"Hmm...so I need to cancel out these two numbers here?"
"That's right. This one and this one." Adley Soring patiently marks out two figures in the workbook with a pen while Colette leans over the desk attentively.
They are currently in a small room, separated by a large hardwood desk. Two spots of tea in white porcelain cups, rather than glasses of alcohol, sit atop a small mound of neatly stacked folders.
"I get it now." Colette looks up at her mentor with a squinted smile and twinkly green eyes. "Thanks again for doing this, Professor Soring. You make it seem so much easier."
"Assistant Professor." Soring chuckles while sliding the workbook back to her side.
The evening prior, he had attempted to provide a tutoring session for this struggling pupil at her place of work, but the clamor and general volume at a pub scene make it a nigh impossible task. They had agreed then that Colette would make time to come to his office the following morning.
"Assistant Professor Soring sounds rather awkward, don't you think?" Colette closes her workbook and giggles.
"Then call me Adley."
"Oh, I couldn't do that."
"I don't mind. Many of my students do. Some are quite older than me, actually." Soring lets out another chuckle and reclines into his office chair, taking a sip from his teacup.
"It's rather amazing though, that you could be a professor at your age..." Colette rests her chin in her palm while gazing at him with a grin. "Most of my other professors have got to be older than the Queen. Professor Horton probably is."
"Haha, I assure you. He is not. I know him personally."
"Do you now...hey, what's that?"
As Adley picks up his stack of folder and moves them aside, Colette notices a small armored figurine, holding what appears to be a sword. Her eyes light up instantly.
"Oh, don't tell me...You're a fanboy of the Blade Crusader Series?"
"I prefer the term 'enthusiast'. Thank you very much." Adley glances over at her with amusement in his voice.
"You're a fanboy." Colette quips.
"Enthusiast." Adley insists.
"That's alright. I'm a fangirl." Colette springs to her feet and straightens out her T-shirt. "Well, I'm starving. It's almost ten thirty. How about let's go grab some chow? It's my treat since you..."
"Don't say 'chow'..." Adley's warning came too late as a shadowy figure pounces on the tabletop, knocking over a desk lamp. "Whoa! Easy there, Sheffield!"
"What is that?" Colette's eyes widen with curiosity at what could only be described as a small mechanical beast in the likeness of a dog, joints connected with various wires and hydraulic contraptions. Small puffs of steam escape from various crevices as the beast wriggles about on the desk.
"This is Sheffield, my personal security." Adley opens a drawer and pulls out a tube and begins lubriacting various parts of his machine.
"I programmed him to respond to voice activation. I forgot to mention that 'chow' is one of his trigger words."
"You built him?" Deeply impressed, Colette gingerly reaches out toward the snout of the dog. "That is incredible! Not to mention it's rather cute..."
"This is part of my cybersecurity research here at the college. Sheffield is still a prototype so I only use him in the office, but hopefully soon we'll be able to test him in broader areas of campus security." Adley explains patiently as he touches a switch to put the dog to sleep. "Now then, what shall we have for brunch?"
Moments later, the two of them are settled at a picnic table in the campus courtyard with drinks and burgers. Colette leans forward with a wide grin before taking a bite out of her burger.
"I promise next time I'll treat you to something better."
"Haha, this is fine. It's not all that different from what I usually eat." Adley picks up his burger to take a bite.
As the pair polish off their quick meal, they decide to continue their tutoring session right there in the courtyard, under the cloudless October sky, for what seems like another thirty minutes or so.
"Hey there, cutie. Quite studious there, aren't we?" A cheery voice chimes out behind Colette. She turns back to see a spirited young woman with brunette hair tied into a ponytail, sporting a pair of denim capris and a polo tee with the emblem of the college athletic department embroidered just above the left breast pocket.
"Oh, Lilia!" Colette's face lights up seeing 24-year-old Lilia Fasari, a sports management student who work-studies as an equipment manager for the campus volleyball club. The two of them have been friends since their secondary school days.
"Still racking your brain over this math class?"
"Oh, not anymore." Colette gestures across the picnic table, where Adley looks up and nods agreeably. "This is Prof-- Assistant Professor Adley Soring. He's been kind enough to offer me his tutelage on the material. So I think I'm all set for that exam next week."
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Lilia Fasari. Please pardon my intrusion." Lilia pushes back a streak of dark brown hair and extends a hand to the young scholar.
"No worries, we were just finishing up." Adley rises to his feet and exchanges pleasantries with the young woman.
"So, what brings you to the nerd table, love?" Colette lifts her head.
"Well, since the weather today is so unbelievably pleasant, a few members of the volleyball club are getting a little outdoor game started." Lilia looks up at the sky, then smiles at Colette:
"I saw you sitting here and wanted to see if you're up for a little action."
"That sounds brilliant! But I think my tutor gets the last word..." Colette grins and squints those alluring green eyes at Adley.
"Exercise is something I would highly recommend after a long study session." Adley nods approvingly, which brings Colette to her feet as she reaches forward and eagerly taps the back of his hand.
"Good call, let's go!"
"Wha...me?"
"Well, yes. You're not leaving me alone to get bullied by the sports manager here, are ya?" Colette beckons him to play along with a wide playful nudge. "Come on, we can be on the same team!"
Wringing out a smile, Adley obliges with a shrug and follows the ladies. Soon they've arrived at the edge of a grassy hill. Down the slope is a sand pit with a volleyball net erected in the middle. A few people can be seen already hitting around a ball. One of them looks up and calls out:
"Com'on! Let's get started! Or we'll start without you!"
