Temporary Punishments

The guilty professors sweat and squirmed as they desperately looked at their allies standing on one side of the room. Unfortunately, any gazes that they met quickly turned away.

The headmaster raised his hand and Ramona stepped back behind them. Her icy glare continued to rake over the already shaking professors.

"I want a full investigation of today's events and the time when I was away. Deputy Heston will lead it. For now, all of you teachers are suspended and placed on house arrest. Any attempts to impede this investigation will result in immediate dismissal and a report to the Department of Education.

"As for the students, Daren Forolan will immediately return to his former schedule. All students and professors related to the proposal and the classes from the second schedule are forbidden from approaching or communicating with him in any way.

"The deputy headmasters can stay. The rest of you are dismissed, and not a single word of today's events is to leave your lips."

**********

"Eh~? So that's what happened while I was gone."

Ramona relaxed behind the desk in the back office while inspecting an artifact in her hand. Aayla and the entire Residence Council joined her, in addition to Junius and Daren.

"The entire plot of the conservative faction was unraveled because you two decided to put up some extra surveillance to keep better track of more obscure places in the residence hall and the grounds?"

"Surveillance for the gremlins!" Aayla added. "Definitely not for the students."

"Uh huh. Then the gremlins got a bit too curious when you brought in some test artifacts. They stole them, ran around campus and forced you to bribe them to get back the artifacts. You found all of the incriminating evidence while checking the artifacts for damage."

Aayla and Chris nodded like pecking chickens. The Disciplinary Chair had a sour look on his face as he stared at Chris.

"When exactly were you going to apply for permission from the Student Council, let alone give me a heads up about this?"

"As soon as we did some small tests to make sure that our idea would work. In non-student areas of course. These were to track the gremlins."

"Fine. I'll accept that reason."

"Deputy Heston! First of all, they are obviously lying! Second of all, those artifacts could be seriously misused!"

"But isn't it better for the legally gathering data for the forced proposal case if that reason is correct? This evidence won't be admissible otherwise. Besides, the artifact spirit already has fairly strict surveillance and privacy restrictions. Both of you were going to turn the artifacts over to it, right?"

"Yes! That was definitely the plan."

"See, Disciplinary Chair? No students would have their privacy infringed upon."

Junius sighed and reluctantly agreed.

"As you wish. However, I'm confiscating them for now. If the artifact spirit truly requires extra surveillance, then I will supervise the installation and handover."

Chris clicked his tongue. There was no way that he could get his money back now. Renee quickly confiscated the artifacts before Chris got any funny ideas. Ramona put down the artifact in her hand and tossed it to Renee.

"I'll report your testimonies to the headmaster, but I'm sure that he'll want to talk with you in person, Daren. By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Much better actually. I feel strangely relieved after finally getting rid of those annoying snakes. Watching the gremlins beat them up was very therapeutic."

"Good. Take the next two days off just in case. Headmaster's orders."

"No."

"Daren, you need to rest."

"I'm fine. I want to go back to my original classes. I've missed too much time already. You can't really tell me what to do on my time off anyway. So, I'll just go to class."

Ramona's mouth twitched. He's really changed since the last time they talked.

"At least check in with Nurse Rousse to make sure that you're fine."

"Thank you, Deputy Heston!"

"As for the rest of you, the official investigation is still ongoing. The headmaster wants to really clean house this time, so it may take a while. However, don't expect too much on the harassment related charges. Surveillance artifacts are expensive to buy in mass, even for Nafriton. Those in the classroom are only turned on after hours and during special circumstances, like exams."

"Meaning that what exactly happened in the classroom will turn into a case of 'he said, she said'?"

"That's correct, Aayla. With lie detection magic, no one can reliably prove anything. The conservatives can't blame Daren for anything but that can't prove that they purposefully isolated Daren with the intent to forcefully bring him into their faction."

"Even with the evidence that Chris and Aayla found?

"There's nothing from inside the classroom. However, they can't use their numbers to down play the issue. Coupled with the proposal incident, the restraining order should stick for Ms. Landrienne. Possibly Marc. Speaking of the restraining order, I'll leave the enforcement in the residence hall of the current ones to you, Disciplinary Chair Ahroyor."

"Understood."

"That's all for today. I have work to do, so shoo."

Ramona waved them out of the back office and the door slammed shut behind them. Junius and Renee hauled the surveillance artifacts off for storage. Aayla was left with only Theo, Chris and Daren. Theo looked at Daren with awe.

"You told Vanessa Landrienne to her face that she was a vicious, spoiled witch and that you hated her? I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. Her face must have been priceless!"

Aayla sharply elbowed Theo. "Shut up! Not a word outside, remember?"

"Sorry, sorry. My bad. Was this why you and Mr. Vear were acting so weird the other day?"

Chis nodded. "We just started investigating then."

"Do you need any help containing the situation?"

"It's fine. You and Ms. Glowery keep things running like normal. I'll need to do some damage control with the rumors that are about to explode across campus."

"Tch. So, you're skipping out on work again?"

"Not my real work. Anyways, I'll see you all later. I need to get ahead of this. It's best if you all start preparing for the storm as well."

Theo said his goodbyes and departed along with Chris. Before Aayla left to check on the gremlins, Daren held her back.

"Are you busy with anything the rest of this week?"

"Not really. Just studying for the next round of exams. Why?"

Daren swept back his hair as a faint pink tinge colored his cheeks.

"Would you like to study together sometime this week?"

"… Do we have any of the same classes?"

The young wizard froze for a second before he started grasping for any answer.

"No, but I would really like some company. You know, since Chris is probably going to be way too busy. Another person could help deter any of those crazies from trying to approach me again."

"You could just study in the basement or in your dorm room."

"I would really like to get out now that I can. The gremlins are cute and all, but they're a handful."

Aayla nodded her head in understanding. The gremlins could definitely drive a person crazy if exposed to them for long periods of time.

"If it's for that… then I guess that a couple of hours would be fine. I'd rather not leave the residence hall for too long."

Daren's face broke out into a sunny grin.

"That works. Let me buy you a meal as thanks for dragging you into this mess. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yup. You know where to find me. I'll either be in class or here at the residence hall."

Aayla stepped down into the basement. When she finally disappeared into the darkness, the floor closed up behind her. Dormi didn't want any other students getting down there. A rug patted Daren on the back.

"Thanks, Dormi. I think that today might turnout to be the best in my life. That delusional woman should finally have gotten the message that I despise her, and Ms. Glowery agreed to a date."

The rug tilted from side to side, as if expressing slight disagreement.

"Okay, fine. Just to watch me study for a few hours, not an actual date or even a study date. But it's close enough, right? We can still get to know each other better."

A tall potted plant gently whapped Daren's head. Clearly, Dormi was concerned that he wouldn't actually study while out with Aayla. He changed classes again just before the second exams. Fortunately, his schedules differed mostly in the professors, classrooms and times, and not in content.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I've got some revising to do, so I'll get going."

Daren happily hopped up the stairs into the Men's Wing. No one noticed the person peeking inside the main office from outside the window. That person quietly slipped away to report what they saw to their master.