InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "you can do sidebends or situps"

Marisa Selwyn (a_singing_cat) wrote in light_of_may,
@ 2012-02-04 23:05:00

Entry tags:

2009-08-31, faith

Tracing the steps that I take
Who: Faith and Marisa
When: Early afternoon
Where: U of M campus

Marisa didn't want to do anything today. She wanted to stay curled up in the uncomfortable chair at the hospital next to Jacob's bed. Only she couldn't do that. Classes had been delayed a few days and she needed them to get ready for the first day. Had they not been pushed back then she'd have been a wreck for her first attempt at teaching actual students anything. She'd have read straight from the syllabus and sent them home with a reading assignment that wouldn't do them any good just because she could and it'd make better sense than slumping behind the desk to make them give their names and say why they were taking the class. Marisa didn't even know, her mind wasn't working at the same level it normally tried to and every time it got up above 'god I'm so tired I could curl up and sleep right here' it switched onto 'I wonder if anything's changed with Jacob?' Her phone would be in her phone with her finger hovering over the hospital's number when she would remember the reaction she'd get for calling. Again. And if she called through to Jacob's room hoping to get a chance to talk to him his grandmother would answer and she'd either hang up (the lucky option) or proceed to chew her a new one until she hung up. So it was really better not to call at all and every time Marisa ended up putting her phone back into her purse.

She'd tried staying at home and that had worked until around eight a.m. when her mom had snapped at her for pacing. That was when she'd decided that she was going to Ann Arbor. If she couldn't go and see Jacob -- legally she could, but she didn't know if the tension that would be in the room was really good for either of them -- then she was at least going to be as close to him as she could get. Besides, she needed to get some work done and they'd given her an office for a reason. Marisa may not have been a real office sort of girl, but she was doing her best and she managed to pull together an outline of what she was going to do for the entire first week, a detailed outline instead of just a brief overview like she'd done with the syllabus, by the time afternoon rolled around.

The were-leopard stretched herself out with a yawn as the clock chimed noon, putting her foot into the desk so that her chair spun around a few times. If she didn't get out and get some fresh air then she was going to curl up on top of the desk and just take a nap. Midday was always the worst time of day if you asked her. In school she'd always drifted off around that time and at college she'd specifically chosen classes so that there could be a nice gap in the middle of the day so that she could duck back into the dorms for a nap. Lunch with a side of the biggest coffee she could find would probably help. Reaching over, Marisa flipped off the desk lamp and grabbed her sunglasses and messenger bag before heading for the stairs that would lead down and out onto campus. She hadn't dressed like she was sure a professor was supposed to, exactly, but she wasn't teaching today. She was just coming in to keep herself busy and she... didn't really know where she wanted to go. Anywhere but near the mess that was the bridge and the place where Jacob had gotten hurt. Just thinking about it was making her eyes sting and she had to stop to pull herself back together before someone wondered what was wrong with her.

Now she just needed to figure out where she wanted to go for lunch. Maybe there was a place open on-campus... "Excuse me," Marisa asked a woman who was headed the other way. "Hi, sorry to interrupt, but can you answer a quick question for me? I don't really know campus all that well yet but I need something to eat and a huge coffee. Recommendations?" Because the other woman, she looked like she belonged here. Unless she was an atypical student and a house-wife who was coming back to school so that she could keep herself busy now that the kids were growing up... oh god, Marisa hoped that wasn't the case. Sticking her foot down her throat wasn't high on her agenda today.

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bcuzfucksnakes
2012-02-05 06:09 am UTC (link)

The thing about going from being a travel piece writer to a professor could, in short, be summed up by the change in outfits. When she was wandering around the Amazon with Frankie, sleeping in tents or huts or shacks or places that she was sure would be condemned had they been in any modern civilization, it had not mattered what she wore so long as it covered the important places and helped keep the bugs from biting where she really did not want them to. Jewelry out there was something that did not get worn. It got packed away inside a box and a ziploc baggie until something really special happened. The only exception was the snake ring that Faith had worn every single day since Frankie had given it to her. Every day. When Faith had glanced in the mirror that morning before leaving for Ann Arbor she had made a face at her own reflection. Her mom would have told her that she looked all pretty and professional and, while a small part of Faith would have agreed, most of her leaned more towards sharing Frankie's opinion that it was a ridiculous way to dress. This outfit? Would not have done amazing things if she were to come across a lamia who suddenly needed to become the opposite of alive. And there's one of those on-campus, Faith reminded herself as she put the finishing touches on what was going to be her opening Powerpoint presentation for her first class. The class that she had been completely ready to give today. What the hell was up with classes being pushed back a few days? Local schools were still in session and yet they were delaying university because of the whole explosion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Faith knew that it was a big deal and she had been there to see the mess, but people needed to learn to move on just a little quicker.

