AN: Aloha my valued readers! I'm afraid to post more, but I shall continue anyhow! Oh yeah, and sorry for the minor errors in the last chapter, my mistake. Anyway, in this chapter is mostly character development… Chapter three will have some good Action/Adventure though, as promised! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or affiliates. (Do I have to have a disclaimer for every chapter?)

"Good afternoon sir, my name is Stacey Davolt. I'm sorry for walking-in like this, but I'm afraid I had no other choice. My plane arrived much later than planned."

"Yes, yes, nice meeting you. Now what is it you needed, Ms. Davolt?" Principal Delmas asked, almost blowing her off. (AN: He had just promised to give Sissi an advance in her allowance and he's a little miffed.)

"Well, sir, I was hoping to get a job here as a tutor," Stacey explained, pulling out a portfolio containing her résumé. Thank goodness they gave me that much…

"No, I'm sorry we aren't accepting any new staff members at the moment. Th-" he moved to stand and show her out, but she remained firmly in her seat.

"Wait, before you decline, please glance at this," Stacey requested, with a determined air.

"Very well," Principal Delmas grudgingly accepted. However, he kept her quiet tenacity in mind.

Stacey watched him turn his head back and forth and wondered if he was shaking no, or reading her accomplishments.

"My, my, you have some impressive credentials here for someone so young. Let's see top ten percent out of a class of 1100…2 years experience of informal tutoring, 3 years experience of professional, a letter grade increase in every case…" He looked over at this semester's averages, inconspicuously. "Very admirable indeed…" Mr. Delmas said absently, thinking more of the school's image than anything else.

Stacey swallowed nervously and refrained from wringing her hands. Even so, she couldn't help but bite the inside of her lip.

"And you came from America?"

"Yes sir. Before I go to college I wanted to venture out on a world excursion. My parents also thought it would be a good idea for the exposure and so I'd be the same age as my fellow college-goers when I returned.

"Hm…" the principal mumbled. "Let's discuss this further over coffee, shall we?"

--------------------(AN: It's a page break!) --------------------

Light sparkled through the foliage as a slight breeze shifted the leaves in a calming melody. A sneeze disrupted the peace off to Yumi's right, catching her attention.

"Hey Ulrich," Yumi greeted softly, sitting down next to him.

Ulrich stubbornly turned away, but Yumi persisted. "Ulrich I agree with you-and we'll watch her-but I spoke with her myself!" She leaned over to look him in the eyes, but he avoided her gaze.

She sat back against the wall and rolled her eyes. "Listen, Stacey's voice was natural and she even felt pain! Not to mention displayed anxiety and joy, and you know how bad XANA is at faking that," Yumi explained, poking his arm.

Ulrich unwillingly smiled, though it was probably from contact with her rather than what she said. "Yeah, I guess so…there was no tower activated either. And besides, we've battled sewer rats and armor come to life, he shouldn't be any problem for the likes of us." He puffed out his chest and put his hand over his heart.

Yumi grinned as she recalled all of their experiences together. "Promise we'll always fight together?"

Ulrich was taken aback at first, but he nodded with a confident smirk. And then his phone rang.

--------------------(AN: Preview of fluff to come!) --------------------

"Well, Ms. Davolt, our budget can't spare much, but I believe you will make a great addition to the staff." The principal extended his hand and finished, "Welcome aboard."

Stacey energetically accepted, "Thank you sir! I sincerely appreciate this opportunity!"

"Do you have any questions?"

"Actually, about dress code, I usually wear fairly casual clothes to help the students feel less intimidated, is that a problem?"

"I don't see why as long as you remain within the student dress code and wear your name-badge," the principal nodded, cradling his coffee cup.

"Okay," Stacey visibly bit her lip at her accidental slang. "And if at all possible, I'd like to be a boarder also to feel more at the students' level. I would definitely be willing to take a cut in wages as payment." Despite a guaranteed position, she started to wring her hands in worry. Ah! I over did it!

Principal Delmas stared in disbelief at first and asked, "Are you certain?"

She nodded vigorously and added, "Absolutely." All of what she said was true, but on top of that, she couldn't afford to live in an apartment or buy clothes yet.

"How can I deny such a dedicated employee? Everything will be set in order as soon as we return. When would it be suitable for you to begin?"

Stacey smiled inwardly and replied, "As soon as possible. Did you have someone in mind, Principal?"

---------(AN: Maybe one review would be nice, even if it just says 'good.')--------

"Yeah Jeremie what's up?" Ulrich asked after answering the phone. "Oh is that all? Got it, thanks for the warning."

"What's going on Ulrich?" Yumi questioned.

"Sissi's on the move, come on," Ulrich announced, waving her along by the hand.

"How could they know that she was heading towards us unless…they were spying on us!" Yumi reasoned a little embarrassed but mostly bothered.

"Wha? Why would they do that?"

In the distance, the rest of the gang waves vehemently and screams "NO THE OTHER WAY!" Aelita paused and asked Jeremie, "This isn't working is it?"

"No, they're too wrapped up in each other…LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

Before Ulrich and Yumi could stutter through an awkward silence, an all too familiar voice interrupted. "Hello Ulrich, can we talk?" Sissy asked, hooking his arm casually.

"Uh-"

"Hi Sissi, how are you doing?" Yumi politely counters. After all, ruthlessness didn't seem to work against her.

She gave Yumi an appraising look (never removing her grip on Ulrich) with an attitude of superiority. "Oh I didn't see you there, excuse me," Sissi said, blowing her off.

Ulrich gulped with difficulty, for he had never faced such a foe as women. Every beast on Lyoko paled in comparison to the wrath of the female. He could almost sense the tensions rising. "Uh, how about we just –-" They averted their death glares to him and he hardly managed a "Never mind".

"Oh good! Yumi would you happen to know someone named Sissi Delmas?" Stacey inquired innocently.

"Hi Stacey, you're in luck, she's right here," Yumi muttered through grit teeth, never looking away from her opposition.

"Excellent! I'm Stacey Davolt Ms. Delmas! It's a pleasure to meet you! Your father requested me to tutor you," Stacey explained, grabbing her hand to shake it, (incidentally pulling her away form Ulrich in the process.)

Sissi blinked in shock but quickly recovered, when she heard giggles from behind her. Granted school was over and most kids had cleared out, but no laughter went unnoticed especially if it was aimed at her. "You must be mistaken, I don't need a—"

"Oh no, I believe you posses a vast amount of knowledge already! And if we can't find anything to refine, we can still share these chocolates I just bought! Whaddya say?" Stacey excitedly asked, pulling out the box of expensive Ghiradelli chocolates from her bag. (She was always big on assisting egos.)

"Free chocolate? Why not? I'll be in my dorm. It's the one two doors past the elevator. Be there on time, or I'll see to it you will have a difficult time here." Sissi stalked off smugly, chastising anyone in her way.

"Wow Stacey nice going!" Yumi congratulated, high-fiving with her.

"Thanks! For what?" Stacey asked, clueless.

"For getting rid of Sissi for us," Yumi explained.

"Oh, is she the pestering type?"

"That's an understatement," Ulrich mumbled.

"I guess that makes sense since she's the principal's daughter…but I'm sure she's a kind person on the inside," Stacey insisted, ever optimistic.