Into the House of Knowledge (Open)

[Seth Calloway]

Three days.

Only three days had passed since Seth had given his ultimatum to Hircine's self-proclaimed School Captain, yet already he found himself bored. To be perfectly honest, he had assumed Paragon would have made a move against Hircine by now, but nothing major had occured quite yet, giving the Junior very little to actually study from regarding his new enemy. The young man closed his eyes for a moment before opening the door to the library, letting the feeling of disappointment fade away like a distant memory. Perhaps it was for the best after all, as now he was free to pursue other interests he had neglected until this point. In fact, it was for this very reason that he had come to the library in the first place, Tamara faithfully tagging alongside him. Taking a moment to adjust the backpack slung over his right shoulder, he turned his head to the right, looking towards his companion.

"I'm going to go find a seat. Do you mind taking a look around a bit, my dear?"

"Of course."

As usual, Tamara's devotion was unflinching, and she swiftly walked in the other direction, though she still seemed unsettled with the idea of leaving Seth alone. While he certainly appreciated her concern for his safety, her constant vigil was... tiring, at best. Now that Tamara was occupied, Seth glanced at the available seating, choosing an empty table that was slightly off to the side of the library.

Now, the question is whether I'm right, and a certain type of individual does exist within this library, or if I'm wrong and just wasting my time.

Given how much of what Seth was working from was merely assumptions and guesswork, there was a fifty-fifty chance of things going either way. The gang leader reached into his backpack, pulling out a book he had been reading since grade school; The Antichrist, by Friedrich Nietzsche. All that remained was to wait, and see whether what he sought still existed within Hircine's walls.

[Valencia Donahue]

For a librarian's assistant, Valencia often watched over the place more than the librarian did. It made sense though. There was paperwork to be done, records to be updated, books to sort, files to be tidied, and other back room stuff that'd probably be less stressful than dealing with potentially rowdy students in the main room itself. Under Valencia's watch, the library has been kept at peace because of the relationship she established with the regular visitors. The only threats to her paycheck are the anomalies that may shed her in a bad light in front of the cameras.

Thank goodness there're alternate sources of income and blind spots.

...Valencia mused quietly beside her hacker-friend, Malcolm Tall, as he waged cybernetic war on one of her Network competitors. She was keeping watch for him by blocking a camera and standing around, overlooking the rest of the library from her location. Only after a minute did she acknowledge an unfamiliar face. She knew who Seth was, but never knew his face. The Asian kept gazing in the stranger's general direction... Taking in whatever movement he made out of the corner of her eyes before determining whether or not she has to take action.

Interesting aura. However, like everyone else, there're two kinds of people in this library: the Network members and the oblivious. I don't like the oblivious.

[Seth Calloway]

(I made an assumption as to where you're standing, I hope you don't mind.)

A few moments passed without incident, causing Seth to glance up from his book several times, something many students tended to do, especially since the Varron students had transferred in. However, if one was paying attention, they would notice that the young man never glanced in the same direction twice, as he would simply take note of what he saw and move on. Eventually, his eyes would come across the woman standing, only gaining his attention due to the fact that she didn't seem to be reading or working on something school related at the moment.

Asian, light-coloured hair at the ends. Perhaps this is the one.

It was enough to warrant a closer look, at least, and after spending another fifteen seconds finishing the page he was on, Seth closed his book, dropping it back in his bag. Casually, he stood up, throwing his bag over his right shoulder once more as he strolled towards a free computer a few places down from the woman, leaning over the desk as he opened the library's search program and typed in the book title "Classic Greek Philosophers." As he'd expected, the text he required was on the shelf closest to him, but his path would take him right past the woman he had glanced at earlier. Purposefully leaving the search program open, Seth would pass between the female and the student sitting in front of her, turning his face towards her the moment he was between the two and staring into her eyes. Upon seeing the colour, Seth would say two words as he passed by, as his pace would hardly take him too far to be heard in the half second following.

"Layla Hamilton?"

The gang leader wouldn't slow his pace in the slightest, and aside from actually hearing the words, it would be hard to tell he had even spoken at all. Instead, the young man would follow his path, reaching the bookshelf and staring thoughtfully at it for a moment as he looked for the book he had searched for earlier.

