[closed] my, what big sunglasses you have!

[flamberge]

Who: Denny Fenton, Richard Locke
When: 09/20 during chemistry
Where: Chemistry Classroom
What: Why is a kid suddenly wearing sunglasses, a hat and annoying the teacher with it? Good question.

[There has to be some reason behind it. Most people who've never done otherwise would not suddenly come into class looking like a shady alley watch salesman. Needless to say, when Danny arrived with such an appearance, Richard was both curious and annoyed, curious because of the oddity and annoyed because normally no student would be permitted to keep such a get up on during class. Given Danny's involvement with the number's club, the attire didn't get commented on. There were, however, numerous looks sent the boy's way, looks which screamed SEE ME AFTER CLASS.

Now, with class nearly over, one final such look gets sent his way just to drill the SEE ME point home. If nothing else, Richard made certain that all the looks, this present one included, were only given when few, if any, other students were paying attention. A quick glance at his watch reveals only a few minutes remained. Perfect. This amount is just enough to finish up everything planned for today. One final walk around the room and everything necessary to be said gets said. Maybe he had rushed the first two chapters of the book, but these were simple basics. Better to rush the easy and give ample time for the difficult. He makes his way back to the front of the classroom, snagging a note some kids were passing, crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash.]

...of atoms. This concludes class for today. Keep in mind that there will be a quiz on Wednesday.

[Right after the word Wednesday leaves his mouth, the bell rings. Pleasantly perfect timing.]

Comments

[gogoghostpowers]

[Danny had never gotten so many dirty looks from a teacher before in his life. Every time he caught Mr. Locke glaring at him, he glanced around to see if anyone else noticed and then sank further into his seat, trying to pull his hat down further over his face. How could somebody stare through the back of his skull when his eyes were covered by thick sunglasses?

He'd hoped that at the end of the lesson he'd be able to make a quick getaway. He packed all his things up early and was already halfway out of his chair, ready to sling the bag over his shoulder and bolt.

When the bell finally rings, he jolts upright and tries to make as quick a break for it as he can without actually running or knocking anyone over. AS SOON AS HE GETS PAST THE DOORWAY, THE TEACHER CAN'T GET HIM ANY MORE, that's how it works, right?!]

[flamberge]

[This quick escape had been anticipated by Richard. It's why, just as Danny's about to run out, the path suddenly gets blocked via chemistry teacher. Until an explanation is given, there will be no escape.]

Danny, I would like to speak with you for a moment.

[Maybe his tone of voice had sounded a bit more authoritative than necessary. Years of barking out orders at cops makes one a bit of a hardass. No matter. As long as the point of WE ARE TALKING. NOW. gets across then that's what matters. Richard does make a small mental note to remember that these are kids and not bumbling idiot officers in a corrupt force.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[Danny jolts back. He'd been so focused on getting out that he had a hard time adjusting to his only path suddenly being blocked.]

U-uh!! Uh, sure!

[No, Danny, calm down. Don't sound so nervous, it's probably nothing, probably just a test he forgot to get signed by his mom. (wait, was that even a thing that Mr. Locke had them do?) Nothing is wrong, and nothing is going to happen. Play it coooooooool.

Danny takes a deep breath to keep calm.]

What--what is it, Mr. Locke?

[flamberge]

[The nervousness radiating off the boy doesn't go unnoticed. It might be the reason his expression softens a bit (maybe he does have the tendency to appear unnecessarily intimidating sometimes); it might also be the reason why he waits for all the other students to leave the class before continuing. Best to keep prying ears away, even if it might not last too long. Just in case, the door gets closed once they're the only two occupants in the room.]

Regarding your attire, why had you felt the need to keep it on during my class?

[A small amount of hope exists for the reason being a good one. Allowing one student to get away with wearing that will likely lead to other students doing the same and if this chain reaction starts, it better have started for a good reason.]

[gogoghostpowers]

You mean the, uh, hat and--and glasses?

[Danny clutches with both hands the sides of the hat and pulls it down even further over his head. Danny's first instinct is to try and come up with some sort of excuse for why he's dressed the way he is, but he has to remind himself that no, Mr. Locke is actually on the network, it's fine. It's fine. This was the man who drove him to the clinic this summer when he had a napkin stuck in his arm in the first place.

He glances around the room quickly.]

There--there aren't any cameras or mics in here or anything, are there?

[He doubted it, but a lifetime of paranoid precautions made him wary, especially now that he had something to be paranoid about.]

