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Overneath the Path of Misinterpretation (Alvis Alendran&Malicious Lullaby)

Esther smiled and waited. That is of course until Amy came sauntering back. She watched, sipping her wine leisurely before it took a turn for some pretty interesting events. The kiss to her forehead and when she turned to look at her, stunned, she caught the wink. This took Esther completely off guard but something told her to play it off cool. So she did, sitting back comfortably in the really comfortable chair, crossing a leg over the other. “Yeah, what can I say? Chicks dig me.” She shrugged.
“Now fess up Harrison. Ask away.” She waved her hand idly at nothing in particular.
 
"Yes, apparently they do!" Harrison agreed. "And a question. All right, I'll give you a good and proper question. Why, Esther Martin, did you become a teacher. And be prepared to explain any of the reason, in case I ask after them." He told her, raising a wine glass in a salute. The quesion was a good thing, it kept his mind on track. Amy was either playing a wonderful joke, which was perfectly fine, or was actually interested in Esther, and that particular line of thought would lead him in delightfully depraved directions. But he would likely get lost in those.
 
Esther giggled and she sat up, but kept her leg crossed over the other. She held her glass of wine in her lap and then nodded her head. That really wasn’t a bad question at all. She let the silence loom over them momentarily so she could ponder it properly. “Well…I mean I was never really good at anything else. I can sing, yeah but I’m too much of a wuss to actually conquer stage fright.” That and her mom wasn’t alive anymore to distract her. Whenever she did sing, it was only for her parents or on her own. And she always stared at her mom when she sang rather than her dad. Her dad would make her way too shy with how much he smiled.

“But I realized I wanted to teach when I was fourteen. I had the greatest English teacher ever and I also learned I’m not bad at all in that subject. So I started applying myself better, built my confidence and got really passionate about it. Besides, every student who ends up being a teacher wants to torture their future students by making them go through exactly what that teacher went through as a student. I call it therapy.” Now of course, that last bit about torturing her students was a joke but it was also fun to greet their smiling faces only for them to be frowning and leaving in quite the down dumps by the time class was done. It amused her to no end.
 
Harrison nodded as she spoke. So far from what she'd said, she had gotten into teachiong for what he considered some of the good reasons. There were so many who did it for terrible reasons.
"There's a lot of power in that position. Teaching. More than people seem to realize. The ability to inspire, to actuall be a guiding hand to the young. So many teachers forget that, or lose track of it, or think of it as just another job. And it's not. And it never can be. So many opportunities to make a good impression, to give the students an experience to push them along their way. And instead just give them a nice dose of bureaucracy. It's a tragedy that's enacted out every day of the week. Ah, but I'm rambling now." He smiled at Esther, a faintly apologetic smile on his face.​
 
Esther leaned forward on the table, her arms crossed over the other and she just looked at him, listened to him and absorbed all his words. All of what he was saying. And what he was saying was exactly how she thought about teaching. Slowly, the neutral expression on her face started to form into a smile, a big smile. Since she was in ninth grade, she had wanted to teach the ninth grade. It just so happened that she also taught some senior classes but she had always wanted to teach freshmen. And it just felt like he got it when people would jokingly say she was committing suicide by wanting to teach high school, let alone freshman who were just crazy. It was true, they were crazy since they were at that age where they just wanted to be sort of in between being a kid and being a teenager. But she still loved it and whenever she had doubts, she thought back to when she was in ninth grade. And when she did, it just made her smile. She wasn’t a menace. She was just a shy kid, albeit overweight, and wanting to fit in and just get through and survive.

“No no no.” She shook her head and laughed softly. “No, it’s just really nice to hear that Harrison. That’s exactly how I think about it as well and it’s just really nice to know that I am not crazy for wanting to teach or wanting to teach high school when I’m only twenty-three. I mean I got so much joking flack for wanting to teach ninth grade. But I mean, teaching is teaching. And I don’t know…” She shrugged and looked away a bit. “It’s just nice to know that people like you see teaching as more than just someone supervising rowdy kids, no matter what grade. You see it the way I have always seen it. And that’s just…” For lack of a better word. “Cool.” She looked at him and smiled softly.

“I’m almost tempted to make you come into my ninth grade classes one day and strike terror in my students.” She grinned. Yeah, she would too.
 