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: Val is indeedy standing~))

Seth began to move and Valencia was watching his movements until Malcolm typed something into the screen for her to read. It was a request to have her competitor's computer swamped with all kinds of unpleasant pornography and other nasty stuff. Valencia's reaction of disgust was enough to convey that either he should avoid that form of vengeance entirely or be untraceable in doing so. Malcolm assumed the latter and informed her that he will wreak havoc when he gets home so he won't have to bother with erasing the library computer's memory. Since his job was done, he proceeded to check his email right around the time Seth passed between the both of them.

As the gang leader stared directly into Valencia's eyes in passing, it felt like everything was in slow-mo. To mention her alias is one of the more direct ways of implying their connections to the Network. To intentionally make eye contact with someone who often feels uncomfortable whenever it happens is like an up-front provocation to her. That left a longer impression on her than the name did. Valencia's heart raced and she was ready to avoid the first strike until Seth simply kept walking to the bookshelf. Her annoyance was written clearly on her usually plain face.

He's yanking my chain...

She regained her composure and resumed her guise as a librarian's assistant.

“Is there something you need help with? I'd be happy to assist you if you need it.”

If he's a potential customer, he ought to set a better first impression...

[Seth Calloway]

Upon hearing Layla speak, Seth allowed himself to smirk in satisfaction. She hadn't outright denied his claim, which led him to believe this was the very person he sought, making this trip to the library far more entertaining than he'd originally imagined it would be. Seth remained silent for a few seconds more, finally spying the book he had searched for and pulling it off the shelf before turning towards Layla again.

"Actually, there's quite a few things you can help me with. I understand that you've met Death?"

The Junior's eyes would narrow slightly as his question left his lips, scrutinizing the girl for any change in her behaviour. He had, of course, heard of Mae-Lim's encounter with one Layla Hamilton, and while he was certainly delayed in following up on said information, it was better late than never. The problem, however, lay in the library itself. While it could hardly be considered crowded, there were still students within that Seth could not trust with where this conversation could potentially head, which forced him to be vague in his statements.

Which only made it that much more fun.

"Few people actively seek out such a thing, so naturally, I was curious as to your reasoning behind it. Care to enlighten me?"

Still smiling, Seth had spoken after a brief pause following his first question, having only waited such a short amount of time to see if Layla's demeanour had changed. Sooner or later, he would have to ask if they could speak in a more private place, but to do so this soon would sound... inappropriate.

[Valencia Donahue]

Seth's first statement about Death caused Valencia to furrow her eyebrows confusedly. It wasn't so much “I met with who?” as it was more so “Which meeting?”... After all, Valencia is a stunt woman who tends to put her life on the line doing stupid things no sane person ever would. Seth might as well describe her meeting with Mae-Lim as the biggest mistake of her life while Valencia might as well just remember that it was a Saturday. After some careful consideration however, the Asian eventually pieced together that very meeting as the current topic of discussion and this individual was a member of Revelation.

Oh the wonders of aliases and deductive reasoning...

Still, Valencia didn't know what kind of member Seth was from Revelation and whether or not she should be worried. As Seth continued to speak with his careful eyes on her, the Vietnamese woman turned her gaze towards Malcolm to catch his attention and unlike Valencia, it didn't take him long to identify the White Horseman of Conquest. Malcolm intentionally kept quiet to watch the scene unfold before enlightening her. As a student who has a thing for vandalism like lots of Revelation's past activities, he was interested in what the smirking gang leader was up to.

“I was given a job to get information on Death. It's a concept not alien to me. However, since I can't live or die for another person, I gave Death information on my employer to get back on him should she choose to. Well... That was after I got the information I came for. I technically followed all the rules.”

I was personally disappointed that the Horse(wo)man of Death wasn't as intimidating as Death itself... Ah well. Death only has to win once to get all the chips. Life must always win to survive.

She kept things as brief as she could to let ambiguity handle the rest. Her... Guest started out that way, so it only made sense that she went along with it. Valencia then glanced over to Malcolm again to see if he's more willing to identify the stranger. With a sigh, the junior typed up Seth's full name onto a word processor and awaited her response. The librarian's assistant sighed through her teeth upon reading the name in her head.

