9:32 AM
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
A wave of calm settled over Tommy as he finally sat down at his desk. He'd woken up two short hours earlier, waiting for the time of judgement that he had to pass with grim anxiety. This wasn't how he'd planned on spending today. Suddenly, the moments before lunchtime could decide the fate of both his brother and the walking chance for a cure under Joel's care. However, as he'd settled into his chair, he knew that he'd still be there to eat his meal afterwards, so it didn't make much of a difference to him. Now was the time for justice.
As he waited for everyone to assemble outside his office, he tried to arrange his thoughts. Lydia would have to recount her story again, for clarity, and hopefully she'd be less obvious with her bias. He'd have to ask the other two girls, and Carl. Once everyone was inside and he and Andrea heard the stories, they'd have to discuss it in private to decide the course of action. Andrea wouldn't know that Ellie is immune, so that cat is gonna have to come out of the bag, one way or another. Infighting was generally met with serious punishment, largely because of the hassle it was to him and Andrea to deal with it, but this was even worse than that.
He took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling with a heavy sigh. From the other side of the door, he could hear murmurs and shuffling feet, and decided he'd waited long enough for them all to arrive. Standing up, he stepped around his desk and crossed to the door, his hand hesitating on the doorknob for a few seconds. Then, with one more deep breath, he opened the door and beheld too many people. "Thank you all for coming." He spoke stiffly, beckoning them inside.
They filed awkwardly into the office, the room feeling smaller as the crowd entered. Tommy held the door open until they were all inside, Andrea included, so he could close it behind them. Retreating back to his chair, he sat down with his back straight and his hands clasped on his desk in front of him. He tried to not grimace at the sight of Clementine's face and neck, but it was worse than he expected, and he couldn't help but let his sight linger. Tearing his eyes from the stitching in her chin, he swept his gaze over the whole lot. "You all know what we're here to discuss, so let's not waste any time." Taking a moment to make eye contact with each of the anxious children before him, he turned back to Clementine. "What happened last night?"
Art [Clementine]
When Tommy turned towards her, Clementine instinctively flinched, her eyebrows drawing together in dreadful anticipation.
The girl had next to no clue where to start, fiddling with her fingers while she waited for an answer that never came. Everyone was staring at her, glares ranging from lenient to outright piercing. There was no… easy way of explaining it and sitting there in silence would only make things worse for her and Ellie.
"We got into a fight."
Strength - any sort of confidence - was unequivocally missing from her voice. Nothing but remorse, anger and an unshakable feeling of frustration.
"Ellie called Lydia out for being annoying, so she got up and spat on Ellie." Clem paused, the words that were meant to follow helplessly stuck under her throat. She hoped that they'd get it… not just Tommy, who'd kick them out otherwise, but Lee and Andrea too. Clementine wasn't about to defend what she did; hitting another girl. She was just so… done, after that whole night. Pissed off way past what she considered to be normal. Whatever 'normal' was nowadays. Maybe she just wasn't equipped to be around other kids... maybe Tommy would be right to kick her out. The only thing that mattered in the girl's head, was that she'd be blunt about it. She wasn't eight years old anymore… it was about time to start facing things like the grown-up she so valiantly claimed to be.
"I got mad, and I hit her."
Dot [Andrea]
Andrea stood next to where Tommy was sitting, her arms crossed over her chest. She learned a bit more about what happened to cause this fight from Dina, after she dragged the two girls back to the house they were staying in. She had a good idea on what happened, and why, and it was very obvious that Clementine was omitting certain parts of the events. For example, how Ellie had called Lydia an 'arrogant bitch'. Granted, the blame wasn't entirely on Ellie and Clementine. She was also very much aware of the fact that Lydia had, indeed, spat on Ellie, and called her a 'whore', then later calling them both 'sluts'. Both sides were to blame here, that much was made clear. She kept most of this to herself, deciding that she'd bring it up with Tommy if the children didn't do so themselves. Her gaze cycled between Clementine, Ellie, and finally, Lydia, a disapproving gaze that easily conveyed how she was feeling.
