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Ching Tai, Saturday Evening

It wasn't very often that Zoe had an opportunity to get out past the walls of her own office, so she wasn't about to say no to an invitation to get Chinese food. Of course, the company was a nice bonus too.

[Open for all your Ching Tai needs, but Zoe's here for someone specific.]

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John arrived mere moments after she had. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting?" he said as he joined her at the table.

"Not at all, you're right on time," she replied with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise. I'm glad you were able to join me." John smiled wryly. "The last time I went out on the town alone I ended up involved in speed dating."

Zoe couldn't fight the incredulous look she gave John. "You participated in that ridiculous event?" she asked. "Please, tell me there was blackmail involved."

John's smiled widened. "Well, bribery at least. All the beer I could drink that night and the next time I go in to Caritas."

"Aaah. That seems like a worthy reward." She regarded him for a moment and smiled again. "So, I haven't heard about any students getting beaten up by poltergeists. I assume classes are going well?"

"They seem to be. We may have lost a few if the first practical exercise had been real instead of a simulation -- there were a number of students who burned down the house dealing with the ghost. But they'll learn." He leaned back in his chair. "There's only really been one discipline problem so far in class and I can't say I wasn't expecting it considering. Belthazar."

"Sometimes, I'm certain it's a miracle that we've only had one incidence of a common room getting blown up," Zoe remarked. "And how serious of a discipline problem are we talking here?"

John shook his head. "Nothing too serious. Yet at least. He was being pretty much an asshole, but more importantly he was being overly cocky. So I used a little trick to show him he doesn't know it all yet." He smiled a little. "You say 'Christo' in the presence of a demon, it forces them to reveal themselves. Bel was less than happy about it."

"What happened to him?" she asked curiously.

"His demon side came out. Made him all red and growly." He chuckled. "It's probably bad form to laugh at a student but his expression when he first changed was priceless."

"I suppose it's no worse than me laughing thinking about it," she said, doing just that. "It didn't hurt him, did it?"

John shook his head. "Just his pride. He'd been so busy the past three weeks assuring me that he could outwit and outfight any demon hunter that went after him, not to mention how any ghost or other supernatural threat didn't stand a chance against him, that I'm sure it came as a nasty shock to find I might just know what I'm talking about."

Zoe feigned a look of surprise. "You mean we actually hired someone who's an expert in their subject? Surely, that's never happened before," she deadpanned.

John chuckled. "I'll keep it quiet. Don't want to start a scandal or anything."

"Oh, I appreciate that, thank you." Zoe laughed. "I'm glad you've been having an easy time of it so far, aside from that. Has Blair given you any further trouble?"

"Yes and no. I gave him detention last week, but he still showed up this week, but things were a little less insulting." John smiled wryly. "This week he merely accused me of having no morals."

"As opposed to being a murderer? Yes, I suppose that can be considered a little less insulting," Zoe said, resisting the urge to grumble.

"He also suggested my talents would be better put to use if I gave up teaching hunting -- or actually hunting I'd presume -- and become either a janitor or a dishwasher." John chuckled and shook his head. "He really has no idea how insulting he's being most of the time."

Zoe smirked as she sat back in her chair. "Now there's an argument I'm a little more used to. Although it was more in the form of asking me why I was fighting, and not staying at home and taking care of my family," she said. "There's a lot of people who just don't understand sometimes."

John nodded. "There's more than one way to take care of your family. And sometimes the best way does involve fighting." The wry smile was back. "And I've met too many frighteningly competent women to ever think a woman can't fight as hard as a man when she has reason to."

"That is a very wise statement," she said approvingly. "And I've met enough competent men to know that you all know how to fight too."

"Whether all men fight well is another thing entirely," John added, still with the wry grin. He paused. "I would love to see you in action some day."

"Oh really?" she asked with a sly smirk. "Well, I have a feeling you won't have to wait too long. It'll only be a matter of time before we get invaded by snow creatures or dragons made of food, or something else that will require fighting and defensive skills."

"So I've been told. The only thing I've had to deal with aside from the student protestor and the cranky demon was the paper pop-up gremlin."

"Ah, our student welcoming committee got to you too?" Zoe laughed.

"They did. Though as practical jokes go, it was kinda weak."

"I've seen much worse, and that's just been here. I take it you have as well?"

"I've two boys with very creative imaginations," John said dryly.

Zoe laughed softly. "I can only imagine what sorts of things they've gotten up to in the past. At least they seem to have not done any permanent damage to each other."

"Nothing permenent no, but the last 'prank war' they got into culminated with Dean putting Nair in Sammy's shampoo." John started laughing at the memory. "I think I nearly broke something trying to keep a straight face when dealing with them after that."

"From your laugh, I'm almost worried about asking, but what does Nair do?" she asked.

"It's for removing unwanted body hair," John said still laughing. "Sammy didn't have the shampoo on long enough for it to get all of his hair, but there was enough that fell out that he ended up looking kind of... piebald."

Zoe put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too hard. "Are you serious? And they're both still alive? Because I've known men who would kill for a lesser crime than that."

"If looks could kill, Sam would've killed his brother about ten times over that day." John chuckled some more. "Especially when I told him we were going to have to shave his head."

"Oh no," she said sympathetically. "Is that why his hair is so long now? To make up for having to lose all of it then?"

"Well he's always preferred it longer, but that's from when his infatuation with the sheepdog look dates, yeah."

"You're right, a pop-up gremlin can't really compare to something like that." Zoe shook her head, still laughing.

"That's become the pinnacle that I measure all other pranks by," John admitted. "I shudder to think of what could possibly beat it. Though I've no doubt the boys will eventually try."

"If they do try, I should warn you that we have a number of pranksters at the school," Zoe pointed out. "Your boys might learn how to do something that they probably wouldn't have in a normal environment."

"Frankly?" John said, still wearing a little grin. "I'd be more worried about what they'd be teaching the other pranksters."

Zoe smirked. "If there's suddenly a streak of people missing hair, we might know just who's behind it."

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Ching Tai, Saturday Evening

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