a doctor in both medical and several other fields with no less than eight documentaries detailing his exploits, dr. ratio is a renown scholar who has contributed his intellect to many planets, aiding them in many ways through creations and educational means. part of the intelligentsia guild, he is among one of the highest of minds, part of a group who address themselves as the “council of mundanites.” it’s widely known that his intelligence and talents have been largely unparalleled since a young age, granting him a seat from a letter recommendation by his caregiver, rond emeritus, at the university of veritas prime. he is someone who finds that intelligence and creativity is not limited to those with the title of “genius” and wishes to distribute knowledge itself to those across the universe due to this.
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PLATONIC
一 ⠀ friendship. ⠀ friends are something i think ratio sorely needs. while he has colleagues and a friendship with aventurine, as well as his connection with the express, it'd really do good for him to branch out to those who share his interests. he likes things like reading books, taking hot baths after a long day, solving puzzles and hard questions to relax and unwind, and is into things like art, too. he can sculpt as well! we can also go the opposite route and have it be someone who is pestering him to want to be his friend by trying to show him new hobbies or interests! he can be very firm, though. and he will be willing to help you, though he won't solve all your problems for you other than patching you up. honestly, just even going out and having brunch or even a drink in the evening would be perfect, too.
一 ⠀ allies/collaborators. ⠀ much like friends, having allies in a place like this is essential to him. that, or people who are willing to contribute to medical or scholarly discoveries for the benefit of the whole island. this would probably be more of a business styled relationship than real friendship, but those two things can easily overlap if needed or wanted!
一 ⠀ apprenticeship. ⠀ looking for a teacher or someone willing to help you through tough problems? look no further! ratio is always willing to teach those who seek knowledge and who want to leave behind ignorance to things. while he can be a hardass at times with teaching, it's only because he's genuinely passionate about people's educations and wants them to take it seriously. that being said, i think it'd be cute if he had a few students he teaches regularly or those he helps tutor from time to time. and if you want to shadow him as a scholar or teacher? that's also something we can look into!
一 ⠀ fellow scholars/medical doctors. ⠀ as someone who has like, eight phds under his belt, he should talk with more fellow doctorate holders or those who are in the medical field! i think it'd be fun to see him get into debates with others, whether or not they agree on the subject and contents, and have those little clashes or enlightenments. just sharing the differences between their universes and hypothesis about the things here would be pretty fun, too! either way, give him more like-minded people in terms of career and interests on this level.
一 ⠀ enemies. ⠀ his attitude isn't as bad as some, but he has been said to be able to tear down the worth of anyone simply with words alone. this goes to people who'd rather not learn or don't choose to learn from their actions. that being said, maybe he just rubbed your character wrong with how he approached something or said it, which is entirely possible! he has told someone to see a shrink point blank before with his whole chest. even if it's just vague beefing and not real enemies, i'd be all for it!
ROMANTIC
一 ⠀ crushes. ⠀ crushes are sometimes fun little things to try with in terms of roleplay. if you'd like to play around with the idea of having a crush on him, him with a crush on your character, or it being a mutual thing that either goes somewhere or pitters out, i'm all ears! he doesn't exactly pursue things like this, so it'd likely be a little surprise crush were it to happen on his end. which he may or may not become aware of depending on how long we want to go about our plots. either way, he'd definitely notice a sense of fondness for your character were he to develop a little something like this. just remember it'd have to be a crush stemming from an acquaintanceship or a friendship first.
一 ⠀ unrequited/one-sided. ⠀ if you'd rather do something more deeper than a crush but not quite endgame, then we can go about something like unrequited or one-sided things! i'm always down to write pining or be on the receiving end of my character getting pined for. he's pretty adamant on not leading people on when it comes to this, so he'd reject them (gently or harshly depending on the intensity and persistence) outright at least. were he the one to be swept up in emotions on the unrequited side, he'd likely not say anything fully depending on the situation, not to mention needing to figure out his own feelings first.
一 ⠀ love. ⠀ when it comes to ratio, he's someone who doesn't exactly focus on romance or really think about dating casually when left to his own devices. it's just not really something at the forefront of his mind for himself. not to say he's adverse to things like dating or romance on a grand scale, but relationships with him are somewhat in the slower burn territory, i feel, so you might be in for a lengthier journey when it comes to his feelings coming into full fruition. however, as time goes on and feelings do develop, he's definitely someone who'd be very dedicated, communicative, and supportive to his partner! he'd encourage you through your endeavors while also offering pointed (and maybe sometimes strong) opinions, but he would genuinely mean well for you. that being said, he's very much demisexual and he doesn't really care about gender when it comes to his partners.