She hoped for better out of Lydia. After taking her in, introducing her to a life that wasn't… just savagery, she hoped that the girl would fit in, adapt. Instead, especially after her and Carl broke up, she became a recluse, and it only grew worse once these two arrived, it seemed.
Andrea wanted to be fair, and at the same time, she knew that too harsh of a punishment was uncalled for. They were just children, after all. Teenagers. She did a lot worse, back when she was living in the Atlanta QZ. Still, there was no denying that something had to be done, but it was just a matter of what.
As Clementine finished her side of the story, Andrea spoke up, her voice matter-of-fact. "You forgot to mention the fact that Ellie 'called Lydia out' by daring her to 'stop being an arrogant bitch'. Not saying that it's any one person's fault, but please stick to the facts. That goes for all of you." She glanced towards Ellie and Lydia, extending that threat to the both of them. They were past shifting the blame onto someone; at this point, it's just a matter of what to do.
Art [Clementine]
Were she to shy away, shrink in her seat any further, Clementine would likely be inches away from curling up into a ball. She felt the impact in each of Andrea's words as she painstakingly described each of Ellie's, leaving the girl unfit to even take a stab at a retort. Clem hoped maybe they'd cut Ellie some slack if she didn't throw her friend under the bus, but Andrea made it pretty fucking clear that that wouldn't be the case, going as far as doing the throwing herself.
It got… awkward after that. Clementine nervously tapped her feet. Silent, again. She ended up shooting an apologetic look at Ellie, almost as if trying to communicate that she'd fucked up… however, the girl did nothing past that, her gaze promptly returning to the floor, where it momentarily belonged. Tommy, and by extent, Andrea, expected to hear the rest of the story, of course. During the course of that silence, Clementine's pout gradually turned into a frown, and later, a scowl.
Lydia hadn't said a word yet, and it pissed her off.
"Tell them what happened next." She addressed the blonde directly, raw anger nearly pouring out of her mouth, no matter how much Clem tried to suppress it.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
There was a certain sense of tension that lingered in the air like a bad odor. Lydia couldn't lie. It was a tad intimidating being here, given the various glares she was getting from certain people. However this is what she had asked for, and she sure as hell would make sure they all heard what she had to say. Lydia's gaze was averted in the general direction of the other two girls, although wavering it every time Andrea looked over to her.
Lydia felt her teeth grind as Clementine recounted her part of the story. For being annoying...? Fuck off. She only just managed to withhold the satisfaction she felt when Andrea called her out on her crap. They were in the wrong, not her. That's what she'd been saying this whole time, and that's what she would be sticking to.
The girl felt her face flush with anger as she was put on the spot by Clementine, meeting her scowl. Was it anger, or was it the slight nerves she got from attempting to keep her composure? She couldn't really tell at this point.
Gladly. She mentally retorted at the other girls request, then switching her gaze between Andrea and Tommy, almost determined as she got straight to the point. The spitting thing had obviously already gotten out, and she wasn't going to deny it. Everything was going to come out one way or another, but there were certain things she thought were near impossible that Ellie and Clementine could outright prove. It was their word against hers, and she damn expected Carl to have her back too. They probably knew what she was like by now, still... Tommy wasn't there to witness most of the ordeal when it happened, neither was Andrea.
"Well, after she sucker punched me… I wasn't going to just sit there and eat punches. So yeah, I got mad too. It went to the ground and I did hit her back." She admitted. "That's when Carl split us up."
"Still doesn't change that she started it by swearing me off for literally no reason. When all I was trying to do was get to know them." The blonde directed her gaze towards the red head, singling her out.
"But I guess I was just being too 'annoying' to hang around them." She finished by directly quoting how Clementine had described it, a slight sarcastic tinge in her tone evident.
Dot [Ellie]
While Clementine explained what happened to Tommy and Andrea, Ellie sat in her chair uncomfortably, waiting for the moment she'd have to explain herself too. Things weren't going well, and Andrea had already metaphorically bit off Clementine's head, before Clementine directed the explaining towards Lydia. She didn't expect anything less from the girl, pointing nearly all the blame on them. She found herself scowling, rolling her eyes. This bitch was so fucking full of herself.
