Math was Hell.

It was the simple, three-worded complaint that had plagued Nacht's mind every single day and every single year that he had to painfully sit through either an overly complex or overly boring number-ridden lecture- if not both at the same time. It didn't matter that he was actually pretty matched and that the processes came somewhat easily to him. It didn't even matter that, in the past, he himself actually scored somewhat higher in math-related marks.

Just because he was good at it didn't mean that he had to like it.

Thus, it was a relief to him that, this time around, he hadn't had to participate in the actual lectures, assignments, and even group work on occasion this year. It was his fourth year attending, and algebra in particular was a subject that he had long since passed in the years of yonder. No more strenuous tasks. No more sessions of boring note taking. No more dealing with a teacher that didn't teach; no more fading in and out at the back of the classroom because of how absolutely inactive math classes tended to be.

No more.

The only reason he was actually in that specific class was because of one reason: he was a teacher's aid. While he may not have enjoyed the subject when he was younger, he did admit that at least one of his math teachers in the past three years of math - as he was only going to take the minimum math requirement instead of the full four years - was a pretty fun and active character, and had actually talked casually with him in the past during class hours because of it. So, he signed up to be his TA for one of his periods, and thus found himself at another desk off on the sidelines. By virtue of not technically being a participating student of that exact class, he took the small bends to the rules exposed before him as nothing more than a student helper to his advantage, and had his earbuds well within his ears as he gradually progressed his way through a stack of papers that needed to be corrected. If they looked hard enough at the right moments, some of the other students may have seen him cringing slightly at some of the problems and answers; likely because they may or may not have reignited some unfavorable memories in his mind.

More than half of us aren't even gonna go into a math-based major, man... Why not have a class that just teaches you the shit you'd actually need in life? Like...finances, or something??? COME ON.

That thought trudged its way through his mind until he finally finished the last of the papers. He brought them to the teacher before quietly making his way back to his seat with a sigh, sitting down and leaning over the side as he pulled his phone out and began scrolling through a few of the apps that he had stored. Upon hearing a faint, distant click in the distance, however, he looked up from its screen just in time to spy a certain underclassman drop his pencil and lean over to retrieve it. Discreet with his focus on him, Nacht only kept sight on him from the corner of his eye with his head tilted down as if he were peering down at his phone. He watched as the ther student had fully grasped his pencil and brought it back up.

...And then went on to give the pages of his textbook a quick flicker before actually looking down at his device once more.
Just for shits and giggles.

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Evzen Debray ::: 611 Words ::: ten days late kill me

For a small amount of time following his minor scene alteration, Freur puffed his cheeks out gently and absentmindedly as his thumb dragged itself lazily, yet silently and smoothly all the same, across the glass surface of his phone. Perusing through what was likely the third or fourth app he had stashed within his phone's hard drive by then, he gave a soft and bored yawn under his breath, double tapping and sometimes even holding his thumb down on the screen itself in order to save the occasional post and upload displayed before him within his account, or perhaps even his cellphone's memory altogether for quicker and easier access. His head nodded absentmindedly in tune to the music that filtered through his ears all the while, and eventually, the earlier sigh that he had breathed transitioned into a faint, melodious hum; inheriting traces of lyrics after a little bit of time, as well.

About seven posts saved and half a page scrolled later, and he would have shifted his attention back to the other student once more. Dull-hued voids of azure scanned his desk and expression subtly and curiously, and the boy himself raised an eyebrow while allowing a smirk to tug ever so faintly upon his lips as he watched him begin to flip back to his prior place within the textbook. After keeping his attention upon him and his book, he shifted his gaze towards the pencil that he seemed to put down before doing so altogether. Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, he felt faint traces of tired tears begin to form near the brim of either of his eyes before retreating as swiftly as they returned, and he shifted within his seat to correctly face his own desk by the time that he breathed out within a somewhat deep and heavy yawn.

His head bowed and his hands hooked around onto the edge of the table, placing his phone just beneath his chin with the seeming indication that he had continued peering through the posts and the like that he had yet to go through. Truth be told, however, his eyes were still closed. Not quite in restful intents, though to recall a memory and specific picture.

Keeping the western extremity free as the eastern still held his phone, he took care to form an image of the student at his desk as he sat behind him. Still humming and singing softly to himself, he focused himself on where the pencil was before moving his hand swiftly within an abrupt joke, which, in turn, would have caused the pencil itself to follow suit within a similar movement a few inches across the other's desk. He opened his eyes soon afterwards, staring past his phone at at the wood composing his teacher's assistant desk as he focused his hearing for any possible reactions.

For extra measures, he flexed the wrist of the same hand he used to puppet the pencil before flicking his finger, which, in turn, would have flipped through just a couple of the textbook's pages once more, as well.

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Evzen Debray ::: 515 Words