[Wednesday, September 1, 2004.]
<Luke> "Steve?"
[Steve zips up his backpack and stands, picking it up.  "Yeah?"]
<Luke> "It's true that sometimes the best stories are the ones that surprise us.  
But do they surprise us because we had no idea what would happen next, or 
because we thought we did and were wrong?"
[Steve hesitates for a moment, then he says, "I think the best stories surprise 
me because I thought I knew what would happen next, but I was wrong.  And when I 
look back, it makes a lot of sense for what actually happened to happen."]
[Continue.]
<Luke> "So, either way, your expectations come into play."
[He shrugs.  "I guess so.  It's part of making something realistic, right?"]
<Luke> "I'm not sure that's the word I'd use to describe most books or plays, 
let alone movies."  Luke grins.
[Steve opens his mouth, then he shuts it.  He slings his backpack over his 
shoulders and doesn't say anything, though he doesn't leave just yet.]
<Luke> "It's more about manipulating audience expectations."
<Luke> "Whether you pander to them or subvert them."
["So if that's all he was doing, what's the point of reading Shakespeare in 
school?  We're not eighteenth century masses."]
<Luke> "Seventeenth.  And the expectations haven't changed that much."
["Seventeenth," Steve corrects himself, and Luke can almost see him making a 
mental note.]
["Anyway, I don't think you're right, Mr. Mendel."  Some students are coming in 
now, and Steve moves away from his desk in case someone wants to sit there.]
* Luke follows him toward the door.  "That's too bad, since I'm infallible."  He 
grins.  "And as I'm sure you've seen, I don't tolerate any backtalk or dissent 
in class."
[Steve lets himself be herded to the door.  Eh, he was going anyway.  "Yeah, I 
know," he says, smiling a little.]
<Luke> (Well, not from NPCs.  Only PCs may dissent.)
<Ardweden> (Luke likes the snark.)
<Taki> (Watch out, or they might buy him an iron fist)
["It's a pretty cool class anyway, Mr. Mendel."]
<Luke> "My strategy of winning popularity by not making you do assignments is 
paying off.  Sadly, I'll be changing it shortly, so I suppose I should enjoy the 
compliments while I can."
[Steve snerks.  "I won't tell anybody."]
<Luke> "Thanks, but they'll find out soon enough.  See you tomorrow, Steve," 
Luke says as they reach the door.
[He waves and walks off to his next class!  Or lunch.  Who knows.]
* Luke heads off to the faculty cafeteria.
* Luke enters the faculty cafeteria after an uneventful trip through the halls.
[Luke reaches the faculty cafeteria!  He opens the door, and he can see teachers 
milling about and chatting.  There's a deli line and the student complete meal 
line.]
[Hans and May are seated at a table near one of the windows overlooking the 
faculty parking lot.  Hans is already halfway through his ham and cheese 
sandwich, waving it as he makes some important point or another.  May's just 
watching him with a vaguely amused expression, also partway through her food.]
* Luke goes and stands in line for a sandwich.
[There are many sandwich choices.  Pick one!  They probably have it.]
<Taki> (Egg and cress! ;P)
* Luke orders a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich on rye, with some Swiss 
cheese as well.
[One BLT w/cheese coming up!  And a pickle spear, no less.]
* Luke takes his sandwich and a coffee, balanced on a tray gripped solely by his 
right hand, and sits down with Hans and May.
* Luke knows better than to interrupt Hans' rant.
["And the students, they keep missing their lessons!  We're only one week in, 
and they can't be bothered to remember to come in during lunch!" Hans rants.]
[May nods in sympathy, then she looks to Luke.  "Good afternoon, Luke."]
<Luke> "Good afternoon, May.  Good afternoon, Walter."
["Luke!" Hans says happily.  "Good of you to show."  He chomps on his sandwich.]
[May shakes her head and picks up her sandwich, saying, "We've started lessons 
this week, so that means we have half lunches.  Lucky there's no AP students 
scheduled for Wednesday."]
<Luke> "You're having trouble with attendance?"
["Always trouble with attendance!" Hans cries with his mouth half full, slamming 
his fist on the table.  He takes a moment to chew and swallow, then continues, 
"I'm telling you, Luke, students are forgetful.  They can't remember that their 
education is what's important.  It's what they're here for!"]
[None of the other teachers even look over at Hans' outburst.]
<Luke> "Sadly, most of them are only here because they have to be."  Luke has a 
sip of his coffee, then starts to eat his sandwich.