"If I say 'no' are ya gonna keep the bullets in me?" He snorts, sitting on the desk. He imagines that given the fact that the doctor's taking out a first aid kit, he's not getting kicked out any time soon. Which is...
Good, because his fingers are going numb, and he's already lost a lot of strength. He doesn't hiss when the gauze is placed on his wounds, and wonders what the doctor thinks of knowing his past while finding him mostly unscarred.
Before Ratio can ask him again, he starts to respond, "Old troubles came knockin', but in that fun way the island likes to do it. It's bigger and badder, an' a whole lot meaner." He looks at the wounds, shaking his head, "An', well, normally wounds like this don't bleed very long, not for me. I heal - and if I don't heal fast enough, I've got some vials that, ah..." He trails off, "Been tryin' not to lean on, but that had to come to an end sooner or later, yeah?" He's rambling, being open in a way he rarely is.
Mostly because he's pretty sure he knows where he's headed.
"All that to say, that, after this, I need to keep goin'." He tries to wiggle his fingers, still feeling the tingling sensation. "They'll catch up soon, and I'd rather 'em not blow this place apart lookin' for me. I'd've not come but..."
He looks exhausted.
"Need my hand to be workin'. The rest's just flesh wounds, doc."
WHILE WOLFWOOD SPEAKS TO HIM OF THE ISSUE, hands are adept in all that they do, swift despite the delicacy which he tends to the wounds. it would be an obvious assumption that he had done this far too many a time, likely under less favorable circumstances, even in comparison to this. ❝ As it is obvious you have not turned into some monstrosity nor does your brain seem to have vacated your skull, I can only presume this has something to do with that cult you spoke of, ❞ he replies, more so confident in his assessment in both body and predicament as he injects a numbing agent into the shoulder of his patient, not unless there has been more which was hidden, a possibility not lost on him.
❝ Regeneration? Not unheard of. For most. ❞ mainly normal humans, that was, though there had been cases enough to have traversed between planets that it was not unfamiliar. ❝ One must do what it is they can to tend to themselves, as would any other on the brink. Even in the most dire of situations... ❞ and as if to accentuate that point, ratio is swift in the way one bullet falls promptly from a wound, clinking to the desk with the light spatter of blood. nor does he hesitate further, the second now being worked on, following thereafter.
now would come the sting of disinfectant. were the other to complain, well... in this case, it would fall on deaf ears given his insistence on time.
❝ Whatever comes of it will be dealt with. Don't concern yourself with me. The fact alone you trust me enough to... ❞ he trails off, a gentle noise of effort escaping him as he tightens the bandage now, sterilized gauze having been stuffed with precision. ❝ ... regardless, you'll be finished here soon enough. ❞ he steps back, gloves now being removed and discarded on some clothe to be disposed of properly later. retrieving two bottles next, he hands it over to his friend. ❝ The first is a pain reliever. If it becomes unbearable, take it, but don't overuse it. The second will help keep feeling in your arm. I doubt you can have bedrest at the moment. So... take it whenever the feeling begins to fade again as needed. ❞
❝ And do remember that if your symptoms persist, the doctor will be on call for you or to get in touch with any emergency contacts. ❞ were he to find a way to do so... until then, the most he can offer is a little medical assistance and, perhaps, a message to be relayed.
He burst through the Mistwood, familiar with the paths due to his usual treks using a motorcycle. By sights familiar and unfamiliar in the dead of night, to sites where he'd helped and been helped before, he burst through the bush.
The positive of this strategy was that he knew these paths significantly better than the ones hunting him down. The negative? Well, there's not much more obvious than a motorcycle driving through a forest. Which made his direction known at any given time.
He bites his tongue when two bullets find home, both in his shoulder. Feeling his arm start to tingle, he speeds up, working to lose a tail as he makes it closer to the island center...
...
"Doc?" He hates how pathetic his voice sounds as he makes his way into the man's office. The only 'doctor' he knows, and he never thought to ask if the guy was a medical doctor. And as silly as it seems, he hates being seen like this. No sunglasses to protect his own gaze, and ho suit jacket - no uniform to hide the blood from his wounds.
