[Gale redirects his attention just in time to catch a glimpse of vibrant red hair— immediately, he thinks of Eva, but he quickly shoves that impulse down in an effort to quell it. Given the tenuous nature of their would-be friendship, it would be best not to let himself do more reminiscing than he already had, and he couldn't afford to let himself be distracted by—
Wait a moment.
The woman called forth by the provost turns to face those assembled, and Gale feels his heart seize in his chest.
Professor Amelia Steinbeck, the provost had said. Amelia? No, this was undeniably her; they had known one another intimately enough that there was no mistaking it. He wouldn't be forgetting "Eva's" face anytime soon, something he had previously been glad for, a pleasant memory to hold onto.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
Time seems to have slowed down to a painful crawl, and not half a moment after he makes his realization, he accidentally inhales part of his donut and starts sputtering as he drops the other half, his eyes impossibly wide as he uses his forearm to cover his mouth while Tara frowns, furrows her brow and gives him a few thumps on the back to help him along.
There's enough low chatter and ambient noise throughout the lecture hall to begin with that he is, thankfully, not terribly disruptive, and the provost continues on without missing a beat.]
"Professor Steinbeck will be handling Classic Literature, with a focus in Folklore and Mythology. Would you like to say a few words, Professor?"
[Thereโs no mistaking his face, beard, and single earring. As much as she wished for it, the sight of Gale, the astrophysicist, was no trick of the light. Even at a distance she could tell that he was just as shocked to see her, if not more so. As the older woman sitting next to him patted down his back, her mind is racing at a million miles per second, processing the key details and implications.
1) Gale works at Waterdeep University. 2) Now she works at the university too. 3) She was the one who propositioned him a week ago. 4) Ergo, she unknowingly slept with a coworker, or in more professional terms, fraternized.
The conclusion: no one is losing their jobs over a private matter outside of university grounds, but reputations are all of a sudden precariously on the line, most of all her's. Amelia is newer and younger than most of her peers here; if anyone found out about what she pulled off... Well, it would be futile to gain any respect after that.
She stands frozen in place. She wants to run. There's imaginary sweat running down her back and she's certain the breath in her lungs are about to run out.
If nothing else, Amelia Steinbeck considers herself a consummate professional no matter what outrageous curveballs life throws at her. None of those thoughts are revealed on the surface of her face and at the provost's cue, Professor Steinbeck exhales softly, looks away from Gale, and chooses to focus on a spot above the crown of Professor Omeluum's head before she begins to speak.]
Yes. [Her knuckles relax.]
Thank you, everyone, for the kind welcome and for the administration's tireless work in transitioning me smoothly into this new role. I am honored to be in a position where I am surrounded by peers with equally, if not more keen minds, than mine.
Although I will be teaching and researching the literary arts, as a new professor, I've much to learn from everyone else. Folklore and mythology as a subject may raise the eyebrows of some, but for others, the value in the stories passed down from generations past have proven to be the foundations and inspirations of other fields of academia.
[There's a beat, before she finishes, wanting to be brief as to not linger within his line of sight.]
This is all very exciting for me. A new chapter in my life that I've yet to write and I am looking forward to being part of Waterdeep University's story.
[She ends with a soft thank you and walks back to her seat as the audience gives her a hearty and appreciative applause.
And not once does she look at the man who will inevitably be weaved into the beginning of this new chapter.]
[Though he cannot take his eyes off her for the duration of her speech, he feels he only catches about half of what she says— and in truth, even that much may have been generous. His mind is racing as he pulls together what details about her he knew, assuming they were even real. Her name hadn't been, and while a part of him can understand a woman wishing to put her safety first, he still can't help feeling injured by that. Even if they hadn't intended to ever speak again after that night, they had still managed to be surprisingly vulnerable with one another— but not quite enough for her to be honest.
It stings, even though he knows it shouldn't. She'd made what she wanted perfectly clear. He was the one who broke the terms and reached out to her afterwards— and oh, wasn't that going to come back and bite him in the ass now.
