"You've done all that you can," Gorou Tachibana said to his daughter as he noticed her watching Jason and Alice as they left the two of them standing in the main hallway to the Moon Lake High School building.
Megumi sighed and looked up to him and then nodded. He was right that she had done all that she could with regard to what she knew at the time. There was no way that she could have known that Alice Decrux would figure out a way to sneak her aphrodisiac into the punch, or that a series of chance events could have lead to the spiked punch being brought back into play after Megumi had learned of it and removed it. That didn't, however, remove her own personal feelings of guilt. Her role on the Student Council had included the planning and preparation for this year's dance and that put ultimate responsibility on her, and she had failed to prevent there from being a potential disaster. There was no real way of knowing for sure just how many guests had taken drinks from the spiked punch, and the fact that a new friend of hers was one of them only made her feel worse.
"Perhaps," Megumi looked down, "but what I did do clearly wasn't good enough. Melissa is new to Moon Lake and is a friend... and I couldn't keep her safe from a were that the entire town suspects of being something of a crook on some level..." She then paused and then looked up to her father, "If she weren't romantically interested in Trevor Tyson... I'd fear that my failure might sour her opinion on Moon Lake completely."
She soon felt his hand settle on her upper back and shoulder. That gave Megumi some relief in that her father didn't blame her for what had happened, though she was only left with the hope that Melissa was okay and was safe at home with Trevor by her side. For the moment, that left Megumi with the last responsibilities with regard to the end of the dance and finishing up handling the events that had interrupted it.
"What happened is not your fault," Gorou assured his daughter, "What happened is the result of chance... and as it happened, chance went against you. Thankfully it would appear that the worst consequences have been avoided."
Megumi slowly nodded as she heard footsteps coming from a nearby staircase. She then turned as one of the other members of the Student Council appeared. She was a Senior and a Wererat, and Megumi watched as she noticed Gorou's presence.
"Hey, Megumi... we've gotten to a point where the dance is over and people are starting to head home," the Wererat spoke, "Is something going on?"
"Mostly just cleanup from an unwanted prank that goes against Skulk rules, nothing more than that, Natasha," Megumi said to her and thought of not only the spiked punch but the fact that one of its victims was also a Skulk member, David. After giving his statement to Officer Leprune before the officer left to try and catch the Wereraccoon, David was returned to the lunchroom where he was to wait for the effect of the Love Potion Number Nine, diluted or not, to come down.
The Wererat, Natasha, gave a heavy sigh at that as she looked between Megumi and her father. She wasn't familiar with Gorou Tachibana, but she'd also grown up in Moon Lake and was well aware of hos serious the Skulk took issues that related to pranks and so on. It wasn't that the Skulk looked down on practical jokes, in fact it was quite the contrary. Werefoxes enjoyed them and just about every were in Moon Lake knew that, which was thus no coincidence that the Skulk met on the nights before Halloween and April Fool's Day, as they were holidays where pranks and practical jokes were common. However, while Werefoxes enjoyed a good practical joke, it was also well known that they did not favor any joke that did physical or emotional harm as good, and those that pulled pranks that did that wouldn't be defended.
"Do I wanna know?" Natasha asked with a sigh.
"I would suppose not," Megumi said slowly and looking down again.
"The situation is in hand though, and my daughter has done everything possible to try and prevent what has gone on," Gorou spoke in defense of his daughter. He didn't know Natasha, but he could see that she was older and as an Upper Classman might have a higher role in the Student Council, which could put her in a position to give Megumi real grief. "And once the situation was discovered... it was quickly resolved."
"This wouldn't relate to the bull that declared his love for some new girl and ran out?" Natasha asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Megumi nodded, "but we got things under control... or at least as under control as they can be. My father and I are just waiting to close up some last strands. You can let the others know to usher those out and let the custodial staff get started on the cleanup."
Natasha nodded and soon departed. That again left Megumi and her father waiting quietly. They were aware that an officer from the Moon Lake PD would be dispatched to collect the physical evidence that Officer Leprune didn't have time to wait for when he went to chase after Alice Decrux, but they didn't know WHO that officer could be. They could only wait for that officer to arrive, even as they watched various figures walk outside the building and even seeing some of the car lights come on as those who had driven to the dance. They waited quietly for a few moments until they saw a set of lights pull into the parking space outside the front doors. It wasn't long after that that Officer Leprune came to the door and Megumi came forward o let him in.
