Chapter 50 - Escalating Demotivation

Wherein Rose meets her new tormentor. 

Rose passed the midway mark of her college classes. Her marks had improved. She was no longer the butt of teachers’ jokes. Handsome Hank had stolen some of Brittany’s thunder, openly disapproving when she went after the less popular kids. This didn’t mean Rose was free from bullying. Far from it. Animal noises still followed her wherever she went. Trips to the girls’ restroom she kept perfunctorily short after having been cornered by Brittany’s bitches and having derogatory names shouted in her ear, to the point they were ringing and she wanted to vomit. She didn’t want to chance a repeat.

Whenever she could, she went to the university library, either to study or to hang out with Marissa. She came to recognise a handful of custodians, greeting them by name as she walked in. Though she was on friendly terms with all of them, there was no appeal to extend those little interactions into a more solid friendship.

Whatever time she had left, between college, the library and household chores, Rose spent playing in the quieter residential areas – places she knew her classmates weren’t likely to frequent. The music played on her viola soothed the sores sustained at Bardic College by playing broken tunes.

Suddenly, there were only so many weeks left until the end of the year. If she passed the last marks, she would be free of the drudgery. Her roster of classes was far diminished this last quarter. Three theoretical classes, two practicum classes, private tutoring for thirty minutes each week, and the Practical Magic Course, taught by a UoUA faculty member. That was the most important course, and the one Rose had anticipated following the most since Midwinter. She didn't need to succeed in the other classes; she needed only to not fail them. Her tuition was fully paid, yet if any of the teachers decided she was a tragedy, she would be unable to finish the Practical Magic Course. 

She could travel without the permit graduating from that course would give her, but it would make stressful situations more tense, as she technically wouldn't be allowed to perform any feats of magic out in the Wold-Sea without it. 

Rose knew without a doubt she could make it through the lectures. Those might actually be interesting this quarter, especially the one on advanced heraldry. The practicums she would survive, though it would be hard. She abhorred the trash she had to produce to get a decent mark for those periods. But there were only two, and they weren't scheduled on the same day. She figured she could successfully pretend to be into it for a few hours. She had so far. 

It was the private tutoring that she feared most. Rumour around campus was that a tutor could make or break your career. There had been abhorrent stories tossed in to serve as examples. Rose had trouble believing them – even bards-in-training were formidable storytellers - but she couldn’t fully discard them either.

She would be cautious, but she was also going to enjoy the free Thaumdays. She planned to spend those days in the park, jamming with her buddies, for ten weeks in a row. It was going to be awesome. 

Very early on the first of the last Paladay mornings, Rose left home to go to campus, book bag slung over one shoulder, violin case in hand. The key-fiddle and lute were always left at home when she went to school. She wouldn't risk their safety; what Brittany had done once, she had proven she could do again. Today she also left the alto-violin.

The main entry was closed when Rose arrived on campus. She hurried to find the fire escape that she knew was always left open. She had used it before; nobody was supposed to, but everyone did anyway. 

Once inside, she ran through deserted hallways to the thaumatic lift that would take her to the fifth floor. The small practice rooms were reserved for older students and private tutoring. Rose had been to the maze of numbers only once before, on a teacher’s errand.

She remembered only one thing from that trip: the rooms were haphazardly numbered. This was probably because during an expansion, new numbers had been distributed, but the old ones had been kept. Not all the added rooms were on the same end of the hallway. Possibly, a few of the larger rooms had been remodelled to each become two smaller ones.

Sounding out numbers to retain her sanity, she eventually made it to the right one. Mr Grunwald Bosch – her tutor – was waiting for her by the door. 

He looked at his timepiece over the rim of his half moon glasses, then at her, his expression stern. He looked older than he was. He also gave Rose the creeps. He looked greasy, but not unkempt. His eyes roved over her body and rested on her chest for several seconds too long.  

"Is time keeping an issue for you, Ms Cerdos?"

"Mr Bosch?" Rose asked to verify. She ignored his remark. It was too early in the day – in the trimester – to get into a fight about anything with a teacher. 

"Who else?" he asked with a grin that was more than politely charming. "Come into my den." He tried to put his arm over her shoulders as she moved past him. Rose dodged by putting her bag and case down. 

Rose looked around. She saw a piano-forte with a mismatched bench, two chairs sharing a single sheet music stand, and a desk with a stack of portfolios and other papers. 

Mr Bosch sauntered over to the desk, picking up one of the portfolios and opened it, making sounds about what he read in there. "I see you got barely passing grades in the first trimester."

Rose kept her mouth shut. This already did not sound promising for how the rest of the half hour would go. 

