I Just Want To Be Average

Pratt had taken over the kitchen. No one was surprised. In fact, Jessie and her team were actually pleased. Ashu and Arav had shared responsibility of the kitchen, and while they were adequate, they were quite far from good. Pratt, on the hand, was exceedingly good.

After lunch, we gathered at our table, as Jessie and her team huddled at their bigger table. Neither paying attention to the other, at least seemingly. Jerry gave us a free hand, as he joined Jessie's table.

At our table, the discussion began with Sasha's code and Catarina's vector tracing and rendering. The twins and I were clear. But there was also Lulu among us. For her sake, we started with a brief description of both and our intended goal.

"So," Pratt concluded, "our initial approach is two pronged."

Dia continued like she shared a mind with Pratt.

"One, we need a stronger program which is capable of reducing the manual effort from vector tracing and rendering, and also handle the redrawing capability of Sasha's code."

"Two," Pratt continued, "we get started deciphering the other half of the runes on the walls. So, we turn back to our strength."

"And we need to find someone who can write the code for us."

Lulu was stunned. I enjoyed seeing it. I could see myself in her face, and it was hilarious.

"Are they for real?" She asked.

"Oh yes," I answered. "They're just getting started too."

"They're like," she said.

"Twins," we said together, and burst out laughing.

The twins looked at us wearing the same expression we wore when looking at them. Lulu and I were tickled, and laughed harder. Somehow, that tickled the twins, and they burst out laughing too.

We were noisy, but the other table paid us no attention.

After having our full, we turned back to the table. To the drawings of the two temples, and the temple of the heavenly war floating over the table, created by Sasha's code.

"The code's covered," Lulu said.

I understood immediately. In fact, it was on my mind too. The twins didn't. Lulu explained in her style.

"A few days. You'll understand."

The twins were already afflicted by Lulu. They nodded, and threw the worry out of their head.

Pratt pulled up the wall that was more complete than the others, zoomed in on the runes, and detailed the progress thus far.

"We know about the long arc. We also know that the Faery runes are a mixture of long arc, which is elemental, and another, which seems to be some form of ancient pictorial. Let me explain, for the sake of Dean and Lulu."

Dia took over, before he could.

"Essentially, pictorial runes follow the idea of talking through pictures. Which essentially means that the central idea is presented directly in and through the pictures. While reading, it's as if we're reading a series of pictures telling a story, like reading a movie. This was the rule, the syntax, for the vast majority of pictorial runes. There were a few exceptions. These runes were pictorial, but the underlying rule they followed, the syntax they were written with, was very different. They were nothing like the other pictorial runes."

"So, these had to be classified differently. Like a subset, which was actually a different set. They were called ancient pictorial."

"Because these were all observed in civilisations very ancient."

"It was as if at some point much after these ancient civilisations ended, the understanding of people evolved at a fundamental level, changing the pictorial to the more common form. The other half of the Faery runes seem to be in the form of ancient pictorial."

"The challenge was that we had to first decipher the underlying rule, understand the syntax, before we are able to decipher the runes. The difficulty was multiplied by the fact that we hadn't completely deciphered the long arc either. Until now."

"So, all the teams around here, and elsewhere, must have received the deciphered long arc. They must all be getting started with the ancient pictorial. It's a race. Shall we participate?"

"I'm in."

Lulu was faster than even Dia, which was surprising to the twins. Not so much to me. Lulu was fiercely competitive. Especially when it involved me, even as an uninterested party. She felt it her responsibility to bear the interest for me too.

I shrugged, expressing my opinion.

"That's a yes then," Dia summarised. "I think we need a shout."

"Jerry," the twins and Lulu screamed together.

Looking at the three grinning at him, Jerry knew it was important. He rushed over immediately. Lulu was first again, explaining our intent to participate in the race to deciphering the ancient pictorial.

"I'm sure the other table is in too," Dia added at the end. "What about you?"

"What about him?" Lulu asked, confused.

Sometimes, Lulu was really slow.

"He's gotta decide who he wants to team up with," Pratt explained patiently.

"Us. Or them," Dia completed.

"I don't understand," Lulu said, looking the same confused.

"He can't be with both the teams," Pratt explained further.

"Especially since we're not interested in teaming up with them, are we?" Dia completed.

The twins shook their heads expressing a no.

Lulu looked the same confused, if not more.

Jerry smiled with grief.

I shook my head, as I stepped in.

"You don't understand what Lulu means," I explained to the twins. "She means to say, how is it Jerry's choice."

Lulu nodded.

"Exactly," she said. "Jerry doesn't have a say here. He's not going against Dean."

There was something about the way Lulu said it. Popped the favourite question back into the twins' heads. I sighed. They looked at Jerry, whose smile was affirmation.

"Wow," they said in unison. "You're really amazing," they said to me.

I thanked them with a bow, and looked at Jerry wearing a gleeful expression. He looked back at me with hurt. I snorted. I was a fool if I fell for that. He shrugged, as if to say he tried.

"Yeah, I'm with you," Jerry told the twins. "Let me clarify it with Jessie. But I won't be with you all the time. We're studying other things too back there. Whenever you need me, or whenever you've gotten anything, holler. I'll come right over."

"Actually," I said, cutting in. "I think you should go with them."

"Why?" Lulu asked, genuinely curious.

"We'll do the work ourselves. We'll call him over to validate our findings, which should fall within his responsibilities as our teacher. With him in the other team, it will also be him fulfilling his responsibilities. Giving us the pressure and the motivation to compete against him, reach higher, be better than him. It would be him acting as a proper and ambitious professor."

Jerry was confused. It sounded like I was praising him. I was. Lulu was impressed.

"That's why Dean's the best. He can be so objective."

The twins had to shield their eyes against Lulu's blinding glow.

"So, this is what infatuation is," Pratt said.

"It's love," Lulu countered.

"Okay," Dia relented easily. "This is what love is like."

"Yes," Lulu agreed beaming.

I ignored them. Looking at Jerry, I asked.

"What do you think?"

He thought for a while, and agreed.

"I think it's good this way. Just don't get too bogged down and too hesitant to ask for help when needed."

"Alright," I nodded.

Jerry was smiling, and looking at me strangely. I didn't understand. I saw the same expression on the twins, and still I was confused. I looked at Lulu, beaming with pride. And I understood immediately. And I was stunned.

"I'm not the leader," I said.

Everyone coughed, and laughed. It seemed very much like a rejection of my opinion.

"I'm really not," I repeated.

"Of course not," the twins agreed, still snickering.

"Of course not," Jerry agreed, after a while. "The leader's on the way."

I understood immediately. As did Lulu. The twins were confused. No one offered an explanation.

Jerry waved and walked back to the other table.

The twins looked at us, and accepted that we weren't going to explain. They knew what Lulu would say. "A few days. You'll understand." They shook their heads dejectedly, and turned to the temples on the table.

"So, shall we begin?"