"It seems we have common ground in this aspect."
As they chatted, they arrived at the teachers' dining hall, which was actually closer than the student cafeteria.
The teachers' dining hall and the cafeteria were two entirely different styles. The teachers' hall resembled an outside restaurant, with luxurious decor, quite a touch of class. The deep touch of brown on the floor exuded a sense of stability and taste. It was nicely complemented by burgundy velvet curtains and red wooden round tables and chairs. The gleam of the metal cutlery bounced off the light.
More importantly, the staff members who dined here embodied a temperament Jason had never seen before. It was rarely seen among the Gothamites, but he couldn't deny, he loved it here; the ambiance was soothing.
Shiller, leading Jason to the front desk, said, "I have a reservation. This is one of my students. I brought him over for a meal. Could you register us, please? Oh, and you can have the waiter take our order later. I have more guests coming."
The receptionist nodded, smiling as he replied, "Certainly, sir. Would you mind placing your order in about ten minutes?"
Shiller nodded, then led Jason to sit down. As they navigated the tables and chairs, Jason's head swiveled around, captivated by everything around him.
When the waiter brought the glasses and napkins, Jason squirmed a little in his chair saying, "Professor Shiller, is it alright for me to sit here? I see others are..."
"You need not concern yourself about others. They are here to eat, not to gaze upon you. However, if you truly feel uneasy, you could attempt to greet them."
Jason shook his head vigorously. Still, he curiously gazed at the customers at a nearby table. Across from him, an elderly lady matched his gaze and offered him a little smile along with a nod.
Jacob quickly averted his gaze, covering his mouth with his hands. Shiller chuckled saying, "No need to be anxious. That's Mrs. Pins. Across from her is Professor Andre of our department, a professor in Material Science."
Jacob took a deep breath, then turned his head back, saying, "Hello."
Professor Andre, his face covered with a massive beard, stroked his beard, turned to Shiller, and with a smile quipped, "He isn't afraid of you yet fears us. Seems like you need to work on increasing your authority."
"Stop it already," Mrs. Pins interjected, laughing. "If his authority were any higher, no one would dare to study!"
The three of them laughed together, leaving Jacob perplexed. He fiddled with a corner of his clothes, then mentioned to Shiller, "I don't know why, but it seems like the language these people are using isn't English..."
"Can't you understand our words?" Shiller asked.
"No, it's not that. Your way of speaking is different from what I'm used to. I don't know how to describe it, but it all sounds a bit off." Jason rubbed his hands together as he spoke.
"Perhaps it's just because you are hungry." Shiller lightly tapped a bell on the edge of the table. The bell chimed clearly, and the nearest waiter turned around and said, "Just a moment, Professor."
After a pause, he brought over the menus. Meanwhile, Victor arrived and sat across from Shiller, apologizing, "Sorry I'm a bit late. I have a couple of graduating students who want to take a leave for an internship. I need to ensure their thesis proposals are in order; otherwise, they might struggle with their dissertations."
"That's alright; we're just about to order." Shiller took the menu and ordered a few dishes then passed the menu to Victor. After Victor placed his order, he handed the menu to Jason. Turning to Shiller, he asked, "Why did you bring him here? Doesn't he have class in the afternoon?"
"The practical lessons in the afternoon aren't very important, certainly not the way he attended his classes this morning."
"Uh, I did attend!" Jason immediately responded. Shiller gazed at him and said, "Oh? Is that so? What did the teacher discuss today, then?"
"Um..." Jason tried to recall. "He talked about... I guess... uh... the transmission system of wheels?"
"That was yesterday's course." Shiller shook his head, saying, "But it doesn't really matter. Not everyone has to learn car repair, for instance, I don't know how to."
Victor shook his head, chuckling, "That was not your stance yesterday. Who argued in the office yesterday that if every child in Gotham could repair cars, then this place would be the next Detroit?"
"Really? I don't remember. Maybe I didn't sleep well last night… Alright, Jason, look at the menu. See anything you like? Once you've decided, pass it to me." Shiller cleverly changed the topic.
"Oh, I can't understand some of these words, and I don't have anything in particular that I like. Anything with meat is fine by me."
Jason returned the menu to Shiller, who then handed it back to the waiter. Soon after, a table full of piping hot dishes was served, including roast lamb ribs, Italian style roast steak, Spanish paella, creamed spinach, pea soup, and so forth.
Jacob wasn't feeling hungry initially, but the sight of all these unfamiliar dishes triggered his appetite.
However, he didn't rush to eat. Instead, he observed the actions of Shiller and Victor.
Seeing them put on their napkins and pick up their forks and knives, Jacob followed suit. Despite it being his first time in such a restaurant, he did not reveal his background. Instead, he projected the air of a well-mannered student who'd studied in a church school.
Victor gave a glance at Shiller, who subtly nodded. Then Victor asked, "How's Bruce's paper coming along? I've seen you looking stressed these past few days."
Shiller exhaled a sigh, picking apart a rack of lamb with his fork, "The punctuation and formatting aren't an issue anymore, but a new problem has arisen. I wish he wouldn't delve into so many unrelated subjects, but he insists on writing in this way."
"I corrected one paper, but the second one is just the same. I truly don't know whether to consider him overthinker or plainly inattentive."
"How many times have you revised that paper he submitted last week? If I recall correctly, it'd been revised at least five times, right?" Victor skewered a piece of mushroom and popped it in his mouth, "Those students intending to intern have just started writing their thesis proposals. I seriously doubt that they'll be able to submit their dissertations on time."
Shiller put down his fork, made the sign of the cross on his chest, and muttered, "God save us from having more than ten delayed graduations this year. Any more of those and we may soon not have enough seats in the classrooms."
As Jason ate his meal, he listened to the conversation. He found everything about it intriguing. These were topics he had never heard discussed in Gotham before.
He wondered if words like study, reading, writing papers, and graduation would ever feature in his life.
Could he really reach a point in his life where he wouldn't have to worry about his next meal, but rather sit in a classroom engrossed in a book?
The thought was outrageous. Jason had always thought that Gotham was filled with too many madmen and if it weren't for them, the city would be a better place.
But today, he began to feel a little bit crazy himself.