So put it in all of the papers

[Leander Hastin]

Leander shivered as he came out of the small animal clinic, rushing forward towards his car. No matter how much time he spent here, he didn't think he'd ever get used to the biting cold that one could find in Kentucky. Of course, there were others who had it far worse, with more snow than the light covering they had, but he was from Hawaii! He didn't do cold, or snow. Or the breezes which buffeted against his car as he started the engine.

After turning on the heater, he left, but not before glancing in the rear-view mirror to make certain that the door to the clinic was closed. He had left Kayi and Akamu inside, with the run of the clinic, of course. There was no way that he was leaving them outside in the chill. Reassured, he stepped on the gas, following the road through the campus, then turning off onto the main road that would lead him to the town of Blue Ridge.

Once there, he pulled into the livery, smiling as he saw how they'd done up the terraces and flowerbeds. He might dislike snow, but he couldn't deny that it was pretty, when it was out of the way. Finding a parking spot, he headed towards the bookstore to pick up an order and pay for it, then made his way towards the coffee shop nearby.

Once he'd ordered and received his coffee, with just a hint of caramel, he found a seat in a corner of the building, which was filling up, with most of the tables filled, and picked up a newspaper that had been left on the table, idly flipping through it as he sipped at his drink.

[Thomas Oliver]

Tommy sat in the academy van that transported the students too and from the small township of Blue Ridge, he couldn't wait until the summer when he could try out for his license... but that was depending if their parents let him and Reni return. He had a feeling that his next step was going to be some Himalayan temple, studying under monks. He'd caused his parents even more grief while at this school, and once again, it wasn't even his fault!

He jumped out of the van, ignoring the comments from the other students about him not being suitably dressed for the cold weather, but he didn't care. He had a jacket on, just not as heavy as the other students. It wasn't like he was walking around in short sleeves! He headed into the Livery, wondering what he was going to do with his time away from the Academy, though he was very pleased that they were still letting students venture into the township.

His feet carried him to the coffee shop, and he realised that a nice strong drink would probably be good right now and something full of sugar to eat. More than needing time away from the academy, he also needed time away from his sister, as his emotions had been running rampant since that day on the trails and Reni's new gifts had made her positively annoying.

He took his order, a latte with an extra shot and a chocolate doughnut, he lifted his tray and looked around. There was honestly no one he wanted to sit with and then his eyes landed on a man he recognised. And while he normally strayed away from adults, he was seeking solace from the rumors that were flying around and he had a feeling that an adult would offer that. "What's up Doc?" He said as he walked up to the table, though there was no humour in his voice. "Mind if I share your table?"

[Leander Hastin]

There was nothing of real interest in the paper, at least for Leander. He knew that he should probably follow politics more, but he just couldn't bring himself to care. As for everything else going on in the world, anything major, he would hear about on campus, there was no reason for him to follow the news.

But then, there was serious entertainment value in newspapers anyway. Like, for example, the comics, which Leander had opened the page to. However, after he'd read a couple of strips, he heard a voice and looked up, frowning at the over-used joke, although he smiled as he visually recognized the boy. What was his name again? Yes, Tommy. He was a barn hand in Lenore's barn, "Not at all, Tommy. You are more than welcome to share the space."

He glanced around the cafe, which was filling up, "Not many open tables, or trying to find some quiet?" He too had heard the rumors, but he wasn't going to bother Tommy with them. He had his own thoughts on what had probably happened, and as such, he felt bad for the two boys who had inadvertently fallen right into it... In one case, quite literally, even. "How are your classes going?"

[Thomas Oliver]

At the frown, Tommy knew he'd started on the wrong foot with the joke, though his shoulders dropped when the vet said he could sit down. "Thank you." He said quietly as he lowered his tall frame into a chair and took a sip of the hot drink.

He pressed his lips together and blew out a breath, not meeting the man's eyes. "I'd like to say the former, but the latter would be the truthful answer." He finally said as he put the cup down and began to break the doughnut into pieces. He had a headache from the insomnia that had crashed upon him, but he refused to ask his sister for help or pay it any attention.

He looked up as the man on the opposite side of the table spoke. "Other than creating silence when I enter a room, they are going well." He had made a habit of trying to be one of the first people to enter the classroom now, it was beginning to feel like his last high school, right before he had been expelled, though he knew that it wouldn't end the same way this time as he not only had a foolproof alibi, but he couldn't be used as a scapegoat for this one. "I'm probably not paying as much attention in classes as I should be though." He shrugged as he looked down at the doughnut crumbs on his plate.

[Leander Hastin]

Lee nodded as he heard the boy's response. He had been afraid of that, guessing that the boy, and his friend who had been with him, must be feeling slightly ostracized at the moment. He would have said that it would all blow over, but for the time being... He couldn't see that being the case. It was still a big issue around the school, with the ramped up security (most of it hidden from students, however), and the fact that the shooter had not yet been caught. He wouldn't lie to the boy, "I won't pester you, then."

