Office Hours, August 12

[bigdamnprincipal]

There was nothing like having a child in the throes of the terrible twos - who, as a bonus, had decided that "No!" was her favorite new expression - to make a woman actually look forward to being in her nice, quiet office dealing with paperwork. At least here, if anyone had issues that needed to be dealt with, they'd use complete sentences and wouldn't throw themselves on the floor to cry. Hopefully.

[Door and post are open!]

Comments

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

Barney had made the mistake of watching too much pay-per-view after hearing terrible news at the bar. And so it was in a bright green striped suit with multi-colored polka-dot tie that he made his appearance in Zoe's doorway.

Someone was peacocking at a married woman.

"Principal Winchester, you are looking far to young and hot to be the mother of teen boys!"

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe wasn't familiar with the term "peacocking" but she was familiar with the term "temporary blindness."

"Thank you, I think," she said. "You're looking very bright today."

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"Grabbed your attention, didn't it?" Barney was pleased to see the new strategy was working. "I have a meeting with a serious cougar later on. Thought I'd stop by and see if there was anything I could do you for."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"I assume you don't mean a real cougar?" Zoe asked. "Because not getting eaten would certainly be something you could do."

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

She was so missing in the slang. "No, a cougar is an attractive, sexual, older woman. Like our very own Cougar Harriet before she departed this place."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"And you're meeting one wearing that?" Zoe asked. Oh, how she missed Harriet right now. "You do make quite a statement, I'll give you that."

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"It calls to them, offers an easy icebreaker," Barney replied easily, taking s seat comfortably. "So, my princi-Pal, I hear there's change brewing in the Awesome land of Fandom."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Oh really? What kind of change?" Zoe asked casually. "I've heard a few interesting things myself lately."

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"Oooh, we're gonna dish!" Barney grinned, leaning forward. "So, I met one of our more cougaresque board members on my way back from Connecticut and let me tell you, she was not bored during our encounter."

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Please tell me she wasn't bored because you had a stimulating conversation?"

Really, Zoe. Using "stimulation" around Barney? Have you learned nothing?

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

Really, Zoe. "Oh, we had something stimulating happening, but not a lot of conversation if you know what I mean!"

He knew she knew.

[bigdamnprincipal]

Yes, she did know. "That might explain why I got an e-mail about you," she said. And here she thought the school board had somehow gotten bitten by gremlins.

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"Really?" No, Barney was not surprised. "I bet that was full of a lot of oohs and aahs!" About his resume, naturally.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"It was," Zoe said, certain she'd been surprised enough for both of them. "They were amazed that someone so awesome had been here under their noses."

Yes, they'd used the word "awesome." It was a good thing Zoe had lose her faith in the sanity of the school board a long time ago.

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

Blame it on the seriously catchy song in the background of his video resume.

"I am often amazed by that myself," Barney admitted.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Would you be amazed if I said they recommended you for a promotion?" Zoe asked. "To Dean of Students."

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"Me? A Dean?" Did he look surprised? He was trying his best here. "I mean, if you consider the rest of the faculty, it's a natural assumption."

No, not really.

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Does that mean I would be incorrect in assuming that you don't want the promotion then?" Zoe asked. As far as she knew, he'd never been arrested, so that got him more points than Deadpool had at the moment, but... "Do you know what the Dean of Students is supposed to do?"

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"Of course I want the promotion! The prestige alone!" Was there prestige involved? Maybe a bigger office?

Barney knew one thing for certain the Dean of Students wasn't meant to do. "Dean the students?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

"You'd need to be there if students are having problems," Zoe said. "You have to be a good role model." Yes, sometimes she still believed in that.

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"My normal sense of dress alone is better than our Veep," Barney pointed out.

"And I am always there for my students. I took Weasley and that frog kid under my wing!" Okay, maybe not the frog. "I like to think I made a difference in their lives."

[bigdamnprincipal]

It was days like this that Zoe was glad she wasn't pregnant, and could drink.

"I don't have veto authority over the school board. If you want the job, then it's yours," she said. "All I will suggest is that you don't do anything to make me want to shoot you."

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"You know how to make a person think twice," Barney laughed but sobered quickly when he actually looked at her face. "Yeah, I think I'm good with not getting shot. Is there extended vision or dental coverage for Deans?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

"You get paid more," Zoe said. "Does that count?

[suit-of-awesome.livejournal.com]

"Absolutely!" Of course, Barney was still getting paid by GNB for...whatever it was he did there.

"Do I get a bigger office?"

[bigdamnprincipal]

"Yes, you get a bigger office," Zoe said, sounding just a little weary. "With great responsibility comes great office space with windows."