|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 2:12:57 GMT
Jane wasn't sure what she was doing. She had an awful day. A truly terrible awful day. Her students had literally pushed her to the point of sheer exhaustion. She had gotten off shift early when another teacher offered to cover her bus duties. What a relief that was. She used her free time to 1) manage to convince the BPD receptionist to give her Shadow's address, 2) Pick up Thai food and wine, hoping that Shadow liked wine and 3) work up the nerve to actually go to Shadow's place. She didn't know why he was her go to person? Maybe because Yang loved kids so much that she would be heartbroken to hear how poorly behaved the class was? It totally didn't have to do with the fact that she had missed him. No. Or so she kept telling herself. Even when she nervously knocked on the door.
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 2:21:28 GMT
Shadow was half-asleep on the couch when the knock had startled him. He had been trying to watch the Bellerouge Demons cream the last few baskets of the night. But he had predicted all the plays so much he was starting to doze. Sunshine was off on her honeymoon with Riku and the Colts were investigating a mystery involving dogs. He wondered if Jenna was helping them. He blinked his red eyes to get out any sort of sleep still in them. He was always sort of flustered. Now that the wedding was over with, he could crack down on more cases. Whoever was knocking didn't get the hint of off duty. But he opened the door anyways and blinked in shock at the unexpected arrival, holding a bag of takeout and a bottle of wine.
"Jane?"
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 2:25:08 GMT
"Uh... hi, Shadow..." she said.
She started wondering if this was a bad idea. He looked like he had been about to turn in for the night, slightly groggy and certainly settled in for the night. However, it was too late to back out now. If there was anything Jane could do, it was fake it until she made it. She really should have thought this plan through more but she was literally brain fried. She was sapped of all energies, including the mental capacity to make logical decisions like texting in advance to caution friends that she was stopping by.
"I probably should have texted but I was in the neighborhood... I brought food?"
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 2:31:39 GMT
"You look stressed," he said.
She may have looked okay, but he caught wind of something else. Her blue eyes showed signs of wear. He understood. It was almost the end of the school year. Final exams would be stress inducing on anyone. He liked kids, sure, but testing them was just cruel and unusual punishment. They were already restless, you didn't need to pile on papers asking what they learned or whatever.
"But let's not waste any food, let's get you inside."
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 2:41:38 GMT
"Long week at work. Figured dad and Yang wouldn't want to hear about the kids being little... monsters..."
She gratefully followed Shadow inside. She tried not to look too much at the decorations or anything too personal. She had never been in his place before and considering her bribe to the receptionist... this was probably awkward. And yet Shadow hadn't told her to leave. She felt her heart twist with something. It was better treatment than she deserved. She didn't know what to say, suddenly overwhelmed with his kindness. But she focused on setting the bags down on the kitchen table.
"It's Thai... I hope you don't mind?" she said.
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 3:06:18 GMT
Yikes. Jane calling kids monsters meant she had a really bad week. Shadow wouldn't tell her he was obsessing. The pictures and map of Bellerouge tied by string indicating the town's soon-to-be apocalypse should have been covered. He was been too lazy to do it. He swept off paperwork off of the corkboard table he used for dining. Jane was a lady. Sure, she was tough and didn;t do many ladylike things, but she deserved respect as much as anyone. Especially after a long week.
"So long as it's edible, I'll take food of any kind," he answered.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 17:18:55 GMT
"I know I said next time I'd cook for you, but it's been one of those weeks." she said.
Jane fished the takeout boxes and placed them on the table. She had gotten a variety of a few things. She was pretty sure the lady at the store just threw in a bag of wontons when she looked at how exhausted Jane felt. She pulled out an eggroll and took a bite. She found that after a good meal, good drink and good company, she was often in a better mood. She just needed some time to sit and unwind without judgment. She supposed Shadow wasn't like that. He would understand. At least in his line of work, he could punch the problem. Not that Jane wanted to hurt her students, but a good time out wouldn't have hurt.
"Do you have plates?" she asked.
