Babs & Simon (Backdated to May 1)
May. 1st, 2014 06:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
om_oracle posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
om_mainSimon has some concerns over the way that security (and privacy) is handled at the school, and confronts Barbara about it.
Simon had meant it when he had said that he would go talk to Barbara. He wanted to know, one way or the other, if this was still going on or not. And if it was, he wanted to give her a heads-up before letting the students know. So the next morning, he went and knocked on the door to her office, hoping that she would be in. He didn't know her personally, but Jensen liked her, and that was a good sign that she was a good person, so he hoped that their conversation would go well.
Barbara had a camera set up in the doorway to her office that was tied to facial recognition and the school database, so she knew who it was before she called, "Come in!" She did have the good sense not to say 'Come in, Simon!' Instead, she pushed her wheelchair away from her desk with the row of computer monitors and spun it around.
"Hi," Simon said, trying not to be too awkward, as he opened the door and took a couple steps inside. "Is this a good time? I wanted to talk to you about something."
Barbara couldn't imagine what he'd want to talk to her about, but it only made her curious. "Sure," she said, and gestured to the chair. More a request than an offer. She didn't like having to look up at someone while having a conversation.
"Thank you," Simon said with a small nod of acknowledgement, and took a seat before continuing, with the simple truth. "I've just learned that Sage used to monitor all of our communications, when she was at the school. I was wondering if it was something that you were doing as well."
Barbara arched an eyebrow. "You just learned? I feel like there's a story there." Which wasn't really an answer to the question, but she felt like she needed some context before she confirmed or denied anything Sage may or may not have been doing.
"Not much of one, actually," Simon answered, with a brief purse of his lips. Not much of one that he would share, anyway; it wasn't his place to tell her about the blackmail aspect of it all. "Jensen let me know, so I went and talked to her to get confirmation." Among other things, anyway.
Barbara hesitated, and then finally just told the truth. "I have no interest in invading the privacy of the students here at the school. I'm interested in outside threats."
Simon was silent for a second, and then he nodded. "Thank you." He hesitated, then asked, "You don't share her opinion that danger could come from within?"
"I feel that..." Barbara considered this for a second. "Particularly considering that one of the headmasters is a telepath, and that the students here are incredibly intelligent and care about each other, monitoring threats from within should not require my computer."
Simon wasn't certain that he completely agreed, but he certainly didn't completely disagree. He took that in in silence, mulling it over, before deciding to move on. "So you know, Jensen and I want to let people know what Tessa did. Others might come knocking."
Barbara tapped her fingers on the arm of her wheelchair and then sighed a little. "I suppose I can't stop you. Though I hope not to see her villainized when she was only trying to help."
"I don't think it was necessarily a bad idea," Simon agreed. "But the students deserve to know."
"I assume you've already spoken to Tessa about this?" Barbara asked, not wanting her to be blindsided.
Simon nodded, frowning slightly. "She doesn't care." Not that it would have changed what they were about to do, if she had; other than if she had taken measures to prevent it, but Simon really hoped that it wouldn't have come to that.
Yeah, on second thought that didn't actually surprise Barbara at all. "Well..." Barbara really wasn't sure what to say. "It doesn't seem like you actually need anything from me. Thanks for the heads up, though."
"You're welcome," Simon nodded, and stood to go, able to take a hint.
Before Simon could go, Barbara hesitated and then said, "Hey. I'm only trying to help, okay? You or anyone else is totally welcome to come to me with these kinds of concerns."
"Thank you," Simon told her, honestly, and smiled a little. "I'm glad you're in charge of this now."
That actually pulled a real smile from Barbara. "Thanks," she said. And felt a little better, all considered.
Simon had meant it when he had said that he would go talk to Barbara. He wanted to know, one way or the other, if this was still going on or not. And if it was, he wanted to give her a heads-up before letting the students know. So the next morning, he went and knocked on the door to her office, hoping that she would be in. He didn't know her personally, but Jensen liked her, and that was a good sign that she was a good person, so he hoped that their conversation would go well.
Barbara had a camera set up in the doorway to her office that was tied to facial recognition and the school database, so she knew who it was before she called, "Come in!" She did have the good sense not to say 'Come in, Simon!' Instead, she pushed her wheelchair away from her desk with the row of computer monitors and spun it around.
"Hi," Simon said, trying not to be too awkward, as he opened the door and took a couple steps inside. "Is this a good time? I wanted to talk to you about something."
Barbara couldn't imagine what he'd want to talk to her about, but it only made her curious. "Sure," she said, and gestured to the chair. More a request than an offer. She didn't like having to look up at someone while having a conversation.
"Thank you," Simon said with a small nod of acknowledgement, and took a seat before continuing, with the simple truth. "I've just learned that Sage used to monitor all of our communications, when she was at the school. I was wondering if it was something that you were doing as well."
Barbara arched an eyebrow. "You just learned? I feel like there's a story there." Which wasn't really an answer to the question, but she felt like she needed some context before she confirmed or denied anything Sage may or may not have been doing.
"Not much of one, actually," Simon answered, with a brief purse of his lips. Not much of one that he would share, anyway; it wasn't his place to tell her about the blackmail aspect of it all. "Jensen let me know, so I went and talked to her to get confirmation." Among other things, anyway.
Barbara hesitated, and then finally just told the truth. "I have no interest in invading the privacy of the students here at the school. I'm interested in outside threats."
Simon was silent for a second, and then he nodded. "Thank you." He hesitated, then asked, "You don't share her opinion that danger could come from within?"
"I feel that..." Barbara considered this for a second. "Particularly considering that one of the headmasters is a telepath, and that the students here are incredibly intelligent and care about each other, monitoring threats from within should not require my computer."
Simon wasn't certain that he completely agreed, but he certainly didn't completely disagree. He took that in in silence, mulling it over, before deciding to move on. "So you know, Jensen and I want to let people know what Tessa did. Others might come knocking."
Barbara tapped her fingers on the arm of her wheelchair and then sighed a little. "I suppose I can't stop you. Though I hope not to see her villainized when she was only trying to help."
"I don't think it was necessarily a bad idea," Simon agreed. "But the students deserve to know."
"I assume you've already spoken to Tessa about this?" Barbara asked, not wanting her to be blindsided.
Simon nodded, frowning slightly. "She doesn't care." Not that it would have changed what they were about to do, if she had; other than if she had taken measures to prevent it, but Simon really hoped that it wouldn't have come to that.
Yeah, on second thought that didn't actually surprise Barbara at all. "Well..." Barbara really wasn't sure what to say. "It doesn't seem like you actually need anything from me. Thanks for the heads up, though."
"You're welcome," Simon nodded, and stood to go, able to take a hint.
Before Simon could go, Barbara hesitated and then said, "Hey. I'm only trying to help, okay? You or anyone else is totally welcome to come to me with these kinds of concerns."
"Thank you," Simon told her, honestly, and smiled a little. "I'm glad you're in charge of this now."
That actually pulled a real smile from Barbara. "Thanks," she said. And felt a little better, all considered.
