Thread: The Dirty Part of Physics [ClockworkCadence ║ Ryees]

It was impossible to tell what would happen next as fierce gazes burned into each other, neither willing to back down as two wills clashed against one another. At this point, Olivia didnt quite careshe wasnt about to stand here and be told she had to change her very core beliefs. Shed face the consequences of that in whatever form it tookmaybe he really would kill her, maybe hed throw her out of class. Or maybe his mood would completely one-eighty, as an odd smile blossomed on his face and the gun disappeared from view. She didnt bother to hide the bit of shock and confusion that flashed across her expression, shoving her wand into the little elastic band shed sewn on the inside left side of her skirts waistband as the danger and intensity dissipated from the room. Wait, what? Correct? Had he expected this answer the whole time? He might have been brilliant with convoluted ways to teach a lesson before this moment, but this? This was just too surprising, even for himmaybe she overestimated her ability to understand him after only one day. His unorthodox methods seemed more boundless than what she originally thought. A strangely genuine expression graced his face, something she was trying to decipher whether shed imagined it or not even as he turned his attention to his desk, finding a box with hauntingly beautiful quills. Of course hed have medieval torture devices just laying around in his class. It was almost worth asking just where in the world he got access to these and if someone had actually approved them for class use, but it definitely wasnt worth disturbing this bizarre sense of fragile peace that had surfaced. Andwas that actually sympathy she heard in his voice? Indeed it washe seemed to understand fully if people decided to leave the class. Heck, he would even support their decision. That was surprisingly, well bold, and caring of him. He was allowing them a way out, knowing full well that some would indeed choose to do just that. He would let those people go and spread the word of what happened today, surely tainting his name and maybe even getting him in trouble with the higher-ups. Yet he seemed fully prepared for any consequence that may come, and he welcomed the possibilitiesa mature gesture that Olivia couldnt help but to respect, despite how much he might not deserve it after his actions. Then the smile camea gentle sort of upturn of the lips that starkly contrasted with his usual cold demeanor that left her a bit dumbstruck. It was genuine, and it was the one thing that reminded her that he was humanhe had impossibly flawed humanity just like the rest of them. He wasnt some robot, as much as he may seem like onesomewhere deep in there, he was a man trying his best, just like everyone else. But somewhere on the surface, that person was starting to show his true colors. It might have been the first time Olivia really looked at him. He was a man not too much older than her, with a handsome face that cautiously hid its true beauty beneath a veil of harsh stoicism and an intelligent mind that must have been misunderstood countless times throughout his life. He was unpredictable only through the virtue of his thoughts and processes being so markedly different from the typical persons. He operated differently than everyone elsethat wasnt necessarily a bad thing, it just might take a bit of time to fully understand him, as long as she kept her mind open. He seemed to remind her of someone, but the connection was hiding on the back of her tongue, not ready to be made known to her yet. All she knew was that it was quite eye-opening to hear him fully acknowledge his eccentricities, not only bringing them to light but accepting that it was a part of him, a strong part that he used well. He was intriguing, a man that she couldnt quite figure out, but knew that amazing things were hiding deep within. She didnt doubt that he was capable of teaching her more than shed probably ever learned before, and that was the simple fact that drove her to solidify her decision in her mind, before shed even moved. But she finally moved from her spot within her circle, feeling like a lifetime had passed since she had returned to the rest of the class as she approached him, carefully neutral gaze meeting his as she accepted the quill from him. He was righttoday had changed her somehow. The implications of that werent quite clear to her just yet, but one thing she did know for sure was that she was ready. Ready to face more of his surprising challenges, ready to figure out the man normally hiding behind a robotic face and unpredictabilityshe was going to stay. She was going to truly learn. The rest of the class appeared to follow her lead, all shuffling to the front as she found her way back to her seat, pausing to give the bronze armadillo a quick pet as it sat at the edge of Professor Sherlins deskapparently it had scuttled its way back here, and had watched everything with the same enthusiasm shed expect from someone that had watched paint dry for a few hours. As she sat back down in her desk, her mind started to reel with its desire to process the day, ready to go home and study everything that had happened. But there was one more thing she had to do. Her notebook was still left open from the notes shed scribbled at the beginning of class, eyes looking over the words as if shed discovered something shed written years ago instead of merely minutes. Promptly, the tip of the shiny black quill pressed firmly onto the page, deliberately sliding across the page as loops and lines formed a single word. As her fist clenched around the instrument in pain before tucking it safely away into her bag, her resolve began to bleed across the words that were etched into her skin like a promisethe word was small, but the impact of it was huge. Yes. She had said yes to the challenges and moral conflicts shed undoubtedly face. Shed said yes to his surprising methods that would invariably push her beyond her limits. Shed said yes to learning from the worlds most insane professor with a confident grin as she tossed her notebook into her bag and found her way out the door. The rest of the class had been not-so-subtly watching her, something seeming to shift in their demeanor as they all found the red word screaming out from the back of her hand. The woman whod taken the brunt of the days events had still walked out of here with a smile, and would actually keep returning as many times as she wanted to. Was she just as insane as he was, or did she see the true value of the knowledge he could give them all? If it was the latter, it was clear that shed deemed this knowledge important enough to endure whatever might be thrown at her over the course of the next few months. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was worth pursuing through the hardship. The result of her action's influence on her classmates' decisions would reveal itself tomorrow. But for now, Olivia made her way through the foreign building, determination coursing through her veins as a silent affirmation rang out in her thoughts I'm not giving up.