THE MOMENT
"I guess you're the only one who wanted the extra credit," Justice smiled at Lunessa as she approached the girl's desk with a sheet. School was over and the teen was the first student to show up after the bell rang. And, 15 minutes later no others had appeared. "I was going to make a game if we had enough; but, since it's just you I'll give you a simple essay question," she set the sheet down.
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" She asked, then nodded. "You have half an hour to answer and explain your reasoning. Begin." Justice returned to her desk as the silver-haired student picked up the pencil and started scribbling. The timer was going and she assumed she'd have some time to kill. But, the moment she sat down, Lunessa stood up to deliver her paper.
"Done already?" Justice asked. She wasn't particularly surprised, but it did feel a little soon.
"It's only one question," Lunessa shrugged as she handed the sheet over. Justice had hoped that the teen would open up by now, it was quite late in the year already. But, Lunessa tended to keep to herself, even among her team. She'd never seen the girl smile, and was very matter-of-fact about everything. That was the biggest reason she gave Lunessa the question. She was curious about what answer she might come up with. Justice read the one-sentence reply, and laughed.
"I was hoping for something more creative, but I guess you're not wrong," she nodded. "Congratulations, you earned some points for yourself and your team. You're free to go," she said.
"Uh, do I have to?" Lunessa asked. "I mean, is it okay if I stay longer? Unless you have to leave..," she added.
"You're not in a hurry to get back to your team?" Justice asked.
"Eph's really been pushing us to quest for the Valentine's event these last few days. He only gave me a break because I told him it was extra credit for the team. I kind of want to milk it for more time if I can," she answered.
"Sure," Justice answered. "You can at least wait out the half-hour I gave you. I'll have to leave a little bit after that, and so will you."
"Deal, thank you," Lunessa nodded. She returned to her desk and sat down with her node in hand ready to kill time.
"Aside from Eph's leadership, how are you feeling about the rest of the team?" Justice asked. She realized she had a rare moment with the student, and it was a chance to get to know her better.
"They're alright," Lunessa shrugged. It was a closed answer, but it still communicated enough to Justice. She'd seen the other team members interact with other students and each other, and they seemed to get along okay. But, Lunessa tended to keep to herself and she only joined group activities when she needed to. She was on a team by necessity, yet she always chose solo activities when it was an option.
"Is there anything you want to ask me or talk about?" Justice offered the conversation. Lunessa shook her head at first, but then paused, and nodded.
"What's your answer?" Lunessa asked and made a broad gesture toward the sheet on Justice's desk.
"It's actually somewhat similar to yours," Justice smiled. "In my case, I can say I don't have an answer. I'm the teacher asking the question," she said. "But, your response will be worth bringing up in future discussions."
"Really?" Lunessa tilted her head. "I thought you were just giving me credit for showing up."
"Oh no, it's a great answer, especially for the students here. We try to encourage all of them to think outside the box, and question everything. Your response encapsulates that quite well," she added. Justice grinned and picked up the sheet to read it aloud with a giggle.
"A raven is like a writing desk because the question assumes it."