Chapter Text
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
BEFORE.
Shouts coming from the classroom next to Aglaea’s were common. In the classroom next to Professor Aglaea’s Fashion class was Professor Anaxagoras’ Philosophy room. A constant battlefield between teacher and student - a neverending shouting match.
It made Aglaea’s students very stressed and deeply on edge. So much so, that there was never a time where Aglaea hadn’t needed to step out of her room and budge into Anaxa’s class to shout at him.
Room 666
A sign under the room number reads:
——
[PHILOSOPHY]
——
Professor Aglaea stared at the signplates with the room number and room name. She sighed and mustered up what to say to Professor Anaxagoras before quickly storming in.
“Anaxa!” Aglaea called out to him.
Standing next to a student’s desk, head to their ears (assumingly because he was very loudly lecturing them), Anaxa wasn’t even slightly shocked when Aglaea came in. Due to Anaxa not having enough care in the world to correct her, he simply turned to stare at her.
The entire class went quiet as he begrudgingly sighed and spoke. Students were scared to look at each other, eyes simply looking at Aglaea and Anaxa bicker.
“Yes, Professor Aglaea? What is it that’s so important for you to interrupt my lesson time? I hope it’s worth it, since I was just teaching before you came in.”
“Your teaching ways are very inconsiderate to other teachers, professor Anaxa. My students have an important exam coming up soon and they need as much silence as possible.”
She “calmly” spoke with her accent showing slight bitterness, which was trying to be masked under the calm. Aglaea continued:
“Would you kindly care to quiet down a bit, perchance?”
Anaxagoras rolled his eyes and looked away. Before looking back at Aglaea, he put his hand under his chin and scratched it, imitating having a thought.
“Oh, Professor Aglaea, I truly didn’t know you had a class. I thought you were just standing around all day doing nothing. I will be considerate to stay quiet for now.” He mocked her, his eyes glowing with sarcasm.
She sighed. This man wasn’t worth listening to, she told herself. Sending the stress emitting from the students, Professor Aglaea’s gaze, a bit softer now, went towards them. “Well then. Good day to all of you.” Aglaea said as she glared at Anaxagoras for the final time and then left. Had she stayed, she knew she would’ve gotten into an even bigger argument. Besides, she had her own class to teach either way.
Truly, it was a common occurrence.
The students would always whisper.
“Do you think Prof Nax was too harsh on Professor Aglaea?”
“Definitely not! Did you see how Professor Aglaea handled it? Nax was literally stepped on. He can’t compete!”
“I’m so glad Aglaea came in earlier, Anaxa was quite literally about to make me go deaf! All just because I tried to state a theory!”
“Yeah, dude, you would’ve been deaf if he didn’t stop…”
Even the break room after every time was chaos:
Professor Aglaea was complaining about Professor Anaxagoras to Principal(s) Tribios, then Professor Anaxagoras would come in, and in the end, the argument would get worse. Worse to the point that everyone who was school faculty could hear it. Professor Castorice and Nurse Hyacine had to distract the both of them just so it would stop.
Despite all of these difficulties, there were normal esque moments between them as well. Rarely they’d get along, but when they did it was calm for the entire university. Like when there was the back to school opening ceremony…
When the students walked into the auditorium, music started to play. As the children's choir from the primary school sang the university’s hymn, the music majors started to follow-up with the instrumental of it.
Leg over the other, his arms crossed, and him leaning back on the chair, Anaxa was looking at quite literally everything possible with his singular eye.
The portraits of late professors Cerydra, Hysilens, and Terravox hung up on easels next to one another, filled with fresh flowers around the portraits.
The lectern next to them, the three principles standing behind them, waiting for the children to stop singing and the music to stop playing so they can talk.
The piano and pianist playing next to the stands where the children sang.
Anaxa heard Phainon and Mydei talk,
“Mydei, you cannot be unsatisfied with this! Aglaea put a ton of effort into it, I'm incredibly happy you didn't skip it this time!”
“Deliverer… your praise to Aglaea is indeed unneeded, I already enjoy this very much.”
Hyacine and Castorice were eyes locked onto the ceremony,
and Cipher was being whisper lectured by Aglaea.
“Cifera, I told you that the cloakroom is off limits for you to teach your students in. You're already cancelling so many lessons, I'm worried your students won't even pass!”
“Come on, Aglaea! Don't be such a contro-... Don't lecture me so much! Enjoy the moment~ live in it~”
“No, Cifera. I hope Tribios will talk to you about this, because if THEY don't and this gets out of hand, I will take matters into my own hands.” (Cipher decided to shut up after this).
“Oh, so that woman really knows how to give instructions.” Professor Anaxagoras thought to himself. He glanced over to Professor Aglaea, who was forced to sit next to him. “I suppose it isn't that bad because the students are enjoying it.”
Obviously, his pride wouldn't allow him to say that out loud. Especially since he really didn't like the woman next to him.