Oh. Revelation's gang leader in my very library. That... That kinda sucks. Especially after all those times I kinda didn't give a darn about their gang. So that's what Seth looks like, huh? Aiya... He doesn't look bad, but if he came here to cause a ruckus with me... It ain't gonna happen here.

Valencia cooled her jets under this little bit of pressure and placed her sights lazily on Seth's features. It was her way of sizing him up.

“Anything else?”

[Seth Calloway]

Too vague, Seth, though she seemed to catch on regardless. But this is definitely the right one.

There was no deception that Seth could find coming from Layla, something that pleased him greatly, to put it mildly. He had expected a certain degree of hostility, especially given how her last encounter with a Horseman had gone, but the fact Layla was being honest was doing wonders in terms of Seth's opinion of her. Whether or not she cared, however, was irrelevant.

"Yes, I think so, if you don't mind. After all, you've piqued my interest."

While Seth caught the glance given to the other student, he made no mention of it. After all, he knew of Revelation's reputation as a group of anarchists, especially among some of the lower ranked members, and it wouldn't surprise him if she was looking to the other student for support. If such a thing were true, however, it would make the rest of this conversation more difficult, something that Seth would need to clear up quickly.

"If I may be blunt, when I first came in this library, I hadn't yet decided on what I was going to do about your encounter with Death. If your employer hasn't made any sort of move against Revelation yet, then I doubt he ever will. But you've given me something to think about."

The dark-haired Junior passed the book into his right hand, the one supporting the strap of his backpack, in order to free his left, which would extend forward in a classic handshake position. As always, he spoke as if he were laughing on the inside, as if there were some hidden joke that no one else knew of.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. Seth Calloway, at your service."

Seth would pause for a moment, allowing Layla to either shake his hand or not before retracting it and speaking again.

"Tell me, do you still gather information for those who ask?"

[Valencia Donahue]

I always get a bad feeling whenever I pique the interest of leader types... Especially gang leaders and sly-ish types.

MacMillan, Stern, Agon... Yeah, after being led or guided around by manipulative people despite your independent, neutral persona, you'd have an aversion to those kinds of folks too. It made Valencia really consider if being consistent is worth maintaining the trust of regular customers when there's always someone out there willing to exploit it. Seth quickly reassured Valencia that he didn't come because of a grudge and that was enough to calm the Asian's nerves some. He then put the book temporarily off to the side to offer his left hand. Valencia hesitated momentarily before giving the hand a brief grasp and a shake. It wasn't as firm as it could've been, but just enough for her to have a feel for this student.

Handshakes...

“I still gather intel. Not for free, however, and it depends on the information.”

Malcolm resumed surfing the web and reading forum posts, all the while listening in on the conversation. He has no interest in making things complicated. He just wanted to satisfy his curiosity.

[Seth Calloway]

"I'd hardly expect you to do anything for me with no benefit to yourself, especially if it were an ongoing job of yours. As for what type of information I need, it's in regard to several people. The top candidates for the Captainship in Paragon, their Principal, our "Captain", and our own Principals."

It was quite the list, indeed, and Seth knew it. There was a chance that Layla would refuse outright for the sheer size of it, though the amount needed on each person was much more limited. However, he wouldn't go into such detail just yet, not without knowing whether she would agree or not. Still, his face wouldn't betray any of his uncertainty, even as he expanded upon the idea.

"I suppose the question is, what exactly would you want as payment? Money, favours, a combination of the two... I'm a fairly open person."

Out of the corner of his eye, Seth could see Tamara returning from her trek about the library. However, to his minor surprise, she took a seat several computers down from them, not interrupting for once and instead watching from a distance.

She's learning... Perfect.

[Valencia Donahue]

If Seth knows that what he wants is a lot to handle, it's doubly so for Valencia. The only parts of the request were remotely feasible and even then they were nigh impossible for her to pull off with her current restrictions... All of her activities on Hircine were carefully monitored because she got on Principal Alexander's bad side not too long ago. If you're not liked, odds are that people will want to avoid you like the plague. Although Valencia isn't making it seem as bad as it really is, her “doing time” has been taking a toll on her productivity as of late. Don't even get her started on Paragon.

