Chapter Text
Monday morning. When a little bird told Qifrey that a new teacher will be working at Silverwood Public School, he made it his mission to make this teacher’s stay as pleasant as possible. He thought of a plan to meet this new science teacher, show them around and invite them for lunch and eventually develop a hopefully long lasting connection.
This is not the first time one of the teachers left the school for unknown reasons and to be honest…Qifrey can understand why some made that decision. The school is not the most desirable place to work in, with constant funding cuts and careless management. He, sometimes, was also tempted to accept an offer to a better school. Yet, he found something worth it to stay for. He wasn’t the only one dealing with horrible administration and lack of supplies, it was also the kids who showed up every day despite it all with big smiles and tired eyes. Those kids, are worth it.
Today, he made it to school an hour early to hopefully run into this teacher by some workings of fate, but the more he wandered the familiar halls, the more tired he felt and the day hadn't fully started yet.
It would be beneficial to preserve the rest of his energy for his classes and let the connection with this new teacher form naturally over the course of the week. So, he made his way to his first period class, unlocked the door and sank into his slightly uncomfortable chair as each disk of his spine shakily clicked into place.
His hands stretched to the collection of pens on his desk, he twisted his fingers around one, reached for some papers and started marking his students’ sketches before they started their most recent project with oil pastels. He is not really looking for any accuracy or a master sketch, only hoping to get a sense of what his students like to usually portray.
The first in his pile was a sketch belonging to none other than Coco, the newly transferred student. Qifrey remembers the first day she came into class, with a smile so big it could fit the whole world.
He also remembers when the questions started, mostly harmless icebreakers of where she's from and what her favorite color is. It surprised him at the time how bravely she answered when asked what her parents do for a living, admitting to the entire class of strangers that her mother suffers some sort of illness that forced her to let go of her job as a tailor.
Coco’s progress has been remarkable despite her short time at Silverwood. Her sketches are a little wobbly but yield so much power and creativity that Qifrey can already picture what the finished assignment would look like. Watching Coco’s confidence grow day by day warms his heart, what could he possibly want more than his students finding their own voice and trusting their intuition!
A sudden, rough knock on the door forces Qifrey out of his thoughts as he drags his feet away from his desk and on his way to respond to the repetitive call outside his classroom. He twists the knob, straightens his back and flashes a smile in case one of his students was waiting at the door.
As he draws the door open, a strange man comes into view. The man’s hair falls carelessly over his eyes as ink stains on paper, his shoulders tense with the weight of a hundred stones and his eyes scatter from one destination to another before landing on Qifrey. Though the man appears to be very tired, Qifrey can’t deny that he is dressed very professionally and commands attention from where he stands in front of him.
The man tilts his head from side to side, eyes sliding from left to right before landing again on Qifrey and clearing his throat, “Good morning,…do you happen to know where room 7 is?” His voice came out quiet and low as he huffed, eye bags apparent even beneath the shadows of his bangs over his eyes.
“Good morning! Yes, it’s actually right over there.” Qifrey offers in response, smiling to the seemingly impatient man and pointing his index finger to the room next door. Then, his deduction skills caught up to the situation! This strange man, confused about the school’s layout and unknowing, must be the new science teacher! Ah, the wheel of fortune turned just right for Qifrey on this Monday morning.
Before the man takes his leave, Qifrey must begin to execute his plans and make his stay as pleasant as possible. So he dares to ask,"Excuse me, are you the new science teacher?”
“Ah, yes, forgot to introduce myself. Name’s Olrugio, science teacher.” Olrugio extends his hand to Qifrey, a small smile illuminating his tired face.
Qifrey shakes the man’s hand,“Nice to meet you Olrugio. I’m Qifrey, art teacher.” Upon making his introduction, Qifrey realizes that first period starts in exactly 30 minutes, just enough time to show Olrugio around and move onto the next stage of his plan, inviting him for lunch at the local cafe.
“First period starts in half an hour, I can show you around until then!” Qifrey offers, lips forming a small smile as he closes the door to his classroom behind him.
Olrugio considers for a few seconds, and before he could answer, a yawn escapes his lips. He then blinks a few times and answers, “That’s very kind of you to offer, but I’m in desperate need of some coffee.”
Mondays are a nightmare to get through, and Qifrey finds himself sympathetic to Olrugio’s request. He remembers that he did not have time to make coffee this morning either, but the thought of accompanying Olrugio, a man he just met, might be a little awkward for both of them despite Qifrey’s lively attempts at chatter.
He considers asking and mentally lists the advantages and disadvantages of making such a request. Though he is determined to make a good impression, asking such a question might qualify as coming off too strong.
“Only problem, I don’t live near here so I’m not sure where to get good coffee from. Would you like to…join me?” Olrugio brings a hand to his neck and scratches, eyes darting from Qifrey’s face to the floor after his question.
“I know a perfect place just a few minutes away! Do you mind waiting for me as I grab my wallet?”
———
Alleyway Espresso is Qifrey’s hidden gem. A local, overshadowed and small coffee shop run by a family of four with a small collection of books to borrow and good coffee to sip on. The place is not very popular due to most of the staff preferring the highly artificial and almost diabetic drinks that Stardust coffee makes just down the street, making Alleyway Qifrey's little secret.
He and Olrugio walked side by side at a brisk pace, and Qifrey thought it the perfect time to get to know the man better. He begins, “Do you drive, Olrugio?”
Though Olrugio’s eyes stay fixed at the crossroad ahead, he nods,“I do, I live a little far from here so I have to. You?”
