Office #26; Saturday [09/28].

[died8yearsago]

Unlike some people, Rosa didn't have a handy box of apparently self-replicating contraptions to work on to stave off the boredom of keeping office hours this weekend, but she did have an impressive arsenal of guns that could probably use some cleaning, so that's what was spread out on her desk as she waited for guests that would hopefully just not show up at all. But, if anyone did, at least the guns would get a chance to say a little something about her before she even had to open her mouth.

Of course, she also knew that her office shared a wall with Blackstone's, and that Blackstone was also doing the office hour trudge that morning, she occasionally took a break to throw a small rubber handball against the wall in code. She'd then wait and, not long after, a series of thumps would respond back, Rosa would snort, and then go back to work.

What? Shut up.

[[ and this one's open door, open post, too! And yes, I put them in adjacent offices for exactly this reason ]]

Comments

[not_dlique]

A person of undeterminable gender dressed in spotless white clothes, including gloves, showed up in the doorway.

"Professor Rosa Diaz?" She offered a wide smile. "I am Presger Translator Zeiat. I understand you are a teacher of Lieutenant Tisarwat."

[died8yearsago]

"Ugh." Yeah, Rosa didn't even need for this one to finish all that to know who she belonged to. This should be fun.

"Yeah. She's a good student. A little quiet, but I barely ever hear her complain about how no one wears gloves or about tea. She does okay."

There, that should be enough, right? Short and sweet, end of story, now get out of my office.

[not_dlique]

Contrary to Rosa's wishes, Zeiat entered the office.

"Good, good," she said, nodding. "I do hope you don't shoot your students. The Fleet Captain would be upset I'm sure and there would have to be a funeral."

Rosa did have a table full of guns, after all.

[died8yearsago]

Great.

"I don't generally make a habit out of it," Rosa said dryly. "Especially since I'm sure Fleet Captain wouldn't be the only one upset. Plus, the paper work and legal fees would be a nightmare."

[not_dlique]

"That's good," Zeiat said with a nod. "All that unnecessary work too. And as I've been saying to the Fleet Captain: Blood should stay in your veins. Now, where were we. Yes, Lieutenant Tisarwat."

[died8yearsago]

That was generally pretty good advice, actually, and Rosa wanted to ask if Fleet Captain had a problem with that in particular, but that would mean talking to this person more than necessary, and she'd rather not do that, thanks.

"Right," she said. "And I said she's a good student. And, so....that's....pretty much it."

[not_dlique]

The Translator either ignored or was oblivious to that hint.

"Sometimes she gets a bit excited," she continued. "And has ideas. And then things can get very interesting. Do you ever have ideas?"

Not waiting for an answer, she added: "I have to ask though, what do you use all these weapons for if you don't shoot students?"

She reached out for the rubber ball.

[died8yearsago]

Yeah, in Rosa's experience, Radchaai didn't do very well with hints.

"Don't," Rosa barked, no hinting in that tone at all, "touch that."

Even if it was just the ball, it would start with the ball, and then she'd have gloved hands all up in her gun parts. Just to safe, she reached out to take the ball before the Translator could.

"And I use them to shoot bad guys. Obviously."

[not_dlique]

"But I wanted to eat it."

Zeiat looked a little disappointed.

"I'm not sure that obvious at all. Why would you shoot bad guys and not students?"

To be fair, Zeiat wasn't completely sure what 'bad guys' were.

[died8yearsago]

"It's not food," Rosa said, staring at Zeiat incredulously. "It's a rubber ball."

One that she was now lobbing lightly on the wall, bouncing it back into her hand, and then back on wall, in a smooth, steady suggestion of some sort of disjointed rhythm.

"And I shoot bad guys because it's my job to shoot bad guys. It's not my job to shoot students."

A pause. Another toss of the ball against the wall.

"Unless they're bad guys."

[not_dlique]

Zeiat didn't look quite pleased, but it was hard to say whether it was because of the bouncing or because Rosa didn't let her eat the rubber ball.

"Are your students often bad guys? I thought teaching was your job."