Instead, he holds his arm close, feeling it starting to go numb from the bullets lodged in his shoulder, his grey shirt slick wet with blood from open wounds.
"I woulda called first, but, ah, ain't got a phone."
THE CALL OF A FAMILIAR TITLE COMES TO HIM, much as any other time, if but shortened to something more simplistic. only it was not the word itself that draws his attention, rather the way a voice he knows sounds immediately upon entering his office. no lecture dare leave his lips, a scarcity that many might gawk at, not without proper reason or comprehension as to what had transpired. especially not with the most recent conversation they had within the last few months of seeing one another.
instead, the scholar is swift to note the posture wolfwood holds, gaze drawn from where he clutches his arm, crimson actively soaking slowly throughout the shirt where the enter wounds are most prominent. ratio hardly hesitates, walking over with a change of expression most rarely get to see.
❝ Care to explain? ❞ again, he hardly chides the other, gesturing for the priest to take a seat on the desk. returning back, it isn't difficult to miss the way he retrieves what seems a rather hefty medical kit, personalized for situations as these. ❝ Sit. This may be crude given the setting and circumstances, but it will have to do, ❞ he orders, never intending to take no for an answer in this moment. with gloves slipped on, he peels the bloodied shirt away from the wound, careful yet precise despite any pain, while moving to press a clean gauze to it to stem the flow of blood before he can truly get to work.
Her head shook without need for deliberation. Were the intention to gather a civilisation to live as they pleased, Spirale was already populated with NPCs who need not face the trials their foreign neighbours were presented. This wasn't a mere simulation of life to observe from above — they'd need nothing of outsider forces, nor to suppress their power for later reinstatement. The wasteland of those first weeks took the stage of her thoughts, and its replacement of a city constructed in full, civilians incompatible with that timeline.
Listening to his assessment, she could recognise that her own failed to garner approval. Goetia operated on pity, but these Stars had a different motivator — some similarities was as far as any overlap extended and attributing experience to attempt filling in the blanks would warp the reality, riddled with errors from incorrect information inserted.
Perhaps she wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, as came so naturally. But no matter how far she might go, they wouldn't meet her halfway.
"Even after NULL tried to sabotage the island and offered freedom, the Stars haven't spoken to clarify that they're the ones we should be trusting over their enemies. They insist on binding powers and leaving those shackled in more vulnerable states. I don't understand. Even if we're here for years, there's no forgetting that this is a different, contained world". Indigo closed themselves, the smiles of staff she regarded as family comforted her in the only way possible: in memory.
"I don't know what to think. About any of it". Were they like Marisbury, stringing along countless people with an intricately crafted system so refined as to escape understanding? The security of their truth certainly matched his. Fingers curled inward to a fist, the Doctor's visage a finale to the registry, a ghost of this world as much as her own. Her steps slowed to a halt, paying no need to the guide's continued ascent. "I'm sorry... I'm just a little tired. You should carry on ahead".
NULL 一 IT WAS AN UNFAMILIAR NAME TO HIM, weighted due to meaning behind the very word itself. people are bound to be drawn toward something to explain themselves, some inkling of connection, desired or otherwise, even when there is often no reasoning for definitions to define them. whatever it is null was attempting to convey was crystalline clear, translucent in every given way that, for a stranger who had not witnessed the events, he could piece together some manner of their goals without the surmise of the other. what matters most, howsoever, is that they seem to have been utter failures to live up to that self-named prophecy.
and though he was about to open his mouth once more, theorizing ever still on the matters of this peculiar isle, he takes heed of her next, few words. or, rather more, the way it is her steps have slowed down until there was no sound to be heard at all.
feet pause in their strides, too, mirroring her own as he turns to glance back toward where she has come to a stop. ❝ I see. Very well, ❞ he responds, likely the best he can offer her in the moment. she looks relatively well physically, meaning that this current predicament must be something more mental, a process she may have to cycle through to sort it all into place. eyes cast aside, glancing toward the group, then to return to her for a moment. ❝ Then I will leave you to it. Though you seem distressed, I'm certain you will figure it out yourself, ❞ he encourages her, though to any listening in, it may seem far too straightforward of a way to do so.
