Thread for still_soserious

[emmawright]

Emma adjusted the over-sized bag of art supplies on her shoulder, pausing in the hall to read her schedule. She curled her nose and looked around at all of the room numbers, finally spotting the one she needed. A smile broke across her face as she scurried to the door saying, "Excuse me, pardon me," to people and weaving through them with grace

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[still_soserious]

Simon had been standing by the door on one side when the girl entered, just getting the feel of the room and the other students. He liked being aware. And he could tell instantly from her demeanor that she was uncomfortable. He hoisted his satchel onto his shoulder and walked over to where she was sitting.

"You can hear a lot better at the front," he said softly. "I know it seems safer back here, but in the long run it'll hurt you more. There's still some good seats. Come on." He offered one of his small smiles. "Anyway, if you sit with me, some of the less obnoxious of those guys will leave you alone. The real idiots I'll have to ridicule publicly in terms they can understand." Some guys were still staring at her. Men.

[emmawright]

Emma turned her eyes up to him, pausing in the middle of unloading a notebook from her purse. She glanced sideways when she heard one of the boys say something about her rear end, rolling her eyes.

"Is that so?" Emma prepared for some sort of reaction from the stranger when she spoke. American men loved a good accent, it seemed. But he didn't flinch, and she wondered why. Her tone remained soft and timid. "I appreciate it. People haven't been particularly kind to me here." She pushed her notebook back into her purse and stood, hefting her art supplies onto her shoulder with a small grunt. By the end of the semester, she'd have some amazing muscles! "Unless you consider being fondled an act of kindness."

[still_soserious]

He made an exasperated sound. "If I wasn't a pacifist, I would offer to beat that person up for you," he said with a wry smile. "My previous offer of public ridicule still stands, though." He offered a hand. "I'm Simon. Simon Petrelli. It's a pleasure to meet you." He stepped out of the way to let her into the aisle. "You should enjoy this class. Dr. Suresh is a talented professor."

[emmawright]

"Emma." She put her hand in his, barely squeezing at all. "Have you had Dr. Suresh before?" Her voice was so quiet at times, that Emma had to remind herself to speak up. Especially in such a noisy room where fifty students were chatting and laughing.

Emma stepped past him and moved down the aisle to the chairs he had pointed out, taking a seat. Finally, someone was being sweet to her. Hopefully Simon wasn't trying to get into her panties. She had pepper spray for that case.

[still_soserious]

"I've learned a lot from him." It was just a small prevarication. He didn't want to get into his relationship with Mohinder with strangers, after all. And he wanted his grades to be seen for their own merit. He settled in his chair. "You're from England, aren't you?" he asked. "How long have you lived here?"

[emmawright]

She piled her things onto the seat next to her, once again taking the notebook from her purse. Emma knocked a chunk of hair out of her face by blowing upwards. "Oh, all of my life. I've only been in the states for three weeks now. Just long enough to get settled. Are you from here, Simon?"

[still_soserious]

"Born and raised in the city," he said, pulling a leather portfolio out of his bag. He opened it and drew a neat line down the center of the legal pad inside with his nice pen. He wasn't going to assume that he wouldn't have to take notes just because his stepfather was teaching and he'd heard a lot about the subject for years. "I stay with my mother in D.C. sometimes, but I'm back here for school."

[emmawright]

Emma noticed his neat line and smiled faintly. Oh, he was one of
those people. "I see. So you live at home, then? May I ask what year you are?"

To make a passive-aggressive point about their difference in personalities, Emma drew a line down the middle of
her notebook page, making it squiggly in the process. She was an artist, after all, and she loved messy lines.

[still_soserious]

Simon raised an eyebrow slightly, one corner of his mouth quirking upwards in amusement. He could take a bit of good-natured teasing. "Just starting my second year. Or ending up my first year with summer classes. Either works." He dated his page and labeled it by the class. "I could get my own place, and I'm sure it would be good to have some independence and learn that responsibility, but it seems an unnecessary expense at the time."

[emmawright]

She smiled and looked down at her own notebook, doodling smilies and hearts on the corners of the page. "I understand. I'm strapped for cash. I had to sell some of my belongings when I moved here to help pay for my apartment this year."

[still_soserious]

"Ouch." He gave a sympathetic grimace. "Maybe you could find a roommate?" It probably wasn't a good time to mention that his father was a Senator, and that his reasons for saving money were his own scruples and general dislike of waste rather than necessity.

[emmawright]

"I'm sure that I could, but I do best alone." If that made any sense. Even back home she hadn't shared a room with anyone. Emma needed her space, and she supposed she would only sacrifice that rule when she found someone to marry.

She opened her mouth to say something else when she noticed an Indian man in a crisp white suit walk in, a messenger bag on his shoulder. Emma's brows lifted.

"Is that Dr. Suresh? He looks quite nice."

[still_soserious]

Simon nodded. He could understand that. He would hate to live with someone he didn't know. Luckily he probably would never have to.

"That's him, yeah," he said with a slight smile, watching his stepfather. "He is nice."

[emmawright]

She leaned over and whispered, "I think that his teeth are little light bulbs. What a nice smile!" Emma grinned. She could tell good people, and she liked what she saw so far.

"Good afternoon class," Mohinder said, and then raised his voice a bit. "Good afternoon! Settle....thank you. My name is Doctor Mohinder Suresh." He wrote his name on the board in messy handwriting. "You can call me any variation...Doctor...Mohinder...Professor Suresh...I really don't mind as long as it isn't 'Yo old teacher man'." The class let out soft laughter. "You may be amused but I had it happen a couple of years ago. Its a serious matter!" he said with a bright smile. His eyes landed on Simon and he gave his son a small nod.

Emma's smile brightened. Alright, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She had a new friend, and a nice professor.

[still_soserious]

He nodded back and held his pen to the paper, ready to take notes. Mohinder could talk very fast when he was excited, and science excited him. He chuckled under his breath and leaned over towards his seatmate. "If you miss anything, you can copy from my notes later," he said softly. "He might start nattering on."

[emmawright]

"Oh, great. I'll need a voice recorder for this one." She playfully reached over and nudged Simon's hand so that a diagonal line drew across the first four lines of the page. "Oops?"