Tutoring Session [Private]

Contrary to the scene she saw upon poking her head in, Theo really had been expecting her...at some point. He was also terribly easily distracted, so the whole arranged meeting had flown out of his head after the devouring of his muffin. He sat at his desk, which wasn't done up like a bed for once, tinkering with something about the size of his fist. It was a golden, shimmering statue of an egg, it seemed. There were carvings in it, and something rattled inside. But you see, the tricky thing was that this artifact was a puzzle. A dangerous puzzle. He knew all about them and how difficult they were to open without blowing up, but the treasure they protected made his body quiver in excitement. It was a marvel that it was as old as it was. Pre-war, yet it was so intricate and sophisticated. One wrong move once the delicate levers and sliders had started to move, and it'd just destroy his office/apartment...

"Mr. Theo?"

The instructor startled a little. He'd been so inthralled, he'd missed the click of the knob. Frosty eyes darted up, brightening in recognition for just an instant before darkening in realization. One slider moved a hair too far when he looked up and startled. That click. That small, dream murdering click...and subsequent clicks. He had about twenty seconds. Jumping up, he decided there was no use worrying the student, nor was it smart to put her in danger. This was a learning experience. One best viewed from far away...

"Oof, don't call me 'Mister', please! Makes me sound old..." Theo replied in the calmest tone he possessed, walking toward her at a possibly alarming speed. Reaching her, an arm reached out and spun her back toward the door, remaining lightly to herd her back into the hall. "I'm glad you could make it! I absolutely hate having class or tutoring indoors, so let's head outside, yeah? And don't mind the explosion, it's fine!" he laughed too brightly, full of anxiety as he scurried them just far enough. With a loud crack and a sound remarkably like a murderous rooster, there was a loud popping noise followed by the splintering of wood. The 'smoke' was comprised of countless yellow feathers, as was obvious upon a glance back since now the room was filled with them and some even puffed out into the hall. "Nnngh..." he groaned ruefully, but it was what it was.

"Now, Ryse...what do you need help with?" the exploration expert asked, trying to move things right along so they could forget his little accident.

"Oh yeaaah. It's fiiiine," he waved it off, though he was internally crying about all the work he'd have to do to reclaim his office and living space from the damage and impressive amount of feathers. All the work he'd have to do before he could sleep tonight. Where would he put his mattress now? The desk had been perfect. He liked to sleep above the floor level...an old habit.

"Hm. Good question. I might be able to shed some light on it...let's head outside," suggested the professor, also disliking that title, but letting it slide. He supposed some students might have trouble breaking tradition and calling him by simply his first name. Maybe it seemed disrespectful. This teaching thing was no walking the park, man. More like strolling through a field of landmines. Professor sounded so fancy....too fancy for a basically homeless man that just blew up his classroom.

Once they escaped the building, he lead her out into the courtyard near the tree his first class had been held. Climbing up into the tree -- you know, like normal teachers do -- Theo retrieved a stowed quilt and laid it out, seating himself and wait for her to do so as well. Let the tutoring commence! "Alright, now your question doesn't have a simple answer, really. It depends on what kind of items you're finding, how old they are, stuff like that. Can you give me maybe an example of what you're thinking?"

"Hmmmm..." Theo deliberated, thinking it over. A mug, eh? "It would depend if they were actually made in each part of the country you're asking about. Assuming they were locally made..ok. I'll set out an scenario, but without actual mugs to look at, this is all hypothetical, okay?" the teacher began, lounging back on the quilt and placing his hands behind his head. Sure, not something a professional instructor would do, but he wasn't the usual teacher. He was just a guy who needed a break from roaming the world of Skiagis, a little grounding time to figure out what to do next. Icy eyes stared up into the darkening sky, though he was more likely seeing these mugs his brain imagined.

"Glasthearth is predominantly farming country. It has many diverse areas that could affect the design, but since back then it'd have been made with wood, it would have originated from the small forests near the flood plains, most likely. A good, strong wood. It would probably have designs closely related to farming, and also the monarchy that was in power over Mistere until recently," postulated the explorer, almost impressed with himself. he'd learned a lot in his short years here. Granted, it'd been all he'd done to keep him mind occupied, but still. He sounded like a regular scholar! "Elderbrook relies heavily on rivers for trade and to water livestock. Its mug might be carved from a material not native to Elderbrook, but it'll probably have boat designs and livestock carved into it. It'll share a monarchy symbol or two, since it's the same country and that'd have been common for the time period. Of course, I'm speaking of older days. More recently with growing technology and even more trading going on, it'd be very hard to tell mugs apart aside from the stamp on the bottom of the mug. Haha!"

