They stared at each other in mutual incomprehension for a few moments. Then something inside Kiri's head clicked. She nodded. She even managed a small smile. "Thank you, Professor," she said. There was no reason to say it, but this person seemed to be listening to someone's tone of voice more than to the actual content of the actual words. Arguing with the professor, she'd decided, would not get her anywhere. He would never admit he was wrong (Kiri wondered if that was an essential trait of anyone who knew Lord Borr), and if she was going to go berserk, she would do so with precision and when there was a chance of progress.

Careful not to slip in anything, Kiri shuffled over to one of the windows. By now, it was dark outside. It was light inside, though. Kiri grabbed the wall tightly and leaned out as far as she could, squinting into the night. She'd stuffed the cardboard tube into the pocket of her robe negligently. It was being mildly squeezed and deformed right now as she looked outside, waiting for the meteors.

Of course, her eyes could not really adapt to the night. Watching a meteor shower really should have been something to do in the Observatory, in darkness. She was not going do mention this to the professor, though. He would nod and pat her head and say something like, "Yes, that's very interesting, but humans are daylight creatures," and then she'd be forced to gag him with a roll of toilet paper.
But total darkness wasn't necessary. That was the fun thing about meteor showers. All around her, students went "Ooh!" and "Aah!" as the rocks burned up in the atmosphere high above. Kiri's spirits lifted at the sight. She grinned into the night, watching meteor after meteor blaze across the sky.