"But that changed after the midwinter holiday. What happened?" Mr Bosch looked at her over his half moon spectacles. His smile reminded her of a fox. Sly and using its charm to not get shot as he tried to exit the henhouse. 

"My violin broke." Rose had learned that accusing anyone of that act would cause more trouble than it was worth. Trying to name Brittany as the culprit for the disaster would immediately get people angry with her. 

"And?" Mr Bosch prompted. 

"And I had it fixed." 

The leering smile got leerier. "And?"

"And I quite like the sound it now makes," Rose deadpanned, knowing that was the answer he would want to hear.

The conversation continued in this way. Her bag and case stood, nearly forgotten, by the door. At five minutes to the hour, Mr Bosch clapped his hands. She hoped she had been able to give the right answers to all his questions. Rose felt like the proverbial toad that had been dissected under a microscope.

"Hear me," Mr Bosch said amiably, as if she had any other choice. "Your marks for theoretical classes being what they are, are fine. You'll never draw much attention to yourself, but as a Fairfields girl, maybe that's for the best. If you want to succeed at Bardic College however, you'll need to up your grades for the practicum courses, and I need to see you be more involved in campus life. I read in your file that you live off-campus. That must be why you miss a lot of the parties and get-togethers.

"Here at Bardic College we believe in community, and achieving greatness through a common cause. Much like adventurers out in the Wold-Sea do."

Rose suppressed the urge to gag. She would eat her sheet music if this man had spent more than one hour outside of Splendor, out in the precious forest he had been named after. 

"We like our students to become closely related, like family. That's why we urge our students to come live on campus from second year and onward."

Rose smiled and nodded, trying to stay polite. 

Mr Bosch scooted his chair closer to hers, looking intently into her eyes. She wanted to gag again. 

"Make yourself part of the family, Rose. Or I'm afraid your career here at Bardic College will come to a premature end." Before he could put his hand on her knee, she shifted and pulled away. 

His timepiece chimed the hour. Rose jumped up, grabbed her bag and case, and threw open the door. She stepped out, right into Brittany. 

"See you next week, Ms Cerdos. Remember what we discussed!" Mr Bosch called after her. "Brittany..."

Rose watched, disgustedly, as Mr Bosch opened his arms for a half hug and kissed her classmate on both cheeks. 

"So wonderful to have you back under my tutelage. How long has it been?"

"Three years, Mr Bosch. Can I call you Grunwald?" Rose heard Brittany plead in that too sweet voice. 

She decided to run off and not hear any more. She had a few hours to pass. Her first thought was to go to the UoUA library, but Mr Bosch had said the faculty staff wanted to see more of her around campus, so the cafeteria it was. 

The cafeteria was about as depressing as the college campus library. Constructed of grey stone composite, with little in the way of decorations. The single large mural consisted of spurts of bright, clashing colours and a single graffitied word: KING. 

She had no idea what emotion it was supposed to invoke, other than revulsion. She went to sit with her back towards it so she wouldn't get a headache. 

Rose went home later than usual. She'd stayed to chat with some of her fellow students. They’d invited her to join them for dinner, which she'd declined. She longed to go home to Bosra and Tina; to tell her friends about her day and relax. 

She walked to the tube, took one to get as near her house as possible, then walked some more. It was nearing the end of spring. The temperature and light was nice. The sounds here were not as overwhelming as downhill, where all sounds competed for attention. 

She sighed as she entered the garden gate and looked up at the big redemption era house. She could easily live here for the rest of her life, she thought. It was a beautiful house, with a nice garden. She could start a vegetable patch, put in some fruit trees, and build a chicken coop. The neighbours might complain, until they shared in her first harvest. 

She shook the dream from her head. Staying in Splendor would be too much hassle. She wasn't going to let herself be corrupted by three more years at Bardic. Attending the University of Unseen Arts was not something she saw herself doing. Maybe she could take the rogue-courses and study in the library at night, while she worked an unremarkable job during the day. 

But wouldn't that eventually lead down the same road? 

Besides, she looked forward to travelling, seeing more of the Wold-Sea, maybe join an adventuring party for a spell. 

When she stepped inside she could smell dinner, but it was quiet. She figured her friends must've already eaten and cleaned up. She made herself a plate of leftovers and sat down at the deserted kitchen table. 

Again she sighed. What had promised to be a fun ten weeks of school was turning into yet another disaster. 

How was it possible that every time she thought she was winning, something kicked her down?

Rose didn't think she was one to cry easily, but tonight she felt like crying herself to sleep. She took a cup of tea and some cookies up to the attic to do just that. Her violin was left at the coat rack. 

~

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