"No you don't..." he muttered to himself under his breath to her memory comment, having just a moment of bitterness before he blotted it out of his face and tone altogether. Being able to remember everything that came in life for the most part had so far been little more than a curse. Sure, he could remember maps, how to get to various secret areas, tones of facts and details about items in the present and past...but that also meant he remembered a whole other world of pain before being brought here. He remembered how many times he'd lost everything and had no choice but to pick up and start over. There wasn't a treasure that existed in this world or the other one that could compare to the people he'd lost, and lives were things that he couldn't dig up again. At least that was one perk of treasures buried in ruins and caves. The civilization might have fallen or some tragedy might have claimed them, but their valuable items could just be found again.

"I have!" Theo chirped, as if he hadn't stepped into his hidden somber side for a second. The grin on his face was genuine. "Arka was not much fun...too cold, too harsh, the ground is so hard...to be honest, they don't leave much behind if they are exiled outside the few towns and cities they have. Even in the towns its basic carpentry. Anything I've found there was simple...not much design over functionality. Only things to use in every day life. I assume the valuables are held in the Capital," he told his student, being candid about his dislike for the place. It was boring and dangerous, and the only city they had worth visiting was just the Capital since the other place not inhabited by the poor and oppressed was an entire city dedicated to their academy.

Moving on, now he got to his favorite place in this world. "Hisakawa is a goldmine for exploration and archaeology, Ryse," he began, eyes bright with excitement. He loved this stuff. The jungles and forests are full of ruins from tribes and clans that have either been wiped out or moved toward the center of the country. There are plants and animals there that still haven't been discovered. I would know, because almost all the artifacts and treasures of there are either in ruins painted with warnings about horrible monsters, or the treasure itself is decorated with the images. In fact, that puzzle egg that blew up my classroom was from a Hisakawa ruin, said to be guarded by a great chakakaka...which is apparently a yellow feathered bird..."

As if his already insanely bright blue eyes could somehow get any brighter, they did when she mentioned she was from Hisakawa and that her mother might know some hidden places he'd yet to find. "Ooooh, yes. I'd love to meet your mother and go exploring. Maybe one day...on a break or something..." he mused, smiling to himself as his imagination ran wild. A ruin at the bottom of a murky swamp, guarded by the large Shihugafu of ancient legend...finding a pristine and dry antechamber chocked full of exciting riddles and traps so that the main room chocked full of priceless relics and treasures was worth it. A grand story would be born!

Snapping back to reality, he thought he heard her say something else. "What what was?" he asked with a befuddled expression, only to blink and start laughing. "Oh! Right, the feather egg grenade. Yeah, I think those were Chakakaka feathers. Those things are said to be immortal, so if there were feathers in there that means they existed all those years ago, and probably still do. I'm sure I've heard their screeches near the ruin far east, but I've never seen one full on. Perhaps if I was more of a species specialist and not an archaeologist, I could be the one to confirm all those crazy animals exist. But, alas, I'm just there for the cool stuff and the story that goes with it."

As she showed her notebook, Theo looked over it intently, though couldn't read any of her writings. As usual, the man that couldn't read had only pictures to go off of, but usually that was fine. At first he was worried reading the pages would play a large part in understanding what she was asking him, but her explanation was clear enough. He should be able to handle it.

"That's a little tougher," he started, expression deep in thought. Pursing his lips repeatedly, he slowly gathered his thoughts. "Before the war, most species didn't have humanoid forms to shapeshift into like we are right now. Only the species already humanoid could blend into human societies before the war. Everyone was reasonably segregated if they could be, for unfortunately obvious reasons. That said, the mugs during this time would probably only reference humans. A mug from any other species would be carved very blatantly with figures in their native form, assuming they even had a use for a mug... In addition, some mugs might even depict other non-humanoid species in nearby areas as monsters, depending on relations between the groups. Some humans embraced getting along with other species while others were very cruel to them, so I can't offer an exact explanation, I'm afraid. It's all very complicated," he ended his first half of his explanation with a dry laugh. "Now, post war, we'd start seeing those mugs lose any animosity toward other species, as well as species depicted in humanoid forms alongside the humans themselves. We'd also start to see new ideas for decorations as all the cultures began mixing together and getting along.." he trailed off, feeling as though he wasn't doing a good job teaching this material. Theo was a hands on guy. Hypotheticals started to get muddy for the simple man. "You and I will have to take a mug-hunting field trip and put this talk to practice. Maybe see how accurate my teaching is!" the black haired instructor chuckled, able to poke fun at himself. He wasn't a very serious individual most of the time...which is probably why he was the weirdest teacher on campus.