Unfortunately, Asher's news is very important. "Can you send your underclassmen out." Preceding this at all with 'I know it's a big request but' or something would undermine the urgency, so he's ignoring his instincts and just saying exactly what needs to happen to everyone. 

If this is some bullshit she's going to gossip about him so hard later, and he knows that, so it's not some bullshit. "Everyone who's not a senior needs to clear out."

Everyone who isn't a senior clears out.

"Shanghai just adopted a maleficer suspected in two murders and we're considering whether to assassinate him."

Ryan lets out a breath that's just barely not a sigh. "You want to go over the evidence here and now, or get everyone in one place so you only have to do it once?"

"The latter. Annaka's got nine witness interview transcripts, I'm supposed to tell you however much you need to know to decide who to send."

"I'll go. Sam, Aaron, you guys can go ahead and start fabricating if you get the blueprints done, if you want my input on something I'll give it but no need to wait."

Next up: New Orleans/Atlanta.

An Atlanta senior opens the door, raising an eyebrow in surprise when she sees who it is. "Hi, what's up?"

"Confidential, can you send your undergrads out - does New Orleans even have any seniors -"

"No," says Suze.

"Is this about -" begins Bella, but she cuts off.

"I guess whoever's oldest from New Orleans," says Asher, not quite nodding at Bella but not not nodding at Bella either. 

She briefly weighs the potential consequences, then turns and says, "everyone from Atlanta under the age of seventeen, scoot." 

"Annette, what's going on--" one of the other seniors asks before she makes a cutting motion. 

The underclassmen file out with various grumbling and glances at the New York junior. 

Bella tentatively gathers her belongings, waiting to see if she is interrupted at doing that.

She already knows most of it but it'll be weird if there's one freshman in the room; Asher waits for her to leave.

Then he tells them. "New York has been investigating a maleficer suspected of two murders. Then, this afternoon, Shanghai adopted him. We're deciding whether to assassinate him."

"Uh," says Suze, "do we know... why... Shanghai did that...?"

"No. We know they know he's a maleficer, we don't know what they're thinking."

"What were the two murders?" Annette asks. 

"I don't have Mandarin, do you have someone investigating who has Mandarin?" asks Suze.

"The murders are suspected, not confirmed, we were in the middle of trying to get confirmation when they adopted him. His affinity is - mal control, we have documentation he's been coaxing mals in the bathroom to him for trade supplies. He showed up in Johannesburg, got turned away because they were full up, and then a really convenient attack from a kvenlick - they're not urban monsters, they're too big and mundies see them - took out one of the other fourteen year olds; he was on the scene by coincidence, heroically saved some younger kids, and got the slot. Then a girl went on a supply run with him, was friendly with him, agreed to tailor some clothes for him, and a couple hours later was bedbound with - well, either half her life force drained or a really conveniently timed bout of severe illness. She'd have died if we hadn't broken down the door in the course of the investigation, and she's....probably going to die anyway, the nurse didn't look optimistic. Annaka's been leading this and she has, like, spell-adequate Mandarin, and so does Olivia, we are going to need someone fluent but we want to get everyone on the same page first."

"Okay," Annette says grimly. If this kid killed an enclaver, something has to be done. "Do you need all of us or just representation."

"Whoever you want to send."

"Okay. David, Octavia, you stay here and keep the underclassmen from getting too inquisitive. Ethan, you come along with me." 

Suze collects her stuff. "Where're we going?"

"Room 404."

Well that's not a concerning omen at all.