Another Dreary Day

[Palladium]

OOC: Just because I need to dust Palladium off XD

Hunched over his desk, Palladium sighed as he wearily rubbed his eyes. Three hours after he had first taken his seat there, he had somehow only managed to grade seven papers. Seven. Out of . . . at least eighty. It was for that reason that he wondered wryly how his students could possibly think that he enjoyed assigning ten page papers. It was as though they honestly thought that he was doing it to torture them. If only they knew the truth, Palladium thought as he took a sip of water, frowning when he realized that in the time he had been grading, it had managed to go lukewarm.

Stretching briefly, Palladium then picked up the paper he had left off on, but for the life of him, he couldn't get his mind to focus. It was too horrible. And immensely saddening. Because right before him was the proof that his students couldn't care less about what he had to teach. That, very likely, the only reason why they showed up to class in the first place was because of Ms. Faragonda and Griselda's strict rules on attendance. Shaking his head sadly, Palladium absently leafed through the pages. Just as he had expected. No real effort had been put into it. Easily, his eyes picked up on the paper's flaws. Fragmented sentences. Phrasing of ideas that made little sense. No evidence of research...

It was times like these that he wondered why he even bothered to remain teaching at Alfea. Every single time he thought that he was finally connecting with the students - the way Professor Avalon had seemed to be able to do instantaneously - he inevitably realized that the joke was on him. And he was sick of it.

He didn't want to give up on the students, but if they couldn't even meet him halfway - to come to him with suggestions on what they would like to learn in class even - then wasn't he just wasting his time? His life? For goodness sake, it wasn't as though other opportunities hadn't cropped up for him. Better positions than the one he had at Alfea had been offered to him many times - positions where he could do field research and the like - but he had always rejected them because he had always believed that teaching was the most rewarding experience of all. But now he wasn't so sure.

Perhaps it was time for some change...

[Tags: Anyone who wants to cheer Palladium up XD]

[Bloom]

Rolling the paper tightly in her hands, Bloom walked nervously down the hallway. Unrolling it, she quickly rolled it right back up again as she approached the teacher’s offices. She couldn’t believe she’d slept in and missed Professor Palladium’s class this morning! Well, she could believe it considering she had woken up at midnight and not been able to get back to sleep until after five, but still! There had been a paper due and she’d missed it.

I hope it’s not too late to pass it in now. Maybe I can still get partial credit.

Stopping at the open doorway, Bloom peeked through the door. Crap, he was already marking them. Oh well, better late than never, right?

“Professor Palladium?” Bloom asked tentatively, rapping on the door case lightly.

[Palladium]

Lifting his head at the sound of someone calling his name, Palladium set the paper he had been reading aside as he gestured for Bloom to come in. From the looks of it, she was nervous about something . . . and predictably, there was his answer in her hand. Her paper. Her late paper. And, without a doubt, she was coming to ask if she could still turn it in. Having gone through this exact same scenario many times before with many other students, Palladium mentally sighed before he said, his voice masking his weariness, "Please, sit down, Bloom." Pausing, he then prodded gently, pointing at the rolled up paper, "I suppose it is safe to assume that that is for me?"

[Bloom]

Walking into the room at the invitation, Bloom seated herself in the chair across from Professor Palladium. Looking at his hand, she followed his finger to the paper in her hand.

“Oh! Yes, it’s, uh...” she squeaked, setting the paper on the desk and attempting to smooth it out. Taking her hands from the paper, she watched in dismay as it rolled right back up again. “I know it’s late and I’m sorry I missed class this morning, but my alarm didn’t go off and I didn’t wake up until third period!”

[Palladium]

Clasping his hands together neatly on top of his desk, Palladium replied with a slow nod of his head, "I see. But if I may pose a question..." Clearing his throat, Palladium lifted his brows as he continued, "Why did you not take advantage of the suggestion I gave in class?"

Or perhaps should I say, were you not paying attention in class and thus, did not hear my suggestion?

"About the buddy system, I mean. I believe I have said it repeatedly that it is truly in each student's best interest to pair up with a friend so that on the chance that one of you oversleeps, the other can give you a wake up call. Quite literally, at that!" Chuckling softly at his humor, Palladium fell silent presently when he saw that Bloom did not seem to find him at all amusing. "Yes, well...I am afraid, Bloom, that as good of a student as you are, I cannot accept this paper. How would that look to the other students if I made an exception just for you? How would-"

Abruptly cutting his sentence off, Palladium seemed to falter for a moment as though reality had suddenly slammed straight into his chest. No wonder his students seemed to loathe him and his class. He never cut them a break. Even when they made an honest to good mistake, he insisted on punishing them and lecturing them as though they were five years old and lacked the least bit of sense. Well, that was going to be put to an end right then and there!

Turning his attention back to Bloom, Palladium opened a palm to receive her paper. "I suppose, Bloom, I can let it slide this one time...just please, do not make a habit of it, eh?"

[Bloom]

Looking at him blankly as she spoke, Bloom actually considered his question. She thought she did have the whole buddy system thing going, but Flora hadn’t woken her up. Flora hadn’t been in her bed when Bloom had finally gotten up so did that mean that her roommate had just left for classes and let her sleep in and miss them?

More things seemed to be added to the list of oddness surrounding the floral fairy lately.

Looking troubled at the thought, she focused back on the conversation just as the professor cut his words short. Attempting in vain to flatten out her paper again, she was taken by complete surprise when he suddenly held out his hand to take it. She had half expected him not to accept it, and even if he did, she thought it would require much begging and a lot of explaining.

“Oh, thank you so much, Professor Palladium! I’ll talk to Flora about the whole buddy thing again, promise,” she said, handing the curly report over. “I’m really sorry again.”