Bolton's Office Hours

[theoverseers]

[Want to chat with Bolton privately? Here is where you do it! Bolton's office hours will be held in conference room B in the library for approximately four hours in the morning several days a week. During that time the blinds will be drawn and that room will be off-limits unless you're there to talk to Bolton, though the other three study rooms will still be available for use.


Comments are screened for privacy.]

Comments

[theoverseers]

[He shrugs and picks up his coffee again.]

Coffee? You look like you could probably use some. I make a pretty mean brew.

[ratherdoweddings]

...Seriously? Usually, you're just making fun of us.

[theoverseers]

Actually, I usually just sit in here and read, drink coffee, sometimes check the cameras.

[He holds up The Drawing of the Three and waggles it.]

[ratherdoweddings]

Is that another space book by someone who's never been to space?

[theoverseers]

Old West, actually. Kind of. Like...Dustpunk. This one's the second one and I just started it, or I'd offer to let you read it.

[ratherdoweddings]

Huh? Oh, no, that's okay. I was just wondering because that's most of the books in here. It seems weirdly specific.

[theoverseers]

[Bolton chuckles.]

The "someone who's never been to space" part is unintentional. It was surprisingly hard to find books about space written by people in space that would work with the translator.

[ratherdoweddings]

So it only does certain languages or you could only find certain times?

[theoverseers]

Probably a little of both? Part of getting ready for this experiment was that the Benefactors sent us piles and piles of books to test the translators. Obviously J and I don't know anything about the ones we couldn't read.

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika files that away for later. There's a lot to file, actually.]

Huh. I wonder what all languages we even speak. Probably Lightning-san's is completely different.

[theoverseers]

More than just Lightning's.

[He pours Yurika a cup of coffee and slides it over to her.]

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika takes it cautiously and mulls over it.]

I guess a lot of us are from different kinds of worlds, though most of us are at least from on or around Earth. I just thought of her because we talked about it.

[theoverseers]

Mm.

[He takes a sip of his own coffee and then, apologetically.]

Unfortunately, there's a confidentiality clause in my contract that says I'm not allowed to talk about the other Champions' backgrounds or worlds.

By the way, there's sugar and cream if you want it.

[ratherdoweddings]

Oh, don't worry! I didn't expect you to. Besides, it would be kind of rude to go behind their backs like that, wouldn't it?

[theoverseers]

It would be an unfair advantage and, well. For whatever fields you excel in, in all other aspects you guys are supposed to be pretty much on a level playing field.

[You know, with the outfits and intel.]

[ratherdoweddings]

You definitely put a lot of thought into this... murder house station.

[theoverseers]

The Benefactors sure put a great game together, didn't they?

[Said, actually, without cruelty or sick admiration.]

Anyway, anything else I can help you with, Captain?

[ratherdoweddings]

...Not really. But, uh, thank you! For not being a pervert.

[theoverseers]

[That makes him laugh.]

You have nothing to worry about there.