Pixies & Frogs|| AR Lark & Tad
Snow was falling steadily outside the truck's window as Tad drove towards the University. The truck itself was Uni property, and he had permission to rent it out when he needed to move a lot of things at once, like if an experiment went wrong and needed to be disposed of. Tonight, Tad had such a need. Everything was going just as he wanted it to, and with a little luck, things would continue that way. This morning, one of his subjects had died (they had previously been a hunter), nearly breaking his record for the longest time spent in his lab. Not that it really mattered. Everything about their death was recorded in his notebook, and the lab had been scrubbed clean of any visible evidence. The hunter was safely hidden in plastic trash bags and bundled up into plastic boxes, all neat and ordinary looking and ready for transport. Tad had left his assistant, Daniel, a text message asking him to come help move the boxes. Hopefully the man would be there waiting, he thought as he pulled into the lab's parking lot and parked the truck, or he would be very upset. He opened the car door easily and hopped out, making a neat trail of footprints as he made his way inside.
The past few months had not been kind to Daniel. On top of ending up in another universe, one where the supernatural existed apparently, he simply didn’t exist here. The university gave Daniel’s math research and TA position to someone else and the only people who knew him were the pixies in the forest, but they didn’t know him. They knew someone named ‘Lark’, a person that Daniel didn’t seem to live up to as they expected him to know what Lark did and do what Lark did such as round up those weird armadillo creatures that infested the forest. Thankfully, though, Daniel had found some normalcy with Professor Jones. The other was a lifesaver, offering to give him the job of his assistant when he heard him trying to get his degree back. Professor Jones had offered to help him get his mathematics degree back if Daniel helped with calculations for some of his experiments and taught some of his classes in the meantime. While biology wasn’t one of Daniel’s best subjects, it wasn’t his worst, and he was just grateful to be back in the world of academia to complain about the subject matter. He, also, helped Professor Jones move boxes and equipment from time to time whenever he needed it for a bit more pay. It was why he jumped whenever he received a text from him, less time in the crazy land of the Fae and more time in the real world along with pay was more than enough for him. Daniel was already waiting inside in the outer parts of the lab. Professor Jones didn’t allow him in the restricted sections, but it wasn’t as if Daniel exactly minded. “Hello, Professor,” Daniel greeted him as soon as he saw him. “I’m ready to be of assistance. I, also, have those calculations you asked for, and graded those teaching assignments, just like you asked.”
"Already?" One of his favorite qualities about Daniel was his promptness. "Good man. Were the calculations as we expected? I hope so, otherwise I'm going to have to rethink my hypothesis." The calculations he'd asked the other to run were to see if he could continue to dip into the school's budget to fund his experiments without risking someone noticing, not that he would tell him so. Everything was so much easier with this particular person, because he didn't ask questions, he didn't stick his nose where it didn't belong; he wasn't a liability. Odds that he'd discover something suspicious were slim. Tad had very little to worry about with him. It was one of the reasons he'd promised him his degree back. He wouldn't be able to do it in the physical realm, but a few visits to the president while he slept would change his minds fairly quickly. Normally he wouldn't even consider following up on the promise, but Daniel seemed fairly lost here, and as long as he kept performing well on his assistant duties, it would be an option for the future. "Are you up to help me lift? There are some boxes full of junk I need to get loaded into the truck, and I could use a hand."
“Yes, well, I didn’t have much to do last night,” Daniel said, digging through his messenger bag for the papers that Professor Jones had given him. He set them down on the nearest counter for him to look over later, not that he would need to since the math he did was always right. “Not entirely, but I did make some adjustments that should yield better results given the way that the accounts are divided, anyway.” While he did think his talents were a bit wasted on banking, Daniel didn’t say as such, knowing that if it wasn’t for the profess then he’d still be back at the pixie village trying to collect vermin in his free time. He’d rather do calculations that were beneath him rather than roll around in the snow like some animal. “Oh, yes, of course, I can,” he said, with a nod of his head. Daniel didn’t like the idea of manual labor, always thinking that they had someone to do it for him, but Professor Jones was very secretive about his research, which was understandable given what happened to Daniel’s math calculations. The world was a competitive place, unfortunately, so he didn’t blame the professor for guarding his secrets. “Just point me to them, and I’d be happy to help get them into the truck for you.”
Tad nodded along, making a mental note to go over the figures before tomorrow. "If you like, I can introduce you to a few of my single colleagues. I hear they have math parties once a month, where they gather and talk about math or science and get drunk. I've never been to one myself, but it sounds like something you might like? It seems like something for young people like you. And it never hurts to have friends in the department you're bothering for your degree." As he talked, he waved Daniel into the next room to where the boxes were, picking one up and shifting it so it was easier to carry, then headed back towards the truck. They weren't that heavy, but the boxes could be bulky and difficult to wrangle. He made sure his tone and posture didn't change as he did. Daniel wouldn't be suspicious if he didn't give him anything to be suspicious over. "They're over here. It shouldn't take long."
