Zoe's Office Hours - September 6

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe sat in her office, writing a series of memos to the powers that be on the school board. As nice as it was having a skeleton staff in the office occassionally, using them always resulted in a number of forms that had to be filled out after the fact. (Bills for spare bones? Honestly, that was just unnecessary.)

The door was open for anyone who needed her.

[I figure this goes without saying most days, but it's important today: the radio can say who came by, but not what was discussed.]

Comments

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

Wilson needed to talk to Dean Washburn which was part of the reason he was up on campus this Wednesday.

Whistling softly he came upon the door and knocked lightly.

"Dean Washburn, do you have a minute?" Never hurt to be polite, right?

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe glanced up, happy to set the evil forms aside for the moment, and smiled. "Certainly. Come on in," she said.

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

As a fellow member of the 'paperwork is evil' club, Wilson returned the smile and quickly stepped on into the office.

"Thank you, Dean. I'll try not to take up too much of your time. I am here to submit a proposal for a field trip, a joint field trip actually, between my Tuesday period 6 Humor class and Aziraphale's Monday period 1 Prophesy classes."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Oh? That sounds like an interesting combination. Where were you hoping to go?" she asked, sounding intrigued.

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

Pleased at the intrigued sound of her voice, Wilson grinned and put a piece of paper in front of her. On it he had listed out each class roster, his own name and Aziraphale's and a list of three possible dates.

"We'd like to take the group to Las Vegas. For my class the proposal is to show them some at least one, perhaps two if I can manage it, famous comedic acts so they can see how the different styles of comedy and humor are worked by the professionals and also observe the affect these shows have on the audience, to see humor in action so to speak. Aziraphale's class would be going on a tour of the seers, prophets, fortune tellers, etc who set up shop in Vegas to make money off tourists, to see how these people use Prophecy in a capitalistic manner but also to discern who might be legit, then to write up on their findings."

No one was dare going to uh...party hardy in Vegas!!! ... Really ... purely educational here.

"The idea is to leave Friday right after the last class and be back on Sunday evening, so the students wouldn't miss any other classes. I'm fairly certain that Aziraphale and I can handle the groups but if you feel it would be safer to have an extra chaperone or two, we could see if it might fit another faculty member's schedule?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe looked over the paper, taking in the lists along with what Wilson was saying. "That certainly sounds like something that will keep the students' attention totally educational attention, of course. And I'm impressed at how you managed to fit both classes in there," she said, smirking. "I think that'll be a good trip. Are these the three dates you were thinking about?" Zoe asked, pointing to the sheet. "The third one would probably be the best."

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

Wilson craned his head slightly to peer at the dates and then he nodded.

"Nov 10-12? Yes, that can certainly be made to work if it all meets with your approval, Dean?"

Wilson certainly and completely did not bounce on his toes.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Consider it approved," she said, smiling and marking the dates down on her own calendar. "I'm sure it'll give your students something to look forward to."

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

"Excellent!" Wilson said with a bright smile. "Thank you, Dean Washburn."

With another quick smile, he turned and headed for the door, certain that she probably had a full day in front of her.

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe smiled and nodded as he headed out. "You're welcome."

[sith_happened]

Darth Vader stood in the doorway and breathed.

It was creepy.

[bigdamnprincipal]

It certainly was creepy, but after dealing with Reavers for a good portion of her life, creepy was something she could handle.

"Hi there," she said, maintaining a friendly tone.

[sith_happened]

"I am Lord Vader," he intoned. "You wished to see me."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Yes, I apologize for the summons, but I wasn't sure if you'd come to see me on your own," she said lightly. "Welcome back, by the way."

[sith_happened]

Vader froze halfway across the room.

"I'm not him any more," he snarled.

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe glanced up and down at Vader. "That's certainly apparent," she remarked. "I had a very interesting conversation with an Emperor Palpatine, who filled me in on some necessary details about your background. But I've been hearing rumors that make me wonder if he left some things out."

