Chapter 25: Holydays part 1

In the evening I go to the play with Ellen, to distract me from Damien. And because I like watching plays after all, plus it's a nice diversion from the daily routine.
The play 'The Small Place Of Purchase Of Frightening Things' is as refreshing, amusing and weird as I imagined it to be from the game's description.
The next day, nearly everyone leaves for the holydays. About 10% to 15% of the student body stays, either because they're wild seed and forgotten by their parents, or native seed but orphans.
While wandering through the halls, unsure what to do with my free time, I come across Potsdam. "Oh, there you are, little tulip. I wanted to remind you of something.", she chirps. "About what?", I ask curiously. "Don't forget to spend some time with Hieronymus." Potsdam continues on her way, while laughing happily. This woman…

I decide to head to the gym and do some exercise. Since no one else is in the gym to play with, I practice doing handstands and cartwheels instead, after properly warming myself up. Since I've got an athletic body and was doing gymnastics in my last life, I soon get the hang of it. At the end of my workout, I stretch my body like usual. It's good to be flexible. I wash the sweat off my body, before heading to lunch in casual clothes. I sit down next to a window with a broccoli quiche.
The canteen offers less dishes than usual, due to the holydays.
Someone clears his throat behind me and I turn around to see Grabiner with a tablet, standing behind me. I greet him and look at him expectantly.
What could he want from me? "May I sit down?", he politely inquires. The heck is going on? "Sure.", I answer him, curious as to why he would want to do that. Grabiner takes a seat opposite from me. "Professor Potsdam ordered me to inform you about the activities during the holydays. Since most students, who stay here, are already acclimated with the life here during the holydays, we only need to inform the 'newcomers'. You can find the holyday schedule at the black board, where the class schedules usually hang. Breakfast will be from 7.30 to 10am, like on the weekends.", he explains to me.
"Oh, I see. What kind of activities? Are there classes?", I further inquire. I might go to one or two classes, since I'm a bit bored.
Boredom vs. laziness, the struggle is real. Grabiner raises an eyebrow. "No, we only have summer classes, for those who are close to expulsion. Your mind needs the rest, you can revise your spells and study, but you shouldn't try to learn new spells, it might backfire.", he warns me. Backfire? Like what?
Could I forget spells or collapse or something? "The students close to expulsion won't need the rest?", I ask him. "They get a month of rest, before summer classes start. Apart from that, most of them didn't work hard enough during school days anyways.", he dryly remarks. I knew he would say something like that.
"Anything else I need to know?" He ponders for a moment. "No, that should be all." I wait for him to stand up with his plate, in order to bid him goodbye, but he simply starts eating. Does that mean, that I have to go instead? Like hell I would, I was here first. Or does he not mind eating lunch with me?
Grabiner notices my suspicious glance. "Is there something else, you want to talk about?", he questions me in a slightly annoyed tone. "No, Sir.", I respond.
"Then please try not to disturb me during my lunch.", he reprimands me. O-kay… Guess I should just start eating.
Halfway through his lunch, Grabiner starts reading his book, and eats less as time goes on, until he stops eating completely, only focusing on his book.
I suppress a chuckle. So typical! I finish my meal and politely bid him goodbye, but he doesn't seem to notice. Must be a fascinating book, I wonder what it is about?
I bet it has a needlessly long and complicated name about something super-intellectual and uncommon.

I head to the black board, to check out these holyday activities. There are handicraft lessons on some days before lunchtime, and I can go to the mall on Wednesday.
I will definitely go to the mall, I still need to buy a prom dress, though I don't know, whether I will even go to the May Dance. I'm not good with handicraft, but I consider trying it out anyways. I take a walk through the halls and then head to my dorm room to get my clarinet. I wanted to play it in the mail office first, but then again I'm alone here, since Ellen went with Virginia. Our room neighbors are also gone. I practice a few sound tracks from 'the Godfather' until it's time for dinner.
I head to the library after dinner. Maybe I find something interesting to read. I browse through the bookshelves. Magazines, photobooks, dictionaries – maybe I should try to improve my German a bit? I take one German dictionary with me. What else? Books about cooking, gardening, handcrafting… I'll take one of these handcrafting books with me. There are also a few magic books on very specific topics. I have browsed them before; they won't help me yet. My skill level is still too low.
I go to the next aisle. These books are about mundane history. I'm not very interested in history, unless it's about the arts, but decide to take a closer look anyway.
I don't get their sorting system though. Some of the books are not written in English, but in other mundane languages, which makes it more difficult to discern how they're organized. In the aisle with the magic books were also a lot of books written in languages I couldn't recognize. Probably in languages from the Otherworld.
I wonder how many languages Potsdam and Grabiner can speak? Or can they simply use some kind of spell to understand any language they desire?
You can use white magic in order to communicate with a being, whose language you don't speak, however this is due to the fact, that you don't communicate using actual words, but rather thoughts. Thoughts are something more complex than just unsaid words, we may be able to think in a language, or even switch the languages we think in, but the thought in itself doesn't need language. While I'm in deep thought, a book is returned beside me. I glance sideways.
"Good evening, Sir.", I greet Grabiner. "Good evening.", he replies in a neutral voice. Somehow he seems more relaxed, maybe due to the holydays?
I look at the book he put back. 'Publius Cornelius Tacitus – De origine et situ Germanorum liber'. Something sounds familiar? Tacitus was a roman historian, right?
This should be his book about the Germanic tribes. "Are you looking for something specific?", he asks me annoyed, since I have been staring at the book he put back. "Something about Romantic?", I mumble. "Romantic? This section doesn't contain stories for hormone-driven teenagers.", he sarcastically remarks.
I should've spoken more clearly. "You misunderstood. I meant the Romantic era, not some romantic novel.", I explain to him unfazed.
"I see. Regarding which topics?", he inquires. Will he help me? "About the arts.", I reply. "Arts?" "Yeah, like music, painting, or architecture. There's nothing specific I'm looking for.", I respond. "I see. The books are sorted according topic, continent, then era and last alphabetically. You may find something interesting on the other side of this aisle, at the end.", he explains to me, while pointing towards some bookshelf. I thank him and follow his direction. Sometimes he is surprisingly helpful.
Most students don't dare to approach him, or ask him questions, even in class, but he often goes out of his way to advice those, who seek his help.
The student body doesn't notice it, but he is a very dedicated teacher. He is still too strict though, he should loosen up a bit. I soon find a book about romantic painters and one about romantic architecture, and decide to take both with me. Caspar David Friedrich is the only romantic painter I know, but he is my favorite artist, so I might like other romantic painters as well. My favourite painting from him is 'Mondaufgang am Meer'. I don't know, why I like his paintings so much though, I guess they have something dreamy. After that I continue browsing the library for a bit and also take a book about flower language with me, before heading back to my room and reading a bit.