Harrison smiled at the thought of being brought in as something of a scare tactic.
"And what role would you have me playing? The scary lawyer to put the fear of the Gods into the young?" He chuckled at the thought. He considered his next few words, what he could reveal. He took a slug of wine. What the hell? What did he have to lose?
"I didn't have a teacher like yours. One who gave me a nudge to make something of myself. Most of my teachers told me I may as well give it up and go home. I even listened to them for a while too. But I managed to scrape out enough of a education to slip into law school, and then went from there." He admitted. It had been a long time since he'd visited the memories of his now distant past. Not that what he'd learned back then had left him, but they were clearly not the most dominant traits in his personality any more.
 
She grinned and shrugged. “Something like that.” She said softly and picked her wine glass up and took a small sip. It was still tasty but if she kept drinking at the nervous rate she might have been before, she would be plastered. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t take little baby sips. No harm in that! Right?
Her eyes met his gaze however when he shared something more than what she was expecting. Was Harrison opening up to her or was this just some nice friendly little chit-chat? No, because what he said seemed more than what any hot shot lawyer would say. Yes, he was opening up. That was…well she felt honored. She felt honored when everyone would. They didn’t have to. But somehow they ended up doing so.

“Then that doesn’t make them real teachers. No teacher has a right to tell a student who might need extra attention and guidance that they should just give up. I don’t care what the time period was. That’s just…that’s bad teacher of the year award and I’m sorry you even had teachers like that.” Not to say she didn’t either. Primary education was the first field of teaching she ruled out instantly. No way was she going to teach a bunch of little kids. No way was she going to be held responsible for inadvertently scarring them.
 
Harrison smiled.
"Well, I'm not going to say I blamed them too much. I was...what's the correct term...I was what they called a problem child. I was out of class as often as in, and had a discipline record the length of my arm. That they caught me doing." He admitted, shaking his head. "Oh, I was not a model student. Or citizen. or person really. Making myself into a useful human being, that came later." He confessed. He did admit to himself he was understating thing a little. He had been more than a slight problem, he'd been a bloody epidemic at his school.
 
Esther grinned. “That in no doubt surprises me. Seems you use your power to trample over anything and everything, only this time you can’t get in trouble for it.” She swirled her wine a little bit, letting it wine a tad bit before looking back at him. “I’ll level with you Harrison. Had I gotten to be your teacher, I guarantee your life would be a lot different than it is now. Not saying you wouldn’t be a lawyer but you’d always think back to a certain crazy teacher who never put up with your shenanigans.” It was the kind of teacher she always aspired to be, the kind she was already becoming. The cool teacher that any could talk to and seek guidance from but at the same time, she was the kind of teacher that knew how to deal with kids with bratty tendencies and well…trampled all over them. It was never a boring day at school.
 
"It very well might have been. Though had you been my teacher then, I doubt you'd be sitting in the dining room at this estate, drinking hundred and sixty year old wine with me." He answered with a wink. "I did have a single teacher that stood his ground with me. Wouldn't let me just slide through. He tried I think. More than he probably should. And more than I deserved at the time. As much as I'd like to blame the teachers, it was also my fault. I don't think I really wanted them to be able to save me. That teacher did have me thrown out of that school eventually. In response to the broken nose he earned from dealing with me. Hindsight being what it is, I can't say I blame him really." It was not an admission he usually did. After all, what use was there in dredging up the distant past? Sometimes, it was just to remind him of how far he'd come. Sometimes to simply acknowledge what he'd gained, and how he'd gained it. Truth be told, he wasn't quite so different than the idiot Donnie had been. Different enough to not be a complete waste of skin, but there'd been a time when he'd come perilously close.
 
“A teacher’s only as good as a student lets them be but I never really believed in that entirely. It goes hand in hand, sure. And yeah, there are certain lines and if you…” She made a face and sighed. “Actually break a teacher’s nose, even I’d put my hands up but you could also look back to where you are now, where you’ve come since. I mean…you could be just like Donnie and take every possible out to make sure you don’t screw your life over like he did. Like he did royally. Or…you could be just like him and then you wouldn’t be sitting here across from me drinking a hundred and sixty eight year old wine with me.” She set her wine glass down and leaned forward. “You could have turned out worse, for the record. But you didn’t. And in my eyes, you’re not too shabby." Then again, what would she know, right? Ah, but she was a very perceptive human being if she did say so herself.
 