He had slept with a colleague. Even without considering the further complicates his misguided efforts to communicate may have introduced to the situation, and even if it had not been intentional, it still had the potential to damage reputations, careers. Of course, his had already been through the ringer, because he mustn't forget the Ariel of it all.
He ends up so lost in his own thoughts that by the time he comes back to the present, 'Eva' has already sat down again and another new addition to the faculty is having their own moment in the spotlight. Tara snaps her fingers in front of his face to seize his attention, and his head snaps towards her in turn, his gaze flustered and owlish.]
Sorry.
"Dr. Dekarios, are you quite alright?"
[Tara asks the question like she already knows the answer, and of course, she does. Gale shakes his head, the color having drained from his face.]
Just— a touch under the weather.
[A lie, and Tara knows it, but she fixes a hard gaze on him with a frown that tells him they'll be discussing this at length later, and he gives a vague nod of acceptance. No doubt they will, because it would be useless for him to try to keep anything from her for any length of time, but gods, he had not expected Eva to be the woman who caused him to feel as though the floor had dropped out beneath him today.
The meeting goes on as planned. A third new professor is introduced, and afterwards, at last Ariel has her turn to take the stage and talk about her ideas for the semester to come as the newly-appointed dean. Gale doesn't hear most of it, and it seems unfathomable to him that the woman he had dreaded seeing for weeks now, the one who had driven him to drink and keep even more erratic hours than usual, to be impulsive in hopes of forgetting for just a short while— now, she barely even registers to him.
Half an hour later and the meeting is over with. Some faculty members are lingering to chat with one another, while others are taking their leave quickly. Ariel, thankfully, seems to think herself too important to stay, and he's infinitely grateful that she leaves without speaking to him, though she does meet his gaze for an uncomfortable period on her way past, her facade as icy as ever when she does so. Tara has to excuse herself almost immediately, having an appointment to keep, but sharply informs him that he'll be explaining himself over dinner that evening, and she'll not hear a word otherwise.
Left to his own devices, Gale fumbles his way through gathering up his things, feeling even more anxious than he had upon arrival that morning— gods, were his palms sweating?— and he wishes fervidly that he could summon up that old confidence of his as easily as he'd managed to that first night in Eva's company, but she's precisely the reason why he can't.
Having collected his belongings, he makes his way towards the end of the aisle to filter out of the lecture hall behind some of the others, giving a passing nod to Professor Wroot on his way past, but the center aisle is so congested that it's clear none of them are going anywhere terribly quickly, or at least slipping out unnoticed.
Lovely.
He glances back towards where the newly-announced Professor Steinbeck had been sitting, his stomach twisting as his heart rises into this throat. What came next? Did they never speak of it again? Did they simply pretend it never happened? Anything he thought might come of their text exchanges was almost certainly off the table, but avoiding one another entirely would be impossible— and likely raise more eyebrows than anything else.]
[Professor Omeluum and Professor Blurg have remained seated, keeping the redheaded woman company. In truth, she had insisted on springing some questions on the couple regarding the campus, the science building that she and the literature department would be sharing, and other miscellanea. They were more than happy to assist their new colleague which was all the better for her. The longer it kept him at bay, the better.
But mere minutes pass and the biologist pair have other places to be and their own business to attend to. They give their farewells and as they pass Professor Dekarios, give a nod of acknowledgement to the astrophysicist.
He's so close. Her mistake from a week ago is approaching and she doesn't see any other way out. And it has to be her imagination, her own stress tricking her, but there were still people in the room and that meant many eyes that could linger and many mouths that could talk.
Act. NATURAL.
When Professor Dekarios is close enough, she turns and tilts her head with an inscrutable expression on her face. Next, she stands up and looks him straight in the eye and speaks first before any suspicious silence and gazes between them can fill the air.]
Hello. I don't believe we've properly introduced ourselves.
[The new professor sticks out her hand towards her senior colleague.]
You've heard my name, but I'll say it again just in case.
[There's a low burning fire in those emerald eyes, but unlike that night, it's chillier and severe.]
Professor Amelia Eva Steinbeck. I'm glad to make your acquaintance.
