concoursec | Office Hours 3: Office Hourser

Entry tags:

Office Hours 3: Office Hourser

Character(s): Snow and whoever else shows up.

Location: Second floor, the training classrooms

Rating: PG

Open/Closed/Finished: Open

Summary: Once again, Snow is holding office hours!

Didn't matter if you were in his classes or not, really. Snow had claimed a classroom during free hours in the evening, and casually put around word that he was free to talk about any concerns, questions, problems, or general comments the students might have. His class, any class, whatever.

Of course, fellow SeeDs and Instructors could drop by too.

Unusually, this time around, Snow's actually at a desk, writing something. The world might possibly be coming to an end.

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"Never pegged you as the type to do more paperwork than he had to." Lightning's tone was light as she walked into the office, having been looking for Snow for a while now. She'd come up here with a purpose, and it would be an easy one to talk about.

"I need your help with something."

"Funny thing about this paperwork," he says, tapping it with the pen. "I have to do it."

But obviously it can wait, especially giving who's asking. He tosses the pen aside. "What's up, sis?"

"We all have to, eventually. No way around it." But that is something for another time. For now, Lightning comes closer to the desk, arms crossed over her chest as they nearly always are these days.

"It's Hopes birthday on Saturday. I want to throw him some kind of surprise party, but..." She shrugs, letting her posture loosen.

"I don't know how to. I've never done that kind of thing before."

"I don't think any of us are gonna pop any surprise engagements on him, so there's a step up," he said, grinning. At least they could joke about it now, right?

More to the point... "First of all, we can't let on that we're not doing anything for his birthday. Hope can be sensitive, if he thought we actually forgot he'd be upset. We give him the idea it's quiet and low-key, maybe just you and me taking him out somewhere. Then... say we make like one of us forgot something, we have to stop by a classroom to pick it up. I bet we could get someone to okay that."

Snow could joke about it; Lightning was unlikely to do so and it shows as she shakes her head, leaning against the desk while she thinks. Snow's idea has merit, that's for sure.

"It wouldn't be too hard once we've got the okay. All the classrooms are empty in the evening hours after the make up classes are over." Which won't be a problem to schedule around; it would just be a matter of getting Hope to buy into it and getting everyone into the class room.

"We'll be in Fisherman's Horizon by then, too. It'll be simpler to keep the guests in here than out in the town or in the Inn."

"Shouldn't be a problem. I think it'd be easy to get everyone on board. Once we get to Fisherman's Horizon it'll be really easy for all of us to get his presents without noticing... Serah'd be happy to bake the cake, I'm sure." He tapped his fingers on the desk, going over the ideas again. "You think decorations would be a bit much?"

Serah baking the cake...that was the best idea Lightning had heard all day; getting her in the kitchen would be a terrible idea and a storebought cake would just...be bad.

"I'm sure a few balloons would be fine inside the classroom. Make things more...festive, I guess."

Festive. Not a word Lightning ever thought she would say. Things really do change when planning parties for family.

You gotta have that special personal touch. Especially when you had a girl like Serah around who'd be glad to provide it.

"I probably oughtta go read the Garden rules again before I start thinking up gifts. Don't wanna get him anything that'd be trouble." Hope's a young man now, right? About time for him to start getting his own ride, if Snow were to just propose something without thinking...

Especially when Serah's personal touch would be more homey than Lightning's ever could be; Serah was just the kind of woman who could provide that without any trouble.

"Just don't get him a T-Board and we should be fine." 'Should' being the operative word; a re-read of the rules would probably be a good idea for any of them, and Lightning still had to think of what to get for Hope herself. She'd have to brainstorm for a bit, that was all.

"That one's obvious. Still, I kinda want us all to go in on something nice for him. Some small presents too, but some sort of big thing that'll just knock his socks off. Don't know what, though. Can't really get my hands on a hoverbike here."

He stroked his chin for a moment. "Wonder if we could talk 'em into letting us go shopping in Esthar."

For a while, Lightning is quiet. What can they get him that'll, as Snow put it, knock his socks off? Nothing comes to mind immediately, and Lightning sighs, leaning a bit more against the desk and looking at the ceiling. This will take some doing...

"I don't see why they'd stop us if we keep from making a scene and get back by curfew."

"Well, Esthar is Esthar. Who knows?" He shrugged. "Still, they're closer to what Cocoon is used to than anything out here, so I bet we could find something awesome there."

"Probably. He's majoring in Battlefield Medicine, so if all else fails, we can fall back on that to get him something."

Though it's obvious by Lightning's posture that doing that is her last resort. She'd prefer to get him something more...personal.

"That'd be lame," he said, without even noticing her posture. "He's a kid stepping into young-manhood. He needs something awesome."

What had Snow wanted at that age? Well, an awesome vehicle, of course...

At that, Lightning turns and gives Snow her trademark lineface, sighing faintly.

"And something that's not going to get him in trouble with the faculty. We all have to follow those rules, remember?"

And while awesome things may not break those rules, awesome vehicles certainly would.

"Of course, Sis! I'm not gonna get him in trouble!" He puts on a show of being mildly indignant, since he'd already said they should check the Garden Code and rules. He was being extra-super-responsible! Not just going out and buying the first thing he sees that looks great and damn the consequences, like he really wants to do...

"Just making sure."

His show of being indignant is ignored as she pushes away from the desk, turning to face him. She of course trusts him not to do something like that, but one can never be too careful. Especially when family is involved.

"I'll keep you informed of how things are going. Try to not give us away, alright?"

Said with the hint of a smirk and a note of warmth in her tone. Oh, she trusts him to not give it away, but still. She's learning to loosen up.

"Good thing you warned me, I was about to go find him and tell him all about it," Snow said. He appreciated that joke -- if joke was the term, which he kind of doubted, but the sentiment was there -- more than words could say. The only appropriate response is to joke back, because he can.

Another quiet testament to how much things has changed.

"He might not have believed you, you know. You have a habit of over reacting to things when they involve the rest of us." A pause, and she shakes her head.

"Hell, things in general. I'd be surprised if he took you for your word on that right away."

While that was truth, her tone was still light and held a teasing note along with that warmth. Things really had changed.

"As opposed to you," Snow said, crossing his arms. "You could tell that kid the sky is green, and he'd start thinking something was wrong with his eyes."

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Office Hours 3: Office Hourser

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