[sith_happened]

Vader's hands clenched together so hard that the leather creaked. The mental profanity he was aiming at the Emperor at the moment was both varied and physically impossible.

"He's been known to do that," Vader gritted out.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Has he also been known to not mention acts of murder and possibly something along the lines of genocide?" Zoe asked. "Because those are the rumors that seem to be sprouting up, and I'd really like to know that they're not true."

[sith_happened]

"The Jedi were weak," Vader growled. "And Alderaan needed discipline."

And both were the Emperor's idea, but Vader wasn't going to mention that.

[bigdamnprincipal]

That was a little less than reassuring.

"As you're aware, we often have students here who need discipline. You know you're not allowed to hurt them, right?" she asked. "There's a very firm line drawn at the most drastic kind of action that can be taken against problem students, and it's called 'temporarily turning them into harmless animals.'"

[sith_happened]

The only sound in the room as Vader processed that was his respirator unit.

"No choking, then," he muttered.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"No choking," Zoe repeated. "Or harming of any sort. The rules haven't changed."

[sith_happened]

Sith Lords were beyond sulking, but Vader's body language was decidedly unhappy.

"Detention?" he asked.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Detention is a perfectly reasonable option," she replied, wondering how many more students she was going to see on her weekly lists from this point forward.

[sith_happened]

Vader nodded sharply. "I'll keep that in mind. Was there anything else?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

"That was all. I simply wanted to make sure that we were on the same page before your classes started." Zoe glanced at Vader. "And I meant what I said before. It's good to have you here, in its own way."

[sith_happened]

Vader stood up, cape swirling around him.

"I will see you later, Principal Washburn," he replied, then swept out of the room.

It wasn't good to be back. It wasn't.

after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John knocked on Dean Washburn's door, still trying to get his anger completely back under control.

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Come in," Zoe said, speaking before she glanced over towards the door fully. "Can I help you?"

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I hope so," John said, coming into the office. "I'm John Winchester, I teach Hunting. I was hoping to get some clarification on some school rules.

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Ah, it's nice to meet you," she said, smiling. "Have a seat if you'd like. What can I clear up for you?"

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John sat in the chair opposite the desk. "What's the policy on students staging protests outside classes?"

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe thought about that for a few moments, before shaking her head. "To be honest, I don't think we have one that says one way or the other, whether it's all right, or it isn't."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"You might need to see about getting one," John said, "because I had a student outside my class today, with appropriate accompanying sign chanting 'Hunting is murder.'"

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Sounds like entertainment to me," she said, with an air of sarcasm. "Did they cause trouble for you or your students?"

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I didn't discover this until I was leaving after class so I don't know about my students, but being asked who died and left me the vigilante hat and being called a murderer to my face isn't exactly the highlight of my day."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe sighed. "No, I can imagine it wouldn't, and I apologize for that. Did you get the student's name? If he continues to be a bother to you, I can call him in to speak to him."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John sighed, and shook his head. "No, I didn't get his name. He was on the short side, long curly brown hair, blue eyes. And dressed like a hippie."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Ah. That would most likely be Blair Sandburg. I should have known when you mentioned protesting." She smiled lightly. "He seems to enjoy fighting causes, but overall he's very harmless."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Not exactly respectful of his elders though."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe frowned a little. "I'll admit, you'll find that a lot here. The flip side to having an extraordinary school is having extraordinary students who don't exactly act like normal teenagers." She smirked softly. "Or maybe they do, with the lack of authoritative concern."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I was expecting some snark," John addmitted. "But being called a murderer was a little more than I'm willing to accept with a smile."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"That is a little much. Especially since the things being hunted are...not normal, if I'm remembering your course correctly."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"That would be one way of putting it yes." He paused. "So would it be out of line to give him detention if he tries protesting again?"

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"If he harasses you and calls you a murderer again? Go for it."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." He smiled wryly. "It's either that or drag him on a real Hunt and let him see just how well trying to reason with a poltergiest works."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"And I get the feeling that might result in my school having one less student, so detention seems like a much better option." Zoe smirked.

