A Trivial Guest

Garlic against vampires? Owen found himself staring for a moment, wondering if he'd pointed out that one on purpose. It induced curiosity within him, to say the least, did it really work against him? ...Well, no, of course not. That was dumb.

He did relax just a little at his words, but he couldn't help but chance one extra glance anyway. Just in case.

"Well...yeah." He hesitated a moment. "But that doesn't mean he's gonna get off scot-free, does it." So far, he was pretty sure Leon hadn't been penalized at all for his actions... save for perhaps a detention he got during the fireworks. Last year. True, the authority probably didn't know but... still. He got away with everything, and Owen got away with nothing. It was more than annoying him.

At the pause, he just sat there smiling. Leaving false leads was a good strategy. He avoided churches for that very reason.

Looking at Owen, he slowly shook his head. "No. No, I don't think that would be fair."
Owen certainly wasn't one to leave a good first impression, but underneath all that not-entirely-unwarranted grumpiness was somebody not at all unpleasant. Richard realized he was starting to take a liking to the young American, even outside of the fact that he was one of the students and he had an obligation to care about him.
He tapped his fingers on the desk in thought, considering his words.
"I want to help you." he said, finally deciding on a straightforward approach. It seemed to work the best with Owen. "Will you allow me to?"

Well, at least Richard agreed with him on that matter. It sure made him feel righter for going after Leon. After all, that's what he done it for. Well-deserved revenge. He wasn't causing unnecessary fights, he was making things fair...

He raised his head slightly as he continued to speak. Help... him? He blinked blankly for a moment, but in a matter of seconds, his expression started to shift into what was undeniably turning into a genuinely happy grin. "Really?" he half-chuckled. "I mean... yeah. Yeah, sure." He rubbed at the back of his head, feeling not only rather awkward, but... empowered, in a strange way. It seemed a surprise that someone might actually be on his side. An unfamiliar feeling.

Aw. Seems like poor Owen wasn't used to having allies. But no matter what Richard's personal opinion was, he had to remember that he was to be an ally of every student equally, not just of those he managed to convince he wasn't a bastard.
"Splendid." he said, returning the grin. "But before we shake on this, you must promise me one thing."
He wiped the smile off his face, regarding the boy with a rather dignified, somber look, suggesting that he took promises deadly serious.
"After you exact your revenge - in an entirely non-lethal way that I aid you in - you will do everything in your power to avoid letting the conflict flare up again." He raised a finger. "Even if it means having to swallow your pride and step down from a disagreement."

Oh, Richard had a plan, alright. If Owen agreed - and he saw no reason why he wouldn't - all that would be left was getting Leon to go along with it. But he appeared to be the smarter one, so hopefully he would see the possible benefits.
And then leaving a back door or two... yeah, that could solve it. The vampire smiled vaguely. Maybe those weren't orthodox ways for a school counselor to work, but like he said earlier, this wasn't a normal school. It required a specific flavor of counseling.

Promise? Well, Owen had to have guessed that there would be some sort of catch involved. Good things didn't come free, and Owen never usually had the money to pay.

His face fell back into a dull frown in almost an instant. Though, it was s'well that Richard was cool with him 'exacting revenge' - he couldn't recall any teachers back in America that allowed that. In fact, the rules seemed to indicate that you just had to 'suck it up and deal with it'. He looked thoughtful.

"...Umm, okay." Well, how hard could it be? In fact, he was pretty sure that he'd backed down numerous times, requesting Leon to leave him alone - but he'd always persisted with his henpecking. Then he thought... "What if he's botherin' Jami though? Do I just let him?" He hadn't intended to appear too over-protective, but really, he couldn't help but ask. "And how're you gonna help me anyway?"

He watched Owen with interest, wondering if the frown meant he was going to refuse. That would be really stupid of him, though - and Richard was glad that he didn't.

"In such a situation... well, I suppose you should consult Jami before doing anything." he said, his voice carrying the slightest hint of scorn. "You might want to consult me as well, if you wish. But I'm not going to demand that."
He believed that Leon was bothering Jami. One day, he would have to find out the truth, but Richard didn't think it necessary to be that very day. Or night, even.
He spun the golf ball.
"I'm not sure yet." he said slowly. "But I'm sure you will be able to sleep better, knowing I'm trying to come up with something, no?" he smiled, then rolled up his left sleeve to tap at the face of his watch. "I will get back to you when I do. Is that okay?"
Richard shifted back his chair, then stood up straight and offered a hand for Owen to shake.
"While it is a pleasure to talk with you, the responsible adult in me is insisting to send you back to bed." He chuckled. "If you don't have any other matters that require immediate attention, I do believe we should part ways for now."

He'd never really thought about consulting Jami herself - either that, or he was too nervous to think about doing it. He never did enjoy confronting her about these things, it usually just turned into arguments which turned into depressive guilt trips. His fingers twiddled nervously, and he didn't respond to his suggestion.

Well, that was mildly disappointing. Owen had thought he'd come up with some brilliant plan, from they way he was talking. Turned out he didn't even know what it was yet. "I sleep fine," he monotonously pointed out.

Though, now that Richard mentioned it, he was pretty tired. It was pretty strange being awake at this time. He stared at the hand like a foreign object for a few moments before raising his own claws to take his hand with a curt shake. "Sure.. uh, sure thing." Taking care not to leave behind that precious bottle of cola, he held it under his arm, standing up to stroll towards the door. "...See you around...?" Was he meant to be friendly with staff? It felt odd, to say the least.

"And eat plentifully as well, I'm sure." he nodded, sounding completely serious and not at all mocking. "Very healthy - good for you."

His grip on Owen's hand was firm as he felt the rough, scaly skin. He didn't ask about what happened. Maybe he should have. But honestly, whatever magical mishap the boy got into didn't interest Richard as much as his interpersonal relationships. He smiled, looking to the bottle.
"Enjoy the rest of your soda. I suppose you can try to cool it by putting it outside a window."

He took a small bow, then waved in a rather casual manner. "You will."
After that, he sat back down in his chair, stealing a sidelong glance at the watered-down, warm scotch. Deciding it would be too much of a waste to throw it away, he grabbed the glass and emptied it in one swig. Now he had two empty glasses to play golf with... but Owen had given him something marginally more interesting to think about than a silly throwaway game.
Thank goodness.

Owen stared for a moment with a blank expression, wondering whether or not Richard was joking. Well, it didn't sound like it... but Owen had never really heard that advice before. In fact, it was usually the opposite. "...'Kay."

To feel creeped or not to feel creeped? Truthfully, he didn't really want to wake during the night again, there was even less to do than during the day. But he said nothing, simply nodding.

Swinging open the door, he left the room, closing it behind him. Sleep. That was a good idea.