Tending to the Uninitiated [Harps][FIN!]

[Callypso]

For the love of suits, was this day ever going to end?

It had been another frustrating, fruitless day in the lab. If only she could write a paper on lack of inspiration, as she had been rife with that for the last couple of months. Why was there resistance to seemingly everything she did in the Capital? She had just completed sterilization of a set of beakers (for the fourth time that day) when a dull thud sounded from above. A quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed her suspicions as to her visitor: the post.

The ferret easily ascended the staircase, hurried down the hall and undid the deadbolts to accept the single letter offered to her by the (in her opinion) overly exuberant postman. The lively Kahmden had insisted on delivering all of her correspondence directly, though Iso had pointed out the very handy mail slot on her front door on more than one occasion. A brief transaction followed in which the doctor excused herself to check on a project (there wasn't one) and she returned to her work desk to browse the letter. The contents of the message had Iso reaching for a nearby bottle.

The Esterberry University had politely requested (it was not a request) her participation in a physicians panel to be held in the Capitol that weekend. Since there had been no new findings from the esteemed doctor of late, the letter pointedly addressed, she should consider acting as a speaker at the panel. What the letter hadn't mentioned, though Iso thoroughly understood, was that should she choose not to go, the funding for her grant would "suddenly" dissipate.

Ugh.

That was last Monday. Now she found herself in an auditorium of City Hall, seated uncomfortably behind a long wooden table with an assortment of other quacks respectable researchers playing nursemaid to the obnoxiously over-confident collegiate masses. Please. As though these students would know a patient with mitochondrial myopathy even if they seized in front of them. Iso narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her nose. Amateurs.

Finally, (thank the Realms!), the director announced they would only be taking one more question before dismissal of the panel guests. Iso grabbed her pack eyeing the side door to her right, hoping to make it out before anyone could bother her further about possible striation variations in patients with cardiovascular maladies.

[Harpsdesire]

Any questions? Yes! Joel had a million questions. He raised one paw and waved it eagerly, then frowned when the moderator selected a studious looking wolf seated a few rows back. Aw, poo. The cat-deer frowned. Even though he was twelve years old (almost grown) people in the scientific community didn't seem to take him or his research seriously.

Joel was probably the only child the crowded auditorium; most seats were filled by doctors, medical interns and a variety of other medical and chemical Corvistownians. Probably the only reason he got inside the hall so easily was because he was such a very big child-- nearly the size of a petite adult, even before reaching puberty and its accompanying growth spurt. Or maybe no one was paying attention when he confidently sauntered in an selected a seat front and center.

However he made it in, the boy was glad he did. Of course, some parts of the lecture were a bit over his head, but the overall topics were fascinating. Most interesting of all was the work of Dr. Price, who seemed every bit as brilliant as she was disgruntled. She was an expert in muscle structure and function, the very Card who had the knowledge he needed to succeed on his latest experiment.

Said experiment was a fiddly thing involving removing a lab rat's leg bones and skin and instead covering the leg in a calcium and keratin-based graft which grew over time into a semi-organic exoskeleton. The leg's muscular structure was relatively undamaged, and the exoskeleton joints appeared perfect, yet the muscles were atrophying over time, unusable. Why? Joel's current theory was that in the absence of a bone to attach to, the muscle arrangement would need to be adjusted. Now he just needed to understand how to properly reconfigure the muscles without undue damage to the fibers.

He could think of no one who knew more on the subject that Dr. Iaso Price, and here she was- not more than a dozen feet from him. He grinned at her with admiration, but she was looking most intently at the door.

[Callypso]

The panel dismissed, Iso left her seat with belongings dangling from one paw as she determinedly walked toward the door. Several of the doctors chuckled simultaneously, catching the Corvie's attention, when she noticed they were waggling their eyebrows and nodding their heads toward her. She followed their gestures to a brightly colored young man who was ogling her with a large grin splashed across his face. Oh, no. Not today. The doctor could spot youthful enthusiasm a mile away and she wasn't having any of that. Not today. (Not ever, if she were honest with herself.)

