Dhivael watched as emotions crossed his face, but the only one about which she felt confident was curiosity. Could he have successfully guessed that she was not a mere human? It seemed unlikely from the interactions she had had with others. Humans couldn’t even tell immediately that she wasn’t one of them. Still, this world was filled with surprises, so it was always possible. Anything seemed possible on Earth.
The Rihan stepped inside Whyte’s office. Then he revealed that he had in fact not only guessed that she was not a mere human but that he also knew she was not a being of Earth. Fascinating… She thought to herself, suddenly more curious about his nature. She remembered that she had read that he was a witch, but he was the first of his kind she had knowingly encountered. “You may treat “Dhivael” as my primary name with t’Vrenak serving as my surname.” For Americans, that would have left “ir-Elehu” as her middle name, but that wasn’t quite accurate for Rihannsu. However, it was simpler for them to grasp it if she at least had a first and last name to them.
“How were you able to deduce that I am from another planet? Is that a common ability among witches?” It was a very curious thing to her.
She seated herself in the chair he offered. The Rihan didn’t lean back into it, and she didn’t cross her legs. Her palms rested face-down on her thighs. “Thank you.” Dhivael said politely. Manners were among the things she had learned while she was still studying on ch’Havran. She didn’t always understand their purpose, but she did know that if something was offered, whether it was accepted or not, one was expected to say “thank you.”
If he expected his praise to make her feel good about herself, he would be wrong. It was simply something she expected all students did at one point or another. Her lips didn’t even twitch with a smile though she wouldn’t appear to be angry, either. “I believed it was simply the proper thing to do. Do all of your students not make time to meet you before they attend your lectures?”
Dhivael studied him as he offered her drinks and chocolate. “No, thank you. I do not require sustenance at this time.” She normally waited until it was noon to eat though a single, healthy snack between meals wasn’t strange. She had studied human eating habits and what was the best course. The extraterrestrial didn’t see any health benefits from eating chocolate that contained hardly any cocoa.
She listened as he explained his style of teaching. It seemed simple enough, but group discussions would give her a better idea of how their minds worked. Though the society of ch’Havran could be rigid, class discussions weren’t rare. However, it was far more organized than she had experienced in the single summer class she attended for this summer. Her dark gaze moved over the books to which he had motioned. The titles were familiar, but she had not read them. The barcodes on the cover revealed they were from Alden University’s library which was where she had recalled seeing them.
If he wanted his students to have a clean slate, she had practically fallen into his lap. However, she was an incredibly quick learner, so she would be able to keep up with the class. “Do you teach the emotional drive behind actions in societies or in individuals within societies?”
The Rihan considered his question. It was always a matter of personal opinion how much knowledge of her home planet would be too much for the more primitive planet of Earth. In the long run, technology was the main subject about which Rihannsu were not permitted to speak with Earthlings. They were allowed to share pieces of their culture in general so long as it didn’t relate to the forbidden topic.
“I find no fault in curiosity.” Dhivael said. After all, she was driven by curiosity. Acquiring knowledge was her purpose in life, and humanoids who wished to learn portrayed a desire that she could understand for once. Besides, this man was a teacher of anthropology, and he had said he was passionate about his work. He was probably just as curious to learn of her people as he was to learn about hers. He simply hadn’t had a lifetime of knowledge to prepare him. “My planet is called ch’Havran, and my people as a whole are called Rihannsu, the singular being Rihan.”