[died8yearsago]

"I have two jobs," Rosa said. "One's teaching. The other's shooting bad guys. Sometimes, I teach how to shoot bad guys."

The bouncing, at least, stopped, abruptly, but Rosa kept the ball firmly in her hand.

"Who did you say you were again?" she asked, shooting Zeiat a speculative look, feeling like she'd regret asking this, but how was it possible that there could be someone from the Radch that was even more dense and impossible to talk to than Hot Leaf Water?

And Baby Radchaai seemed downright normal now, which obviously couldn't be trusted...

[not_dlique]

"Presger Translator Zeiat," she repeated. "If you think I'm Dlique you are mistaken, the Fleet Captain assured me I am Zeiat."

This was stated firmly.

"Some humans would serve tea. Or fish sauce. I prefer fish sauce."

[died8yearsago]

"Well, this human isn't serving anything," said Rosa, who definitely regretted asking. "But I think I saw a mint at the bottom of my desk drawer."

Rosa never used this office. Who even knew how long it had been there?

She was definitely digging it out.

[not_dlique]

"Oh, a mint! I've never had one of those."

She immediately put it in her mouth.

"Interesting. Now, where were we. Lieutenant Tisarwat is a good student and you don't plan to shoot her. Maybe you should try to make her have ideas, they can be very exciting."

[scoffs_at_tchalla]

"You are Rosa Diaz," Okoye said, eyes taking in all of the weapons. "...I understand the name of Shuri's class much more now."

[died8yearsago]

See? The guns were already doing their job, and perfectly.

She looked up to consider the woman talking to her.

"We haven't done guns yet," she offered, perfectly in time with jerking the pieces of a heavy pistol together. "I like to save the good stuff for the end of the semester."

[scoffs_at_tchalla]

"Will they have to assemble them from scratch before using them?" Okoye asked, "or modify them?" She shook her head. "Because if you give Shuri any time, she will modify them."

[died8yearsago]

"That's...actually not a bad idea," Rosa said, after a moment of considering it, "especially assembling them in the middle of a high pressure intensive situation."

So here was an untapped resource for class ideas when she couldn't think of anything, apparently.

"I'm not so sure about doing modifications, though. I'm not sure everyone would be quite at the same level on that."

But there was potential...

[scoffs_at_tchalla]

Okoye nodded. "Perhaps not. Shuri designs weapons for fun."

There was an undertone there of "I have no idea why she thinks that's fun."

[died8yearsago]

That tone made Rosa grin, just a little, even if it did kind of annoy her that she was now actually thinking of asking a student about something they were interested in.

But she couldn't help being a little curious.

"Are they any good?" she asked.

[scoffs_at_tchalla]

"They are exceptional," Okoye admitted. "She runs the entire nation's science and engineering division and not because of who she is related to."

[died8yearsago]

"...who's she related to?"

Rosa paid attention.

She was honestly wasn't even sure she knew which student they were talking about right now. An idea, sure, but even she'd hesitate to put money down on it.

[scoffs_at_tchalla]

"Her brother is King of Wakanda," Okoye said. "Shuri."

[died8yearsago]

"Oh, right," said Rosa, but only because that sounded like something that someone should probably know. "of course. That Shuri. Good for her."

[scoffs_at_tchalla]

"She had not mentioned her brother," Okoye concluded. "That is wise of her."

[usual_suspects]

"Rosa Diaz." That was a very tall person in body armor lurking in the doorway and speaking with a powerful voice.

He walked in and looked over her weapons.

[died8yearsago]

Oh, he looked like fun.

The worst part about all of this, she decided, was that all these people were walking around, knowing her name, but, she had to admit, said in that voice...it sounded bad ass.

She looked over him looking over her weapons and asked, "Yeah?"

Also, like, none of her students were getting that extra credit at this point, were they? She was so disappointed in them.

[usual_suspects]

To be fair, Lana hadn't dared do more than suggest maybe Darth Marr didn't have to go. Bad-ass bitch or not, he was the head of the Dark Council.

"You are a fighter, then," he noted. "What sort of survival do you teach?"