Log: Kids Can Be Cruel

[trustandfireworks]

Who: Theta Ai (native), Delta Ai (Native), Omega Ai (Native) and various teachers, students and parents
What: Called into school after a fight
Where: Theta's school, Principal's office
When: Tuesday 11/24 lunch time
Warnings: Past violence, shouting

Theta's arms are wrapped around his stomach as he tries to not start crying again. His eye hurts enough and crying had only made it worse with the tears trying to push their way out from between the swollen eyelids. There's other aches in different places that are worse that when he falls off the skateboard. His knuckles on his right hand hurt, but that's a better ache; satisfying in a way he'd notice more if it wasn't drowned out by everything else.

He wants to curl up in a corner under a blanket, or at least bring his legs up to his chest, but there's a rule about no feet on the chairs, so he can't. There's a blank sheet of paper and a pen on his lap, left there after he refused to take them, but he's not uncurling until his brothers get here, and he knows they will, that's the protocol. It's just never been needed for him before.

Maybe the other kids' parents have arrived, he hasn't looked up to check and the sound of the door opening and closing or normal volume voices are beyond him now. His fist tightens around the mangled piece of plastic and wire until he feels it digging into his palm. He's not sure where the other one is, maybe one of the bullies still has it. If it's not broken, maybe he can get it back. Maybe Delta and Omega can get them to give it back once they get here. He hopes they'll be here soon so they can take him home.

Comments

[protective_logic]

"Turn out your children's pockets or I will call the cops," Delta says bluntly. "Within the city-state of Gulch the legal code stipulates that theft of personal property over the value of five hundred dollars with the intention to deprive an individual of the item forever is grand larceny. That's a serious charge for children their age."

[trustandfireworks]

Theta leans gratefully into Omega, turning a little in his chair and asking WHAT'S GOING ON? before gripping one of Omega's hands.

None of the parents move except the mother at the back who's already getting her son to empty his pockets and is checking through his bag herself. She pauses when she realises none of the others are doing the same and frowns. 'Well?' she demands.

[baruthumos]

Omega squeezes Theta's hand before letting go to sign, WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR MISSING HEARING AID. AND MAYBE THROWING SOMEONE OUT THE WINDOW. THINK THAT JACKASS WILL BOUNCE?

Omega wants to turn them upside-down and shake them until their retinas detach and the hearing aid falls out, but Theta's got a pretty tight hold on him.

[protective_logic]

"Thank you, ma'am," Delta tells the woman, genuinely warm as he does so. "It's kind to see someone who will encourage their children to own up to the things they have done. I'm sorry to have this happen between us."

She's good. He likes her. He wants to give her a hug because she's not making this hard with her child. If the others here were half so reasonable as her, this wouldn't have gotten so aggressive.

[trustandfireworks]

Theta looks up when Omega lets go, watching what he signs. He doesn't want to let go himself, but he wants to go home now, so maybe this will let them go faster. CAMERON HAS IT, he signs. I THINK. HE'S THE ONE THAT TOOK IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE DID WITH IT.

'I'm sorry too,' the woman says, sighing and ignoring the looks the other parents are giving her. 'This shouldn't have happened.'

[baruthumos]

"All right," Omega says, rolling up his sleeves. That makes anyone ten times scarier. "Which one of you sorry shrimpwads is Cameron? I got some questions for you."

Why did the principal not get it before the parents came? Did he not notice or simply not care?

[protective_logic]

Oh man, Delta is not prepared for the next part.

"Grand larceny," he reminds the parents as he moves to pick Theta up once more. The boy needs hugs, and distracted if Omega gets borderline violent, so dammit he's going to be responsible for Theta being comfortable.

[trustandfireworks]

Theta wraps himself gratefully around his brother, glancing at Omega and then looking away quickly. He's guessing Meg's getting his hearing aid back, but he looks pretty angry and Theta doesn't want to watch.

Cameron's father stands up between Omega and the boy, who's shrunk a little in his seat, despite attempting bravado. The headmaster coughs. 'Cameron, if you have the hearing aid, give it back.'

[baruthumos]

Omega has no intention of hitting any of the kids, but he's not letting any of them know that. He holds his hand out and growls, "Hand it over. Now."

He is rapidly running out of patience.

