>> Nostus Belongs to @forgottenjade over at: https://bsky.app/profile/softsheepewe.bsky.social
Professor Elm's laboratory stood on the edge of town.
The building itself was respectable, but the office...was not. as Ravina discovered as she stopped in the doorway with her mother as she looked around at the space inside of the lab.
Every available surface supported a stack of papers, Books sat open on the floor, Folders leaned at impossible angles, Sticky notes clung to filing cabinets like migrating bird flocks and somewhere beneath the avalanche sat Professor Elm.
"Oh!" The professor looked up from behind a tower of documents. "You must be Nostus!"
"I sincerely hope so, Professor Elm?" Ravina’s mother replies, holding out a hand.
He hurried over, nearly tripping on a cardboard box labeled Evolution Survey 3... Maybe?
"Ah, yes! It's wonderful to finally meet you." He enthusiastically shook Nostus's hand. "I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you accepted this assignment."
Nostus glanced around the room, slowly and methodically appraising her surroundings as she made sure her professional smile never disappeared.
"...How long has your filing system looked like this?"
Professor Elm blinked. "My filing system?"
"...Yes."
"...Oh." He started with a pause as he looked around his office. "...Long enough that I don't really notice anymore."
"I see." She replied as she looked at Ravina. "I may be here longer than anticipated."
As ravina attempted to come to terms with that statement, Mrs. Elm walked into the lab carrying a tray with tea only a few minutes later. Unlike her husband, she looked as though she'd been expecting this exact reaction.
"I'm terribly sorry."
"You don't need to apologize."
Mrs. Elm laughed softly. "No... I probably do." She looked toward Elm as the professor had already become distracted by a notebook he'd apparently rediscovered. "...He's brilliant."
"I've noticed."
"But he forgot to submit three quarterly reports."
"I've noticed."
Mrs. Elm sighed with practiced patience. "Thank you for coming."
Nostus smiled warmly. "I'll get him sorted."
The afternoon disappeared beneath the unending mountain of paperwork.
Fur the adults at least, for Ravina. She wandered outside after helping carry a few boxes and then realized she'd mostly been moving the same papers from one table to another.
The breeze carried the scent of the nearby lake, driving further that this place was Quiet, Peaceful, and Dreadfully uneventful as she sat beneath a tree overlooking the water.
"So..." She sighed dramatically. "My exciting vacation begins."