Eeyore, "Winnie-the Pooh".
"We'll be waiting for you guys outside, okay?", said Mark Rosenthal , lingering for a second near the huge doors of the ancient cathedral, then taking his leave to join the "old gang" in the square, as the memorial service was already over.
Molly nodded. She wasn't ready to leave yet. Neither, so it seemed, was the elderly gentleman who was sitting next to her, also lost in thought.
"You never told us how you met Jonathan for the first time, Professor von Kellius", she asked him all of a sudden, because the silence was too painful for her.
The descendant of a long line of German aristocrats sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Please, call me Otto".
"Only if you call me Molly. You know, I've been wondering for some time what made you seek him out of a whole crowd of your other colleagues."
"Well ", the professor gave her a rueful smile, "it would have been rather hard not to notice our mutual friend, outstanding as he was, in all senses of that word. Besides, when I first ran into him, he seemed rather...how to put it in English?...lost. And I don't only mean literally."
...Everything was odd and unusual to him, from his new clothes (as even he had to admit the need to leave his usual shabby style behind) to his new documents with a clean bill of health (which was a bit of a stretch, considering the amount of medications in his suitcase), and Jonathan Crane realized, while descending the "Lufthanza" plane in the airport of Frankfurt ,and later getting on a train to Heidelberg, that to the long list of known fobias he could as well add his personal new one – a fear of changes in life.
Too little too late – his life has already changed, and he knew it and dreaded it.
But what if this crucial change ended in nothing? What if he didn't belong here as well as he didn't belong anywhere before, neither in his hometown nor in the city of Gotham? And was it even possible for him to belong anywhere?...
Too many questions dwelled on his mind, and, not being Edward Nygma, he wasn't much used to that – his whole future life being one big question mark (thankfully, not green).
...The University complex was truly great – Gotham State was a mere shack in comparison with this magnificent work of architecture, dating back to Middle Ages. As customary in this country (Ordnung und Disciplinen), all was arranged in neat order, direction instructions included, but,being still in a somewhat overwhelmed state of mind , Jonathan wasn't sure he was following the right way, even though been told where to go at the reception desk.
..At last, tired of wandering, he pushed the nearest door which looked like an entrance into some staff room, and found himself in an office filled with rows of bookcases. No one was to be seen around, and he sighed in annoyance.
"Where am I supposed to be going now?"he asked himself, not aware of saying these words outloud.
"That depends on where you want to find yourself, dear sir", someone suddenly said behind him in a rich baritone, in English with only a slight German accent.
Caught unawares, Jonathan almost dropped his suitcase. When he turned around, he saw a stout man in his early sixties,with greying blond hair and piercing but kind grey eyes, whose desk he failed to notice earlier behind all those rows of bookcases.
"You can speak English if you wish, as we aren't in a study hall at the moment", the stranger continued, smiling at him.
" I – I beg your pardon, sir", Crane stammered, still holding his case in a tight grip, "I am looking for the Psychology Department. I have got an appointment with Professor Schtolle.. ."
"Ah, you're looking for Gerhardt – I mean, for the Dean! Then, I'm afraid, you'll have to go back to the elevator and make a left turn ... but on a second thought", the older gentleman looked at Crane, as if taking in the newcomer's state of mind, "I think I'd better go with you, as I also have a question for him, and Gerhardt is a rather punctual person, so I'll make sure you don't lose your way again".
And giving Jonathan another reassuring smile, the strange professor showed him the way.
Jonathan Crane had an odd feeling this gentleman wasn't only referring to his finding the way to the Psychology Department, but to something more profound. He also felt it wasn't the last time they met each other.
It so happened the premonition was a right one, and the result followed quite soon.
"Yes, I can imagine..." Molly said quietly, wishing she had been there for her friend at that time, but still aware of the fact she couldn't be omnipresent, being only a mortal woman.
"That, and one more thing", von Kellius frowned for a moment. "There was a certain look in his eyes..."
"What look exactly?", Molly was a bit puzzled.
"The one I only witnessed once – at least directly- and very long ago, but have never forgotten since. The same look I saw in my uncle Kurt's eyes after the Nuremberg Trials ended."