Fandom 26: Song of the Lioness
[Title] The Study of Change
[Fandom] Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet
[Rating] G
[Notes/Summary] Alanna asks Alex for help with mathematics.
It was some time since Alanna had had to ask someone for help with her studies - she'd trained her brain to work faster and at least take a stab at the parts she couldn't do - but the calculus was proving more troublesome than she'd expected, and if she didn't take action now, at this rate she would be doing nothing but extra mathematics work until she got her shield.
"Alex?"
Alex had been hurrying down the corridor, and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to stop, but then he slowed his pace so that she could catch up. "Alan."
"Can I ask a favour?" She quickly outlined the situation. "I'll be happy to take on something you don't like in return."
"You're saying that far too tractably," Alex said, smiling. "You really must be finding the calculus tough."
Alanna pulled a face. "Any help would be better than where I am now."
"All right," Alex said. "I've got a few minutes spare. I'll go over it with you."
"Thank you so much!" She followed him down the corridor. The sun was setting, and bars of orange light fell onto the stone floor as they walked. Alex was silent; a faint smile still on his lips, as if he were thinking of his own amusements.
"It surprises me to hear that mathematics is still so difficult for you," he said at last. "I was under the impression you surmounted difficulties with ease."
It was supposed to be a funny remark, Alanna knew that, but somehow it didn't seem like one. She shrugged. "I'm intending to surmount this one. That's why I'm seeking your assistance."
"I'm not sure I like that." Still smiling. "Isn't it giving you an unfair advantage?"
It was too hot, and Alanna was sick of staring at arcane symbols and xs until her eyes blurred, and so she almost-snapped, "Alex - if you don't want to help, just say so. Goddess knows I don't want to freeload."
"It's all right, Fire-Top." Alex spoke softly, soothingly, which didn't help. "I was joking."
Alanna wasn't quite sure that this was true, but she offered up a lie of her own anyway: "Sorry. The heat's getting to me." And then, to make that feel true, make this just about mathematics and assistance, she continued, "And I do - I do really appreciate this, Alex. I know how busy you are." As the last sentence left her mouth, it tasted sour. Perhaps that was why she was so irritable with him. Tainted by association. But how childish to be like that, to resent Alex just for being the squire of someone she really wasn't sure she liked.
"Not at all," Alex said, smoothly. "Not that it's not satisfying to achieve things, but in some ways I do miss how things used to be."
"I do as well," Alanna mumbled, because she wasn't sure exactly what she meant.
"Still, change is inevitable, I suppose. Which is the point of calculus, really."
"What?"
"Oh, Alan. Come on, let's start with the basics."
---
With him, it was easier to mourn by thinking of these trivial incidences, where the wrongness was only in her head. The beginning hurt, but it hurt far less than the ending.
[Fandom] Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet
[Rating] G
[Notes/Summary] Alanna asks Alex for help with mathematics.
It was some time since Alanna had had to ask someone for help with her studies - she'd trained her brain to work faster and at least take a stab at the parts she couldn't do - but the calculus was proving more troublesome than she'd expected, and if she didn't take action now, at this rate she would be doing nothing but extra mathematics work until she got her shield.
"Alex?"
Alex had been hurrying down the corridor, and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to stop, but then he slowed his pace so that she could catch up. "Alan."
"Can I ask a favour?" She quickly outlined the situation. "I'll be happy to take on something you don't like in return."
"You're saying that far too tractably," Alex said, smiling. "You really must be finding the calculus tough."
Alanna pulled a face. "Any help would be better than where I am now."
"All right," Alex said. "I've got a few minutes spare. I'll go over it with you."
"Thank you so much!" She followed him down the corridor. The sun was setting, and bars of orange light fell onto the stone floor as they walked. Alex was silent; a faint smile still on his lips, as if he were thinking of his own amusements.
"It surprises me to hear that mathematics is still so difficult for you," he said at last. "I was under the impression you surmounted difficulties with ease."
It was supposed to be a funny remark, Alanna knew that, but somehow it didn't seem like one. She shrugged. "I'm intending to surmount this one. That's why I'm seeking your assistance."
"I'm not sure I like that." Still smiling. "Isn't it giving you an unfair advantage?"
It was too hot, and Alanna was sick of staring at arcane symbols and xs until her eyes blurred, and so she almost-snapped, "Alex - if you don't want to help, just say so. Goddess knows I don't want to freeload."
"It's all right, Fire-Top." Alex spoke softly, soothingly, which didn't help. "I was joking."
Alanna wasn't quite sure that this was true, but she offered up a lie of her own anyway: "Sorry. The heat's getting to me." And then, to make that feel true, make this just about mathematics and assistance, she continued, "And I do - I do really appreciate this, Alex. I know how busy you are." As the last sentence left her mouth, it tasted sour. Perhaps that was why she was so irritable with him. Tainted by association. But how childish to be like that, to resent Alex just for being the squire of someone she really wasn't sure she liked.
"Not at all," Alex said, smoothly. "Not that it's not satisfying to achieve things, but in some ways I do miss how things used to be."
"I do as well," Alanna mumbled, because she wasn't sure exactly what she meant.
"Still, change is inevitable, I suppose. Which is the point of calculus, really."
"What?"
"Oh, Alan. Come on, let's start with the basics."
---
With him, it was easier to mourn by thinking of these trivial incidences, where the wrongness was only in her head. The beginning hurt, but it hurt far less than the ending.