1354/Happy Harbor: What's This

Happy Harbor: What's This
Date of Scene:	24 April 2020
Location:	Administrative Hall - Happy Harbor High School
Synopsis:	Samuel and Colette get things sorted. Morrigan has a moment. In the end, nothing gets wrecked!
Cast of Characters:	Morrigan MacIntyre, Samuel Morgan, Colette O'Connail

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Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
It's a Friday and Morrigan's cleared her schedule for meetings. Her last of the day seems to be with Colette and Samuel. She's a bit miffed at her Sam, so she's going to call the other Mister Morgan!

But, digressing, the woman is seated in her office and there are a stack of files that have been freshly checked and need to be filed away. She'd do that in a bit. She looks ready to accept folks into the office.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There is a certainty when scheduling Sam for a meeting... he will be on time. So certain, in fact, that it's possible to use his knock on the door as a way to calibrate a clock. Knock plus ten seconds is exactly the minute the meeting was scheduled, although he does appear in the anteroom at least a minute ahead of time. Immaculately dressed, of course, but unburdened by backpack or messenger bag, accompanied only by Bear, who for some reason is being very protective of his human right now.

    "You wanted to see me, Doctor MacIntyre?" He's not quite standing at attention, but there's the distinct impression that stiffening to attention is just a moment away. Bear traipses in ahead, and lays himself down three feet from Sam and exactly between him and anyone else in the room. Today, it appears, personal space is being taken seriously.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    This will be the second meeting of the day about Mister Morgan for Colette. She'd had a request from Caitlin Fairchild that morning to discuss the student too, though in that case the subject of conversation had been referred to rather less formally as Sam. The name 'Techno' had had come up too. On Caitlin's advice, Colette had requested a meeting with Morrigan, requesting Sam be present. Ironically, Sam had already contacted Morrigan about Colette, requiring a similar meeting. This was bound to be confusing.

    Colette had been waiting in the staff lounge for the appointed time, and enters a few moments after Sam. She is careful to give him plenty of space, and announces her presence in advance by calling "Doctor MacIntyre. Sam. Bear. Good afternoon," from the doorway.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan looks to her phone and there's a moment taken to look up to the door, "Hello, come on in, Mister Morgan, Bear." she smiles to both of them. She then gives Colette a smile as she enters, "Good afternoon, Miss O'Connail. Please both of you have a seat. Can I get anyone a drink before we start?" she asks.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I'm quite alright, thank you."

    Without the loss of a further moment, Sam sits down, and doesn't rise or even look over his shoulder when Colette introduces herself. Because of course she was going to be here, he'd been sure of that the moment he was asked to come into the office. His silence is as deafening as it is eloquent.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
"No thank you doctor MacIntyre," Colette replies. She gives Sam space to make his way to a seat before taking her own, moving it a little to the side to ensure there's plenty of space between them. Room for a dog and spare.

    "I'm afraid this is going to be a somewhat tricky conversation," she says with a slight frown. "Sam has developed some rather... /odd/ notions that need clearing up. There are things he has said to me in confidence that I must respect, and has done some unwise things I'd prefer not to discuss but may /need/ to be discussed. I am hoping we can have a productive conversation that will reassure everyone that they don't, and that similar actions will not occur in the future."

    Colette glances towards him. "Sam, perhaps to start... You're aware of the rules this school has about... keeping a low profile, yes? And that I have warned you in the past of the advisability of not doing certain things in the school workshop? Maybe you are not fully aware that Doctor MacIntyre has requested that staff remind students of this rule in cases where they become aware that a student has been doing things in public that might bring attention to themselves, and by extension to the school."

    "So assuming you are aware of that, can you explain to me how on earth you managed to interpret me doing that as an attempt to... for God's sake... /blackmail/ you? That's bizarre."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan looks to Samuel and then back to Colette, "We just had to have a talk with someone about a video that got put up on Youtube, thankfully he was just defending himself, but, we are trying to solidify things." she tells them.

Though the conversation gets deep before Morrigan is fully prepared and she looks to Samuel to see what his take on things is.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There is, at first, no reaction. Sam listens, leaning back in his seat, legs crossed at the knee and fingers interlocked under his chin. He looks about twenty years older than his chronological age, like a board member sitting through a meeting, or a psychiatrist listening to a patient. Bear, on the other hand, seems distinctly uneasy.

