The House Master

Prefect Sh!t

Adrian sits beside Diedrich in the prefect meeting, only because Diedrich is the only other prefect he's ever met. Ash, the deputy headteacher, heads the meeting with introductions and asks a general question about issues to address throughout the school.

"The litter situation hasn't cleared up..." the others scowl over at Adrian.

"Well, it isn't from my House!" he sneers back. That's true, it isn't from his House, because he's had Grell acting as the Secret Police and reporting back to him. His speech worked.

"Okay, we'll address it at the next school assembly," Ash writes it down. "There is also the point of school pride - the students have been refusing to clean up their common rooms and talking back to staff who ask them to,"

Adrian rolls his eyes. Are these supposed to be real problems? Is this a joke or something? In his last school, the problems were fights, drugs, stabbings, knife crime, truancy.

"Look, these aren't real issues," he sighs. Diedrich gives him a look of 'What the Hell do you think you're doing?!'

Ash swallows, what's he doing?

"This school is one of the most docile, well-behaved sh- er, shill-holes I've ever been in. Instead of coming up with fake problems to draw out these unnecessary meetings, why don't we work to reward everyone for being so good that we need to come up with these fake problems?"

The other prefects silently await Adrian's exile from the meeting, but Ash simply hums in consideration.

"You're right,"

"What?!"

"He's right," Ash repeats. "We should be working towards positive reinforcement, making the students respond to us in a positive way rather than being those annoying prefects who complain and get them in trouble. Adrian, what's your idea?"

Adrian blinks and sits back. I'm supposed to have an idea???

"Uh, well..." he's good at improvising, but pulling an idea out of his ass in front of a crowd isn't something he revels in doing. "What about a school dance? One for the younger students, which Diedrich here-" he wraps his arm around Diedrich's shoulders and leans right in. "- will supervise,"

"Your breath smells like cigarettes," Diedrich complains and Adrian pulls back.

"And one for the older students, which the teachers can supervise as normal. It can be a December-Christmassy-type celebration,"

"Is everyone alright with that?" Ash asks, and they reluctantly agreed. Ash brings out Adrian's most hated thing - posterboard - and they begin to plan the dances.

*

Adrian flops over Vincent's lap at the cafeteria table, groaning and covering his eyes with his arm to escape the harsh lights.

"Headache?" Vincent guesses, but then Diedrich slams into the opposite seat, seemingly just as mentally exhausted.

"So..." Vincent sucks air in through his teeth, looking between them, confused. "How... was the meeting?"

"Why would you give us- give yourself - less work?!" Diedrich demands of Adrian. "Aren't you the one to avoid doing any work, like, ever?!"