Fourth Floor Common Room | Saturday Evening

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

With the television most deliberately not on, Elphaba went about preparing herself a late dinner. She'd been distracted by her readings. Not class readings, no, but instead her own elective ones. Books on animals, mainly, but now she was branching into farming and other things.

She didn't do things by halves.

Right now, she was cutting up vegetables for a salad. While she worked, she took bites of a delicious red apple. While she was making the salad mainly for herself, there'd be more than enough if anyone cared to join her.

[ooc: Open common room = open post!]/small>

Comments

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Well, it has been quite a few hours since lunch," Elphaba said. "I would assume most people are hungry at this time. It isn't much of a similar mind set, I'd say."

She wasn't trying to be contrary, just express what she thought.

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

And it was simply that what she thought was contrary?

Either way, Alexander didn't seem quite bothered by it; in fact, he grinned a little more. "It's very similar," he offered, "just perhaps broader than I had first anticipated. What are you making? And would you like any help?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"It's just a salad," Elphaba said. "I haven't had much of a stomach for other things, lately." For reasons she thought might be a bit rude to share, really. "I suppose you could finish cutting the tomato, if you really wish to help."

She set down the knife and took a step back.

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

Not even Alexander was immune to thinking there was a joke in there about salad related to Elphaba's skin tone, but Alexander did have enough decorum (and self preservation) to keep such thoughts to himself.

"I would love to," he said, "but only if you feel it wouldn't be intruding. I feel quite comfortable in a kitchen, but I also know how odd it can feel to have someone else doing the work for you."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

And it was quite good of Alexander to exercise that restraint. It would not have ended prettily.

"Well, we can think of it as trade," Elphaba said, folding her hands neatly in front of herself. "You will finish the work and in payment you can have some of the salad. That seems only fair, don't you think?"

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"More than fair," Alexander said with a laugh, taking up the knife. "Considering you've already done some work and I hardly find it work anyway."

And, as he took to cutting with ease and skill, he asked, "How are you enjoying your time at Fandom High so far, Elphaba?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba's face furrowed with thought. It was a fairly straightforward question, one that so many would just reply with an instant reaction.

For her, though, it seemed complicated.

"I suppose I enjoy my time in Fandom as much as can be expected," she finally said. "It is certainly different then home, and my classes are quite stimulating."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

One question Alexander could have asked had to deal with what exactly Elphaba had expected but, instead, as he finished the tomato and moved on to a pepper, he asked, "Which ones are you taking?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Ethics, a class on revolution, and another on symbolism," Elphaba said. "They're all very in depth, very enlightening. I fear I may not have made a good impression on the Ethics instructor, though."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"No?" asked Alexander, frowning slightly for Elphaba's predicament. "What makes you believe so?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"When he seemed to have personal experience with something as part of a class discussion, I asked him about it," she said. "And he was very direct in telling me it was not a matter for me to know about. Which I'd say defeats the point of having a class discussion, if the teacher can just say he doesn't want to talk about it."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"What was the topic of this discussion? And perhaps that was the point? It does seem a little bit of an odd way to go about it, but it certainly has you questioning the ethics of an instructor who expects one thing out of his students while avoiding the same of himself."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"I suppose it was personal," Elphaba said. "And it wasn't something he wished to talk about. But if it meant so much to him, why base the class discussion around the subject? I'm not going to feel sorry for my curiosity. Especially when I only meant well."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"Nor do I think you should," said Alexander with a slight nod. Of course, he enjoyed the freedom of curiosity now because it carried the threat of death before, so he might have been a little biased. "And, really, if he does hold that against you, then perhaps it could merely be a sign that he is not a fellow who would be someone to interact with outside of class."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"I don't think it would be appropriate to interact with him outside of class much, even without this," Elphaba said. "He is a teacher and I am a student. We're not supposed to be... friends."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"Well, that is true," Alexander agreed, "although there is usually a potential for a mentor approach to things, to have someone older and wiser to guide you in your own decisions and experiences..."

Not that he'd ever really had someone like that, but that was beside the point, of course.

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"True," Elphaba said, musing over the idea. "But that is still a role of a teacher, just a more personal one. I've never had a mentor, and I doubt I ever will, though."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"I have never had a mentor either," Alexander admitted. "But there are people I greatly admire and aspire to be. And, you know, you never did mention what exactly the topic in question was..."

Alexander really couldn't help being terribly curious.,

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"It had to do with whether we would tell someone their future, if we knew it," Elphaba said. "And I supposed that it would be awful to know something horrible was to happen, and to actually cause it to happen by trying to stop it from happening. And the instructor seemed to react as if he had personal experience in such things."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps he does," Alexander said thoughtfully, "and he had just not been expecting one of his stupids students to hit so close to the mark."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I have no doubt that he does," Elphaba said. "Though why he'd want to relive painful memories for the sake of our education is beyond me, especially when the subject rarely comes up in one's life."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps it's not so rare in some people's lives," Alexander reasoned, "and I suppose some people might be very dedicated..."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"Very possibly," Elphaba said. She sighed. "I am not certain if I offended or not. It's rare I'm given a chance to offend of my own free will instead of merely assaulting their eyes because of how I was born."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

Alexander quirked an eyebrow at that, uncertain as to whether following that comment into further discussion was impolite or not. After all, one could only assume that Elphaba meant her skin, but if she did not and he mentioned something....

"I suppose," he offered congenially, "that time shall tell, and, if your questions did in fact offend, then perhaps it would give the teacher the opportunity to rethink that particular approach to avoid such complications in the future. That, I think, would be the smartest move."

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba nodded in agreement, getting a little more comfortable in Alexander's company.

"It will be a matter of time, yes. Speaking of time, how much long are you going to take with the rest of that salad?"

She gave him a slight smirk, she was merely teasing, like a friend.

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"One can't rush good food," Alexander grinned, taking his own teasingly reprimanding tone. "And it's almost finished, pending one very important question. Do we want cheese on our salads or no cheese?"

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"No cheese, no thank you," Elphaba said, for reasons she would only elaborate on if pressed. "Just good old fashioned vegetables for me, thank you. If you wish some on yours, please keep it separate from mine."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

"It's fine without," said Alexander with a nod. "I've never been too terribly picky."

And, deftly, he found two bowls, dished out a heftier portion of salad for Elphaba than for himself, and handed the bowl over to her.

"Your dinner, madam," he said, thinking it was much nicer to serve to a madam than a sir, even though he still couldn't shake the feeling that she was probably a witch, if not destined to be one.

It was the skin, really, though he knew he shouldn't make such generalizations.

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

"I am hardly deserving of such honorifics," Elphaba said. "But thank you, sir." She took the salad and smiled. "So have you managed to make any impressions on your instructors?"