The Last Place You Look

by **Allison Rogers** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:47 pm

The teacher's lounge was actually a fairly decent place to be on the weekends. For one thing, very few of the teachers wanted to be in the office on the weekend, so there wasn't much in the way of traffic. There was a coffee machine handy and newspapers and the chairs were comfortable enough, so it was a decent place to be if you didn't want to be elsewhere. Allison was settled into one of the chairs, drinking a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper, enjoying the quiet of an office on a weekend.

((Open))

by **Roland Sackville** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 5:09 pm

Roland walked in, bags under his eyes, and groped for the coffee maker.

by **Allison Rogers** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 6:00 pm

"I would have thought you would be one of the ones who knew the value of a good night's sleep," Allison said without looking up from her paper.

by **Roland Sackville** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 6:15 pm

"Like anything valuable, it's rare."

by **Allison Rogers** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 6:23 pm

"You just have to learn how to invest in it then." Allison was in a particularly good mood.

by **Roland Sackville** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 6:33 pm

"Well, you seem to be in a particularly good mood," Roland noted. "What's going on?"

by **Allison Rogers** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 6:35 pm

"My life is going well for a very rare change. I may have just jinxed it, but I hope not."

by **Roland Sackville** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 6:55 pm

"Oh? What's changed?"

by **Allison Rogers** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 7:03 pm

"My significant other and I have reached some special milestones. That's... rare for me."

by **Roland Sackville** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 11:08 pm

"Is that so? Tell me, what passes for significant milestones these days?"

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 9:00 am

"We're talking about moving into the same place, among other things."

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 1:22 pm

"Oh, he isn't here at Xaviers?"

Roland was not tapped into the rumor mill.

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:11 pm

"No, she's here," Allison said. "We've just both been on our own for a while."

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:18 pm

"So, when you say she's moving into the same place..."

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:31 pm

"Oh, she's not moving in just yet," Allison said. "We're just talking about it. That's further than most of my relationships have gotten."

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:41 pm

"Talking is important," he said, after a moment's consideration.

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:47 pm

"I would be in the profession I'm in if I didn't think talking was important."

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:55 pm

"This is probably true. A bit slow-paced for me, but I see the utility."

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 3:04 pm

"Since we still have to work together regardless, it makes sense to make sure things work out."

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 3:08 pm

"Hrmm. Relationships with people in your camp are always rough."

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 3:17 pm

"Only if they fall apart. So what's been keeping you up?"

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 4:21 pm

"Oh, you know. Just...adapting to modern things, you know. That's me," he said, unconvincingly.

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 4:50 pm

"One would think that in all these years you would have learned to lie better," she said, turning the page of the newspaper.

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 4:59 pm

"Not much call for it," he said, defensively.

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:06 pm

"Is there an old time word for 'bullshit'?" She smiled at him, obviously just trying to rib him.

by **Roland Sackville** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:34 pm

"Balderdash," he said, fairly automatically. "That's one that must have fallen out of use when I was out of English areas."

by **Allison Rogers** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:45 pm

"I've heard the word before, but it has been out of circulation for a bit."

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 12:09 am

"It's a good one."

He paused.

"In truth, I'm having trouble...relating to some of my students."

by **Allison Rogers** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:16 am

"Join the club," Allison said. "Some students just seem to get under your skin, don't they?"

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 3:22 pm

"Something like that.

I'm afraid I've damaged my...rapport with some of my students. Cultural differences, I suppose you could say?"

by **Allison Rogers** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:14 pm

"An interesting conundrum, especially since you've had to adapt to cultures far more unusual to make it this far."

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:15 pm

"Well, normally I handle that by being aloof. Aloofness is universal, you know.

Or I would just stab them. Neither seems applicable in today's environment."

by **Allison Rogers** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:16 pm

"Not if you actually want to relate, no."

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:37 pm

"That's the difference. I'm trying to relate, but lots of things have changed. Constants aren't."

by **Allison Rogers** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:39 pm

"Like what sort of constants?" She folded the paper and got up to get herself another cup of coffee.

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:40 pm

"Well, let's take you. You're a solicitor.

Did your father sell you into service to a master solicitor, from whom you learned the trade?"

by **Allison Rogers** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:50 pm

"That sort of thing's actually been illegal for a while now, so no. I attended a university in the States and earned my degree."

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:55 pm

"Exactly. And yet, it seems perfectly logical to me. Children don't know what they want to do. Is it not a benefit to give them solid training right off the bat, when they are most able to learn?"

by **Allison Rogers** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 5:00 pm

"And have them end up doing something they hate? No. It's better to give them a solid foundation so that when they do know what they want to do, they have the tools to build what they want."

by **Roland Sackville** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 5:08 pm

"That is a very recent view.

You can see where the culture shocks might come in. That was just one example."

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