[SpringsSong]

[Click for human form]
"Where is that student I was supposed to start tutoring...?" the Rinkuhna said as he looked around the entrance of his library, pacing around.  After all, he was a professor, and he liked to being his classes on time, even if it was a tutoring session with only one student.  Llyod shook his head as he stepped back into the library, looking at the instruments he had set out on the grand piano.  There was a piccolo, a flute, and alto flute, clarinets of the bass, alto, and soprano varieties, an oboe and an English horn, and leaning against the piano was a bassoon.  After all, he had learned all of the woodwinds, except for the contrabassoon.  Not only was the contrabassoon insanely expensive, it was insanely huge, even when he was in his five-foot-seven human form.

He looked down at his pocketwatch that he had as he shifted to human form.  He was wearing a simple white shirt with a with a blue suit jacket over that; and a pair of simply blue jeans and brown tennis shoes.  While he was a professor, he blieved in being comfortable in his element.  He sighed as he walked back to the door.  "The student should be here by now... whoever it is, they're late."

[1.1]

[SpringsSong]

[Click for human form]
"This is not good.  I'm definitely late now... I do hope this Professor Wainwright understands, with me coming all the way from Nori, after all... it's a bit of a stretch from there to Craiss." Alana said, wrapping her shawl tightly around her shoulders.  She hurriedly walked towards the library, her hair blowing in what faint wind there was.

When she reached the library, she opened the door hurriedly as she walked in.  "I'm dreadfully sorry, Professor... my train from Nori was late, and I couldn't catch an earlier one." She called out into the library, her eyes widening as an afterthought at seeing the library full of books, all on music.  She couldn't help but wonder what this Professor Wainwright would be like, but she had her suspicions.  She was wearing a fitted golden dress, along with a golden shawl as she walked in, smoothing her long, golden hair from the wind and from her running to get to the library.

"I understand if you're upset that I'm late, Professor..." she said quietly, her eyes looking around warily.

[14.1]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd had just barely sat down at the piano to begin playing when he heard the voice of the student reach him.  Aha... so she hails from Lambastia... understandable, understandable. He thought as he moved to the balcony to see the human-form Spirit Kuhna there, looking around.  "Ah... I see that you finally made it, young one." He said as he walked down the spiral staircase to meet her.

As he observed her, he smiled.  "I am guessing that you are the student I am to tutor?  I am Professor Lloyd Wainwright." He said.  One could tell that he had been raised by a Russian relative, for it was in his accent.  Looking over the girl, he furrowed his brow.  "You cannot be much older than... eighteen, correct?" he asked.  He had been told to expect someone close to his own age; 27.  That would be no issue to him, though; he enjoyed working with children more than adults.

[1.2]

[SpringsSong]

Alana had to catch her breath as she saw the Professor walk down the stairs.  "I--I am the student, yes." She said, observing the Professor carefully as he walked down the stairs.  When he inquired her age, she shook her head.  "No, Professor... I am twenty-six." She said.  "I should hardly like to think that a mother of twelve kitlings could only be eighteen." She said defensively; she was not particularly proud that she had that many children, but it was a fact of life.

After a moment, she spoke again.  "Tell me, Professor Wainwright... you are a professor of music theory, yes?" she asked.  "I find myself quite fascinated by music, after all.  I come from a musical home.  Granted, I am not the most... musical of Evelonians, but..." here, she shrugged.

[14.2]

[SpringsSong]

Twelve children?!  Good heavens! Lloyd thought to himself as he said, "A thousand apologies, my young student.  You appear deceptively young for your age... and I--I mean that in a good way." He was hoping that this last part would not offend the young Spirit Kuhna, but one could only guess.  He cleared his throat as she inquired his specialty.

"I am a professor of music theory, yes; but I can also teach one how to play an instrument.  After all, the first thing that has to be there is the desire to learn." He said.  Looking around, he took a step towards a shelf of books.  "I hope you realize though, Miss, that I do not wish for you to make the trek back and forth from Nori to here daily.  I trust you have made arrangements to house somewhere within Craiss?" he asked, picking up a book entitled, The Art of Musical Performance.  "I would find it... most heartless of myself to expect that of you; traversing from Nori back here daily, Miss...?"

[1.3]

[SpringsSong]

"Alana." The Spirit Kuhna replied before shaking her head.  "No, I am afraid that I have not made any arrangements to house anywhere within Craiss.  My mother wanted to make sure that I had arrived here safely before sending any of my things here, Professor." She said, moving to hang her shawl up on the coat rack.  "Do you think I could maybe call her, and ask her if she can send my things on their way here?" she asked.

She moved to sit down at a table not all that far from where Lloyd stood, looking around the library.  "I've never seen so many books... are they all on music theory, Professor?" she asked curiously.  She was eager to begin her lessons, but she was unsure of all of the books around.  However, when she caught a glimpse of the spine of the book that Lloyd was holding, she sat up with renewed interest.

[14.3]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd nodded slowly as he listened.  "Hm... I can understand relatives wanting to know that you have arrived somewhere safely.  My grandmother would always require me to send her a telegram whenever I got to my destination." He said, nodding as he pointed to the phone.  "As far as housing... there is a spare guest room within this library; for I built it to be a home as well as a place for me to teach.  Let your mother know that you have arrived, and then I shall show you to your room."

When she inquired as to the contents of the books, he laughed.  "Oh, good heavens, no!  There are not that many books on music theory.  Some of them are on the art of composition, or on different instruments, or just the history of music in general, Alana." He said, smiling.  "After all, I find it helpful to teach my students music while I teach them the theory of it."

