xiii | voice; forward dated to saturday evening

[invoking]

[ PRIVATE to NICK FURY and BOBBI MORSE ]

Hector Peck might be a dead end. I don't think he's involved at all with Vulcanus or that New Vesuvius city. He's just an editor for a newspaper here and keeps himself busy with that. Nothing out of the ordinary with his schedule or work.

[ /end private ]


[ When Gil speaks up, he sounds as if he's slightly congested. ]

I believe Raven has been ported out. If she had any previous or future engagements to attend to I'm sorry, but I don't think she'll be showing up. I haven't heard from or seen her around the house since before some of us were ported to New Vesuvius.

I'm not sure what to do yet about her belongings. It seems too soon to pack them away somewhere so they aren't lying around the place, doesn't it? A bit rude, too... [ He sighs. It's hard to finish cleaning the place when he's caught in a tiny dilemma like this!! ]

It's always going to be impossible to predict how long before people return. [ A beat. ] If they do.

[ Followed by another pause, as if he may add something to that thought. ]

Ah, never mind.

Comments

voice;

[professorlionface]

I generally assume a few weeks is a good amount of time to give. We do eventually need the closure, after all.

[invoking]

Sometimes, I wonder if it's any closure at all. It's easy to assume they're back home, but... [ Who knows, right? ]

[professorlionface]

It's a difficult conclusion to be certain of, when you don't see it confirmed yourself. The best I can say is that I have returned to find those here and gone from my timeline still waiting.

I can only hope it's the same for the worlds I can't see.

[invoking]

I do, too.

And that their worlds are not as troublesome as this one can be.

[professorlionface]

[He pauses.] Hmm. It can be hard to tell. I'm sure at least some of them must be, but our best way of guessing is by their reactions to what they encounter here.

I imagine they all have their own variety of troubles.

[invoking]

Well, nothing too dangerous, I hope. [ Kat had told him a little about her and Raven's world, but it sounded just plain weird to him. ] At least they're not dimension hopping. I assume anyway.

[professorlionface]

Yes, well we can really only assume that because it's what we've encountered most of the times we've been ported out. But, that's Occam's Razor for you, the simplest comfort we can hope for.

[invoking]

Occam's Razor?

[professorlionface]

It's the logical principle that the simplest explanation is usually the most likely. The idea is generally that any more complicated theory requires further proof to be held in the same regard.

In this case, the way Occam's Razor cuts is in our favor. We have more proof of instances where individual exPorts are sent home than otherwise.

1/2

[invoking]

[invoking]

So it's... Oh.

[ Science is confusing!! ]

[professorlionface]

What it all comes down to is that your friend is very probably perfectly okay. [And if she isn't then they won't know it anyway and it's really better not to think about it. But he's not about to mention that part.]

[invoking]

Probably.

I think I've said I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to science. Sue left plenty of books around that I still can't understand.

[professorlionface]

Well.

You know I'm a science teacher. Have you ever put any thought into being tutored, or taking a few courses?

[invoking]

Unfortunately I don't have the time for that.

[professorlionface]

Ah, work has you on a full schedule?

[invoking]

That's right. Thank you for the offer, but it would be better suited to someone else. I don't think I would be any good at it.

[professorlionface]

That's part of the point in learning, I think! I could always lend you some books to read on your own time, if that might work better for you.

[invoking]

You think too highly of me, Doctor.

[professorlionface]

How's that? I think we all have our potential to learn new things, and as a teacher, it's my job to consider the best ways to help others achieve that for themselves.

[invoking]

I'm past the age for studies like that. I don't think I would be able to apply myself the way others could either, since I'm still not familiarized with the way things work in this time.

But... thank you.

[professorlionface]

I've always had the feeling you weren't from the current era, but...when exactly are you from, Gil?

[invoking]

[ Since his canon doesn't even give a year or a name for the country he's in, insert some late 1800s date. Probably 1850+?? I'M SORRY. ]

Quite some time ago, I know.

[professorlionface]

[IT'S OKAY we'll just call it Vaguetorian Era.]

Yes, but not an unheard of displacement. I have a friend from about the same time. [He almost considers offering Gil a job teaching math, just as a joke.]

[invoking]

[ PERFECT. ]

You do? I don't know anyone from a similar time... perhaps Miss Gemma.