Chapter Text
Lady Lesso flinched at the sharp sound of her curtains being ripped open.
"Lesso, you can't sleep in your study! It's not good for you!" Clarissa scolded, setting a glass of water down on her friend's desk. "I know that you're having trouble getting used to being Dean, but still, you shouldn't disregard your health just to push yourself more into your work!"
"I'd prefer it if you called me Lady Lesso, Clarissa. It's a lot more professional." The Evil Dean murmured, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I don't really care about names right now Lesso, I'm worried that if you keep this up you're going to end up extremely hurt because you fell asleep while in your classroom and one of your colleagues used that at their advantage to kill you so they could take your position!" Clarissa flitted throughout the room, picking up papers and other miscellaneous items that had been strewn about.
"Aww, do you care about me, Princess?" Lesso smirked at how the Good Dean blushed at the nickname.
"Sure, if me caring about you will mean that you'll finally care about yourself, then yes, I do care about you, even if you are a smelly old witch."
"Hey, if I'm old, then you must be ancient! And I'm not that smelly."
"Really, then when was the last time you took a wash?" Clarissa ignored the comment about her being ancient and threw the papers away.
"How did you even get over here?" Lesso inquired, trying to change the subject.
"That's not your business! Anyways, I thought you'd be more interested to know that classes start in 15 minutes!"
"WHAT?!" The teacher burst from her chair and ran out of the room and up the flight of stairs.
Clarissa shook her head. "3, 2, 1" A thump could be heard from the floor above. As the Dean of Good made her way up the stairs she could hear the string of curse words coming from the top.
"Clarissa! It's 11 AM, why didn't you wake me up sooner!" Lesso glared down at the shorter woman.
"Because, silly, it's Saturday, and I knew that you needed sleep, but the only way to get you out of your chair was to lie." Clarissa said, handing Lady Lesso her cane.
"Oh." Lesso took her cane and stood up, her leg only throbbing slightly.
"Would you like some help dear?" Clarissa offered her arm to her friend and Lesso reluctantly accepted it.
"So, what do you have planned for today?" Lady Lesso asked as the two walked down the hallway.
"I don't actually have anything planned, I figure that I'd probably spend it with you, planning out this week's lessons."
"Aww, you want to spend time with me? How sweet of you Princess!"
"Oh shush. I don't want to spend time with you, but seeing as Emma is sick, and everyone else is insane, you're the only person left for me to spend the day with."
Lesso's face fell a tiny bit, she had found herself hoping that her Good counterpart would want to spend time with her.
The two walked in silence for the rest of the way to Lesso's room. As the redhead opened her door she frowned at the sweet smell.
"Why does it smell like flowers in here?"
"Oh, I dropped a few vases by, I thought you liked roses."
"I like dead, dried, withered roses, not living ones. They smell ghastly."
"I thought they smelled quite nice!"
"Well, your sniffer is messed up!"
As the two Deans entered the room they continued to bicker, but it was in a lighthearted way. Lesso found herself smiling and rolled her eyes.
"Is there anything you'd like?" Dovey called as Lesso got situated on her couch.
"Hey, that's my stuff! But yeah, I guess I'd like some ice for my leg."
Clarissa made her way to the couch and sat beside Lesso, handing her a few ice cubes and a rag.
"So, what kind of things are those brats learning in Good this week?" Lesso asked, taking a quick breath in as she put the cool ice on her burning wound.
"They're not brats!" Clarissa exclaimed, pushing Lady Lesso softly. "But this week they're going to be learning about how good deeds help cleanse their souls!"
"Ugh, sounds quite boring, no wonder students fall asleep in your class!" Lesso said, pushing Dovey.
"At least I can manage to teach a class without one of my students accusing me of having an affair with 'the enemy'!"
"Ok, that's low, even for you. I wasn't accused of anything, there were just a lot of stupid rumors flying around that I had to clear up!"
The Good Deeds teacher pouted, "So we're not dating? But you call me Princess, and I call you dear!"
Lesso rolled her eyes, "Shut up. We're not a thing, and we never will be silly. Good with Good, Evil with Evil, go back to your tower before I push you out of mine."
"Hey! That's not at all how the rhyme goes! Plus I thought you'd enjoy the company!"
"I do enjoy your company Clarissa," Lesso confided, color rushing to her face.
