Carlton School, Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday Evening

[justbeingbay]

So far, Bay's brilliant plan to take Gert home with her to deflect questions and ease any lingering tension had worked perfectly. Kathryn had fussed over the purple-haired girl, which made Toby sympathetic, and now he was Gert's temporary best friend. And Gert had actually seemed kind of impressed by the stuff in Bay's studio, which was always a fantastic boost to her fragile artist ego. Daphne and Emmett seemed pretty upset about Carlton closing, which made Bay feel bad, but there were still a couple weeks in the school year, right? Plenty of time to figure something out.

So now all Bay and Gert had to do was get through Romeo & Juliet, see Angelo and Lana ... and then head back to the island of weird. Bay could do that in her sleep.

Everything was going perfectly right up to the balcony scene, when Bay noticed Daphne looked stricken before seeming to glance her way. She turned to the back of the theater, where Travis seemed equally stricken.

There was clearly nothing to do but go talk to him. Bay excused herself and went up the aisle.

//What's going on?//, she signed.

//Nothing.//

And this was why Bay had never particularly cared for Travis. Being lied to sucked. //I know you guys are planning something. What is it?//

Travis reluctantly explained the plan: The students were going to take over the Carlton building to force the administration to keep it open. But, he noted, //We're not taking over anything if we don't get rid of the security guard.//

They needed a distraction to get everyone's attention away from building security, Bay knew -- but what? It was practically fate that the fire alarm was right in her line of sight. She felt kind of horrible about it -- all of Kathryn's hard work, gone -- but she went over to pull it.

Lights started to flash in a silent alarm, and then there was chaos. Bay scrambled through the crowd to grab Gert's hand and then scrambled outside the theater and toward the school along with everybody else.

"I'll explain later," she whispered.

[OOC: NFB. For the girl with purple hair only.]

Comments

[arsenicmauls]

Aw, right in the middle of the pretentiousness? Darn.

Which was to say that Gert didn't mind ducking out of that performance at all -- for one thing, there was something skeevy about the guy playing Romeo, and it was surprisingly hard not to nod off during a performance that didn't feature a whole lot of talking.

So she hurried with Bay through the crowd, venturing in a quiet enough tone to escape the notice of any hearing parents around, "I'm guessing it's not a real fire?"

Just a hunch. The alarm going off had been very well-timed with Bay's departure and return, after all.

[justbeingbay]

"And you win a year's supply of Turtle Wax," Bay deadpanned. She made sure they were a decent distance from her parents and brother before adding, "Daphne and her friends are occupying the school building so the school board will agree to keep it open. They needed to get the guard away from the door, so I..."

She mimed pulling an alarm with one hand.

She looked at the school building, realizing Emmett was on an upstairs balcony. He leaned over to pull on a rope, and as he did a banner appeared -- a banner that might look slightly familiar to someone who knew Bay's style.

Ax Girl had her fist raised, and the words above her head read TAKE BACK CARLTON. "So that's why they wanted it!" Bay exclaimed.

She was maybe a little more delighted than she should have been.Even as she spoke, Emmett was starting to encourage the crowd to chant: //TAKE. BACK. CARLTON.//

[arsenicmauls]

"And you're the graffiti artist in Fandom," Gert marveled, turning to Bay with an impressed look on her face. "Realizations all around."

Kansas City was way less boring than she'd given it credit for, Gert could say that much.

She glanced at Bay. "Want to take it back from closer up?"

[justbeingbay]

Bay started to say she didn't know, that she wasn't sure this was for them.

Then she realized Emmett was issuing a general invitation for everybody and grinned.

"Yeah. Looks like a party."

Se was already following kids with signs to the school doors.

[arsenicmauls]

Funny how giving the Carlton kids space for their own revolution would never have occured to Gert. Or maybe she was just caught up in the excitement to the point of being willing to intrude, but -- seriously. This was cool.

"Haven't seen this many people flock to one place for a reason other than heros signing autographs in a long time," she remarked as she weaved through the crowd after Bay. "I like this better."

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Emmett spotted the two of them and walked over.

