fandomhigh | Ethics Class, Monday, 2-4pm

"Angelus is gone," Tara informs the class solemnly. "Now, I know you've all heard the 'evil soul' excuse before, and that you're sick and tired of it. I am too. It would be nice if you could just trust that each person had only one face. However, with the number of unrelated identical twins running around the place, that was never going to happen, so let's all just let it go and deal with what is. Angelus is gone, and Angel is here.

"Most of you know that Angelus and I are Sunnydale expatriots. I assure you that I am in a better position than almost anyone you can think of to guarantee that he and Angel are very, very different people.

"With that in mind, today's discussion is about punishment for crimes done - and I say with that in mind, because if Angel does have the courage to walk through that door today, I will not tolerate anyone accusing him of crimes that were committed through his mouth and hands, but without his knowledge or consent. Please think of him as an unrelated identical twin, as different as Archie and Lee, or Cameron and John Crichton."

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Angel tried to process that. "I thought the Powers told you to study me while I'm evil."

"They did." Tara replies quietly. "And I did. Now I'm looking at the problem from another perspective. Yours."

"I only have a problem if someone tries to take the soul away," Angel said. "Now not to be all ungenerous after you were good enough to bring me here, but if you're going to take it out again just because the Powers told you to let's have that conversation now so you can understand that you and I are not going to be good friends."

"I don't expect your friendship, Angel," Tara replies, looking down at the floor in front of his feet. "And I have no intention of taking the soul out again - although at the moment I trust Angelus more than I trust you. Him I knew what to expect. You I don't.

"I did the spell for two reasons. One was to save a friend's life, because I believed Angelus would target her soon. The other was to save his life, and yours, because you are needed and necessary. Your life is sacrosanct, and Angelus would be staked on sight if he came back here. I can't allow that to happen. The Powers can't allow that to happen."

[ooc: And I am thus defeated by timezones, and must go to sleep. Sorry!]

"I won't allow that to happen," Angel said. "Everybody else who wants a vote can get in line behind me.

"You say you don't trust me. Good. You shouldn't. But what I want to know right now is why I should trust you."

[ooc: Np, have to go to work. But I think now I've got enough that I can figure out what he'll be like in class.]

Tara sighs, the sound more disgusted than sad.

"I could list reasons until I'm blue in the face and it wouldn't make a single difference, Angel. Trust me or don't trust me, it's your choice. Caging him behind you cost more than you will ever understand, and I'm not going to spend any more energy justifying myself to you."

"I'm not going to let the soul come out," Angel said. "Try and take it from me and we're going to have a problem."

Throwing up her hands, Tara demands, "who is trying to take it from you? I just shoved it back in there - why the hell would I go to all that effort if I was going to turn around and remove it the next day?"

"Hey, I just got here," Angel said. "I don't know who to trust and considering what happens when I don't have the soul forgive me if I'm a little skittish."

"I answer directly to the Powers," Tara replies wearily. "And you're their golden boy. Trust me or not, those two are facts neither one of us can change."

Tension radiated off of Angel. It looked as though he was ready to snap and start hitting something.

Then, like a switch had been flipped, it was gone. He took a step back and unclenched the fist that had been at his side.

"So..." he said, as though this was like talking about the weather, "does being one of theirs suck for you as much as it does me?"

"Well, it has its perks," replies Tara, her mouth twisting unhappily. "I'd still be dead if it wasn't for them. But no, I'm not going to be sending them Christmas presents. Except for you, I guess. I'll probably get whatever passes for a promotion from them for bringing you back into the fold. Feel free to tell them to go do something anatomically impossible to themselves."

"I'll do that," Angel said. He looked towards the door. "What are we going to do about class?"

"Well, I'm down a TA." Tara looks at him, evaluatingly. "Do you even want to be in this class? I mean, it was Angelus that signed up, not you."

"I'll stay," Angel said. "Though I'm admittedly basking in the irony of firing an Ethics TA for having a soul."

"I'm not firing you," Tara corrects. "But I'm not assuming you'll keep a job your counterpart wanted. Do you want to be my TA?"

"I..." Angel shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it. But now that I am, I think I should. Just don't expect me to be telling them the same things that Angelus did."

"I don't expect you to do anything other than challenge their preconceived notions. That's the job."

"Considering how many of them think that Angelus was their friend," Angel said, "or that souling me was a bad idea, that's a challenge I'm happy to take on."

(deleted comment)

"What do you need me to do?" Angel asked.

[ooc: And will it be possible for him to do it considering how late it is, and LJ's not sending any of his fellow students comment notification?]

[ooc: Oh, good point. Okay, let's back up a step. Will repost provisos.]

"Alright then," Tara nods. "Take today and next Monday to get yourself acclimatised. The next session of classes - next Friday and the following Monday - we'll consider a trial. If you can do the job, it's yours. If not, I'll take applications for a new TA the week after."

"That's fair," Angel said. "Anything else?"

"Not for the TA position. As a student, however, Angelus' grades are currently your grades. If you're unhappy with that, or would like to revisit any of the class discussions, next Monday will be dedicated to catching up."

Ethics Class, Monday, 2-4pm

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