i remember everything, so who are you?

[self_composed]

Bella attends her classes with faultless punctuality, every time. She sits in the second or third row on an aisle in the middle section of seats, in the classes that take place in big auditorium lecture halls like the main section of Bio; she's willing to put herself closer to the professors in smaller classes like OS and of course her flute chair (third; she hasn't been quite ridiculously showoffy enough to climb beyond yet) is assigned. But right now, she is in Bio, learning tidbits about auxin and tropisms that the textbook didn't cover fully. She's running at about one and a half speed, just enough that she can trivially listen to and process the lecture against her memory of the text while also permitting some mind-wandering. She liiiiiikes her cognitive speedup power.

Comments

[regularsized]

"Well, once I find out if I'm welcome."

[self_composed]

Bella tears the paper in half and hands over her address. "What's your email, then?"

[regularsized]

Bridget snags the other half of that page and writes her own email address on it—personal, not school-assigned. Apparently her chosen username is 'supersymmetric'.

[self_composed]

"Cool. It might be hard to schedule study time with me outside of class, though. I have a lot on my plate," Bella says, tucking the paper away.

[regularsized]

"Such as?"

[self_composed]

"Orchestra, soccer, other classes," Bella says. "Personal projects. Occasionally, I squeeze in leisure time."

[regularsized]

"That does sound like a lot. Maybe I'll need a backup friend," she muses.

[self_composed]

"I wouldn't blame you for seeking one," Bella says.

[regularsized]

"I'll keep the option in mind."

[self_composed]

"I actually have an orchestra rehearsal next. Which is silly because it's just going to be a giant violins sectional; they're having problems." Bella gets up, shrugging.

[regularsized]

"Problems as in... a surplus of violins?" she wonders, getting up also.

[self_composed]

"Problems with dynamics and phrasing, more - they have the correct number of violins as far as I know."

[regularsized]

"Ahhh. Well, that's good, I guess. No one wants too many violins."

[self_composed]

"They'd be terrible clutter." Bella's moseying towards the door now. She does not wish to be late to orchestra, or wish to use magic to be not-late.

[regularsized]

Bridget is cheerfully following!

"What do you play?"

[self_composed]

"Flute!" Bella says. She pulls the case out of her bag. "I'm third chair."

[regularsized]

"Is that like third place?"

[self_composed]

"Maybe? I'm not sure what you're thinking of. It's not exactly special; only the first chair per section does anything that everyone else doesn't. It sort of means that they think I'm not quite as good as the occupant of second chair and a little better than the occupant of fourth chair."

[regularsized]

"So, exactly like third place, then."

[self_composed]

"Sure."

[regularsized]

"I guess the real question is, third place out of how many flutes?"

[self_composed]

"Four. Orchestras usually don't have that many, but the conductor really likes woodwinds, and even our fourth chair is really good so it'd be a pity to kick him out."

[regularsized]

"A surplus, you might say."

[self_composed]

"Yes. But only of flutes, not of violins. There are lots more violins and there are supposed to be."

[regularsized]

"I wonder why."