8672/Sunday Funday

Sunday Funday
Date of Scene:	14 November 2021
Location:	Gotham University
Synopsis:	Animal Rights protestors tag science build. Giselle leads the cleaning crew and meets Autumn.
Cast of Characters:	Giselle duGevaudan, Autumn Graves

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Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     Over the past few weeks, a group of student activists have created a bit of noise over the use of lab animals by the Science department. Though they've also been unhappy with the school's use of meat in the cafeteria as well. They even staged a protest!
     Today, they voiced their complaints in a more 'proactive' manner, spray painting and defacing the outside walls and doors of the Science building. Giselle, one of the junior and part-time science professors oversees a group of student volunteers as they try to clean up the colorful mess.
    Dressed in autumnal colors and weather-appropriate clothing, the dark-haired woman stepped out one of the defaced doors. She carried a bucket filled with sudsy water and hands it to an awaiting student. The professor then turns to face the now closed door. The lurid text of 'slavers' is scrawled across it in vibrant red.

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves definitely did not participate in such protests. She's on the carnivore spectrum, insofar as those kind of ethics go. Humans suffer plenty, why should animals be any different?

She's sitting cross-legged in a baggy hoody, her jeans ripped in strategic and stylish places. She's smoking a cigarette, her green-dyed hair spilling a bit around her face, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

"At least they're taking an interest in the world?" she grins as she speaks aloud.

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     Giselle turns to face the voice, expecting it to be one of her student volunteers. The professor smiles quickly, features settling in the blandly pleasant expression adopted to interact with students professionally.
     "Oh! Afternoon." Giselle greets. Gaze briefly flits to the cigarette, before meeting Autumn's eyes. "I prefer less, destructive forms of expressing their 'interests.' The picketing was one thing, but this?" She gestures to a green-painted scribble of 'Animal Haters' on a nearby wall of the aged gothic building. "This is something else."

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves shrugs, "It's just a building, but I get it. Like, they're a bunch of crybabies, don't get me wrong. But this is Gotham. Graffiti's almost wholesome around here. Part of the local color," she says. "Anything short of murderclowns barely qualifies as a crime," she says, taking a long and somewhat defiant drag on the cigarette.

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     Giselle turns, her gesticulating hand curling to rest on a cocked hip. She prepares to give a mildly impassioned retort on the historical value of Gotham University's original buildings. However, a second look at the younger woman convinces the professor such arguments would fall on indifferent ears.
     So instead, she shrugs. "I'm certain one of my colleagues in the psychology department might argue that such 'benign' deviant behaviors and the ignoring thereof are what lead to murder clowns. However, their building remains undefaced," said in a light manner and with a playful smile, obviously teasing.
     "Well, that explains why we are here." She gestures to her volunteers, "but what brings you to campus on a Sunday afternoon?"

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves cocks her head, "Then I would suggest your colleague is a retrograde reactionary who mistakes effect for cause. Maybe they would do better to do more listening. People resort to this kind of shit because they're not being listened to otherwise."

She shrugs, "I decided to drop off my chemistry lab write-up through the professor's office slot because I have to miss class on Monday and I didn't want it to be late. Then I saw the commotion here and figured I'd enjoy the show."

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
    "But isn't this kind of thing, the spray paint, and destruction a type of plea? Ignoring it is just another form of 'not listening' don't you think?" She shrugs and laughs. "Or perhaps I should just stick to hard science."
    Giselle nodded. "Ah, yes chemistry. Also not one of my classes. I'm Giselle duGevaudan." She says, offering a hand. "I teach molecular biology."

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves shakes her head, "I'm not saying you should ignore it. I'm just saying you can't dismiss the people doing it as just delinquents. I've seen real psychos, believe me, close up. They don't care much about what you're injecting in guinea pigs," she says.

She kind of stares at the hand for a moment and then awkwardly shakes it, "Yeah, that sounds pretty advanced. I'm a psych major, actually, so thanks for the warning about the buttholes who'll be my professors," she grins.

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     Giselle shakes her head quickly. "I haven't dismissed anyone. I just prefer more constructive forms of expression. I also have no control over school and department policy. Nor am I personally injecting anyone, with anything. I just teach here part-time and am the most junior professor in the department." Which, is why she likely got stuck with the cleanup job.
    he dark-haired woman spoke with a rather lightly French accent. She laughed quietly as Autumn revealed herself as a PSych major. "Well, I will defer to your expertise then."

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves nods, "Shit trickles downhill, I gotcha. Well, sorry you got stuck with the gig. Like I said, while I believe in their right to free speech, I also think they're dinky little pissbabies, so honestly, beat them with sticks for all I care," she says.

"Probably not something you should repeat to my professors, though," she grins. "I don't know what I'm goign to do with it yet, I just wanted to...understand how people work."

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     "I too believe in free speech." She agrees with a grin and shrug. She shook her head though and laughed. "The administration tends not to support stick beating." She went on to ask curiously. "And are you? UNderstanding how people work?"

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves shakes her head, "Too bad. I think it'll be all the rage in the future. Corporal punishment is terrible for children, but there are plenty of grown-ups who could use a good whupping," she says.

She shrugs a bit to the last, "No, not really, but it's interesting at least. I at least understand psychologists better, which is useful in its own way."

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     Giselle shook her head at the younger woman and laughed. "Oh I suppose but how do we define 'adults?' I have quite a few students I'd say are more child than grown." The professor paused, turning to direct one of her volunteers and providing another spray bottle of cleanser for the spray paint.
     When she turns back to Autumn, it was to look at her curiously. Head tilting slightly, she asked, "Why do you wish to learn how psychologists work?"

Autumn Graves has posed:
Autumn Graves pushes up off the place where she was sitting, putting out her cigarette against the concrete and tossing the quenched butt in the nearby trash, "They've spent enough of my life trying to crack my head open. Only fair I get to do it back, isn't it?" she says.

"You seem like a nice lady. I hope you don't get killed living here. Gotham's got a bad survival rate. Don't go out after dark, if you know what's good for you."

Giselle duGevaudan has posed:
     Giselle can only nod at that. She's had little experience with it in either direction. The head cracking, that is. She grabs a pair of rubber gloves, pulling them on as Autumn prepares to leave. "Yes, thank you. See you around campus." She says with a smile, and picks up the remaining bucket, preparing to join in the cleaning.