“I walk, actually. My place is reasonably close to the school.” Qifrey smiles and the conversation flows without him having to constantly pull strings, it is a very strange but welcome feeling. Getting to talk to a fellow teacher, sharing his favorite coffee place, and finding delight in the curiosity about someone's life.
Olrugio asks all sorts of questions about the school and the challenges that readily await him, eventually he inquires, “so, do you sit with anyone at lunch?”
“Oh look! Here we are, making good time with twenty minutes left to class.” Qifrey holds the door open, and Olrugio pauses in his steps to stare at Qifrey with parted lips before making his way in.
One of Qifrey's favorite details about this place is that he doesn't have to wait in a huge line for his coffee so early in the morning. With his heavy bag and wallet full of change acquired over the months, it is a hassle to trouble the employees so early in the morning when they have ten other customers to get through.
Qifrey greets the employee, “Hello, could I please get a medium caramel latte with less ice?”
“Could I have a large black coffee? Thanks.”
A wave of warmth rushes to Qifrey’s cheeks, compared to Olrugio, his order seems quite silly. A caramel latte? It’s not like he’s a young man still.
Olrugio did not seem to care or question Qifrey’s order though he did eye the drink a couple times before the two of them started walking again. The walk was quite short and completely filled with chatter.
“Would you like to meet up for lunch here? The place has a good selection of sandwiches!” Qifrey asks, and he could swear that a soft glimmer lit in Olrugio’s eyes upon hearing the request.
“I’d love to.”
And with that, Qifrey’s plan is set in motion!
———
First period begins, and tired students trickle in one after the other as the door to their class draws open. Qifrey’s first period class is the grade 6 general art class that has too many students and not enough supplies to accommodate.
He decides to begin the day with a small activity, his student led feedback circles.
The task is simple, two or three students make up a small group to look at each other’s pieces and give feedback on their progress and work so far. Qifrey encourages his students to use, what he calls, a compliment sandwich! They are to begin with a compliment and finish off with one, because after all, they’re all trying their best.
He stands in the middle of the classroom, clapping his hand twice before saying, “Good morning class, we will start with something simple and then pick up where we left off on Friday.” Qifrey instructs, pausing in his words until all eyes are on him. “I ask of you to get into small groups of two to three people for our feedback circle.”
And just like that, students begin forming their little groups. Some of them walk all the way to their friend's desk to ask, others signal with their hands and some give each other a look and a nod. In a few minutes, most of the children found their groups and gathered at a shared desk to begin working. But… the sight of a worried Tetia caused Qifrey to interfere.
To Tetia’s right, Richeh and Euini stand and look at her expectantly with gleaming eyes. To her left, Coco and Agott stand and look at her expectantly with gleaming eyes.
Poor Tetia stands in the middle of the two groups waiting for her to pick one, and her hands resort to twirling her hair as she stares at the floor in panic. Tetia’s kindness and appreciation of her peers helps her to make many friendships with different types of people, but sometimes, she struggles to pick between them.
“Tetia, what’s wrong?” Qifrey approaches and hopes to shoulder part of Tetia’s worries. This is his fault, he really should have thought ahead and considered Tetia’s worries about forming small groups , maybe next time he’ll allow for bigger groups or change the way he handles the feedback circles.
“I can't choose,…I don’t know what to do. They’re all my friends, ” Tetia admits, taking a wobbly step towards Qifrey.
It pains Qifrey’s heart to see her so troubled over a matter he could have easily avoided, had he been more considerate. So, he shares, “I have an idea. You go with Richeh and Euini, Coco and Agott can form their own group for today.” He noticed the small look Coco directed towards Agott upon hearing his decision. Qifrey hopes the two can set their differences aside and become closer by spending more time together.
Tetia nods her head repeatedly at Qifrey’s choice, picking up her work and making her way to her group.
Now that the groups are all formed, Qifrey is left to wander the class and observe as the students take turns to provide each other with meaningful feedback.
Soft chatter fills the room, the students slowly adjusting to the sleepiness of Mondays. Thoughts and ideas blossom from the shared power of teamwork, causing Qifrey’s heart to beat with hope for tomorrow.
The chatter only worries Coco who waits and waits for Agott to even glance her way. She takes a small breath, “I can start.” She says, and doesn’t receive any reaction from Agott who sits with her back almost completely turned to Coco.
Before speaking, Coco internally reflects on what makes Agott’s art so special. It’s the precision in which she draws her lines, fully understanding what she is trying to convey. Her ability to tackle difficult tasks with confidence and immerse herself into her sketches, and…despite being the top of their class, how she never allows herself to slack off. Since coming to the school, Coco was drawn to Agott in more ways than one but never got the chance to properly befriend her.
Coco tries to channel her thoughts into words, “I really admire your art Agott, you know exactly how to get your ideas on the canvas and I think that’s-“
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Agott turns to Coco,“I don’t want to hear anything from someone like you.” She breathes, eyes stern and unbothered by the change in Coco’s face. “You are so ignorant and unknowing to anything related to art yet you feel free to comment on my work.”
From where he stands, Qifrey watches as Coco pulls slightly away from Agott with tears forming in her eyes. He rushes towards them, navigating the moved desks and clumps of students to get to where the two sit in their group. Upon seeing him, Agott pauses her words and Coco hurriedly wipes her tears away.
Though he couldn’t hear what the two were discussing, the sight of a distressed Coco, clutching her piece tightly in hand and a tense Agott with her back turned away signal to Qifrey the beginning of disaster.
“I need to see the two of you at lunch.”