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The one lesson her mother gave her before she passed away was to always go with your gut. If there is something that doesn't feel right about a location, leave. If someone is giving you a bad vibe, don't trust them. If you feel like an event is about to crash and burn, do whatever it takes to be prepared for it. Because of this, Victoire always made it a point to prepare for the worst. There was very little that surprised her; people were predictable, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, so she always made it a point to have a good head on her shoulders to be ready for anything.

That mindset held strong as she parked her black Mercedes-Benz into the school's nearly empty parking lot. She had a gut feeling something was going to go wrong today and just as she had sent out the text to her council, she received an email stating that Mrs. Hudson needed to speak with her urgently. Considering that she hardly heard a peep from the woman--Victoire preferred handling things independently and Mrs. Hudson would rather not be distracted from her already massive pile of work--this was probably the 'going wrong' thing she knew was coming.

Knocking on the door twice, Victoire entered the faculty room rather casually with her bag in hand. A few of the teachers greeted her, none batting an eye as she went straight to Mrs. Hudson. "[color=deepskyblue]Good morning,[/color]" She said out of politeness more than anything. "[color=deepskyblue]You wanted to see me?[/color]"

"Yes, I'm glad you've come," Mrs. Hudson replied, motioning for her to sit down. Once the girl was seated, Mrs. Hudson pulled out a paper and handed it to her. "Unfortunately, the budget you submitted wasn't approved. The board is willing to compromise on a majority of the spending, but considering the high-profile nature of Project: Graduation as well as the other numerous student events, there just isn't enough to go around."

Of course.

Victoire's eyes scanned the document as Mrs. Hudson spoke, her eyebrows knit together. She had played this game far too long to not get her way and was used to her initial proposal getting denied, but go figure, she was actually surprised by what she saw. "[color=deepskyblue]This is less than half of what I asked for,[/color]" She said. "[color=deepskyblue]Last year's budget was around the same of what I asked, I don't understand why I'm getting denied. What, do you need more donations?[/color]"

"King's Academy has always prided itself in its alumni and quality of students graduating. For this year's class, people have been...concerned," She explained. "The liability of your classmates causing a commotion for the school is greater than it has been in the last ten years."

The brunette had to bite her tongue hard to prevent herself from saying her initial thought. In front of authority, she was always respectful and tried her best to reduce her cursing to a minimum. "[color=deepskyblue]Punishing the majority because of a few select individuals is...unorthodox, don't you think?[/color]" She asked, subtly calling her out on her reasoning. Cutting the budget was exactly that: a punishment. "[color=deepskyblue]A majority of the deposits have already been made, most of the plans until the Winter Formal are already in place with anything beyond being worked on, this...I'm sorry, but this is--[/color]" She had to stop herself from outright saying bullshit. "[color=deepskyblue]--unfair.[/color]"

"There isn't much I can do, Miss Bailey."

Like hell there was. "[color=deepskyblue]Give me a week, I'll restructure some things with the clubs, I'll...try to move things around, but this sorry excuse for a number is nowhere near enough to what I need,[/color]" She couldn't help but be annoyed. "[color=deepskyblue]I want another chance.[/color]"

"Miss Bailey, you need to understand things from our point of view--"

"[color=deepskyblue]And again, you're punishing the majority. Don't deny it. I'm not asking for you to jump through any hoops, I'll take care of it.[/color]"

Mrs. Hudson fell silent as the two stared at one another. Victoire was the more pushy out of the pair, though even if that wasn't the case, Mrs. Hudson was a known pushover. And of course, eventually she would concede. "Alright, I'll bring it up at the next meeting, then."

"[color=deepskyblue]Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go salvage Homecoming,[/color]" There was no hiding the bitterness in her voice as Victoire took her leave, shaking her head. She couldn't believe this shit. [i]Less than half.[/i] All because of the damn druggies and misfits in their year! The day had literally just started and she already had a headache, more so knowing the fallout that was going to happen because there was no way this was going to say quiet and between them.

Pushing open the door to the classroom her council was in, Victoire let out a huff as all eyes were on her. Realizing she needed to start from the top, she fished out her previous plans, tossing them into the air around her. "[color=deepskyblue]Budget's slashed, Homecoming is fucked, and I am not in the mood for anyone's shit. Everyone on the council is excused from classes until we figure this out.[/color]" She stated, placing her hands on her hips. "[color=deepskyblue]Happy Monday, by the way.[/color]"

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The news of the budget cuts spread around the school like wildfire. There was no escaping it, anyone that had gone to at least one class had heard of it. Considering the amount of money pumped into the school, it came across as a major shock all things considered. One of the most prestigous schools in the country having [i]money[/i] issues of all things? But as always, the suspicion that there was more to it added fuel to the flames.

When the bell for lunch rang, Victoire emerged from the student council room with a scowl etched onto her face. Unfortunately, the meeting was early enough that she had missed breakfast, and seeing as how nourishment was essential for survival, she figured she could grab something and eat while she worked on a plan. With notebooks and papers in hand, the brunette entered the cafeteria line, grabbing one of the many sandwiches laid out. Once she paid, she chose one of the empty tables and sat herself on the corner, laying out her notes so she could read as she ate. She really needed to figure this shit out.

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