How Green Becomes Wood

"Thank you," Daizi replied almost stiffly, biting back her annoyance at how it seemed like the teacher was annoyed to have to read it out to her, "And what makes those sources preferable to you?"
 
Miss Jones explained exactly how the sources were preferable to her, and she made some pretty good points while doing so. It was not a perfect argument in favor of those sources, but there was a good deal more thought and reason behind it than just, "I like this one, I don't like that one, just because."

Ciara still sat quietly, but now she was making notes in her small, careful handwriting.
 
Although Dark did acknowledge there were merits to the sources Miss Jones preferred, he did not accept it meant the other sources were all poor. Really, he argued as a fellow history teacher, but admittedly, his own emotional connection to the topic matter did occasionally seep into his opinions regardless of how he tried to prevent it. His greatest sticking point was the rejection of governmental sources, because he felt marking them off entirely as fiction, rather than critically recognizing their merit seemed an impossible bar for a high schooler to achieve. Daizi spoke up where she could, mostly to stop the two history teachers from devolving into a purely pedagogical conversation but overall let her husband take the lead given his experience.
 
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Miss Jones noted Dark's personal connection, and while she did not come right out with it, she did let slip an occasional tiny remark. Perhaps the remarks were not all accidental. She then argued back with Dark that governmental sources were not being written off as entirely fiction, but rather strongly warned against because any governmental source that a high schooler could find could potentially be altered for propaganda reasons. How could a high schooler possibly know how to dredge through skilled propaganda to find the nuggets of truth? That was what was unfair.

Finally, Ciara picked up her briefcase, opened the clasps, and cleared her throat.
 
It was a strange thing for Dark to argue in favour of the government, but he did point out if she rejected all government sources out of risk of them being propaganda, that should have been explicitly mentioned in the rubric. Daizi, feeling the same strangeness, argued for Alec's sake and asked if everyone who used governmental sources were all marked poorly for using them.

Both of them recognized those small remarks, and it burned them up inside although they didn't show it. They felt it, though.

When Ciara cleared her through, both of them turned towards her.
 
"Yes?" Miss Jones asked a touch impatiently, having forgotten Ciara was even there.

"I feel this argument is layered," Ciara stated calmly, "and I wish to focus on one point at a time. Firstly, questions have been raised as to the authenticity of Alec's governmental sources. You are correct that many times, information has been adjusted in the favor of the government, but true facts can never be truly lost. Temporarily covered up or lied about, but never lost." She took several papers of her own from her briefcase and laid them on the teacher's desk. "These are direct copies of the sources which were used in the process of making the project. They are open source, therefore open to the public, and while they might not be easy to access, any citizen has a right to see them upon request if they cannot find them through regular channels."

"Meaning they are hidden," Miss Jones said almost triumphantly.

"Meaning that in over a hundred and thirty years, an organization dedicated to the gathering of information at a federal level obtains an unbelievable amount of paperwork, and it is impossible to make even all unclassified documents easily accessible to all even in our day and age of technology," Ciara replied in the same even tone. "If he had requested the information only to be stonewalled, that would be hiding it. Instead, he was able to obtain all documentation within two to three business days."

"And you would know that how?" she asked.

"Because I obtained them for him." At Miss Jones' look of confusion, Ciara showed her her badge. "You were informed that he obtained the information from an agent."

"From his aunt. But I thought you were only in cleaning or something," Miss Jones said faintly, a lot of the wind taken from her sails.

Ciara snapped her badge closed and tucked it away. "I do a lot of that, as well."
 
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Neither Daizi nor Dark spoke up to interrupt Ciara, grateful she was there. Dark stood in his stalwart way, his expression unchanged and unreadable. Daizi did not bother to hide her smile---call it something which had 'accidentally slipped out.'
 
"Well, even if you are an agent, then how can we-" Miss Jones started to say.

Ciara stopped her with a raised hand. "If you are about to cast aspersions upon my department or upon myself, please allow me to stop you there. I will take personal offense if you suggest that I would be culpable in altering federal documentation for a high school project. Are we clear?"

Miss Jones nodded, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Good. To continue, I have looked into the sources you have marked as unreliable, as you will see there on your desk. It took minimal time to discover that two of the twenty-three listed sources - including the disputed blog entries - are, indeed, unreliable. Every other source has been tracked to a source that, while not unbiased, has been proven reliable in the past. What is more, I was able to contact three students who also used these sources in their homeworks, and you praised their use."

"How did you?" Miss Jones started to demand.

"It is amazing what you can find on the internet," Ciara replied calmly. "Discovering that you praised three other students' usage of these sources when in conjunction with subjects completely unrelated to Alec's project, however, calls into question your dismissal of them now. I am afraid that the only viable explanation is that you are biased against the subject matter."