    "I see." It's said in a measured tone, entirely at odds with the 'for God's sake' that was just leveled at him, and he takes a deep breath before responding. "First and foremost, you will notice that all my projects have been removed from the school. That was a decision I made shortly after our conversation in the computer lab, given that the school no longer appeared to be a secure location. They have all been moved off-site, to a place which I will not disclose." He gives Colette a small smile at that revelation. Then he turns his head to look at Morrigan.

    "Doctor MacIntyre, are you familiar with a counter espionage technique known as the canary trap? It's a simple method of gauging how secure and trustworthy someone is. Basically you tell them something in secret, with a small detail that doesn't quite match something you've told someone else. If everyone is keeping your confidence, you never hear anything back. If they're not..." and now he looks again to Colette. "You hear things coming back which can only be known by people who were supposed to keep your confidence, but betrayed it. Through this, I can now confirm that Miss O'Connail has breached confidentiality and the privacy of at least once student, namely me, against a myriad of federal laws regulating educational establishments."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "In this case, Doctor MacIntyre, the video is one I took myself and I have no intention of spreading it." Colette holds a hand up reassuringly - this won't be another one of /those/. "I haven't checked to see if there's any other footage of the incident out there showing Sam. However his actions in the footage were only /slightly/... unusual. There is a good chance nobody would even notice, particularly as there were dinosaurs rampaging in other parts of the frame. It seemed entirely appropriate to just have a quiet chat with Sam to warn him... /again/... of the importance of being discreet. Unfortunately, he seemed to interpret this in... well."

    Colette gestures towards Sam. "As you can see."

    "Sam, do you remember when we talked in the workshop, and you told me a few surprising things about yourself, then asked me what my 'story' was? And I told you I was a TA, and that I was here to help teach students? Or in the library, where discussions moved on to some rather esoteric areas, and I had to explain again that I was a TA, helping to teach students? Or again in the computer room, where you asked me who I work for, and I had to remind you that the real world is not full of spy agencies and most people you meet, including me, do not work for some weird shadowy organization with some rather silly acronym? Do you detect a pattern there? You're in a school now, not some bizarre spy agency. The rules of how things are done are rather different, and if you take the assumptions of one world into the other, the outcome is liable to be unfortunate."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan realizes that there is A LOT going on here. "Alright, secret projects have been talked about and moved off campus." she makes the note on her pad of paper. Then there's a moment to listen to the rest of things and she is looking like she has no idea to what extent things were happening. "Continue." she motions to them as she leans forward.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "But that statement was false. You are not just a TA." Sam counters, still in that even voice, refusing to be baited. He's not arguing, he's telling people why he's right.

    Again, he turns to Morrigan to expand. "Miss O'Connail, despite claiming to be just a TA, has approached a number of students regarding heroism. Specifically, taking an active part in crime fighting, or considering a future as a crime fighter. Now, it so happens that at that point, our goals align. But only on that point." A motion with his hand to the other seat. "I can confirm that Miss O'Connail has spoken about a group called the Titans, which until a short while ago was defunct. Her ambition seems to be to re-activate it, for no purpose that I could discern. So, to find out, I paid them a visit, yesterday. To my surprise, I found several people there that I knew, including one of our teachers, who it would appear has found it necessary to speak to Miss O'Connail about a claim I made, while in the tower, off campus, as a free agent rather than a student."

    Once more, he resumes his relaxed posture, looking over to Colette. "Do you know what your nickname is in the Tower, Miss O'Connail? The Great Meddler. Half of the Titans I spoke to seem to have stories of you pushing them back into the Titans, or arranging them to meet the Titans. Including the newest Hawkeye, who until you spoke to her, was considering starting her own group. You co-opted her for your own ends."

    Then, the smile drops, quickly and suddenly. "All that I could overlook. But you pushed my boyfriend to the point where he is now even more paranoid than I ever was. He's angry, and I can't blame him. You pushed every button you could find until he broke, and that I cannot and will not forgive. You're not just a TA, and I can't help but note you once again ended your statements with a veiled threat. I have warned you about those, repeatedly."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
"Incorrect on so many counts, Sam. " Colette gives him a smile. "Actually it's Gar... that's Beast Boy... who is trying to re-activate the team. He's a friend of mine, yes. That will come as no revelation to Doctor MacIntyre. I did encourage Doctor Fairchild to go visit Gar, because frankly he was very down and needed to see his old friends rather badly. As she's a teacher at this school, it seemed a sensible use of my time. And Hawkeye, yes. I met her in New York. She's doing something rather dangerous without much in the way of help, I did recommend she visit the Titans and speak to them, I felt they could help her. "

