Owl and closed RP - The Space Mercinary and the Time Traveler

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

Dr. Tesla,
I was wondering if you would agree to let me pick your brain. Recently, I took the position of Astronomy professor here at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, my own culture is far removed from that of a lot of my students, and before I actually teach a class, I want to make sure it is something that can be accessible to most students. Presumably, you have seen much on your travels, and I was hoping you could provide some advice as to how I might make the complicated science of my own future accessible to, say, a friend of mine from a somewhat medieval feudalistic culture.. I realize that there are some people who won't make sense of the material no matter how I present it, but I want to minimize that number as much as possible.

Should you be interested, I'd be happy to meet you in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin for a drink so we can discuss this.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Regards,
Miles Vorkosigan

Comments

[callahans_genius]

Nikola was surprised when the little owl flittered in through his window and dropped off a letter. Even more amusing was the way it waited patiently to see if a reply was forthcoming.

"Yes, yes, little one," he said gently to the owl. "One moment, please."

He dug a blank piece of parchment from one of the many piles of formulae, diagrams, and sketches that littered his room. Once procured, Nikky scratched out with a quill:

Herr Vorkosigan,

I would be delighted to work with you in developing your lesson plans. I cannot say whether my input will make things more comprehensible or less, but I will be happy to try. I will call on you at your convenience.

Nikky

He attached the note to the waiting owl's leg, and the snowy bird obediently lifted off and winged its way back.

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

The owl returned with a simple message:

I'll be in the Ravenclaw bar in half an hour.
-M

Half an hour later, Miles was indeed at the Ravenclaw bar, drinking coffee. He'd procured a Dictaquill with which to take notes, and he was spending the time waiting for Tesla's arrival making it doodle stick figures on his parchment.

[callahans_genius]

Tesla arrived a few minutes late, having gotten distracted by a pigeon outside his window.

"Please forgive my lateness," he said as he sat down. "I'm flattered that you would ask my assistance."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

Miles grinned. "No worries!" he said expansively. "I'm glad you're willing to offer advice." He stood abruptly. "Can I get you something to drink? This place seems to be pretty self-servicing."

[callahans_genius]

"Just some ice water," Nikola replied. "Thank you."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

Miles retrieved the water and resumed his seat, tapping his fingers lightly against the surface of the bar. "So, what was the transition like for you?" he asked, figuring he'd get right to the point. "I mean, going from inventor to time-traveler must have been a pretty serious adjustment."

[callahans_genius]

Nikola turned the glass around in his hand, then removed a single ice cube and set it on a napkin without explanation before taking a sip.

"Not as much as you might think. I was beginning to reach the peak of my usefulness as an inventor given the level of technology at the time. More and more, my ideas were grandiose notions that lacked the ability to be created or tested given the state of the world. To have the future opened up to me was something of a relief."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm." Miles was thoughtful. "I can sort of see that, yes." He eyed the slowly dripping ice cube for a moment, but ultimately decided not to ask why it was melting all over the napkin. "I'd say your experience is definitely unique... Have you invented anything else since you started time-traveling in earnest?"

[callahans_genius]

"Not so much 'invented' as 'improved upon'," he replied. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that everything that could be invented has been invented, but I simply have not yet learned all that I need to in order to push beyond the much expanded boundaries of science that I now face."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

"That makes sense," Miles agreed. "Are you considering learning any of the magical disciplines taught here?"

[callahans_genius]

"Most definitely. I am pursuing a hypothesis that this so-called 'magic' is merely the beginnings of the next step in human evolution."

Tesla took another sip of his water before continuing.

"I had a conversation with a Professor Snape during my sorting which seems to indicate that at least some of the wizarding abilities closely mirror those inherent in all humanity in the far future ficton of my patrons. I am very curious to learn more about these abilities in pursuit of that idea."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

"Fascinating," Miles said sincerely. "And it's got some interesting implications. I wonder what it says about my branch of the universe that we haven't really managed to evolve any particular special abilities, though we can ingeneer them in certain controlled environments."

[callahans_genius]

Tesla nodded. "Precisely. There is much more going on here, and I cannot resist learning as much as I can about it."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

Miles grinned, nodding. "That's how I feel as well. I miss Barrayar terribly, but there is a lot to be learned from this place."

He was thoughtful. for a moment, then he asked, "I don't remember if we had this conversation, but is time travel the way you do it something a group of people could do?"

[callahans_genius]

"If you're asking whether I could take someone with me, the answer is yes, but the only hitch to my form of time travel is that it can only be done nude. Organic and inorganic matter cannot travel together."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

Miles shrugged. "Oh, well. I guess time travel in general probably isn't a very good field trip idea."

[callahans_genius]

Nikky chuckled at that. "As a rule, I would agree with you. Far too much can go wrong, and the consequences are beyond astronomical."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

"Well, it was a thought," Miles said. "I guess I'll just stick to the basics... Constructing model rockets and the like."

[callahans_genius]

"Yes, tell me more about this class of yours. You said you were expecting difficulty getting certain concepts across to some of the students from earlier time periods?"

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

"I'm teaching Astronomy," Miles said. "Which is the closest thing, to a legitimate science subject. I mean, I guess I could stick to identifying stars and planets, but that might seem even more pointless to people... not from this world."

[callahans_genius]

"Understandable. What good would it to them to identify north based on Polaris if they return to a place where there is none? But the concepts are sound regardless of the stars themselves."

[chaotic-miles.livejournal.com]

Miles nodded. "True enough," he said. "And astronomy does tie in with other subjects." He finished his drink and set it down. "Well, I probably shouldn't keep you much longer, sir. It's been fascinating, and I do appreciate the fact that you provided me with a means to bounce a few ideas off of someone."

OOC: I hope this wasn't too abrupt. I just figured maybe it was about time to actually end this thread.

[callahans_genius]

Tesla smiled and shook Miles' hand. "Certainly. Anytime. I would be happy to listen or to offer any assistance I can."