Yesterday had been the same as today so far, with one big difference. Yesterday at around this time she had been getting ready to go and meet Frankie for lunch while today she had made no specific plans with the other were about doing the same thing. I should have done that before I left. And she would have if she had not been leaving later than she had wanted to already. So she had told herself that she would just text or call Frankie when she got to campus... and she had proceeded to forget to do that until it was almost noon and her stomach was telling her that she probably should eat. Faith was pretty good about ignoring her stomach, but Frankie had been giving her looks since she had gotten back and the were had decided that she should probably at least try to keep up something like a regular eating regiment. Nothing like what Frankie did, oh god no her stomach would have exploded if she ate half as much as her girlfriend. More than once she remembered poking at Frankie's stomach after a meal and asking where she put it all. Ugh, food. Faith grabbed her cell on the way out the door and was debating sending a text off to Frankie when she caught the smell of a really big cat on the air. She had come across leopards before, more than once, and this was kind of a lot like that. Only there was a touch of perfume and the undeniable scent of 'human' mixed in with it. She had started to look around for the person who was making her think of being back in the jungle when a voice broke her thoughts.

Oh well that's perfect, I smell her and then she says hi. Faith gave the woman a once-over and figured that she was probably not a student. Which would make her a new professor same as her. Maybe. There was always room for alternatives. "Hmmmmm, well," Faith mused as she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a cigarette that she told herself she needed with an added assurance that the smell would be gone by the time she went home. "There's a Starbucks a bit off campus, multiple little coffee shops scattered every-freaking-where you look... tell you the truth I'm not all that familiar with the area yet, I only got here about a month ago." After she lit the cigarette and took a drag, Faith stuck out her right hand. "Faith Gohr, herpetology professor. Which I'm only telling you because I don't think you're a student." If she was wrong then she would think about apologizing.

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a_singing_cat
2012-02-05 06:22 am UTC (link)

Marisa, who didn't really breathe through her nose that much unless something overwhelmed her, did exactly that and was surprised when she realized that this woman she'd approached was giving off that unmistakeable mix of animal and human that marked out a were. Huh, she must've caught that subconsciously. Even before the Light of May, or maybe especially before it, Marisa had been more comfortable around people who knew what she was just by virtue of being the same themselves. Only she didn't really recognize the exact animal she was smelling. It made her think a bit of a weasel or ferret, only that wasn't right. And she could hear her mom's voice chiding her in the back of her head just at the idea of adding the 'what animal are you?' question onto what she'd already asked. She should just be grateful that she'd found someone who looked like they might have a -- oh, awesome, no clue to be had. Marisa was really doing an awesome job at picking out people to talk to these days. Or an awful job depending on how you looked at it. No, wait, she deserved at least a B for not only picking out another were, but another professor. She didn't mean to sigh with relief but she did before a relieved smile slid onto her face.

"Thank god, I came up to you because I thought you'd know the place, but since I'm wrong about that at least I'm right with the thinking that you're not a student." Marisa took a firm hold on the woman, Faith's hand and hook it before letting go. She tried her best to keep her nose from wrinkling at the scent of a lit cigarette. Even during her time at college Marisa hadn't liked people smoking. Not only did it mess around with health in the short and long run, but it smelled terrible and the scent just clung to everything. It was even stronger than the scent of a were. "I'm Marisa Selwyn and I'm a new professor, theater." Points for finding another new professor but she might lose a few of them for finding a science teacher of all things. A lot of the science-y people that she'd known throughout her life weren't the biggest supporters or the arts and their various incarnations. "If you're taking a break then you should come get a coffee with me." That was weird. Marisa wasn't the sort of person who craved other people's company usually. It's because of Jacob and all that happened. Now that was probably very true. Ever since Saturday Marisa had been finding herself drifting towards people instead of away from them for a change. And she missed Kelly, who was still back out west, and James wasn't around anymore while Julian had other things to do... it'd be nice if she at least had another were who worked on-campus that she could maybe go out for coffee with. "New professors and were's should stick together, don't you think?" And after the 'were' thing was out there -- she still had a momentary clutch of panic in her chest at having said it outloud -- maybe she could get around to asking what exactly Faith was.

