Who are you, really? (Wei_Tian & Nepharian)

[Wei_Tian]

"Amil, ontáro, ni indóme n- on mime pata.(Mother, Father, I will be on my way)" a soft voice spoke before a petite, fair-skinned figure walked out of large wooden cabin and started walking into the surrounding forest. Ignoring the hushed voices of the fellow residents of Unelnore whispering about her as she passed by. Emellin was going into her second year at Forest Lake University. This was the tenth university she has attended in the human world, but only the third as "Emily Applebrook". After the possible threat of humans finding out about about the magical races, each race started sending a few of their own kind to the human world to investigate the extent of the human knowledge. Each university she attended, she took one course along the lines of Mythology. That was, until she came across FLU. This university offered more than just a few courses in Mythology. It offered a whole degree program! As a bonus, she was able to double major in Herbal Medicine.

It was the first day of the new semester and her first class had let out early. She was on her way to her Mythology class. The light breeze felt refreshing against her bare midriff as the moss green belly shirt swayed with her movements and the breeze. Usually, she dressed in a boho style, but today, she wanted to be comfy, so she chose to wear her moss green belly shirt with brown seamless leggings and a pair of brown suede sandals. Even though she has been in the human world for a decade, she still chose to dress in a style closer to what she'd wear at home.

As she walked to class, she started to think. Even though she had taken mythology courses within the last two semesters at FLU, this was her first time having Professor Matthews. From the rumors she heard from fellow classmates, this guy actually knew his stuff. Not like some of the professors that were only reading out of textbooks and facilitating discussions. Now that she was in the advanced level of Mythology, it would be interesting to see how much he really knew.

When she arrived at the classroom, it was just emptying out from the previous class. Once the room was empty, she moved to sit in the far back corner to wait for everyone else to come in. She was extremely curious as to how much the professor knew. Was it only because of textbooks, or was it because he has actually has interactions with her kind. It was as the central clock tower on campus was chiming to signal 11 o'clock that the rest of the class came in. Thankfully, none of the classmates decided to sit near her. All that was left, was for Professor Matthews to arrive

 

[Hara]

The moment the last student had taken their seat, Professor Eran Matthews walked in.
The attention of the majority of the class was immediately drawn to him, as if he was a celebrity or a person deserving of respect. If Emellin knew much about magic, this was certainly some kind of aura, though it might not be an actual, active spell...

Eran was clad in dark pants and a nice, grey shirt with rolled up sleeves.
He had a good build, looked strong - and his eyes seemed to see everything in the room.

Eyes that settled for a moment on Emellin.

"Welcome to Mythology class!" he said and ooked away from her in order to let his gaze wander the rest of the students calmly.
"Here, you will learn everything there is to know about something called... the Multiverse."

 

[Wei_Tian]

When the professor walked in, Emellin's eyebrow raised slightly. She came from a world where everyone was "beautiful", but this was the first time she has seen, what she presumed a human, looking as beautiful. Obviously, her classmates agreed. When he surveyed the class and stopped his gaze at her, she made eye contact back and refused to break her gaze. She may be quiet and a loner, but she was not shy. At the mention of "multiverse", a few students started snickering and she heard someone mention The Big Bang Theory.

She gave a slight eye roll at the childishness of her peers. Even though the humans were classified as "adults" based on their age, they still acted like children. With a soft sigh, she grabbed a notebook from her bag and grabbed a pen and kept her attention on Eran, ready to start taking notes. After all, she had to be careful on how she answered questions in tests and responded to papers. The whole idea of her being in the human world was to see how much they knew, not to give them any ideas on her type of world.

Finally, Emellin had an idea. Based on her knowledge of physics, she recalled something she had heard mention of. "Professor, is this...multiverse...the same as Newton's idea of infinite universes?" she asked.

 

[Hara]

Eran gave a smile at the question. Attentive students were quite rare... And this one was particularly interesting, though he was still uncertain exactly why.

"Good question." he said,

"Newton might have found a glimpse of the supposed truth. What you can do is imagine the multiverse as thousands of rings it discs. Some overlap each other completely, forming the same world on each plane, but with vastly different people and histories. Others only overlap partly, forming differs t worlds with perhaps a few mountain ranges or areas that are the same as other planes... And yet others lie far from other planes, forming worlds of their own, completely unrelated to others."

