- Messages
- 34
- Character Biography
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When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer
By Walt Whitman
When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.
When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.
"Miss Albright," Maester Azmidi said with disdain, glowering through his round spectacles. "Such a pleasure for you to grace me with your prescence." His white brows furrowed closer together, the wrinkles on his forward growing deeper in well defined ridges across his forehead. Suddenly, mock surprised flashedon his face before settling back into the previous look of disdain. "How silly of me, of course, you're only here to take the test before disappearing the next couple of weeks until the final exam.""If it makes you feel any better, Maester Azmidi, I am also here to get my test from last month." Shiloh was struggling to continue looking him in the eye. His spectacles reflected her face back at her, uncertain and awkward. She swallowed thickly, proffering a sheepish smile of apology. He continueed to stare down his nose at her, unimpressed and disinterested in whatever it was that Shiloh had to say.
"No, Miss Albright, it doesn't make me feel better. It does the exact opposite." He rolled up a scroll of the night sky, detailing the Empire's depiction of the constellations of The Hunter, The Emperor, and The Slave. Shiloh tried not to be obvious in looking at the scroll, but it was so beautiful painted, the sky royal blue and plum purple, stars silver and gold, the trajectory of a falling star slowly being mapped out by the Maester himself. The moment he caught her looking, all the quicker was the scroll rolled up and put off to the side.
He opened up a drawer, pulling out a file labeled "Astrophy and Cosmancy 101, Class 1A" and opned it up. He didn't flip through many papers until he found the one he was looking for, neatly folded up in the style the College demanded of their students to know when taking a test and using the very long piece of testing paper sold by the school, imbued with anti-cheating properties.
"Here you are. Call it intuition, but I am positive you already are aware of your score." The bitterness had Shiloh shiver as she took the test, opening up a single fold to confirm the number written in red ink. She was quick to shove it in her back, letting it get crumbled and lost like all the other tests before it. Shiloh clasped her bag, hefting back over one small, boney shoulder. She shuffled her weight from one foot to the other for a moment, not fully contemplative in the silence.
"Cool, so, see you next time," Shiloh said slowly, fully tasting each and every word on her tongue before letting it leave through full lips. She couldn't bring herself to lie and say 'next class.' They both knew she would continue ditching. She pivoted on her heel, heavy black boot clacking on the floor, echoing once in the large auditorium.
"Just another minute of your valuable time, Miss Albright." She looked back over her shoulder, half her face hidden by her pitch black hair, eyes darker than black looking at the Maester who know wore a grin best suited for a gambler. "How is your project going?"
"Project?"
"Yes, the one I assigned two weeks ago. Instead of a midterm, we do a group project. I had explained it but you weren't here. Remember, there were the personal essays and then the presentation to the class. Are you working well with the others I assigned to your group?" Color drained from Shiloh's face until she was ghostly white. Her eyes stood out like two ink stains on a white canvas that once had so much potential. Now the gambling grin made sense, and Shiloh had the worst hand in the history of Elbion College. "You are working with them, aren't you? If they tell me otherwise or you don't present with them, well, I believe that's thirty-five percernt of your grade...."
"Uh, yeah, duh, of course I am." Shiloh tried to grin, but it was a grimace instead. "Actually, I am meeting them right now." She tried to convince herself that when he raised a white brow at her, it was a sign that she was convincing him. "Wow, would you look at the time, I'm late! I better get going, ah ha ha." She practically choked out the laugh, quickly turning her head towards the exit. "See ya!" Briskly, she walked to the door, hand tightening around the black strap of her backpack until her knuckles were as white as her face. There was no way on Arethil that she would let her professor know that she had no idea who her partners were on this project.
The door swung heavy behind her, slamming shut with a boom that jostled her bones. She grabbed her broomstick she had left outsidethe classroom. Shiloh took a long, deep breath. Her heart was pounding loud in her ears, panic quickly creeping in like black mold that seeped beneath the eaves of a dilapidated home. She turned her head, seeing bright red hair the color of carrots and a familiar face beneath the mane of curls. Recognition flickered in her green eyes, just as quickly as she was already turning on her heel to go down the hall.
"Gigi!" Shiloh rushed the student her age, quick despite the heavy boots she wore. By the time Gigi had started running, it was too late: Shiloh had covered too much ground, and with one reach, her hand was clamped firmly on the taller woman's shoulder. "Hey, for that midterm project for Maester Azmidi, you'd know who my partners are, right?"
"Shiloh! Let go of me! I'm not going to get you out of trouble this time, even your brother says I shouldn't!"
"Sammy doesn't need to know about this, c'mon, Gigi, just tell me who my partners are."
"Or what? You'll curse me with split ends or coffee breath for a week? You'll have me dream of nothing but horses mating or make it so anything I smell smells like moldy cheese?" Shiloh released Gigi from her grip and took a step back. Shiloh held her broom with both hands, holding the wooden handle tight against her chest.
"Those were accidents," Shiloh said softly. "I never did them on purpose."
"Yeah, right." Gigi turned around, glaring green at Shiloh. "And my name is Gina to you, not Gigi. Only my friends get to call me that." Shiloh chewed on her bottom lip, nodding her head relunctantly. She looked down at at the ground, unable to meet Gigi's furious gaze. For a long time nothing was said, but then Gigi sighed. "I'm doing this for Sammy, not you. If you drop out again, it'll make him look bad." Shiloh's head shot up, hope glistening in her jet black eyes. Gigi rolled her eyes, looking off to the side, foot tapping impatiently. "Bliss and Calixtus are probably in the library right now. They're probably behind because, you know, you keep ditching class."
"Gina, I... thank you! I owe you -- big time. You need a Thaumaturgy Alchemy tutor, you know I'm your girl." Shiloh beamed.
"Whatever." Gigi pushed a tight red curl over her shoulder, stepping pass Shiloh. "You can pay me back by leaving me alone." Shiloh's face fell, but Gigi wouldn't have noticed, already paces behind Shiloh. She shook her head, reminding herself that one day she'd get her friend back. Today wasn't the day for trying to make amends, at least not with Gigi. Shiloh started making her way down the hall, to get to Elbion College's prestigous white marble library at north of the campus. Once she was outside of the Astonomy building, she sat down on her broomstick, flying at an acceptable speed towards the library, obeying the College's rules for once.
It was only when she realized at the foot of the library's white stairs that she had no idea who they were. No faces appeared when she mulled over their names. Bliss... surely a girl. But then what about Calixtus? A boy? A girl? Could be either way with a name like that. Although Gigi had given her the location to search, it dawned on Shiloh that there was more searching she'd have to do. The library was six stories high, and when stepping inside, she realized that the outside was deceiving. The library was far larger inside than it appeared.
At least she knew the general floor where the two would, theoretically, be if only because her brother Seth had lamented over how the third floor always was too cold to keep the astrology scrolls pristine. Now, to find that staircase and then begin the manhunt of two faceless students. At least it gave her time to figure out how to best beg for forgiveness for her tardiness.
