How you ever gonna find the sea?

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer let herself back into the main office. She passed by Fitz, smiling at him before she headed past the main open space of the office. She moved to unlock her office, walking in and taking her empty water cup before she walked out again. Heading down the hall, she stopped by the water cooler to refill the glass, then returned. Once she had set the now-full cup onto her desk, she picked up the blanket that lay in the corner of her office and folded it. She had left Jazz in his crate after taking him out for a walk. Meetings were no place for a dog.

After she'd gotten settled, Jennifer glanced up at the clock above the open door, but there was still some time before Aishe had agreed to stop by. She looked down to her desk, taking in the to-do list that she'd created for herself, and glanced over it before she pulled open her file drawer and began going through her in-box, pushing open the files and sticking the papers she was done with into their respective places, before she pulled out an offer from a company a state over. She didn't want to step on Aishe's toes, but with all of the goings-on, they needed to be sure they offered the best. They were already losing confidence from the parents and donors.

[Aishe Tigani]

When she had decided to become a school counsellor, she had never thought that she would be faced with trying to talk students through the fear and terror of a possible man-man being on their very campus. Yes the shooting had happened on the trails, but that didn't mean the person wasn't still hanging around. And she knew that this thought alone would be filling the thoughts, and setting the rumour-mills aflame with tales to tell.

She hurried through the brisk morning air from her apartment and to the main office, cursing herself for leaving her diary in her living room, and flashed Fitz a grin a she walked through the office and down the hall to the principal's office. A smile curved her lips as she thought of the 'Gone to the principal's office' note on her office door, in case anyone happened to drop by her office while she wasn't there. She hoped that the note would at least cause a few laughs, at the thought of an adult being sent to the very office that no student wanted to be summoned to.

Pausing outside the door, she lifted her hand and gave three sharp taps and then opened the door. "Not too early am I?" She asked as she looked in at Jennifer.

[Jennifer Hart]

The knock at the door made Jennifer look up and smile, "Not at all, you're right on time. Come on in, and if you wouldn't mind, please close the door behind you." She didn't want any passer-by to hear what was going on. Of course, Fitz would be filled in on what he needed to know, but there was always the odd student heading through the office for some reason or other.

After gesturing to one of the armchairs across from her desk, she glanced down at the letter that she had pulled out. However, there wasn't really much confidential about it, so she figured she might as well show it in its entirety to Aishe. But first, she would hear how the woman was dealing, because she had no real idea of how many of the students actually went to her, even after this shaking-up of the campus, "So, how's the situation in your office? Are there a lot of kids coming to you?" Hopefully those that needed it would approach the counselor, although kids always thought they knew best... Some adults, too, "Or any staff members, too." A tragedy affected the adults on campus just as much as it affected the students. And if the adults weren't stable, then that really needed to be taken care of.

[Aishe Tigani]

Aishe smiled as she entered the office and closed the door behind her. She could understand the need for the door to be closed, so she hadn't questioned it, and crossed the room to sit down in one of the armchairs, which were much like the ones on the opposite side of her desk so she wondered if the Jenn used different chairs when students were called into her office to be disciplined.

She shrugged slightly. "My office isn't as busy as I thought it would be, though I'm not too surprised that I haven't seen either of the boys who brought the news back to the campus. I also think that quite a few students look at themselves as being weak for coming to an adult for help, but I'm sure that once the first comes to see me, the others will steadily follow." And of the teachers, Academy staff, she had seen lately it hadn't just been about the shooting, though the equine vet had come and spoken to her since she felt she was probably the most as risk as she was always on call. "Demeter seems the most shaken up, mostly because she is off campus often enough that she is worried that it would slip past notice if she didn't return from a call-out."

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer nodded as she heard Aishe's rundown of her visitors. The woman's analysis of the situation seemed reasonable, "Depending on how the teachers feel, we might have to be more forward with sending students to you." It wasn't good if they were just hiding within their shells, that would not help the situation.

As she heard that the equine vet had come to talk to the counselor, Jennifer paused. That made sense, but she hadn't even thought of that. The poor woman! "Did you manage to reassure her?" Maybe she should offer the woman to text her when she left campus, and when she expected to return? Would that help, or just reaffirm that the veterinarian had a reasonable fear?