The doctor's gaze returned to the exit and she strode purposefully in that direction. Right as she lifted a paw to push open the door a large Esterberry canine sidled in between her and the doorframe. A snide comment almost left her lips when Iso noticed the badge around one of the bipedal's folded arms denoting him as "Co-Director" of the event. She held her composure and looked coldly up at the stranger.

Excuse me, but you are blocking my passage.

The canine grinned maliciously and nodded back toward the groups forming around each of the individual physicians.

My apologies, ma'am, but all forum contributors must remain for another 20 minutes before departure. I do believe the invitation letters were explicit in that regard.

Iso slowly closed her eyes and reopened them. It would be impossible for her to continue her obligations without aid. She excused herself to visit the ladies' room where she indulged in shaking two capsules from a trusted bottle. After swallowing the pills, Iso stood before the mirror scrutinizing her own reflection. The university was certainly assuring that she earned her grant, one way or another.

Normally, the Corvie was thrilled to discuss research and theory with other brilliant minds, but hard-headed, overzealous academy undergraduates was another story. Most of the time their eyes merely glossed over in awe of the medical expert before them, or they would foolishly argue a point they clearly did not understand, just to make their colleagues look bad. Either way, Iso was not a fan.

She sighed heavily and found her way back to the auditorium where the same green adolescent stood patiently waiting for her (though he was clearly unable to hide his excitement despite his best efforts). The ferret's nose wrinkled in greeting.

May I help you?

[Harpsdesire]

Joel's smile faltered as the doctor tried to make good her escape, then returned in full force as she was turned back by an official-looking canine. Now he could talk to her before she left!... or not. Iso had vanished through another door, rather to Joel's chagrin. He waited, rather impatiently, just inside the auditorium door, where she couldn't re-enter without passing him.

Before long his plan was rewarded as the mustelid returned, even stopping to speak to him without prompting. Joel couldn't believe his luck. He smiled happily, the doctor's irritated tone apparently lost on him.

"Dr. Price!" Joel breathed, clearly a little star-struck, "I'm a huge fan of your work. It gets a little away from my own area of research, but still, fascinating stuff. I've read all your papers... er, all the ones still in print." The boy smiled hopefully at the older Corvie, then continued on. His words came out in a bit of a rush as he explained the experiments he had been conducting, the failures he experienced and how he was sure that the famous Iaso Price was most certainly the only one who could possibly help him.

It was clear that Joel was bright and motivated, and he had gotten further with his Corvie interest than most children his age, but he was also over-eager and childishly desperate for the approval of those he admired. He grinned (now a little bashful as he realized that he had just inundated Iso with chatter), and shuffled his rather large front paws in a fidgety manner that revealed how young he was, no matter how his size tried to conceal his actual age.

[Callypso]

Oh, suits. This was precisely the sort of meeting she had attempted to avoid. Out of all the Cards in the room why did it have to be the imp before her? She scrutinized every facet of his demeanor, from the flushed cheeks to the nervous wringing of his hands to the incessant chatter. Iso would have very much liked to "assist" this conversation with a quick jab of the needle. 5-10 seconds and he would be out. How old was this student, again?

She amused herself during his prattle by considering whether he'd been born addled - he certainly seemed unable to breath adequately and speak simultaneously. Curious, indeed. She blinked a few times in rapid succession. It was only possible to discern half of what he was saying. Finally, the boy's babble was replaced by an awkward, ridiculous grin. The doctor narrowed her eyes at the exuberant Corvie.

I could not begin to decipher such a labyrinthine message. Do you have a question?

Iso had heard only select portions of the verbiage flood that had accosted her only moments ago. He admired her work, had read her papers and then something about muscle loss and exoskeletons. Had he mentioned papers "still" in print? What year was he? Her most senior study was merely 5 years existing! This youth was certainly of the slack-jawed persuasion, though instead of letting it hang the fellow seemed to be exercising it at maximum potential. She blinked rapidly again.