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 18:01:45 GMT
“I get it,” Shadow said with a nod, “final exams, too. Pile that with squirrely kids. You’re lucky you don’t work with high schoolers.”
Around finals, the high schoolers became more defiant. Some were making excuses to ditch class. He had to escort a few of them back himself. The sass and hormones made them such a delight. Not. Jane asked for plates and he went to the cabinets. He had to hop on a stool to teach it as a hedgehog, but he managed, coming back with two and cups for beverages.
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 18:23:40 GMT
Jane twisted off the top of the wine bottle after Shadow set down two cups for the wine. She poured two rather heavy handed glasses. She didn't want the effort of dealing with a corked bottle and thought a boxed wine might have been a bit much to stop by with at Shadow's. She wasted no time in taking a drink of the wine. Already she was starting to feel better. She couldn't blame it on neither the wine or the food because she hadn't had nearly enough wine and hadn't started eating yet.
"They're the sweetest kids normally, but they're just going crazy since it's almost summer vacation." she sighed.
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 18:39:03 GMT
The wine she bought was a basic screw top type. Not that he complained. He was a guy who drank wine unless it was a big night. Even shitty ones. He picked up a glass and opened one of the boxes of food she had brought. He was taunted by the Thai basil which made his stomach growl. As he helped himself, he asked,
“This is more than them being excited, it seems...”
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 18:58:12 GMT
"End of the year?" Jane pointed out. "No longer wanting to do school work or listen to me."
They meant well. They were just fed up with school. Not like she blamed them. Everyone needed a break every now and then. She herself had thought about one until Shadow told her what was going to happen to the city. So she supposed that was weighing on her mind too. The safety of her students, the city and Shadow. It wore on her, she supposed. But that was something she was going to have to deal with until it passed. The worry of what was going to happen, instead of what was happening... Probably why she sought him out. To assure herself he was still there.
"One of the kids threw a tantrum. Kicking, screaming, the whole works. We had to call his parents to pick him up," she said. "And all because he didn't want to do the worksheet."
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 19:45:58 GMT
“Even the best teachers in the world have a limit, Jane,” Shadow pointed out.
He had his limits. Sunshine had a fear of vampires so he refused any cases that had to do with them. A limit that he respected and would respect that wish. Summer was a limit for a lot of teachers. Students could put with someone as amazing as her for so long. She ranted about a student with a tantrum, and he nodded. A fussy kid being a brat because he didn’t get his way sounded about right. Jane’s venting to him was good. He wouldn’t give away confidential info and he wouldn’t judge her.
“You realize letting him leave is giving exactly what he wants, right?”
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 20:28:33 GMT
"Not according to his parents. They were going to 'take care of it' or so they said." Jane shrugged. "I think he's grounded. He seemed more subdued today."
She scooped some pad thai onto her plate followed by a hearty helping of Kra Pow Lamb. She nibbled on a wonton before easing into a chair. Just sitting down made her realize the fatigue that had settled in, how exhausted she truly felt. She had been pretending for a very long time that things were fine. Maybe the students' ill behavior was the straw that broke the camel's back. But it felt good to get it off her chest, to vent about it.
"And at recess the kids were trying to start a fight."
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on May 17, 2018 21:30:24 GMT
“You took care of reporting those, right?”
He was no expert, but he did know behaviors like fighting had to be reported. Otherwise a messy situation involving politics would come up. Or the kids would be punished in a way that wasn’t appropriate for the situation. Jane was responsible enough to get it taken care of. She had to be, even if she was at the end of her rope with behaviors and last minute grades
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on May 21, 2018 12:35:24 GMT
"Of course I did," Jane sighed. "And that's not the least of it! One of the other teachers was being threatened by her students to give him an A or else his parents would sue her. Can you believe it?"
Either way, every little thing the students did had pressed her buttons this week. Each one of them had tried her and pushed her and threw tantrums or just acted out. She loved her students. They were great kids, but like every beloved child, they acted out and would need to be reminded of how to behave. She just had one more week before school was out. Then she would have the summer to recuperate. Her father (bless him) only saw the good in children. She wondered if he would be better suited to teaching than her.
|
|