Miss Jones reddened. "I beg your pardon. Are you accusing me of being racist?"

"I am not and have not, but it is interesting that your mind should go there," Ciara said mildly.
 
The more the conversation went on, the more they burned up. Although they had suspected this, not only from what the twins had said but from the numerous microaggressions throughout the meeting. But actually hearing she actually had praised the citations when used by other students was more than they were expecting.

Daizi wasn't smiling anymore. Dark was stone, just as he was before.

"Alec and Xander had brought up concerns before." He admitted, the tone of his voice remaining even and relaxed, "about unfairness depending on subject matter."
 
Miss Jones took a deep breath and held it a moment before saying in a voice that only slightly tightened with anger. "If you are coming in here to accuse me of some sort of unfairness related to race, gender, or creed, I suggest you have a lot more evidence than a single project on a single subject. As for these 'concerns,' everyone complains about at least one teacher. It is a fact of life."

"Quite right," Ciara agreed. "We would need a lot more evidence to move forward with anything like that, and I am sure you are a lovely teacher. Who has simply made a mistake in one project."

"I beg your pardon?" Miss Jones asked in a flat tone.

Ciara indicated the papers before Miss Jones. "Your main thrust to this argument has been to point out the incredibility of certain sources. I believe that has been disproven to everyone's satisfaction?"

"Yes," Miss Jones said tightly. "I believe it has been."

"Therefore, seeing as the sources are correct and credible, that would see the project as a whole becoming more correct and credible."

"This is true," Miss Jones agreed reluctantly. "However, if you expect me to give him a perfect mark, I would like to point out the other errors."

"Including a few sources that were incorrect, yes," Ciara agreed. She arched her brows at Miss Jones. "You seem to think a lot of people expect a lot of things from you. It might be wiser to wait and hear what they have to say before making such assumptions."

"Thank you for that feedback," Miss Jones said with a tight smile. "Yes, all things considered, I would be comfortable moving Alec's grade up to a B minus. Does that appear fair to all parties?"
 
"Fair?" Daizi began, unable to keep her voice as perfectly controlled as both Dark and Ciara could, and she hated it about herself. It certainly did not seem fair to her: They had just proved Miss Jones had been unfair in her grading, and now they were just meant to meet in the middle? As if they were both in the wrong?

Dark gently touched her elbow and she hushed herself, "That is acceptable, thank you for being willing to hear our case."
 
"Of course," she said with a brittle smile. "Anytime. Thank you for bringing my error to my attention with such..." she glanced at Ciara, "force."

Ciara closed her briefcase and stood. "A pleasure. Mr. Dark? Dr. Wahid? I believe that is everything for today?"
 
"You are welcome." Dark replied, standing alongside Daizi and extending his hand to the other teacher one last time.

"Thank you," Daizi said, hating she couldn't be calm and unemotional like the other two. It seemed an injustice to her, and her husband shepherding her out wasn't particularly soothing.
 
The tape recorder shouldn't have surprised him, Dark realized as he looked at it and was impressed by the choice.

"That's it?" Daizi hissed, keeping her voice low so as to not risk being overheard, "Alec gets a B minus and we move on like that's enough? We know she---!"

"Spider," Dark said calmly, leading them both further from the classroom.

"If you tell me to calm down, Ghalib, I swear---"

"When have I ever told you to calm down?" Dark asked, "Listen, there was nothing we could do in that room today, but I promise that does not mean we are letting it go."
 
"No, there was no winning the war, but every battle won, no matter how small, can truly hurt the enemy, metaphorically speaking," Ciara agreed calmly, her heels clicking as she walked down the hall. "There is every reason to continue this fight and win in a different time and place."
 
"It doesn't feel like a win, it feels like the Treaty of Versailles," Daizi replied, passing a hand over her forehead and dragging her fingers through her hair. Then, without a word intended for Ciara said, "I don't know how you can be so calm."

"You know that I am not," Dark told her seriously. "But do you know what would have happened if we had pushed back more against her?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid for being angry, we can't all be perfect stoics," Daizi replied, her face flushed. Then, holding that anger inside for a moment, she exhaled and said, "I need you to be angry too."

Without missing a beat, Dark spat the words, "That garbuu3a."

"Thank you," Daizi replied, relaxing slightly in his grip.
 
Ciara raised a brow at the word but said nothing as she waited out the uncomfortable marital spat. When she felt it was safe to speak, she asked, "Would you care for some... dirt... on Miss Jones? I just happened to stumble into a piece of information that she would likely not like known."
 
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