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'd only let him get mauled a little. Probably." He smirked back.

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe laughed. "Oh, well that's completely reassuring. I'm sorry you had trouble on your first day. In a perfect world, everyone would get an easy start with the students."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to teach teenagers this kind of thing in the first place," John pointed out. "The class itself seemed to go well and considering my only previous experience was teaching my own sons I hadn't been taking for granted that it would."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"That's a good point. In a perfect world, none of them would have previous experience in the class's subject either. But I'm glad the class went well. Your sons are the Winchesters enrolled here, right? Dean and Sam? They don't appear to have gotten mauled recently, so you must know what you're doing."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"That's them," John confirmed. He chuckled. "I'm not sure I should be worried you know them by name or not."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe couldn't resist a big of a sly look. "I do my best to remember the names of the students who have been in my office. But I don't remember them well, so that's a good sign."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Either that they're behaving or just perfecting not getting caught." John chuckled again. "I honestly can't predict which and I'm not sure if that makes me worried or proud."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Knowing the students here? It's probably safe to say they're not getting caught. Which is something to be proud of, I suppose," Zoe admitted. "The skill of staying out of trouble while still causing it can be pretty valuable. Not that I'd ever tell the students that."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I'm afaid I may have taught that by example," John admitted wryly.

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"We don't get a lot of teachers who walk the straight and narrow around here, so I'm not terribly surprised. And considering my own background, I can't really call you on any of your own behaviour," Zoe said.

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" John asked, interested. "You have a history of courting trouble without getting caught too?"

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"We had a bit of a civil war a while back, which was really anything but civil, but that's the term, I suppose. My side wasn't the winning one, so finding honest work since then has been a bit...difficult."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Really." John realised he'd already subconsciously pegged her as a soldier. "I don't know how much you know about recent American history, but I fought in Vietnam."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe's eyes lit up as a number of things about his attitude suddenly clicked into place. "That's not exactly recent for me, but I know my war history. No wonder you don't enjoy being called a murderer."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"It was a little bit of an unpleasant deja vu," John admitted wryly. "And it may have made me overreact a little."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"How so? You came to talk to me to check the rules about student protests. That seems like a fair reaction," Zoe pointed out.

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I... didn't actually threaten him, but I used an analogy with him being killed," John admitted. He slumped a little lower in his seat. "In my defense, he'd just invoked and belittled-- completely without knowing or meaning to -- my wife's memory and her death so I wasn't exactly thinking at my coolest."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe thought about how she would feel if someone spoke badly about Wash, and sighed softly at the sick feeling she got. "I can understand that, more than you realize. At least you understand that Blair didn't mean it. He's one of the few students we have who doesn't seem to have suffered any kind of loss in his life. I think there's simply things he just doesn't understand yet."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Not to mention the overabundance of idealism," John said dryly. He sighed. "I'm sure he's a good kid at heart," he said then smiled slightly. "I'll even try to remember that the next time I see him."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Good luck with that." Zoe smiled. "As long as you don't turn him into an animal, you'll be doing better than some of my previous teachers."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John blinked. "Ah. That might explain the rather surreal conversation I had with a couple of my students in class about wereponies."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Yes, there were some interesting approaches to discipline taken last semester. But it's quite all right if transfiguration isn't your style."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I've never had to resort to casting spells for discipline; I'm hopeful that trend won't be broken."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"I hope so too," Zoe replied. "I've always argued that detention is best. Of course, if you ever feel like running a detention, you can take the students through one of your poltergeist scenarios."

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"A poltergiest with a penchant for protesters?" John chuckled. "I'll keep it in mind."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Oh good. We need more creative detentions," she said with a smirk.

Re: after classes are over

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John stood. "I should let you get back to your work. Thanks for the clarification."

Re: after classes are over

[bigdamnprincipal]

"You're very welcome," she replied. "If you ever need anything else, feel free to stop by, and I'll see if I can help."