Zoe's Office - December 8

[bigdamnprincipal]

After the pageant, Zoe went back to her office to do one of her least favorite activities - trying to come up with a way to explain the latest invasion to the school board in a way that didn't make her sound insane. She was starting to think that insanity might be preferable.

Comments

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

After he finished taking video of the pagent for Aziraphale, Wilson checked his voicemail and was both relieved and nervous to find Zoe's message. Relieved because he wanted the weapon off his person, concerned because he was still scrambling for the right way to explain things so as not to get Bel in trouble.

Meep!

Stopping just outside her door, Wilson knocked lightly on the frame to announce his pressence.

"Dean Washburn?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe looked up at the knock and smiled softly, waving Wilson in. "Hi there. How are you?" she asked.

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

Returning the smile, Wilson walked on in to the office, his expression sliding back towards tired.

"I need to turn in something I confiscated from a student." He said softly and after a slightly hesitant touch to his pockets, Wilson reached within and withdrew the clip from one and the gun from the other.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"A student had this?" she asked, taking the gun and clip from him with ease. "Tell me they didn't try to use it on anyone."

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

"No." Wilson quickly reassured her as he handed the weapon over.

"He had it because..." Wilson paused and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Because he was ... is frightened. He gave it up to me in class when I asked him for it. I told him that it would go into the weapons locker, for him to access properly."

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe sighed, fighting the urge to let her displeasure come out at Wilson. "That's part of the reason we have the weapons locker, so that students don't have to feel frightened. Honestly, you'd think they'd understand that, but...so, whose gun is this?" she asked.

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

"It's hard to go from having the power to protect yourself and your loved ones to being powerless." Wilson said softly, deciding to help himself to a seat.

"It's Belthazor's."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Belthazor? What in the world would he need a gun for?" Zoe asked. "He's far from powerless, isn't he?"

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

One corner of Wilson's mouth quirked up in a smile that hinted at a hell of a lot more than what he was about to say.

"He was." Wilson said, running his hand across his mouth then forcing himself still. "Something...happened. His demon side was, destroyed leaving him... a vulnerable teenage boy, with a lot of enemies."

[bigdamnprincipal]

That got another sigh out of Zoe. "That doesn't mean he should be carrying a gun around. With some of the students, that could just provoke them to dislike him even more. But I suppose I can understand his nervousness now. I don't like it, but I understand."

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

Leaning forward, Wilson nodded slightly inwardly relieved that Zoe wasn't pushing him for more details that he couldn't in good conscience give.

"I gave him detention for tomorrow. Suggested he use the time to get his head settled a bit. Not something that comes easy to Belthazor, even under good circumstances." Wilson said, with obvious affection for the young man in question.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"I think that was a very good idea, giving him detention. I'm not sure how much head settling can be done around Dr. Covington, but hopefully it will help," Zoe said. "I'll make sure the gun gets put away in the weapons locker."

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

Wilson stood up with a nod and started to move to the door.

"Oh, but...he'll be able to access it, properly I mean, yes?" Wilson asked a little worriedly.

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Yes, he'll be able to get the gun, as long as he follows the same rules as everyone else. It is his property, after all."

[dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com]

"Good." Wilson said in a quiet voice. Then with a wan smile, he headed on out the door.

"Thank you, Dean Washburn."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"And thank you," she replied.

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John knocked on the door, having the feeling this would be where he'd find Zoe. "Let me guess," he said with a grin, leaning against the doorjamb. "Trying to figure out how to write up a troll invasion in such a way that they won't send the men in little white coats after you?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

"It was so much easier to explain the snow monsters and the jello dragons. And that was certainly a sentence I never expected to say." Zoe laughed. "A principal's work is never done around here."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I've noticed that," John said, coming in and perching in what was becoming his accustomed spot on the edge of her desk. "So what exactly are you planning on explaining? The kidnappings? Or just the damge? It being a given of course that 'monsters who turn into stone when they die' is a fact to be skimmed over."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Just the damage. The school board doesn't need to know about the kidnappings, just the financial things," Zoe explained. "I'm thinking that 'There was a sudden rain of stone,' might not be the most believable turn of phrase."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Visiting frat boys getting a little -- or a lot -- out of hand?" John suggested.

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe grinned. "Ooh, I like that." She scribbled that down to consider it, before sneaking a glance back up at John. "I think it's safe to say that you have a lot more experience in explaining the unexplainable than I do."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

John smiled. "Generally I'm trying to convince people the unexplainable's real and they're the ones coming up with all the 'mundane' explanations. But I've had my share of baffling them with bullshit too."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Do you manage to be convincing? When telling people that the unexplainable things are real, I mean. I can imagine how poorly that must go over."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Depends on how tightly they're hanging onto their denial," John said. "And how close they've encountered.... whatever it is they don't want to believe."

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe nodded thoughtfully. "I can understand that. I never did believe in Reavers until I saw them up close. It was hard to hold onto denial after that."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Seeing is usually believing, even when you don't really want to." He smiled slightly. "One of my new neighbours -- a young woman named Aiden -- I'm pretty sure thought I was crazy when I told her about what I did and some of the more... unusual residents of the island. I'm fairly sure, she's not having that same problem after this past weekend."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"That's certainly a rough way to be introduced to the island. But, I suppose she knows to trust you now, and to stay indoors if crazy things start to happen. Which would make her smarter than some of the students, I have to admit."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"A lot of them were out there trying to rescue friends -- and family," John pointed out. "Hard to sit on the sidelines when someone you care about is in danger."

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe sighed softly, setting her letter aside. "I know. And a lot of the students have more combat training and experience than anyone their age would be expected to have. I get caught sometimes between just letting them go to get more experience in fighting, and telling myself that they're children."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"I know that dilemna well. How much training and experience do they need to keep them safe versus how much am I taking away from their childhood." John sighed. "It seems to be a balance that's almost impossible to be sure you've gotten right."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"If it makes you feel any better, I think your boys seem pretty well adjusted," Zoe said reassuringly. "And you've got a unique situation with the kind of environment you all live in. There are students here who never touched a weapon before they came here, and hopefully won't need to after they leave."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"But if something does happen, they'll be more prepared than they would have been otherwise," John said. "It has to help that they know that, even if they never need to use that knowledge." He smiled faintly. "Or so I keep telling myself."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"I tell myself something along the same lines," she said, smiling lightly. "I can't guarantee that the students from safe worlds will never see a war. So yes, it is better that they're prepared, just in case."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." John visibly switched subjects. "Right. Enough philosophical introspection for now. I came by to see if you were close enough to finished and wanted to go out for a drink, unwind a little."

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe laughed and gave John an appreciative look. "I think I could definitely use a drink. The school board can wait until Monday."

[demons-death.livejournal.com]

"Who knows? After a few drinks, we might be able to come up with an even better cover story than out of control frat boys."