"Did you catch her?" Megumi asked as she opened the door.
Officer Leprune slumped his shoulders for a moment and shook his head, "No... She left town before I could get there... though her time of departure wasn't THAT long ago. She'd apparently "hired" the Wereraccoon boys we saw earlier on the security camera footage to make sure that Ms. Jenkins was given some dose of whatever Decrux had laced the punch with. They didn't know about the aphrodisiac being present and only went along with it because Ms. Decrux promised to reward them sexually if they did so. Having an orgy with her was their sole motivation."
"How..." Gorou began to ask.
"I caught all of them in her backyard," Officer Leprune explained, "where they were waiting for her... not knowing that she'd decided to leave town. Thankfully, though, the officer that had been tasked to monitor her while we wait for her day in court regarding the attempted drugging of Harold Jenkins and the accidental drugging of the delivery driver was on duty. At present he is in hot pursuit... though she's left Moon Lake's City Limits, so I couldn't join in the chase and we'll probably looking at some jurisdictional issue with regard to her actual arrest when its made..."
"Assuming she's caught," Gorou said slowly.
"Of that you can be assured," Officer Leprune answered, "she will be caught... All I can do now is get the last of the physical evidence and get any last statements."
Gorou nodded and soon produced the vial of the spiked punch that had been collected. It was topped with wax paper that was folded over the top of the vial and held on with a rubber band. Gorou held it erect and held it out to Officer Leprune who slowly took it.
"That should be all that you need to confirm what Decrux spiked the punch with," Gorou spoke calmly, "though I would also inform you that the dance is reaching its end. It's likely that most of the persons you would need to speak with have already gone home or are going home."
"If need be I can go and get statements as needed," Officer Leprune sighed, "though... this might make that a bit more difficult... but I will need to get statements."
Megumi and Gorou both nodded as the officer turned to head out into the night. As he reached the door he looked down at the vial in his hand and then back to the two werefoxes.
"But, I can and will inform you that you've both helped put someone who's given Moon Lake a LOT of trouble over the years in a position where she will face justice, and for that, I thank you," Officer Leprune spoke and then went out through the door.
As the door shut, Gorou looked down to his daughter, "Well... I suppose it is time that we too went home. Mother will want some update on what has happened and with the assurance that it wasn't a member of the Skulk that caused the prank and that he was very much a victim of it."
"Of course," Megumi nodded.
"We'd also best get the boy home as well," Gorou spoke, "the police have his statement and know he was a victim with regards to the drug. It would be best to get him home and to his parent's care."
Megumi nodded and looked over to the lunchroom. It was still fairly dim in there, but she could see David in there. Though, by now he looked like he was starting to recover from the dose of the drug that he'd gotten and was actually seated at one of the dining tables rather than cowering in a corner. She then made her way in to collect him, and he looked up as she entered. She noted he still looked rather nervous, possibly at the fact that he had come close to doing something that the Skulk would regard as shameful. He may have been drugged, but after Yvette Smith's actions, the Skulk wasn't going to allow for much in the way of excuses.
"I am truly sorry," David said from where he was seated.
"I know," Megumi answered simply and politely, "but the dance is ending and since you aren't facing any Statute 1A charges... you will be free to go. My father and I can give you a ride home."
"Thank you," David said slowly, "though I may not deserve it."
He slowly stood up and stood before Megumi.
"I'll do anything to earn the kindness you've shown me," David offered, "Especially after all that I've done while drugged... I... I really can't say how sorry I am for that."
"Let's worry about that later," Megumi answered, "for now, you have a formal apology to make to Melissa Jenkins for your actions and we'll go from there."
And with that, Megumi lead David out and he followed dutifully. Megumi knew that there was a lot that didn't right with regard to this year's Halloween Dance, namely the fact that several people who had gone to the dance had been drugged by a powerful aphrodisiac and that they had gotten lucky in that by the time it was imbibed by anyone, the drug had been watered down and thus lost its full effective power. That was not what Megumi had wanted for the dance and she certainly didn't want a new friend to have been the victim of it. But as she glanced over her shoulder to make sure that David didn't try anything, she could at least feel confident in that she would be able to secure an apology to Melissa from him. Megumi hoped that would go some way to assure that things would be set right.