sith_happened | Office hours [all day]

And lo, did visitors appear.

"This is Dean Skywalker's office," Kathy said, stopping in front of his door. "He also teaches several classes. I'm currently taking his class on meditation." That was said loudly enough to carry and hopefully Dean Skywalker would notice the absence of anything to do with ass-kicking when she explained his class?

"Excuse me, sir?" she asked, with a small bob of her head. "Are you busy?"

"Why would he be busy?" Mr. Li asked. "Isn't his job to talk to us today? What could possibly be more important than that?"

"Maybe he has other students?" Sarah pointed out. Logically. Her father's glare had her ducking behind her phone again.

"Harrumph." Which meant that Mr. Li had no comeback for that, but wasn't about to back down from his point anyway.

"Come in," Anakin called, waving them in and trying to look serene.

Hopefully he was doing better than Kathy was, when she led her family in to meet him. "Dean Skywalker? I would like to introduce you to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Li? And, uhh, that's my sister, Sarah."

Anakin inclined his head. "It's very nice to meet you all."

Sarah looked as excited to be dragged around a school meeting her sister's teachers as one would expect. Mr. Li looked bored and faintly superior, while Mrs. Li had the frenetic energy of a small bird, constantly moving about, checking her hair, the fall of her clothing, her children, her husband, etc.

"The school Dean teaches classes?" she asked. "I assume higher-placement honors courses for the best students?"

"All of our students are exceptional," Anakin replied, "or else they wouldn't be here. A class on meditation isn't to everyone's tastes, but I think that it's helpful for students who are extremely driven: it helps them to learn to take time for themselves."

"That's our Katherine, all right," Mrs. Li said, giving Anakin a bright smile. "She's very driven. Gets it from me, of course."

"Of course," Anakin agreed. "My wife's the driving personality in our children, too."

Unless they were sulking.

Mrs. Li's smile dimmed, but only for a moment. "Children? How darling! Aren't they the most precious things? How old are yours? It seems impossible that Katherine's almost seventeen and Sarah, our youngest, is already thirteen. But look at them? Aren't they lovely?"

With the way they were both trying to hide?

"Honestly, now," Mr. Li harrumphed. "We're here to talk about how Katherine is doing in class, not about the Dean's personal life. I'm sure he has better things to do than gossip."

He really didn't, but it wouldn't do to say so.

"Kathy has been an excellent addition to our class," Anakin said.

And Kathy very much appreciated him not saying so. She's already gotten to watch her dad get his flirt on with Ms. Adler, she didn't need to watch her mom to the same with the Dean.

"I've taken several classes with Dean Skywalker," she said. "My first summer here, he taught a workshop that highlighted interesting cultural facts of different countries around the world."

Which was one way of explaining 'Try Not To Die', sure.

"Oh? How marvelous!" Mrs. Li was using her chirpy, real estate agent voice, the one where she sounded friendly and enthusiastic about everything. "Did you focus on Korea at all? You could have have Katherine teach the class!"

Which Kathy would have loved to do. Really. That look of horror at the very idea was for the missed opportunity!

"Could you explain more about your meditation class?" Mr. Li asked, ignoring his wife's question. "I'm not sure I see how it can be all that academic."

"I teach inner focus and clarity," Anakin said. "When you can make your brain shut off extraneous thoughts, you can be much more productive with the task you have before you. This makes it much easier to study for exams or write essays."

Or kick someone's ass. Cough.

"Right, but how are you graded?" Mr. Li insisted. "How do you know the students aren't just...dozing off in class?"

Grades were important! How else were you supposed to judge how well your child was doing in life?

"The snoring tends to give it away," Anakin said, "or the restless movement, or tipping over...I also give examinations on the history of various meditation traditions and expect the students to know different techniques in order to find one that works for them."

The exams were probably news to Kathy.

"I'm not a teacher to be trifled with. The students learn that quickly."

"That's very true," Kathy said. "Many times, students end up surprised by some kind of grueling physical activity. If they weren't properly prepared for class, I mean."

And, say, had forgotten the 'ass-kicking' part of the title. Then the physical activity part of the class would indeed be surprising!

"Lots of cultures and traditions have engaged in meditation," she continued. "Dean Skywalker believes that we can't properly appreciate the type of meditation we're engaging in without fully understanding the history and culture behind its founding and how it has modified over time."

Which might be news to Anakin. They were certainly learning a lot today!

"Por el que se en un poco gruesa, hmm, hermanita?*" Sarah mumbled.

"What was that?" Mrs. Li asked.

"Oh, just a meditation chant I heard about in gym," Sarah replied innocently. "It's supposed to help you focus or something."

[*Laying it on a bit thick, hmm, sis?]

Anakin's lips quirked up. His Spanish was negligible but he could pick up the emotions behind the statement just fine.

"It does," he agreed solemnly. "An old Aztec saying."

"¿Por qué no te callas*?" Kathy answered, giving Sarah a small bow. And then she smiled back up at her parents. "That's the proper response. I think we went over that one the...second week of classes? It didn't really work for me, but I thought the general theory was sound."

[Why don't you shut up?]

Mr. Li frowned. "Wait, Sarah, why are you learning the same thing in middle school that Katherine is at her private boarding school."

"Oh stop," Mrs. Li chided, beaming. "Katherine's getting a much more thorough grounding, obviously. Didn't you hear her? She learned the general theory behind it. Weeks ago."

There would be no sassing the attractive Dean of Students, dear!

Anakin suddenly realized the reason Obi-Wan had a beard was that he could stroke it and hide his smile at the same time. Sneaky bastard.

"We've moved into Thai and ancient Chinese techniques," Anakin lied, nodding.

Kathy and Sarah both tensed slightly. One wrong word and instead of a pleasant chat laying on the bullshit, their dad might start another one of his racist screeds. Their grandfather had fought the Japanese during World War II and, for some reason, that made sushi, anime, and most video game systems completely unacceptable.

Fortunately, he went off in a different direction entirely. "You know the ancient Koreans had many meditation practices," Mr. Li said thoughtfully. "Have you already worked those into your curriculum?"

"If you haven't, I'm sure Katherine would love to do a special project to assist you!" Mrs. Li encouraged.

"Next week, as it happens," Anakin replied promptly. "Do you have any particular favorite techniques?"

Kathy was looking at Anakin with new respect. Maybe it was disrespectful to think this of a teacher, but she was pretty sure he had balls the size of Rhode Island.

Her parents, conversely, were hemming and hawing, trying to get around admitting their ignorance.

"Sadly, no, nothing we can help you with," Mrs. Li said finally. "Rebuilding after World War II and the Korean Wars didn't put as high a priority of cultural practices as one could hope. The government focused on getting the country modernized, looking forward rather than back, you know? By the time they began incorporating more of our past beyond the obvious, my husband and I were immigrating to America. That's one of the reasons we're so intent on making sure the girls know their history and heritage."

Realtors also knew how to spin a good line of bullshit at need.

"I'll be sure to provide extra class materials to Kathy so she can send them home," Anakin promised. "It's understandable that a new government focuses on the future, but the past cannot be overlooked."

"How kind of you," Mrs. Li said, giving Anakin a smile. "It would be lovely for us to go over as a family. And Sarah should benefit from some of what Katherine learns."

"Err, yes, quite," Mr. Li agreed. "It's important that Sarah keep up. We don't want her to fall too far behind."

"Yaaay me," Sarah enthused. "That sounds great!"

And the Oscar goes to...

Anakin for not laughing at all of them?

"I look forward to Kathy in class this week, then."

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