“Professor Meda Smith, I presume?” Dhivael asked as the door opened. She appraised the woman, taking in her obviously Asian features and her three fox-like tails that marked her as a kitsune. This woman looked young to be a educator, but the extraterrestrial had learned that looks could be deceiving, and those three tails marked her as being centuries old. She watched the woman as she studied her, noting that the woman’s gaze lingered longer than most Earthlings would have stared. It didn’t make the Rihan uncomfortable; it simply piqued her interest. This was a woman who was aware of things, a woman who surveyed her surroundings.
“I am Dhivael ir-Elehu t’Vrenak, but my primary name, Dhivael, serves as a means by which one may speak to me. I have been assigned to take your class on Appreciating Paranormal Diversity this autumn, and I have decided to meet you beforehand in order to be better prepared for it.” The Rihan was always straightforward, preferring not to waste time. Her perfect posture only added to the air of confidence Earthlings seemed to assign to her.
When the Professor stepped aside, Dhivael crossed over the threshold. This woman’s office was less personalized than Professor Gideon Whyte’s had been. So far, there were very few touches or personal affects that marked any sort of individuality that Earthlings seemed to so highly prize. However, Professor Meda Smith told her it was still a work-in-progess. So far, the office was definitely lacking. There were barren shelves, a desk, and a couple of chairs. Dhivael wondered what it would look like when the kitsune finished her work on it. She did not sit in the chair across from the desk, having learned that proper etiquette on Earth dictated that one must wait for the offer, but she could stand all day in the same spot without growing fidgety.
“I understand that this is your first year teaching at Alden University, but I was wondering if you have any specific patterns of teaching you intend to follow? I also wonder if you have any recommendations on things I should read or study before taking your course in order to better prepare me for what I may encounter?” She was a fast learner, and she absorbed retained information very well. Her efforts were rarely – if ever – wasted ones.