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[cardinalrule]

I'm doing something more important than staring at my phone. Leave a message.

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[fiddlestick]

I know you won't!

[Fake it till you make it]

Would you like to bring you a bottle? I usually have some extra around.

[Is this his discrete way to check on this kid's living situation? It sure as heck is]

[cardinalrule]

[Well, it probably can't hurt to try. Human realm bees sound similar enough to demon realm ones, so the honey is probably edible....]

Alright, fine. If you've got extra.

[fiddlestick]

Yep, I do! I usually keep some on hand.

[This a half truth. He does have some, but he's definitely buying a new bottle for the kid. But shh he doesn't need to know that]

If the address on your student records are correct, I should be in your neck of the woods tomorrow. I can swing it by then.

[cardinalrule]

That's lucky.

[He isn't going to think anything of it.]

It should be. It's the Zodiac apartments.

[fiddlestick]

[Lucky for Elliot. He's not good at lying under pressure]

Oh right, they're housing all you guys in the same place. Are they nice apartments?

[He's sure it's hard to do worse than his crappy studio apartment but man you never know]

[cardinalrule]

They're fine, I guess. I don't have a barometer for what constitutes nice human accommodations.

[In fact, he's really only familiar with his room at the castle, and that was a damn castle.]

[fiddlestick]

Good point, hold on.

[There's a pause before he sends a photo]



That's a photo of my place. This is the bar for "livable".

[The bar is in hell, apparently]

[cardinalrule]

[That's... oh, wow. That's something.]

I'm living somewhere better than that.

[It's a very basic studio, but at least the bed isn't in the kitchen.]

[fiddlestick]

Thank goodness.

[Zodiac isn't screwing the isekais over completely!! That's good!!]

[cardinalrule]

Humans are really alright with teachers living in those kinds of conditions? Maybe you should work for Zodiac instead.

[fiddlestick]

Haha, to be fair I think my colleagues live in nicer places. I'm still finishing college so a lot of my money is going to tuition fees. But that'll be over with soon!

[And then maybe he can dream big and get a place with a whole separate room!]

Besides if I went to work for Zodiac, I couldn't be your teacher anymore.

[cardinalrule]

[.... Oh.]

I suppose that's a good point.

[He likes having Elliot as a teacher.]

Still, this seems ridiculous to me. The Emperor's Coven provides room and board to all of its members.

[fiddlestick]

Yeah, there's jobs in the human realm that do that too.

[Elliot sure heard at great length all the things the military would cover, thanks dad]

It'd be nice if teachers got paid more, but don't worry about me. I'm living the life that I choose for myself. And if the price of that is living in a crappy apartment for a couple years, that's not so bad!

[cardinalrule]

[He'd like to ask why Elliot didn't get one of those jobs, but then again, it would mean he wouldn't be his teacher. And even though he doesn't have a particularly strong feelings towards music, he likes having Elliot as his teacher.

He's ruminating on all of this for a few moments.]

Why did you become a teacher?

[fiddlestick]

[A pause, as he considers what to say. Ultimately, he goes with the truth]

My mom was a piano teacher. A really great one. I guess I wanted to follow in her footsteps.

[cardinalrule]

Oh. That makes sense.

[Of course someone would want to follow in a parent's footsteps.]

I you must have respected her a lot.

[fiddlestick]

Yeah, I did. She was the one who started my love of music. And she was very strong minded as well.

I bet she would've liked you a lot.

[cardinalrule]

Really? Why do you think that?

[fiddlestick]

She always liked people with a strong work ethic. It's why she married my dad even though they came from very different circles.

Which your work ethic could give most people a run for their money.

[cardinalrule]

I don't think it's that remarkable. I've always worked this hard.

If that was your mother, what's your father like?

1/2

[fiddlestick]

Haha, are you kidding? You've only been in the human realm a few months, and you're already head-to-head grade wise with kids that've been here all their lives. That's an impressive feat! Keep it up and you might give the current top of the class a run for their money.

2/2

[fiddlestick]

[But ah...his dad....he's asking about his dad.

There's a long ass pause as Elliot has a war flashback (3:44-4:55ish). How...how to explain that to the kid]

My dad is an experience. Let's just say he puts his 200% into everything he does.

[cardinalrule]

Oh.

[He isn't used to getting compliments. He isn't really sure what to do here.]

I guess we'll see if I do.

[It's easier to focus on Elliot's father, even though he isn't sure what that means, either.]

That's... good?

[fiddlestick]

[This kid...honestly. Elliot sighs and shakes his head, not that Hunter can see that. It was clear this kid tried to so hard to get approval and praise. And here he is, getting some, and he doesn't know what to do with it. ]

If that's what you want, I'm sure you can.

[If that's what Hunter wants, he makes clear. It wasn't about Elliot's approval]

It's something, anyway. [So vague.] He and my sister live in another city, so I don't see them very often.

[cardinalrule]

[He's honestly just happy he's getting praise instead of scolded. Or ignored. Or hissed at. And this sounds like he'd keep on getting Elliot's approval he keeps on going, so....]

It is.

How far away are other cities? Do you ever miss them?