"Bullshit," Ellie finally decided to say, butting in. "You started it by acting like we were just getting in the way. All because Carl wanted to talk to us." She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes. "And let's not forget the fact you called me a 'whore', and called both of us 'sluts'."
"That's enough, Ellie," Andrea's voice interrupted her from going any further, her icy gaze enough to have Ellie shut her mouth momentarily. "This isn't about who's to blame, it's about what we're going to do about it." She shifted in her spot, leaning over the desk with her palms flat on the metal surface. "Dina already told me what happened. I can see where you might've gotten the impression that Lydia was acting like she didn't want you there-"
"Oh, she made it pretty clear," Ellie stated under her breath, rolling her eyes. Andrea's glare narrowed further.
"-but you should've been more civil about it. Same goes for you, Lydia." Andrea's attention then turned to the other girl. "You didn't have to spit on her, and if you didn't, then Clementine wouldn't have felt inclined to 'defend' her friend. If you three had just discussed this like the grown kids you are, we wouldn't even be here." She turned her gaze to Tommy next to her, as if waiting to hear what he thought about this whole situation. Ellie buried herself deeper in her chair, avoiding the gazes of Lee and Joel nearby. It was clear as day that they were going to get the short end of the stick in these 'punishments'. Why wouldn't they choose their own over her and Clementine?
LadyLedge [Lydia]
"Acting like you were just getting in the way. Really…? Just how warped are you? All we were doing was talking and then you flipped out." The part about Carl got to her specifically, no matter how much she tried she couldn't keep her mouth closed about it. "Carl had nothing to do with you spazzing out on me, I dunno why you're bringing him into this." Because you clearly think you're so fucking great that he'd share you a second glance, that's why. Then to top it all off, she started going on about the swear words that had been exchanged between them.
Boo hoo. Get over it.
Andrea was quick to interject, her voice croaked for a split second as if she wanted to speak up again. Still aggravated that she didn't have her full support, but this is what Lydia had expected nonetheless. Shifting her gaze elsewhere, she decided to keep her mouth closed, for now. She called me an arrogant bitch, there was nothing to 'discuss' after that.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
The allegations, constant back and forth. Lee felt like he was back in the classroom himself. He didn't like seeing Clementine getting reprimanded, but he couldn't necessarily blame Andrea either. Dealing with something like this was probably the last thing these folks wanted to do. It wasn't looking too good for the girls. At the back of his mind he supposed what he was about to say came naturally, from his time teaching.
"Look, if I could just say something here." The man spoke up with his arms crossed, taking a step forward as he attempted to politely butt in after Andrea had finished speaking, realizing that Tommy might be making his decision soon. If he could talk some sense, or at least soften the blow on the kids it'd be worth a shot.
"I mean, especially at this age, kids fight. It happens. We sort it out and move on." Lee remembered being a kid himself, and he was sure all the rest of the grown folk in the room did too.
"Clementine is… still adjusting here. It's been a rough few months on the road for these two… I know it's no excuse for fighting, but, Joel and I can make sure it won't happen again… All I'm asking here is if you guys can cut them some slack, just this once." He asked, hoping that Andrea or Tommy would listen to reason.
Kentucky [Joel]
Just the same old kid drama he had grown so unaccustomed to. Joel had only been around the drama where it somewhat needed to be; deals and exchanges around supplies and contraband, just a bunch of business. Sure, he had to knock a few heads around here and there, but it wasn't like it was purely barbaric despite the connotations around beating a man to death with your fists.
He mostly just hung in the back, grimacing at times. He listened fully to Lee's contribution, nodding along with him. He wasn't going to say anything; but a twang of guilt was pulling at his shirt, wasn't it? He sighed, coming off of the wall he had stuck his back to. "They're good kids, Tommy, they just ain't used to it in here, like Lee said." He hoped that the brotherly connection was still there. Tommy had to listen to his brother; he had to.
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
While words were thrown around the room, Tommy made an effort to be silent while they argued amongst themselves. He couldn't expect anything but twisted versions of the story, besides perhaps from Carl, and Dina had already been interrogated by Andrea, which probably ensured a clean story. It was reassuring that she was there, to help him figure out what to do here. I still don't know how to tell her about Ellie. When she told them to be honest, he could mutter only a quiet 'thank you.' There were a lot of uncertainties in his mind.