//Come on in,// he told Bay. //You're one of us.//

And then he offered her his hand.

[justbeingbay]

Bay grinned hesitantly and paused before reaching for his hand. Much as she wanted to take it...

//Her too?// she asked, gesturing to Gert. //Friend from Fandom. I promise she's not a narc.//

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Emmett tilted his head to one side, clearly thinking it over. //Yeah, why not,// he decided. //Every movement needs allies. Come on!//

He waved to Gert with the hand he hadn't given Bay.

[arsenicmauls]

Gert grinned, following him with an uncharacteristic spring in her step. "Thanks," she said sincerely. "You guys kick ass for organizing this. I don't know if it'll work, but -- it's awesome."

Which, though Emmett might not be aware, was pretty high praise from someone who was usually pretty grouchy.

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Emmett signed //thank you// then shrugged; he was willing it to work, and there wasn't a lot more he could say without dropping Bay's hand anyhow. Which ... he wasn't exactly rushing to do, strangely enough. Hmmm.

Travis was a little less pleased to have two hearing kids who weren't even Carlton students joining in, but Daphne overruled him. In a moment, Gert and Bay were inside and faced with a scene that was part sleepover camp, part party, part protest.

The Carlton students quickly broke into smaller groups -- one cluster Tweeting and rallying internet support about the protest, one group setting up a mini-clinic with way more condoms than anyone could possibly use, and Daphne bouncing from one encampment to the next with the hugest grin imaginable on her face.

[justbeingbay]

"I'm going to go help in the 'kitchen'," Bay told Gert. She was signing as she spoke; it seemed rude not to. "Looks like the guys bought out a 7-11. Wanna come?"

[arsenicmauls]

Gert watched Emmett with some interest -- the hand thing was a big giveaway. Hey, hadn't that kid of Bay's from that one weekend mentioned that her dad had gone to a high school for the deaf? And she wasn't seeing any other cute guys around here being overly affectionate with Bay, bizarrely. Check that out.

As for hitting up the kitchen -- "If that means not sticking around here to see what people need this many condoms for, I'm in," Gert said firmly. She wasn't signing, but she was consistently making sure to keep her lips in view of Emmett and any of Bay's other deaf friends who were especially close by as she spoke. "Emmett?"

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Emmett pointed to a couple boys bent over iPads. //Thrilling as snacks are, I'm sticking with social media//, he said. //We're already getting love from Miami and San Francisco. I want to set us up on Twitter before we lose momentum.//

[justbeingbay]

//Have fun,// Bay said, then went to the snack table. She didn't especially want to know why there were so many condoms, either, and she wasn't really a Twitter kind of person

"We went out for most of last year," she explained to Gert as she started setting up a table of cookies. "But we're just friends now. It's totally cool between us."

[arsenicmauls]

Okay, it was easy enough to tell that that was a no from Emmett. See, reading signing wasn't that hard.

Though the feeling of being completely lost as to what everyone else was talking about all around her was enough to get Gert starting to think about maybe taking an ASL class back at Fandom.

"He's cute," she commented mildly, pouring a giant bag of chips into a large bowl. "And nicer than that other guy." Sigh, Travis. "Deaf/hearing politics are kind of touchy around here, I'm guessing?"

[justbeingbay]

Bay wrinkled her nose. "Daphne went out with the other one for a while," she said. "Travis. She maybe felt sorry for him. But her guy before that was twice our age, so ..."

Daphne's terrible taste in guys was definitely up for discussion.

"But yeah, there's this pilot program with hearing kids and from what Daphne says, people really aren't into it. They feel like they spend their whole lives adjusting to us, so least school they shouldn't have to worry about it. I can kind of see why they feel that way, you know? But" -- she claimed an oreo here -- "whole thing's one giant moot point if they can't keep the school open."

[OOC: NIGHT!]

[arsenicmauls]

Twice their age? "Ew." Really, Daphne. That was gross.

Gert popped a chip in her mouth before filling in, "And they need the money from the hearing kids in order to do that." Because wasn't this kind of issue always a money thing? "Ugh. I get wanting a place for just them, but that sucks. Just have to hope this works, I guess."