Her eyes closed, calm after talking sense into Cipher, she listened to the music. Aglaea was pleased that everything was going perfectly for the occasion. If someone screwed up, it would really ruin the whole thing.
As the music got louder, Anaxa mumbled a “Good work, Weaver of Gold”, before the instruments and singing abruptly stopped.
“No need to thank me, Great Performer”. She mumbles back as she side-eyed him.
Or when doing (unexpected and VERY unwanted) dual-lessons due to Professor Cipher cancelling her lessons again and the students needing teachers. These were only possible when both were free, so both Professor Aglaea and Anaxa tried to pile up work to not end up in a dual lesson. (Aglaea and Anaxagoras were also the only people Tribios deemed smart enough to be able to teach business. Business and economics students are tough!)
Lessons on business and economics are very useful and important in life. They were also one of the most on demand, to everyone's demise. The professor at this university was no good either, constantly cancelling lessons and doing impromptu assignments and-or tests.
A master at Trickery, indeed, Cipher was. When Aglaea got news of this from Tribbie, who was told this by Trianne, who heard it from Trinnon’s mutterings while looking at her phone, she was about to deflate like a balloon.
An economics class on top of all of her own classes?
Don't get her wrong, she adored her students and their willingness to work on their fashion projects and she can't ever complain about them, the constant questions sometimes make her want to leave the classroom and sit in the janitorial closet for five years.
Though she accepted it because what else could she do? Aglaea could never refuse her teacher (even if it meant teaching with an absolute fool in a classroom full of Cipher's students, who were known for being like their professor((and, honestly, she cared for them in a way. It's because she saw potential))).
Walking into the classroom ten minutes before the students arrived was what Aglaea usually did so she could prepare for whatever chaos Cipher left from the lesson before this.
But this time she had done the opposite and arrived at the classroom ten minutes late, which clearly was unlike her. Okay, maybe not only ten minutes, but twenty-five minutes.
Truth is, she got carried away helping a student and when the bell rang, only then did she realise she had another class. Aglaea quickly packed up and walked all the way to Cipher's classroom.
Room 777
——
[BUSINESS AND ECONOMI. ]
——
A scratched off “C” and “S” told everyone everything they needed to know about the professor and students in this class. Aglaea almost felt joy seeing that sign again. Keyword: almost.
Professor Anaxagoras had taken the initiative to start teaching when the bell rang. He thought that if Aglaea wasn't there maybe it would be easier to teach due to her constant nagging and need for perfection. Truth is, Anaxagoras was stricter than he thought he was - and when the students saw no sign of Aglaea, most of them were kind of freaked out due to the absence of her.
Professor Anaxagoras and Professor Aglaea’s teaching ways in classrooms were completely opposite yet they worked together in harmony because even if they were unharmonious as people, their determination to achieve their goals was the same.
“Cipher had given you all home assignments to complete, yes? Well, I say that these assignments are utterly worthless to show off, since—”
Professor Anaxagoras was in the middle of a sentence before the door burst open and Aglaea was gracefully standing there. Not a single sweat tear, no hair strands were picking out, even if she was in supposed stress, she looked amazing.
He showed her an indifferent glance.
“—ince… oh, Professor Aglaea. It is so nice to see that you decided to show up.” Anaxa said, turning all of the attention onto her. Many sighs of relief were let out from the students, which made Anaxagoras glance at them from the side. “Now, simply because Aglaea showed up, doesn't mean you all get to stop paying attention! As I was saying..”
Anaxagoras continued without a second thought as Aglaea put her stuff down and went to help students who raised their hands.
Everything was going swell, until a student raised their hand and loudly asked a very dumb question.
“Professor Anaxa-!”
“Anaxagoras,”
Anaxa replied.
“...Anaxagoras, is market equilibrium good for the company?” Giggles were heard after this question by the same student. The question was so stupid that Anaxagoras simply stared at the student with dread so evident in his eyes.
“Market equilibrium is obviously good for the company, as it means the market supply and demand are equal. Has Professor Cipher not educated you all on this? Might I need to do that?”
After that, it was chaos. Cipher (apparently, her words to Trinnon!)had taught her students everything about equilibrium and shown graphs about them in the last lesson she had with them. So there was no need to, actually. However Cipher's students are too street smart and successfully fooled Anaxa into giving them a lecture on a topic they already knew, just to waste class time. Aglaea was about to notice that they were just kidding, but she got caught up in helping a student with their course work.
In the middle of Anaxagoras’ smart (yet incredibly loud due to his loud and harsh) lecture, he stopped. The students were too good at answering the questions and he only now realised that they were joking about not knowing this topic. To save face, he decided to continue for a bit and quickly wrap it up. Long story short, Professor Anaxagoras signaled for Aglaea to come down to the lectern. He needed a moment after that incident and gave the honour to teach into Professor Aglaea’s hands, saying that he was too tired to deal with these people.
“Good luck, Aglaea”.
“Thank you, Anaxa.”
“It's Anaxago- oh, nevermind.”