He wasn't prompted to speak until Lee put in his two cents, which didn't count for more than a single coin. Before he could say anything to the ex-professor, however, Joel added to it with a few awkward words.
"Spare me your pieties." While he wasn't sure what to think of these youngsters in front of him, he certainly knew they weren't children. "You should know, Joel, that this isn't the same world. These aren't kids; They weren't kids from the moment they stepped out of the safe-zone." In Tommy's world, as immature as they could be, if you traveled through the wilderness and fended for yourself, you were an adult. Such a group couldn't survive if the children were hopeless. "In this world, we all live the same and we all die the same."
A twinge of remorse struck him, but he ignored it. Right now was the time to look like he was in charge, not to consider what the punishment might actually be. He couldn't just eject them from the community now. It was Joel, it was a cure, even if one of those things didn't count for much right now. Things went into play making this decision that no one but him and Andrea could know about, and there was no way around that. Whatever punishment he thought of for Lydia probably couldn't do worse to her than let the other two stay, at least.
"Regardless," he droned on, "Without fair enforcement of our rules, we're no more than savages. So let's continue." He raised a hand and beckoned Carl forward, who had been waiting quietly at the back of the room while the girls argued. The young man removed his hat as he stepped forward.
If Tommy wasn't mistaken, he looked nervous. When he stepped up, he made an obvious effort to stand more than an arm's length away from Lydia. "Well… I thought the night had been going fine. I was getting to know the new girls, and I guess I didn't really pick up on anything going on between them and Lydia." He glanced at the blonde furtively, pausing in his words. He looks afraid of her. Poor kid. "We were just playing a dumb game, and then…" Carl took a deep breath. "Lydia said something snarky, and Ellie went ahead and called her a bitch. So, she stomped over and spat in her face, and that was when Clementine threw the first punch. I pulled Lydia off of Clementine as fast as I could, and we left." There was a heavy silence in the room as he awkwardly stepped back and replaced his hat.
Tommy released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Thank you, Carl. Now there was some truth in the equation. With another deep sigh, he stood up. "Thank you, everyone. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Silence continued to resonate, much to his relief.
Managing a smile, he beckoned to the door. "Could you all step outside; Andrea and I have to… talk, about it." With precious little argument and too much time, they filed out.
But this posed a new - or old? - problem for him to overcome. How am I gonna tell Andrea that Ellie is immune? In true fashion, Tommy had refused to think about the words he'd say because he knew whatever he planned couldn't be as good as coming up with something on the fly. So I hope. As Lydia exited the room last, and he closed the door with an oddly loud click in the nearly-empty room, he could only sigh.
Turning slowly, he made eye contact with Andrea. He walked back over to the desk, standing on the other side of his chair, but he didn't give her the chance to speak. "There's something really, really important that I need to tell you." Planless, hopeless. Go for it, loser. "I didn't expect it to be so important so soon, but I was gonna tell you tonight or tomorrow. Ellie is bitten, and she's not turnin'." All cards on the table. Bandages should be ripped off fast, right?
Dot [Andrea]
Andrea had shifted in her spot as the others filed out of the room. Honestly, she didn't know how long it was going to take for them to come to an agreement about what to do, so as they were on their way out, she called after them. "Feel free to head home. I'll be visiting each of you personally once we're done here."
She turned back towards Tommy when the door shut. She found herself questioning what he was wanting to do about this, although she wouldn't have the time to really dwell on it. Tommy spoke first, about something else that surprisingly didn't have anything to do with the kids, save one. The words washed over her like a tidal wave, a shock that was more than enough to leave her speechless for a moment.
Ellie is… bitten?
Her speechlessness disappeared as fast as it had come, disbelief practically written across her face. "What do you mean bitten? You're not suggesting that she's immune…?"
There was no fucking way, yet at the same time, realization began to dawn on her. The real reason why Joel dragged this kid across the country, for a reason still quite yet unknown, but she was pretty fucking sure Tommy knew about. She took a moment to catch her breath, leaning her hands on the desk again. They have an infected girl in their community, and based on how she… she showed no symptoms, even after a whole day had gone by. She hated to think it, but she kept coming to the same conclusion over and over.