taking a few steps to continue on, he leaves her with one last remark一
❝ If your 'symptoms' continue, then please give the doctor a call. ❞
his expertise seemed expansive with more than sufficient experience to formulate his thesis, based on his assured delivery — a man who seemed like he could answer any question posed, undeterred by any counterargument made or proposition offered. he'd be the bane of anyone at the Akademiya — perhaps their envy of him would give that towards Alhaitham a run for their Mora.
eyes upon the palm in which her sword would oft materialise, her thoughts reflected on the trials humanity had faced — just how much they'd overcome, with or without divine assistance. but tales such as Fontaine and Natlan were ultimately salvaged because of gods pushing their people over the finish line. not even a Descender could completely overturn their fate. that unrest would linger, knowing Snezhnaya might be more of a challenge than its friendlier counterparts. for all she knew, the Traveler could step into the Nation perceived as an enemy not unlike against Inazuma's frozen order.
but she were not always the deciding factor — countless catastrophes and conflicts preceded the Fourth Descender's awakening, and worlds beyond Teyvat never felt the influence of the twins interjecting yet turned all the same. Teyvat was a world constantly on the brink, turning without yet dislodging from its axis. "yeah... I want it to work out for them. spirit is a tremendous power, but it can't translate entirely. and pulling through one threat might be seen as an invitation by another, stronger. then there's dangers without a tangible form". the dreaded which destroyed her home-world, and chased them through the sea of stars, the Abyss that threatened life by its twisted existence, the destruction rained down by the Heavenly Principles to expel that very corruption. who knew if they could be entirely repelled?
TRUTH IN HER WORDS LINGER AFTER SPOKEN. were one to quell an existing threat without utmost caution, those of like mind may all but grasp it as an opportune moment, eager to enact their own, crazed beliefs unto the world. cycles as these were a constant in the myriad of worlds floating about the cosmos, ushering those with a tendency to help into a means of exhausting their fumes for the plight of good, fizzling out thereafter like a dying star in the darkness of space. and, in some ways, one could claim that to merely be the essence of humanity in its rawest form, how tumulus it could all become with a mere, fleeting action.
faith in her heart and words is enough to show that she is not one to allow her light to dim, even with reason. in the eyes of a scholar, he can see that vibrant, flickering flame within her, threatening those who contend with her the brilliance of a supernova that would consume them, too, in those final moments she might have. and, were he to be so bold, that very illumination could very well belong to that of a nameless trailblazer gazed upon by akivili themself were she a guest to their universe.
❝ I'm certain it will work out just fine. With a resolute spirit, there is nothing man is wont to achieve, even if it takes trial and error, ❞ he agrees, placing his own belief into these people she speaks so highly of. no matter how one looks at it, humanity is one that reflects the same in every aspect, a collective, yet individual, group that came to exist in their own, unique ways. ❝ But I believe we have exhausted this line of thinking for the time being. As it is, we both will leave this conversation with a mutual understanding of what one was attempting to get across. We wouldn't want to spin the topic too extensively. And, as stimulating as this exchange has been... perhaps we should carry on our days until our next meeting. ❞
"Listen, shit's been hittin' the wall fer a while over here now." Okay, maybe he was just nervous, doing something like this for the first time. It felt like he was about to make a confession, and, well...
"I know, look, yeah I was lookin' fer somethin' to do, but shit's changed, and," he pauses, hesitating. He doesn't want to admit to his past, but he feels like he couldn't in good conscience go into a school ground without admitting it.
"I'm-"
"Not a good person. I don't know if we want a buncha people tryin' t' study with a killer in their midst, huh?"
LISTENING IS SOMETHING RATIO IS RELATIVELY GOOD AT. patience is a finite source when it comes to the intricacies of humans, ratio just as fallible as any other man alive, never once believing himself above those around him beyond intelligence when it comes to those who refuse to relent their ignorance. and while there may be times he can degrade a man's self-worth with naught but his words alone given the proper reasoning, a case as this was hardly anything of the sort. were it anything, he merely finds disappointment that wolfwood has not mentioned this little concern sooner, if not having been blinded by enthusiasm.
one hand rests upon his hip as he observes the other in brief silence, all before speaking in turn. ❝ Tell me this, Wolfwood, ❞ he starts, voice flat, albeit earnest, in its tone. ❝ Do you think about murdering innocent people around you? Actively, that is. As in you would take joy and pleasure in it? ❞ each word is direct, tongue like a spear pointed directly at the position of his beating heart. there was not a thing to be withheld, especially for one to claim he was no good as a person, the confession enough for the scholar to presume there was some sense of awareness to his conscious to not have wished to say it before.
