Thanks go out to reviewers Sabrina Mecum and angeleyes. Reviews make me
write faster, so this chapter is for them!
Enjoy!
*****
As the group planned to go to shore of Lake Managua, as well as the president's office, a museum and a couple other archeological sites that the city had, they decided to save some money and walked to the Mexican restaurant. After lunch, the Rainier group attracted the attention of several taxis. Finally, the studious part of their trip had begun as they made their way toward the Palacio Nacional, an art museum in the old palace that still contained government offices on the upper floor.
*****
The taxis dropped the group off two blocks from the museum. The students started chatting excitedly about what they were about to see. Walking past a fairly small park with monumental statues, the group decided that on the way back, they would take a closer look. Within a few minutes they had reached the museum, just in time to avoid the small rain shower that had started. An ice cream vendor called to them, asking if they wanted a sweet, but as they couldn't take it into the museum, everyone turned the offer down.
As they walked into the building, they were greeted in heavily accented English. "Please, it is 20 cords per person and you will get a tour guide as well." The worker asked for the admission price, waiting for the money before calling over a guide.
The tour guide led the students through the museum, stopping briefly in each room, pointing out national artists and contributing some basic facts of the country. The museum comprised mainly of modern art; however, it contained some ancient statues and even some animal skeletons of creatures native to Nicaragua.
Blair was walking between two of the rooms when he suddenly stopped. "Jim, get over here!" Jim and Eli walked over to Blair who was staring at a very weather beaten statue. "Do you know what this is?" Blair excitedly asked.
It's a stone guardian statue that was usually located on the boundaries of the tribe to warn foreigners away," Eli responded, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he peered at the stone blob.
"So it's a sentinel?" Jim's blue eyes sparkled with repressed humor as he made eye contact with his partner. "Weren't sentinels human?"
"Mostly, but this could be a warning that the tribe had a human guardian. I wonder if the guide would let me photograph this?"
Probably not. We didn't get an option at the beginning to pay to take pictures. And Jim, Blair's told you about sentinels?" Eli looked over his shoulder as he talked.
"Of course, who hasn't he told; first words out of his mouth the first time we formally met were all about those tribal guardians." Jim eyed Eli wondering how much he knew about Blair's dissertation. Eli had been Blair's advisor for years, after all.
"Blair was planning on writing his dissertation on the subject but he couldn't find a subject with all five senses enhanced. We, the faculty that is, were relieved when he finally gave up and changed to the police society's topic. We knew that while two or three enhanced senses were frequently found in nature, that in all likelihood a full sentinel has been breed out of society; they just aren't practical anymore. Blair can always keep searching, but it's time to move on and get the doctorate. Hey! George, Salia! Don't get too far ahead of the group. Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to catch them before they decide to run off again." With that, Eli Stoddard walked off leaving a stunned Jim and an embarrassed Blair.
"What's this? Dissertation on Police Societies? Something you want to share with me, Sandburg?" Jim growled as he focused piercing blue eyes on his partner.
"Jim," Blair started, "I was gonna tell you, I swear."
"Right and when would that have been?"
"Um, soon? Before I finished? Listen, we both know you're relieved that I changed topics. There was no way I could keep your name out of the document and even if I did, it would have been way easy to figure out who you are. Plus, you remember why I didn't go to Borneo?"
"Yeah," Jim grunted.
"It's about friendship, Jim. And well, it IS and that means I'm already too involved with my subject to maintain the proper impartiality needed between research subject and tester. I'm too personally involved. Damn it, I live with you! I've saved your life; you've saved mine. With police work there's enough there to keep a professional distance from it all. I can focus on the other members of the department. I can avoid you in my dissertation if I need to. And I told you before, I had enough research to do ten dissertations; not all that information I gathered was just on you and your senses. A lot of it fit in with the police society theme. Just admit it - you're relieved, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I am relieved. But what happens after?"
"After? After I get the PhD? I've been talking with Simon. The academy isn't that long and afterwards he thinks that I could get a profiling type job; nothing I'm not doing now, except you might have to share me more. I'd get paid AND I'd get insurance. Simon says that I could probably skip half the written courses. I'd be able to test out. The rest would be physical training and self defense type courses. But Jim, let's finish this later. The group is way ahead of us; later tonight we'll talk it over and get you over the fear that I'll leave you. I promise I won't. O.K., Jim?"
With a sigh and a grimace, Jim replied, "Yeah that sounds good. But we WILL talk about withholding information from your partner."
"Whoa, Jim Ellison wants to talk? Will wonders never cease?!"
With a snort and a swat at Blair's head, Jim moved after Eli and the students. "Hey watch the hair man, watch the hair!" Blair jogged slightly to keep up with his very non stone faced guardian of the tribe.
*****
Okay, there's the next section. I'd love to hear from some of you out there! I know people are reading, so click on that little button down there. You know you want to...! Try it, you'll like it, I promise!
