#dbda edwin

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Edwin and Crystal were in the office. Charles was out getting Edwin some volumes (he didn’t really care where he got them from, he just needed him to retrieve them for him). Crystal was in some class or other, trying to get her GED so she could get into a nearby college and get a job. 

Edwin didn’t really understand the appeal since she was living here and didn’t pay the rent, but he hadn’t exactly made it past secondary school either, so it’s not like it was something he’d ever thought much of after he died. 

She was on her computer on the couch, and Edwin was at the desk. He didn’t know where the Night Nurse was and he didn’t much care since she had stormed out on them after their latest case in a huff due to their “unconventional methods” and “inability to follow a simple direction”. Edwin was trying to focus on letters in front of him from numerous potential clients, hoping to add some to their case board, but he kept getting distracted by Crystal looking up at him every other minute. 

“What is it?” He finally said, not looking up from trying to figure out how to pronounce a client’s name. 

She looked up at him, glanced at her computer screen, then back to him. “Um,” she started, then rolled her eyes and set her computer on the table in front of her. She dragged her hands over her face and looked at him through the cracks of her fingers. “Will you help me with this?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your… classwork?”

“Yes.”

“You need help with classwork?”

“Is that so weird?” She said, narrowing her eyes and dropping her hands. “Yes, I need help with my homework.”

He put a chin on his hand and peered at her computer. He wasn’t very tech savvy. “I certainly hope it’s not on computers,” he said, standing up and walking over to her. He sat on the couch and waited for her to pull the laptop back into her lap and turn it towards him. This technology still baffled him a bit. He wasn’t sure how they fit so much in such a compartmentalised space. He supposed he could ask Charles to get him a book on it. Or better yet, they could get a computer. The question was whether he would use it for research or simply dissect it and figure out how it worked himself. 

He squinted at the screen, then said, “What business do you have with Shakespeare?”

“Hilarious, now help me,” she said, scrolling downwards so he could see the assignment instructions. 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “It's a soliloquy.”

“What?”

“A soli- give that to me.” She held her hands up and let him take the computer, and he very hesitantly pointed at it before briefly explaining, “It’s a drama device. Shakespeare was fond of them. A character is talking to themselves, and the character must be alone on stage. Usually they’re quite long, like a monologue. It’s to show the thoughts of a character more intimately to the audience.”

“Right,” she said, and she glanced at the text on screen. “How did you know it was a soliloquy by just looking at it?”

“Well I’ve read it before.”

“Of course you have.”

“Well, everyone should read Othello,” he said, though more to himself than anything. He gestured to the screen. “Do you know the story?”

“The important bits.”

Edwin would argue all of it was important, but he just nodded and pointed at the screen again. “Well, then, here you see…”

The amount Crystal had to write considering her teacher wasn’t even having them read the play was frankly absurd. By the time they were done, they were both huddled over the screen, discussing the different aspects of the excerpt she’d been given. Charles walked through the wall, and he raised an eyebrow at their focused state. 

“Did I miss something?” He asked. 

“All the fun,” Crystal murmured, finally closing her laptop. “Othello.”

Edwin stood up and held up a finger as he walked over to the case board. “Shakespeare is very fun, thank you!”

Charles smiled as he leaned against the desk. “Bonding over Shakespeare?”

“Is it bonding if only one of you knows what’s going on?” Crystal asked. 

Edwin scoffed. “You learned things.”

She just sighed and lied down on the couch. “Charles, why don’t you tell us about your day?”

She was on her computer on the couch, and Edwin was at the desk. He didn’t know where the Night Nurse was and he didn’t much care since she had stormed out on them after their latest case in a huff due to their “unconventional methods” and “inability to follow a simple direction”. Edwin was trying to focus on letters in front of him from numerous potential clients, hoping to add some to their case board, but he kept getting distracted by Crystal looking up at him every other minute.

“What is it?” He finally said, not looking up from trying to figure out how to pronounce a client’s name.

She looked up at him, glanced at her computer screen, then back to him. “Um,” she started, then rolled her eyes and set her computer on the table in front of her. She dragged her hands over her face and looked at him through the cracks of her fingers. “Will you help me with this?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your… classwork?”

“Yes.”

“You need help with classwork?”

“Is that so weird?” She said, narrowing her eyes and dropping her hands. “Yes, I need help with my homework.”

He put a chin on his hand and peered at her computer. He wasn’t very tech savvy. “I certainly hope it’s not on computers,” he said, standing up and walking over to her. He sat on the couch and waited for her to pull the laptop back into her lap and turn it towards him. This technology still baffled him a bit. He wasn’t sure how they fit so much in such a compartmentalised space. He supposed he could ask Charles to get him a book on it. Or better yet, they could get a computer. The question was whether he would use it for research or simply dissect it and figure out how it worked himself.

He squinted at the screen, then said, “What business do you have with Shakespeare?”

“Hilarious, now help me,” she said, scrolling downwards so he could see the assignment instructions.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “It's a soliloquy.”

“What?”

“A soli- give that to me.” She held her hands up and let him take the computer, and he very hesitantly pointed at it before briefly explaining, “It’s a drama device. Shakespeare was fond of them. A character is talking to themselves, and the character must be alone on stage. Usually they’re quite long, like a monologue. It’s to show the thoughts of a character more intimately to the audience.”

“Right,” she said, and she glanced at the text on screen. “How did you know it was a soliloquy by just looking at it?”

“Well I’ve read it before.”

“Of course you have.”

“Well, everyone should read Othello,” he said, though more to himself than anything. He gestured to the screen. “Do you know the story?”

“The important bits.”

Edwin would argue all of it was important, but he just nodded and pointed at the screen again. “Well, then, here you see…”

The amount Crystal had to write considering her teacher wasn’t even having them read the play was frankly absurd. By the time they were done, they were both huddled over the screen, discussing the different aspects of the excerpt she’d been given. Charles walked through the wall, and he raised an eyebrow at their focused state.

“Did I miss something?” He asked.

“All the fun,” Crystal murmured, finally closing her laptop. “Othello.”

Edwin stood up and held up a finger as he walked over to the case board. “Shakespeare is very fun, thank you!”

Charles smiled as he leaned against the desk. “Bonding over Shakespeare?”

“Is it bonding if only one of you knows what’s going on?” Crystal asked.

Edwin scoffed. “You learned things.”

She just sighed and lied down on the couch. “Charles, why don’t you tell us about your day?”