“Well... I’m not really interested in meeting people,” Daniel confessed. He went over to the boxes, lifting it with a little strain since he wasn’t used to doing labor like this. Still, he didn’t complain as he carried the box, following Professor Jones towards the van. “Not to seem ungrateful, since I do see your point, but I’ve never been that into parties. They’re always a bit loud, and when people get drunk, they tend not to want to talk about academics. I would like to get in good with the people who would be in that department, but I want them to see that I’m working hard and that I earned it, not that I brown-nosed my way into it.” Daniel bit at his lip, hoping that he didn’t offend him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful for what the professor was trying to suggest, and he hoped that he could see it that way since he had really come to look up to the other man in the few months that he worked under him.
"I understand. I think you're more like me than I realized," Tad mused, setting the box down in the truck's bed, "I've never been one for those kinds of events either. You have the makings of a good, pure academic. That's a very admirable trait to have." A few friends in the department might have made a good distraction for Daniel, but it wasn't something he really wanted to force. Besides, he hadn't shown any inclination to nosiness so far, and Tad was confident he wouldn't in the future. "With that attitude, you'll have people's respect in no time. I'm sure of it. But, do you think that your assistance to me is brown-nosing?" He let the question come out more amused than anything else, heading back into the lab to grab another box.
Daniel set his box down onto the truck bed alongside Professor Jones’ box. “Thank you, Professor,” he said with a small smile. “You don’t know how much it means to hear you say that. It’s been awhile since- Actually, I don’t think my old professors ever gave me such a compliment. I’m very honored by it.” Following the professor back into the lab, Daniel frowned at the question, though, trying to pick apart what he meant by it. Did this mean that Professor Jones’ thought that he was a stuck-up? No, his previous statement disproved that. He thought that Daniel deserved respect, which he did. No one back home had given him any. “It’s not as if I’m working for free. You pay me. It’s my job to assist you. In addition, I don’t try to get involved with you personally, as a party would with the others. This is different, more professional.”
"Professors tend to only give compliments to themselves, even if they aren't well deserved. But I'm confident that you deserve this one. Tell me, are you close to anyone right now? Your family, maybe an old friend, or someone on the internet?" Flattery was another good way of disarming and blinding a person. But a part of Tad was actually curious, since Daniel had many of the same traits as him, he wondered about his social life. And all the other aspects of his life. Not enough to use the methods he used on his patients, but enough to ask. He was pretty sure he was carrying the head out to the truck, judging from its weight. "That's correct. Although, I wish you could be my assistant for longer. It's nice someone I can trust to share the workload with."
“Thank you, Professor Jones.” The question struck Daniel as a bit odd, before he realized that it wasn’t at all given that he had dropped everything to help him move boxes without even needing to check about the time. “Well, I was taken in by this exchange family when I moved here, and there is this one boy that I have been talking with, but other than that, I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly close with anyone. That must seem extremely sad, doesn’t it? Even when I was back home, I didn’t speak with my parents and didn’t have any friends.” It made him wonder if anyone had reported him missing. No one but the Fae creatures seemed to notice that Lark was, so maybe no one had reported Daniel missing, either. “That actually means a lot to me, professor. If I was better at biology then I would probably consider taking you up on a more permanent assignment.”
"I see," Tad said. "It doesn't seem sad at all. Some people don't need as much socialization as others. It usually indicates a high performance in other areas of life, and a smarter individual." There were only two more boxes to be moved onto the truck, and then he would be home free. He hoisted one, giving Daniel a bright smile. "That's a nice thought! But your passion lies with math, so that's what you should do. Although if you ever change your mind, I trust you'll know where to find me."
“You really think so? Because I’ve always been told that you can’t get by with antisocial behavior. I don’t see why you can’t, since most people are in fact idiots, but it’s good to know that I’m not the only one with this ideology.” Daniel grabbed the other box with a bright smile at Professor Jone’s words. They were almost done, which was good. It meant that he could possibly get some more of his work done when they were finished. “Thank you, Professor. That means a lot to me. Even if get back on track with my degree, I’d be happy to help you move boxes or anything else that you might need when I’m free, though.”
"I do. Although if you ever meet someone who isn't a complete idiot, you hold onto them as much as you can." Tad smiled back, pleased to have such an effect on Daniel; his ego was only too pleased with the other's reaction to him. It may have also been predatory, reflecting how smug he was to get away with it. But, he always got away with it, so he kept his face in check and patted Daniel on the arm. "You're a good boy. I'm sure you'll get your degree back in no time at all, and thank you for coming out to help me with this. I appreciate it. You have a good night." Unhurriedly, he left the other behind and shut the truck's back end securely and climbed into the driver's seat. He waved at Daniel once through the window before he was driving away.
