fandomhigh | [Open Classroom: Journalism classroom]

[Open Classroom: Journalism classroom]

Very early Sunday morning, Krycek once again reached the Journalism classroom to open it for students and parents to visit ~~because he'd rather not have breakfast with Jacob sr if he can help it~~.

Around the room are several projects with attention grabbing posters and fliers.

Say Yes to Body Art! [Warning: Some disturbing imagery]

Say Yes to Unprotected Sex!

Say Yes to Vampires!

Say Yes to Student Government Accountability!

Say Yes to Celine Dion!

Say Yes to Smoking! [Warning: Also disturbing, maybe.]

As was true yesterday, the large screens up at the head of the class are set up to display various images, some of them of the students during classtime, some of them current news footage - all are turned to a very low volume so as to allow conversation at reasonable levels.

Krycek wanders around the room a little, restless, fiddling with the coffee maker until it begins to brew and straightening up in general. The candy teeth of yesterday are noticeably weaker, snapping only in a half-hearted manner. Krycek almost feels sorry for them.

[ooc: You aren't required to sit in on your project, but you might want to have at least one person do so - remember, Spider's watching.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Phoebe comes in to sit with her team's journalism project and find and finish her story that she needs to get to Chloe. Her heart is just not in it as she cleans the classroom not once, but twice. She straightens up her group's display and then cleans around everyone else's, too.

She places the forms she got from Buffy and Evelyn on Spider's desk, and then sits back down. She opens up her laptop and starts working on other classwork.

Why no, she isn't actively hiding from her boyfriend so as not to cause him trouble. Why do you ask?

Krycek watches her clean up right after he's just finished, eyes narrowing. When she walks near enough to be within hissing distance, he addresses her icily. "I did that already. Some people might find it deliberately insulting that you decided their doing it wasn't good enough."

Phoebe glared back at him, her voice a little shaky.

"If you would notice, I am not trying to insult you," her voice is also an icy hiss. "I am trying to keep myself fucking busy so I do not lose my goddamned mind before this whole fucked-up weekend is over." She clenches her hands at her sides. "Some of us do not purposefully step on people and make them feel bad just because we can. This someone wants a drink, a goddamned cigarette and I am sorry if you think I am fucking insulting you by trying to keep busy while I am in here."

Phoebe is not in a good mood and the hurt from the way Krycek treated her when she wanted advice and then at the meeting with Spider is still a burning wound.

He stills, going from cold to completely blank, staring at her. "There are other things that you could be doing, I'm sure, that don't include things already finished," he informs her quietly. "And some of us apparently feel that people they've barely spoken to in weeks still should jump when they say so. Your recent emotional upheaval does not excuse a lack of diplomacy." Krycek doesn't seem terribly bothered by the argument, or to be showing much emotion in any direction, really.

Phoebe flinches.

"And some people obviously think that asking for advice means that someone is expecting you to jump on their say so. As for diplomacy," she smirks at Krycek. "Emotions and diplomacy weren't things that some people ever demonstrated."

Phoebe sighs. She doesn't like fighting with Krycek. She misses drinking with him and just talking to him without worrying he was going to try to kill her or get her into bed.

"Look," she says quietly. "Some of us realized they fucked up and were coming with hat in hand for advice and to apologize. Some of us felt really bad that when they were being stalked and in danger, they didn't let people they cared about know what was going on. Some of us made a very big, very stupid mistake and is more sorry than they could ever put into words."

She looked at him, trying to form a blank expression. "Some of us would rewind time if they could and fix what they fucked up. Some of us would also consider just quitting and walking away." She sighed agin. "Some of us are just no good at being a martyr or dealing when someone they respect and care about is justifiably upset with them."

Escaping his parents and looking to catch a moment with Phoebe, Belthazor walked into hear the coversation. "And some of us," he said coolly, "are going to kick someone's ass if they don't stop being a fucking dick."

About to answer Phoebe, Krycek is brought up short by Belthazor's interruption. He turns toward him, looking at Belthazor evenly, and then asks without inflection, "Is that a threat?"

"I would never threaten one of Jerusalem's pet monkeys in his own classroom, in front of all his paranoia cameras and recorders," Belthazor said with a predatory grin. "Just like I'm sure you would never go out of your way to spitefully harrass someone for no good reason."

Krycek arches an eyebrow. "'Spitefully harrass'? Phoebe - who as far as I know is still employed by Professor Jerusalem and therefore one of his 'pet monkeys' as you say- and I were having a discussion about our differences, which I don't believe you were invited to join. As I don't want to be party to anything which might cause her to lose her erstwhile defender-" At which statement Krycek nods his head, pushing away from his group's table. "I believe I will remove myself from the conversation. Thanks, Turner, and remember to smile nice for the camera."

With that, Krycek turns and leaves for the head of the classroom by the feedscreens.

"Bite me, monkey boy," Belthazor cheerfully called after him.

Phoebe felt her stomach drop as she watched Krycek walk away. Once he was out of earshot, she touched Cole's arm.

"Be careful, Love," she said softly. "I don't want to cause you to get detention."

"I'm not worried about it," Cole said. "If I get detention, then he sure as hell better get it for harrassing you. If he doesn't, it's just proof his nose is so far up Jersalem's ass that he can get away with anything."

He brought his hand up to Phoebe's cheek. "Let me know if he bothers you again. I don't want to make things hard for you but I'm not going to let them get away with treating you like that."

