Zoe's Office - December 8

[bigdamndean]

After the pageant, Zoe went back to her office to do one of her least favorite activities - trying to come up with a way to explain the latest invasion to the school board in a way that didn't make her sound insane. She was starting to think that insanity might be preferable.

Comments

[demons_death]

John knocked on the door, having the feeling this would be where he'd find Zoe. "Let me guess," he said with a grin, leaning against the doorjamb. "Trying to figure out how to write up a troll invasion in such a way that they won't send the men in little white coats after you?"

[bigdamndean]

"It was so much easier to explain the snow monsters and the jello dragons. And that was certainly a sentence I never expected to say." Zoe laughed. "A principal's work is never done around here."

[demons_death]

"I've noticed that," John said, coming in and perching in what was becoming his accustomed spot on the edge of her desk. "So what exactly are you planning on explaining? The kidnappings? Or just the damge? It being a given of course that 'monsters who turn into stone when they die' is a fact to be skimmed over."

[bigdamndean]

"Just the damage. The school board doesn't need to know about the kidnappings, just the financial things," Zoe explained. "I'm thinking that 'There was a sudden rain of stone,' might not be the most believable turn of phrase."

[demons_death]

"Visiting frat boys getting a little -- or a lot -- out of hand?" John suggested.

[bigdamndean]

Zoe grinned. "Ooh, I like that." She scribbled that down to consider it, before sneaking a glance back up at John. "I think it's safe to say that you have a lot more experience in explaining the unexplainable than I do."

[demons_death]

John smiled. "Generally I'm trying to convince people the unexplainable's real and they're the ones coming up with all the 'mundane' explanations. But I've had my share of baffling them with bullshit too."

[bigdamndean]

"Do you manage to be convincing? When telling people that the unexplainable things are real, I mean. I can imagine how poorly that must go over."

[demons_death]

"Depends on how tightly they're hanging onto their denial," John said. "And how close they've encountered.... whatever it is they don't want to believe."

[bigdamndean]

Zoe nodded thoughtfully. "I can understand that. I never did believe in Reavers until I saw them up close. It was hard to hold onto denial after that."

[demons_death]

"Yeah. Seeing is usually believing, even when you don't really want to." He smiled slightly. "One of my new neighbours -- a young woman named Aiden -- I'm pretty sure thought I was crazy when I told her about what I did and some of the more... unusual residents of the island. I'm fairly sure, she's not having that same problem after this past weekend."

[bigdamndean]

"That's certainly a rough way to be introduced to the island. But, I suppose she knows to trust you now, and to stay indoors if crazy things start to happen. Which would make her smarter than some of the students, I have to admit."

[demons_death]

"A lot of them were out there trying to rescue friends -- and family," John pointed out. "Hard to sit on the sidelines when someone you care about is in danger."

[bigdamndean]

Zoe sighed softly, setting her letter aside. "I know. And a lot of the students have more combat training and experience than anyone their age would be expected to have. I get caught sometimes between just letting them go to get more experience in fighting, and telling myself that they're children."

[demons_death]

"I know that dilemna well. How much training and experience do they need to keep them safe versus how much am I taking away from their childhood." John sighed. "It seems to be a balance that's almost impossible to be sure you've gotten right."

[bigdamndean]

"If it makes you feel any better, I think your boys seem pretty well adjusted," Zoe said reassuringly. "And you've got a unique situation with the kind of environment you all live in. There are students here who never touched a weapon before they came here, and hopefully won't need to after they leave."