Private A different Master for a Day

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Ever since the baby was born, Kahlil Noble and Valery had to balance their duties with taking care of the baby carefully. At first, both spent the vast majority of their time watching little Vera, with all the stress that comes along with that. But soon enough, the two had to get back to their duties as well, which meant they tried to always have one parent with the baby as the other was kept busy out in the Galaxy. ​

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This idea extended to their Padawans, whose training could not be halted too long. It was likely that Kahlil would have to keep a watchful eye on Valery's Padawans soon enough, but today it was her turn to make sure one of his Padawans was getting the guidance they needed. ​

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Rhemti Totriddiam was a fairly new Padawan to him, and one whose path was only just beginning as a Jedi, but she hoped to answer some questions he might have, or guide him in the right direction to begin his training properly. To begin today's lesson, he had been instructed to wait for her arrival on Ossus, near the landing Pad where Valery soon came down in her black X-wing.​

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After hopping out, she tossed her helmet back into the cockpit and shook out her long hair before she spotted the young Nautolan nearby.​

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"Padawan Totriddiam? I'm Master Valery Noble — it's nice to finally meet you," she said with a smile and a bow of her head to show him respect.​

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"I hope you haven't been waiting too long?"​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"Ah, not a problem at all, Master Noble." Rhemti flashed his signature goofy grin, hiding his nervousness behind the smile. He wasn't sure how he felt about being called by his last name all the time, but he wasn't about to boss his interim Master around while his actual Master was off tending to their child. . .? Oh boy this was getting confusing real fast, especially where he had gotten used to calling Kahlil by his name rather than master.

"I've not been anywhere but Glee Anselm, anyway, so I was enjoying taking it all in." The red skinned Nautolan just continued to smile at Valery Noble , his hands clasped before him. "Thank you very much for training me while Kahlil-- I mean my Master is busy." Rhemti scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, a more sheepish smile on his face as he corrected himself immediately.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Valery met his smile with one of her own and extended a hand out towards the Praxeum, gesturing for him to follow her there. The landing pad they were on could get really loud with ships flying in and out, so a quieter place near or inside the Temple was much better for conversation.​

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"It's my pleasure, and I do apologize for it being like this so shortly after you became his Padawan," she said as her eyes turned to the Nautolan boy. "He and I both take turns taking care of the baby when we're not both doing it, and this happened to work out well for us. So it's quite likely I'll be involved in your training more often," she said with her usual kind smile.​

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"Which also brings me to today's discussion. I figured we'd look at where you're now with your training, what your interests are, and what I believe might be crucial in your training," she said. ​

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"Let's start with the first two things though — can you tell me more about what you've learned and perhaps something you find interesting? It can be a hobby unrelated to being a Jedi as well."​

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Valery then opened the door into what looked like some quarters for those who stayed at the Temple. There was a bed, a desk with a chair, and a very simplistic living room. Enough for one person, but not great to live in with someone else.​

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"These will be your sleeping quarters at least for a night or two. For now, let's sit down and talk more."​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

A look of worry crossed Rhemti's face briefly, but it was quickly replaced by his usual goofy smile, a bit of confidence thrown in for good measure as he closely followed after Valery Noble , respectfully waiting until she'd finished before he responded. "What I have learned.." He thought aloud, sitting down on the edge of the bed gently, his palms back on the blanket as he leaned back on them, expression contemplative.

"Well. I have some sort of connection to the 'force'. Kahlil explained what the force was, but I still haven't quite fully grasped it yet, I think? I haven't really learned much, but that's alright! I'm in no hurry. Everything will work out in the end." He flashed that confident, goofy grin, sitting up straight on the bed as he looked to his interim Master. "As for hobbies.. I enjoy farming, livestock and crop; I'm decent with cooking, my mum taught me a thing or two; and I really enjoy exploring new or uncharted territory!"