As he heard how the boy's classes were going, Lee frowned, especially as he heard that the boy wasn't paying as much attention in classes, "That doesn't sound very good." He paused, considering what he could offer the boy. He didn't know much about the subjects that they were teaching, but he could probably puzzle them out, "If you ever need help with something, you're welcome to stop by the clinic." He paused, then added, "That counts for if you don't need help, either. You can hide in the back and keep the clinic dogs busy." And by busy, he meant petting them, not doing more, although it would sound official to give the boy a reason to be in the back, "How's Onyx doing?"

[Thomas Oliver]

Tommy's eyebrows flew up. "You can ask me questions if you want to." He said with a small smile and then shrugged self-consciously, an uncommon gesture coming from this boy. "It's the people who try to make up what happened when they feel that what I tell them isn't news-worthy enough and they feel they have to spice it up for it to sell." He had refused to read any of the articles that had come out about it, he didn't want to be labelled as either a hero or a martyr, and Kai didn't deserve it either. Tommy was having nightmares from what he knew, he could only begin to imagine about what his friend was going through; as he was the one who found the body. He shivered as he took a sip of the now luke-warm drink, put it down and pushed the saucer away and looked down at the crumbs that had once been a very nice looking doughnut.

Tommy looked up at the man's offer, surprise showing clearly on his face; it had been a while since he'd known another adult - other than his parents or other members of their coven - that he couldn't honestly say he respected, and this man had just stepped up into that position. "Thank you." He finally said with a quick smile. "I'll take you up on that one some time." Where his sister was a cat person, he was more a dog person... well wolf person, but dogs were as close as he could get.

He gave one of his customary grins when his feline was mentioned. "Other than trying to find himself in any form of trouble he can, and lurking others to join him, Onyx is really good." In fact the cat's personality hadn't changed in the slightest since he'd been to visit the vet; and that was the one thing that had concerned Tommy a little before he'd gone in, and now he felt guilty that he wasn't going to do it in case it changed it cat into a mamby-pamby creature like Luna.

[Leander Hastin]

Lee shrugged, "I know most of what happened already." Staff members, especially the ones interacting with the parents and general public, were kept in the loop on the ongoing investigation... Which was going relatively slowly, but police were hopeful on a breakthrough soon, with all of the students who had come forward. Lee wasn't sure what that meant, but if they could drop it eventually, he would be happy. It had been so slow, he doubted that anyone but the most cautious parents still cared. It was an isolated incident, and hadn't really affected anyone at the academy, for all that it had taken place within their grounds.

They were, after all, grounds which were connected to open lands, and could easily be entered by anyone hoping to find a quite place for just such a murder. But, unluckily, or luckily, whichever, the thing had been discovered. It was better than finding a three-day-old body, he would think? Although it was just dumb luck. "People will always think they know better than you. Just remember, most think CPR works most of the time too." He gave a wry smile, thinking of a quote he'd read once. It had applied to him then, and still did, but the second part applied to Tommy just as well, "If you aren't in the habit of wearing earbuds, this may be a good time to start, even if you don't connect them to anything."

He was surprised at the surprise, and possibly gratitude, on Tommy's face. Was the offer of a refuge truly so uncommon? It wasn't a bother to him, and if it gave the boy a place to hide, all the better, "I hope you do." He listened to the boy as he talked about his cat, smiling as he heard that the black gib was back to his antics, "Well, what fun would cats be if they behaved themselves?" He hadn't been concerned about the cat, knowing he would have heard about any true issues long before some chance encounter. He was silent for a moment, considering the boy in front of him, "Are you just in town for the change in scenery?" Most people in town wouldn't be able to pinpoint him out of a crowd, so Lee certainly couldn't blame him if that was the case.

[Thomas Oliver]

The boy released a relieved breath, just because he'd offered to answer anything didn't particularly mean that he wanted to. Sure, he was a little more than six feet tall with broad shoulders, but he was only a fifteen year old, and the weight of the whole thing was a lot to carry on his shoulders; especially when he'd been in trouble with the police in the past for a crime he never committed and didn't have the proof to clear his name.

He chewed on his lower lip when the man mentioned CPR and finished his cold drink in a gulp as he pulled a face as the bitter taste, brushed the crumbs that had been his doughnut into the empty mug and placed it back on the saucer. "Kai...We..." His shoulders slumped as he couldn't think of how to finish what he wanted to say. All Kai had seen was the hand, and then they had high-tailed out of there to find Lupus and then headed back to the barn. They never actually thought to check the body for a pulse. Another black mark against his soul? Should one of them remained with the body? Was there a chance that they could have saved that misfortunate man?

He looked up, his face pale at the mention of earbuds and he nodded his head, as it was a jolly good idea. Either that or lock himself in his room until the summer holidays started and he escape back home.

"Thank you." He said again to the offer of a hiding place, though he knew he shouldn't need it, not with his size. "I came for a good latte." He said with a nod. "And a chance to just be a face in the crowd, though that's becoming harder as the days go by. I'm not the type to hide my head in the sand though, and wait for the world to correct itself around me."