She wasn't really counting on it, and her tone implied as much, but there was always a chance, she supposed.

[[niiiiiiiight!]]

[justbeingbay]

"It's always about money, isn't it?" Bay sighed. "But -- I think they have a good chance."

She was going to keep saying that. For Daphne and Emmett's sake, if nothing else.

If she was going to say anything else, it was lost as her attention was drawn to what looked like a confrontation between Daphne and two boys holding bottles of beer. ".... huh," she said, forgetting to interpret for the moment.

[arsenicmauls]

Gert peered in the direction Bay was looking, brow furrowing. This didn't really seem to require a whole lot of explicit interpretation: the way Daphne was signing furiously at the guys with the beer, the situation seemed pretty straightforward.

"Yeah, that'll look great on Twitter," she muttered.

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Which was exactly what Daphne was saying, more or less.

//We're already getting tweets about 'supporting our right to party,'// she fumed. //This is a political protest, not an excuse to get drunk.//

She went over to a light panel and flickered the lights on and off to get everyone's attention before beckoning people over to a circle of couches: Time for a group meeting.

[justbeingbay]

"And now we have Daphne on the warpath," Bay sighed. "Because boys are idiots. Great."

She obediently headed over to the couches, curious what Daphne had to say.

[arsenicmauls]

Gert followed, flopping down next to Bay. "She's intense," she muttered, but without real heat behind it. And she sure was taking charge of a protest that it didn't seem, from where Gert was standing, that Daphne had actually been the one to organize -- but at the same time, she wasn't wrong to call the guys out, so there was that.

Gert pulled a cushion into her lap and settled in as the meeting got started, keeping an eye on Bay for interpretation.

[justbeingbay]

"She's nervous," Bay quietly explained-slash-apologized -- because, seriously, Daphne was a little over the top right then.

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Over the top or not, Daphne was definitely in charge at the moment. She started by passing around a shoebox.

//We need a unified message,// she said. //Not pictures of us partying and goofing off. Hand over your phones, people. And then we'll talk about setting some conditions for leaving the school.//

People groaned, but mostly seemed willing to drop their phones into the box.

[arsenicmauls]

"She can't be serious." This was getting a little awkwardly totalitarian for Gert's liking, even if she saw Daphne's point. She didn't really want to make a fuss if no one else was going to, though, so she pulled out her phone - a crappy Nokia phone from 2003 that didn't even have internet, let alone twitter - and held it as she looked to see what Bay was going to do.

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Bay dropped her phone in, since it wasn't like she was using it right then anyhow. It also seemed like the best way to get Daphne to calm the fuck down and quit acting like a Nazi -- not that she was going to share this opinion aloud.

While the box for phones was going around the circle, Daphne went over to a whiteboard and wrote Demands at the top in her neat handwriting before gesturing to the group.

//What do we want?//

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Hands went up around the circle; Bay was busy interpreting quietly for Gert, while Daphne scratched things down

//Restore all our music and art programs!//

//No punishment for the people here!//

//Keep Carlton open!//

Travis waited for a pause in the conversation before adding in, //Keep Carlton open and DEAF.//

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

//Except the kids in the pilot program, right?// A small, dark-haired girl named Natalie put in. //I hated it at first, but this is their school too now.//

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

//No.// Travis was firm. //We should be one hundred percent deaf.//

Bay ... was not enjoying this particular turn of the conversation. She squirmed in her seat.

[arsenicmauls]

Yeah, neither was Gert.

Before she could really think about whether she really wanted to contribute to the conversation, she waved a hand to get the others' attention. Relying on Bay to interpret for her, but looking at Daphne anyway, she asked, "Yeah, but does it actually serve a purpose to be exclusive? Allies who want to learn about deaf culture should be able to."