❝ Or perhaps it was a necessity where you once lived prior to this place? Something your circumstances you spoke of could not allow you to avoid until you were on its path with no way out? ❞ many had their reasoning for the things they have done, altering the trajectory of their lives with a permanence, as if it were some fleeting, falling star caught in a rogue planet's gravitational pull. one face comes to mind 一 a gambler formed beneath a pressure so extraordinarily heavy, there was no way he would come out as anything but what it all forcefully molded him to be.
this man would hardly be the only person in such a case, nor would he be the last.
❝ If you still don't wish to learn, I will not force you. ❞ as much as he would like to pave a path for the man to find a proper education, especially when this island has opened many a door for those who had no ample opportunity before, it would do more harm than good to go that route. ❝ There are plenty of paths one may take. Public teaching is but one. If your comfort is more of privacy, my services may still be of use to you as a tutor. So, the choice on the matter is yours. ❞
EACH SECOND TICKS BY AS SHE WAITS, an observant gaze unwavering in a gentle patience to see what it is she will come to in conclusion. and, before long, she does just that, placing the two down first before amending it to be negative. for one who seems to have had struggles with this problem, she certainly was more capable than she might believe, one nod being offered to the board.
❝ You've solved the equation. Full points, ❞ he congratulates, a hand reaching over to take the marker back into his grasp. ❝ Did the visual steps help you? Compared to staring at the board when I first arrived, you progressed quickly soon after. ❞ rather, he was curious to know what helped move her along in deciphering it.
Bakushin O doesn't stop her ears from Perking up at the praise. Even if it is a small thing to the Professor, already it's clear on her face that praise is effective.
Bakushin worries her lower lip with her teeth as Dr. Ratio writes the next step. She can't remember what she's supposed to do next... and she briefly wonders if this was her same problem spot.
"We need to... do something with the 2 in front of the x, right?" She asks, clearly looking to Dr. Ratio for support.
ENCOURAGEMENT WAS ALWAYS A MOTIVATOR, he's found. whether it was one of positivity or, for some students, a fairly stern lecture, there were only few who it did not manage affect. and when it came to that point, such cases were usually those who did not wish to learn at all, wallowing in their own lack of thinking. despite this, he does not offer praise this time, though hardly in a sense of discouraging her from the path.
instead, he gives a small nod, as if in allowing her to know she was on the correct path. allowing a silence to linger for her to think, however, he would wait only a bit longer before taking note that the answer wasn't coming to her in the slightest.
❝ ... we will have to divide both sides by 2. ❞ writing out the next step, he puts the division signs in the appropriate places, the next line beneath it reading x = ?. turning back to her, he offers her the marker to be the last to solve the final bit. ❝ Now, what is the solution? ❞
For some reason, Sunday did not expect Dr. Ratio to react quite like this, and that earnest smile made him slightly... flustered. Sunday looked away for a moment to conceal it, stopping his wings from flapping to partially cover his face.
When they met for the first time, Sunday and Ratio were on opposing sides, under very different circumstances. Sunday genuinely held no ill-intent towards the man, and as he was a friend of the Astral Express, so there was no reason to feel the need to cover himself. He was done pretending and hiding under a facade.
"Indeed. I was lost in Penacony, blind by my own desires. I saw the wrong in my ways, but I still have a dream." Sunday looked back to Dr. Ratio. "And the Astral Express has allowed me to join them for the time being. For that, I am very grateful."
It was refreshing talking to Ratio in a position where they were not enemies and trying to over smart each other. He ended up smiling and nodding.
"Yes, I would like to see as much as possible. I grew up and lived in Penacony all my life. I will take every opportunity to learn of other ways of living until I can find the best one for everyone."
Sunday glanced back to him, leaving his cookies behind for now. He was not really good at baking anyway.
"What about you, Dr. Ratio?"