[flamberge]

[A nod comes at the first question. Maybe if someone else asked something so unnecessary then they would have in turn received a potentially sarcastic comment, but Richard refrains from doing so this time. Danny appears tense enough without additional unneeded commentary.]

Rest assured, there aren't.

[Trust him, he's checked. Thoroughly. Better safe than sorry when involved in an undercover gig and even more so when a part of a group the police force holds interest in.]

[gogoghostpowers]

O-okay then. Okay.

[He takes an anticipatory breath--this really isn't that tense or exciting, but Danny's nervous and doesn't know what to expect. He pulls off the hat and the sunglasses.

Underneath, there is white hair scattered all throughout Danny's usual black hair. Tufts of white and singular strands poke out everywhere, so sloppy and ubiquitous that it couldn't possibly be a dye job.

And as the sunglasses come off, it becomes clear that his eyes look, first off, unusually bright given the lighting in the room. They have also started shifting towards a different color, appearing more teal than his typical blue.]

I, uh--I-I couldn't think of a better way to hide it.

[flamberge]

[Ah, so that's it. The bits of white in the hair draw his attention fairly quickly, but the eyes even more so. The brightness of them is odd enough to just capture one's attention and instantly at that. Good if you want to be the life of a party; bad if you're avoiding notice of law enforcement.

Richard eyes the differences for a moment. It's not a look of judgment so much one clearly taking in the situation. Bad as this may seem, it could be far worse. It isn't nearly as bad if say he had animal ears under that hat, however the need for the hat, as well as the glasses, is still understandable.]

When had this started happening?

[gogoghostpowers]

I dunno. About two weeks ago? Not long after I, uh, saw my new green blood for the first time.

[Danny pulls a locke, dohohohoh lock of hair in front of his face so that he can see it better, checking the black to white ratio of his hair. He's actually been trying to avoid looking at it--for the most part, he just jams the hat onto his head in the mornings and keeps it that way for the day, so this is the first time he's actually really looked at his hair in a few days.]

I...don't think it's done yet, either. It just keeps getting whiter every time I check. And my eyes keep--I don't know, getting brighter? Glowing more?

I don't know what I'll look like when this is over.

[flamberge]

[In other words, he may end up drawing far too much attention by the end of it. Bad, very bad, especially when attempting to be as inconspicuous as possible. Despite the seriousness of it all, Richard doesn't hesitate in providing a reply to the final comment.]

Overly eager for Halloween, possibly.

[It's a small attempt to lighten the mood. Whether it works or not, who knows. Once having said that, a moment of silence follows as Richard tosses around a few thoughts in his head. Hmmm bad as this is, it could be worse and maybe there were a few ways it could become better.]

The hat itself is not suspicious, however coupled with those glasses, it is. Have you considered using color changing contacts to conceal it?

[gogoghostpowers]

[The joke kind of goes over his head, partially because he's so nervous and partially because the last person he'd expect to make a joke was a teacher. Especially a teacher like Mr. Locke.]

C-color changing contacts? You mean like...I can change my eye color with contact lenses?

I didn't know those existed.

[flamberge]

They exist, however I know little else beyond that.

[Changing his eye color hadn't ever really come up so no reason existed for doing research on the matter. Funny how information once thought useless would actually be helpful about now.]

[gogoghostpowers]

Huh. Okay. I...I guess I'll try finding those and get some. They're probably online somewhere.

[He doesn't much like the idea of sticking things in his eye, even if he knows contact lenses are perfectly safe. But a numbers person's gotta do what a numbers person's gotta do, and Danny's gotta get a pair of contacts to keep from looking suspicious.]

...I can keep the sunglasses for now, though, right?

[flamberge]

So long as you don't attempt to sleep during class yes, you may.

[Being so cruel as to deny the kid the saving grace of the sunglasses would be beyond him. Odd as it is, it also beats putting those glowing eyes on display.]

As for your hair...

[He pauses, taking a quick glance at the multicolored mop on Danny's head. Normally he wouldn't suggest this to anyone since it's, bluntly put, an utter pain in the ass but...]

Have you considered hair dye?

[gogoghostpowers]

[He blinks, not having expected that question. It takes a few moments for his brain to supply an answer.]

Uhh...no, actually. I...didn't think of that at all. That's actually a really good idea, I should try that!

I-I've never done it before, but there's like. Directions for it and all, right?

[flamberge]

Inside the box, yes.

[Which is a lifesaver the first time. Trying to do it yourself on a first try with no idea on what to do? Just leads to a very messy bathroom and ruined clothing. He knows this, he knows.]