End of the Night

As the hours pass one by one in a haze of drinks and cigar smoke, the Professor seems to be everywhere and nowhere all at once. People from various professions of Academia mingle and mix talking of foreign lands, the new sciences of the world and the horrors of war. The evening passes with little chance to catch the elusive Professor or his faithful manservant.

Then before you notice, the crowd of people has thinned and the man of the hour is nowhere to be seen. Alas, there is always tomorrow.

Sense

" I can attest that I saw a number of strange things during the war that I could not explain. I would love to have had Smith with me. " Alec says as he sips on a glass of white wine. " I can also say that having worked with a number of Americans I never could understand their sense of urgency. Look at him try to work his way through the crowd. "

" I can save my question until the cigar portion of the evening. I would like to hear more about you young ladies and your interesting choice of companions. One a savage and the other a Illusionist......"

In the back of the room...

I look around and note that the reaction of the crowd is split largely in favor of laughing this poor gent out of the building. The woman next to me... what's her name again, seems to be taking the lecture more seriously. If only they knew what I saw in the far east, these people may not snicker so much.

I point out the professor and moves through the now mingling crowd, quietly acknowledging but dismissing anybody who tries to engage him in conversation. My need to contact the professor taking over any sense of culture and refine behavior. These were Brits after all, they will just get huffy and dismiss the loud American as the uncouth brute they probably already think I am.

Itchy, and uncertain if it is just the suit or the markings that somehow feel alive under my skin I almost make it to the professor as a portly gentleman steps in the way. He excuses himself and when I look back, the object of my trip here is nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it." I mutter as I look around for him.

"What's the matter?" Katherine, now I remember her name, drew herself near to my ear. The question was hushed to avoid attention but almost seemed like a demand.

"Nothing." I brush her off and continue looking, hoping for a glimpse so that I will not be forced to hunt him down the hard way. That and Jeffrey was nowhere to be found in this large gathering and thus an introduction may not be had.

I turn and smile at Katherine, "It's nothing, I'm sorry. I thought I could exchange a few words with the lecturer and got carried away. I shouldn't have done that, let's go see if we can... mingle or something."

As she leads me away I look back and breath out, letting go of my current frustration.