He sent the girl a small smile, and continued:
"Basically, this means that there are no limits as to what can actually exist. If you can picture it in your mind, it is likely to exist somewhere."

 

[Wei_Tian]

As Eran gave the explanation on the multiverse theory, she started taking notes, writing down what he said word for word. Her lips parted towards the end, ready to ask another question, when another student interrupted.

"Professor, how would we get to these other universes?"

Emily looked up from her notebook, a small smile on her face. Obviously this other student had the same question in mind. Her grey eyes locked onto Eran, waiting for the answer. But, her mind was starting to wander. Did she come from a different universe? She had walked from Unelnore to the human world. She thought that she only passed through a barrier, meant to keep humans out. But, was that barrier something else entirely? Now she was curious. She wrote the question down in her notebook, waiting for an answer. Even if Eran gave an answer, she would need to discuss this theory with the elders during the next break.

 

[Hara]

Another interesting question popped up. It seemed he had managed to catch at least some of the students' interest.
"The obvious question!" he said as his gaze shifted to the other student.

"If these universes, these planes really exist... how do we visit them? Is it even possible? The answer is that no one truly knows." he said.
He knew, of course. More than most others, he assumed.

"However... there are theories. Such as going to just the right places, and doing just the right things. This could, for example, be where two planes meet and coexist. An interesting theory has to do with sleeping and dreams - it is said that if the mind enters another plane in a dream, the body will follow."

 

[Wei_Tian]

"Such as going to just the right places, and doing just the right things"

At such an abstract answer, Emily could not help but give a small frown as she wrote down what he said. Could she have been walking in just the right spot at just the right time, or was this an answer that was given to humans to give them hope? She hated how secretive the elders were and she knew that she would not get an answer from them.

"So...theoretically, I could be walking anywhere at any time and just...transport to a new universe or dimension" Emily asked. Her tone was not as sarcastic as the other student's. The tone of her question was one that almost had a demanding side to it, as if she needed to know the answer for actual reasons and not just to pass some test. If this was true, could the elders' magic work against this phenomenon?

 

[Hara]

The, so far, most interesting student spoke again... her voice was easy to recognize for some reason.
He looked at her again, and nodded at the question.

"Theoretically, you could simply walk from one plane to another - but such places are said to be incredibly rare. Studies suggest that there has to be a certain amount of energy at the place, be it natural or artificial. That might also be why the mind can make the leap during sleep - after all, what is more powerful than the mind?"
Oh, there were many truths... and so, so many secrets.

 

[Wei_Tian]

With Eran's newest explanation, a small smile came across Emily's lips, satisfied with this explanation. As she was writing in her notebook, she heard a few kids making snarky comments about how this was all a load of BS.

Once she finished writing, she leaned back in her chair, causing her shirt to rise a small bit, but enough to show her toned midriff. She wanted to ask more questions to see if this professor, whom she presumed was human, had any more theories in regards to this. But, she refrained from asking. If these theories were truths, then she did not want the humans to even have an inkling of knowledge about them.

 

[Hara]

Eran heard the snarky comments too, but he simply smiled.
They were not to blame, after all... with the way this world had evolved, very few had discovered magic and true mystery.

This was all about finding those few.

...as well as potentially satisfying a certain craving of his.

On that note, he did notice how Emily's shirt rode up, revealing more of her midriff.
He shot an interested glance in her direction, wondering how soft and vulnerable she might be there... might she be the first one for him, in this particular place?
Her seat was too far away for him to see how toned she was, but he caught himself having certain hopes about that...

Eran discarded the feeling for now, and continued the lesson.
He went over a few more theories as to how one could cross from one world to another, before they finally reached the end of the first lesson.

"This concludes our introductory lesson on the Multiverse. Next time will be interesting, I assure you."

 

[Wei_Tian]

As class continued, Emily continued taking notes diligently, making sure she wrote down every word he spoke and included any questions she either had for the professor to further gauge his knowledge, or questions she had for her own elders. Once Eran finished class, Emily sat up and placed a hand on her notebook. Murmuring under her breath, she felt a small warmth in her hand as she used magic to copy the pages into scrolls of parchment in her home village. She used this in case her notebook were to ever get stolen or destroyed.

