The commons stank of sweetly sour burning Multhune cigars and cheap pale ale. Groups of students and faculty sat together at large wooden tables, passionately discussing esoteric academia with beers in hand. Topics mingled together in the smoky air, ranging from contrapuntal readings of the latest theses on comparative theological and epistemological systems of bugbear tribes to discussions on the newest advances in the emerging field of Gnomish cosmic-cake theory. Alone at the far end of the room sat a sullen Dwarf, bowl of roasted turnips before her, calmly absorbing the ambient conversation. Several feet behind her, a young Half-Elf in graduate's robes stood guard with a look of puffed up self importance, nervously playing with a foot long carved ivory wand of hold person in his hands. The Dwarf was clothed in the traditional student's mahogany and saffron patched robes, but conspicuously wore a large burgundy felt cap shaped in six cones forming a spiked crown at the top of head. She could occasionally hear a snippet of a hushed conversation regarding her, mostly following the lines of "the hat of sixfold academic probation", "attacked and burned student instructor von Bibble's face off with acid" and "pure madness, Dwarf freak thinks he's actually a women". This last snippet caused her some consternation, and she showed it by anxiously stroking her week old thick stubble. They hadn't let her near a razor since the incident, due to the rules regarding students and violent infractions. She found that her Dwarven propensity to grow heavy red-brown facial hair caused her the most body-dysmorphia, and she angrily started plucking out clumps of thick rooted stubble with her large square fingers.
Her mood darkened as she ruminated on her body and she disdainfully pushed away her bowl of roasted turnips, even as deliciously earthy as they smelled. A tall, handsomely nebbish man approached the table with two tankards of dark frothy bitterbeer, long seafoam green robes flowing gently behind him. His puffy square black-dyed wool hat with a stuffed shrew perched atop signaled him as a distinguished adjunct professor. He waved the student guard away with a curt tilt of his head and the Half-elf glumly complied.
"Cheer up, Huldah my dear. I have good news."
Huldah looked up from the table and muttered "What? Am I to be fed to the school Owlbear?"
The professor gave a hearty laugh, and put the tankard of beer in front of Huldah. "If that's what you wanted out this whole fiasco, I'm afraid I have bad news after all. No, Ms. Goldmin, this is much better news. Drink up!"
Huldah looked up quizzically and took a sip of the brown foam. "What is it?"
"I just got back from a lunch talk with Dean Myrow-Myzzalzemer and I called in a few favors. To cut the story short, you won't be drawn and quartered, much to the von Bibble families infinite disappoint. I'm no fan of the moneyed influence of this institution, but I'm afraid you made a very powerful enemy here. However, me and the Dean go way back, and with much of my own personal reputation at stake, he has agreed to placate the von Bibbles and just expel you from the school and all affiliated institutions, on penalty of death on sight on any campus."
Big fat salty tears bubbled forth from Huldah' eyes and she fell to her knees next to the professors legs, hugging them tightly. "TH-TH-THsank you so much, Professor Lorrimor!" she sobbed out in gratitude into his robes. "How can I ever repay y-y-you?"
"Continue your studies, my dear. You are much to smart to let something like this get in your way. Perhaps one day, I will call upon you for a favor to fill this debt to me. This favor may not be one you will want to fulfill. But I will call upon you to do it, nonetheless." Professer Lorrimer calmly reached down and patted Huldah's felt crowned head, and took a large gulp of his beer.
Huldah turned her grief and gratitude wrinkled face upwards, a string of snot connecting her nose with a large stain on Professor Lorrimor's robes. "A f-fav-favor?" She asked fearfully. Her mind raced with the possibilities of what kind of favor a world renowned professor would ask to repay a life debt.
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