Room 217, Allerian Law and Politics: Ikaana, Thargun, and Parreyon

[Nachende]

The darkened hallway on the second floor of Lord Holland's University seemed still and lifeless, with only a single window at the end of the corridor to allow a few beams of strangled light to invade the gloom. Every door along the hall was closed and locked firmly against curious students. Every door, that is, except the one that lay next to the law students' previous classroom.

This door had been flung open into the hallway to rest its face against the wall, allowing a cascade of sunlight to wash into the corridor and illuminate the floor, ceiling, and opposite wall. The square of light stood independent of the darkness that flanked it, and was certainly not hard to spot. A page of parchment had been tacked to the inside of the door, which now faced outward, with a few identifying words scribbled on it in black ink:

Room 217: Professor Bombul Roundhill
Allerian Law and Politics
(students of Prof. Mer'rick enter here)

Inside were shelves upon shelves of clutter, which only broke to allow for two large, curtainless windows to pour their light into the room. Old leather-bound books sat crooked on the shelves or on their sides, with pages of parchment and ripped pieces of maps stuck carelessly between them. Scrolls had been stuffed in odd nooks, and some had half-unraveled to hang listlessly toward the ground.

Just inside the door lounged a middle-aged hobbit who sat lazily back in his chair with his hairy feet crossed on top of his desk, which was just as littered with books, parchment, ink, and pens as the rest of the room. He had a head of dark curled hair and a serious, lined face -- which at the moment was buried in a book on Allerian Society that was half his size -- and wore a neatly-pressed crimson vest over dark-blue trousers.

In front of the Professor's desk were a few other, smaller desks meant for the students, as well as a few more comfortable seats near the windows for reading. All-in-all, the classroom seemed very inviting, despite its cluttered and unkept appearance.

[Ikaana Rh'emlat]

The katta returned the next day to the same hallway for her law class. Although she noticed that only one door was wide open, she walked over to room 219 and was surprised to find it firmly locked. Checking the door number again, Ikaana was sure it was the correct room. The light from the only door open in the hall caught her attention, and the lionoid thought it appropriate to see if anyone was inside the room. Before she entered, the parchment tacked onto the door came into focus. She scanned her gold eyes over the writing. This was the right room for her class, as she was a student of the mentioned professor.

Ikaana turned and softly walked into the room. The amount of clutter and disorganization in the room seemed more than obvious, and the katta had mixed feelings about the mess. It would certainly provide the professor and students more information on hand, although there surely was better ways at efficiently organizing the scrolls and books for more convienence.

The hobbit at the desk was brought to the katta's attention, and Ikaana was hesitant to disturb his reading. "Excuse me, sir? I'm Ikaana Rh'emlat, here for the Allerian law and politics class. The sign on the door directed me in here."

[Nachende]

The hobbit didn't seem to recognize Ikaana's arrival for a few seconds, then slowly raised his head and blinked at her suspiciously. A sudden grin crossed his face and he loudly slammed his book shut.

"Ah, welcome!" His voice chimed enthusiastically. With one motion the hobbit swung his feet to the floor and jumped out of his chair, standing to his full four feet. He opened his arms toward the student.

"Welcome, welcome, Ms. Rh'emlat! Yes, indeed! It is so wonderful to see such a one as yourself choosing to study the Allerian Law! Yes, indeed! I hope you are prepared, Ms. Rh'emlat, I am not an easy professor, no, no! Not like that sniveling professor Mer'rick..." He frowned in distaste at the name, then shook his head with a light wobble of his hair.

"Well? You're here to learn the Law, aren't you? Sit down, sit down, we don't have all day!" He grinned once more and motioned toward an empty seat with a flick of his hand, then skittered back to his desk to search among his papers.

[Thargun Tress]

Thargun stopped in front of the door into the classroom, a bit out of breath. He had almost forgotten about it. His new job at the Midpoint Emporium was taken more of his time than he wanted to admit. Not to mention the fact that he was now also one of Midpoints Proconsuls, which would take even more of his precious time. Still this lecture was important to him, because he needed to know more about the workings of the state. Or else I'll probably be out of a job pretty soon. Thargun took one deep breath than opened the door and entered. Walking a bit toward the hobbit that was already there, before stopping in front of him.

"Serale professor. I am Thargun Tress and I am here for the Law class."

[Nachende]

The hobbit looked up from his searching as the human entered his room, then nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I teach Law. So this is a Law class, isn't it? Or are all of you as confused as that busybody Mer'rick was? Law and Politics and Society in one classroom! Hmph!"

He dug under his papers again and pulled out a long wooden pipe, which he held in one hand while the other searched in a drawer. "Elves!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "Can't tell a Dracon from a Pegasus! It's a good thing he disappeared, he was confusing all our students." The professor pulled out a small box and opened it on the desk, then pulled out some black plant and stuffed it in the bell of his pipe.

"Now...sit down, both of you! There is supposed to be one more of you. Is he sick?" He frowned and sat down again, looking for his flint lighter. "We'll just have to start without him, then," he muttered.