The Principal's Office

[tailor_made]

The door to the principal’s office is open at all hours, although you will only find Hester at the receptionist’s desk from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is primarily where you can have private conversations with her. Though there’s an actual office in the back, it is always closed and locked.

Comments

[violentenvies]

[....what was that look of concern, and also those repetitions??? ]

...wonderful. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to give them to him myself, if possible.

[tailor_made]

Mmhmm, mmhmm. [She nods, just a hair too quickly.] I might actually be able to get them to you before the end of the day since this will be a lot easier than mead supplies.

this is what not being able to sleep gets me

[violentenvies]

[...listen, Hester, he may not be genre savvy at all, but he is fairly decent at reading people.

So that nodding, combined with her earlier reaction from before, is enough to catch his attention. He steps closer to the desk, a slight frown appearing between his brows]

I...do appreciate the promptness, however...is there something that is strange about this request?

[tailor_made]

Monsieur...Mr. Barker is a perfectly sweet man. Most of the people here are nice people. [Discord not withstanding.]

You've been very nice to me, all things considered, so I want to return the favor with a little advice: be smart about who you trust. That's all.

[violentenvies]

[Salieri pauses, then, taking a moment to study Hester, looking for any details in her expression, where she's looking, what her hands are doing, how she's holding herself, as if such a thing might give him insight as to her motivations for telling him this. If this were dungeons and dragons, he would be rolling an insight check.

It's quiet in the office for a moment as he does this--though he's not going to let the silence linger too long. But he's certainly making no effort to disguise the fact that he's studying her and weighing her words]

[tailor_made]

[Hester is a difficult person to read, even for someone as well-versed in insight as Salieri. It doesn't look like she's making any real efforts to hide her intentions though. Her mouth is set in a small frown of concern, dark brows slightly furrowed, hands laid flat on the desk instead of neatly foldes in front of her.

For all intents and purposes she seems completely genuine in her concerns for him.]

Keep in mind I'm not saying everyone here has ulterior motives at this moment but things can change on a dime.

[violentenvies]

[She's genuine. That is...surprising, and not at all what Salieri expected. He folds his arms, a furrow in his brow, but after a moment, he nods]

...I see. In that case, I will...give your words some serious thought before I decide whether or not to give them to him.

[tailor_made]

[She nods and her smile returns, this time softer than the overly bubbly, borderline intense grin she had before.]

Good. I'll leave it in your hallway locker, you should have it tomorrow morning at the latest.

[violentenvies]

Thank you again, Madame Hester. [he will give her a small bow, then] I wish you a good day.

[tailor_made]

You as well, monsieur.

[But while we're on the subject of insight checks...this could very well be whatever universal translator fuckery is going on but the way she says "monsieur" is pitch perfect French pronunciation despite her clearly American accent.]

[violentenvies]

[....interesting. He'll note that, and then move to take his lead]