    She leans back in her seat, making an open-handed gesture. "As for 'paying them a visit', that's not exactly how they relate the story, Sam. 'Breaking and entering' was the phrase I believe. Do you really think that was wise? And then your bizarre claim that I invited you there. You really are misinterpreting things Sam. Do you remember the last words I spoke to you in the computer lab? Where I had to explain to you that you had it wrong, and I was /not/ recruiting for the Titans? Again, there is this strange pattern. You seem to treat everything like it's a spy movie, with secret agendas and mysterious plots. I did not 'invite' you to the tower, or attempt to 'recruit' you, or 'blackmail' you... and really, blackmail you for what purpose? Why would I even want to? It makes no sense.

    "And on that theme, veiled threats? Again Sam, this is not a spy novel. That wasn't a threat. It was a warning about the dangers of your actions. If you respond in the kind of fashion you did in the library, to some imagined threat, on another occasion you might /hurt/ someone. That's the threat. This isn't /me/ threatening /you/, this is me worrying that you may be a danger to the students and staff at this school. Is any of this getting through to you?"

    Colette gives an apologetic shrug to Morrigan. She's aware that poor Doctor Mo is probably finding this horribly confusing and has little idea what to say. "Though maybe we're at the heart of the matter here. Your boyfriend doesn't like me. I didn't 'push any buttons', I gave him some practical advice that he didn't like hearing. The pair of you seem to share that characteristic."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan looks between the two of them and there is a breath blown out, "Okay..." she whispers. She checks the text she received and there's another deep breath taken. "I'm guessing there are more on both sides?" she asks.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    All of a sudden, the smile is back. It happens just as Colette uses the phrase 'breaking and entering', and talks about Sam mentioning that he had been 'invited' to the Titans. The teenager leans back, seeming quite relaxed now, and almost instantly turns to look at Morrigan.

    "See, until just now I couldn't positively prove that student confidentiality had been broken. But the story about being 'invited', I only mentioned to the people I met. And of those, only Doctor Fairchild used the phrase 'breaking and entering'. Now I know who informed on me, and who I cannot ever trust again."

    Still with that smile, that almost infuriating little smile, he turns to Colette again. "You might think that the world isn't a spy novel, but you'd be wrong. I can understand you've never seen the world as I have, and you have to believe in many comforting lies to go about your daily business, but I can assure you that unless I'm very careful about who I associate with, I will end up being murdered. You can ask Doctor MacIntyre about that, but she, at least, won't give you any solid details, or infer enough that you might find out something you're not supposed to. See, Doctor MacIntyre I trust, she has never taken any steps to abuse that trust, nor has she ever acted in any way that was duplicitous. You, on the other hand, have."

    Now he turns again to Morrigan, but his smile is less... relaxed. It's a bit more focused. "Doctor MacIntyre, I must insist that Miss O'Connail is fired from her position at Happy Harbor, and that a disciplinary investigation be opened against Doctor Fairchild. Otherwise I will have to consider taking legal steps against this school for child endangerment. Believe me, I don't want to, but Miss O'Connail is leaving me very little choice."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Colette arches an eyebrow at Sam, and stares at him for a few moments. Then she turns to Morrigan and gives a helpless shrug.

    "There you have it, Doctor MacIntyre. This is what I have been dealing with. He breaks into private property... doctor Fairchild described it as breaking into her /home/... and seems to think that her mentioning this fact to me is breaking 'student confidentiality'. That /she/ is the one who has acted in an untrustworthy fashion."

    Colette gives a shake of her head. "And apparently we /are/ living in a spy novel. This isn't /healthy/, Sam."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan gives a look to Samuel and then to Colette, "So what I'm hearing is that there needs to be zero contact between the two of you." she states. "Mister Morgan, if you wish to bring legal recourse against the school and Mister Stark's TA, that is something that we can discuss. But, it wouldn't be the wisest decision I am guessing." she states. "This is not a spy novel, but at the same time if someone feels like they are being continually pressed I can see where frustrations are coming from." she admits.

"I'm going to ask that you each speak plainly. If there is something you need to say, get it off your chest and out in the open." she points to them.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    A deep breath is taken. For a moment it seems that Sam was going to persist and pull the trigger on his threat, but then Morrigan invokes The Name. There's a slow blink. The mere moment 'Mister Stark' is mentioned, it's clear that Sam is not going to press charges. His expression goes unreadable for a moment, and he sighs. "Dammit. You had to work for the one man I'm trying to impress. Could have mentioned that sooner, would have made things a lot easier." The last bit doesn't even sound serious, but he leans back in his chair, eyes closed for a moment. Bear sits up in that instant and looks at his human, head tilted. That was a /dramatic/ change of body language.