The grin across Rhemti's face was a bit mischievous now, if a bit sheepish as he chuckled. "Might have been the only slightly dangerous hobby back home my folks didn't approve of."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Valery listened to the young Nautolan and smiled at his excitement — of all the Padawans she had met since her stasis, he was yet another unique personality she was going to enjoy interacting with. But he was very new to all of this; more so than the typical Jedi she was used to training like this. ​

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In the old days, they passed through years of youngling and initiate training before learning under a Knight or Master, but things had changed and she had to go along with these new times.​

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"Those are some interesting hobbies." Valery smiled. "I'm quite fond of cooking myself and everything else you've mentioned might come in use as a Jedi as well. There are many different paths you can walk as one," she explained.​

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"But in general, what do you think a Jedi is? What does it mean to be one?"​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"What do I think a Jedi is?" His hairless brow furrowed as he thought, his expression serious instead of goofy for once. What did it mean to be a Jedi? He'd barely known Kahlil, hadn't even started his training until now. And what he had learned or seen didn't seem new to him, well, asides from the blaster training Kahlil had given him before he'd even taken him on as a Padawan.

"A Jedi is someone who helps those who cannot help themselves." His words were calm, calculated, but sincere and from the heart. Well, one of his hearts anyway, to be sure. Maybe all of them? "The way I've seen Kahlil act with others, his reasonings. They make sense to me. Common sense, really. Why wouldn't you help someone in need? Even if it's none of my business, or not my fight, if someone needs help and the means or results aren't any thing that might hurt another or the environment in any way, then why wouldn't I help? I would do so, even if I wasn't connected to the force."

He smiled gently, not as goofy this time. "A Jedi, to me, is someone who selflessly helps anyone in need without expectation of compensation. Someone who will put themselves in harms way for the betterment of others, who will do their best to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Valery remained completely quiet as the young Nautolan began to explain what he believed to be a Jedi. As he continued, he'd likely notice a smile growing on Valery's face. For someone as young and inexperienced as him, he knew exactly what being a Jedi was all about.​

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"I couldn't have said it better myself," Valery said.​

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"But as I'm sure you can imagine, being that protector is very difficult. Your time as a Padawan is a time of learning and training to prepare you to complete that task in the Galaxy. You'll learn about the Force and how it interacts with us and the world around us, you will gain experience alongside your Master and..." she smiled warmly, "..you will already start making a difference out there."​

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"But one step at a time. I figured today we'd either cover some fundamental Philosophy about the Jedi, or I can teach you a little more about an application of the Force," she smirked.​

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"Since it's your first lesson, I'll give you the choice."​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

"The force.." Rhemti looked more than a bit sheepish, still that goofy grin. "Honestly I do best with hands on learning. I learn by doing, so working on how to connect to this... ability, to understand how to use it; then I could work to apply it towards those Jedi philosophies?" The Nautolan was being more than sincere, however he was also incredibly curious about how the force worked, this amazing power he knew next to nothing about that had suddenly grown within him, and how he might be able to help others with it.

"Would that be alright, Master Valery Noble ?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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"Of course."​

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Valery had a rather encouraging smile on her face and gave his request a moment of thought. He wanted to learn more about the Force but tie it into some Jedi philosophy? Many abilities required some understanding of philosophy, especially when it came to restraint in using them. But she wanted something interesting for this first lesson. ​

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Then it visibly clicked as her eyes widened for a brief second. ​

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"I'm going to teach you something called Force Empathy. Nautolans already have very strong natural empathy through smell and pheromone detection, but the Force is more universally applicable." she said. ​

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"But I have a feeling that this will come naturally to you, so it might be a good introduction, don't you think?"​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti merely nodded, his expression calm for once as he sat up straighter, looking more focused as he listened in, hands clasped in his lap. "Yes please. I'm ready to learn, Master Valery Noble ." The young Nautolan would wait patiently, eager to learn more about this power he'd recently become attuned to.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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"Good."​

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Valery was quite fond of the enthusiasm he showed for learning. An eager student was always willing to go the extra mile to understand something difficult, and put in the time to hone their skills gradually. Studying the Force and how to interact with it required great discipline, so it was likely going to work in his favor.​

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"First, sit down with me and just relax," Valery said as she sat down in a lotus position herself.​

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"Empathy requires you to form a mental bridge with someone else, so the first step to facilitate that connection is to be in control of your own mind. I don't know if you've tried meditation before, but the Jedi practice it so much to maintain a clear and strong mind," she explained.​

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"Just close your eyes and try to clear your head. Emotions, memories, thoughts — none of them matter right now. Just be calm and focus on your connection to the Force."​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti looked closely at Valery Noble 's seating position before down at himself, trying to mirror her as much as possible before following her instructions, his entire body slowly, visibly, relaxing from where he sat on the bed. "Is it going to be an issue if I've never, well.. connected with the force on purpose? You know, just wondering." Even while relaxed Rhemti was still a bit goofy, closing his eyes shortly after in an attempt to continue following her instructions.