If I am to assist you in any way, you must enunciate and clearly explain your meaning.

Perhaps it would be better to let him exhaust himself in better illustrating his thoughts - the 16 minutes she had left would be over soon at his current rate of energy expulsion.

The ferret's eyes slowly found the exit, which was now clear of canine, then found the young feline/deer's.

[Harpsdesire]

Joel's eyes narrowed back when Iso finally spoke, mirroring her expression. She couldn't understand him? For a moment Joel's heart sank-- perhaps the doctor actually wasn't as smart as he thought. He decided to try a different tactic. He spoke more slowly this time, as instructed, almost over-pronouncing each syllable, and even tried to use smaller words, as if he was speaking to one of the non-Corvie children he sometimes played with. "I was wondering if you could teach me about muscle structure and how it is impacted by attachment to bones."

That was as simple as he could make it, and if she couldn't understand that, well, she wasn't much good as a role model after all. He hoped that wasn't the case. Like most children of his age, he took it hard when he was let down by someone he admired.

He waited for Iaso's answer, calmer now that the excitement of meeting her had been somewhat dulled by her apparent inability to understand his experiments. He looked at her hopefully, the same silly smile on his face, only slightly deflated by her chilly response.

Dr. Price was going to say something smart now, right? Joel hoped she would. So far the things she'd said had made her sound inexplicably dumb, even though he knew from her papers and her talk on the panel that she was brilliant.

[Callypso]

This boy was odd. Despite her usual habit of showing little emotion, Iso couldn’t help but narrow her brows at the young man. Had he some speech impediment? First too fast, now painstakingly slow? The doctor hoped his parents hadn’t been experimenting on their own child – not that it was any of her concern, of course. Still, he could make a fascinating study himself, were it to be connected to crossed wires in his brain. The brain was the most fascinating and complex muscle. To her disappointment, there had been sparingly few explorations of that topic. She supposed it was to be expected.

Finally, the boy managed to utter his last, horrifically crawling syllable. She blinked rapidly again. Had he really the nerve to ask if she would teach him? Surely he had misspoken. Iso had only instructed during her final year at university and had no intention to relive those events. She had little patience for suffering fools that thought they knew better than she. Beside, his question was rudimentary at best. He must be much younger than she had previously thought.

Oh, is that all? I could teach you a great many thing about muscle structure, however, I am not currently accepting pupils. Nor do I intend to. Have you a more specific inquiry then? My time is very limited. Otherwise, I can refer some excellent texts on that very subject.

Really, who let this child in? Security for these ordeals was commonly lax, but they should demand at least some modicum of decorum. They weren't going to garner any respect if they allowed every Card who could string together a thought through the door. Though this youth was clearly not very good at that, either.

It was enough that she’d had to waste her precious time on these half-wits, but now she was being expected to coddle this infant? This was to be the last panel she attended, if she could help it.

[Harpsdesire]

She could teach him a great many things?!? Oh, Joel had gotten excited too soon. His smile slowly faded as she continued. This was not going at all how Joel had imagined it. It wasn't that he didn't have a specific question-- it was more that he had a thousand specific questions, and although he knew the doctor's time was valuable, his research was important too... at least to him. Important enough that he had probably read most of the textbooks she was referring to, even though they were dry and he had to look up some of the words in a medical dictionary. It seemed to Joel that the other Corvie was determined to avoid answering his questions, no matter if he asked in detail or the simplest possible terms.

Most likely, Iso was just too busy for all his questions... which, perversely, gave him a wonderful idea. He spoke carefully, not allowing himself to get his hopes up too high... (As if there was ever a time when Joel's hopes were at a less than stratospheric height!) "I know you're very busy, Dr. Price, so I was wondering, since I have so many questions about your work, if I could come work for you. Maybe I could clean up and run errands and you can let me see what you're working on and sometimes answer a question or two. I'm very strong for my age and I know how to be a lab without breaking or spilling anything."

