In Layman's Terms

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Jackson picked out the nicest clothes he owned for today. Given the orphanage pretty much got what the rest of the Ark didn't want, nice was relative, but he did the best he could. For three years after his mother died, Jackson had poured himself into studying, pushed away friends, and generally kept to himself. But ignoring the other kid's teasing that he was no fun or was a nerd had paid off. He was sixteen, and he'd been accepted to train as a doctor under someone named Doctor Abigail Griffin. And he was going to make the best first impression he could.

Even if he was sort of terrified. He probably shouldn't be. Someone had obviously seen his potential. But new situations were always unnerving, and he knew he was going to have to work very closely with this doctor. And he hadn't been close to anyone since his mother passed.

He'd followed the directions he'd been given to to Doctor Griffin's office and paused just outside the door, drawing a deep calming breath. He could do this, he told himself. He was ready.

When he went inside, the room was mostly empty except for a petite woman sitting at a desk. He cleared his throat and waited for her to look up before smiling at her. "I'm looking for Doctor Griffin," he said, hoping his smile didn't look as awkward as it felt. "I'm her new apprentice."

Tag: @abbygriffin

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Abby stared at the sheet of paper before her, studying it with a mixture of intensity and wonder before putting it aside once she had finished reading it. So much work to be done, so little time, it was the usual here on the Ark. Not everyone could be in her field because some didn't have the stomach for it or didn't know enough or various reasons. It was normal but it was also why she tended to keep a look out for those who had 'the gift.' As cheesy as that sounded.

Heading towards the room, she knew that her new apprentice would be here soon and she would rather meet him close to the time rather than make him wait. And seeing as how she didn't have any appointments or anything needing her attention, she was able to head to her office, catching the tail end of his words which brought a smile to her lips. "You must be Jackson." She glanced at the woman behind the desk, thanking her before motioning for Jackson to follow her.

"You've probably guessed I'm Doctor Griffin. I'll be furthering your studies to become a doctor. I've heard you're quite studious. As you know, books are vastly different from the real thing." She didn't talk down at him, not did her tone of voice suggest he was stupid. She was treating him the same way she would have treated a colleague who'd been in this field for years.

"Do you have any questions or queries?"

@severitysoftly

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Jackson looked up as another woman entered the room, her acknowledgement of who he was making it clear that she was Doctor Griffin. "I am," he confirmed, then didn't hesitate to follow her back to her office as she explained she'd heard he was studious, but that his studies would be different from the reality of being a doctor. Her tonne wasn't condescending, though, just serious, which Jackson could appreciate. Something like this was serious, not everyone could be trained in a field like this.

"I don't have questions right now, but I'm sure I will," he said when she finished. "I understand my training will be vastly different than just memorizing words in a textbook, but I'm ready to learn, and... I've never been squeamish," he added, wanting her to know he was as serious as she was about this. This was really all he had, if he were honest with himself. He didn't have family or a home of his own, but he had this dream to be able to help people one day. His words were true, though. He'd been the kid eager to dissect the frog in class, when the other kids wrinkled their noses, he wasn't a sympathetic vomiter, and as far as he knew, he'd never been bothered by blood. He didn't know if he'd discover some weird thing that made him squirm that he'd never anticipated, but he hoped not.

Tag: @abbygriffin