Later That Day...

Juke
(You'll recognize this bit, madame: it's you!)

Click.

Mrs. Seawall
Mrs. Kachina.

Chenoa
Mrs. Seawall.

Mrs. Seawall
How do you like the school since you and your daughter arrived? Much better than those backwater Chinese sweat-shops, right?

Chenoa
My daughter attended a private school in Beijing, Mr. Fields. She came home because her scholarship ran out, and the government there wouldn't let her stay. I tried to have her set up to live with her host family, and they deported her. She's been through a lot.

Mrs. Seawall
...oh. Wow, that's... that's a hard time, huh?

Chenoa
Yes.

Mrs. Seawall
Ahem. Well, she's gone and done it now. Using the News Room after-hours.

Chenoa
What proof do you have?

Mrs. Seawall
One of our staff stayed the night in the school to keep watch, and spotted your daughter, along with an accomplice. We still have no idea how she gets in.

Chenoa
(Proud.) That's my girl.

Mrs. Seawall
Yes, she's very curious. To tell the truth, I love her show! Her tone, the way she keeps it classy, atmospheric, and age-appropriate... if she's that good on her own, I think she deserves the spot. I'm making her Sunset Stories a regular program!

Chenoa
Twisted Tales.

Mrs. Seawall
Yes, those. Have you thought about getting her a haircut?

Chenoa
No.

Mrs. Seawall
Girl needs a good trim. Anyway, have her give the scripts to Mrs. Rovenkan, she's the school nurse AND the English Teacher.

Chenoa
Are you understaffed?

Mrs. Seawall
Not at all! I run a tight ship, you know. Can't be paying too many people to do basically nothing. So, she'll approve the scripts, provided they're as classy as always. Honestly, I've liked them all so far. She's got a real talent.

Meanwhile...

Shop
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE!

Noko
His hooouse!!

Shop
This is the Pot Shot, I'm Shop Deckert, here with my special guest, Noko Lin Kachina, also known as... drum-roll please!

Noko drums the desk's surface with her knuckles.

Shop
The Violet Canine!

Noko
PurpleFox. And yes, that's me.

Shop
Noko, what made you want to start sneaking into school to broadcast campfire ghost stories to an audience of your peers?

Noko
The first time was kind of an accident. I was hanging out with the News Crew, Tab and Oddball, and they left the mic on.

Shop
The perfect opportunity.

Noko
(Bashful.) Haha, yeah... I was just sitting there going through my bag, and I tried reading one of my poems out loud. Then I realized everyone could hear me! I left the room, and people were talking about what I wrote, saying it was cool. Nobody saw me, so I snuck back in and turned off the mic.

Shop
So from there, you figured...

Noko
Well, if people liked it the first time... I might as well make it a regular thing, right?

Shop
Wow! If you'd gotten up and been bad at it, that would have been COLOSALLY EMBARRASSING. That takes real dedication!

Noko
(Offended.) Hey, I don't know about embarrassing-

Shop
One of your latest tales was a submission by a fan, going by 'Anonymous'. Well, I've discovered their identity using my SUPERIOR DEDUCTIVE SKILLS, and they're gonna join us on the show!

Noko
They are?

Shop
Keo, come on in here!

The door opens and slams.

Noko
Hey, Keo! Are you uh... alright? You look like you lost a kidney recently.

Keo
I, uh, don't know.

Shop
Uh-oh, looks like Noko's got some competition at being mysterious. Keokuk, do you remember what you were thinking when you wrote 'A Locked Door Knocks'?

Keokuk
I don't remember. And it's Kay-oh-cook, not 'key-oh-cuck'.

Shop
Whatever you say, cuck. I mean-

Keo
Just call me Keo, please.

Shop
Spur of the moment, huh? We've all been there! What inspires you to tell such dark, hopeless tales?

Keo
Uhh... if I had to guess, it's cause my life sucks.

Shop
So it's very personal for you, huh?

Keo
Probably.

Noko
Right, but are you OKAY-

Shop
Alright, CUT! What are you two DOING?

Keo
Man, I don't-

Shop
Keo, you've spent the whole year in a HOLE and I'm giving you the chance to SEE the SUN!  Noko, the principal just found you out, and instead of giving you detention for the rest of the YEAR, she GAVE YOU your own TIME-SLOT! All the kids are gonna hear about this, it's the SCOOP I've been waiting for! And you're SCREWING ME OVER HERE! Quit BORING me already!

The echo hangs in the air for a while.

Keo
...I'm just gonna go.

Noko
Me too, I have a thing.

Shop
What the fuck?! Ugh, this is such... such bullshit.