She's bitten - she's not dying - she's immune - she's bitten - she's not-
She turned her gaze back towards Tommy, biting her lip. "Why did Joel bring her here? What did he want from you?"
She had a feeling that she already knew. Tommy has ties to the very same organization that had made a big deal out of the fact they were looking for the cure. The Fireflies. The very same organization she hated almost as much as she hated Negan and the Saviors, and trusted even less. Joel most likely brought her here in hopes of finding out where the Fireflies were, and give them the- the goddamned cure for mankind.
She felt her fists clench underneath the barrage of thoughts surging through her mind. The potential for a cure was almost as coveted as any other treasure in history. The fountain of youth, El Dorado, just to name a few. Whoever found the cure first would have complete control of it. What would the Fireflies do if they had the only access to it?
She forced away the thought, focusing herself on Tommy again, awaiting his answer.
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Well, her reaction wasn't quite what Tommy had expected; It was better. He watched in quiet amazement as the thoughts unfolded in her head, only nodding when she came to the final conclusion. All of the things he'd been thinking about ran through her head at once, until she asked a harder question to answer. With a sigh, he leaned against the wall, facing her, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Joel wants me to deliver her to the Fireflies, because last time I saw him, I was a Firefly." At heart, at least. It hurt to think of what he'd done for them, but he knew his heart was in the right
Thus, why he left.
"The conversation about it wasn't… good… but he'd better have it through his thick head that it's not happening." He stepped away from his wall and began pacing. The room was too crowded before, but now he could alleviate some anxiety with heavy footsteps across the floor. "The last thing that can happen is the Fireflies getting their hands on her." The Fireflies were simply well-organized bandits who had too much support.
Another thought crossed his mind, however - One equally as important. If she were to stay, what did anyone at Jackson know about engineering a cure? Eleanor was an underqualified and overperforming doctor, but she wasn't a scientist. Nor did they have a laboratory to do all the 'sciencing.' "We don't have what we need to make a cure now, but we can't expel her from the community." Tommy himself didn't feel like that would be necessary, but Andrea could be more… Stern, about such matters. "But, back to the matter at hand. I had to let you know, before we made any rash actions." Shuffling back over to the desk, he reclaimed his spot on the wall. "What do we do about these rowdy kids?"
Dot [Andrea]
Joel was trying to dump Ellie off on Tommy? Andrea found herself both surprised and not surprised at the same time, given Joel's history. She appreciated everything Tommy was saying, going as far to state that he wouldn't go through with it, and that the Fireflies couldn't get their hands on the cure first. Of course, they weren't equipped to do anything about the cure here, but… there's gotta be someone out there, right? Besides FEDRA and the Fireflies?
She remembered her first experience with a promise to bring an end to the apocalypse. Eugene Porter, the science teacher who claimed to be a scientist. He'd dragged them all to Washington under the premise that they were going to end this thing, only to find out that he lied. While she still wasn't sure if Ellie was actually immune, or if she posed any threat to the community, she wanted to think that this was going to be the exception.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, they had to deal with the consequences of that immune child's actions, along with the other two. She pursed her lips, struggling to think of a good punishment for them. Clearly, kicking them out was too harsh, and she didn't feel comfortable with forcing children out of the community. What needed to be done is prevent anything like this from happening again, but it seemed inevitable. Keeping them apart wouldn't work, since that'd only add fuel to the fire, letting the resentment build inside each of them. Throwing them together would probably end the same way. How could they possibly handle this in a way that wouldn't backfire?
"Well," she breathed, sighing. "For starters, while Ellie and Clementine are in the community, they need to go to the school. It'd keep them out of trouble. I think they need some time to breathe, calm down, then we should get them to work together on something. Try to bridge the gap. Somehow. It'd… probably backfire, but I can't think of anything else that wouldn't blow up in our faces anyway."
