Room 507, Friday afternoon [NFB]

[nadiathesaint]

After a handwaved trip to the weapons locker, Nadia lead Annette back up to her old room and closed the door behind them.

"Do you have any idea how incredibly foolish that was?"

[ooc: for Annette, please. NFB.]

Comments

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

Annette wrapped her arms around her middle and stared down at the floor, chewing on her bottom lip.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia let out a sigh and gestured for her to have a seat. "You want to tell me what the hell you were thinking?"

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

She sunk into the chair offered and tried to keep her feet from tapping on the floor. "You mean before or after he grabbed me? Cause after that things just sort of went downhill."

[nadiathesaint]

"I mean like why you didn't immediately return the gun to M like you told me you were going to do last night. I mean like why you were in his room in the first place. As for the grabbing . . . I'll deal with that, later."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"It was late. I was tired. I fiddled with it to get the bullets out and set the safety." She rubbed her brow wishing she had something to drink cause her mouth was incredibly dry. "I went to his room, just to see what he was doing. To honestly try and be nice. I swear, Nadia." Okay, maybe she tempted him a little with the pictures. Pictures which she did not even have on her person at the moment.

[nadiathesaint]

"Returning that gun should have been your first priority, Annette. You do not carry a weapon that you are not trained and experienced in using, even if it isn't loaded. As for you going to his room . . . you've completely compromised everything you were trying to do in your investigation. Do you think, if he's really up to something, he's going to let you or anyone else get anywhere near it, now? He said he asked you to leave. Why didn't you?"

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"I realize that now. I wouldn't have fired it. Again." And that didn't sound good or help the fact that she was getting chewed out by Nadia. "I practiced a little in Spy Tech so it wasn't that unfamiliar." Not really. She had learned more about it in her room.

"He is up to something, I know it." She cut her eyes at Nadia. "He took great care from allowing me to even glance at his desk. And he was so vehemenent in getting me out of his room. I think that is why I did not leave when first asked." And because I'm super stubborn.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia looked down and rubbed her nose. "Annette, when you're learning to drive a car, do you get behind the wheel once, practice for 50 minutes, and then assume you're an expert and capable of handling the vehicle in any situation? A gun is just as dangerous as a car, if not more so, and it's just as complex a machine that you need to learn to understand and use. It requires hours of practice and training before you're anywhere near proficient. The Spy Tech class was barely an introduction. As for Stirfry . . . . Whether he's up to something or not, you've now made it impossible for you to find out for sure. He quite possibly just resented your presense and wanted to finish his homework or whatever he was working on in peace. It's pretty obvious he doesn't like you, much. Some people really are just very private people."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

She looked down at her hands, "No," she mumbled. "I do not. And I know, I know-" her shoulders slumped. -"I mean I honestly know. Sometimes, rarely, I just act before I think." Annette refused to correct Nadia on her mispronounciation of Steerpike's name. From now on she was going to call Steerpike something else entirely also.

Annette looked up at Nadia. "So you are going to discredit my gut feeling entirely because he might like his privacy?"

[nadiathesaint]

"No. But I'm also not going to let you investigate him any further. Because if he is up to something, he now has every reason to believe that you're a danger to him, and I'm not helping you learn how to do this so you can go out and get yourself killed." Nadia stood up and started pacing the room. "But if you don't listen to what I tell you to do, then this whole training thing is not going to work, Annette. I told you to give that gun back, and instead you brought it to your target's room, and threatened him with it. Do you have any idea how many ways that could have gone horribly wrong? What if you hadn't unloaded it completely? What if it accidentally went off? What if he freaked out and actually attacked you? What if the school security found out, and had you expelled?

"I can't help you if you don't listen to me, Annette. And when I'm training you, I'm responsible for you. You could have gotten both of us in serious trouble. You stole a gun. That's pretty dumb anyway, but you stole it from a woman who, as far as I can tell, is pretty damned high up in British Intelligence. That's extraordinarily foolish. I've contacted M. She wants me to bring you to her office on Monday. And we're going. And I think I have to talk to Parker about this, too."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

She watched Nadia pace back and forth, listening intently. Steerpike might be capable of killing her. Maybe. And everything she was saying was starting to sink in totally and Annette knitted her brows and slouched in the chair, doing her best to not come undone completely. First the gun, then the letter from her parents threatening to take her away from the school, then the gun again, then Steerpike. Geeze. Nothing was going her way. Nothing.

