fandomhigh | Advanced Criminal Justice, Class 22, Period 1, 03.30.06

[OOC: Still more relatively light stuff. Still more likely non-respondiness at work. Class Info Post.]

"Hello, class! Today we'll be talking about one of the most important figures in the Justice System: The Judge."

"The judge is the Mayor of Justice City. He tells the police they can arrest an evildoer, referees the trials that determine if a person is innocent or guilty, looks off to the side when a superhero causes minor property damage while fighting The Good Fight, and looks keen in a snazzy black robe. The judge is, simply put, the guy to be!"

"Judges get to be judges by being keen lawyers first. If they do their job and impress people enough, they can upgrade from their position as mild-mannered attorneys to become Kings of the Justice Hill!"

"Once you are a judge, it's your right and responsibility to look at the law and make decisions based on it. So while they wield a lot of power, they also have to be careful about using it because it can be used as precedent."

"Today, I'd like you to just talk about judges and the court system a bit. Also be sure to take a little bit of time to work with your group! Your project is due Tuesday!"

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"I guess I can see how training a gifted kid, without any background, could be a pain in the ass. But he probably thought it was worth it." Parker shrugged. "And kids ask questions, at least they should. Your Jedi need to lighten up. And so do you, you're on your way to a scalping with that yanking, you know that?"

Anakin, hand reaching up to yank at his braid yet again, stopped with a blush. "Sorry. Nervous habit. And if it falls out there would be hell to pay," he said. He smiled softly. "I hope he thinks it was worth it. I know there were about a dozen other Masters who thought they should be training me instead, many more who thought I shouldn't be there at all."

He amused himself for a moment imagining Parker telling Master Windu to lighten up. He probably had a pretty goofy look on his face while he did so.

"They'd blame you for your hair falling out? What do they do if you shave it?" She made a face. "And what stupid thing do they make species without hair do?"

"That's the thing about being a prodigy. The training is more about the power or prestige of the teacher than it is about the pupil sometimes." She thinks of Mr. Raines, and shudders. She studies the silly smile on Anakin's face, and grins. "Do I want to know?"

"Shave it?" Anakin squeaked. "Never. It's what shows that I'm a Padawan. Cutting it off before I've been raised to Knighthood? Impossible." He waved it at her. "This shows how long you've been training. Longer braid, dumber Padawan."

He frowned. "And I've never asked what they make the species without hair do. I figure it's probably just as humiliating and if I can't see it, I'm better off not knowing."

He smiled. "I was just thinking what would happen if you told one of the Masters to lighten up. It would be entertaining. And Obi-Wan has never been concerned by prestige--I think that's why the Council picked him to teach me."

Parker thinks any organization that's that concerned with your hair is verging on cult-hood, but the only part she refutes is, "What's the youngest anyone has made knight?" Then she blinks. "Good call on not asking. Better not to know."

"Yay, Obi-Wan." She grinned again. "I knew I liked him for a reason. And hey, you know I'd be happy to send the Council an e-mail telling them they needed to mellow out." Cocking her head, she adds thoughtfully, "Sydney never cared about prestige, either. Just the teaching."

"It normally takes twenty or thirty years of training with a Master before the Council will even consider making you a Knight," Anakin said. "Obi-Wan was younger, but those were rather special circumstances--his Master had just been killed and, well, there was me, and he had promised his Master he would train me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Who's Sydney?"

"So I think the whole 'long braid, dumb padawan' lacks some validity there. Jeez. You started late, even if you're unique." Parker shakes her head. "Freak geniuses, I swear. You're not less impressive if you're not breaking a new record every week, you know."

"Sydney is my godfather." A lie told so often now that it's the truth as she thinks of it. He holds that place her life, even if he wasn't at her baptism. "And my friend--" Parker blinks, and laughs suddenly, bright and surprised. "My boyfriend Jarod's teacher, for a long time. Memory exercises, calculations, problem-solving, the works. He's a psychiatrist."

"But I like breaking records," Anakin said, sticking his lower lip out.

He listened to what Sydney had taught nodding his head. "Sounds familiar," he said. "I should probably go talk with Jarod--seems like we have a lot in common."

He thought of his conversation with Rory. "Think he'd be interested in playing chess?"

"Rory's said that before." Parker grins. "He's a genius too, for what it's worth. And tends to get bored easily."

She almost blanched. "Um. Chess?"

Anakin gave her a wicked smile. "Sounds like my kind of guy. Maybe we could build you a television or something."

He nodded. "Chess." He waved his hands. "Holographic pieces, moving around on a board? Rory said you have it here. Or is it just a Connecticut thing?"

"Holographic?" Parker frowned, and latched onto the partial truth. "No, I haven't seen that before. That might be a Connecticut thing?" Repress, deny, avoid... "I just gave Jarod a set of dominos, though. You can set them up to make patterns and then knock them over to make new ones. You might have fun with that."

Anakin's eyes were shining. "Oooh. Sounds like fun."

She grinned, and did not think the words 'play date.'

Jarod and Anakin are way too old for that.

Advanced Criminal Justice, Class 22, Period 1, 03.30.06

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