Etiquette, Monday

[saddeserthermit]

When the students arrived in the classroom, they would find no teacher, because their teacher wasn't aware he had a class to teach, and he had in fact packed up and left for Tatooine some two days ago. For five minutes, this situation remained as it was: an ordinary classroom, no teacher, and no sign of that changing any time soon.

Then it changed.

There was a bright, piercing flash of light.

There was the sudden, loud smack of a playground's worth of sand hitting the floor.

There was a bearded Jedi, looking very surprised, accompanied by two strange animals, equally surprised.

"Ah," said Obi-Wan.

Rooh made a noise.

"Would anyone," Obi-Wan said slowly, "Tell me where I am and what we are doing here... if it isn't too much of a bother...?"

Comments

Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

Politely and with the proper etiquette. Just in case it is a test.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[gavegoodface]

"We're in your etiquette class, Professor Kenobi," Face said slowly.

Surprise?

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"Etiquette class. Of course," Obi-Wan said, attempting to grab some last shred of his dignity. "And why would you be attending...?"

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[gavegoodface]

"The etiquette books signed me up." He suspected they were trying to make him feel better.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"The etiquette books signed you up," Obi-Wan sighed. "Well, that's perfectly reasonable."

Look, he hadn't planned to be here today. You were lucky the sarcasm was remaining within the boundaries of, well, etiquette.

"Have you actually read any of these books?"

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[gavegoodface]

Face did the polite thing and ignored Obi-Wan's sarcasm.

"Some of them." They were very insistent about it.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[sciclone]

"What Face said," Cosima chimed in. "This is supposed to be etiquette class."

She rested her chin on her fist and added, "And, sorry, but what are the elephant camel things with you?"

She couldn't not ask.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"They are eopies, native to the planet of Tatooine," Obi-Wan said, sighing as he put his hand to Rooh's flank. "If this etiquette, well. 'Beings' is the word you might wish to use. Or 'animals'. Some peoples might take offense if you describe some sacred animal of theirs as 'an elephant camel thing'."

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[sciclone]

"Okay, sorry," Cosima said, twisting a braid. "But I didn't mean to be insulting, just descriptive. I didn't call them ugly elephant camel things or make a face or anything."

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"In etiquette, it is rarely about the intention, and more about how the message is received," Obi-Wan said wryly. "...We have a cleaner on the premises, don't we?"

Why had the island brought the s-- it was probably best not to ask.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[sciclone]

"I think so?" Cosima said, squinting. "I mean, I don't have any empirical evidence, but stuff gets cleaned and I know I don't do it."

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[spin_kick_snap]

Face and Cosima seemed to have the explanation bit down, so Kathy just politely offered, "Is there anything we can do to help, sir? Would you like to take a few moments to get, uhh, situated?"

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"That is very kind of you," said Obi-Wan, who was starting to wish he had planned this as a test. Oh well. "You are-- Kathy. Welcome back, I suppose."

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[spin_kick_snap]

Hey! Even if he hadn't planned it, there was nothing that said he couldn't grade it as such!

...Not that Kathy was going to say that out loud.

"Thank you," she said, with a quick bob of her head to show he'd gotten her name right. The 'I suppose' made his welcome come across as slightly less than gracious, but then, he had been somewhere sandy with camel-elephants. "Glad to be here?"

That wasn't supposed to have been a question.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"And I am glad to have you," Obi-Wan said, mustering some scraps of his dignity. "Unexpectedly, but still."

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[notamascot]

Kaylin just shook her head. As if being forced to take an etti-whatever class wasn't bad enough, her teacher didn't know what he was doing and had shown up with weird grey snouty things.

This class might just kill her. Or her teacher. Sorry in advance, Obi Wan.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[saddeserthermit]

"Kaylin, isn't it?" Obi-Wan sighed.

Re: Answer Your Teacher

[notamascot]

Kaylin was more than used to that sort of response from teachers.

She nodded. "Yes, that's me."

And added on a preemptive "Sorry," just to stay ahead of the game.