Intermezzo [Open]

[professahhh]

WHO: Luke Triton and OPEN
WHERE: Throughout Recolle
WHEN: March!
WHAT: Ruffians, interviews, and other things.
WARNINGS: Reckless violin endangerment

News at 7;
[ Luke Triton had a tape recorder in his breast pocket, and a notepad and pen in hand as he wandered the city streets: a short British boy in shorts and a little blue cap. He had the air of someone trying to be as close to a professional journalist as possible. ]

Pardon me, do you have a spare moment? I'm looking for an interview subject.

Plucking great;
[ Luke was walking home carefully, looking both ways before entering the intersection. It was a bit of a bother to walk home, truth be told; the instrument case at his side made negotiating crowds a bit difficult. But at least he didn't play the bass.

Just then, a small crowd of boys ran by and jostled him; the case fell from his hands and onto the sidewalk with a sickening skidding noise. ]

Oh no, my violin!

[ Before he could get to it, however, one of the taller boys grabbed its handle and hoisted it over his head. ]

Give that back, you!

Wildcard;
(A placeholder for whatever and whenever!)

Comments

[professahhh]

I'd say that's the marker of a good job, then! What do you like best about it?

[ Personally, Luke thought being a writer sounded more... well, romantic wasn't the right word. Mysterious? Cool?

But teaching wasn't too bad probably. ]

[voidedmemory]

[ Writing was a sort of romantic thing; it's why he'd wanted to, before. But things had changed, rather drastically, and he'd lost his will to do so. He's sure he could write...but he's not sure of what he'd write.

Better to stick to translations and essays, on the whole. Nice, solid things. ]

I like to see how my students handle the same task differently. Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves, and it comes out in how they write. Though sometimes they have...unique ways of doing so, especially if they do not like the class too much. [ It gets kind of awkward sometimes. ]

Do you have a job in mind for when you get older?

[professahhh]

[ Luke laughed. ] You mean they write about how much they'd rather be doing something else?

I don't know quite yet, but my dad's a veterinarian. I -- wait! I'm the one interviewing you!

[ Almost got him there, Mr. Teacher. ]

Is there something you like least about being an instructor?

[voidedmemory]

Most of them are not bold enough to say it outright, but sometimes, certainly. Not so good for essays, but very good for opinion pieces. I advised many of them that perhaps they are simply in the wrong field for writing, to varying degrees of success.
[ "Like least....", hm... Well, there's a few things, but he'll trim it down to one. ] Well, I have a passion for languages, and they live when they are spoken. It makes me sad to see students pick on one another for speaking this way or that way, but I can only do so much about it. I would think that would be my least favourite thing.

[ He does laugh a little at the outburst when it happens, but he saves his comments on it til last. ]
Ha ha, well! I think it is more interesting this way if I get to ask you questions too, even if it is not so conventional. I am not the most interesting interview subject, I will freely admit.

[ Translation: he's a shut in ]

[professahhh]

Well, I suppose that's true. It does seem a bit one-sided. But I don't think this is boring. At least, not compared to the claims adjuster I was talking to before.

[ RUDE, claims adjusting was no doubt a riveting, edge of your seat experience. ]

[voidedmemory]

Ah, numbers...I have never had much luck with those, I admit. I am not very inclined to mathematics, but this world is made up of many types of people!

[ He does think that sounds kind of boring though. ]

I am glad that this is a more exciting experience for you. Is this some kind of assignment for school?

[professahhh]

Yes -- they had us pick out questions from a list. I tried to pick out ones that I could ask anybody.

[ Some of the others had been about relationships and children, which he couldn't necessarily ask other younger people. ]

But I can't see why I couldn't just make up my own!

[voidedmemory]

It seems like it would be much more interesting to make up your own questions, but maybe they wanted a little more structure...it is hard to say.

If you did make up your own questions, though...I wonder what you would ask! Maybe you can put these ones 'off the record', as they say.

[professahhh]

Hmm... well, I suppose I'd start off by giving them a puzzle or riddle.

[ Of course... that wasn't really a question, was it? ]

And ask them if they have any pets.

[voidedmemory]

Well, sadly, I do not have any pets. Perhaps if plants count as pets, but they are significantly less active than domesticated animals.

Puzzles and riddles? Now I am curious as to what kind of puzzle you would give me...or maybe what kind of puzzle you would want other people to give you.

[professahhh]

Alright, then. I thought this puzzle up when I was thinking about sheep.

Each round involves a word that, when you remove 'ba' from it, forms a second word! All you need to do is tell me what the two words are, and I'll give you a hint for each pair. Does that make sense?