Between the two of us I'm sure we'll manage fine. [ at least she sounds entirely confident of it—whatever his deficits as a teacher, she can make up for with her prowess as a student.
reading people, their emotions and intentions, is more difficult over the crystal. the voice gives away only a piece of the puzzle, and ness is accustomed to having more than just the outer edges to work with when trying to divine the whole. still, there are tells: hesitations, breaths, speed. little things that all tell the story of one's true feelings, if they aren't given to hiding them. ]
We don't have to, if you'd prefer to leave it in the past.
[ imagine you left a thing, whatever your reasons, and people still only saw that thing when they looked at you. imagine how much that would grate, what an albatross that would be to carry. ]
You can just be Professor Orlov to me, if you like.
[ her smile is audible as she suggests it—it's a bit of a joke—but she's sincere, too, just as sincere as she was in her initial curiosity about his thoughts. ]
no subject
reading people, their emotions and intentions, is more difficult over the crystal. the voice gives away only a piece of the puzzle, and ness is accustomed to having more than just the outer edges to work with when trying to divine the whole. still, there are tells: hesitations, breaths, speed. little things that all tell the story of one's true feelings, if they aren't given to hiding them. ]
We don't have to, if you'd prefer to leave it in the past.
[ imagine you left a thing, whatever your reasons, and people still only saw that thing when they looked at you. imagine how much that would grate, what an albatross that would be to carry. ]
You can just be Professor Orlov to me, if you like.
[ her smile is audible as she suggests it—it's a bit of a joke—but she's sincere, too, just as sincere as she was in her initial curiosity about his thoughts. ]