(no subject)

[sythyry]

Unangry! Or, Disgusted! [9 Consimbs 4261]

We -- and when I say "we", I rather grudgingly mean mostly Nestrune -- calmed Prof. Wynge down, and plied him with brandy and grilled peppered prunes in Cafe du Fronde, and let him tell the sordid story several times, with variations.

For those who care, the story is approximately thus. Prof. Wynge personally said about two-thirds of it; the rest is conjecture and research.

1. Prof. Wynge was not aware that a banded purple and gold waistcoat was the sign of a traff whore seeking Cani customers. He got such a waistcoat at a used-clothing store, and accepted many kind words from Prof. Phrass about it. (For the record, neither was I, nor Nestrune, nor Esory of course, nor much of anyone else -- I asked about it in Across Saga later, and as far as I can tell, it was such a sign for a year or two, some decades past ... presumably when Prof. Phrass was last hunting for traff whores.)
2. Prof. Wynge got Prof. Phrass a nice birthday present of a bottle of scented fur-oil. Of course, a Rassimel can't simply walk into a Cani scented-things shop and buy something suitable; only Cani can smell all the fine points of the scents, and only Cani know all the connotations. So Wynge asked, "I wish to buy a scented fur-oil suitable for Prof. Phrass." Which, presumably, the Cani scented-things seller interpreted as, "I wish to buy a scented fur-oil suitable for my lover Prof. Phrass.", as Prof. Phrass's frequent transaffectionate adulteries are notorious in some parts of the city.
3. This and that else happened that could, with sufficient hopefulness or foolishness, be interpreted as invitations by Prof. Wynge to Prof. Phrass.
4. Prof. Phrass hinted at the prospects of a more personal liaison. For several weeks. With increasing obviousness. After a couple of weeks Prof. Wynge started to notice, and became uncomfortable, and then became quite uncomfortable, and said "NO!".
5. Prof. Phrass, by sufficient hopefulness and foolishness, took NO!" for "I require further seduction and subtle blandishments, such as shy seducees-and-blandishees often do." And, by way of seduction started hinting about the connection between Prof. Wynge's career and Prof. Phrass' recommendation, and, then, between the recommendation and the physical affection.
6. Prof. Wynge asked coldly, "What are you hinting at?".
7. Prof. Phrass said hotly, "Nothing less than an hour of physical pleasure between the two of us, such as we both have been dreaming of these last many weeks."
8. Prof. Wynge overturned Prof. Phrass' desk onto Prof. Phrass, and fled.
9. They both showed up at class (a third of an hour later), and the rest I have described.

I can't say that either professor sounds particularly well-behaved at the moment.

At any rate, Nestrune arranged a sort of truce between the professors, in which they don't talk to each other and split the teaching of the rest of the term (not much!) and split the grading of the rest of the term, and avoid each other after that.

I'm glad he managed that. I wouldn't have dared dictate terms to two professors, but then, I'm not a crown prince of anywhere.

I admit that I sulked most of the afternoon.

[Poll #659347]

Comments

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

That's upper nobility for you, can't live with them, can't shoot them, just 'cause they are occasionally useful. };)

[esory.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Who'd've expected Nestrune to do something so useful for a change? O_o

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

You're at the academy to learn. I would suggest you learn as much as you can from Nestrune; he's good.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Lesson one: be born as the 412231d heir of a ducal family.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

Lesson two: try to make friends with the smart and able people around you.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Lesson three: instead of the nendrai.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

Note the word "people." Vae can never be part of your political base, because she can never be part of your polity. She may, however, be a good weapon if used properly. Your Duke did a moderate job of using her so. (A for execution, and you should take all the credit for that, B- for strategy, and he should take the credit/blame for that. It would have been A+ for execution if you'd known to take just enough graft to keep the bureaucrats comfortable.)

Lesson four: He's trying to make friends with you; otherwise he wouldn't have spent any time at all on the Profs. Corollary: Nestrune, heir of Daukhrame, views you as smart and able. What are you going to do about it, O Zi-Ri of the line of Glikkonen?

[waywind.livejournal.com]

It's most interesting that a gold and purple waistcoat was at one time used to attract traff Cani, as I may end up going to a school whose colors are gold and purple. For that matter, the school also has a mascot which is the offworld-monster equivalent of a Cani.

[niss-the-ai.livejournal.com]

You were more afraid of negotiating with the professors than with Vae?

Seems as though with Cani sensitivity to smells, it'd be easy to offend them. You cook soup while wearing perfume, and every Cani in the room walks over and slaps you.