Geez... That's a steep request for li'l ol' me... But...

“At the moment I only have some information about one of our principals, Alexander, but its limited to my personal observations. Very limited, since it was a bad meeting and now I'm under constant surveillance.”

Here, Valencia nodded towards the camera she was blocking for Malcolm. Fortunately, it was one of the cameras without audio, but a camera nonetheless that's trained on her like a marksman aiming at an escaping convict. As she turned to continue the conversation, she sensed a presence nearby... Then resumed...

“So... If you can relieve me of these restraints, I should be able to function more freely on Hircine's campus and get you the information you want. Eliminate cameras, reprogram them, that kind of thing... I want that at the moment.”

Here, Malcolm scoffed derisively as he typed before muttering to himself...

[MALCOLM]: “I could've easily handled that if I wasn't trapped the majority of the time...”

“Once that's settled, what do you already know about our Captain and what kind of information do you want? I've been preoccupied lately and every little bit can help. The same could be said about Paragon's end. Freeing me, so to speak, should be my deposit. I also want a steady-paying job above all else, but that may be beyond you. I haven't settled on a price for completing the entire request as a whole yet, but it'll be dependent on the ease of my job.”

This is the very most Valencia has spoken to Seth so far and you bet that she's willing to throw her speaking inhibitions out the window if freedom is within her grasp.

[Seth Calloway]

At the request of dealing with Layla's camera problem, Seth's smirk turned into a full blown grin, his lips peeling back to reveal the pearly-white teeth within. Of all the tasks she could have asked of him, this was perhaps the one he was most suited for given a certain announcement that had been made in the past. Still, he said nothing at the moment, not wanting to interrupt as Layla continued on, mentioning a few other things that Seth would commit to memory. Once she finished, however, Seth would look to his left for a moment, his unfocused eyes not truly looking at the bookcase, but rather simply looking away as he gave himself a few seconds to plan out his next few moves.

Nothing too difficult so far. All it takes is a little time...

"Well, the cameras will be dealt with by the end of the week, at most. Tapping into the security system won't be too much harder than tapping the P.A. system, it'll just take a few days to set things up. Rest assured, however, that even if they are replaced, no camera will remain functioning for very long."

Seth's gaze would slowly travel back to Layla as he spoke, wanting to make the right impression. While the Junior may be many things, rude wasn't one of them.

"As for your second request, that's a little more complicated. Unless you wanted to work at a bar, the most I could give you is a recommendation, I'm afraid. The information I seek, however, is much simpler. In terms of our own 'Captain', I want as much in-depth information as possible. How he thinks, what is important to him, who his friends are... everything. Principal Katsumoto can be given less importance, if only for the fact that he and I have a certain understanding. The Paragon students and Principal Alexander can be given the same criteria as our 'Captain', but to be honest, they are less important to me than his mind. As you might expect, I would prefer if my name never came up during your gathering, as I'm afraid it may give them the wrong idea as to my intentions. After all, it's easier to deal with someone if you know who and what they are, correct?"

The young man paused for a moment, glancing towards the door subconsciously, as he half-expected any of those he'd mentioned to just walk into the library once they were mentioned. It was a silly thought to be sure, but after the new "Captain" had managed to sneak up on him once before, Seth was prepared to be slightly more cautious as he moved about.

"I'm curious, though. What happened between yourself and our illustrious Co-Principal?"

[Valencia Donahue]

Am I the only person here who's creeped out by this guy's smile or what? Gawd...

In a way, Valencia never wanted to be impressed by the likes of Revelation, but she couldn't help but feel glad for once that Seth was helping her out instead of exacting revenge. Winning the hearts and minds of the people... Before you know it, this gang leader might be shaking more hands and kissing babies next. Furthermore, he put in the effort to be polite in her presence. Though she doesn't want to come off as pompous, Valencia really appreciates it when people give her a certain degree of respect and will reciprocate it eventually. Was she finally getting pulled in? Perhaps, but mostly because Seth is her customer now and the thought of less cameras on her put her mind at ease.

