Hey Jude (we're sorry)

[magicademynpcs]

Who: Jude and Professor Trammel.
Where: Professor Trammel's office.
When: Around Now
What: Etiquette lessons.
Warnings: Politeness.



Professor Trammel's office is impeccable, classy, stylish, and completely unrevealing. No one who stepped into it ever came out feeling like the decor had taught them anything about the Professor, including whether or not that effect is intentional. Nonetheless, it welcomes, and rather than a seat behind his desk, Professor Trammel takes one opposite Jude so it's more like a sitting room than an inquisitorial affair.

"What I need to know to start with is two things. What is the meaning of etiquette to you, and why do you wish to learn it?"

Comments

now the song is in my head

[daughterofclay]

Jude is nervous, which is stupid -- she has consorted with kings and queens, foiled assassinations, ruled an entire kingdom for most of a year, for God's sake.

But those are things she's had to do. She doesn't have to come here, doesn't have to humble herself, doesn't have to ask for help. Even though the stakes are so small, it's nerve-wracking. She has to force herself to keep her hands still in her lap; her back is ramrod-straight, and the tension in her shoulders could hold up the Golden Gate Bridge.

She starts with the easier of the two questions: "I know it's important. Both here and back home, it's..." What? "It's a measure of how much one belongs."

Which is admitting, if indirectly, that she doesn't particularly belong anywhere. But then again, she's Sundered, so that much is obvious. She forces herself to look Trammel in the eye.

"Doing the right thing in the right way opens doors which would remain shut otherwise."

[magicademynpcs]

"Not a poor interpretation." Professor Trammel presses his two index fingers to his lips, the rest of his fingers interlaced. "There are a number of ways to think about it. A weapon, armor, a tool, what have you. The ultimate point is that etiquette is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. So if I may offer you a viewpoint: it is a lubricant. A social lubricant, one that smooths your path to any goal you might have, no matter what that goal might be."

[daughterofclay]

She takes a moment to think about that. She's certainly seen it work that way -- the Professor himself is a prime example. But...

"What happens when it becomes a chain?" This, after all, is the part that she struggles with: the obligations, the unspoken rules, the time it takes to be polite rather than just being efficient. Faeries, in particular, tend towards the obscure and elaborate with their etiquette -- a difficult thing for a mortal to navigate. "Or when it's used against you?"

[magicademynpcs]

"If it becomes a burden, then that is a burden you are taking from somewhere else. A means to an end, as I said, and etiquette is ofttimes the least painful or dangerous way of attaining your goals. As for it being used against you, that is all the more reason to master it. Otherwise, you fight that duel unarmed, or flee from it. Poor choices, both."

Understanding where she comes from, in general if not the specific, offers him a great deal of insight into her motivations. His advice is tailored to what he expects she desires. None of it untrue, of course, but willingness makes such a difference in teaching.

[daughterofclay]

A burden you take from someone else. A debt, then? She had not considered it in this light before, but it fits into her worldview with surprising neatness.

Jude looks down onto her folded hands. It seems to her like he expects her to speak plainly. So she does.

"It feels like losing, to me. Like-- like I'm honoring someone at my own expense. Someone who maybe doesn't deserve it, or who hasn't shown me politeness in return."

That's a wordy way to say, People have been mean to me and I have a bit of a complex about it. Absently, she rubs the missing tip of her left ring finger.

"I guess I have to stop thinking of it like that." She frowns (harder than she already has been), and then looks back up.

"Can I ask what it is to you, Professor?"

[magicademynpcs]

"Just the opposite. Unflappable strength." He smiles, quirks of his lips visible around his fingers before his wrists cock to point them at her instead. "As I see it, the person who can honor those who don't deserve it, treat others fairly and kindly in the face of unfair and unkind treatment, and hold to a principle above all? That person proves their strength by letting nothing sway them. Understand also that etiquette doesn't mean accepting every blow, forgiving every slight, or allowing yourself to be victimized. There are perfectly polite and proper ways to return an insult, meet a challenge, or hold your ground. Ask anyone who has been late on their papers in my class, if you wish proof!"

[daughterofclay]

She quirks a careful smile at that explanation, not wanting to see like she's being disrespectful. It's an honourable attitude. A knight's attitude, she can't help but think; maybe, in another lifetime, it could have worked for her.

Decorum as a weapon, though, as a debt to be repaid -- that resonates. She's seen it used that way more often than not, now that she thinks of it: a tool with which to force someone's hand without the appearance of doing so. She can see how it would be useful.

"I understand," is what she actually says. "Thank you."

[magicademynpcs]

"You see?" Professor Trammel smiles. "You're using it right now. You aren't convinced of my words, but your language says that you have listened, and that you appreciate my input. A far more courteous tone than saying, 'You're wrong, old man,' and one that will make this and future discussions flow far more smoothly."

this is super late! finals and holidays ate me, i'm sorry

[daughterofclay]

She thinks that’s a compliment, but it's hard to be sure. Hard to know what to say to it, too; Professor Trammel has a reputation for putting people at ease, but so far, he mostly makes her feel like she's bumbling about in the manner of a child learning her letters.

That's hardly his fault, though. Jude is never really comfortable.

What would her stepmother say? Oriana is a lady of the court, through and through, but Jude has failed to pay attention to much of her advice.

In the end, she bows her head, and says, "Only fools waste counsel."

She pauses, and then snorts softly. "At least, so my father used to tel me."