    "Alright then. I know nobody is recording this, I can tell. I also know that nobody is listening in. Again, I can tell. So..." Another deep breath, and he looks first at the door, making sure it's close, then out the window to make sure he can't see anyone aiming a high powered rifle in his direction, and then finally to Colette.

    "I can't tell. You are showing three quarters of the mannerisms and characteristics of a HYDRA double agent. Yes, I know what they act like. Yes, I know how to spot them. You're going to have to take my word on that. And yes, if one of those gets close to me, they will kill me, so I need to always watch my back. Always. For the rest of my life, even in a school. My apologies if I come across as paranoid, but in my case paranoia is a survival trait." He scratches the back of his head, looking lost for a moment. "I still don't know for sure. And the more you flat out deny being anything but just a simple TA, the more I suspect you. So, if you want me to stop suspecting you of being here to murder me, or murder people I care about to try to get me to come back, I need to know. I need to know what you're doing, without any lies, without any half truths, without any nonsense about just looking out for friends. Who are you? What are you trying to do? Why are you constantly trying to get me involved with the Titans?"

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "Zero contact suits me fine," Colette says to Mo with a tilt of her head. "But it doesn't address my concerns about Sam. And about those around him. If he is convinced he is living in a spy novel and misinterprets things so badly, the danger remains that he may repeat his... mistakes. He has commited two criminal offenses. The first... I'm fairly certain the Titans have no desire to press charges. They are understanding people. The second I would like to avoid mentioning if possible, because no harm was done."

    She turns to Sam, giving him an open-armed shrug. "What do you suggest, Sam? You know what I'm talking about. How do we ensure that you don't decide someone /else/ is showing three-quarters of the mannerisms of a HYDRA double agent? Because I'm /not/ one. I hadn't even heard of them before you mentioned them to me a few weeks ago. But you put me in an impossible position, because you are asking for a logical impossibility. You say my denials make you more convinced I'm up to something. Suppose I'm /not/ up to something? Just consider the hypothesis for the moment. If I were to lie and say I was up to something, you'd believe I was up to something. If I told the truth and denied it, you'd believe I was up to something. You're an intelligent guy, you can see the flaw in that line of reasoning."

    "So there you have it, Sam. If I intended you harm, I would not have acted the way I have. If you thought about that for ten seconds, you'd be able to see that. Nor am I, as you put it 'constantly trying to get you involved with the Titans.' After you revealed certain things to me about yourself and mentioned your plans for your future, I told you that I have contacts with the Titans and could put you in touch with them when the time was right. If it makes you feel any better, I withdraw the offer. I mean it's rather unnecessary now, as you made contact yourself without my help, hmm?"

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan listens to both of them, a bit of a frown over things that are said, but, she wanted them to get things off their chest. "Samuel, will you meet once a week with our Guidance Counselor to talk on things?" she asks him. Then to Colette, "If he speaks with someone from the school that might help with things that need worked out and he shows improvement will this suffice?" she asks her.

"And is there anything else that I need to hear about?" she asks. "We have one month and then school is out. But if you want we can keep meeting with the counselor and work on things. It might prove helpful for Samuel." she looks to him.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    A few moments after Colette starts talking, when it's obvious where her statement will take her, Sam's expression grows hard again. "I don't need your invitation. I never did. And this was your one chance to gain my trust, but you decided not to take it."

    He turns to Morrigan. "I can't help but notice that Miss O'Connail had skillfully managed to avoid answering any questions yet again. She's refusing to engage with this process, no matter how much I try to meet her halfway, and I refuse to continue with this nonsense. She accuses others, she shifts blame, she fails to answer even the most basic questions about her motives even when cornered. I must repeat my demand for her to be removed from the school. As you say, there's a month until the end of the school year. Were I in your shoes, Doctor MacIntyre, I would think twice about offering Miss O'Connail a contract for the next year."

    Deep breath. Very deep breath. Bear walks over and lays his head on Sam's lap, earning himself a fuss around the ears even while Sam holds up a warning hand to Colette not to pass comment, still looking to Morrigan. "I've met so many counselors I've lost count. Why would this one be able to help me? And I can do without that comment you are undoubtedly formulating in your mind right now, Miss O'Connail."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Colette leans back in her chair, pinching her nose. "Doctor MacIntyre... I... don't know. This is..." she puffs her cheeks out. "Way above my paygrade." For the first time in the conversation she's sounding something less than confident.

