[ P ] Linguistics and phonics

Eloise had visited the Arboretum a handful of times before, but every time felt like the first. She could practically hear the whisper of her father's footsteps beside her. His spirit seemed to live on within these walls.

She supposed it made sense. He had been a student of the College—had spent countless hours buried in volumes of poetry and prose. After serving as a professor of literature for several seasons, he'd left to start a family, taking his favorite of the volumes with him. Whether it'd been a gift from his colleagues or something of loot, he'd never told her. But it was this very volume—The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson—that she carried now. Today, she would begin her reading lessons with Arythmetik.

Eloise felt her thoughts drift back to the meadow where she'd met Nimue. She couldn't help thinking it must have been fate that brought them together that day. If it weren't for Nimue, Eloise might never have met Arythmetik. And she might never have learned how to read—sure, she could have enrolled in the College herself, but a life of scholarship had never appealed to her. She was too free-spirited for that. She only wanted to read so she could experience more poetry—and, by extension, feel more connected to her father.

Lost in thought, she walked right past the archway that led to the library. Laughing softly at herself, she circled back. She placed her book on the stone floor and sat back on her haunches, admiring the stacks of books as she waited for the professor to arrive.

@Arythmetik

A R Y T H M E T I K

“You can’t only eat mealworms, Frik!” The Professor’s voice echoed down the hall ahead of him, sounding harried in its sincerity. Immediately after, the russet male’s tousled frame strolled through the doorway. At his heels, a small, brown and white-speckled hedgehog toddled at a surprising speed. Aryth chastised his companion once more, glancing down at him, “You need a variety of insects for a nutritional diet.” The male glanced up at Eloise, who waited patiently. He grinned as he approached the stone slab in the middle of the room that served as a sort of table. “This is Friction,” he explained, “and I know he can’t understand me, but he needs to stop eating junk food. Oh, and I’m Professor Arythmetik, but you can call me Aryth.” His grin widened, and he nodded politely before sitting caddy-corner to the youth. “And you must be Eloise, yes?”


When Nimue sent him word a friend wanted to read, Arythmetik was delighted. He was quite busy these days, having only recently returned from a vacation in the mountains. He also spent most of his daytime hours at Castle Stuart. But he was never too busy for reading lessons. He was good at teaching medicine, yes, and physics was one of his true passions. But to teach a wolf to read was to open their mind to endless possibilities. It was the greatest achievement of any professor. Curiously, the male leaned over to glance at the cover of the book Eloise brought with her. He was in unusually good spirits and was moving a tad quicker through introductions than he’d normally allot. Suddenly, his emerald eyes sparkled.


“Ah, a fan of poetry? Or perhaps, you will be,” he chuckled. Any friend of Nimue’s must be an intelligent and thoughtful woman. He took in his new acquaintance’s appearance with friendly intentions. She was quite small and bushy, fox-like even. He couldn’t help but wonder what truly brought her here today.

code by claerie

She heard the professor before she saw him. He was chastising someone about eating mealworms, but what kind of wolf would—oh. As the man came into view, she realized he was speaking to a hedgehog. She suppressed a laugh at the absurdity of the conversation, though the professor sounded quite serious. And in a way, she understood. She had a pet fruit bat of her own, and she often spoke to him as well. "Maybe he does understand you, but pretends he doesn't when you're scolding him," Eloise said with a grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'll have to bring my own pet along to our next lesson—though he may be a bit grumpy. He's nocturnal," she explained. Being partial to nighttime herself, they were a good match.

The professor took a seat across from her. "And you must be Eloise, yes?" She nodded. "Eloise Bancroft," she said, curious to see if her surname would ring a bell. Aryth looked young, probably too young to have actually known her father. Still, he might've heard of him. "And yes, you could say that. I'm actually a poet myself. But as any artist could tell you, it helps to draw inspiration from those who came before you. And, well... it's difficult to do that without being able to read."

Her voice quieted near the end, eyes falling to the book between them. It embarrassed her that she'd never learned. She should've paid closer attention when her father tried to teach her. But she'd been much younger then. And how could she have known how limited their time was together?

She shook away the sadness and met Aryth's eyes once more. "I'm very eager to learn."

@Arythmetik

A R Y T H M E T I K

The Professor’s eyes sparkled at the lady’s joke. “Ah, fair point,” he agreed, glancing down at the critter with a playfully discerning gaze. “Some of us hear only what we want to hear. But in a roundabout way, I suppose the little fellow did save my life once. Maybe I could toss him an extra mealworm next time we have dinner.” He grinned, then, ears swiveling at the mention of Eloise’s pet. Since Jacob’s return, the fashion of taming animals was widespread, and he’d seen all manner of companions in the marketplace. Nimue even had a cat! “Frik is cautious, but it’s good for us both to have new experiences.” Arythmetik chuckled again.


As Eloise introduced herself, the Professor diverted his attention completely away from the subject of animals. He was far more intrigued by her desire to improve herself. And from the sound of her voice, she was raised in nobility. Perhaps a childhood friend of Nim? Aryth was older than he looked, and though his own youth was spent sequestered in the College, he paid heed to the contributions of the upper class. For a moment, his brow furrowed thoughtfully and he said, “Bancroft…I heard of an Aldrich Bancroft in the Mainlands. Well, I’m glad to be of assistance to you, my Lady.”


With a polite gesture, the scholar indicated she should open her book on the stone surface. “Hmm, let’s turn to any page… Losh, this one is called, ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death.’” Aryth grinned wryly and read the first stanza:


”Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.””


The Professor blinked. “Is this too morbid? Ah, but it’s an excellent way to learn the sounds the symbols make… The rhyme is quite effective that way. See how the ‘e’ in this word and the ‘y’ in this word sound alike when I read it aloud?” He tried to gauge her understanding; perhaps she knew some basics already and would catch on. Or perhaps she was more like his fiancé used to be—completely illiterate and needing to start from scratch.

code by claerie

@Eloise