Extra Credit

(For @Khepri I'll make this pretty later when I have more time)

Ygdris was not a woman who took failure lightly - or well. She wasn't used to failure, it was a luxury she had never been able to afford... So why the hell wasn't all this medical crap coming together for her? Perhaps there was some innate disconnect between her abilities and personality and the things required of a healer... But she had been trying like hell to make this work every way she damn well could, and it was getting her nowhere. She steamed about the arboretum, practically radiating her annoyance from herself in waves of white-hot fury. It wouldn't take a medical student to diagnose her state of mind as she practically wore a trough into the grasses around her, her pacing growing increasingly vitriolic. "Failure. Isn't. You..." she seethed, her mauve gaze narrowing down at a patch of clover as if she could intimidate it into telling her the trade secrets that would make everything click.

khepri

all i wanna do is die for you

Khepri made his way through the arboretum with a mission. He was looking for that particular herb to help curb his depression (as he'd run out at home) but unfortunately it looked like the stores here were just as low. Hopefully not because of him, he didn't want anyone looking his way when it came to his habits. He could lose his job, or worse. With a sigh, he turned away and left what little was there behind. He'd have to go foraging tonight or sit and stew in his thoughts. Either way, tonight wouldn't be at all that pleasant, he was sure.

His ears twitched as he noticed someone muttering to themselves angrily nearby and being unable to help himself, he decided to see if they needed any help. "Miss?" he said to the girl, for that was what she was, a girl. She didn't look like she could be any older than his own daughter, if that.

A moment passed and suddenly recognition hit him. "Ygdris." he corrected, with a polite nod of his head. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked.

Ygdris

So wrapped up in her own jumbled thoughts and raving, Ygdris had been wholly oblivious to the approach of one of the staff - and she stiffened as he called out to her. As she spun to face him, their eyes met and recognition seemed to strike them both in an instant. A slow smile spread across her features, and she cleared her throat as she composed herself. "Professor, you startled me! I was just..." she trailed off, dropping her gaze to her paws as she shuffled them uncomfortably. "To tell you the truth... I'm not having an easy time here. I knew this would be challenging - I like a challenge. But I guess I'm just wondering if maybe I'm not cut out for this... what if me failing out and setting myself up for a life of being a bitter disappointment is just... what fate had in store for me?"

Ygdris sighed, covertly biting her tongue until tears sparked in her eyes as she looked back up at Khepri through hooded lashes. She shook her head after a moment and huffed, stamping one of her feet. "Listen to me, airing all my insecurities in front of my own professor... Please forgive me, I know you were probably just being polite..." she coyly dropped her gaze again, as if unable to meet his eyes.

khepri

all i wanna do is die for you

Khepri was quickly taken with her act. He was too trusting, as some might say, but the idea that someone else felt like such a failure (like him) was too much for him. He reached out a paw, as if to draw her in for a comforting hug and then blinked and thought better of it. He cleared his throat and glanced around at the passers by that were ignoring them entirely. He wanted to comfort her, but wasn’t sure how. She was so young and he was just her professed after all.

The man drew a breath and shook his head. ”You’re not doomed to failure, Ygdris. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think, you just have to... put in a little more effort. I know you can do that. You’re a smart girl,” he said. It was true, her grades were that bad, but he knew her to be bright when she wanted to be. Why couldn’t she apply those smarts all the time? Maybe he just wasn’t as engaging as he thought, but he also didn’t know how she was doing in her other classes either. Hopefully not as bad as in his. ”I could find something for you to do for extra credit, maybe?”

Ygdris

From the edge of her vision, she saw Khepri start to reach for her and she had to fight down a victorious smirk. Hook, line, and sinker... She raised her head and batted her lashes slightly as he reassured her, offering a timid smile and chuckling half-heartedly. "I wish it felt that simple to me... But I guess I've excelled at everything I put my mind to in life so far - so why should this be any different? You're very motivational when you want to be, Professor..." she sighed, sibling a bashful step forward so she could better look up at her.