Once she finished, she packed her notebook away and stood up. By now, she was the last student in the classroom. As she made her way to the door, she could not help but look at Eran. "Professor, do you have another class after this?" she asked curiously. Perhaps she could ask him a few questions now. If he did not have another class after this one, she might be able to make this a routine. With her being near the professor, Eran would be able to tell that her stomach was slightly toned, but it was still soft. The joy of the human's food. No matter what she did, she was not able to be as toned as she once was.

 

[Hara]

The tiny surge of magic performed in the classroom did not go completely unnoticed by him.
He felt it as a slight tingle... but he had no means to find out where it had originated from, nor who had done it.
Interesting though...

Not many could actually sense magic being used, but him being what he was...

As the students started leaving the classroom, Eran watched them with a friendly smile, casually.
The girl in the midriff top was the last one, and when she turned to speak to him, his gaze dropped to her midsection for a splitsecond.
Flat and slightly toned, but soft and vulnerable looking stomach... it was pure allure to him.

"I don't. Not until tomorrow, miss."

 

[Wei_Tian]

Hearing that he did not have another class until tomorrow, a small smile came cross Emily's lips. "Do you want to go over to the cafe? There are a few questions that I want to ask you about today and about the usefulness of this degree program." she asked. Figuring having a discussion over coffee, or in her case, tea, would be better than in his office. If things got too detailed at the cafe, then they could definitely move to a more secluded spot, like his office.

She had a feeling this would be an interesting year. His lowered gaze did not go by unnoticed by her, neither did the glances during class. Did he perhaps have a physical interest in her? The gazes he gave were similar to the ones that the boys in the dorm gave her whenever they had "Get acquainted" events and it was just communal bonding done in small groups. But thankfully, his gaze was not as thirsty as the boys. She could tell the difference, which peaked her interest even more. "I mean...it's fine if you don't want to go. I was just hoping that I could talk to a professor that actually has knowledge with Mythology. My class adviser is kind of useless with these questions." she added, giving him an out if he did not want to go.

 

[Hara]

The café...? Interesting.
He listened to her as she spoke, seemingly interested in what she had to say.

His gaze had been of interest, but not the intense way the younger men here would often look at girls.
It was more calm, and though he was aware that she must have noticed, he didn't care.
After all, she hadn't told him not to look at her bare midriff.

"Sure, sure. We can go to the café if you want."
Truth be told, he was tempted to bring her to his office and make her his first in this school - but one thing at a time, right?
"Hah, yeah... class advisers are seldom versed in this particular topic. Lead the way, miss...?"

 

[Wei_Tian]

Once he agreed to go to the cafe, her smile brightened. But when he asked her to lead the way and asked for her name, she blushed slightly. Being on both of her tracks, Mythology and Herbal Medicine, she always had the same two professors and the same classmates to where introductions at the beginning of the semesters were not needed. "Emily. Emily Applebrook." she answered before she turned and resumed her way out of the classroom.

As she walked towards the cafe, she caught the eye of a lot of the boys from her dorm building. Their gazes definitely were making her uncomfortable today. Were their gazes more intense due to her being with the "Hottie Mythology Professor", or was she more conscious of their gazes due to Eran being there? As she walked, her arms crossed in front of her stomach, definitely showing that she was uncomfortable. It was not until they reached the cafe and she saw how empty it was, that she was able to relax. She walked up to the counter and gave her order. Swiping her student ID into the card reader as payment. Once she was done, she scanned the open seating and found a spot off in the corner. "Shall we sit over there?" she asked, nodding her head towards the corner booth.

 

[Hara]

"Good to meet you, Emily." he said with a smile, as she introduced herself.

On their way through the school, Eran noticed the looks some of the boys were giving her, as well as the fact she tried to cover her bare stomach a bit with her arm, seemingly uncomfortable.
As they got close to the café, he sent a sharp gaze in the direction of a group of guys, who immediately looked slightly startled, and hurried away to focus on something else.

Eran let Emily order first, after which he ordered a cup of coffee.
"Yes, that looks nice and cozy." he said. And kinda private too.
Pretty perfect.

