"Is that right, Principle van Tiel?" asked Melba.  "Well to be honest, I have the names of all the humans involved.  You old people tend to be so blase about all the information about you that's on the Web." She said web with a definite capital letter, as if it was an object to be worshipped. "But a list of the demons involved as far as you know them would be most helpful.  I'm sorry Dr Strange", she added at the end, looking at Garrett with a wide grin (although everything about Melba is wide, of course it is.) "Looks like you won't get the opportunity to turn her soul inside out.  Maybe with one of the others."

“Hmm. ‘Soul-Ravaged’ probably wouldn’t be a good look for Van Tiel. It only accentuates crow’s feet and sallow skin tones,” Garrett said with a dismissive waggle of fingers at the errant headmistress. “Let’s go free our dear, departed Shannon from eternal misery in the Girl’s Bathroom.”

Melba waits until Mrs van Tiel has given the names of the demons involved in the conspiracy or until Ms Cordova paints the walls with Mrs van Tiel's brains.  Melba's not all that concerned which outcome happens to be frank.  Either will do.

Only once she has what she wants does she accompany Garrett to the girls' changing rooms ready to help free Shannon from the mirror.

Mrs. Van Tiel focused on the gun pointed at her head. “I’ll only give up that name if you hide me. If you won’t, then you might as well shoot me now.” She swallowed hard as she said so, but underneath the fear was a tangible despair. The woman was screwed either way.

"You can be hidden. Even in human terms, witness protection exists for a reason. Hiding you won't be that much effort. Speak what you can."

Luthien then waits.

“Fair enough, I can turn you over to my superiors. You’d be unreachable in their custody. Answer their question!” BJ growled, leaving out she’d be in an initiative black site deep underground in a well warded cell in a deep salt mine.

The Assistant Dean nodded nervously. “Yes. We bargained with Iconna, a she-devil who lives in another dimension accessed through mirrors. She acquires power by anchoring the souls of her sacrifices to mirrors. Their torment and the chaos they wreak give her more power.”

Melba nodded.  "Excellent.  Come Garrett, let's liberate dear departed Shannon and consign Iconna back whence she came."

“Oh, yeah! It’s way past time for the Demonic Diva to sashay away!” Garrett stared at Luthien with arms crossed and an arched eyebrow. “We’re bringing the Thin White Duke for extra good luck, right? He might counteract the 7 Years Bad Luck we’re probably gonna have.”

Melba grins, "Welcome back then Thin White Duke.  Feel free to shoot darts in lovers' eyes but remember we two are far too snarky to love."  And with that, she leads Garrett and Luthien in the direction of the girls' changing room.

"I'm mostly here for support. Making people fall in love is beyond my paygrade."

Deciding who should love who was definitely not on his responsibility list!

Melba runs her hand over her turquoise hair and winked at Garrett as the popular culture reference (or obscure film reference given where Melba works) flies over Luthien's head.  She keeps walking though.

Garrett snickered as he walked alongside his best Judy, grateful for the laughs amidst the scariness.

Luthien just shrugged mildly.

There were clearly many pop culture references he simply didn't get.

"On a day there is less evil, you all might have to catch me up on all these references. I am definitely...not with it."

Melba kept on waddling but she did say, "Sure thing Daddyo and yeah verily shall we school thee in the ways of twentieth century youth,  forsooth."

“I suggest that you talk quickly.” BJ said coldly as she eased back the hammer on her gun. “Quickly before loose patience and traumatizing events will be seen by the children.

Without looking back, Melba said to BJ, "I shan't be traumatised, Miss, I love the sound of explosions."  As she said that, she reached the door.

Exeunt pursued by a whatever Luthien is.

Well, he isn't a bear at any rate.

He isn't really pursuing either.

But he is following along.

Melba walked off toward the restroom with the cursed mirror, followed by Garrett and Luthien. B.J. remained behind to watch Van Tiel, attempting to get more answers out of her. “I’ve told you what I know.”

As Melba’s group approached the restroom, they heard a loud smashing of glass from inside!

As usual, the fact it was a women's restroom meant he has to wait till Melba confirmed an actual emergency

Melba swore fluently in French, Latin, Hebrew and even Yiddish (which she didn't speak fluently but which had some fierce sounding cusswords).  She knew it was an emergency and she hoped Garrett didn't hang back like Luthien, because if he did, she was in trouble.  Never the less, she wobbled through the dooor and into the girls' changing room.  "What's happening", she asked.  "You okay?"

What Melba saw brought an onslaught of harsher Yiddish words. “Stay back!” Buffy stood between her and the sinks, her bloodied left arm held back in warning as she faced the cause of her injuries. Glass laid scattered across the bathroom floor.

Melba heard a sickening crunch as larger shards of glass drifted off the tiles and coalesced into a jagged silhouette. The smaller fragments reflected distorted views of Buffy and Melba. A large shard of glass topped the silhouette like a flat, crystalline face. In that shard, they saw Shannon’s tortured visage, twisted by her rage and decades of suffering.

Melba shook her head sadly and resisted the urge to call Buffy an idiot, in this case of course, she resisted out of self preservation not out of a desire to keep the peace.  Just like always in fact.  "You need to tell Iconna to release Shannon in the name of any God you have faith in.  If you don't have faith, you need to let Luthien treat your injuries while Garrett and I do it, k?".

She called out to Luthien, "Luthien get in here, you've got a patient.  You too Garrett."

"If Iconna is forced to reveal herself in the golem, Buffy will be able to kill her just by smashing her face in. Some things are delightfully easy once you get the puzzle part done."

But then there's the minor detail of the tortured soul...

"You two, go ahead and start the exorcism. ...if you need help I'll jump in."

He sounds more like a teacher grading a test than like he's even slightly worried about it going wrong.

He isn't particularly worried about Buffy either. For a Slayer, glass cuts were a 'walk it off' sort of problem, not a hospital level problem.

Buffy heard and  nodded. “Got it. I’m feeling all kinds of smashy!” She shook off her pain, standing like a Warrior called to end the sort of evil before them. “Y’know, Iconna, skipping classes, haunting mirrors, driving cheerleaders crazy. I’ve gotta say that your behavior reflects poorly on yourself and on this school!”

Then, Buffy’s foot darted out in a rapid kick at the Golem! Buffy attempted to knock the thing back if she couldn’t smash it. Then, she ducked and dodged as best she could to avoid retaliation.


OOC:

01:10, Today: Big Bad, on behalf of Buffy Summers, rolled 12 using 1d10+11.  Dodge.

01:10, Today: Big Bad, on behalf of Buffy Summers, rolled 19 using 1d10+11.  Kung Fu.