[ Gorgug doesn't miss Nuvia wiping her eyes, though he doesn't think about it until he's stopped by her table; looking at her curiously, though he does glance at the books at her mention. ]

Yeah, I-- I was going to look. [ At least that much. But he smiles, even if something feels off--or because it feels off, before asking: ] Is this your first time being at a school like this?

[ He could say what the books are, but he kinda wants to focus more on the other question--so, he decides to take a seat instead, so he plant the books down on the table and look a couple of the book covers, before he reveals the more interesting-looking of the sort (similar to this).

And, as--or after--he does. ]

I've been new, too. [ He gives her a sheepish, but friendly small smile. ] But, um, it can be a lot, even when you're not new. Is the schoolwork hard?

[ Oh, maths?

Some would wince at the sight of maths, but Gorgug takes the paper and looks at it curiously. He then places it on the table between them, turning it into view of them both. ]

I can teach you methods. This is your first time learning any division or additions or any of this?

[ She might be new to school, but he doesn't want to assume her education level entirely; the question respectful, soft, and he's glancing at her workbook and pen, just to know they're there.

It looks like the teacher wants to gauge Nuvia's maths level, when it would be more useful (and less distressing) to give her guidance at the same time, too. Whatever. ]

You don't have to handle it alone. [ He smiles a little, and that's the first thing he thinks to say, even with the sympathy felt for what she says. It's not foreign to him, Gorgug thinks--they all take plenty for granted. ] I, I didn't know a lot about maths until I really had to, so-- I think I can teach you how to do these. But then I can get you some basic math books. There's a lot that help you learn the formulas, at least, where I'm from. But I can look for you-- they can be tricky to begin with.

[ But he's also got his hands on the table, standing up from where he's sat and coming over to her side, asking- ] It's okay that I sit? [ before taking a spot next to her. It'll be easier this way, with him on her side. ]

Maths is good for a lot of things, but if you never needed it... well, we'll learn enough so the school doesn't make you feel bad. [ He looks at Nuvia directly, giving her a small nod. ]

You shouldn't feel bad because this didn't have a part in your life. Most of us don't know how to live on a farm.

[ He only smiles at her in the face of her emotion that's evident, not bringing attention to it, only trying to be comforting. And only her last comment makes Gorgug blink, but--he figures it's meaningful to her? So, with a pause: ]

You too. [ It sounds like something they can both hope for, doesn't it?

But Gorgug will take the worksheet from her, look at it more clearly and then ask for her actual workbook, and use some of the first equations as examples for what she needs to be doing. If it's as simple as addition, subtraction, or division; or even if it goes up into using BODMAS, fractions or algebra, Gorgug guides Nuvia through it: what the symbols mean or convey, and what it is they want. If holding numbers starts to confuse her, make her feel flustered, he lets her take the pen so she can scribble them down on the side of the workbook she has.

There's no rush here. They will learn how much pavement the builder needs for this patio and how much it will cost in due time. ]

[ Coming to this school has felt largely useless to Gorgug. It doesn't cover his interests, and those it does cover are--still worthless, really, in them connecting to anything that he could use. Perhaps he should feel thankful that the mission is largely dangerous, that at most going to school is boring, but--it annoys him, okay. He hates wasting his time. Fighting would be a better use of it.

But helping Nuvia through this is...nice. It's lower level than his own grasp on mathematics, but helping someone? That isn't a waste of his time. It's a distraction, and when she turns to her book of flowers, he doesn't judge or comment anything untoward; at most he asks about them, and accepts anything she has to say.

He's not much of a nature guy, but of course Nuvia would be. She grew up on a farm, picked apples and all sorts.

By the time Nuvia comes to her relieved statement, he smiles at her, then taps the equations in the book. ]

If you ever get confused, just look back at these, and copy and do them again if you need a refresher. Maths is all about repeating and doing the same work over and over 'til you recognise the rules you need. So you can always make a separate book, or use this one and put on the top of the page what it's about, and write down the rules... a lot of people colour coded in my class. You can make it easy to read back and review if you, if you have problem just reading in black and white, make the pages pop. Put highlights around the text, or-

[ He finds the page with her flower photos, just to make them show. ]

--You could draw flowers for bullet points, simple things, just to help draw your eye to your notes and any examples.

[ Because, you know what? Nuvia seems like the kind of girl who would be into that. ]

[ He tips his head, shrugging a little in the motion. ] It takes a lot for me to finally understand things, so-- I like it, that I can help. I have to read back through my books a lot until it-- it's just there, you know. You remember it without looking.

[ He pauses, then figures to ask: ] Are you learning anything you actually like?