savetheearth | [Closed] Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!

Who: Lucy Kesswick and Karl Aurion/Richard Locke
Where: Locke City High School
When: After class, Wednesday 4/9.
What: Lucy's busted for writing notes in class. Network notes.
Warnings: None to speak of!

Ever since she first started talking to Anais, Lucy has been using the network as her own personal note-exchange service. It wasn't that she meant to pass notes in class. It was just that sometimes, there were important things that needed to be addressed immediately, like the rumors that Anais had been picked up by the feds during her first period class.

Most of the time, Lucy was able to get away with it, because her teachers simply assumed she was scribbling down notes for their class. But not this time. While passing through the aisles of desks, Mr. Locke had caught sight of her notes before Lucy could flip back to her real notes for the class.

When Mr. Locke asked her to stay after class, Lucy knew she was in trouble. Apprehension flooded over her. She was going to get a demerit, wasn't she? Or worse, detention! How would her brother react to that?

The bell rang and the rest of the class began to filter out. It's only when the last student leaves the classroom that Lucy rises to her feet.

"I'm sorry!" she blurts out before Mr. Locke can say anything. "I know I shouldn't have been writing notes in class, but it was important! I -- I won't do it again!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Students write notes all the time, this is a fact of life. Karl has long since become skilled at spotting kids writing these notes (enhanced eyesight no doubt helps) and had been full well prepared to reprimand Lucy for it. At the last second, thankfully, the fact the note happened to not be your average note became obvious. Instead of calling the girl out on it, he asked to speak with her after class.

The bell rings soon enough and Karl takes a seat by his desk rather than instantly engaging in conversation. Lucy will come once ready, no need to rush her. Telling the girl 'please pay a bit more attention and I won't mind if you do Network things' won't take long. A short, quick chat, nothing more.

Needless to say, the sudden and rapid blurting takes Karl by surprise, something plainly visible on his face. Wait? What?? Had his request to talk... scared her? Maybe Abby raised a fair point when she mentioned the scary thing, after all. Resisting an urge to sigh, Karl opts to just get straight to the point. His tone may be a tad gentler than normal to avoid further scaring her. ...Is he really THAT scary, though?? "I have no issue with you checking the Network during class, Lucy, however I ask that you make it less obvious while doing so."

It's not that he's scary. Okay, maybe Mr. Locke is a little scary -- he is a teacher, after all! But Lucy's never gotten in trouble here, or at any other school she's attended. The last thing she wants is to get a detention and have to take the slip back home to her brother. More than anything else, she doesn't want to disappoint him -- or give him any reason to send her back home to live with her parents.

She might be overthinking things, but Lucy doesn't want to risk it!

Lucy's on the verge of nodding and promising never to write notes in class again when it dawns on her:

"W-wait, you know about the network?"

Then that must mean...!

"Are you one of the numbered, too?"

A nod comes in reply, along with a hand motion indicating for Lucy to close the door. Another class would be coming in soon and them overhearing talk of odd clubs or whatever else is best avoided. The last thing Karl needs is people thinking he's making kids join a cult.

"I am, though don't go by the same name there as I do here." All network individuals are privy to that knowledge, Lucy now included. Being aware of his affiliation with the Police helps in keeping people safe should memory of the numbers club fail him, after all.

Lucy is happy to oblige. After her talk with Anais earlier in the week, she'd rather lay low as long as possible. She could handle the gossip; it was her brother's safety that she was really worried about.

But now that she knows that Mr. Locke is one of the Numbered too, she has so many questions she wants to ask.

"What name do you go by then?" she asks. Then: "Why do you go by a different name there?" And one more, for good measure: "Do you know anyone from your past life, here and now?"

There's even more she wants to ask, but she stops right there and waits for Mr. Locke's answers.

Closing the door had been a good idea given the questions posed and the fun replies that will come to them. Numbered people were privileged to the information; normal students and staff weren't. What a bombardment, though. Where to even begin? Karl opts to start, not from the first question, but with the one that make the answer least confusing.

"I go by a different name here at school. My real name is Karl Aurion, I'm a police officer presently undercover here under the alias Richard Locke." And the biggest twist about the chemistry teacher is out. No doubt, it'll raise more questions. Before any of those get voiced, an answer to the final question quickly follows. "And yes, several individuals appear to be ones my prior self knew."

Lucy immediately zeroes in on the most surprising of Mr. Locke's answers.

"A police officer?!" It's a good thing that the door is closed. "But... why are you undercover here?"

Lucy, apparently, is clueless. But even after all that, she still has more questions:

"How long have you known you were a Numbered?"

"It had originally been due to a drug related issue, among other things." Other things being keeping an eye on a few people involved in the corruption here. Thankfully, he'd been reprieved from that duty because of Network issues. "Recently, my assignment changed to watch for suspicious behavior."

Karl picks up the cup of coffee on his desk and takes a sip of it before replying to the final question. "I've known since May."

"Suspicious behavior?" Lucy echoes, wide-eyed. "Do you think that somebody's up to something here at school?"

If so, she'll just have to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior as well! That's exactly what a good superhero has to do!

"Since May?" It feels like Lucy's repeating everything her teacher says. "Then you've been around since almost the beginning!" That much she's been able to gather from reading the FAQs and the old network posts.

"Is it okay if I come to you if I have any questions?" she asks. "I'm sure that a lot of people ask the same things over and over on the network, and I don't really want to bother anybody with my silly questions." This much Lucy knew from her own comic book message boards; people got annoyed quick when a newbie asked questions that others had asked a dozen times before.

"I'll try not to bother you too much," she quickly adds.

"No, it isn't that. My supervisors wanted someone to keep an eye for numbered at the school and felt my position was perfect for that purpose." Why bother sending someone new who could raise suspicions. Only downside to that plan was that Karl never sent in anything on the Numbers Club or, if he did, it was all faked information.

Unlike any message boards, people asking questions doesn't bother Karl in the least. Sometimes explanations are necessary. Sometimes a lot of explanations are. Without explanations, people never learn or they end up doing something stupid. If giving answers helps with that, Karl doesn't mind if Lucy comes to him everyday, "Come to me with any questions you may have. My door is open whenever you may need it."

[Closed] Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!

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if i at any point call her hikaru i apologize in advance

don't worry i correct myself all the time right before hitting the submit button

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