Othello

Act 3, Scene 3

This was such a long scene omf

Grell and William enter Othello's office. The professor almost audibly groans at having to deal with so many 'problem students' today. Adrian, the Undertaker, and his pedantic obsessions and Grell and her... chaotic neutral energy.

"Apologies, we might not get much time," Othello checks his watch. "My office hour ends in ten minutes,"

"That's fine, but this is something I must do!" Grell gushes her emotional distress out in the middle of the cramped office. "I'm sorry, honestly! I feel so guilty for what I've done to you,"

"What you've.... done to me?" Othello asks her, intrigue and confusion rising concurrently in an ambivalent surge. Is this a confession to lying to the administration about him?

Grell nods. "I just hope you aren't too financially affected by my actions! I can pay you back!"

"That's fine, it cost me nothing," except my reputation at the university, my pride and my trust in my students. "What I don't understand is why,"

"W-Why?"

"Why you did it,"

"Surely professor, you must understand how such an altered state could have made me act that way! It really isn't like me, honest! And I hope you won't judge me based on something so..." she doesn't want to say inconsequential, after all, scaring someone while driving can have a tangible psychological impact on them. But at the same time, she feels Othello is being overly harsh, treating it like a deal breaker for her character. "So out of character for me,"

Othello leans forward over his desk, folding his hands in contemplation. "I know about your altered state. That doesn't excuse what you did,"

"I'm not using it as an excuse, honest! I just meant, I don't know..." she goes quiet, wondering what defence she still has. "I'm sorry,"

Othello rubs his face, feeling the beginnings of stubble sprouting from his jawline. He forgot to shave this morning. "What you did could have had dire consequences on my life, do you know that?"

She nods, after all, she could have caused a car crash!

"Because of that, I can't accept you as my teaching assistant any longer. I'm sorry, but you really damaged my trust," he explains, feeling that Grell hasn't really grasped the seriousness of what she did. After all, she just admitted to filing a false report against her professor, accusing him of something as serious as sexual harassment. Now that he knows she has bipolar disorder, it makes more sense even if he had no prior suspicions of her. "I could have you expelled for this,"

"You... you could have what?"

"Expelled you, if I'd made a formal report. However, I recognise the extenuating circumstances surrounding your actions and have chosen to forgive it this time,"

"Oh... I'm sorry," she sighs, leaning into a flummoxed William for comfort. Only the shine off her glasses hides the tears budding in her eyes. By the time they get outside, her mascara runs freely down her cheeks.

*

Othello and Adrian, his new (temporary!) teaching assistant sit in his office after hours and discuss yesterday's events. Adrian continues to push Othello to tell him what happened, a sniffer dog for information.

"What's on your mind?" he asks the professor while pouring over some assignments from the first years which Othello pawned off on him to grade. They're all getting Fs because Adrian feels like it.

"I found out something today that's made me lose trust... in myself, my student - I don't know..." he sighs, resting on his arms.

"In Grell, I assume," Adrian examines his nails, proudly noting the precision at which he applied is nail polish this morning. "I can understand that,"