Street gang harassing a high school girl trying to walk home. She's safe now, parked at a cafe. I texted one of my second-years to escort her while you lecture me.
[Kusumi is really good at that part of their job.]
[Umemiya quits while he's ahead, not texting again while he waits for Mustang to show up at the park he'd been fighting at. He seems only somewhat ruffled from the fight.]
[His car pulls smoothly into a street space at the entrance of the park, close enough to intercept the few cops who responded to the flurry of calls about a fight. At a distance, he is friendly and animated with them, shaking hands and laughing at jokes. After a few minutes, they seem to agree to move on; Roy lifts one hand in a wave, and then pivots to walk deeper into the park.
As soon as the police are out of his eyeline, the breezy cheerfulness in his expression evaporates, leaving just tired annoyance behind.
He comes to a stop in front of Umemiya, hands in his pockets.]
Congratulations. You're off the hook. [Roy studies him briefly, looking for injuries.] Doesn't seem like they gave you much trouble.
[ He's right. Roy sighs, lifting his chin briefly to get his own frustration under control. ]
Good.
[ It isn't that he objects to the action itself. They deserved it; that's indisputable. But: ]
And what's your plan for her tomorrow? Or next week? Three months from now? Eventually that bunch of punks is going to get back up again, and they're going to want to take their bruised egos out on someone they know can't fight back.
[ Roy scowls. That is clearly not the answer he wanted. ]
So, to be clear, you helped this girl today, you thought enough ahead to have her escorted home, but now you're just going to hope that ideally none of these people or their friends decide that they're more angry than humiliated, and jump her again another day? Do I have that right?
[Like, he has the manpower to do so; he already manages patrols of the town, rotating between the four sections in each grade. Taking a couple of students off patrol duty to watch out for her wouldn't be too hard.
But it generally hasn't proven necessary in the past.]
My expectation is that you bother to think about these things before you go off making a big show.
[ He thinks that, in all likelihood, it probably will be fine. But his point isn't about likelihoods. ]
Reputation can only take you so far. If you're going to take on a responsibility like this, you owe it to people to be more thoughtful about the consequences of your choices.
[ He sighs, and with it goes the last bit of his frustrated energy. The kid cares, and he's trying. That's more than a lot of adults can say. ]
You'll think about it next time. That's what matters.
[ Lecture complete, and Umemiya apparently unharmed besides some scrapes and bruises, Roy returns to his coat pockets to fish around for his car keys. ]
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trashtalker) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bakerstreet2025-05-22 09:00 pm
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You better wrap it up, because I'm on my way.
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[ If a text could be stern, that one definitely is. ]
Do I want to know what you've gotten yourself into now?
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[Kusumi is really good at that part of their job.]
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Fine.
Did you send anybody to the hospital, or are they walking it off?
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Stay put. I'll speak to any police that arrive on scene.
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I don't have to talk them out of ALL the charges.
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As soon as the police are out of his eyeline, the breezy cheerfulness in his expression evaporates, leaving just tired annoyance behind.
He comes to a stop in front of Umemiya, hands in his pockets.]
Congratulations. You're off the hook. [Roy studies him briefly, looking for injuries.] Doesn't seem like they gave you much trouble.
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Kusumi already texted me, the girl is safely home.
[He knows there's a lecture coming, and is already bracing for that.]
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Good.
[ It isn't that he objects to the action itself. They deserved it; that's indisputable. But: ]
And what's your plan for her tomorrow? Or next week? Three months from now? Eventually that bunch of punks is going to get back up again, and they're going to want to take their bruised egos out on someone they know can't fight back.
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[The 'we' here is students of Furin High, not him and Roy.]
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So, to be clear, you helped this girl today, you thought enough ahead to have her escorted home, but now you're just going to hope that ideally none of these people or their friends decide that they're more angry than humiliated, and jump her again another day? Do I have that right?
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[Like, he has the manpower to do so; he already manages patrols of the town, rotating between the four sections in each grade. Taking a couple of students off patrol duty to watch out for her wouldn't be too hard.
But it generally hasn't proven necessary in the past.]
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[ He thinks that, in all likelihood, it probably will be fine. But his point isn't about likelihoods. ]
Reputation can only take you so far. If you're going to take on a responsibility like this, you owe it to people to be more thoughtful about the consequences of your choices.
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[It's the word 'responsibility' that hits him somewhere tender. He nods quietly.]
I probably should have texted you when I saw the problem, and waited until I had backup before engaging.
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You'll think about it next time. That's what matters.
[ Lecture complete, and Umemiya apparently unharmed besides some scrapes and bruises, Roy returns to his coat pockets to fish around for his car keys. ]
You need a ride? I'll drop you somewhere.
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Cafe Pothos? A late night meal might hit the spot. You'd be welcome to join me.