Comments | furious_maximus: Office 14 [Thursday late morning and early afternoon]

furious_maximus

Office 14 [Thursday late morning and early afternoon]

Dec 17, 2009 09:42

Classes. They were done. And even if Max was still trying to get some of the glitter out of his hair he considered the most recent batch to be a success. It helped that the students he had been given were conscientious (well, in a way) and competent. And now he was looking forward to a well-deserved break ( Read more... )

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glacial_witch December 17 2009, 21:17:27 UTC

Which just showed that Max needed to work on his expectations.

Karla was just getting out of her Ethics exam when she caught Max's psychic scent. He was nearby--and one of the people on her list to grovel at apologize to.

Screwing up her courage, she walked to Max's office and knocked on the door. "Professor Max?" she called. "It's Karla. May I come in? I...need to speak with you. It's important."

furious_maximus December 17 2009, 21:22:56 UTC

'It's important' was one of Max's least favorite phrases. But Karla was a student, and one he hadn't recently mentally traumatized, so he forced himself to sit up and smile just a bit. "Karla, come on in."

He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what she might want... Hopefully it wasn't some sort of emergency...

glacial_witch December 17 2009, 21:47:28 UTC

Karla came in and paused at Max's black eye. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked, confused. She knew that Max could heal himself if he chose and was confused why he wouldn't. "May I ask what happened?"

It wasn't why she'd come, but she didn't mind putting that off a little longer.

furious_maximus December 17 2009, 21:52:59 UTC

"I'm fine," Max laughed. "I've had much worse than a black eye in my day." He had the scars to prove it, too. Like the one that actually ran across his carotid.

"And I had a little... discussion with Skywalker." Skywalker was touchy at the best of times. But, really, that wasn't a fun topic of discussion since it made him think of the whole thing with Raven.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, changing the subject.

NFB, please glacial_witch December 17 2009, 22:14:46 UTC

Damn. That had been a lousy distraction, especially since she was pretty sure she knew why Professor Skywalker had punched him.

Since she was also fairly certain that having a female student in his office with a closed door was on the list of things Max was seriously not okay with right now, she took a moment to put up aural shields around his office. Anyone could look in and see them, but would be unable to hear their discusssion. And that went for pesky squirrels, too. "I've come to apologize, sir," she said in a little voice. "I'm pretty sure it was my fault you got punched. Everything...that entire fiasco was my fault."

Re: NFB, please furious_maximus December 17 2009, 22:18:25 UTC

Max suppressed his immediate reaction to lean forward. Because he rather suspected Karla would read it the wrong way.

"Really, now?" he asked calmly. "And just how is it that you're responsible for my actions?"

Re: NFB, please glacial_witch December 17 2009, 22:33:33 UTC

"Because I was the person who put the love potion into the pastries at the theater," Karla said quietly, her attention pinned to the floor. "'Dite said that it was her most powerful potion--you were up against god-level magics. I may not have forced you to do anything, but you weren't really in control of your actions, either."

And then she had to look up at him. "Please, you must believe me that it wasn't a deliberate action on my part. I think that love spells are awful, awful things--I got into a fight with 'Dite about them once! I would never, ever have done that had I been myself when it happened. I swear upon my Jewels, that is the truth."

Re: NFB, please furious_maximus December 17 2009, 22:39:49 UTC

Max didn't have to force an uncharacteristically gentle smile. "I know you wouldn't do something like that on purpose, Karla." He was a watercrafter, after all. And he was also more perceptive than he let on.

"Sit down," he nodded at one of the chairs across from him.

Re: NFB, please glacial_witch December 17 2009, 22:52:37 UTC

Karla gingerly sat down in front of Max's desk, still waiting for the explosion. "I appreciate you understanding that I wouldn't ever do something like that of my own volition," she said, "but you can yell at me. I'd be mad at me anyway. Hell's fire, I am mad at me anyway."

Re: NFB, please furious_maximus December 17 2009, 22:54:57 UTC

"Karla," Max shook his head, "I have extensive experience with ingesting things which make me less in control of myself." Alcohol was the least of them. "While you may be responsible for me doing that this time, you can not be held accountable for the actual actions I undertook."

He leaned forward, eyes not blinking. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Re: NFB, please glacial_witch December 18 2009, 05:59:22 UTC

"Perhaps you're right," Karla conceded. "But were you accountable for your actions, either? You didn't know your mind had been compromised. By a potion created by a goddess."

Re: NFB, please furious_maximus December 18 2009, 16:35:23 UTC

Max considered that for a moment. "Perhaps there's plenty of blame to go around. Having my decision-making compromised doesn't mean I had no control, after all." All he'd done was talk at Raven. "But that compromise wasn't my choice..."

He cocked his head. "Perhaps we can agree that we've both made mistakes?" he suggested.

Re: NFB, please glacial_witch December 18 2009, 17:09:12 UTC

Karla nodded, looking slightly less miserable than she had when she'd sat down. "I know I have," she said. "But I just wanted you to know exactly how it happened. I know things...can't be easy for you right now." She gave Max's black eye a significant glance. "And I'll be happy to tell the faculty my role in this so they know, too. However I can try to set things right, I will. I owe everyone that much."

Re: NFB, please furious_maximus December 18 2009, 17:33:05 UTC

"You're a good girl, Karla," Max smiled a bit fondly. "And I appreciate you letting me know. Just remember: you weren't any more in control than I was." At least as far as he had been able to glean from Aphrodite's incredibly vague explanation of events.

Re: NFB, please glacial_witch December 18 2009, 17:40:47 UTC

Karla smiled a bit. "Thank you for that, Professor. Your forgiveness helps me forgive myself. It's really hard--this runs counter to my whole system of belief. I wasn't in control of myself, but I still took actions that violated the consent of others. It's hard to get over."

Re: NFB, please furious_maximus December 18 2009, 17:44:12 UTC

Max shrugged a bit sadly. "Sometimes that's how the world works."

"Oh, one more thing." He grinned again. "Try to remember that you're still young. You'll inevitably make mistakes," his eyes grew a bit distant with memory. "Don't let them go to waste. Learn from them and move on. Dwelling on them won't get you anything, but neither will forgetting them completely."

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