He cleared his mind, well, as best he could. There might have been a couple thoughts regarding how would he connect to the force, let alone in an 'on purpose' capacity. That might not have helped with the, uh, focusing on emptying part of focus and empty your mind.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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The corners of Valery's lips curled up into a smile as she watched the young boy mirror her sitting position. It wasn't really a necessity — all that mattered was being comfortable, so focusing was going to be easier. But if this helped him get ready for something he had never tried before, she certainly welcomed it.​

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"It shouldn't be a problem; I'll be your guide," Valery said, her tone shifting to become more relaxed and easy on the ears. Almost as if she was wanting to talk him into a trance.​

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"Connecting with the Force on purpose is not very hard once you're calm and focused. It's as much a part of you as your limbs — all you need to do is acknowledge it and feel it be that extension of yourself," she explained, her voice still calm as she hoped to help him feel it actively.​

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"The exact way you perceive it might be different from me, but once you feel it, you might also be able to tell how I'm connected to it. You'll feel something between us that you can't see, yet it feels natural."​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti didn't even respond this time, quiet as he tried to let everything fade; his thoughts, his emotions, memories, absolutely everything. He focused on the sound of his own heart, letting the beat of it lull him into a sense of calmness, one that was a complete 180 from his earlier goofball energy. It would take him a few minutes, but the focus on his heart beat truly helped, his body slowly swaying back and forth as he felt... something. The force? It felt like he was caught up in a gentle current, swirling around him; his relaxation and total surrender to his focus caused him to sway back and forth ever so slightly.

It was weird to him, a connection he'd never before attempted to reach out to purposefully, but he listened to Master Valery's words, treating it as if it was an extension of himself, that's why he was swaying with it, though he had no idea that he was even doing so, just simply focusing on the feeling as it brushed around him much like the gentle currents back on the farm.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Valery watched closely, but she also felt the way he was connecting to the Force. He began to shine like a beacon, and his calmness echoed over to her. It brought a smile to his lips and with that same gentle tone, Valery would attempt to guide him further. He was getting close.​

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"You're a gentle leaf, flowing along with the Force. It's like a river that never ceases to flow, and is influenced by those within its currents." Valery explained.​

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"Much like you, I'm part of this same flow, but the ripples I create differ from your own. Now that you've found yourself, try to find me. Reach out and feel the way I influence the flow around you." Valery said, her voice soothing.​

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She hoped that through this way of perceiving the Force, the Nautolan would be able to connect with her mind. To explore it at a surface level and feel the emotions that echoed out from her. Right now, she wasn't suppressing them, so they were vibrant and easily read by whoever was watching.​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

The analogy she'd made about being ripples in a current made this all the more easy for the red skinned Nautolan, who slowly stopped the swaying until it was the subtlest movement as he searched, his ripples acting more like.. echolocation, reaching out, expanding his 'ripples' until he felt them stop, marking Master Valery's aura and the ripples she exuded. The whole idea of it was... astronomical, more than astounding, but he'd take the time to be amazed by it later, right now he was training.

There was the slight flicker of surprise across his face when he focused on his current Master and how she influenced the force around him, but it wasn't just that he could sense her that surprised him, no, it was how he sensed her presence. The ripples that ebbed from her presence held emotion. Happiness? He was used to sensing others emotions through his head-tails, but not like this, not through the force; they were just too far apart for him to sense her emotions with his tails alone, especially without the aid of being submerged in water.

Happiness.. Joy... The emotions rippled out from Valery as he stayed focused on her, so focused that he would lose any concentration on his surroundings, including his hearing, for the moment anyway. Rhemti was lost in it, lost in the emotions, his connection to the force and now his temporary Master allowing him to not just sense her emotions, but the reasoning behind them, like faint flickers of memory? Her family, he assumed, as images of his Master Kahlil popped into his mind, their new baby.