[protective_logic]

Delta turns so that Theta wouldn't be looking at Omega at all, rubbing his younger brother's hair lightly. How could people justify this behavior in the slightest? Delta has to assume these parents were bullies growing up and have no problem with their children following the pattern.

"It would be best if you hand it over, boy. Even juvenile detention isn't nice."

[trustandfireworks]

'If you touch my son...' the father starts, his hands balling into fists desipte Omega having the obvious advantage in height and muscle over him.

'Cameron, things will be a lot easier on you if you give it back now,' the headmaster says.

Cameron looks between the two of them, then back at Omega. After a long moment, he reaches into his pocket and takes out the hearing aid. The main casing is broken, revealing the mangled inner workings.

[baruthumos]

"You'll do to me what your son did to my brother?" Omega asks, eyebrow raised. Then he snatches the device from the boy, with the most sarcastic thank you he can muster.

Omega hands it to Delta. "Do you think this could be repaired? I don't."

[protective_logic]

Delta takes the device and frowns down at it. "The interior circuits look too messed up. And here, there's a crack in the chip itself. There is no fixing this, not with all my tools. Plus the plastic covering is there to protect it from dust and shocking the person wearing it. I can't just buy a replacement one that fits him."

[trustandfireworks]

The parents shift uncomfortably. The teacher inches closer to the door and the headmaster rubs his forehead again. The mother looks pained as she shakes her head sadly.

Theta grips Delta a little tighter as his brother lets go with one hand. He glances up to see why and winces at the sight of his hearing aid. He'd guessed it was probably broken, but part of him had hoped it would be okay. He'd liked his aids.

[baruthumos]

Omega looks at the woman, the one reasonable person in the room. "School staff act in loco parentis," he tells her. "It's possible that they would be held responsible, not you."

[protective_logic]

"That being said, the other parents being unreasonable while they are here counts against them," Delta assures the mother as well as he puts the hearing aid in his pocket. No need to make the sight of it upset Theta more. "Omega, I need to take him outside."

[trustandfireworks]

The parents mutter protests, but the woman nods, looking a little more relaxed. 'Thank you,' she says. 'I hope getting his hearing aids replaced is as easy as it can be. And I'm sorry again for what happened.' This she says with a glare at her son, who shifts and looks at the floor.

[baruthumos]

"Okay. You take him outside, I'll discuss with these chucklefucks what they're going to commit to in writing," Omega says. "For repairing them and ensuring that this doesn't happen again."

Delta's going to leave him alone with them. He almost feels sorry for everyone left in the room. Almost.

[protective_logic]

"Of course," Delta tells his older brother, his voice a touch sweet. Don't kill them too much. They need to pay.

He squeezes Theta tightly and heads for the door. The principal definitely won't be stopping him now.

[trustandfireworks]

Delta's moving and Theta raises his head. Are they leaving? Yes! They're finally leaving. Why isn't Omega coming with them? He'll come soon, right? He grips Delta tight.

[baruthumos]

Omega turns to the principal with his best evil smirk. "Do you have a pen?"

[protective_logic]

Oh Delta, it would be wrong to cackle evilly when leaving your brother behind to deal with everyone. But he leaves him none the less. Though he does stop by the side of the woman who was being reasonable, and he does smile.

"Thank you, ma'am. You've been amazingly understanding about this and what it means to our family to keep Theta safe and healthy. Thank you."

[trustandfireworks]

The headmaster hesitantly hands him one from a pot on his desk.

The woman smiles back a little sadly. 'It's a shame you have to thank me, but you're welcome,' she says. She glances at Theta, wrapped around Delta's torso and facing away from her. 'All the best to him.'

[baruthumos]

Omega takes the pen and a pad of paper from the desk. "First I'm going to need names, addresses, and phone numbers," he says. "Where to sent the bills and everything." He writes headers on it and hands it off to the angriest-looking man.

Then he turns to the principal. "And I want, in writing, how you're going to make sure it never happens again. So we can add that to his IEP." The Individualized Education Plan is as close to a legally-binding document as Omega's going to get.

[trustandfireworks]

The man's fury only increases at being handed the pad and pen and he clicks the pen off and does nothing.

'Oh, for heaven's sake,' the mother snaps, taking the items and writing down her details, then handing pad to the woman next to her with a daring look.

'Measures have already started being put into place after you came yesterday,' the headmaster says.