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bcuzfucksnakes
2012-02-05 05:03 pm UTC (link)

"Not if you paid me," Faith laughed after Marisa let go of her hand. She had definitely paid her dues when it came to being a student and she had zero intentions of ever going through all of that again. Her doctorate was already hanging in a frame above the desk in her office so what reason would she have for taking a class again? Pure curiosity, maybe, but she really doubted that it was ever going to happen. She would rather read an article about whatever new species of lizard they discovered then go through listening to some pompous ass describing it in too-great detail while adding on how much this changed when it changed not a single thing. Faith knew how these things worked. "Should I call you Marisa or Professor Selwyn? I mean, some of these people can be pretty uptight about that title." Come on, like someone who looked her age was going to be one of them. And a theater professor at that. She half-expected to see those people running around in flowing skirts with flowers braided into their hair. Yes, Faith had a bit of a prejudice, but it was not meant to be negative. Frankie was a photographer after all and that technically fit into the category of 'art'. "You can call me Faith, I know my last name sounds sort of morbid."

Faith had had weirder offers from people over the years, but usually they were guys. She had accepted weirder offers too, back in the days she labeled in her mind as pre-Frankie. Only they were not exactly before she knew the other were, just before they started dating. "Okay, sure, I guess that I can swing that. Have to figure some food in though because that's the only reason I dragged myself out here." Why not? She did not have any plans made with Frankie for lunch today and it might be good to get to know some of the other professors. Even if she only stayed for a year, which was what she had told Frankie she was going to do because she knew how much she did not want to get stuck in civilization, it would still make it easier if she knew more people. That and it was always the weird loner who got suspected of the odd behavior if things started to go down and Faith did not want anyone looking her way when another lamia turned up dead. "Alright Marisa-" Because she was not going to actually call her 'Professor Selwyn' even if that was what the black-haired woman wanted her to do. "-let's go get some lunch. I had an awesome sandwich at a corner cafe yesterday, I'm sure that I can manage to find it again." The corner of her mouth tugged up in a smirk. "Bet you're dying to know what I am. No one out this way ever catches onto it right away. But you're a leopard of some sort. I spent some time in the jungles so I've smelled it before. Or something a lot like it."

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a_singing_cat
2012-02-07 05:21 pm UTC (link)

Now that was the mark of a person who'd spent more than their fair share of time at school. Either that or just the sort of person who hadn't liked it to begin with, but it was highly unlikely that'd ever be the case with a professor. "Marisa is fine. I don't know how I'm going to get myself responding when people start calling me that in class. Think I can get away with the 'just call me Marisa' thing?" She had had a few professors like that out at Berkeley only... yeah everyone had thought they were weird even if they were pretty and young. Professors were professors and only about one out of every hundred could work the 'I'm one of you' vibe. Marisa didn't think that she actually wanted to be considered one of them for that matter. She'd been there and done that. "But Selwyn does sound better than Gohr." Marisa was grateful that she hadn't been born to that name. Even Davis is better than that and I turned that one down... Her fingers went down to twirl her leopard ring around her finger at that thought.

"Okay, coffee and a sandwich. I was going to do something like that a few days ago, get to know the area before classes but uh..." Marisa shrugged. "Well you know." Everyone knew what had happened a few days ago and if they didn't then they seriously needed to learn how to turn on their TVs, pick up a newspaper or just listen to what everyone was talking about. Marisa could've let herself sink back into thoughts about that and about Jacob, and she probably would've, if Faith hadn't cut her off with a smirk and that statement about wanting to know what she was. "Yeah actually, it's kind of getting at me. Makes me think a bit of a weasel but I know that's not right." It was still so weird to be able to talk about these things out in the daylight without worrying that someone would overhear and think that she was insane or something that needed to be tracked down and killed. "Yeah, mostly right on the leopard. Just tack a 'snow' in the front of it and you've got me." As weird as it felt to say that to a complete stranger while walking down a sidewalk on a university campus, it was kind of freeing too. Marisa thought she might even be able to figure out how to like it. "What jungles were in that you got to smell leopards?"

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bcuzfucksnakes
2012-02-15 05:15 am UTC (link)

Marisa is was, and good, because Faith really did not want to say Selwyn again. "Through an innate magic that all teachers seem to posses," Faith responded with a grin. "I don't really know, I'm waiting to see how well I handle it myself." She was going to bet that it would not go all that well. Faith was not used to even working with other people, besides Frankie when they were hunting, so how well she was going to cope with being back in the real world doing a real job was anyone's guess. Including hers. And so far she was guessing that it was not going to be as smooth a transition as she wanted to be. Do I want it to be? If I get used to it then I won't want to leave and Frankie can't stay here. I don't want that. She just wanted to do this, see what it was like and get it out of her system. Then everything could go back to normal. "You look young enough to get away with it. And if you're in the arts then people probably expect you to be a little out there." Faith grinned to take any sting that might have been there out of the words. Probably would be a bad idea to go and offend another professor right before classes started.