"When I was in law school, I had a professor who taught us all a...saying, a quote, a proverb, whatever you'd like to call it. I've taken it to heart over the years. Naufragium sibi quisque facit." He paused to take a drink. "Translated out of Latin, it means Each Man Makes His Own Shipwreck. We all make our choices, and can largely blame no one but ourselves for what we've done. But to be fair, I'd still likely not be where I was without having made the right friend. A Mister Caughlin Lloyd. He and I became frineds, and he saw potential in me. So he gave me a job out of law school. And the rest is a matter of public record." He winked at the last. "Our dear Donnie Dumbass has made himself a mighty fine shipwreck, if I do say so myself."
 
She nodded her head slowly. “I strongly believe in that. Although, I’d happily like to kick the person’s ass whoever decided that a woman couldn’t be on the same level as a man.” The whole ‘Each Man Makes His Own Shipwreck. Certainly didn’t pertain to women at the time. But she wasn’t about to get into that. Esther Martin was by no means a feminist. But she did ask a lot of questions. One of those being mentioned above.
”Indeed he has. But now he’s his mother’s problem. If I ever see him again I might have some serious heart palpitations.” She shook her head, shuddering just a tiny bit. “Or just quit teaching then and there.” She said before taking sip of her wine once more. The very conversation of Donnie might push her to want to drink. More.

Honestly, how she wasn’t an alcoholic yet was astounding.
 
"Well, as for the phrasing of the quote, you can take it up with the ancient Romans. They weren't so worried about political correctness back then. Things just were what they were." He admitted. He was ready to leave it there, as this had every potential to boil over. He was all for equality. But there'd been far too many moments of people specifically reading into a statement, almost spoiling for a fight. he doubted Esther was one of them, but he also not willing to push things forward to find out.

Harrison allowed himself a smile.
"Oh, Donnie won't be bothering you again. He's jailed now, and he'll either be denied bail all together, or it'll be set high enough to never be posted. After that, there's more than enough evidence to bury him alive. He'll be looking at a nice little sentence, I'll be aiming for life plus two hundred, but I'll settle at plus fifty. Though it's possible that the lawyer he has will just declare it not worth defending, and let him hang. Even if they deny me access on conflict of interest, I have a wonderful set of candidates in mind that will be glad to take the case of prosecuting him into the ground. After the court case is settled, if they try and fight it, it'll be the last you ever have to see of him."
 
Esther snorted and shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to lose my mind in front of you. It just makes me want to ask more questions, be really curious and maybe raise my fist up to the heavens but otherwise, I’m perfectly harmless. Honest. You saw me last night. I couldn’t hurt a fly probably, whether I got my head banged in or not.” Which was true. She was utterly defenseless. Wow, that was probably not a good thing at all to admit!
She finished her glass of wine and as she mulled over its delicious taste, savoring it considering that should really be her last glass, she set the empty wine glass down and nodded her head slowly. She really wished all of what he said actually made an impact on her but it really didn’t. All she heard was a bunch of law lingo and it was safer to just nod her head and really hope that there wasn’t more to this Donnie crap because she was already sick of it. Well she had every right to be. Three accounts and this kid wouldn’t leave her alone. She really hoped he did now otherwise she was going to go find herself someone with a lot of money and retire before she turned 25.

“Do you think we could maybe go out for a walk? Or well, if I could go out for a walk? I could use some air.” She’d rather not say why. She wasn’t an alcoholic. Just dreadfully lightweight.
 
Harrison looked at the high set windows. It was dark. And she didn't know the grounds. It wouldn't really do to have her wandering around after some wine without someone on hand who knew where things were.
"Of course. I can call someone over to show you around outside if you'd prefer. Or I can get a fast change of clothes, and then join you myself." He offered. If she wanted him out of her hair, he'd just get back in his car, and drive back to the city. Call Lloyd. Harrass the old man. The usual things to do on a weekend that he wasn't working a case.
 
