Yes, Of Course

[Anne McDermot]

"Yes, of course." The brunette rolled her eyes exaggeratedly towards the ceiling, rolling a biro idly between her fingers. God above; why was it that as she got older, other people seemed to get more annoying? Were the two linked? Currently, she was dealing with a woman who was coming very close to being intolerable; the American accent on the other end was so thick as to be impenetrable, and though she could only understand about one word in every three, she wasn't at all fond of those ones either. She got the feeling that she'd been insulted at least twice so far, but she couldn't have put money on it, and so she couldn't really say anything. This was why she'd never become a receptionist- at least, not on purpose.

Jennifer Hart

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen had spent the morning telling parents that no, she could not tell them where their student was exactly at that moment. For the most part, reminding them that they paid the staff here to be sure of their child's attendance was enough to get parents off of the line, but some took more persuasion to hang up. It wasn't as if the parents could fix anything anyway - And Jen didn't want them trying, and interfering with the school's process.

Deciding that she needed a coffee, Jen picked up her mug and left her office, walking past Anne's office on her way to the small lounge that held the magical elixir. However, she could see Anne's expression, and paused, backtracking. She stopped in the doorway and watched for a brief moment, then pointed at the phone and herself, her eyebrows lifted in question - Did Anne want her to step in? She tried not to interfere, normally, but neither did she want her second-in-command to feel like she had to do everything herself.

[Anne McDermot]

Anne had resorted to tapping her nails on the desk in front of her, and while she had always found it to be remarkably effective at unsettling those who needed to be unsettled, both in the army and in the police force, the American woman remained unmoved. Possibly because she was in a different room, Anne considered.

She caught Jennifer's eye and managed a somewhat taut smile, shaking her head. The brunette didn't doubt that the first ten minutes of any conversation that the woman might have with Jennifer would be about her own supposed uselessness. Which would not be an effective use of anyone's time.

"I am afraid, madam," she managed to get out at last while the woman had paused for breath, "that you're a little agitated. Perhaps we might get on better if you were to ring off, make yourself a cup of tea, take a few moments to collect yourself and then ring me back?"

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen nodded at the refusal and left the room, heading towards the break room. She still managed to hear the tail end of the conversation, though, and didn't bother suppressing the smile at Anne's response. She could smile now, but she'd have to keep note of the woman's passive aggressive veiled insults. Most parents didn't like it much, although she did admit, some probably didn't even notice that they'd been insulted.

When she reached the break room, she went first for the coffee maker, and poured herself a mug, then made sure that the electric kettle had water and flipped the switch. Just in case Anne decided she needed a cup of tea herself, or something.

[Anne McDermot]

Having finally finished what had been an interminable session of telephone calls, the brunette rose to her feet, taking her time over it, and allowed herself a moment to stretch out. Not something which she could have done on duty when she had been younger; but then that was it; she had been younger then, and besides, military discipline had no place in a school. Certainly not in an American one.

Deciding that she needed to escape the shrilling of the phone, the Scotswoman made her way out of her office, closing the door firmly behind her, and made her way down to the break room, where she collapsed into a chair with an exaggerated sigh. No one would ever have guessed that she had been sitting down all morning.

[Jennifer Hart]

Jen looked up as Anne entered the break room, smiling wryly at the woman's actions, "I always forget how bad the beginning of the school year is. I thought the summer applications were the worst, but then classes actually start." She gestured at the kettle, "If you'd like, the water should still be hot."

[Anne McDermot]

"Thank you," the brunette returned softly, taking a moment or two to muster the energy to get up out of the chair and make her way over to the kettle. "I think I made a fundamental mistake, you know; if I wanted a quiet life, I should have stayed with the police." She gave her employer a wry grin.