Though she was a waif of a thing, Khepri was not much larger himself. It made it all the easier to display her... assets as it were. As he mentioned extra credit, she gasped softly and, so quickly it was scarcely there, brushed her paw up the length of one of his legs as though she had been so shocked she couldn't help it. "Oh, Professor... I'd do anything to show you I'm serious about this. Failure isn't an option for me, you can't know how much this means to me! You're a real godsend, Khepri - I mean Professor." The slip-up was minor, nothing that would offend him much she was sure - but the way she spoke his name was almost like a prayer. One final seed planted to set the deal... for now.

khepri

all i wanna do is die for you

"I wish it felt that simple to me... But I guess I've excelled at everything I put my mind to in life so far - so why should this be any different? You're very motivational when you want to be, Professor..." she said and he smiled, glad to have felt like he'd he- the brush was light, tentative but fire to his skin. He almost jumped at her touch, but managed to stay stock still as he noticed her getting closer. He cleared his throat again, nervously now this time. She was so small and delicate looking, this kind of behavior was not something he'd expect out of her. Then again, why was he thinking about those things? It felt like his brain had a fog in it and he wasn't even high right now. His cheeks burned and he was thankful for the fur that covered them so that she and nobody else could see his embarrassment. He managed, somehow, to keep a straight face. "Oh, Professor... I'd do anything to show you I'm serious about this. Failure isn't an option for me, you can't know how much this means to me! You're a real godsend, Khepri - I mean Professor." The breakdown of formality send another wave of embarrassment down his spine, not because he disliked it but because it felt nice to be called by his name rather than 'Professor'. He had to get out of this crowded hall.

Abruptly, he stood up in front of her and drew a breath. "Alright, sure. Come on back with me to my classroom. It's empty for the lunch hour. We'll find something for you to do." he said, though what she was talking about and what he was talking about were entirely different topics and he had no idea.

...

Soon they arrived at his empty classroom and he moved towards his storage are where he kept his herbs. Ke looked around for something to quiz her on. There had to be something easy in here, but not too easy...

Ygdris

Ygdris could practically feel the way his heart palpitated off beat in the electricity in the air between them. This was going to be easier than she could have dared to hope at first... She could hear his breathing falter, caught the subtle heat radiating from his form as hers drew closer. Like a moth to a flame he danced around her tempestuous dance, and she felt her pride soar in her breast. He collected himself, with some obvious effort, and cleared his throat before hurriedly inviting her back to his classroom.

She offered no response, simply followed behind him for a few moments before brushing ever so slightly against him as they made their way back to his... cluttered office space. She fought the urge to snicker at the sight of him digging around through his things, but settled on silently enjoying the show for another minute or so. "You're not like the other professors here, you know that? What's your background, before the college - if it's not too personal, I mean..."

khepri

all i wanna do is die for you

Once he'd gotten some space from her, he could think straight. He just had to find something for her to do so that he could give her a little help with her grade... perhaps a quiz on herbs or something. Ah, yes... that'd work! Khepri pulled out some yarrow and chamomile then laid it before her. She'd been watching him rummage and talking, but he almost hadn't heard a word she'd said to be honest. "You're not like the other professors here, you know that? What's your background, before the college - if it's not too personal, I mean..."

"I'm not...?" he asked a little cluelessly. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Uhm, well. I used to be a combat medic but... I wasn't very good so I went into teaching instead. I figured my skillset was better used to teach, I don't do well under... uhm, pressure. It's a very unforgiving job out there."

A part of him thought that maybe he shouldn't have said all that but it was too late now. He sighed and looked down at the plants he'd set before her. "Alright, extra credit. How about you name these herbs and one thing they can be used for and I'll bump you up one letter grade. Come on, they're easy and that's a big jump. I know you can do this." he said.

It wasn't often that he did this, but her grades were terrible and she'd asked so nicely. He just felt guilty now as he looked at her but he couldn't quite figure out why. Was what he was doing... wrong? He just wanted to help her.