    "Contrary to what Sam believes, I only want the best for him - but for those around him, too. I'm hardly competent to give a... a... psychiatric diagnosis here. I guess.. I mean if a trained counsellor believes he is not a danger to other people then I'm not going to argue, but that /is/ my concern.

    Colette gives Sam a shrug that seems apologetic. "Sorry Sam. I don't know how I can answer your questions when you refuse to believe the answers. I've told you my motives. There is no secret agenda. I'm not a spy, or a secret agent, or a f... whatever. That's it. There is literally no answer I can give you that would satisfy you."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan takes a breath and there's a soft look to Samuel, "Mister Morgan, I'm really trying to make things work out. I think in time you'll see that Miss O'Connail is not a threat." she states. "As for the Counselor, I have a lot of faith that he can help you given his background." she tells him.

Then to Colette, "How about this. Mister Morgan meets with our Counselor and if he doesn't show improvement or a shift in characteristics will move on from there. I want to be balanced and I want to make sure that worries are addressed. But I think we can work this all out with a little getting Mister Morgan set up with someone that he can trust and gain a rapport with that knows what he might be going through." she states.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "If I were dangerous I wouldn't be here, and you know it." Sam retorts, although he's still looking at Morrigan. It seems he's not even going to look at Colette anymore. "Some people might not believe it, but I am under constant psychiatric supervision, and I already attend three sessions a week from a specialised therapist. That's what I do when I'm not at the school. I'm in therapy. I think you know very well who sends me there, and who makes sure that I'm not dangerous, Doctor MacIntyre."

    "Because let us make something very clear. I am here voluntarily. It was deemed being here was beneficial to my recovery. I can assure you that the last few weeks have done quite the reverse. You cannot expel me, because that would imply you have any say whatsoever about me being here. It would imply that I can be held to a new set of conditions under threat of being removed from the school. If you think about it logically for a few moments, you will see how hollow a threat that is. I don't know your counselor, I already have a counselor, I am already in therapy, I will not agree to further conditions to my continued attendance at this school. I refuse to cooperate. Would you like me to make that clearer?"

Colette O'Connail has posed:
"Sam has been making connections here," Colette says to Mo. "I think that's something that's very good for him, and losing those connections would be a backwards step. However..."

    She gives a shake of her head and gestures towards Sam. "This. I'm sorry Doctor MacIntyre, but I don't know how..."

    Colette stops herself and blinks a few times. "Sam. Can I ask a question? You said you're not dangerous. I'd suggest that if you convince yourself that someone is a HYDRA agent, then you might be dangerous. Can you at least reassure us that there is nobody else at the school who has... shown three quarters of the signs or whatever, nobody else that you suspect is some kind of threat to you? Not asking names or details here, just a yes or no."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"No one said anything about you being removed from the school, Samuel." Morrigan states in a flat tone. "But, if you think that I cannot expel you then keep going and you'll see how VERY wrong you are on that. I am trying to help. I'm trying to offer alternatives. None of this was to remove you from the school. I think you've been doing great." she states. "Yes. I realize that you are already in therapy, I was going to have you see Mister Wilson who just came on with us. He has a special view of things." she tells him. "But, If you will not agree to things and you refuse to cooperate then this conversation is over and I will meet with your SHIELD sponsor as soon as I can after I visit the infirmary at the Triskelion." she tries not to get angry. But, there's red tinging her cheeks and down her throat.

Then she looks to Colette, before she looks back to Samuel, "Will you answer that for her?" she asks him. There's a bit of pleading in that tone.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Wilson? Wait, Sam Wilson?" For a moment, Sam seems confused, as if he's trying to place the name. For a moment there's a faraway look, and then he nods seemingly to himself. Again his demeanor changes, relaxing, this time both hands going down to pet Bear, who is by now half sitting on his human's lap. "Of course, he's the new... Sorry. Yes. Yes of course, I will see him, as soon as... yes. My apologies, I didn't.... I'll see him. Happily. Thank you."

    Ey?