 

[Wei_Tian]

Hearing him agree to the spot, she gave the barista a small smile, who returned with a small nod, agreeing to bring the drinks to the table. After the silent exchange, Emily headed back there and sat on one of the booth's benches, looking out towards the rest of the cafe. A look of concentration crossed her face as she tried to figure out what to ask Eran first. Should she ask follow-up questions to today's lesson, or did she want to ask about him first? She knew she had to be careful with questions. If she started asking about him first, then she did not want to come across as a student with the hots for a professor.

With a small sigh, she leaned against the back of the bench, enjoying the feeling of the wood against her back. That was one reason why she liked this place. In addition to usually being quiet when she came in, with the exception of the technology on the counter and to make the coffee, the rest of the cafe had a natural feeling. It definitely had the atmosphere of being the "Forest Cafe".

"So, Professor, how long have you been teaching here?" she asked curiously, figuring that she would start with the vague questions to gauge how he answered.

 

[Hara]

Eran took a seat across from her, and had a sip of his coffee.
One of the good things about this place was the quality of the food... it had been far worse some of the other places he had been.

He watched her calmly as she asked her question.
It wasn't a weird one, and he shrugged.
"I'm new here. Was at another school further north last year."

 

[Wei_Tian]

So that's where the rumors came from...

"Then welcome! It's nice having a professor that is finally taking us out of the typical Greco-Roman study." she admitted as she leaned back in the booth as the barista came up with Emily's tea. The girl gave a small nod to the barista before she leaned forward, grabbed the cup and took a sip of the tea. Thankfully, the cafe had pu'er tea leaves that they kept in stock. For some reason, the girl loved the earthy taste. Some of her classmates hated it, as they said it tasted like dirt. But, perhaps she was accustomed to such tastes.

"So, according to my adviser, Mythology is a useless degree. Do you think there is anything that can be done with this type of degree, outside of turning around and teaching it to students?" she asked curiously.

 

[Hara]

"Thanks! It's nice to teach a subject so different." he said with a small smile.

The tea arrived, and the girl happily sipped it. He could smell the earthy, herbal scent, and understood perfectly why she liked it.
He listened to her words with calm curiosity, and scoffed at the notion of mythology being useless.
"Your adviser does not know what I know." he said.

"Trust me, Emily... there is a myriad of things that can be done. But one has to believe in order to achieve."

 

[Wei_Tian]

Okay, now he was talking like he knew more. He definitely was piquing her interest. Was he talking shit to sound big, was he a human that actually knew, or was he one of the magical folks? The girl could not help but to raise an eyebrow, showing her interest in what he had to say.

"One has to believe in what, professor? Gods?" she asked curiously. The multiverse theory did go hand in hand with human religions of heaven, earth and hell. Three different planes of existence all existing at once. It was funny that here she was, a wood elf, possibly about to get lectured by someone about mythology.

 

[Hara]

"Gods? No..." he said with a slight chuckle.
"One would have to believe in something nobody here believes in."

He lifted his cup and had another sip of the black coffee, while he watched her calmly.

"Magic, Emily." he said and put the cup down.
"One would have to firmly believe in nothing less exotic than magic."

 

[Wei_Tian]

When he gave his answer, Emily could not help but feel a little uneasy. "No one believes in magic because they do not see it." she answered, which did not make any sense since most humans believed in deities that did not exist. "How can I believe in magic if I have not seen it?" she asked. She knew now, that she had to be careful in how she acted and answered. If she was too defenseless, then she may give herself away as already knowing more.

"So, is this magic the cause of the multiverse where I could be walking and just...end up somewhere else?" she asked, referring to the lesson earlier. She knew that the elders had barriers set up and that were activated by magic. So, did he know about these?

 

[Hara]

"Magic is too abstract for the minds of many. There's been no real proof, right? So why believe in it?"
Of course, it was just like with the human deities... but for some reason, they still chose to believe in these.
Very much, even.

"Not exactly. Magic and the multiverse are two entirely different things. One can be utilized to access the other though."
He knew how it sounded, and he had seen a lot of different reactions to such words.
Still... it was always interesting.

 

[Wei_Tian]

His answers were starting to aim towards him not bullshitting his way through this...well, maybe he was. But, the more he talked, the more she was reminded about her existence currently in the human world. But, of course magic was abstract. She was pretty sure that not even the village elders knew everything about magic. It was constantly changing and differed from race to race.

"So, do you believe in magic professor...if so, then why?" she asked as she took another sip of tea, her eyes watching him intently over her cup.