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

//Hearing people always say that,// Travis said, rolling his eyes. //And then they come in and want us to talk so they're more 'comfortable.' And then they make fun of our voices when we do. It's lose-lose for us.//

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

//Bay's not like that,// Emmett protested. //And some of the pilot program kids are pretty cool.//

[justbeingbay]

Bay waited for Daphne to jump in before she spoke up. She didn't, and -- feeling faintly betrayed -- Bay came out with, //Wait, I made a poster and pulled an alarm for a school that doesn't even want us here?//

[arsenicmauls]

"Why'd you even let us in, then?" Gert objected, wondering if there were any other pilot program kids in the room, and, if so, why they weren't speaking up too. "If we automatically don't support the cause just because we're hearing, why are we suddenly allowed to be here when it involves helping you all out?"

Maybe take it down a notch, Gertrude.

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

//You can't even sign,// Natalie put in, bristling. She was open to the idea of hearing kids at Carlton in theory, if they were willing to acclimate. But Gert's attitude was a bit much for her to take from some hearing girl she didn't even know. //No one asked for your help.//

From where he'd been watching the conversation, Noah raised a hand. "I'm hard of hearing," he pointed out. "How deaf are you guys going to say is deaf enough?"

[arsenicmauls]

"I would if I went to this school," Gert grumbled back, but she left it at that -- she didn't want to go to Carlton, so all of this was a little pointless, even if she thought they were wrong. She sank back into the couch as the argument continued, occasionally shooting eye-rolls Bay's way as people signed over each other and generally made the argument harder and harder to resolve.

[justbeingbay]

After a while, Bay stopped doing quite as much interpreting and just curled into her seat. For one, it had turned into the kind of conversation where people just repeated themselves endlessly, and she figured Gert got the gist of it; for another, she kept getting more and more hurt and irritated that Daphne wasn't really standing up for the hearing kids.

A few people got pissed off at Daphne, claimed their phones and walked out just before Bay heard the noise. A distant wail, but getting louder and louder and --

She went over to the window and tore off a TAKE BACK CARLTON flier that had been pasted there to block the view of outsiders. Her eyes widened at what she saw, and she turned back to the group hesitantly.

"...It's the police."

[arsenicmauls]

Gert, peering out the window right beside Bay, crossed her arms. "Of course it is." Because a bunch of kids had shut themselves up in a building whose entire purpose was to enforce adult authority over teenagers. It was only a matter of time before they sent in the adults to restore the annoying, repressive equilibrium.

...As always, Gert took this stuff way too seriously.

She turned away from the window. "Plan?" she asked. "Let me guess, we keep them out because they're hearing too?" Now that was unnecessary.

[switched-npcs.livejournal.com]

Travis flipped her off, which wasn't helpful but at least needed no interpretation.

//We resist,// Natalie said, looking to Daphne and Emmett for approval. //We sit down and don't move. Make them drag us out.//

//Like Gandhi,// Daphne agreed, and sat down cross-legged. //Good idea.//

Natalie preened.

[justbeingbay]

Bay took a seat on the floor next to her sort-of-sister. She wasn't any fonder of kids being kicked out of their own school than anyone else; at this point, she was in with the Carlton kids to the end.

//This will make for great photos,// she observed -- just before the first set of cops came in and started to lift Emmett away.

[arsenicmauls]

Well. This was gonna be... something.

Gert sat and waited for the cops to get to her, only pausing to remark dryly to Bay, "Maybe I should've brought Old Lace after all."

Then there was a cop hauling her up by under her arms, and she got distracted. "Hey! Gentle."

[justbeingbay]

"Ouch!" And now Bay was getting hauled off too. Fun. THe media attention wasn't all for nothing; the press as there to take photos of the kids being removed, with one especially bright reporter barking questions at Emmett.

"Um, you know he's deaf, right?" she asked.

"But you aren't," the man returned, undaunted. "If you can hear, what were you doing in there?"

"Same thing as everyone else. Protesting the closing of the best school that I know about." (Sorry, Fandom.)

"Can I quote you on that?"

"Sure. Bay Kennish. Ow, my underarms."

[arsenicmauls]

"Badass!" Gert called approvingly from not too far away. She didn't know what she could say to the press that wouldn't come off as unknowledgable, but she liked Bay's style.