Yeah, Faith knew. She had been there to see the bridge blown up and get herself tossed into a tree so she definitely knew what had happened. I nearly lost Frankie. That thought still caused icy fingers to close around her heart, squeezing tightly, and she had to force the thoughts away before they ruined the rest of her day. "I know. And it sucked pretty bad." Faith sighed and brushed back her hair before pulling a smile back onto her face. "Totally not a weasel. Yellow mongoose. And a snow leopard, huh? I've never seen one of those outside a zoo or the Discovery channel." She had definitely not been expecting to see one strolling around campus. It would never cease to amaze her just how wide-spread some species of weres could get. "And I've been in the Amazon, Africa... you know, I've been pretty much everywhere except Antarctica and the Artic. You get to travel a lot when you're writing travel pieces and working with a travel photographer. You've never been in a jungle, have you?" Faith thought it was a shame that there were were's out there who had not been in their natural habitat.

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a_singing_cat
2012-02-18 04:22 am UTC (link)

So Faith had no tips on that one. It looked like the poor students of UofM were going to be getting themselves a slew of new professors. Unless it's just us and we're lucky enough to stumble across each other before classes start? Weird. Unless were's were naturally drawn to each other and didn't even know it. Marisa had suspected that one for awhile since she always seemed to find at least one wherever she went. She's no Kelly. "If you figure it out before me you'll have to tell me how you got used to it. Or vice-versa, whichever." She smiled brightly. Marisa wasn't the friendliest or most out-going person, but she was always a little better when she was dealing with other were's. They made her feel safe even if they weren't the same species. She knew it was because she automatically assumed that they'd gone through life before May the same way as she had. Wasn't always true, wolves usually had their packs, but it wasn't always untrue either. "Hey!" Marisa laughed though, she wasn't really offended. "We're not all out there. Just a huge percentage." She would know since she'd been around a bunch of them before the mess with Timothy had happened.

Yellow mongoose. "So don't get offended, but I have no idea what a mongoose is. Much less a yellow one." Marisa hadn't ever been that big on the animal kingdom outside of the big cats and wolves. The only thing she knew about the word 'mongoose' was that it made her think of rollerblades or bikes or something like that. Marisa did find herself suddenly jealous of Faith. Here she'd thought that she was the adventurous sort, going off the California like she had. And Faith had been all over the world from the sounds of it. She wasn't even any older than her from the looks of it! I am practically boring. That was one way to depress someone. "Here I've been thinking that I was some big shot for having gone off and lived in L.A. But no, I've never been in a jungle. Are they as cool as documentaries make them look?" She also hoped that they were getting close to the cafe Faith had mentioned because she wanted something to sip at while she realized that the other new professor on-campus was definitely cooler than her. Unless she can't sing or act, then I'm back on top.

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bcuzfucksnakes
2012-02-25 06:37 am UTC (link)

Faith bobbed her head in agreement. "Deal." She would have sealed it with a handshake if she could have been bothered, but handshakes were not her favorite thing. You got the smell of the other person all over your hand and then all over yourself because you would without a doubt wind up rubbing it all over yourself at some point. For regular humans it was no big deal. For Faith? It was. Especially when she was going to go home to Frankie who had as good a sense of smell as her and would want to know why another woman was basically all over her. It could be fun to see if I can get her upset... Usually that was not possible. But Frankie had been gone for awhile and she knew she was still in the doghouse so maybe she could finally rile that occasionally frustrating, but damn attractive, confidence. "That huge percentage is what makes the rest of us look at you a little funny at first." Faith's grin came easily. "It's sort of a just assume you are until proven otherwise. So you can go on with proving it so I don't turn heel and walk in the other direction every time I see you coming." A pause. "Kidding!" Actually, no, Faith was not kidding. She really would do that if Marisa turned out to be pretty weird.

"Really? Damn you're deprived because we are the most fantastic, fearless creature on the planet. Next to honey badgers." Which Faith would never say within Frankie's hearing. "I guess the nearest relative is a weasel, only bigger and tougher. In the wild, a mongoose will swagger up to a snake and just beat the shit out of it because it can. No fear." Faith loved it. Rewind, fix that. "Not that I'm quite the same as my wild counterpart, but it makes things fun. Like sky-diving or any of those scary things that most people flinch away from." Was she bragging? Yeah, a little bit, but it had been awhile since she had been able to do that and Faith liked to get a bit in every now and then. It was good for the soul or something. "They're way cooler. Cameras just can't get all the angles right or the feels or smells... you should get yourself into one. Or the mountains. No were should have to live out their life without playing in their natural environment." And there was the cafe. Faith moved ahead and pulled the door open before motioning Marisa in. "That's the scientist in me talking. I just can't imagine having never gone traveling, but you've got some people who won't even leave their city. L.A.'s alright for getting yourself out there." All the while she had been moving up to the counter. "Turkey on a croissant and a large iced mocha. Thanks." She paid and turned around to face Marisa again. "What brought you here?"

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