Present Day
"Well, I do have a visitor pass..." I reply behind the blue haired boy, shifting the lanyard around my neck with said identification into better view. I pause to take in the scene of students investigating a crime scene: the spiky haired student looking increasingly like a fox examining a glass shard, the blue haired boy cautiously opening lockers with a yardstick, a third student more determinedly opening another set, and a girl standing beside me looking on nervously. I wonder if it's more than a coincidence of curiosity that these four specific students, and I, were drawn to this area due to the novelty of a criminal like the Death Husband, Blood Eye even. Where would the music teacher of this school be anyways, if not watching their own classroom? If I'm to have an amateur interest in detective work as these other students seem to have, there would lie my first suspicion.
I hesitantly clear my throat to talk again, as the only adult in the room, "Actually, I'm a part time counselor asked to come help your school, in that office. A...secretary was showing me around, until we heard that scream. She ran back to the office to call police, while I was close enough to find my way here. So, since the police are probably on their way..."
I hesitate again. There's a fine line to cross into becoming an authority figure for these students. Except I'm not a teacher or similar person they could possibly respect in the moment, especially with me fibbing. Part of me wants to, but that part seems to think of prodding or even scolding them like younger children in trouble. Another part sees myself no, someone more like Raven in them, with youthful energy not yet tapped by becoming a working adult. I take a breath, then finish my line.
"...we should investigate this as efficiently as we can, before they arrive," I'm about to take another step into the music room, when I hear approaching footsteps, "Oh, somebody's already coming."
As if by instinct, I turn around and march back down the hallway, hoping to meet whoever it is and stall for time. I figure it would make up for my earlier awkward arrival if I fibbed in favor of the students rather than against. It's going to land me in some trouble with the school staff for being up here in the first place anyways.
"Hello, my name's Angela Gong, you can just call me Angela. I'm a part time counselor assigned here by the local Catholic charity, non profit and secular divided of course. More here for career guidance, a bit of financial aid, some basic mental health services including referrals, you know. I was just looking around the school to get to know the place, talk to some students and introduce myself."
"Oh uh, I did just come from that end of the hallway and greeted students there, I think they were cleaning up after independent band or choir practice so they didn't need supervision. Which is funny actually, part of the reason I came up here was because I heard the music room was this way, and the school's counselor mentioned wanting to see the music teacher for something. I couldn't find them inside so uh, would you happen to know where the music teacher could be, maybe their office? I'd like to make a good first impression on my colleague, if you could help me."