"I enjoy your company too Lesso," Dovey said, leading her head onto the Evil Dean's shoulder. "I wish I could just stay here, forever with you."
"I wish that too Princess."
"I love you Lesso, I hope you know that."
"I love you too Clarissa."
✣ ✣ ✣
"Lesso, wake up," A voice said, pulling Lady Lesso from dreamland.
"Five more minutes," Lesso retorted, trying to push the visitor away. She was having a good dream for once and she didn't want it interrupted.
"LEANORA LESSO!" A shrill voice jolted Lesso to attention. The Dean of Evil sat up and bumped heads with the person who woke her up.
"Lady Lesso? Are you ok?" Clarissa Dovey said, rubbing her forehead.
"Oh shit, sorry Clarissa. But how'd you know-" Lesso trailed off, looking at the figure behind the Good Dean.
"Know what Lesso?" Clarissa's brow was creased with worry, and she had a look in her eyes that made Lady Lesso's heart flutter.
"Nevermind. I didn't mean to bump heads with you. Sorry about that."
"It's fine, I just stopped by to make sure you were prepared for tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow again?" The Evil Dean replied groggily.
Dovey smiled, causing Lesso's heart to flutter again. "Tomorrow is when all the students arrive!"
"Oh yeah," Lesso said, faking a smile. She hated children. HATED them, yet for some reason she was a teacher.
"Maybe this year will be better for Evil." The Fairy Godmother offered.
"Maybe this year the students won't have their heads up their asses!"
"Lesso..." Dovey warned.
"Sorry Clarissa, I just hate that Evil has to work and work and work, just to fail, while Good can just prance around, learning how to be pretty, and STILL win!"
"It's unfair, and I have no idea how the balance is being held, but I have a good feeling about this year's students. I think they won't be as disappointing!"
"You always say that, and you're never right." Lesso pouted.
"Maybe I'll be right this year. I mean. We can always hope!"
"Hope is worthless." Lesso retorted. Dovey shot her a look. "What, it is! Now if you'll excuse me I'd quite like to take a shower and change, it's rather unnerving to wake up and find the enemy standing right over you!"
"I'll see you down by the lake then," Clarissa said before leaving.
✣ ✣ ✣
"Excuse me, ma'am." A voice said, pulling Lesso away from her thoughts of the previous day. "You seem to be in charge, and I am in the wrong school."
Lesso turned to find a blonde-haired girl standing VERY close to her, "Ooh! How distressful." She simpered "And improbable. Back up." The redheaded woman pushed the blonde girl back with her cane, much to the teenager's dismay. "Your name?" The Evil Dead inquired. "Actually, you know what? I wanna guess it."
"You won't know it." The girl said with an annoying whine.
"Mm, Sophie. Of Gavaldon." The teacher said, a smile spreading across her face as the girl looked at her with disbelief. "Did I guess it? I always do!"
"There must be a mistake!" Sophie insisted.
"You're the Reader." Lesso said, a hint of disdain in her voice.
"I read if that's what you mean!" The blonde argued.
"Shh, shh, shh. It's not." Lesso said, pressing her finger to her lips to silence the annoying Reader. If she had to listen to anything else that came from that girl's mouth her head might burst. "Every so often, a very lucky candidate from the outside is selected for admission to this hallowed institution." She continued. "We call them… Readers because they only get to read about the amazing adventures that originate here." She began to back away. "Now, please, excuse me. I have fresh villainy to attend to. Showtime!" The Dean said, turning and walking to a place in the hall where everyone could see her.
"ATTENTION! ATTENTION, FUTURE EVIL!" Lady Lesso shouted, immediately gaining the attention of all the students. "If you open your tiny little bloodshot eyes, you'll find your dormitory and class schedules around the hall. It would serve you well to memorize both. Make me proud." She exclaimed before turning away.
Once she was within the walls of her office the Dean immediately lost her "spark" and fell into her chair. How her leg hurt. No matter how much tea she drank or spells she cast, her leg still hurt to put pressure on, and while around students she acted as if her cane was just a prop, when in reality, if she didn't have it, she would probably collapse from exhaustion after just walking down the hall.
Lesso pulled up her pant leg to see if the wound was getting any better and flinched. Her skin looked like a toddler's face after they got into the eyeshadow, a flurry of colors everywhere. She covered up the injury and stood with a flinch. All she had to do was get through today, then she could go to sleep and not wake up again.