Business as Usual (open)

[lorelai]

What. a. day! First she had to break up two teens that had gotten into a fistfight, drag them to the infirmary, file a behavior report for each of them, and then notify the Dean of the property damage they caused flailing fists with Enhanced Muscular Growth. Then she had to help a traumatized young faerie find her pet frog. Then she had to un-stick a boy from the wall. She didn't even know how that could have happened, and he was stuck on there so well that she had to grab back-up! Now, she had just sent a boy to the office - hopefully someone else could deal with him - and she had a hysterical girl with an injured wrist to tend to.

She was half-sprinting across The Academy's grounds, her arm around the girl's waist to help her hurry along. That wrist looked bad, and she had to have Redwicke see it as soon as possible.

It was times like this where she found herself daydreaming: just when she began developing a migraine from all the yelling, screaming, and running back and forth, someone would swoop in and announce they needed her to lead an expedition. They'd relieve her of her present duties and she would depart immediately for some Great Big Adventure. Maybe she'd go to Egypt. Or the Amazon. Heck, she'd rather be anywhere but on campus grounds ferrying kids to the infirmary all day. Sure, she loved kids, but come on! Shouldn't the Head of the Agents be doing something more exciting and fun than babysitting?

They were just pulling my leg when they gave me that promotion, I know it. Someone'll leap out from behind that tree going "Ha ha! We got you good, Lorelai! Your official title is really Head Kid-watcher!"

The girl's sharp cry of pain brought her back to Earth.

"Don't touch it!" Lorelai warned, using one hand to bat the girl's other arm away from her injured wrist. "You're only gonna make it worse. We'll be there soon, and they'll fix you right up, good as new! Nothing to worry about."

The girl blinked at her escort through her tears, clearly unassured.

"You know, when I was a girl your age, I got banged up like this all the time!" Lorelai continued, trying to lighten the mood. "It's no big."

The girl gave Lorelai a disbelieving stare.

"It hurts, I know, but hey, that's just a temporary thing!" She continued quickly, realizing her mistake. The poor girl probably didn't appreciate her making light of all the pain she was suffering. She'd have to bonk herself on the head later for making such a careless comment. "You gotta look on the bright side. It's probably just a sprain, and before ya know it, you'll be back to throwing fireballs or whatever it is you crazy kids do these days!"

The girl looked just a little more at ease, and Lorelai gave a triumphant smile. Mission accomplished! Now to get to that clinic...

"And that kid, what's-his-face, Jimmy Madison? He'll get his just desserts, don't you worry. His bullying butt is probably sitting in the office right now!"

The clinic was in sight! It wouldn't be long now!

"Besides, I bet he's just got a crush on you. Boys always pick on the girls they have crushes on. Sure, pushing them down the stairs is a little extreme- oh, here we are!"

A quick glance at her watch told her that she made it all the way to Redwicke's front step in less than five minutes. Maybe that's why they gave her Nia's job. She could be mistaken for a speedster!

"Just head right in there, and the nurse'll have you fixed up in a jiffy!"

Poor kid. That was definitely a broken wrist. She thought to herself, shaking her head as the sniffling girl entered Redwicke's Medical Practice.

[jasper]

Jasper wasn't sure how it happened. In fact he didn't even want to know. All he had was the basic jist of it, and if he knew more he might just let his little Inner Monologue slip out and reveal him to be more than just the emotional shell Messenger, puppet of the Breseis Coven.
Basically he came to the University around four in the morning on apperant urgent business with a higher ranked vampire. (Then again, being in the Breseis Coven, every vampire thought they had high rank, didn't they?) It must've been some pretty damn good or horribly bad news to rush out at such an odd hour. Vampires usually made trips at about ten O' clock at night and ended before one AM, to avoid sunlight completely as a serious precaution.