Without realizing it, his focus on her emotions sent him deeper, a flash of confusion crossing his brow for the slightest moment as that happiness and joy shifted, not gone just past, as if they'd hidden other feelings within. These new ripples weren't soft and light, they weren't joyful or excited they were slow, faint and heavy; stress, exhaustion, weariness. Although he didn't realize it, his own expression shifted, reflecting those inner emotions that he hadn't even realized he'd dug deeper for, a crease in his brow and a frown on his face, staying that until either her emotion shifted or she stirred him out of it, as his focus now was on trying to figure out why she felt this way, so he could try and help.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Valery sat in complete silence as she studied the way the young Nautolan was connecting with the Force. Normally, she always kept her mind shielded, as most Jedi would. But now, even the most naturally passive barriers were lifted to grant the Padawan access to her mind. It was a test for his use of the Force, but there was deeper thought behind it as well.​

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At first, the woman felt him skim through the surface, uncovering the emotions that would normally echo out into the Force more easily. But gradually, he began to follow the currents of the Force deeper into her mind, until he found something more personal — the current things she struggled with. ​

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However, before he would be able to figure out the source of these negative feelings, he'd feel that his pathways were blocked, like a dam stopping the water flow of a large river. There was no way through.​

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"Very good," Valery said with a faint smile.​

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"But always be aware of what your use of the Force can imply. To dive deep into someone's mind comes with risk, and our curiosity is rarely a reason to intrude on someone's privacy." She said, her voice calm. Valery wasn't disappointed or upset; she was merely trying to guide him more.​

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"A Jedi uses Empathy to understand the things they must about others, but with the knowledge that some things are not meant to be discovered and revealed."​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti suddenly came back to reality, as if the walls Valery had put up snapped him back. He didn't feel guilty about it at first, not realizing he had been prying too far into her mind, well, until she spoke. His head-tendrils recoiled behind him, the young man mortified when he realized he'd not received permission to even look past the surface thoughts. He knew, without even realizing it, that she wasn't scolding him, it had all been a lesson, but that didn't make him feel any less ashamed; Rhemti knew better!

"I.. understand Master." He bowed his head a little, allowing himself only one more microsecond of shame before he looked back up to her, his goofy smile returning, hiding the bit of inner frustration he'd felt at how rude he'd just been "Thank you for teaching me. I'm sorry if I pushed too far... I didn't even realize what was happening. I won't do it again, I promise." Those head tails were almost wringing themselves, much like a person would wring their hands, even though he had that same apologetic, goofy smile; it had felt almost natural to seek out another's feelings, though purely only from his intention to help them. He didn't think before that those actions could hurt someone else or himself in some way.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Ossus​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Factory Link​

Lightsabers: Link!​

Tag: Rhemti Totriddiam ​

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Noticing that the young Nautolan realized and understood the lesson brought a smile to Valery's lips. She dipped her head lightly as he did and tried her best to seem comforting and kind with her demeanor, "It was my pleasure to teach you, and please don't worry." Valery said.​

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"I intentionally wasn't too clear about how far you could go. I wanted you to really understand how easy it can be to use the Force for something you're not supposed to. In this case, it happened without even really thinking about it. But sometimes, it's an inner temptation to use the Force for selfish desires." she continued.​

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"This is how I wanted to tie it into Philosophy. The Force is an ally; not a tool." ​

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The woman then stood up and smirked, "Lesson over. Unless you have anything you wish to ask me, I believe we should get something to eat. I'll cook up something nice for us."​

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[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Rhemti shook his head in response to having further questions, still goofily smiling, though it took a few moments for him to allow his self-frustration to dissipate, and then that grin was genuine once more. "Can I help? It's been a little too long since I've had a real kitchen and ingredients to work with." He had finally used the force, purposefully used the force; he might have gone too far with it, but not to the degree that it would hurt another. Rhemti still felt ashamed of himself for being rude but... she'd meant for it to happen, it seemed? For him to learn from it.

Regardless, he vowed not to delve into someone's thoughts or emotions without prior approval ever again, after all he wanted to help others, not harm them; whether that was physically, mentally or emotionally. Thus he left the lesson with his substitute Master, feeling overall good about the lesson, all while now suddenly thinking of what they might just chow down on now that class was over.

Valery Noble