fandomhigh | Care and Feeding of Hirelings, 2nd Period [Session 6]

Hook had ~~handwavily~~ announced earlier that today the class would meet in the Danger Shop. Once the few and the proud had gathered, he switched on the program, which projected a single figure: a bearded, short, man with a bizarre piratey dress sense.

"This, dear children, is Smee. Or at least a much more tolerable version of the man, as it replicates neither his incessant prattling or his peculiar smell." He chuckled at his own humor. "But as much as I do decry the man, he was an excellent second in command. The fellow who knew what I was thinking, the fellow that rubbed my feet and got me my wine after a hard day of captaining. Having a man or woman you can trust, at least as much as you can trust any person, is probably one of the most needed parts of of leadership. There is just one simple rule in this situation, one simple rule. Never choose a second in command who could replace you."

He smirked. "But, Captain Hook, you are thinking to yourselves. Why would I not put the most capable person in my employ in such an esteemed position so they can be the best second in command possible?" He laughed again.

"Because then they will learn they could do your job, and they will seek to take over. Even the most loyal, in my experience. Trust only those that you know you can defeat. Everyone else, you keep close, so that you can stab them in the back before they stab you. And I do mean that literally."

He grinned. "So you've seen Smee, now I want to hear who you would all pick as your second in command. Not in abstract, no, no, no. I want to hear about the actual person."

[ooc: ~~OCD comin' up!~~ Open and ready for students]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*Of course you don't,* Karla sent innocently. *So I made some up. If they lead to you being underestimated, well, such a pity, no?*

"Ambition for what? I can be brutal if you get in the way of the last pair of Franco Sartos in my size!" she offered sweetly. "Taking over from Karla? Please. Glacia is cold."

Hook tilted his head and pondered that for a moment.

"You wouldn't have any real interest in playing her second fiddle, would you?" he asked.

"That was not the point of the assignment," Karla was quick to point out, hands still folded demurely on her desk. "I was asked to name someone based on qualifications, not whether or not they'd agree."

"I do want to help," she pointed out, all wide-eyed earnestness. "Karla has a lot to do with Glacia, and if there's something I can do, I will."

"But part of my usefulness is that I don't know the Protocol, and can get away with things others can't. If I tried to be Karla, that would be a disaster. I'd have about thirty seconds before her adorable - but rather large cousin Lucivar tossed me through a portal back to my own world."

"Whether or not they'd agree is a very important part of their qualifications, isn't it?" Hook pointed out to Karla.

"As for you..." Hook said, turning back to Emma. "There's something not right about you."

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, though.

Emma just nodded ~~fake~~sadly. "I hear that from people a lot."

That line made it incredibly hard for Karla to keep a straight face, but she persevered. Thank the Darkness for Court training.

"And Peter wants to name his...what? Eleven year old sister? You presented this as a hypothetical situation. Emma is my hypothetical answer. Whether or not she is feasible--after all, she has her own life to attend to--did not seem to be part of the assignment."

"Hypotheticals still require real-world consideration," Hook said. "At no point did I frame it as 'who would you pick, assuming you could remove the bits of them that would make them unsuitable'. But you're right, I only asked you to pick someone. And it seems you chose... poorly."

He turned to Emma. "I'm sorry, lass, your friend appears to have poor judgment."

"And what, pray tell," Karla asked sweetly, "are you basing that on? Do share."

"Because I'm pretty sure Peter over there," he always said that name with enough disdain that it could sour milk, "had a better choice in his little sister. Miss Frost here appears to be as reliable and dependable as using a sieve to drink your soup."

"While I admit that she might be lacking the fine foot-rubbing and wine-fetching qualities your second was so gifted with, but, and I quote--" Karla read off from her notebook, "Having a man or woman you can trust, at least as much as you can trust any person, is probably one of the most needed parts of of leadership. That would be direct from your lecture, sir. I trust Emma. She's willing to back me. She also can't replace me, which was the second half of your fine lecture."

She gave him a bright and insincere smile. "So either you're a hypocrite, an incompetent teacher, or simply attempting to get a rise out of Emma while successfully getting a rise out of me."

"I'm afraid I must disagree with his assessment," Emma said, just as sweetly as Karla. "In that Val would eventually wack Peter over the head if he pushed her limits too far, and that I object that I'm unreliable. I can always be relied upon to do two things: Whatever is best for myself and my people, and whatever I find amusing."

Her smile was slightly sharklike as she turned to Karla. "I'm sorry, lass, your teacher appears to have poor comprehension abilities. I don't think he noticed how I followed your lead there, so why don't I lead you to ice cream?"

Hook just cackled in laughter. "I knew there was something going on!" he said. He'd have clapped his hands together in mirth, if it wouldn't have ended in unfortunate stigmata-like side effects. "You're too clever by half, aren't you Miss Frost?"

"Hence why people often say there's something not right about me," Emma replied tranquilly. "Sometimes, it's like I know what they're thinking."

Don't laugh, Karla, or Emma will get started and won't be able to stop.

Care and Feeding of Hirelings, 2nd Period [Session 6]

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