[It was too much to hope that he would have been able to squeeze his way out of the lecture hall without speaking to her, but given that avoiding the issue isn't going to be doing either of them any favors, especially if they're meant to share the same building, well— better to get any awkwardness out of the way, isn't it?
He intends to continue telling himself just that until he actually believes it, but he still looks owlish and mildly startled when 'Eva' introduces herself to him without so much as batting an eyelash, all confidence and sharp edges and with her gaze significantly colder than he remembers.
Gods, is he sweating?
Get ahold of yourself, Gale.
He composes himself quickly before how rattled he is has a chance to show through more than it already has, although given the donut incident, he doesn't know that he has much hope of preserving his dignity. His expression is largely neutral as he clears his throat softly and takes the offered hand, giving it a firm shake.]
Dr. Gale Dekarios, astrophysics.
[So, 'Eva' wasn't entirely fabricated. He grips her hand perhaps a bit harder than necessary without meaning to, and carefully schooled as his face may be, shock and uncertainty are still very present in his gaze.
Veiling his emotions has never been his strongest suit.]
Welcome to Waterdeep University. Hopefully you and the rest of your fellows will— feel at home here in Blackstaff Hall.
[Impressively enough, her face betrays nothing, not even when his grip is firmer than necessary. It's not as if she's particularly good at hiding her own emotions, but in this case, Professor Steinbeck is putting up an impressive front. As long as she has a head start, most people's impression on the woman is one with a neutral, if strict, demeanor with little room for nonsense.
If she isn't known, she can't be figured out. There's no room to be vulnerable in these precarious circumstances.
She drops her hand and takes a hold of her bag.]
I suppose we'll be seeing each other around although there's no doubt our upcoming schedules will keep us busy.
[In other words: "It's not a good idea to talk about what happened and no, there will never be a good time."]
[He releases her hand, his grip finding the strap of his own shoulder bag. Though her demeanor is cool and direct, what she doesn't say is just as clear as what she does. He wonders if she's feeling any degree of the same panic that had threatened to rise in him, or if her heart had pounded even half as hard as his had when he'd first recognized her, but she seems almost entirely unaffected.
Either she was a good actress, or he thought entirely too much of himself. Which one didn't much matter, he supposed.]
I've no doubt— and any new job can demand enough attention that there's hardly time for socializing.
[Suddenly, he had a much clearer idea of what she'd been preparing for this past week.]
I'm sure you'll find our faculty here to be— colorful. I hope any sour moods about having to share the building will quickly ease.
[Though he truly does speak of their own colleagues, there's something else there, as well. "We don't have to be strangers."]
[Her heart wants to break away from her ribcage, but never underestimate Amelia Steinbeck's stubbornness. There's hardly a scratch to her current veneer as she brushes some of her hair behind one ear.]
The science types seem to be of a good sort here. I've no complaints about anyone or having to share the building yet.
[Good, this is good. Plain and perfunctory conversation is the name of the game and hopefully for the long run between them.]
I'm sure everyone is more than capable of making do. I know I am.
[The room is beginning to empty and Amelia digs into her pocket to check her texts. The plan was to have lunch off-campus with Berna so there's that excuse readily made for her to make her exit.]
Well, we should get going. Don't let me keep you here, Dr. Dekarios.
[Despite his best efforts, there is no hiding the momentary flash of hurt in his gaze, her succinct words and dismissive demeanor sharp enough that he feels as though a knife has been slipped between his own ribs. What else, really, could he possibly had expected?
She had the right of it, surely. Maintain a professional distance, as much as was possible, especially since standing here in front of her made his chest uncomfortably tight and made something stick at the back of his throat. God above, if he'd ever needed a reminder that he was not the sort for drunken debauchery, surely, this was it.]
Of course. You have things to do, I'm certain.
[He can hear his voice falter, ever so slightly, but he clears his throat in a mostly vain attempt to cover it. Technically, he had plenty of other things to do, as well, and yet each and every one of them inconveniently escapes him at the moment.]
