Staff Meeting [Friday Afternoon]

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe had met with the teenagers, now it was time to meet with the grownups after handwavily messaging them all about the meeting. There were more sweets among the sandwiches and salad for the staff - donuts, cookies, etc. - but no alcohol among the drinks unless someone brought their own. With this group, she pretty much expected it.

"Hello folks, thank you all for coming. I know some of you are very busy," she said. "I wanted everyone to have a chance to get together in case any problems have come up in your classes, or with any of your students. Also, we're going to be getting ready for the summer sessions soon, so be thinking about what you might want to teach and who you might want to teach it with. That's all I've got in the way of speechifying, so if you need anything, just flag me down."

[Going OCD-free today!]

Comments

[bigdamnprincipal]

Zoe had acquired a large cup of coffee and a muffin, and was working her way through both as she casually went around the room, listening in on conversations.

It was kind of part of her job, as far as she was concerned.

[SP warning for the day as I flee southward!]

[locointhecoco]

Pinkie was somewhat less boisterous than her usual self. She was making an effort, but she was clearly distracted by something.

For one thing, she'd been nibbling on the same donut for a full two minutes now. Usually she'd've lapped it down in one giant slurp.

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara hadn't brought booze, though she suspected she might want to in the future. "There's a couple of students who could do with having their head's cracked together," she drawled. "Unfortunately only one of them's mine this semester."

[vdistinctive]

"They're teenagers," Eliot said. "Bein' idiots is kind of a given."

[wrongkindofsith]

Some teenagers hadn't been allowed that luxury. "They're at school, they can learn not to be idiots."

Through head cracking.

[vdistinctive]

"Suppose anything is possible," Eliot said. "Wouldn't call it likely."

Some of them were really very hard headed.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot stuck to the corners, where he could see the whole room. He'd've stayed home, but when he took a job he took it seriously. Even when it was just teaching.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker made sure he saw her approaching. And handed him a brass monkey. (http://imgur.com/aj0ls) "Here. I bought it for you."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot took the monkey automatically, then nearly dropped it when he saw what it was.

Well. At least it wasn't sapphire.

"Wh -- you -- you bought something?"

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker got a mulish look on her face. "I can do that. Well. I traded for it. A microbrew. And it wasn't my microbrew."

So see? It's almost the same as stealing!

[vdistinctive]

Eliot was very confused. It made for a nice break from being paranoid and kinda terrified.

"I -- what --" He looked down at the monkey. "Why does it have a mirror?"

That was not the question he was going to ask.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

But it was almost like a normal conversation! Right?... Sort of?

"I don't know. He's not one of See or Hear No Evil things, and those are kind of weird anyway. Maybe he's Monkey-see, Monkey do?"

Monkey see himself, monkey ... look shocked?

"See, you can pick him up by his tail!"

[talentforlying]

To be honest, Constantine always looked at least mildly hungover, rather rumpled, and completely sleep-deprived. It was part of his charm. Really.

So his obvious adding of something 'extra' from a flask into his coffee just to stay awake during this administrative nicey-nice nonsense was nothing new either. A bit grumpier, maybe, but nothing out of the ordinary.

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

Hannibal was here, mostly hoping that someone would have an answer - or at least a speculation - as to what was causing the island's sickness.

He could even ply them with homemade chocolate croissants (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-filled-croissants-104000), if necessary.

The coffee was just for himself, though. Or as a last resort.

[glacial_queen]

"Can we table conversation about next semester for a second and talk about what the Hell is up with the island right now?" Karla asked, barely refraining from snarling that. "The dying land, the maddened teal deer, the thefts?"

Her hand went back up to her throat, which looked naked without the Ebon-gray sitting in its customary spot.

...In truth, she was wearing her Birthright Sapphire instead, but that was covered by several sight shields. She was taking no chances at all with it going missing, too.

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

"Thefts?" Hannibal frowned. It was difficult not to notice her lack of Jewel, but he hadn't realized it had been stolen. The land and deer could be anything - "theft" meant a person involved. "What happened?"

[glacial_queen]

"I don't know," Karla said tightly. "I was napping in my office after doing Craft in the preserve to try to figure out what was going on with the land. I fell asleep wearing my Jewel and woke up to a broken chain. My Ebon-gray was gone."

And when she found out who had taken it, she was going to call you, Hannibal, and demand that you cater a goddamn feast.

"Kayla was with me. Whoever stole my necklace had to pass by Kayla--" She couldn't finish that thought.

[never-dull.livejournal.com]

Hannibal offered her a strong arm if she wanted a hug, but didn't insist. "Kayla is unharmed?"

He would be pleased to cater that for you, Karla.

[glacial_queen]

"She's fine," Karla said, taking him up on that hug. "Thank the Darkness, she's fine. But when I just think of what could have been stolen--"

Of course, if Kayla had been kidnapped, they wouldn't be having this conversation. There wouldn't be an island left to have this conversation on. It would have been a race to see who could cause more destruction first, Karla or Jono.

"Kayla was chewing on a toy when I woke up. The only thing that had been disturbed was my Jewel."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't me," Parker said, popping out of nowhere. "It's pretty but too personal. And babies are frightening."

Holy crap SO SCARY.

[glacial_queen]

Karla jumped, hand twitching in an aborted gesture to call a blast of power.

"Hasn't anyone told you not to startle people?" she asked, other hand clutching at her heart.

[vdistinctive]

"What thefts?" Eliot asked. Were Hardison and Parker going around telling people about the Black Book, now?

He'd totally missed what was going on with the trees and deer, too, but that stayed on the back burner to thefts.

[glacial_queen]

"Someone stole my Jewel," Karla said, gesturing to her throat. "And another friend of mine is missing something as well."

She was fairly certain that Jono's letter had been stolen now. She'd done a full sweep of the shop and had found nothing.

"Why? Do you know of anymore?"

[vdistinctive]

Of course it was a necklace. Of course it was a necklace. Eliot reached up to check that the claw was still in place.

"Some friends of mine lost -- a hard drive."

That was safe enough to reveal. He didn't have to mention what was on the hard drive.

[glacial_queen]

"So it sounds like there's some kind of...land-killing thief running around the island," Karla said, scowling. "That makes a whole lotta sense, really."