While she couldn't use workload as a reason, she had to go forward with what she had planned on discussing with Aishe today. "I know that you are handling everything well, so please don't think otherwise." She handed the letter she had received across the desk, "A friend of mine asked if he should send one of his people up to help us, just during this period of time. I wanted to ask you how you felt about it, because it is your domain."

[Aishe Tigani]

Aishe shrugged her shoulders. "I am sure that the teachers could suggest it as much as possible, but if the students felt they didn't have a choice, they may be more likely to dig their heels in." She knew one student who was already like that, and she saw the girl for completely different reasons than the new situation around campus.

She laughed gently. "Yes, I told her to continue as normal; as she mentioned that she texts her mother, or leaves a message on the barn phone if it's too early to text when she leaves and then she messages the barn manager again as she leaves her destination." She smiled and shook her head. "Though I think those are just ingrained rules from when she was a child that she had yet to unlearn."

The counselor laughed at the compliment and bowed her head graciously before she leaned forward to accept the proffered letter. Her eyebrows rose as she read through it and her lips pursed together as she thought about her answer. "I actually think it's a wonderful idea." She said. "Having an outside person here that the students can speak with could be just what they need. Maybe even a male so that hopefully our boys would be more likely to want to open up to another guy." It may have been her domain, but she wasn't stupid enough to not accept help when it was handed to her.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer inclined her head, "I suppose you're right. I don't know how else we can get them to pay you a visit, but forcing them probably would create more problems than what it'd solve." She was silent for a moment, listening to AIshe's thoughts on Demeter, "I suppose that helps." Now that the issue had been brought up, she couldn't help but worry about the woman, but she knew she shouldn't. None of the evidence the police had collected so far suggested that the shooter was going after academy staff... The man that had been killed hadn't even been from Kentucky, let alone their staff.

She sat back as Aishe took the letter, watching the woman's eyes as she read it. As Aishe began to speak, Jennifer listened, surprised at how easily the woman was taking the idea. But then, counsellors were there to help the students. Aishe's reasoning, all of which was true, would lead to the best help for the students, just as Jennifer had hoped... And she could do it without estranging one of the staff members that had been at the school since before her own arrival. "I was hoping that he would help the males, especially Thomas and Stefan." She paused, then nodded at the letter, "I'll write back and accept the offer, then. Mikhail should be here in a couple of days, I am sure." She smiled, "And I will refer him to you, so that you can divvy up the tasks amongst yourself."

She paused, looking over at Aishe, "That was the major thing I had to discuss with you for this. Did you have anything else you needed, or wanted, for your work?"

[Aishe Tigani]

Aishe shrugged her shoulders easily. "Teenagers are an interesting breed." She said with a small laugh. "They are trying to find their independence, while also still looking for and adult figure to model." The woman hoped she had done the right thing by tell Jennifer about Demeter, but it was took late to worry about that now as what had been said could not be unspoken.

The Gypsy woman easily read the surprise on the other woman's face and she spread her hands. "I grew up with the travelling people, which I guess I technically still am one of, I know not to look a gift horse in the mouth. And I also know to accept help when it is placed in front of me." She said simply.

She listened to the other woman and nodded, her eyes glittered with humour. "Yes, divvy up the task amongst ourselves. I'll have him fetching my coffee and making copies for me... Oh, hang on, I don't drink coffee, often, or need things photocopied. It will be good to get to meet him."

She shook her head. "Other than the answer that everyone else wants, to know the place is safe, there is nothing I need."

[Jennifer Hart]

Jennifer smiled at that, "Indeed they are." She hoped that the teachers were, if not unfazed, at least acting so in front of their students. They were the adults that the students mostly interacted with, after all.

Aishe made her acceptance of the help sound so simple, and Jen nodded, "Thank you." It was nice not to have to coax someone into something occasionally. As she heard how Aishe planned to split up the work, Jennifer grinned, knowing that the woman was joking. However, at her honest request, the principal had to shake her head, "You know I can't tell you that with certainty." And there was the issue. However much she could tell the parents that everything that could be done was being done, there were no guarantees that that was enough.

But it was all that they could do, and they were trying their best in the midst of this trouble. Mikhail was a part of that too, of course. She rose, walking towards the door and opening if for Aishe, "If there's anything else you need, though, please let me know." She paused, "And if that's only a further space between you and your new assistant." No, things would go smoothly... She hoped.