["It shouldn't be that way," Hans grumbles.  "Orchestra is an elective, not like 
English.  And participation's been going down..."]
["He's been a little worried about funding being cut," May adds between bites.]
* Luke swallows the food in his mouth before replying.  "Who's thinking of 
cutting funding?"
["Oh, the administration."  May makes a vague gesture.  "They've been pushing 
for increasing funding for computer programs and decreasing it for fine arts."]
["Nothing passed yet," Hans mutters.  "Thank God."]
<Luke> "How does Doug feel about this?"
["He just sits on the fence all day," Hans says.  "Can't make up his mind."]
<Luke> "I'm going to have a talk with him later today anyway.  Maybe I'll ask 
him about it."
[May picks up a potato chip.  "It's probably better if you don't.  This has been 
going on for a long time."]
["No, no, May," Hans breaks in.  "If he wants to talk to our principal, then I'm 
more than happy to have the support."  He looks to Luke.  "What are you going to 
see him about?"]
<Luke> "One of my students, Christy Walters, suggested a field trip to see the 
Branaugh Hamlet at a movie theatre.  It seems to be playing in town."
["One of your students suggested that?" Hans looks skeptical.  May, however, 
smiles.  "So you might take a field trip?  That's a wondeful idea!"]
<Luke> "Hopefully it will build interest in the play, and not just get them to 
stop reading and rely on having seen the movie.  And while I'm at it, I'd rather 
like a million dollars."
[Hans starts laughing, nearly choking on his sandwich.  May thumps him on the 
back, and he coughs a few times.  "Thank you," he says, picking up a napkin and 
wiping at his mouth before pushing up his glasses.]
* Luke looks concerned while Hans chokes, then relaxes and finishes the first 
half of his sandwich.  "At least they'll have some clue what happens in Hamlet."
["They can't be that bad," May says.  Hans just looks at her, and then she adds, 
"All right, so they can."]
<Luke> "Some of them are doing quite well.  I was just talking with Steve 
Keilbach.  He seems to be thinking seriously about the material, which is a 
start, but he's too bound by what he's already been taught about how literature 
is supposed to work."
<Ardweden> (It's not his fault Luke is wrong. XD)
<Luke> (:P)
<Ardweden> (Oh, you know it's true. *grins*)
<Luke> (Luke won't penalize him for disagreeing, but Luke does think what he 
just said about Steve.)
<Ardweden> (Yes.  I'm just commenting all OOC-like.)
["If he's thinking, that's better than ninety percent of the students," May 
says.  "Or so I hear.  I'm just a singing teacher."  Hans chuckles.]
<Luke> "So there is an advantage to being in the music department," Luke says 
with a grin.
["You should move in!" Hans declares.  "We could use someone to help May out."]
[May snerks.  "Yeah, with a little bit of practice, you'll be better than most 
of the students in Chorus."]
<Luke> "I know better than to take that as a compliment."
[She shrugs.  "Chorus is for kids with an elective to burn who don't want to do 
homework or sit in study hall," she says by way of explanation as she picks up 
her pickle with two fingers.  "Choir is where the more serious singers go."]
* Luke eats the remaining sandwich half as he listens to May and Hans.
[Hans has finished his sandwich and is munching on chips.  May still doesn't put 
the pickle in her mouth.  "I can end up with over a hundred kids in a period," 
she says.  "It's so large, I teach more than one."]
<Luke> "How do you manage?"
["A lot of screaming," she says dryly.  Hans leans over and half-whispers to 
Luke, "It's why she gets the basement."]
* Luke laughs.  "Perhaps I'll stick with English, then."
["Look, you scared him away," Hans tells May.  She shrugs and grins, now 
nibbling on her pickle spear.]
* Luke sips his coffee.  "You had your chance and you blew it, May.  You shall 
not get another."
["It's okay," she says lightly.  "I don't need the competition anyway."]
<Luke> "I should get going.  I want to catch Doug before next period."
[Hans nods and glances at his watch.  "Actually, we should be, too."  He stands 
and brushes crumbs off of himself.  May stays seated and works on finishing her 
pickle.]
[She does, however, wave to the soon to be leaving Luke.  "Good luck with the 
field trip."]
* Luke stands, picking up his attache case (which he'd set on his lap, as usual) 
in his left hand and the tray in his right.  It's easier to carry when there's 
nothing on it.  He dumps the tray where it belongs and heads out the door, for 
the principal's office.
[To be continued!]