You know my name

It was rare enough that Eleni left the Cesspool these days, let alone the city proper. To come all this way without making very sure that George was on his best behavior would have been foolish. She had a list of his classes with their teachers tucked away, hoping to meet with each if she could find them in time. If nothing else, she intended to find out how George had been spending his time, to make sure that this had been a wise idea and that he was better off here than amongst the thieves of the Lower City.

Her knuckles rapped lightly on the door to announce her presence.

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Bond looked up from his class notes. "Can I help you,ma'am?" he asked pleasantly, smiling at her.

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Eleni curtsied as she introduced herself. "I'm Mistress Eleni Cooper. If you are Professor Bond, as I'm hoping you are, my son George is enrolled in your class. I wonder if you have a few moments to talk."

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"Of course I do, Mistress Cooper," Bond said, standing and acknowledging the curtsey with a bow of his own. "Please, do take a seat."

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Gathering up her skirts, Eleni moved to the seat with a bright smile and sat down. "I find myself hoping for good news of George, but I will settle for honesty," she said not unkindly. "My son can be headstrong and he's not used to as formal a classroom as I imagine yours is."

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Bond returned the smile. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked, ever the polite host.

"George is handling himself in my class as well as most young men his age do," he said. "There was some slight culture-shock of the class being mixed-gender, which I'm given of believe isn't how the subject is handled where you're from."

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"No, thank you so much," she replied to his offer, then listened and nodded. "I had my doubts about his learning such things at a school, but he has to learn, even if he's away from home. I'm pleased to hear he's taken to his schooling. I won't ask what you teach in the class, as I'm sure it covers all that needs be known," and would be improper, "but I do wish to know your approach. Young ones, especially of that age, aren't known for their sensibility when it comes to the topic."

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"I can attest to that last," Bond said with a wry grimace.

"Mostly I do my best to ensure that if they do do something stupid, they know enough about it that the only causality is their dignity," Bond said. "Frankly, I find the idea that deliberately keeping people ignorant in the hopes that it will stop them doing something to be short-sighted and foolish at best. Doubly so when it's teenagers."

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"That is certainly a comfort," Eleni replied with a small smile. "I was wondering if you might provide some insight into George's life here. He's a boy, and a secretive one at that, but his being so far from home leaves a mother worried about his well-being."

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"I try not to pry too much into my students personal lives, but he does seem to be good friends with two of the other boys in my class, Bobby Drake and Kyle Reese." Oh, how Bond enjoyed their flailing. "They spend quite a lot of time in each other's company."

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More names she didn't know. "What kind of lads are they?"

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"About his age," Bond replied. "Small. Often flaily."

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Rose had said to see her teachers, so Janine was going to take her daughter at her word on this one, before she went to find Guardian Belikov.

It might give Rose more reasons to hate her, but considering how poorly this weekend had gone so far, it could hardly get worse.

She knocked lightly on the door, standing at attention. "Professor Bond?"

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"Yes," Bond nodded, smiling. "How may I help you?"

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"Janine Hathaway," she offered, taking a step into the office. "It's my understanding that my daughter Rose is in your class this term."

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Bond's smile broadened slightly, as he stood and extended a hand. "And during this last summer session as well," he said. "Rose has been quite a delight to have in class."

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Janine regarded him skeptically as she took his hand. "That's rather surprising for me to hear," she confessed. "Rose isn't always the most academically-inclined student."

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"I'll admit that neither of the classes in question were taught in a traditional academic manner," he said, letting his hold on her hand linger just that moment longer than strictly necessary before gesturing towards a seat. "But she's performed quite admirably as one of my TAs in both."

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"A teaching assistant? Rosemarie?" Had someone replaced her daughter with a changeling? "May I inquire as to the subject matter of your classes?"

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"And a quite able one." The simple fact Paulo hadn't gone home with anyone was proof of that. "I did a course on weaponry over the summer, and currently I'm teaching sex education."

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Both classes Rose would enjoy, naturally, although Janine was pleased that her daughter was pursuing both interests academically rather than in a purely recreational sense.

"If you're finding her performance satisfactory, then I'm thrilled," she admitted. "This wasn't her first choice of school - " to put it mildly, " - so I wasn't expecting her to apply herself in any meaningful way."

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