A/N: Hello everyone. I'm back again with the next installment of Contempt of Knowledge. Thank you to the guest review for the opening chapter. Let us proceed.
The music in Fearless' ears was constantly shifting; light to heavy, simple to progressive. His mind wandered briefly in the first moments in the room. As several others filled the space around him, chatting indriscriminately about mundane subjects, he stared straight ahead. His head bobbed now and then softly,
When he saw Professor Thorne step in front of the group, he gently pulled one of the buds from his ears, taking with it half of the melody of the current song.
"Attention everyone," Emily clapped for silence, "Welcome to Philosphy 101. I'm Professor Thorne. If you feel so comfortable, you may address me as Miss Emily. Now, let's breifly introduce ourselves." Emily kept her tone professional, but a dainty smile crept onto her face as the students rose and spoke their names. There was Nolan Ross, who looked as if he were taking a college course just for fun. Next to him was Charolette Grayson and her brother Daniel. Rounding out the eccentric group was a sweet faced girl named Ashley Davenport. Fearless took instant notice of her accent and smiled as eyes fell on him.
Fearless stood up confidently, letting the lone bud dangle from his shirt collar. "Name's Fearless. I've got a birth name, but let's leave it at Fearless, alright?" He coolly waved and sank back into his chair. He was startled momentarily when he looked up and saw Emily in front of him. "What are you listening to?" She raised a curious eyebrow. Fearless chuckled, "Dream Theater's Images and Words, more specifically Pull Me Under." His breath hitched as Emily leaned down to examine the Ipod,her cleaveage clearly visible from his vantage point.
"Pull Me Under. One of my favorites. Can you explain to the class what the song is about?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement. Fearless stood and shuffled his way to a podium in the middle of the room. "To be completely honest,when I first got into Dream Theater, it was specifically because of the music. That was before I really listened to the words that were being told to me. Take Pull Me Under for instance, the band's biggest hit commercially but so deep lyrically. It tells the story of Shakesphere's Hamlet, a clever methaphor for Hamlet's quest for revenge."
He motioned for Emily to approach him, pointing from his Ipod to the computer speaker on her desk. "As Professor Thorne is about to play for you, there is an even greater example of philosphy in Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and The Sleeper," He signaled for total silence as the sounds of chiming sleigh bells filled the room. As the song progressed, Fearless waved his hands as though he were a conducter for a symphony. "If you dream of the next world, you'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire!" He sang along.
He stopped singing and chuckled lightly, "That particular line, in this song about two people who are telepathically connected, insinuates that the lies we tell others and ourselves affect everything around us. Take the three Dances explained in the lyrics, Death, Deceit and finally love. Interpret them as you will. But all three are interconnected, as even our destinies sometimes cross paths unexpectantly." Fearless retrieved his music player and stepped back up to the podium as the bell sounded.
He let out a long sigh. As the others paseed him on their way out of the door, their eyes were fixed on his. He could read their emotions clear as day, Awe, amazement and in some cases longing. He scrambled to collect his bag. He was taken aback when Emily closed the door before him.
"Fearless, sit down. We need to talk." Fearless shrugged and sat in his seat. Emily cleared her throat and made a "come here" motion with her finger and pointed to a cushioned computer chair next to her at her desk. As he sat down, he lost his sense of sight for a moment as the intoxicating aura of Emily's perfume overtook him. He braced himself for what was about to transpire.
A/N: Okay. End of chapter two. I sincerely apologize if you find the music discussions jarring, but this willbe used to further the relationship and sexual tension between Fearless and Emily later on. Also, as they're in a Philosphy class, I felt it an interesting way to merge the two subjects in a way that will drive the plot. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Until next time, please read and review!