Phoebe leaned into his hand and nodded.

"I've missed you. Are you okay?"

"My mother is a raving bitch, but that's nothing new," Cole said. He lowered his head and kissed Phoebe. "A few more hours and they'll be gone and things can get back to normal."

"Your mother sounds very unpleasant," she said softly as they kissed again.

"The sooner we can get back to normal the better."

Angela waves to Phoebe as she takes a seat by the "Say Yes to Smoking!" display.

Patty and Danielle stop by the Journalism class to meet up with Angela. "Angela..." Patty's voice hovers between curious and disturbed. "What are these posters?"

"They're kind of jokes, I guess? I mean, the assignment was to be provocative. So we, like, provoked. My group did the smoking one."

"And your professor was okay with the imagery being so disturbing?"

Angela snorts at the idea of Spider being upset by anything as mild as the pictures George found. "I'm sorry. If you met Mr. Jerusalem, you so would not ask that question. He probably thinks these are wussy."

"Well, at least it looks as if your group to the project into serious consideration, and addressed a topic like smoking, instead of Celine Dion. Although her blight on society should not be underestimated, I suppose."

Angela considers trying to explain the Male Fans of Celine Dion to her mother and decides it's not worth the trouble, or the gray hairs it would no doubt add to Patty's collection. Instead, she just smiles and nods. "Yeah. We, um, tried to take it seriously. My friend Rory -- we're going to brunch with her? She helped on it, and this girl George and this guy Jayne."

She turns to Danielle. "The whole point of those is that they're sarcastic. So really it's saying that unprotected sex is stupid."

Danielle is staring at the body modification and smokng displays in horrified fascination. "Grosssss....."

She turns to Angela. "So is your school actually, like, telling you to have sex? Ew."

Patty looks slightly disturbed. "Danielle! Keep your voice down. The posters are a parody. They're actually supposed to be warning the students to use condoms, I believe," she cocks her head, "although they are not very well done. And they are obviously for a high school audience who can understand them. We'll talk about this when we get home."

"Exactly. Thank you.

Mom, my friend Phoebe is over there. want to meet her?"

After getting done snaping back at Krycek, Phoebe smiles in relief at her friend and waves back. She moves to go to her side, until she sees Angela's family come in. Rather than intruding, she goes back to her display.

A few moments later, Angela gestures Patty and Danielle over to meet Phoebe.

"Mom, this is my friend Phoebe Halliwell. Phoebe is our school president. Phoebe, this is my mother, Patricia Chase, and my sister, Danielle."

Under her breath, she mutters "What's up with him?," indicating Krycek with the jerk of her chin.

Patty smiles, and offers her hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Halliwell. Congratulations on your election."

Phoebe shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you, as well, Mrs. Chase," she said with a smile. "Thank you, but I couldn't have done it without the support of your daughter."

"I didn't realize Angela helped in the campaign," she looks to Angela with a suprised glance, before turning back to Phoebe, "Are you a Journalism student as well?"

Phoebe smiles. "Angela didn't have an official hand in the campaign, but she was my friend and she was alsways there with a suportive word when I felt like I just couldn't campaign any longer." She nods politely. "Yes Ma'am. I'm in Professor Jerusalem's Combat Journalism class."

Phoebe smiles at Angela and gives her a grateful look.

"He's pissed at me,' she said softly.

Angela nods. "I kind of got that. I'm sorry, whatever it is."

"He's being an ass," she whispers. Phoebe shrugs. "I'll deal. How's the wekend been for you?"

"Mixed. Some very bad parts, some kind of good stuff, mostly not as painful as I feared. Though some of it might have just not hit me yet."

"I think I heard your grandmother was coming -- how was that?"

Phoebe looked at Angela and shook her head.

"I haven't gotten to spend any time with her. I've been doing school stuff."

Veronica and Keith stop by the Journalism room after their chat with Principal Connor so Veronica can check on her group's display and show her dad her work.

"That one is my group's," she tells him, pointing to the Say Yes to Unprotected Sex! display.

Keith looks at the display, looks at his daughter, looks back at the display and says, "It's a joke, right?"

"No, Dad. We really think that all of the students should indulge in unprotected sex. Start the AIDS thing back in full swing."

She grins and tilts her head.

"What do you think?"

He makes a face at her sarcasm.

"It's... original. If it works, it's brilliant, but if people don't get that it's a joke... it could just make things worse. Definitely risky. What other reactions have you been getting?"

"I think everyone gets the joke thing, Dad. Especially since one of the flyers actually has condoms on it."

She smiles again.

"Any other teachers or authority figures you'd like to humiliate me in front of today?"

"Well you never know with high school kids. I remember not being the sharpest tool in the shed back then."

"Of course - that's my job; what are my options?"

"I think Professor Maclay is in. She teaches Ethics. Want to head there?"

"Sounds good to me."

Marty walks into the room looking for Angela, sees Veronica and bolts.

At the other end of the room, after leaving Bel and Phoebe alone (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomhigh/292998.html?thread=14456198#t14456198), Krycek sits at Spider's desk and rummages in a lower drawer.

Coming back out with a bottle with strange liquid and some pills, he swallows the latter with the help of the former, making an odd face at the taste of it. He then turns and waves to one of the cameras, smiling almost gleefully at it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Open Classroom: Journalism classroom]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject