooler, now, huh?" he interjected amiably. "both of my parents have passed. but it was my whole life really, up until then. helping them. my dad died too quickly for us to do anything real, but my mom... it was like your wife. there was nothing we could do. and now that victorian is a soldier, i feel like i might have a chance to help him before something bad happens. you know? like, if i know how to help this time -- if i know what to do -- maybe i can prevent -- "

He drew a breath and lifted a paw to place it on her shoulder. "You can't prevent everything. I'm so sorry about your parents, but just know it wasn't your fault." he said. He took his paw away and cleared his throat, hoping he'd not overstepped any boundaries. He shook his head, knowing much of how she felt. He could feel his own inadequacies begin to creep up inside him once again. "You just do what you can and keep up the good work and you'll make a great combat medic and you'll help a lot of wolves." he said. "And you can always come teach if you find it's too chaotic, there's no shame in that." he said. What he did was still helping, at least that's what he told himself. With a sigh, he stood and decided it was probably time they left. It was getting late and he didn't want to keep her all night. "We should go, it's getting late." he said with a kind smile before waiting till she left to be on his own way.

-exit khepri-

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Something about Khepri was familiar, and when he put his paw gently on her shoulder, she felt it more strongly than ever. "You can't prevent everything. I'm so sorry about your parents, but just know it wasn't your fault." She blinked, emotion rising in her eyes, and looked away. Florence knew in some deep, secret part of her, that he was right. Her logical mind could put two and two together. It had been illness, it had been disease. It had not been her doing. But still. When she was sad and lonely, like she was now, she could still feel that guilt searing through her, piercing her like a knife.

"You just do what you can and keep up the good work and you'll make a great combat medic and you'll help a lot of wolves. And you can always come teach if you find it's too chaotic, there's no shame in that." She looked back at him now and smiled a little. "No. No shame at all." She appreciated his kind words, and the gentle way he spoke them. They were a caress down her spine, a gentle reminder that she did not have to weather the storm alone.

"We should go, it's getting late." She nodded, trying to find the words to say what this conversation had meant to her. "Yes, you're right. And -- thank you for everything." She smiled again softly, and then gathered her belongings. As she left, she felt a little lighter.

-exit-

"florence rose."

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