[Ania] Carried in his Arms

The walk from the pool building had given Jacob time to think, and distract himself from the looks he was getting carrying the sleepy Ania in his arms like a little girl. Their looks did not go unnoticed, but he ignored them for the most part and no one approached him about it. So if they were going to live and let live, then he was going to do the same.

Looking down at Ania, nestled softly in his arms, Jacob could no longer deny what he felt for the girl. There really was only the thinnest pretense of a caring teacher now. Before he thought it may have been a different kind of attraction, and it very well could still be the case, but now as he entered the Dorm building he finally admitted that he cared for Ania as he might his own little girl.

There was... something there. Something he could not quite put his finger on that made him gravitate to her. Now Jacob was a forty year old divorced man. There was no way he was going to say he had fallen in love with the young woman after less than a day with her, even if that day involved a kiss and nudity. That kind of attachment would take time. But there was an undeniable attraction of some sort going on. Maybe it was her bubbly and cute attitude. Maybe it was her seeming innocence. Maybe it was something else entirely that drew him to her in a way that made him want to hold and protect her.Maybe it was his fatherly instincts kicking in.

Whatever it was, it was both heartwarming and a little distressing. As he opened the door to her dorm, Jacob wondered if he would be able to handle having this close of a relationship with a student. Even if it was a more father-daughter thing than something more intimate, it was going to be awkward at least. But then again, she was technically an adult so there was little risk of something illegal. There was still the problem of professionalism though. Every question, though, was quickly answered he looked down at Ania's sleeping face, and he smiled.

"We're here, sleepy..."

"Hehe~ My home is okay. It's a bit bigger than this though."

His apartment was a small one, but it was not nearly as small as the Dorms these kids got. But then again, the students really only needed a room to call their own while they lived on campus. Jacob needed something more fully-equipped. It was also in dire need of unpacking. There had not been much time or energy to spare to finish getting out all of his stuff from boxes.

The whole trip from the pool building was leading to this. Jacob, after bumping the door closed behind him, entered Ania's dorm and gently set her down on her beloved bed. This was another motion his muscles remembered from days gone by. First put her bottom on the bed, let her legs stretch out, then ease her head back with a gentle touch until she was on the pillow and slip his hand out from underneath. His arms tingled a little, an aftereffect of carrying her for so long. Out of pure habit, he brushed some of her still wet hair out of her face, letting his fingers linger on her cheek.

"There you go, hon... All safe and sound..."

Jacob found himself kneeling next to her bed, just watching the girl. It was a good thing he closed the door behind them. At least he could have a few more moments to enjoy her.

"Anything else you need? Covers? PJs?"

"Huhu... Just how old are you, honey...?"

It tickled Jacob's heart to watch Ania act like a little child despite being a matured young woman. For a few moments, he understood why some people liked those saccharine anime tv shows he sometimes skipped over. There was that sense of wanting to reach out and protect or hold Ania. Though she was the one reaching out to him to hold. If she was doing it on purpose she pretty much had Jacob wrapped around her finger for the time being, and he wouldn't have left her side until she told him so or fell asleep. And even then...

"But alright. I'll tell you a story..."

He took her hand from his bicep, so he could hold it in his own hand.

"Once upon a time, um, there was a little fish. Yeah. A little little fish who didn't think she was a good swimmer. She was fish so she could get around, obviously, but when she tried to swim with other bigger fish, she got left behind. The other fish swam circles around her, as if teasing her."

Jacob was totally making the story up as went along. His own daughter had never been one to ask for a story before bedtime so he had little practice in making up fairy tales to tell.

"The other fish swam away upstream, leaving the little fish behind. But the little fish would not be deterred. No way. She was a little shy and lonely, but she was determined and tenacious. She followed them upstream, against the current and even past bears and up rapids and waterfalls!

It was rough sometimes, and she thought she might get washed back downstream. But she kept it up and she tried and tried. Until she got farther than any other fish! And when she dared to swim up waterfall, against all odds, she swam her little fish heart out and then, when she crested over the waterfall.... She turned into a beautiful flying dragon, soaring above all and showing her true beauty to everyone~"

Jacob might have cribbed that last part from another story. But he was in a groove and couldn't stop himself.

If only Jacob could have seen into Ania's mind and saw her interpretation of his story, he might have a concern or two. But all Jacob knew was that she enjoyed his on-the-fly story and that she really liked the idea of dragons. His guess had been right in that she would want to hear a story starring a little fishy, and one that eventually turned into a big beautiful dragon at that.

Ania's enthusiasm was well worth spending the time with her, and he squeezed her hand in earnest. But there was a nagging feeling too. As he had been enraptured in her cute face and expressions, he noticed the momentary change during a certain part of his story. The part about the fish tormentors. He had only added that in because it seemed appropriate for the little fish to have some people to triumph over, but her reaction to it seemed a little too... personal or empathetic. Strange as it might sound.

"Woah woah, honey. I'm not a story machine. And don't you want to save some story for another time perhaps?"

He leaned forward a little and tried to pull her cuddled pillow down so he could see her face entire.

"Now, uh, about this story, was there any part you didn't like? Any part that upset you in particular? Because I saw you get a little... angry at some points."

"Yeah. I suppose it was very mean of this fish to bully the little one..."

Ania's reply was telling. It was natural for anyone to root for the underdog, and empathize with those who are bullied and abused, especially in simple stories. That was a nearly universal fact. But the way she responded hinted at something more than base sympathy, and her follow up cemented that assumption.

Bullying. As a teacher, Jacob had an awkward yet all-too-familiar relationship with it. Bullying was a universal concept, appearing at all age ranges. But the kind most people were most familiar with, and that was usually most evident, was the kind that happened to kids, usually in schools. It was an unmitigated shame to find someone bullied, teased, and generally screwed over by others. Yet it was never going to go away. Much in the same way that death in a guarantee, there will always be someone to bully another for a seemingly infinite amount of reasons. Yet even as much as he saw of it, Jacob was often pulled between his instinct to protect and care, his desire to mediate and find a solution, and his faculty obligations.

His gut told him to fight back for the victims, to be the strong wall that protected them and the authority figure they could trust at the most dire time. His brain told him to be the diplomat, and seek help for both the victim and bully, for the bully was often a victim himself. His contract with the school told him to send both the victim and the bully and anyone who tried to help/intervene to detention for starting a confrontation. His contract was the one he was forced to follow. It broke his heart every time.

"Are you being teased by someone, Ania? You can tell me, y'know."

But this was a new school, a new place, and a new student. Ania was a grown young woman and the school seemed to be lax where other schools would be unnecessarily restrictive. Maybe he could finally take a hands-on approach to helping her. His other hand descended on her's, fully holding her with both hands.

"You can tell me about anything. I'm here for you."