“Well…” She mused, sitting back comfortable in the chair, bringing her legs up and folding them like a pretzel, resting her hands in her lap. “I mean if you don’t have anything better to do, maybe you could accompany me? But if I am keeping you from more interesting and pressing matters, someone else can accompany me. But I wouldn’t mind you coming along. Besides, this place has so much history, it’d be more fun to learn more about it from the man who owns it. Either way, I get some much needed air. So the choice is yours.”
 
It was as close to an outright invitation that he was likely to get, so Harrison it took as such. He stood.
"Well, then if you'll give me a moment, I'll get myself ready. Amy?" He called. the young lady stepped out of the kitchen. "Please see Esther to teh west garden access. I'll be along shortly." Amy nodded, and stepped over to be near Esther as harrison took his leave.
"Whenever you're ready miss." Amy said calmly.

Harrison went up the stairs, and found his room. His needs would have been anticipated, and clothes laid out. His staff was very well trained. He looked at the bed as he turned the lights on, and frowned. Well, they were clothes all right. He stepped to them, and lifted the shirt, running fingers along it, remembering. He looked to his closet. It was empty. It looked like he was going to have to with what he had. He set to task.
 
Esther nodded and she stood from her chair and turned to Amy. “Thank you.” She said softly and the two ladies went along their way, Esther walking behind her.
“My name’s Esther.” She didn’t really want to be called ‘Miss’ all weekend.
“I know.”
“Oh.” She looked down at her hands as she walked, looking up occasionally to make sure she was still following Amy and to make sure she didn’t walk into a wall.

The walk wasn’t long. They were soon standing wherever Harrison appointed Amy to take her. Esther was staring. That was when Amy turned. Apparently it was still a long running joke that Esther wasn’t remotely aware of or just too caught off guard each time it happened.
“I know you were staring at my ass.”
“W-What?” Esther asked, turning seriously red, seriously quickly.
“Don’t lie. Don’t deny it. I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at me.” Amy took a step to her and Esther stepped back.
“A-Amy really, I haven’t—“
Her hands came around her cheeks and she looked into her eyes. “Esther, come on, don’t hide it. We both have this serious pull to each other. From the first moment I laid my eyes on you…”

Esther’s eyes were so wide. “B-But I’m not. Amy I’m not—“
“Not what? What are you not Esther? I heard it. Plain and clear. At dinner?”
As if it finally clicked back into her head, she looked at Amy. “You’re playing me?”
Amy just smiled a little smile with a bit of mischief lined in. Esther, thankfully really did have a sense of humor otherwise she would have balked.
“Why?”
“Because sometimes, Esther, a person just needs to have fun. Yes, I work at a pretty big estate and yes, there are times to be serious. But right now, there is no reason to be so cordial or serious. Why are you so serious?”
“Really? You’re going to quote the Joker from The Dark Knight?” She snorted.
“Is it working?”
“A little. Considering the lack of seriousness in the conversation.”
“Then I’ve made my point.”
“No, I don’t believe you have.”

Amy backed away from her and she clasped her hands together behind her back. “This weekend is your vacation. Enjoy it. Own it. Make it one to remember.”
Esther was a bit speechless. Was she honestly that transparent?
“Mr. Trenton will be along shortly, Miss.” She nodded her head and then turned to leave. Esther just stood, staring at the entire scene. The cogs in her brain were going at it at a supersonic speed. Oh, for one night, could she just turn her brain off, please?
 
Harrison stepped out of his room with a sigh. He couldn't believe he was actually going to meet Esther like this. But they'd given him very little choice in the matter. He was not going out onto the grounds in a work suit. They cost far too much to squander like that. He walked around a corner, adn found Esther standing by the door. He sighed, and stepped to her. He was not dressed as he was accustomed to. He managed to see Amy about to round a corner.
"Amy." He called. She froze, and looked back. "Do tell Gerald I will be speaking to him soon." She nodded, and left.

