#arc six.

he enjoys teaching at veth’s young adventurers’ summer school, but he loves the greater time and deeper curriculum that comes with being a professor. it allows him to delve down rabbit holes to his heart’s content, and with his style of teaching that’s almost like folklore, first-time are always surprised when everything turns out to be relevant

he likes to save his adventure tales as rewards for after difficult classes and exams. it encourages students not to skip

the cats stay in the room during class

he doesn’t have a favorite age to teach <3 just kidding it’s 10-to-12-year-olds

he has an incredible radar for which students are struggling and how to explain the concepts to them in a way they’ll understand. the cats help with this

on the other hand, it’s very hard for him to teach students who are being bullied, mistreated, or abused, because there’s only so far he can step in. the cats help with this, too

he does love his students, but when no one shows up to office hours it’s an instant relief. teaching takes so much social energy 

teaching allows him to work closely with astrid and other members of the cerberus assembly, which is even more exhausting, but he chooses to believe that this is the world where advocacy can lead to justice

he always has a ta or other messenger on hand to tell the class what’s up if he gets in trouble for his anti-imperial sentiment. usually the academy only reprimands him, but one time the crownsguard hold him under arrest his students protest every day that week

a very long, annoyed huff of a sigh expands her chest before deflating it. taking her time to make certain he hears her in the quiet between them. ❛❛ look, dean, i get it. you guys work better with just the two of you, but i'm already here. i'm no use just sitting in the car. ❜❜ her arms cross, dark gaze locked on @picksmusic as she tries to use her most persuasive voice. ❛❛ i've worked plenty of cases on my own, you know. i won't be a liability. here, look ⸻ ❜❜ she digs into her bag, pulling out her overflowing notebook. full of tabs and organized alphabetically, of course. her own little bestiary. ❛❛ i know what i'm doing, dean. let me help. ❜❜

ㅤㅤshe lets out a soft sound of protest, brow furrowing as she unsuccessfully prevents him from gently coaxing her to her feet. even in her best form, she's really no match for his strength ⸻ made all the more glaringly obvious thanks to the wound she's sporting from the most recent case. ❛❛ can't this wait until later? i just wanna sleep. ❜❜ she bites her lip as she realizes what she said, not meaning to complain or sound whiny. she's truly grateful for the support and company, she simply has a bad habit of minimizing any struggles and neglecting her own care. ❛❛ it's really not that bad, i can take care of it after a quick nap, ❜❜ she assures.

ㅤㅤshe understands ⸻ understands all too well. she doesn't think she's ever met a hunter that hasn't seen far too much, and most of them had some sort of devastating event in their past that sent them on this path in the first place. she herself of course fits that description, but she's never allowed herself to dwell in, or even truly face, her own grief. she does have a talent for finding the light in the darkest situations though, and this is no exception. ❛❛ but you've used those things you've seen to help others, and something tells me you have a lot of years left in you. plenty of time for you to see the good things you've been missing. ❜❜

     “there was a time i thought... you might not make it without me.”   in more than one sense. she’d been afraid for him, but she had held onto it — because it meant she had something to give.

     knowing that time is over makes her happy, but sad, too. there’s pride on her face, which has nothing to do with her role as a mother, and resentment that has everything to do with once having lived too long and too close with someone you love, and saying goodbye because you had to, before you were ready. and there’s love.

     she leans forward, so their faces are as close as her halfling height and his stooping allow, and her brown hand rests on his pale cheek. above all, there’s love.

     as soon as she hears the fanfare of tinkling silver jewelry, as soon as she spots the blue head of hair in the crowd, veth forgets that there’s a crowd. she forgets that she’s a grown ass woman. she forgets that she’s not the scrawny goblin who barely stood three foot tall when they met. she sheds the time since they parted ways as if it has been nothing to her, and she runs at her with a wild, joyful yell. you can’t catapult yourself at just anyone in this life and be totally sure they will catch you in a hug. jester lavorre is not just anyone.

     “you made it!”

@pumpcursed    :    [ SUBTLE ] our muses are cuddling, sender begins to feel up receiver and tease them. 

for essek.

     veth has gotten better at keeping an eye on luc – at least one eye, most of the time – but it’s undeniably more convenient for yeza to look after him when she’s got other students around. any time she feels like maybe she wants another kid, she turns around and one of them has scarpered off toward a dangerous substance she’s told them not to handle without her help, and that rebukes the baby fever real quick. she can barely catch her breath, let alone catch up to a hypothetical new baby.

     but there are other reasons, other places, besides the adventurers’ school, for being glad that luc and yeza aren’t always at her side. that they aren’t at her side right now. because yeza didn’t want to visit caleb with her, knowing who else would be there. and she hasn’t forgotten why.