She listened attentively to Seth as he gave her information to work with. Interestingly enough, he wanted as much information as possible on Hircine's Captain. Boy, will Valencia get the shock of her life when she finds out that the current Captain was Kyukaku, the person she verbally mauled when a drugged up Zeniro attacked a certain Cartford locksmith a while ago. That meeting alone gave her enough info to blackmail him with... With her life, his life, and Aryn's life on the line as well if she breaks her contract with Zeniro. Fortunately, for all parties involved including Seth, she isn't one to break contracts. She may fulfill them and suddenly double-back to fulfill for another contract, but not mid-employment. She'll keep this little assignment from Seth a secret.

So the priorities are Hircine's Captain, Paragon stuff, Principal Alexander, and Principal Katsumoto. Katsumoto has a funky aura, that's all I know about him. I'm not sure if I want to even be within a mile of him, but maybe it's about high time I asked for a raise...

Then, Seth asked about what caused the camera-issues that plagued her. Considering how it had to do with one of the principals he requested information on, Valencia cooperated. Business is business.

“You see, someone tried to swipe my records while I was handling insurance and I gave chase. One broken window, a battered student, and a concerned bystander later, Principal Alexander showed up to lay down the law. Students aren't allowed to attack the faculty, provoked or not, and while she's around, no beat downs will be coming from me... In short, she discourages the faculty from so much as laying a finger on another student because she wants a new kind of order here. At least, that's what I got from it. I respect the vision she's going for, but it seems intangible at best.”

Valencia rolled her eyes remembering how annoyed she was with Alexander. How to describe it... It's like a fire engine finally arriving after an entire valley burned to the ground. There'd be less resentment in a sense if help didn't come at all. She decided against describing the details of her punishment and instead added something more or less irrelevant as though to get her mind off of things.

“I haven't seen or heard about that thief since.”

((OOC: Pardon the wait. The Internet has been getting wonky lately.))

[Seth Calloway]

(It seems I should apologize myself, weekends slow me down considerably)

The Junior student listened intently while Layla spoke, hanging on nearly every word as she voiced her opinion. From what he had gleaned from their conversation thus far, she was certainly intelligent enough to pick up on the sorts of things that would interest him, and so, her opinion was something he would take seriously, requiring little if any confirmation. The information on Principal Alexander, however, was memorized as best as Seth could manage mentally, though to be truthful, it wasn't as complete as he'd first hoped. Still, it would do, for the moment.

"Hm. She seems to be trying the complete opposite of what the late Principal MacMillan had done. Interesting. I believe you're right, though, it wouldn't ever be achieved in this lifetime. Too much has happened here, with Varronites and the Watchers, to take such an extreme step will only cause more to strike out, like your thief."

Seth paused for a moment, recalling how Layla had rolled her eyes. There was no doubt that she and the Principal didn't quite see things at the same level, though whether this was something that could be useful later on wasn't clear yet.

"It's too bad. If you knew what happened to that thief, I would've seen what I could've done about him, and what exactly he wanted with your files. But as a token of goodwill, I'll see if I can dig up what happened to him, if you're not opposed to the idea?"

Seth gave his most charming smile, hoping to move this meeting into more friendly terms. If he managed to get more chummy with Layla, then he would be assured her best efforts for what he asked of her. As long as he continued to tell selective truths, then his honesty would be less likely to be questioned, even by the best judges of character.

[Valencia Donahue]

Seth in sparkle mode.

It's official. Aside from wanting to stomp some faces into the pavement out of revulsion, Valencia's general reaction to charming smiles is to melt from the inside. Not like she'll ever admit it though. At most, one of her eyes will twitch and that will be enough. Seth, like many other observant people, have figured out that quiet people, like Valencia, are real chatterboxes with their body language. She took in his comments about Alexander and the thief. In a way, she had this weird feeling that Seth was being “too” agreeable and friendly as he offered to get more information on the currently deceased thief. Was he trying to pay off her services early? Did he want something more from her? Is this “free” token of goodwill a way to weasel extra services from her? Mreh. One will never know. Valencia always had trouble reading glimmerous fops, especially whenever they're extremely good at what they do.

Damn sparkles...

