Office #18, All Day Monday

[tyler_gone]

A new semester and new class meant Tyler should probably actually go to his office and do work, especially since he still needed to brush up on his own history before he could inflict his knowledge on anyone else.

Mostly, this meant he was paging through A People's History of the United States and counting how many ways people who didn't look like him had gotten screwed over. The answer seemed to be "a lot."

The office door was open.

Comments

[tyler_gone]

"No kidding. The numbskull who got elected in 2000 managed corruption and war," Tyler said. "Don't ask about those wars, we'll be here until midnight."

"But the new guy seems like he might be a right choice. Was in my world, anyhow, but my world's a little off from this one. If he hasn't screwed the pooch by April that might be my last class."

[shiroi_tiger]

"It would be good to end a semester on a positive note, wouldn't it? Especially after the century that you got stuck covering. Several huge wars and economic collapse. America is about overdue for a guy who isn't bound and determined to take her apart, really."

The pictures in the book were fascinating. And appalling. And fascinating.

[tyler_gone]

"Yeah. If he's not worth a class, I'll talk about something else. Turn of the century, collapse of communism, whatever. There was a terrorist attack in 2001 but I think that would be too touchy for a lot of students, especially ones who haven't seen it happen and zomg I am not writing that class." Tyler took a deeper breath; he'd been talking a lot.

"But a civil war vet might appreciate why the new guy's a big deal, however he does." He edged a magazine toward Nathan. "We're past due for hope."

[shiroi_tiger]

Nathan glanced at the paper for a moment, gave a brief nod, and was about to settle back on the book he'd been flipping through when he looked again. And this time it held his gaze firmly.

Living men sometimes had a way of being far more captivating than decimated bodies.

"... Really?"

The book on history was all but forgotten now, and the magazine was in his hands as he read the cover story. And then opened it. And read the article. He wouldn't be long, really. This was just...

He smiled, then. And nodded as he put the magazine down again.

And maybe, for a moment, he even let himself look a little proud.

"I hope, then, that this is a class we'll get to keep on the syllabus."