Class Time
A/N: I was talking to my wonderful friend @je11oprodigy and got into some real Cal and Nezzy feels. So enjoy, because I had fun. ~Rue
Word Count: 1043
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Cal walked into the small study room looking quite disheveled. Papers were slipping out of his bag, his spectacles were slipping down his nose, and he almost dropped what books and scrolls he was carrying more than once. A few months back he had decided to start a small school for people of all ages to attend. He didn’t have many students, but he took teaching very seriously. He knew what it felt like to not be able to read, to have people call you dumb, to be drowning in your own troubles, and he had the power to help lead people down a better road. After all, he was a better man now, a better man who had the power of words. However, his heart fell as he looked around the room.
It was empty.
Dammit. He’d taken too long! Even when he was trying to help people, it seemed like he still couldn’t do a single thing right. He left his bag and books on the table and slowly walked out of the constricting silence. He was thinking about sulking behind his desk when he heard the unmistakable bark of Nezzy’s orders from outside. Cal’s first thought was that Nezzy was reliving her glory days, ordering around makeshift soldiers, or that maybe Sid was entertaining her and letting Nezzy boss her around while Nao lounged under a big shady tree. These ideas alone made Cal straighten himself out before heading out back. Spending time with Nezzy usually made him feel better anyways. After all, he couldn’t be a complete failure if she’d agreed to be with him for life.
A summer breeze caressed Cal’s face as he opened the back door. It was calming, but he had little time to enjoy it. Cal had to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him before bolting across the earth. There, on the green grass, were all of his students from oldest to youngest. They were all in a single line, axes hoisted above their heads, getting ready to throw. The man found himself running to one of his older students right as she lost her balance. Grabbing her, the ax fell dangerously close to his boot.
“Mrs. Nowels, are you alright?” he asked.
An elderly halfling woman looked up at him. Her skin was tan and rough from years of travelling. Her chestnut eyes were wide behind her wired frames, and her white hair was in two long braids down her back. "Oh I'm perfectly fine Mr. Gray," she smiled,"Your wife Nina was just keepin us company while we were waitin for you. She's such a quiet and gentle soul."
Now Cas loved Nezzy, but those weren't words he'd use to describe her.
"Calithus?"
Nezzy’s long red hair was tied up in a bun atop her head and her armor shone like it had been recently polished. The feathers on her mask wavered with the slight breeze; they were so delicate, so fragile, so unlike Nezzy. “Have you come to collect your students?”
“Ara, what are you doing?” Cal asked, trying to hide the panic in his voice as he looked over his students, making sure none of them were maimed, “Some of these people aren’t physically capable of doing things like this.”
“They seem perfectly capable to me. Besides, I’m helping them learn.” She lead him over to a group of some of Cal’s younger students. Looking down at a young boy, Nezzy nodded and then looked towards the ax. Cal felt his heart teeter on the edge of exploding as he watched the young boy nervously pick up the ax, hoist it behind his head, and he threw. Cal almost closed his eyes, but he managed to restrain himself and watched as the ax fell just a few inches in front of them boy. He thought Nezzy might be disappointed with the results. But then again, she was full of surprises.
“Good! It didn’t fall behind you this time, one day you’ll be able to hit the target,” Nezzy mused, nodding with approval. The boy started smiling widely, then he wrapped himself around Nezzy’s leg in a hug.
“Thank you Missus Cal!”
Nezzy seemed a bit awkward (much to Cal’s amusement), unsure of what to do. After a while of looking uncomfortable, she smiled and patted the child’s head. She gently pried him from her leg and sent him back towards the line. Cal thought it was both sweet and a little funny, especially considering that Nezzy had grown up in a large family with countless siblings. Then again, she had been the youngest, so she probably didn’t have a lot of experience with children younger than her. However, Cal still had some (many) anxieties about his students being so close to sharp, dangerous objects.
“So Missus Cal, would you help me round up my students so I can start class?”
“Don’t call me that Calithus. But yes. I suppose I can hand them over,” she said. Then, she was off, giving off commands to set all axes down and line up in a straight line so go into the library. In a weird way, Cal thought she was like some sort of drill sergeant tuned elementary school teacher. He smiled and he lead his students back inside, he turned to watch Nezzy for a moment. The aasimar was picking each ax off the ground with utmost care and placing them into a satchel. Once she picked up all of them, she went off. Cal thought that she would probably polish and resharpen each one by a fire. Her mask and armor would be by her side and her long red hair tumbling down in waves past her face.
… Maybe he’d let her help teach some classes again… Of course he’d supervise next time… But it couldn’t hurt.
Cal ushered his last student inside before entering the library and closing the door behind him. He’d propose his new lesson plan to Nezzy whenever she came back. And he was sure she’d accept with no hesitation. Maybe he’d even get to see one of her rare wide grins. The ones she made when she couldn’t contain her own happiness. That would certainly make a wonderful way to end his day.