Well after the higher vampire had reached his destination Jasper was stuck waiting in the hall for hours until finally they were forced to spend the day there. Now it was about an hour to sunset and he could not wait to leave. He wanted, so badly, to wrap one of the University's thick curtains around himself and sprint to the dark, incredibly tinted car and just bail, but he couldn't because, alas, he was just The Messenger and as such had to stay with his superior until he decided to leave.

So here was poor Jasper, sitting in what he thought used to be a broom closet, keeping himself concealed from any possible sunlight that would be streaming into the halls of the University. Jasper didn't really need much to keep himself amused most the time considering he just slept, but now he was starting to get restless; he kept glancing at his watch, wondering how long it had been. It seemed each time he checked and thought perhaps an hour had passed it had only been five minutes.
"That damn bastard probably did this on purpose. Trying to teach me a lesson or show me my place or something."
He thought spitefully to himself. Seems like something those snot-nosed, upperclass wannabe, traditionalist vampires would do.
It was during his inner monologue rant that he stood up and began to pace the small three foot by six foot room. There was a single cot with a blanket and pillow and a tiny night stand with a crappy lamp on it.
"I'm in a prison cell."
He stated to himself, finally stopping his pacing and rumaging.

"I hate my job."
He finally said aloud to himself.

[lorelai]

Lorelai stared uneasily at the door the wounded girl had just entered. She regretted letting her go in there alone, when she was in pain and afraid, but she couldn't stay. Knowing her luck, that kid who was stuck to the wall would be back on it again, screaming bloody murder, and it would be up to her to set him free. She sighed and began to make her way back to The Academy.

Well, they'll fix her right up. They're trained professionals in there. No sense in worrying about it! Besides, I can check on her during my break hour. She told herself, shaking off the gloom that had been slowly gathering about her. It just wouldn't do for the Head of the Agents to be walking around killing morale like some kind of...depressed...thing.

Before long, she was walking through the main academy building's front doors, on the alert for any signs of mischief. So far, the coast was clear, but she wasn't holding her breath. Knowing her luck, she'd probably have a successful patrol, make it back to the doorway of her office, and immediately be called to take care of some 'emergency' before she had a chance to sit down.

'I hate my job.'

Aha! Someone was Gloomy in The Academy. She stopped in her tracks, searching for whoever was infecting her Academy with negative energy, but she found no one. There wasn't anyone in the area that was close enough to sound so near...unless there was someone in that broom closet over there.

What a ridiculous idea! What would someone be doing in a broom closet? Surely if they were storing brooms, they'd have come and gone, and she'd have seen them!

"It's official. I've gone bananas. Closets are talking to me." She joked. "But I really don't hate my job. It's just frustrating sometimes. Come on, have you ever tried unglueing a teenager from the wall?"

[jasper]

As Jasper waited in the broom closet he glanced at his watch. Only about thirty more minues until sundown, then about thirteen more of waiting, just to make sure at least no sunlight was in the building. He wouldn't go outisde until at least nine-thirty, but in the Academy he assumed he'd at least be in complete cover from light, well, sunlight anyways, he was sure artificial light would be flooding over him. While he sat there he debated scratching up some of the boards wit his claws, but he was really paranoid about leaving any of his own marks around.

Jasper heard a slight mumbling outside the closet door, as if talking to him and turned his attention now in that direction to listen.
"But I really don't hate my job. It's just frustrating sometimes. Come on, have you ever tried unglueing a teenager from the wall?"
Jasper raised his brows. No, he had never tried that, and he was sure it wouldn't go well. Knowing him he'd forget his strength and rip the poor boy off, thus removing his clothes and maybe some skin. Jasper's lips quirked in a tiny smirk at the thought of himself reaching up to help a teenaged boy off a wall with his large claws. It seemed that, whoever this person was, was talking to him- or at least to the closet. He'd play along.

"No, but have you ever tried delivering eight messages to four people, back and forth, fifty miles apart in a two hour time window?"
Yeah, there was more time in the night to deliver messages, but he couldn't just stick to the same four vampires, he had other messages to deliver.