    Another deep breath, and with some effort Sam looks back towards Colette. "I'll admit I've been watching people, doing a full threat assessment on everyone I've met. Everyone. There's only one other that stands out, but I took him to the prom, and I can guarantee you that he's not a double agent. On the other hand, by your own logic, there's nothing I can say that will satisfy you, is there? You're under no obligation to believe me, and you haven't shown an inclination to believe me so far."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "Your grasp of logic is not strong at times Sam," Colette says with a shake of her head. "I have no reason to disbelieve you, so I don't. A denial of something is not evidence of that thing actually being true after all. If you actually engaged that significant brainpower of yours you'd notice that I have accepted a lot of frankly pretty bizarre sounding claims from you, and the only things I have refused to believe are the ones I know for a fact aren't true. If you thought /really/ hard about things, you might even notice that I have gone to some lengths to protect you... from yourself. "

    She turns back to Morrigan, puffing her cheeks out. "I can't say I think it's exactly /healthy/ that he's doing threat assessments on other students, but if it's only me that he's got this... this..." she waves a hand in circles. ".../thing/ about, and if he's prepared to see your specialist, I don't think there's a problem. Honestly I am more than happy to have zero contact with him, this whole situation is highly stressful."

    Colette slumps slightly, then looks back up at Mo. "Please tell me this situation is utterly weird and teaching isn't normally like this," she says in a voice that's half sigh.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan takes a deep breath and then starts to settle back down, "Yes, that Sam Wilson." she tells Samuel. She felt bad, but, she was hoping he might help better. Then there's a look to him though, "Mister Morgan, threat assessments are for when we are in enemy territories or going into them. The school shouldn't be view like that. None of us are going to be jumping out like ninjas." she admits. "All of the people that are here have been vouched for by SHIELD." she points out.

"I've never hired anyone that didn't go through SHIELD. Miss O'Connail herself is Tony's assistant and I dare to challenge Tony on his picking people as he is very concerned about safety." she admits.

"I think that this first year has been a stressful one for all of us. We're new. We're all trying to see where things fall. I assure you both that the safety of the students and making sure we have trustworthy people is our number one priority." she states. "So, Samuel will see our specialist. There will be no contact on school grounds as I cannot extend that to off school property. If any problems come up you will contact me immediately." she looks to them.

Then there's a chuckle to Colette, "It's been a really weird year so far, so, we're not surprised to see bumpy things. I just want to repair this before it goes beyond that point." she nods between them.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "That's not an iron clad guarantee. Exactly what is it you think I do for SHIELD? It's my job to be suspicious, literally." Sam mentions, looking between Morrigan and Colette. "For what it's worth, I honestly didn't start off suspecting people. I was over that, so I thought anyway." A deep sigh. "Until that damned group project on heroics. It just... something just... I don't know. I got suspicious again. Something didn't feel right, and those instincts have never let me down before. Never."

    Which is, of course, the exact moment another student picked up a very disturbing thought from Sam. Which also happens to be the student Sam requested never to be required to meet again.

    "Mister Stark might be very concerned about his safety, but..." and there Sam stops himself, visibly, derailing a train of thought as his brain catches up with his mind. Something mentally slams shut. HARD. "... he's not infallible. None of us are. That includes me. I've... " Deep, deep breath. His eyes seek out Colette's.

    "I've more than likely made a mistake in my assessment. Please accept my apologies. There's too many skeletons rattling around in my closet, so many that sometimes I see bones where there aren't any."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "Your apology is accepted Sam, and thank you," Colette says with a smile. "In return I would like to apologize to you, because clearly I have inadvertently said or done things that triggered your suspicions. In all honestly I'm still not really sure what, because your world..." she gestures vaguely with a hand. "Is not my world. Try to keep that in mind, because it's true of the vast majority of people in the world."

    Colette breaths out hard and shrugs to Mo. "I guess we have a resolution then. I don't think staying out of each other's way outside of school grounds should be a problem. I for one think it would be a good idea for me to keep whatever it is about me that triggers these worries in Sam well away from him. I'll miss Bear though."

    "He's a good dog."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "That... won't be necessary." Crow, so they say, should be eaten while it is young and tender, or else you will surely have to eat it when it is old and tough. Sam remembers this now, of all times. "There's no point in staying away from one another if there's no suspicion. It would only make things more difficult later on."

    It's like a different Sam sitting in that chair. Almost literally, despite still looking the same. "Mistakes were made. Possibly on both sides, although I won't push that issue, that's not productive. But ... we learn from our mistakes. Usually it's the only way to learn the important lessons. Miss O'Connail has in the past set me projects that have challenged my mind, and I quite enjoyed having to think outside the box."

    He looks between the two, before giving Bear's neck a furious scritch. "But I really do think I need to see the counselor, Doctor MacIntyre."