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[originallutece]

Rosalind Lutece

Doctor of physics, professor at Recollé University.

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8/27

[doitrockapella]

A man throws a ball as hard as he can. There is nothing attached to it, and it doesn't strike anything, and there is no one present to catch it and re-throw it.

Yet it comes back to him. How?

[originallutece]

[There's a bit of a longer pause than there normally is.]

He throws it into the air.

What fruit has seeds on the outside?

[doitrockapella]

[Her reply, on the other hand, comes much more quickly.]

A strawberry.

Hello, Rosalind. It's been a while, hasn't it?

[originallutece]

A bit too long, frankly.

I got your message.

[doitrockapella]

My message?

[originallutece]

Your text. From the middle of the month? I only just received it-- you were right in that it didn't send until you all returned-- but it came through.

[. . .]

I hope you got to speak with your gentleman, whomever he is.

[. . .]

And if you'd like, I can forget you sent it. I'm aware emotions ran high this past month, and I can't imagine being trapped in the middle of nowhere with no real outlet.

[doitrockapella]

"My gentleman" is a sweet way of putting it. I suppose you could say he's like a second father to me.

I'm sure you're familiar, yourself, with how fathers can be, sometimes, toward their reckless daughters.

[originallutece]

[No, not really, but she won't say that and let Carmen turn this around on her.]

Have you spoken to him since you returned?

[doitrockapella]

Only to say I'm sorry. He didn't really question why I hadn't checked in with him in almost a month; I suppose maybe he thought I just needed the time to sort myself out before reaching out to him again.

[originallutece]

I've never been in the unfortunate situation of having to deal with someone close to me who doesn't know the app. The closest has been a dear friend of mine-- two of them, now, actually-- but even then, though it hurts, it hasn't stung as a family member might.

I suppose it makes it easier to explain your absence, but I can't imagine it's at all easy to return after a month of absence to find someone hadn't been searching for you.

[doitrockapella]

It's not. It's very lonely, to disappear and later discover that your disappearance didn't seem to make much of a difference at all.

...

Not making a difference. Now there's something that's never been easy for me to accept.

[originallutece]

It's not a descriptor I'd ascribe to you, not now.

But I suspect if you're feeling it after this month, looking at past accomplishments isn't going to do much, is it?

When was the last time you felt it?

[doitrockapella]

Failing to make a difference? ...If I had to take a guess, I'd have to say it was around when I was fifteen years old. But that's only a guess.

[originallutece]

Was there any particular reason at fifteen?

[doitrockapella]

It's when my second father became my second father.

[originallutece]

And how did he?

[doitrockapella]

I don't think you really need me to spell it out for you, do you?

[originallutece]

I can guess. But if you'd like to talk about it, I'm not opposed to hearing about it.

[doitrockapella]

...You know, I told Ardyn Izunia that when I got back home and all this mess was over, I was seriously considering sleeping on the roof beneath the stars for the next foreseeable future.

It wasn't as much of an exaggeration as one might've hoped.

[originallutece]

I'd be sick of stars if I were you-- but I suppose it would be nice to be somewhere where there's no restrictions.

Do you want company? I shan't sleep there, but I can at least sit with you for a bit.

[doitrockapella]

That's exactly it — no restrictions.

And I'll never turn down the chance to see you, if you're willing. It's not going to take up too much of your time?

[originallutece]

I may bring along some work, if only to pick your brain over how I ought to space out some of my biology lessons, but no, it hardly will. I assume you're near home?

[doitrockapella]

Mmhmm, I'm on the front terrace. I'll buzz you through the gate when you get here.

And I thought you had an assistant to help sort out your lessons? Not that I mind offering my opinion, but I'm surprised I'm your first choice.

[originallutece]

He's my assistant no longer. I'm going to have to end up hiring one at this rate, frankly; I suppose I forgot just how much busywork I ended up delegating to him.

[DOT DOT DOT there's such a noticeable pause, and then:]

I'm dating him. I suppose I could still shove the work on him, but it seems crueler to do that to a boyfriend than an assistant.

[doitrockapella]

OHO.

[Yes, for a minute that's literally all she's getting.]

That's your brilliant Ph.D. student, isn't it? The one with the paper on...what was it, magic as explained by physics?