[1.4]

[SpringsSong]

Alana smiled as she stood up and walked over to the phone and dialed in a number.  She stood for a few minutes, waiting for her mother to answer the phone.  "Hello...? Oh, hello, Oli.  Can you see if Lani's there?  I need to talk to her... thanks!  Hey, Mother... yes, I made it here all right.  The train was late in leaving, though... oh, Professor Wainwright?  He seems nice enough so far... after all, he's offered to let me stay in one of the guest rooms in the library while he teaches me.  Are you kidding, Mother?  With what happened today?  He said he felt it would be heartless of him to make me go back and forth each day... yes, I understand, Mother... okay, so you'll send it tomorrow?  Thank you.  I love you too, Mother.  Good-bye."

Alana hung up the phone as she said, "She was a bit reluctant to send my things, but she agreed to send my things on the first train tomorrow." Her eyes widened as Lloyd mentioned all of the different books he had; "Good Zu'hai... that is amazing, Professor."

[14.4]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd smiled as he said, "That is good to hear.  I can uderstand her being reluctant to let you stay so far away from home... she is not much of the traveling type, is she?  True, every one of us is different; we cannot all be alike.  Where would the excitement be in that?" he laughed as he said, "Come with me.  I shall show you to your room."

Lloyd began to ascend the stairway before he turned to face Alana.  "Pardon me if I am intruding on personal manners... but you said you have twelve children, yes?  May I inquire as to what your family is like?" he asked, a slight blush creeping into his face.

[2.0]

[SpringsSong]

Alana smiled as she said, "Oh, my family is... well, quite interesting.  There's a good reason my mother prefers to keep my brother and half-sister safely at home; when she met my stepfather, she accidentally freed a demon from within Nu'san Temple.  Also, my poor brother was kidnapped by a rowdy group of tomboys and one of my own sons and taken to Einsor's shop.  He came back as a Fallen Luhna, only able to communicate telepathically." She lowered her head.  "Aside from the one son who turned on his uncle, my own children are delightful.  I have three daughters that live with me; Mayonaka, Naleitia, and Sable; and I have three sons that live with me; Onyx, Verno, and Obsidian.  Many of them have known pain, or have caused it themselves."

She shook her head as she mounted the staircase to follow Lloyd.  "What about you, Professor?  What family do you have?" she asked.

[15.0]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd thought for a moment before he said, "Young Alana... I have no living family anymore.  My parents died in an incident involving Venom Hydrolisks when I was just a little lad, and I was raised by my grandmother.  She was... a sweet girl, but she was not well in health.  She managed to hold on a lot longer than all the doctors though she would, but... alas, she soon died.  I was off at a conservatory at the time when I heard that she had died.  When I heard this, I instantly took a leave of absence and swam--yes, I swam--all the way here from Jawan."

Here, he let his two tails and his back fins appear, showing Alana that he was a Rinkuhna.  "Not all that long after she died, I had to return to the conservatory to finish my studies.  I earned my Ph.D within a few years of her death, and have gone onto teaching.  Normally, I teach the younger ones, but... I see a need to have an assistant, at some point.  That is why I put out a call for a young adult student, so that I can mentor them to be my assistant at some point." He said.

"Do you think you are up to the challenge, Alana?"

He continued walking along the hallway until he came to a door that was slightly open.  He stopped and waited for Alana to catch up with him before opening the door.

[2.1]

[SpringsSong]

Alana listened intently before her eyes widened in shock.  "Oh, Professor... I'm dreadfully sorry to hear all of that..." she said quietly as she continued to walk along, looking at all the books as she continued to walk along.  When Lloyd stopped a the door, so did she; listening quietly as Lloyd continued talking.

"An assistant?  Surely, though, Professor... you would need someone else who studies at a conservatory!  I have no knowledge of music whatsoever..." she said, lowering her head.  Here she was, telling this perfectly handsome young man that she was afraid that she couldn't become his assistant in time... what was wrong with her?

[15.1]

[SpringsSong]

"No.  I do not want them to send me some bumbling professor that is trained to work with college students or other adults.  My speciality in teaching is not adults, but young children.  I find it hard to teach adults, but I am more than open to debating with them.  You, dear Alana, will be the only adult student I take on." Lloyd said as he pushed open the door to the guest room.

It was obvious that Lloyd had somehow gotten into the mind of some girl and had figured out how to design a guest room that a lady would feel at home in.  There was a luxurious canopy bed, a chair set up in a reading nook, a place for afternoon tea to be set--as it was now, actually--and various books set up on bookshelves.  Lloyd smiled as he predicted the gasp that Alana would release upon seeing the room.  The color scheme was golden and emerald, just like her.  It was... as if he knew she was coming.

[2.2]

[SpringsSong]

He called me dear Alana, she thought as she took a nimble step forward into the guest room where she would be staying.  Her jaw dropped a significant amount as she looked at the room; it was not unlike a room she had imagined for herself back home in Nori.  Her mother had never gotten around to designing it; not after the birth of Kiana and her other siblings.  And now that Kiana was helping her own love run a candy shop, Alana was left in charge of helping her mother with her brother, Usake.  After all, the poor boy was kidnapped to be turned into a Fallen Luhna by her own son.  Her own son...

She coughed and turned to face Lloyd.  "It's beautiful, Professor.  I cannot thank you enough for letting me stay here." She said quietly.

[15.2]

[SpringsSong]

Lloyd tilted his head curiously as Alana coughed.  "Er... would you care to join me for tea?  I have some set up in the study, just down the hallway..." he said, before looking in and noticing the tea already set there, and he blushed.

"...at any rate... would you care to have afternoon tea with me?  I find it quite refreshing at this time of day to take some refreshment." He said.  He looked at his pocketwatch again for a moment to try and get rid of the blush on his face.  Five o'clock... maybe I should mention to her that I will not start tutoring her until tomorrow, just to give her time to adjust to being here. He thought as he waited for her response.

[2.3]