deernet | video | un: big ben

[Hi, Trench. It's been a while since this display name surfaced on the network. This time, there was accompanying video instead of just text-- And the dour man frowning into the screen, with dark bags under his stormy ocean green eyes and his cheekbones prominent in a manner that suggested recent illness, exuded nothing short of the stony sense of a man that was done with watching the madness of recent weeks.

--Or, perhaps, someone that had actually worried himself sick over the last month. Literally.]

... Not that anyone cares, but watching all these pompous assholes call themselves 'teacher' is making me want to pull my hair out.

[And, look. He had a lot of it. Heaving a sigh, Waver Velvet plucked the wire glasses he had been wearing off and set them aside. Pinching the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache-- or collect himself-- he continued.]

Some of you know me. Most of you don't.

That's fine, I'm only here to offer a different option for anyone feeling a tad... unanchored here.

I am Waver Velvet, sometimes called Lord El Melloi II-- but most of the people here just know me as Mackenzie. I'm not a combat instructor, like that trio that really wanted to play out a real-life Tournament Arc a few months ago-- like we were in one of my kids' anime shows. I'm also hardly worth even calling a mage. What I am, however, is someone that is willing to offer tutoring to anyone that feels they need it... In basically any subject matter.

[A shrug. He waved a hand.]

Don't worry about whether or not I'm an expert. One thing I've learned after teaching for the last decade is that no one is. If you need help with something that I don't already know, I'll learn it well enough to help.

--Also, if you need someone to just listen and help you resolve a problem... I can do that, too.

No, I won't ask you to call me Professor, Teacher, or even have you use my title. Just keep calling me Mackenzie, if you wish. I won't ask for payment, either. But, well... if you insist, bring along something to eat. Anything. I don't really care what.

Alternately, feel free to talk about whatever's currently interesting to you.

...I won't arrange 'classes' either. I know that you lot of teenagers are basically free-range, and that's fine. There's probably good reason for you to not trust adults. I know I didn't while I was in school.

[He sighed, satisfied that at least he was able to remove this much of his concerns from his shoulders, and seemed to be signing off before adding:]

Oh. One more thing. Does anyone have an open venue? I have a stack of rhythm and fighting games that I'm willling to share with people needing a distraction-- in a public forum, of course. If enough people are interested, we could work on making something official.

That's all.

Private--- to Palamedes Sextus

Palamedes... When you have a moment and are up to it, I'd like to talk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This place has different judgments, but it is not free of them. Regardless, his presence is not up to us. He will come or he will not.

He's still with us. One way or another he handled them.

Clearly the people around you hold you responsible. I don't have enough information to judge.

[He knew that the broken remnants of the El Melloi family held him responsible-- but it wasn't he that destroyed generations worth of work, nor he that made attempts on the child successor's life. There was no guarantee anyone would survive the war they took part in. Waver was lucky, even if it was his own foolhardy stubbornness that got him there.

At least he wasn't so prideful as to undertake the challenge to pad out a voluminous resume, like the man whose mantle he carried. ]

And I accepted the responsibility. Not even a child with the callulousness of generations being held in an ivory tower deserves to endure multiple murder attempts before she's even entered grammar school.

I did guess that Ortus the Ninth was back with his offers to assist my research as an exchange for my offer. Do you know him?

He's the first one to ask anything about my Earth's history. While I didn't mention it in my offer, it's a special interest of mine.

Accepting the responsibility of the title is not the same as responsibility for your predecessor's death. Try not to die. Those attempts will come should you die too soon.

We've met. He's an honorable soul.

I can make no offer in kind. My time is spoken for by two jobs, and I will answer calls for help, as a hunter, regardless. I would like to know more about your Earth.

...

My King only ever gave me one order: to live.

That's what I plan to do.

We can make arrangements for chats either by ourselves or with Ortus, since you both have similar goals with this. Also, I said above that food or stories are fine if you want to make this an exchange.

Though, perhaps I should be looking into cooking classes. Anything more complex than tea, toast, or fried eggs just... Doesn't happen.

Usually I do take out.

To live far surpasses to survive.

So long as schedules permit, together is fine. I prefer knowledge to ignorance.

You don't cook... What amenities do you have? It's an essential skill. Take out isn't always available.

I live in a furnished, if small, apartment in Cellar Door that's graced with a functional kitchen

Mostly, I use it to make tea or various herbal tinctures to have on hand for emergencies.

At least you use it at all.

After learning about Earth, I will cook something if I have time and teach you a few things.

That sounds like a fine arrangement.

Please, let me know when you're ready. My schedule tends to be fairly free form.

I can give one evening a week that would otherwise go to hunting. If there is one that suits the Ninth, let me know.

I will confer with him and let you know.

Additionally, my room mate and partner may wish to join us-- and, if he does, I shall not turn him away. This is not a detriment; he is lively in conversation, has many stories, and in some ways has a better view of certain parts of our world's history than I do.

His name is Iskandar. I doubt he's kept himself hidden on the network.

Thank you.

It is his home. I appreciate the heads up, rather than making it a surprise. More points of view are useful.

Neither have I, as you can see.

[He could make mention of xenia, as he had with others-- but at the moment a brief interlude and info dump about ancient Greek social rules didn't seem appropriate. There would be time to discuss the particulars of the sacred bounds of guest-friendship later on.]

I can.

Are you telling me to look up your public conversations with others? You can look up mine, if you wish. I've got nothing to hide that isn't already locked.

I am not telling you to do anything. Do with it as you wish.