I— do hope you enjoy your time at Blackstaff.
[He begins to gather himself up and turn back towards the aisle proper to head out the door with an exhale to steady himself the moment he's sure she can't see his face in full, but he barely makes it two steps before an older gentleman who looks like he likely should have retired two decades earlier approaches with a hand raised to hail Dr. Dekarios himself, his stride and energy both far stronger than his age would suggest.
"Gale, my boy! I was hoping to catch you. There were a few things I thought we might discuss if you've the time, though I also come bearing a message. The new dean would like to speak to you in her office before you leave the building."
Gale pales visibly, but there's a brief twitch of his temple as he resists the urge to point out that she might have asked him herself.]
Elminster— of course, thank you.
[He sounds a touch too mild to be truly grateful, but he'll take the excuse to leave the room with purpose, possibly something to preserve his dignity— though if Dr. Manx wished to see him, he doesn't imagine he'll have much of that left before the day is out. He glances back towards 'Eva' just once, his expression conflicted more than apologetic. Truly, he had expected this day to be uncomfortable, but not like this.]
Good day, Professor Steinbeck. Best of luck with your semester.
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sunfloras2024-01-21 09:17 pm
no subject
Wait a moment.
The woman called forth by the provost turns to face those assembled, and Gale feels his heart seize in his chest.
Professor Amelia Steinbeck, the provost had said. Amelia? No, this was undeniably her; they had known one another intimately enough that there was no mistaking it. He wouldn't be forgetting "Eva's" face anytime soon, something he had previously been glad for, a pleasant memory to hold onto.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
Time seems to have slowed down to a painful crawl, and not half a moment after he makes his realization, he accidentally inhales part of his donut and starts sputtering as he drops the other half, his eyes impossibly wide as he uses his forearm to cover his mouth while Tara frowns, furrows her brow and gives him a few thumps on the back to help him along.
There's enough low chatter and ambient noise throughout the lecture hall to begin with that he is, thankfully, not terribly disruptive, and the provost continues on without missing a beat.]
"Professor Steinbeck will be handling Classic Literature, with a focus in Folklore and Mythology. Would you like to say a few words, Professor?"
no subject
1) Gale works at Waterdeep University.
2) Now she works at the university too.
3) She was the one who propositioned him a week ago.
4) Ergo, she unknowingly slept with a coworker, or in more professional terms, fraternized.
The conclusion: no one is losing their jobs over a private matter outside of university grounds, but reputations are all of a sudden precariously on the line, most of all her's. Amelia is newer and younger than most of her peers here; if anyone found out about what she pulled off... Well, it would be futile to gain any respect after that.
She stands frozen in place. She wants to run. There's imaginary sweat running down her back and she's certain the breath in her lungs are about to run out.
If nothing else, Amelia Steinbeck considers herself a consummate professional no matter what outrageous curveballs life throws at her. None of those thoughts are revealed on the surface of her face and at the provost's cue, Professor Steinbeck exhales softly, looks away from Gale, and chooses to focus on a spot above the crown of Professor Omeluum's head before she begins to speak.]
Yes. [Her knuckles relax.]
Thank you, everyone, for the kind welcome and for the administration's tireless work in transitioning me smoothly into this new role. I am honored to be in a position where I am surrounded by peers with equally, if not more keen minds, than mine.
Although I will be teaching and researching the literary arts, as a new professor, I've much to learn from everyone else. Folklore and mythology as a subject may raise the eyebrows of some, but for others, the value in the stories passed down from generations past have proven to be the foundations and inspirations of other fields of academia.
[There's a beat, before she finishes, wanting to be brief as to not linger within his line of sight.]
This is all very exciting for me. A new chapter in my life that I've yet to write and I am looking forward to being part of Waterdeep University's story.
[She ends with a soft thank you and walks back to her seat as the audience gives her a hearty and appreciative applause.
And not once does she look at the man who will inevitably be weaved into the beginning of this new chapter.]
no subject
It stings, even though he knows it shouldn't. She'd made what she wanted perfectly clear. He was the one who broke the terms and reached out to her afterwards— and oh, wasn't that going to come back and bite him in the ass now.