Harrison stood before Esther in a pair of rather well worn jeans. Not terribly tight, but not a lot of excess cloth around his legs. He was wearing a shirt that might have started it's life as black, but was worn enough to be almost grey. A denim jacket that matched the jeans hung on his shoulders. He looked...oddly pensive. The clothes fit him too well to be anything but his own, but he seemed to be trying to get used to wearing them again. He opened the door.
"Shall we?" He asked Esther
 
At the sound of a familiar voice that toggled her out of her crazy mind, Esther turned and she nodded before turning. That was when she turned back again and did a double take and her jaw dropped. “Holy hell, Harrison!” Yes, she would make a big deal out of this because it was a damn big deal. She circled him once, her eyes lingering on how the jeans seemed to capture his really beautiful derriere. She stared a little longer than she possibly should have. Now if anyone was going to accuse her of checking out someone’s ass right now, they’d certainly be correct. She was totally checking him out. It wasn’t her fault. She blamed someone called James.

Rounding to face him, she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned broadly. “You look hot.” With the insinuation that he hadn’t looked hot before until now, but in that teasing way. “But we shall.” She wasn’t sure if he did this or if it was the staff’s doing since he employed a rather mischievous staff, but this was so mean. He always looked so good in his suits and all cleaned up. Now? Well he just looked…huminah huminah huminah.
 
Harrison watched as she circled him, a bit off guard by the abrupt change in attitude of Esther. They'd made a few light flirting gestures, had a bit of fun overall. And now..it was different. She was much more brash, more brazen, and considerably more aggressive. It was a different look on her. Not opting to give a proepr verbal reply, since he wasn't sure exactly what might happen if he did give one, he walked out of the door with her, and led her past the gardens. The grounds opened up, enormously, showing a large selection of rolling hills, and small plots of trees growing in copses.
"Did you have a desitination in mind then?" He asked her.
 
She walked slow, not snail-pace slow but slow so she didn’t suddenly maybe fall over. She wasn’t drunk. No. But she certainly wasn’t sober. Granted, it never did take much. But that might also shed some light on her sudden aggressive approach with Harrison. Not that she really thought it aggressive. Though it might be considered as such considering it was Esther and she never was one for aggressive.
Glancing at him, she shook her head. “No, just wanted to look around. Clear my head. Mostly not be so close to wine that I felt obligated to keep drinking.” She laughed ever so slightly. “I really have no intention to get drunk. No, something tells me that’s not a great idea unless I’m in the private space of my apartment.”
 
Harrison smiled.
"Well, if you want to get some air, and take a load off, there's a particular little spot up ahead I can show you." He took a few steps, a hand touching her shoulder to make sure that she was coming with him, before he led her along. It was not the shortest walk ever. The moon was out though, and with every step they took, the farther and farther away from the lights of the gardens and mansion they got. soon it was only by the light of the moon and stars that they could navigate at all. But harrison knew the way. The shoes he normally wore with his suit were back in his room, and he was rather glad of that. The heavy hiking boots that had been left for him were as whethered as the rest of teh clothes, but they held up under his stride well. He led Esther to a hill that rose just a little higher than the others, and had a stone bench built on it. Off to the side there was a marble plinth that looked like it might have once held a vase or the like, but it was empty now. The hill overlooked a stream of water that glittered in the moonlight. It wasn't dep, but that only let the water throw back more light. He smiled. "Welcome to one of my favourite spots on the grounds." He announced.
 
She nodded her head and followed along with him. She fell a little bit behind him. Not on purpose but she wasn’t regretting her slower pace than his. It allowed her to just stare. Rather than look at the ground to see where she was going, Esther was staring at his backside. Each step he took. The way he moved. The way he walked. She stared for a good duration of half their little walk before her senses came back to her mind and she averted her gaze. Holy hell, she was checking him out and going about it in such a creepy way. Her arms tightened in their hold over her chest before promptly dropping at her sides when they came to said spot. Her lips parted in gradual awe and her eyes scanned over the entire place taking in its beauty. Her breath left her and when it became clear to her that she wasn’t breathing anymore, she shook her head and took in a lungful of air. “Wow.” She whispered.

“I feel like it’s that scene from Lion King.” She said softly. “I don’t know I think there was a scene where Timon and Pumba showed Simba their paradise during the Hakuna Matata song.” It sounded so silly. “God this is so stunning. So much for getting some air. I believe the very first sight of it took the air right out of me.” She laughed softly, her voice soft, quiet and smooth. Just like Timon and Pumba, Esther had a paradise. And it was hers until tomorrow night.
 
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