mercurio | 〈 recolle ic contact 〉

Really.

[She isn't doubting him. It's a word that's inviting elaboration, and now it's her turn to watch him.]

[he stops, altogether, putting the pencil down, but he doesn't raise his eyes, pretending instead to fidgets with the bands on his wrist. it's hard to talk about this, still, even if he's quite open about it to anyone he forms even the smallest bond with.]

I'm flattered that you want me to be in your class.

[?]

Be it because of my clearly charming personality, or-- just, you know... you see potential in me. I always felt a nuisance growing up. If I keep out of everyone's way, I thought, I'd never be the reason for bad things happening to them.

I think back on it and I know it's fucked up to be six and think that, but I just thought that's how things were.

I've never been outstanding.

Just another guy with a sad story and shitty parents. It took me a while to become--well, this.

[he motions at himself]

[How odd. How utterly similar and yet wildly different from her.

Rosalind has never, ever doubted she was extraordinary. Not once. She's never fit in, she's never gotten on with her parents, she'd never really known what it was to have friends until she hit college, but throughout all that, she knew for a fact that it was the world who was wrong, not her. If they doubted her genius, if they looked at her and saw a square peg desperately struggling to escape the round hole fate had tried to dictate for her, well, that was their problem.

So she'd been lonely. She'd been so terribly alone, but she'd had her math and her science, and she'd forced that to be enough. It had to be, because the alternative was trying to fit in and being desperately miserable, and she'd never been so lonely as to want that. She'd never . . . if I kept out of everyone's way, he says, and she, who has always aggressively forced herself to be noticed, can't imagine doing such a thing.

It isn't that he's wrong. It's just a drastic contrast between two children who were similar, and she wonders at it.]

Well. I should say it was worth the wait.

[She murmurs it.]

[she murmurs it, but prompto hears her loud and clear. an empty university faculty office is pretty quiet, specially this late at night. he smiles at her words once they sink in and he gets to understand what she's referring to.]

[his words are soft, then, too.]

Yeah.

Can't say I'm unhappy.

[he picks up one foot and puts it on the chair, reclining back. he's not that much of a bulky guy, so he fits in quite comfortably on the extra space the chair provides]

It was kinda hard when Noct went down for a while, but... despite that, I made a lot of good friends. I learnt to be stronger in a different way. I feel like I wasted my childhood feeling sorry for myself, I want to take any chances I can get now. Hashtag no regrets kinda thing.

[snort]

Even if it means opening up about my feelings and being consequently embarrassing 'cause of it? I don't want people to think I'm some weak, vulnerable thing anymore.

[he rolls his eyes at himself, then waves a hand]

--this went on a tangent, huh?

What I mean is that I'm actually really excited to take Quantum Physics, because you think I got what it takes. So, thank you, Doctor.

[There's a lot she might say to that. Sentiments stir in the center of her chest, and for one long moment, she thinks about telling him-- oh, all sorts of things. Be careful of being too emotional, that is vulnerability, god, that's a big one, and you have to be careful never to let anyone dictate how they see you is how you see yourself, people will always get it wrong, that's another. All the little lessons she's memorized and kept so close to her heart, the things that have allowed her to survive and force herself forward all these years.

But in the end, she keeps them to herself. He's not a child anymore and neither is she, and if he wants advice, he can ask for it. There's no point in her saying such emotional things when it's not needed.

So Rosalind nods in acknowledgement and then exhales briskly, trying to move them both on.]

Well. Looking at your schedule, you ought to be able to take the Wednesday evening class. It's once a week, three hours long. It's closed now, but tell me when you're trying to register and I'll open up a spot for you. I have to fill out some form or another, but.

[it's different from prompto. he believes that if he were to keep his feelings bottled up, he'll just burst at some point or become a ball of negativity. presenting himself, genuine and honest as he is, does help him not become so overwhelmed with the demon's he's so desperately trying to overcome.]

[it's a long, messy road, but he's managed, so far.]

[he drops his foot back on the floor and leans forward]

How about I try registering now? Since I'm here, and you're here, might as well, right?

Er--

[She hesitates for just a second before nodding.]

Hang on.

[She has literally no idea how to make space for an extra student, but you know what, yolo, it can't be that hard. And as she starts to poke around the teacher's website:]

Tell us the answers you've gotten so far, then.

[he grabs at the papers again, immediately after her request, reads the problems and gives out the answer--explaining his thinking and the procedure he took in order to get to the answer.]

...although I wasn't sure about the friction variable on the third one, but if I remember correctly, I included it in the equation anyway.

Do I pass? So far, anyway.

It isn't a pass/fail, Prompto, it's an assessment of your abilities.

. . . but you've gotten the questions correct so far, so well done.

[Oh my god why is everything in university stacked under ninety layers of bureaucratic bullshit?? Ros scowls at the computer screen, but she's not giving up just yet.]

[he smiles, pleased, and then that smile grows into a grin as he realises that rosalind is not having a good time with her computer. he starts stashing away the garbage, at least his own.]

You need help, Doc?

I'm perfectly all right, thank you.

[She most certainly is not.]

Hmmm~

[he hums, and serves himself some more tea. he sits himself down and waits]

Wednesdays for three full hours... What are the evaluations like?

Three tests, two papers and a midterm and final.

[>BC, her face says. >BC!!

Honestly, it isn't that she doesn't know how to use a computer; she most certainly does. She's perfectly competent. It's just that there's ten million little things you have to do in order to get anything done with this stupid university and oh my god why does she have to log in again--

But there, finally, finally she thinks she has it, and she nods in triumph.]

There. Now go register.

[he's amused]

Man, sure hate writing papers, but I guess two is better than five...

[he provokes casual conversation as he takes out his phone and goes onto the university website, looking up the enrollment section for his own profile. quantum physics with doctor rosalind lutece is open... and so, he registers.]

[in less than a minute]

Done. Is there any work in the lab though?

[>BC]

For graduate students, yes, that's a requirement. For undergrad, I tend to offer it as an optional portion on three Saturdays over the semester.

Will you let me know which Saturdays? It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun, but I'm gonna have to look at my working hours.

[and he said he wasn't gonna be a star student, psshh]

You'll have to ask F--

[Ah, no, wait. He won't be her assistant then, will he? Rosalind blinks, then nods.]

Yes. I'll text you the dates when I know them.

[prompto makes a small sound, akin to hm?, but let's it be because rosalind doesn't seem too into following up with that. slip of tongue?]

Thanks.

What kind of experiments are there for quantum physics?

My, ah, my assistant. He's just with me til the end of summer.

[But weirdly enough, she doesn't seem all that unhappy about the thought of him leaving her.]

In any case: I usually use the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment to start with, because it's flashy and people enjoy clear demonstrations. The experiment demonstrates how things in the present can change the past.

Moving on to other opportunities.

[clearly prompto doesn't understand how big of a deal this is to rosalind, but it's probably for the best]

[he's already smiling at the idea of the experiment]

Sounds wild and nuts, but I'm looking forward to it. Don't forget to tell me when you'll hold it!

〈 recolle ic contact 〉

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