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Immediately, Andrea's perspective turned towards diplomacy. Which was a step in the right direction. Tommy listened intently as she shot off an idea, which sounded like something he could work with. "Lydia is going to be enraged if we do anything but punish them. I doubt she'd cooperate." Friendship between the girls was probably already impossible. But if they could tolerate each other? The two girls, with their time out in the harsh reality, could probably teach the other kids a thing or two.
If it backfired, then they'd work with it from there. "If Joel dumps them here and leaves, then we'll treat them like any other new members of the community. But now that we know a cure is possible…" He faded for a moment, unsure about his next words. "I don't think we should let her leave." It would be cruel to force them to stay, but if he found out they got killed trying to get to the Fireflies, he'd never forgive himself. Negative karma for a thousand lifetimes, to doom the human race like that.
Dot [Andrea]
"I agree. Who knows what the Fireflies would do if they got their hands on her," Andrea immediately replied, looking towards Tommy as she sat herself down in the seat Ellie had been sitting in before. She thought it over for a moment, weighing all of their options. "We should have Eleanor look her over, see if she can't figure anything out. I don't expect her to pull a cure out of a magician's hat or something, but at least we'll know more about what we're dealing with." Her gaze fell to the floor for a moment. Wish Eugene was still here. He could've figured it out, probably. "In any case," she lifted her gaze, returning to Tommy. "All three of them need to be watched more closely, to avoid more incidents. Never thought we'd need detention for the school, but that might be worth looking into, if they don't start acting their age."
She knew that saying that was a tad hypocritical, given how she'd acted at their age, but the apocalypse forced everyone to grow up in order to survive. These kids needed to learn that lesson, too.
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Andrea voiced Tommy's deepest concerns out loud; One of his favorite things about her. When Eleanor's name was mentioned, however, he frowned. "Eleanor is a good doctor, but… She isn't a scientist. If we could get to step one, that would be more than I'd expect." The community was comprised of laborers and fighters - to extract a cure took… Well, he wasn't even sure. "We're gonna have to read up or find someone who knows what to do." Unable to hold it back, he sighed. There was just no easy way to get started on this.
He couldn't let himself think of Ellie as some sort of object, however. Too close to the Firefly mindset. The girls needed to be taken care of. After a few minutes of thinking, he agreed. "You're right, though. If Joel wants us to take them, we need to put them in school for now. Maybe we'll talk to Carl about keeping an eye on them, just to be safe." School would have to be changed. Everything would have to be changed. Tommy finally stepped away from the wall and sat in his chair, nudging it along till he was across from Andrea. "This is the start of a new age." Leaning forward, his volume dropped considerably. "You understand what this means, right? A cure for mankind?"
Dot [Andrea]
Still might be worth getting Ellie checked out, though. No telling if whatever happened to her has stopped her from being contagious. The thought crossed Andrea's mind as Tommy sat down across from her, straightening her posture as he went on about the girls' punishments. She let out a heavy breath as Tommy's question washed over her. "It's a lot to take in, but… yeah. This is… big."
She chewed on her lip for a moment, mulling over everything they've discussed. Her mind was still reeling from the revelation, but she understood the weight of it, and the risks it entailed. They couldn't let the community at large know about this, it'd be far too dangerous for the girl. Once a cure was in the cards, people would do anything to get their hands on it. In their hands, though, hopefully this would be controlled, and humane. She was getting ahead of herself, however. There was no point dwelling on this until they had the means to do something with it. For now, it was about the punishments.
"They aren't going to like it, you know." She continued, letting out a soft chuckle. "Being on the road for so long… going back to school probably isn't on their list of desires."
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Tommy could only reply to her statement with a weak laugh, the chuckle barely resonating in the small room. "Well, all the better. We're trying to punish them, right?" What better way to punish some children than to make them go to school? The idea was sounding more wickedly sweet by the minute. The most pressing issue, and conveniently the least important, was the punishment these girls would receive. The boot was out of the question; So was confinement. He remembered, back when he'd gotten kicked out of school for a day after knocking a bully's teeth in, that getting kicked out was a relief. The real punishment would be making the girls attend.