He had slept with a colleague. Even without considering the further complicates his misguided efforts to communicate may have introduced to the situation, and even if it had not been intentional, it still had the potential to damage reputations, careers. Of course, his had already been through the ringer, because he mustn't forget the Ariel of it all.
He ends up so lost in his own thoughts that by the time he comes back to the present, 'Eva' has already sat down again and another new addition to the faculty is having their own moment in the spotlight. Tara snaps her fingers in front of his face to seize his attention, and his head snaps towards her in turn, his gaze flustered and owlish.]
Sorry.
"Dr. Dekarios, are you quite alright?"
[Tara asks the question like she already knows the answer, and of course, she does. Gale shakes his head, the color having drained from his face.]
Just— a touch under the weather.
[A lie, and Tara knows it, but she fixes a hard gaze on him with a frown that tells him they'll be discussing this at length later, and he gives a vague nod of acceptance. No doubt they will, because it would be useless for him to try to keep anything from her for any length of time, but gods, he had not expected Eva to be the woman who caused him to feel as though the floor had dropped out beneath him today.
The meeting goes on as planned. A third new professor is introduced, and afterwards, at last Ariel has her turn to take the stage and talk about her ideas for the semester to come as the newly-appointed dean. Gale doesn't hear most of it, and it seems unfathomable to him that the woman he had dreaded seeing for weeks now, the one who had driven him to drink and keep even more erratic hours than usual, to be impulsive in hopes of forgetting for just a short while— now, she barely even registers to him.
Half an hour later and the meeting is over with. Some faculty members are lingering to chat with one another, while others are taking their leave quickly. Ariel, thankfully, seems to think herself too important to stay, and he's infinitely grateful that she leaves without speaking to him, though she does meet his gaze for an uncomfortable period on her way past, her facade as icy as ever when she does so. Tara has to excuse herself almost immediately, having an appointment to keep, but sharply informs him that he'll be explaining himself over dinner that evening, and she'll not hear a word otherwise.
Left to his own devices, Gale fumbles his way through gathering up his things, feeling even more anxious than he had upon arrival that morning— gods, were his palms sweating?— and he wishes fervidly that he could summon up that old confidence of his as easily as he'd managed to that first night in Eva's company, but she's precisely the reason why he can't.
Having collected his belongings, he makes his way towards the end of the aisle to filter out of the lecture hall behind some of the others, giving a passing nod to Professor Wroot on his way past, but the center aisle is so congested that it's clear none of them are going anywhere terribly quickly, or at least slipping out unnoticed.
Lovely.
He glances back towards where the newly-announced Professor Steinbeck had been sitting, his stomach twisting as his heart rises into this throat. What came next? Did they never speak of it again? Did they simply pretend it never happened? Anything he thought might come of their text exchanges was almost certainly off the table, but avoiding one another entirely would be impossible— and likely raise more eyebrows than anything else.]
no subject
But mere minutes pass and the biologist pair have other places to be and their own business to attend to. They give their farewells and as they pass Professor Dekarios, give a nod of acknowledgement to the astrophysicist.
He's so close. Her mistake from a week ago is approaching and she doesn't see any other way out. And it has to be her imagination, her own stress tricking her, but there were still people in the room and that meant many eyes that could linger and many mouths that could talk.
Act. NATURAL.
When Professor Dekarios is close enough, she turns and tilts her head with an inscrutable expression on her face. Next, she stands up and looks him straight in the eye and speaks first before any suspicious silence and gazes between them can fill the air.]
Hello. I don't believe we've properly introduced ourselves.
[The new professor sticks out her hand towards her senior colleague.]
You've heard my name, but I'll say it again just in case.
[There's a low burning fire in those emerald eyes, but unlike that night, it's chillier and severe.]
Professor Amelia Eva Steinbeck. I'm glad to make your acquaintance.
no subject
He intends to continue telling himself just that until he actually believes it, but he still looks owlish and mildly startled when 'Eva' introduces herself to him without so much as batting an eyelash, all confidence and sharp edges and with her gaze significantly colder than he remembers.