"Oh shit, Nadia!" At which point she leaned over and held her face in her hands. "Not M. Crap. And Parker? Why don't you just kill me now? I was foolish, I know. Holy hell I know! But I swear to you, from here on out, I do just as you tell me..." She looked up. "Please god, just don't tell Parker. Dealing with M is going to be bad enough."

[nadiathesaint]

"Parker's in charge of the gun club, Annette. If you're going to be part of that club, she probably needs to know about this." Nadia sighed and sat down again. "Frankly, you're lucky that I'm not going to Principal Washburn."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

And that is when she starting groaning, head between her knees. "This is not good. This is so not good. I did not wake up this morning and think, 'Hey? I know, let's get in trouble today! Let's piss Stupiddick off and let him attempt to drag me across his floor!' This is just...not right."

[nadiathesaint]

"Yeah." Nadia said, not unkindly. "But it happened. So now you have to deal with it. And learn from it, so it doesn't happen again."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"What do you think she will do? M I mean?" She looked up again, looking utterly miserable. "I have never been in trouble Nadia. Ever." And those words had never been more true.

[nadiathesaint]

"I don't know. Probably detention, definitely a lecture and a lot of disapproving looks . . . she's not without her resources. And there's a first time for everything."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

Detention she thought she could handle. A lot of people served detention without a care in the world. She could do that. Nodding a little she asked next, "And Parker?"

[nadiathesaint]

"Oh, I'm thinking that will mostly be lecturing, taunting, teasing, withering looks, and possibly suspending you from Gun Club for awhile."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Annette didn't think it prudent to point out that she's actually only been to one meeting. Maybe she could just be super nice to Parker.

"Nadia? What are you going to do about Superdork?"

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia sighed. "I don't know, yet. I'm not discounting your gut feeling, but he hasn't actually done anything suspicious, yet."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"Am I going to get to be a part of anything at all concerning him?"

[nadiathesaint]

"I don't know, Annette. I think you might be too close to this."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

She nodded and looked down at her clasped hands. "What if he...reports me? Nadia, can you make sure he doesn't do that? I mean, I could report him too if he wants to go that route. He actually touched me."

[nadiathesaint]

"Oh, I am so not getting in the middle of that. Annette, I wasn't there. All I saw was you holding a gun on him, and so it's just going to come down to your word against his, and yours will be pretty well shot by me seeing you with a gun that you were not supposed to have, pointed at a guy who's room you were in. If it happens, you'll just have to deal with it. I'm sorry."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

Dammit. She should have known that. But if Steerpike thinks to do anything, say anything, she lie her ass off to keep this from going any further than her being in trouble with M. She would save this blouse just to show how wrinkled it was where he had fisted it.

With a weary sigh that she felt through her entire body, she asked lastly, "What now?"

[nadiathesaint]

"I think now . . . you need to go back to your room and relax. I'd say 'and think about what you've done' but that makes me sound like I'm trying to be your mom, and I'm pretty sure it's actually a given, anyway. And on Monday, we'll go talk to M. But you're not going anywhere near that weapons cabinet this weekend, okay? If you really want, I can possibly show you some good self-defense tricks that don't require expensive, dangerous weaponry that can backfire on you."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"I will do exactly that. And I don't think there is much else I can do but sit and think about what I've done and who it's affected. And for that, Nadia? I am really sorry you had to be invovled. Actually I'm glad though. If he hadn't of backed off and tried something else instead, no telling where I'd be right now. I won't even mention that cabinet." She tried a smile but failed miserably. "I would like that and it would probably be in my best interest to learn good self-defense tricks."

[nadiathesaint]

"Yeah, well, right now I'm just glad you're a terrible liar." Nadia ran her hand through her hair. "You know what the first self-defense trick is, right?"

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

Annette would let that pass. She thought she was a pretty good liar. Okay, maybe to people who couldn't actually see her face and know that she was lying.

"No. I have no idea."

[nadiathesaint]

"Don't get yourself into situations where you need self-defense." Nadia shrugged. "Number two is 'run'. If both of those options are out, that's when you start in on the keys between your fingers, the ear-clap manuever, balls-kicking, and of course, the classic 'twist, pull, and it will come off'."

[misshargrove.livejournal.com]

"Right. And I can run pretty fast. The balls-kicking I get, and the rest I guess you're going to have to tell me about."