The room settled into silence. He stared across the desk at Andrea, and she stared back. Tommy wanted to give some sort of explanation as to what they'd do if things didn't work out, and they rarely did. But what did he have to say? "We're treading dark waters, here." Leaning forward, he put his head in his hands, not realizing his head hurt until he started rubbing his temples. "Should we do anything else, besides send them to school? Make some kinda statement?" It wasn't like them to use a community member as a bad example, but sometimes that was what it took.
Dot [Andrea]
Andrea pursed her lips, leaning her back against the back of her chair. Of course, they couldn't just sweep this entire thing under the rug. People knew about what happened. Hell, she was pretty sure that half the community heard the fight. But probably, to most people, it was just teenagers bickering and nothing more. Did that necessitate telling the whole community about what happened? She didn't really have an answer to that.
Her gaze focused on Tommy, and she spent a few seconds trying to decipher the look on his face, to get an inkling of an idea on what he might've been thinking. For once, she had no idea. So, instead, she decided to ask. "Do you think we should?"
She wanted to know if he thought that publicly punishing them would really help in this situation, since she just… had no clue. Dealing with things like this, with adults, would be one thing. But this? They're children, and as much as they needed them to get along, they were bound to have issues. Maybe she had a soft spot for these kids, maybe she saw herself in them, from when she was younger. She didn't really know. However, she knew for a fact that if she'd been publicly humiliated in a place like this, her teenage self would've rebelled. Maybe that's not what Tommy wanted to hear, but teenagers were going to be teenagers, no matter how much you try to control them. Their only hope would be that being on equal ground would help mend the wounds, if only by a little.
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Do you think we should? No, he didn't. Tommy thought it would be a cruel punishment - Not as bad as kicking them out, but to ruin their reputation before they'd even been introduced to the community? He would have been furious if it had happened to him. In all honesty, he'd have preferred being kicked out. But, if it could work, was it worth it? Would the girls ever forgive him for it, if it did?
Would Joel?
Groaning, he leaned as far back in his chair as it would go, his face still buried in his hands. Until an idea popped into his head. As he abruptly sat up, he could almost hear the ding of the light bulb. "What if we just threatened them with expulsion?" Youngsters tended to listen when authority told them the seriousness of their consequences. At least, it had seemed to work with Sarah. "We line all three of them up in here, and tell all of them that if they act up again, it'll be bye-bye for good." Of course, he'd hold true to that promise if Lydia or Clementine acted out of line again. Ellie, well… She wouldn't leave. She couldn't leave. "Of course, Ellie can't leave. If she acts up, we can subdue her, but she can't leave. Agreed?" Andrea said she understood, and he believed her, but just the sheer importance of the girl meant that no risks could be taken. He waited, softly tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, for his best friend to respond.
Dot [Andrea]
She didn't really like the idea of kicking out any of them. They were still kids, after all. But… maybe, threatening them with it would be enough to keep them from acting up. Hopefully. She averted her gaze, towards the floor, and thought it over. Knowing Lydia, she wasn't going to go down easily, but the other two would probably try their best, and that's all that Andrea really wanted from them. To try and get along. Sighing, she met Tommy's gaze, nodding.
"Let's do it. But before we call them back, I still want Eleanor to examine her." She shuffled in her seat, leaning her elbows against his desk. "At least to get an idea of what we're dealing with. Alright?"
Screamin' Eagles [Tommy]
Tommy was silent for a moment. Andrea wasn't going to let it go, so he eventually just sighed and nodded in her direction. Sometimes, you gotta fold 'em. "Okay. If you really think it will help, have Eleanor examine her." He knew he sounded doubtful, but whatcha gonna do? The doubt in his mind wasn't uncalled for, and he knew it. But, if any chance of learning about it could be taken, then he supposed it was worth it. Before she could respond and let them enter, he piped up again, "Have her comprise a list of books that we should look for to help us figure it out, too. We need to be able to finish what we start." If everything went to plan, they'd figure out the cure and she'd get to live a comfortable life in the community. What more could Joel ask for?
With renewed energy, he sat up straight in his chair and shot Andrea a warm smile. "Thanks for helping me figure this out." Once again, his tone dropped. "If you didn't keep my head on straight, it would have rolled away by now." With that soft touch, he readied himself to tell these girls about the do-or-die. No more shenanigans on my playground.