“Well, my thief was pretty spineless while I was stomping the snot out of him. I got my records back and I have no intention of exacting more vengeance than necessary.”

Little does she know that while living, Rick Morris had enough guts to put his life on the line and now dead, he's literally as spineless as she described him to be. Both Seth and Valencia will probably be better off not knowing what happened to the thief, but things never always go the way they should.

“I can guess that he stole my files because I'm not your average library assistant, but I am curious about his whereabouts now and whether or not he's either paying for his thievery or in some hospital somewhere. He's not someone I know, so please bear with my art...”

Valencia reached for some printer paper and a pen and began drawing a rough sketch of her thief. The sketch wasn't good enough to get her a job at a police department and it's far from photorealistic, but it's generally close enough to identify Rick. It's moments like these that she's glad that her sketching abilities can keep up with her keen eyesight. Hallelujah for enhanced difference threshold! Once she finished, she handed the drawing over to the gang leader, almost intentionally looking away from Sparkley Seth to prevent mental blindness.

“Hm... I know it's rude to question gifts, but I have to ask up front—Is there anything else you want?”

[Seth Calloway]

"I'm sure your art is fine."

Seth stepped closer, wanting to see the sketch as it was made, but taking care not to get too close. Few liked to have a stranger invade their personal space, and Seth was in no hurry to test the limits of Layla's patience quite yet. Once she'd finished, he took the paper, giving himself a few moments to take in the details before folding it up and placing it in his right pocket. Layla spoke again, her question causing Seth to restrain his urge to smile wider.

Certainly is perceptive... I may have to watch myself around this one.

"Perhaps. Nothing comes to mind at the moment, however, but you can't hardly blame me for wanting to establish a good working relationship, can you?"

Before Seth could continue on with his train of thought, the bell signalling the end of the period sounded, something that the Junior was disappointed for losing track of. Nevertheless, Philosophy was his next class, and it was hardly one he wanted to be late for, so it seemed this particular meeting would need to come to a close.

"I'm afraid I should be going. I trust there's no other details you need?"

Provided Layla had no other concerns, he would continue.

"Until next time, then. I look forward to working with you, Layla. I have a feeling it will be most... amusing."

Smiling once again, Seth would begin heading towards the exit of the library, glancing at Tamara to let her know he was done. The female student pushed herself off the chair and quickly caught up with him, walking alongside the gang leader as he headed his next class.

Now... what was that tech kid's name...?

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: Kinda sloppy, but it's been great RPing with ya~))

Valencia truly admired Seth's honesty when she directly confronted him about the offer to track down her thief. Most people would freeze up once they're found out. Seth, well... He just kept sparkling. The effects of high charisma at work—A glittering aura, whether or not you mean it to be there. The bell rang and he had to get to class.

“I'm sure if I need anything, I'll find a way to contact you.”

The meeting met a satisfying conclusion and the gang leader parted with a few words that left Valencia with even fewer words to respond with.

“Likewise...”

The Asian sighed as Seth and Tamara made their departure and made a mental note about their relationship until her thoughts were interrupted. It was Malcolm, who indeed observed the entire exchange enough to formulate his own thoughts on the matter. Particularly, about Valencia getting flustered under her exterior.

[MALCOLM]: “I saw that.”

“Eh?”

[MALCOLM]: “You need to get out more. You have a big gaping weakness that renders all your defenses to zilch. The world ain't movies, first loves, and 'business' you know.”

Valencia blinked at Malcolm as he resumed surfing the web. It may've came off as big talk coming from a technophile, but she had every reason to trust him because of a simple fact: He's a guy. While girls have their own complicated wavelengths, guys don't wear theirs on a sleeve... Which makes them all the more harder to read. In example, Malcolm's uncle is D. G. Tall, whom is comparable in terms of savagery to Garrett Avci, a cannibal who directly threatened Odin and Tiao's lives some long time ago. Fortunately, Mr. Tall doesn't eat people and Malcolm doesn't share the same appetite for murder as his uncle, but it goes to show that only time will tell what'll become of things... Whether you're a complicated girl like Valencia, an unpredictable guy like Seth, or an overlooked anomaly in the system like Malcolm.

Yeah, I need to get out more...