Enjoy!
*****
As the group planned to go to shore of Lake Managua, as well as the president's office, a museum and a couple other archeological sites that the city had, they decided to save some money and walked to the Mexican restaurant. After lunch, the Rainier group attracted the attention of several taxis. Finally, the studious part of their trip had begun as they made their way toward the Palacio Nacional, an art museum in the old palace that still contained government offices on the upper floor.
*****
The taxis dropped the group off two blocks from the museum. The students started chatting excitedly about what they were about to see. Walking past a fairly small park with monumental statues, the group decided that on the way back, they would take a closer look. Within a few minutes they had reached the museum, just in time to avoid the small rain shower that had started. An ice cream vendor called to them, asking if they wanted a sweet, but as they couldn't take it into the museum, everyone turned the offer down.
As they walked into the building, they were greeted in heavily accented English. "Please, it is 20 cords per person and you will get a tour guide as well." The worker asked for the admission price, waiting for the money before calling over a guide.
The tour guide led the students through the museum, stopping briefly in each room, pointing out national artists and contributing some basic facts of the country. The museum comprised mainly of modern art; however, it contained some ancient statues and even some animal skeletons of creatures native to Nicaragua.
Blair was walking between two of the rooms when he suddenly stopped. "Jim, get over here!" Jim and Eli walked over to Blair who was staring at a very weather beaten statue. "Do you know what this is?" Blair excitedly asked.
It's a stone guardian statue that was usually located on the boundaries of the tribe to warn foreigners away," Eli responded, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he peered at the stone blob.
"So it's a sentinel?" Jim's blue eyes sparkled with repressed humor as he made eye contact with his partner. "Weren't sentinels human?"
"Mostly, but this could be a warning that the tribe had a human guardian. I wonder if the guide would let me photograph this?"
Probably not. We didn't get an option at the beginning to pay to take pictures. And Jim, Blair's told you about sentinels?" Eli looked over his shoulder as he talked.
"Of course, who hasn't he told; first words out of his mouth the first time we formally met were all about those tribal guardians." Jim eyed Eli wondering how much he knew about Blair's dissertation. Eli had been Blair's advisor for years, after all.
"Blair was planning on writing his dissertation on the subject but he couldn't find a subject with all five senses enhanced. We, the faculty that is, were relieved when he finally gave up and changed to the police society's topic. We knew that while two or three enhanced senses were frequently found in nature, that in all likelihood a full sentinel has been breed out of society; they just aren't practical anymore. Blair can always keep searching, but it's time to move on and get the doctorate. Hey! George, Salia! Don't get too far ahead of the group. Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to catch them before they decide to run off again." With that, Eli Stoddard walked off leaving a stunned Jim and an embarrassed Blair.
"What's this? Dissertation on Police Societies? Something you want to share with me, Sandburg?" Jim growled as he focused piercing blue eyes on his partner.
"Jim," Blair started, "I was gonna tell you, I swear."
"Right and when would that have been?"
"Um, soon? Before I finished? Listen, we both know you're relieved that I changed topics. There was no way I could keep your name out of the document and even if I did, it would have been way easy to figure out who you are. Plus, you remember why I didn't go to Borneo?"
"Yeah," Jim grunted.
"It's about friendship, Jim. And well, it IS and that means I'm already too involved with my subject to maintain the proper impartiality needed between research subject and tester. I'm too personally involved. Damn it, I live with you! I've saved your life; you've saved mine. With police work there's enough there to keep a professional distance from it all. I can focus on the other members of the department. I can avoid you in my dissertation if I need to. And I told you before, I had enough research to do ten dissertations; not all that information I gathered was just on you and your senses. A lot of it fit in with the police society theme. Just admit it - you're relieved, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I am relieved. But what happens after?"
"After? After I get the PhD? I've been talking with Simon. The academy isn't that long and afterwards he thinks that I could get a profiling type job; nothing I'm not doing now, except you might have to share me more. I'd get paid AND I'd get insurance. Simon says that I could probably skip half the written courses. I'd be able to test out. The rest would be physical training and self defense type courses. But Jim, let's finish this later. The group is way ahead of us; later tonight we'll talk it over and get you over the fear that I'll leave you. I promise I won't. O.K., Jim?"
With a sigh and a grimace, Jim replied, "Yeah that sounds good. But we WILL talk about withholding information from your partner."
"Whoa, Jim Ellison wants to talk? Will wonders never cease?!"
With a snort and a swat at Blair's head, Jim moved after Eli and the students. "Hey watch the hair man, watch the hair!" Blair jogged slightly to keep up with his very non stone faced guardian of the tribe.
*****
Okay, there's the next section. I'd love to hear from some of you out there! I know people are reading, so click on that little button down there. You know you want to...! Try it, you'll like it, I promise!