HEARING SUNDAY'S OWN SELF-REFLECTION, there's a subtle satisfaction in knowing that he has begun to find the right path for himself in his life. while many might be broken and downtrodden from being torn away from what they once thought was right, clawing their way back to all they have known, only so many would recognize their ignorance and transform into something better from it. no doubt with the astral express' support throughout it all, let alone their willingness to embrace him into their fold and proffer a second chance, reaching that dream would not be just beyond his fingertips.
giving a nod, he cannot help but agree with the other, feeling as if it weren't for their initial opposition, they may have gotten along just as well as they were now. ❝ A chance to expand one's horizons beyond their limited view doesn't come every day. In fact, it may not even come in one's lifetime. It appears you've found a more than suitable place, both here and upon the Express, to achieve it, ❞ he replies, having seen far too many who were confined to their homes, of their own volition or incapable of leaving due to the circumstances of life, much as sunday had been.
and on some days, he had to be reminded the advantages he has in contrast.
the cookies he had been working on are finished, grabbing them to tuck away for later. ❝ Likewise. I've had the privilege before in my academics and travel. But, as per usual, I'm not satisfied leaving it where it is. Not yet, at least. ❞ that being said, there was always more to learn, even for someone like him.
❝ Where is it next you've been wanting to see? On this island, that is. If you're done here, perhaps you'd be willing to accompany me to it. Or better said: perhaps you'd be willing to allow me to accompany you. ❞
"I mean, I gotta schedule classes 'round takin' care of the animals. I doubt ya want me to bring a zoo to class." Not that he knew whether the doctor was gonna be the one teaching the class, but his cracked phone didn't really lend itself well to picking classes for the upcoming season.
"An' remember - I live over in Umber, so," a shrug.
"Look, I ain't even sure what kinda classes I wanna take. I've never been to school 'fore."
❝ And it sounds to me as if you're making excuses, ❞ he shoots back with relative ease, one hand resting on his hip as he listens to the other prattle on about scheduling issues, not to mention his living situation. truthfully, it makes the doctor wonder if he should implement some kind of class that can be taken through online courses for such cases, the thought itself apparent in the way he falls silent for a moment, gaze drifting to the wayside in his thinking.
until he returns back to the present, gaze falling back on wolfwood as if his considerations were but a fleeting thought in the moment.
❝ How long has it been since I told you of the school's most basic concept? Not to mention your own insistence of not having heard anything from me regarding the school. Were you not 'looking for something to do'? ❞
"Oh, Dr. Ratio. I should express my appreciation for running into you with this new conundrum I have found myself in."
The vidyadhara seems more expressive as he approaches the other. Vines of flowers curl around his golden horns. They were the very thing he was referencing with a clawed gauntlet.
"They just started appearing without any rhyme or reason that I can distinguish yet."
THE FAMILIAR VOICE DRAWS HIS ATTENTION, taking note swiftly of not only the more expressive nature of the nameless but, in turn, the very flowers that blossom about his golden horns. ❝ You're certainly not alone in your observations, ❞ he notes, inspecting more closely, though being careful not to inhale too deeply just in case.
even the plaster head tucked beneath his arm seems to have flowers sprouting from it in abundance, an implication that the doctor had attempted to wear it to avoid whatever this was, only for it to utterly fail in a spectacular fashion.
❝ They've begun to invade the city in droves. ❞ while not fully wild, shifting every so often, the more concerning aspect was how they clung to people. ❝ Not only that, but if you were to pluck one... ❞ one hand reaches out, removing a flower from both dan heng and then his head piece respectively. before long, a cluster of the flowers spring forth in place where the singular flower once was. ❝ ... they repopulate the root quickly. ❞
Bakushin steps aside, letting the Professor take a look at the equation on the board. It had been one of the many that she barely remembered, but she knew she got it wrong. Too bad, she found herself here before her trainer-san had helped her figure it out.
As Professor Ratio changes it around, Bakushin's eyes light up - not in real understanding, but it did make it easier to read. When Ratio asks her the question, Bakushin's ear twitch.
"Umm..." the Uma hesitates. "-4?" She's absolutely unsure she's right.
HEARING THE CORRECT ANSWER FROM HER, even with the obvious hesitation within her voice, he gives an affirmative nod in response without delay. ❝ Well done. Ten points, ❞ he praises alongside his usual rating for those who do good in his eyes. now, if only she felt more confidence when saying it, that would have been more exceptional, though he knows everyone must start somewhere.
shifting beneath the initial equation, he takes up another blank space on the board, now writing out the newfound equation: 2x = -4.
❝ Now it reads as 2x = -4. We're still trying to solve for x, so there's a little more to go before we find its solution. ❞ pressing the bottom of the the market against his chin, he turns to her now. ❝ We must isolate the x while keeping the statement equalized. How would you suggest we do that? ❞
