45th of Ymiden 720
Orientation made for an interesting adaptation for Zemos. While he wasn't a stranger to crowds, and enjoyed being in the thick of the human experience, academia was an entirely different creature. People didn't take kindly to close contact. There were strange concepts about personal space and privacy that were entirely alien to Zemos. Why did his fellow students object to his interruptions and arrivals to their dormitories? Did they have something to hide? Were they mentally diseased?
"Hmmmzzmm..." Zemos hummed as he considered these deep philosophical quandaries. At any rate, it was a culture shock to be suddenly in the thick of middle class society when he'd spent much of his life at the bottom. In fact, he didn't remember a time before he showed up at the auction block, and it'd taken the better part of a few seasons to rebuild his basic mental functioning by his kind former master, Malach.
In any event, he was here now, and so horribly alone. His only consolation during these lonely times in the Academy, in the library researching projects and various things for his supervising professors, were the fellow students. At least they hadn't had the fun and wonder stripped from their minds yet. For despite the loneliness, Zemos was quite overtaken by the splendor and marvel of the University. So many strange things just lie around the corner, every square inch seemed packed with all kinds of knowledge and accumulated wisdom, just at his fingertips. He wanted to know more, always more.
The small egg inside his soul sent suggestions to mingle with the others, and share the leavings of his blessing with them, and spread his communicable disease. But this voice he silenced. He couldn't afford another brazen incident such as the one in the infirmary, or the sentence might be harsher next time. Even so, he found himself drifting rather close to several students during the day. One student in particular, she was what they called an Eidisi, in particular captured his interest. She was often isolated from the others, sitting by her lonesome in the library when out on research inquiries. Zemos found himself staring more than once.
Sometimes she would sense his eyes on the back of her head, and look up to glance at him in annoyance. He'd duck shyly back behind his own research tome, and continue his perusal of the poison lexicon compiled by one.... Trandino Adarius. It was a thick tome, full of obscure language that was hard to decipher at times for the student. He hummed, reading aloud as his custom was when reading texts he found particularly difficult. Several times he found himself shushed by his surrounding students. Yet, one time, when it was just he and that Eidisi woman, he'd be able to read in peace, without having his process interrupted by their incessant shushing.
This particular afternoon, the Eidisi, perhaps annoyed, or mingling with pity for the poor former slave, stood up from her corner. From there, she began making her way over to Zemos. Zemos' bright phosphorescent green eyes widened at her approach. He marveled at the cold beauty of her blue skin, the way it matched so much of the icy architecture of the city itself. She was wearing a voluminous robe, that spoke of a life of comfort, ease, and abundance. She was rich, at least by Zemos' standards.
She leaned over his shoulder as he sat there, "Go on then, read your book." She said, when Zemos glanced over his shoulder at her. At her words, he shrugged, but resumed his words.
"T-toxeen is made from sever all ree-agents..."
He heard a sigh midway through his textual reading, and she pointed at the words, enunciating them in the proper tone and pronunciation. Thus did Zemos find a study buddy. It was weird, she wouldn't talk to anyone, oh no, but she practically hung over Zemos to give him a free tutor session!
When his reading concluded, with her correcting every mispronunciation, he looked across at her. She wore a stern look on her face, "Why do you help Zemos? I have no nel."
"Talk about it. Your butchering of common offends my ears. Keep what nel you have, I'd rather you read better buzz and hum while scratching out sounds that barely sound comprehensible." She sighed, and crossed her arms over the table, leaning into it.
"You know language? Do you know Xanthean? I speak good in that."
Her eyes flashed in interest, and recognition as she heard 'Xanthean'. Then she went on to speak perfectly, as if she'd grown up in Desnind herself, "Yes, I speak all kinds of langauges. We had a house slave who was a Sevir, when I was young. I picked up her language as a matter of course."
Zemos nodded, and wondered at her forthrightness. Normally Sevir were a bit touchy about the subject of slavery, but not Zemos. He didn't care for the morality of it, even having suffered as a slave for a while. It was just the world he lived in.
"Will you be my teacher? Perhaps we can help each other with our studies, what are you in here for learning?"
"I'm here to learn Alchemy, institute of Sciences. I'm Sophilie by the way." She smiled thinly, and extended a hand.
Zemos tentatively reached out to take her hand, and shook it, "Pleasure, Sophilie? I am Zemos. I'm in here to learn about... Toxicology. Poisons, drugs, homeopathic therapies and so on." It was a poorly told lie, which made even Zemos cringe internally a bit.
"Oh, interesting. Planning on being the next black market candyman, distributing in the Devil's Advocate?" She chuckled at the suggestion, but that was indeed what many studying poisons tended to go with their lives. So many poisoners had failed out of the university process, for the promise of easy money once they'd learned all they 'needed' in order to resume their elicit activities.
"Candyman?" Zemos frowned at the term, not familiar with what candy had to do with poison. Perhaps something wa slost in translation? "No, I learn to figure out what makes the body stop. What makes bodies stop. I want to learn everything!"
Her eyes flashed in interest, yet she held her straight face well. "Well, Zemos, maybe we should remain in contact afterall? I can be your tutor and translator as needed, if you would agree to a mutual exchange of knowledge for knowledge?"
Zemos nodded excitedly, and reached out to shake her hand with both of his, "Yes! Let us learn together!"
So the uncertain and odd partnership was formed in the corner of the Atheneum.
46th of Ymiden 720
The next morning, after making the walk from his bunk in the lowest Prism, and hoofing it over to the Academy, Zemos met up with Sophilie. She was seated in the same spot in the library, surrounded by several books. Zemos as he watched her, tried to decipher the various letterings on the books that she'd gathered, but they were inscrutable. Not in common langauge. Crestfallen that he would not be able to read them at all, he nevertheless made his way over toward her. Once there, he took a seat next to her. The stacks of books gave them a measure of privacy. Nobody seemed to question the stack of books by Sophilie. It was normal for her, apparently, to stack books up in her deep study sessions.
So their lesson began, and she began translating for him, from the ancient language written on the pages. At times, he tried to get her to read certain words in ancient language. However, she flatly ignored these requests, and instead recited them in Xanthean for him. Shrugging, he continued to listen, as she related their hidden wisdom of Toxicology. Such deep and precious secrets were these pieces of long buried lore! How long had these books remained on the shelves?
It was then that Zemos began to notice something crawling over the surface of one of the books pages. Some kind of larval moth, chewing and digesting the parchment that made up the pages. Zemos was momentarily distracted by this, taking to staring at the bug with fascination while Sophilie continued her reading to him.
He must have been staring for quite a while, as she suddenly bluted out, "Zemos! Are you even listening to me?"
"Uhhh... No I'm, I'm sorry. There's a worm on the book." Zemos pointed out his little friend, which was crawling up the body of a particularly fleshy book. Sophilie shrugged, and squished the worm.
Internally, Zemos and the egg screamed out in unison, "Nooooooooo!"