[lorelai]

Aha! The closet was talking to her! Lorelai jumped a in joy and performed a short victory dance. Oh, it felt good not to be totally nutso!

"Oh, good! I haven't lost my marbles after all!" Lorelai announced, stepping closer to the closet as to communicate with it more effectively.

"Now, what's this about delivering messages? I've never heard of a closet with such an ability! Then again, I've never heard of a talking closet! You learn something new every day, I suppose!" She gave a cheery laugh. "How does a closet deliver messages? Surely you can't just move! And to whom do your messages go?"

Playing along was fun, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She already had her hand clasped around the doorknob when she started her last sentence, and when she finished it, she opened the door just enough to stick her head in and evaluate just what she was dealing with. She couldn't just leave and carry on with her business; what if she it was a student, tied up and left in there as a prank?

[jasper]

Jasper's brows arched slightly as he heard the voice from before claimed that they 'hadn't lost their marbles'. Oh, so they thought they were nuts because the closet was talking to them. He smiled to himself and looked towards the door, though he remained sitting on the small cot, awaiting more conversation. This time they asked how a closet would be able to deliver messages. Again, he smiled to himself, and, like the person on the other side of the door, played along.
"Well, I concentrate really hard, and I turn my door knob three times while chanting the destination of my message. But sometimes I end up being a pantry and, well, messages aren't that great covered in spagetti sauce."

He was prepared to joke along with the person some more, but he stiffened slightly when he heard the door knob move. As the door itself creaked open he jumped up while grabbing the blanket off the cot, and stood pressed against the wall right where the door opened. The light was very dim, but came in none-the-less. He managed to cover his exposed skin with the blanket, though the small bit of his flesh was emiting a tiny bit of smoke.

"Not to be rude, but could you close the door immidiately? I'd do it myself, but reaching over to do so would cause me to burst into flames and I'd really hate that."
He was hoping that this person, being in the Academy at least, knew about vampires and that she caught his hint.

[lorelai]

She chuckled when the closet-dweller played along, but her usual cheerful, playful demeanor would not last much longer. She gasped as the closet-dweller revealed to her the sticky situation he was stuck in, and felt for a moment uncharacteristically panicked. Why didn't she ask more questions before just flinging the closet door open?! What if she hurt him?

"Oh my gosh!" She slammed the shut the door so quickly that it emitted a soft bang as it closed. She leaned back against the door, as if to hold it shut and keep any threatening rays of sunlight from sneaking inside. When she deemed the area secure, she took a few moments to practice deep breathing.

It's okay, Lorelai. You didn't know. You couldn't have expected yourself, or anyone else, to know. You were just trying to help. No one got hurt. She assured herself, and by her third exhale, she was back to her usual self.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea. I thought you might be stuck in the closet, but I was thinking it a little more literally." She apologized through the door. "I can report this to the Dean if you want to get out now; I'm sure we've had a situation like this before. We could clear out the area and block out the sunlight until you can make your escape. Either way, it's won't be long until you can come out."

She was sure to be as vague as possible without being unclear; she knew that being a vampire was normally pretty rough rough, and now there was the Breseis Coven threatening everyone on top of it all. She didn't even consider that this vampire-in-the-closet might be one of them.

[jasper]

Jasper couldn't help but smile lightly at the woman's response. She seemed utterly panicked for the well being of another person (if you could call him that), despite the fact he was a complete stranger. He found it facinating that she would be so concerned for him being injured when he was just a vampire in the closet, sitting there in her school like some kind of damsel in distress...okay that would concern him a bit too.....maybe.
"It's okay, tou didn't know any better, you were most likely reacting on maternal instinct. After all, you are surrounded by a bunch of teenagers who get into all kinds of shenanigans, like, say, being stuck to walls."
Perfectly natural reaction to something like this.
"No, that won't be needed. I can't leave with out my superior, and it will be sunset soon enough anyways."
He hoped that would reassure her some and calm her down at least a little.