“Do you teach in the area, professor?” she asked.<br/><br/>He didn’t like to receive this question, especially in front of his companion, but it was logical enough, and easy to answer. “No, not really,” he answered plainly. “I do a lot of field research, study, that sort of thing. I’ve been…loosely attached to around a dozen academic institutions around the world, all within the realm of research and discovery. I don’t really have the time for lecturing. I like to be out in the world getting my hands dirty in the soil, looking into the past, that sort of thing.”<br/><br/>The professor’s quiet companion, Trystaniel, did not seem to have a problem with this answer. Trystaniel, yes, that’s what most people called him, was an angel through and through. He didn’t have a halo or pearlescent wings or anything, but his Heavenly origin was quite obvious to Dinah’s divine eye. He also had a bit of a superiority complex. He was clearly the dominant member of the partnership, but also the silent type. Dinah could also sense that it was a struggle for him to be the silent type. His primary interest was archeological discovery. It would be easy to make the leap that this particular adventure had been his idea. The professor respected him, even considered him a friend, but they kept a professional distance. The professor was also willing to allow the other to be the dominant partner.<br/><br/>“Are you hoping to find more relics from the same tribe that once had that charm?” she asked.<br/><br/>“That is the general idea,” the professor responded. “It is really the crux of these projects. You don’t really know what you’re going to find until you’re out there digging it up. There is much to learn about these people, their culture. It is not one well-recorded by history, and we’d like to change that, even just a little bit at a time.” He paused a moment, then continued, “Is the application in order then? We can commence the project immediately?”<br/>