The child did his best to seem grown up and calm as he spoke, and it felt surprisingly natural now that he had already expended most of his enthusiasm and been shot down a few times. This new plan seemed like more or less his last hope of learning anything from Iaso, and he just hoped it worked. A little manual labor was nothing compared to the strides he could make in his research once he overcame the fairly large hurdle of muscle atrophy. Besides, it was school vacation, and he frankly didn't have anything better to do. "I'm not asking to be paid, of course. I just want to learn from you. Please."

[Callypso]

9 minutes…

If Iso was mean-spirited she might have been amused to see the young boy’s face fall. Instead, she was merely interested that youth were able to have their hopes dashed so easily. It was a marvel not every Card turned out hopelessly dejected as they aged. Interesting. What was even more intriguing was that he evidently had convinced himself that he was worthy as an assistant. Had he not just acknowledged how precious her time was? Moreover, his inexperience would inevitably lead to extreme exasperation and aggravation. Her mind wandered momentarily as she considered broken flasks, smudged notes and constant questioning. No, no thank you.

The doctor chided herself gently, realizing her medication must be taking effect. There could be no other explanation for her consideration of the matter. Of course it would be disastrous to accept him as a student. He needed to mature and grow, and when the time came - he could seek someone else as master. A small, wry smile curled her lips. Disappointment was part of life and she would be doing a service to remind him of that.

Still, there was some semblance of a spark there. It was much too early in his life for him to be attending such conferences – and he had read all her papers. Impressive, really. Most of her colleagues had to write for clarifications on her more intricate experiments. Did he really understand her work or was he simply surrounding himself with intelligent minds? There was also a nagging little voice in the back of her mind… he did remind her of Phan so… She closed her eyes for a moment, herding that thought to a back corner of her subconscious. Not now…

You have a lot of cheek ,or a misfiring synapse, she thought idly to herself, to come here believing yourself capable of such responsibility. If I were seeking an apprentice, which I am not – why you? Too young, barely educated – why not one of these undergraduates taking courses to prepare themselves for such an opportunity?

She almost snorted. As if any of the imbeciles that arrived today had an inkling of the demands they would face within a few years. Please.

[Harpsdesire]

Joel did, in fact, have an inordinate amount of cheek. He was also well supplied in enthusiasm, fairly dripping with determination and heavily invested in the naive ideas espoused by well meaning adults who said that he could "be anything he wanted" and "achieve anything he could dream". He had not yet quite reached the spirit-breaking point in life when one must realize that in reality not everyone is cut out to be a movie star or an astronaut, that 'millionaire' is not a real job, and that those who dream about being a super hero or a professional ice-cream tester when they grow up are merely deluding themselves. Given these facts, it was perhaps not surprising that Joel took Iso's words to mean that he actually had a chance.

She was smiling, if stiffly, and this further encouraged him. Joel decided would tell her exactly 'why him', and she would surely respond to his charm, if not to his logic. He thought carefully for a moment, gathering his arguments in his mind. "Why not me? He asked, quite serious.

"The older students will want evenings off for dates" He said the word with a faint tone of disgust, or possibly disdain for the idea of romance, which he was still too young to understand, "And they'll think they're too smart and important for cleaning the lab. Probably undergraduates will have homework even in the summer, and less free time. They might know more stuff, but I'm a very fast learner, and I can catch up. I'm responsible, too. I wouldn't have gotten to the point where I need your help if I couldn't stick with my experiments, would I?" He realized that he had forgotten what might be an important point, and somewhat hastily tacked it on at the end: "Also the college students will want to use you to impress their teachers and friends, and they'll want to be paid."


Joel looked at Iso hopefully as he concluded, "I just want to learn the things you know." After a moment he added softly, "Please."