"Coming! Coming!" Lilia sprints down the slope with Colette and Adley closely behind. As they approach the group Colette pouts her lips.
"Che, it's bloody him."
"Who?" Adley looks at the crowd then back at Colette.
"My stupid older brother." She points to a man with sandy blonde hair and a small patch of facial hair on his chin, talking to Lilia. His uniform shirt unbuttoned, flapping about carelessly in the late morning breeze like a light blue banner.
"He works here as campus security, but I've never seen him do any work." As she explains, a figure on the top of the adjacent hill catches her eyes.
"Hmm? Isn't that...?" Colette narrows her eyes intently, then waves enthusiastically. "Hey there, roomie! Practicing hard for the festival?"
The black-clad figure waves back. Sitting on the edge of the slope with a jet black B.C. Rich Warlock electric guitar resting on one knee, 23-year-old Kazelle Evangelin, a music student and aspiring heavy metal guitarist at East London Career College, is also part of an indie band that is scheduled to perform at this weekend's Halloween festival.
"I've gotta meet with the band today to do a group session, so I'll be back later than usual!" Kazelle hollers back from atop the hill.
"Miss ya already. I'll see you back at home!" Colette blows her roommate an air kiss followed by a playful wink. "Right now I've gotta go kick my brother's arse in volleyball!" "Hey! I heard that you little twat!"
"Haha, okay. See you then."
"That roommate of yours..." Adley shifts his gaze from Kazelle to Colette. "Wasn't she the one who kicked out those rugby players last night?"
"Yep, that's Kazelle, alright." Colette skips beside him stride by stride. "She's totally badass, right? Don't worry. I'm pretty sure she's single. I'll be sure to let her know you're totally into her."
"No, no. I don't mean...."
Seeing the young scholar's face turn red, Colette bursts out into spirited laughter.
"Haha, relax, I'm joking!" Colette hugs her belly as they approach the sand pit. "I can't have you steal her from me!"
"Alright, kid. Stop firting and let's play ball." 26-year-old Corbin Graystone ambles over casually and flicks a piece of grass at his sister. Lilia walks beside him tossing a volleyball into the air.
"You two can be on my team. We'll show your brother who's boss."
"You must be the instructor who's been tutoring my little sister. Lilia mentioned you when she came down here." Corbin extends a hand to Adley, which he gladly accepts.
"Hopefully Cole hasn't been a pain in the ass."
Behind Adley, Colette makes a face.
"Hmph! At least I didn't drop out like somebody."
"Hey, hey! That's confidential. A family secret." Corbin ruffles his scruffy hair self-consciouly.
"Alright! Are we all set?" Lilia readies herself with the ball as all players take their side of the net. "Serve's up!"
As if on cue, Kazelle rips her fingers through the fret almost simultaneous to the serve and starts jamming away. Accompanied by the guitar, the players leap into action, with the seemingly athletically challenged young professor scoring several impressive points.
After about half an hour, with the sun high above signaling the approach of midday, Corbin drops to one knee in a fit of sweat.
"Well, looks like you got us..." He glances up across the net at Lilia with a panting smirk. "You oughta recruit our dear assistant professor to be an assistant coach on the volleyball club."
"Haha, I just might." Lilia wipes her brow with the back of her hand and glances back at Colette and Adley with a smile. "Our dear Nicolette sure knows how to pick her crop."
Colette, just as surprised, looks over at Adley red in the face.
"You never told me you were so good at volleyball!"
"You never asked." Adley slightly adjusts his glasses with a knowing grin. "And besides, for me, volleyball, or any other sports, is a matter of angles and physics. It just comes down to execution."
"Well, getting my ass kicked by you has been enlightening."
"Oh, please. You're too kind."
Corbin reaches around the net. The two men exchange pleasantries as Corbin slings his sweat-drenched uniform over his shoulder.
"I should get going now, my shift starts at noon and I probably should wash this shirt. Study hard, ya little twat." As Corbin turns to walk away and snaps his finger at Colette, who blows a raspberry at him, Adley turns to her with a chuckle.
"Your brother seems quite agreeable."
"Haha, seems he likes you too. He's only a jerk to people who are mean to his lil sis."
"You two seem to get along nicely." Adley decides to tease her a bit, but the response he got was not quite what he expected.
"Oh, he's a bit of an arse alright. But the fact is, I might not be here without him."
"Oh? How so?"
"Well...our parents couldn't afford to send us both to college. He didn't think he could finish college anyways, so he did a job training, dropped out, and picked up a full-time security guard gig to help pay for my schooling..."
The usual cheery Colette suddenly sinks into deep thought. Adley stands beside her, silently appreciating this unfamiliar side to his lively pupil.
"I respect a man who would put his family before himself." He gazes at Corbin's departing silhouette, sinking into deep thought himself.
"Are you two heading out now?" Their chain of thought is interrupted by Lilia, who approaches them after bidding farewell to Corbin and the other players.
"Oh yes. I'll probably study a bit more. If my tutor still has time for me..." Colette snaps back into the present and glances over at Adley, who gives her a reassuring nod. "How about you, Lilia?"
"Phew. I need to go back to my flat and take a shower. I'm supposed to lead a campus tour for new students before lunchtime."
As the trio bid farewell and go their separate ways, Kazelle walks off as well, holding a mobile phone to her ear. A gentle breeze combs through her short ponytail and softly jingles her little silver bell.
"Yes, I know, Kean. I'm heading over now."