Gods, is he sweating?
Get ahold of yourself, Gale.
He composes himself quickly before how rattled he is has a chance to show through more than it already has, although given the donut incident, he doesn't know that he has much hope of preserving his dignity. His expression is largely neutral as he clears his throat softly and takes the offered hand, giving it a firm shake.]
Dr. Gale Dekarios, astrophysics.
[So, 'Eva' wasn't entirely fabricated. He grips her hand perhaps a bit harder than necessary without meaning to, and carefully schooled as his face may be, shock and uncertainty are still very present in his gaze.
Veiling his emotions has never been his strongest suit.]
Welcome to Waterdeep University. Hopefully you and the rest of your fellows will— feel at home here in Blackstaff Hall.
no subject
[Impressively enough, her face betrays nothing, not even when his grip is firmer than necessary. It's not as if she's particularly good at hiding her own emotions, but in this case, Professor Steinbeck is putting up an impressive front. As long as she has a head start, most people's impression on the woman is one with a neutral, if strict, demeanor with little room for nonsense.
If she isn't known, she can't be figured out. There's no room to be vulnerable in these precarious circumstances.
She drops her hand and takes a hold of her bag.]
I suppose we'll be seeing each other around although there's no doubt our upcoming schedules will keep us busy.
[In other words: "It's not a good idea to talk about what happened and no, there will never be a good time."]
no subject
Either she was a good actress, or he thought entirely too much of himself. Which one didn't much matter, he supposed.]
I've no doubt— and any new job can demand enough attention that there's hardly time for socializing.
[Suddenly, he had a much clearer idea of what she'd been preparing for this past week.]
I'm sure you'll find our faculty here to be— colorful. I hope any sour moods about having to share the building will quickly ease.
[Though he truly does speak of their own colleagues, there's something else there, as well. "We don't have to be strangers."]
no subject
The science types seem to be of a good sort here. I've no complaints about anyone or having to share the building yet.
[Good, this is good. Plain and perfunctory conversation is the name of the game and hopefully for the long run between them.]
I'm sure everyone is more than capable of making do. I know I am.
[The room is beginning to empty and Amelia digs into her pocket to check her texts. The plan was to have lunch off-campus with Berna so there's that excuse readily made for her to make her exit.]
Well, we should get going. Don't let me keep you here, Dr. Dekarios.
no subject
She had the right of it, surely. Maintain a professional distance, as much as was possible, especially since standing here in front of her made his chest uncomfortably tight and made something stick at the back of his throat. God above, if he'd ever needed a reminder that he was not the sort for drunken debauchery, surely, this was it.]
Of course. You have things to do, I'm certain.
[He can hear his voice falter, ever so slightly, but he clears his throat in a mostly vain attempt to cover it. Technically, he had plenty of other things to do, as well, and yet each and every one of them inconveniently escapes him at the moment.]
I— do hope you enjoy your time at Blackstaff.
[He begins to gather himself up and turn back towards the aisle proper to head out the door with an exhale to steady himself the moment he's sure she can't see his face in full, but he barely makes it two steps before an older gentleman who looks like he likely should have retired two decades earlier approaches with a hand raised to hail Dr. Dekarios himself, his stride and energy both far stronger than his age would suggest.
"Gale, my boy! I was hoping to catch you. There were a few things I thought we might discuss if you've the time, though I also come bearing a message. The new dean would like to speak to you in her office before you leave the building."
Gale pales visibly, but there's a brief twitch of his temple as he resists the urge to point out that she might have asked him herself.]
Elminster— of course, thank you.
[He sounds a touch too mild to be truly grateful, but he'll take the excuse to leave the room with purpose, possibly something to preserve his dignity— though if Dr. Manx wished to see him, he doesn't imagine he'll have much of that left before the day is out. He glances back towards 'Eva' just once, his expression conflicted more than apologetic. Truly, he had expected this day to be uncomfortable, but not like this.]
Good day, Professor Steinbeck. Best of luck with your semester.