Schadenfreude (Valencia)

[Seth Calloway]

Maxfield's Restaurant.

Being one of San Francisco's upscale restaurants, it was one of the few that recommended a reservation, accustomed to dealing with the cities wealthier denizens. Considering the prices and atmosphere, it was rare to see a high school student dining within, but tonight would be an exception. Seth Calloway sat at a table meant for two, the seat in front of him conspicuously empty. For once, Tamara would be nowhere to be found, having been told in a subtle fashion that he would simply see her tomorrow. The Junior student hardly looked out of place, however, as despite his youthful features, he had taken the opportunity to dress in his formal attire, something he enjoyed even if the occasions where it was appropriate were limited.

But then, this is a special occasion.

Even as he perused the menu in front of him, Seth thought back to the events earlier that week. "Layla Hamilton", or Valencia as Seth had come to learn her name was, had apparently become a fairly difficult woman to get ahold of. Through his own resources, which were admittedly much less vast than the Network's (of which Seth had no knowledge of), the gang leader had heard of her comings and goings between the two schools. Rather than waste his time attempting to catch her in between the two, he had instead given the computer-savy student, Malcom Tall if her rembembered the name correctly, a message to deliver to her for him, asking her to join him for dinner at Maxfield's on this particular day, hopefully giving enough time in advance for her to manage it.

Unless she's too busy working, of course.

The thought made him smile slightly, pleased with how fast things were progressing. The lines in the sand had been drawn, so to speak, and Seth had a decent idea of what forces had been arrayed against him. He was aware of the chance that Valencia had not been given enough time to gather all of the information he had requested, but as things had progressed so quickly, his own plans had needed to be adjusted. As such, any information she had come across so far would be helpful, even if it could be seen as a progress report.

"Sir, would you like something to drink while you look over the menu?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, Seth looked up at the waiter, having already asked himself that same question earlier.

"Yes, I think we'll start with a bottle of red wine. The... Flowers, Pinot Noir 2005, Sonoma, if you please."

"Ah, excellent choice sir. I'll bring it right away."

The waiter walked off to get the wine, giving Seth a brief moment of satisfaction. As long as he was confident, and dressed in a more mature fashion from most teenagers, getting asked for ID was rarelys something to worry about. Instead, it left him free to wait for Valencia without a care, his mind wandering idly over the prospects this restaurant would bring.

[Valencia Donahue]

It's been a good semester or two for Valencia in college since she began her profession as a library assistant at Hircine. As the months rolled by and the prices went up, however, she had to reconsider how much time will be spent in a classroom when she clearly needed money to live more than for textbooks more expensive than the tuition. That said, she's still getting her education, but earning a reasonable living by whatever means necessary was a higher priority.

There's still no changing her reaction to Seth's invitation to a pricey restaurant though. Valencia gaped at the email Malcolm sent her way for a good few minutes before coming to her senses. Why was she freaking out? She's been to fancy restaurants and ate plenty of gourmet food before... Whenever she's invited to movie premieres, that is, and when it's free. Maybe it's because an underclassman can afford more than this graduate getting a college education. Poor Valencia... Life never gives her a break...

Valencia arrived at Maxfield's Restaurant in a long green evening gown she would usually wear to more formal occasions and since it was a year or two old and wasn't movie star quality, she didn't look too overdressed. As expected from a restaurant with good reputation in terms of service, she was led to Seth's table once she cleared up reservation issues. Valencia sat down across from Seth and tried to set the record straight before his magical charismatic sparkle powers could catch her off guard...

“Lucky for you, a lot happened and I should have plenty to report... Less fortunately for you, you're footing the bill after everything I've been through and I have a healthy appetite.”

To the point and nice enough to give a warning. Valencia wasn't angry since their last meeting wasn't a bad one. If anything, her being frank about her starving graduate status out loud was a sign that she was on okay terms with Seth.

“As you've noticed, it's hard getting in touch with me since I'm also at Paragon now. Of all the information I have, where do you want me to start? I have a so-so list on which Hircine students transferred to Paragon and a personal testimony or two about Paragon's principal and Hircine's School Captain. I can only identify students of importance at Paragon by name for now, but if you're resourceful enough, it should be enough.”

While relaying her verbal table of contents, Valencia received a menu and began skimming what may be a large dinner after asking for a glass of water.

[Seth Calloway]

Once Seth caught sight of Valencia being led towards his table, the Junior student lay his menu down in front of him, opting to smile pleasantly at his new company instead. He was pleased to see she had dressed up for the occasion, not that he hadn't believed she would, and once she gave her demand of sorts he couldn't help but chuckle briefly.

"Of course. What sort of gentleman would I be if I made the lady pay for herself?"

Seth folded his hands together, letting them sit on the table as he regarded the woman in front of him, listening to her list of available information. As he'd imagined, it wasn't quite complete, but he was pleasantly surprised to find it was further along than first expected. In particular, the mention of "personal testimony" concerning Hircine's Captain and Paragon's principal stuck out as having potentially the most important information at the moment, and so, he would focus on that for now.

"At the moment, I'd like to hear about the Captain and Paragon's principal. It seems inevitable that the two schools are going to have more frequent and more violent conflicts, given recent events, and those two are in perhaps the most influential positions to put an end to it."

The dark-haired boy wasn't sure how much Valencia had heard about Hircine's troubles recently, though he fully intended on mentioning them sooner or later, if only to ensure an informant was kept up to date, ironically enough. Regardless, his attention would remain on Valencia as she spoke, only wavering slightly to thank the waiter when the wine was brought to the table, using the interruption to give his own interjection.

"Please, feel free to help yourself. I've heard this particular brand is quite good."

[Valencia Donahue]

Heirloom Tomato Soup... Cowboy Steak... And Polenta Fries... Hmm... $46... Oh how tempted I am just to order lots of extra things to go for the heck of it since it's on Seth... Hmm... My dog would like a Sonoma Rack of Lamb, so that's another $35 on the bill...

Because of Valencia's busy schedule, she's once again out of the loop in the grand scheme of things, especially when it came to Hircine's affairs. That said, it garnered some interest when Seth brought up how Hircine was “getting along” with Paragon at the moment... Really now, what happened to put Davis and Tyler in such high places? Sometimes she wish she told her deaf-mute spy to look through more windows while she's not at Hircine... She held up a hand politely to turn down the offer to try out some wine.

“No thanks. Maybe later or something when my stomach isn't empty and susceptible to poisoning me. Anyways, the first and only real time I met Principal Davis face to face was at my job interview. One thing for sure, he's a calculating sort of person who'll likely try to kill you if you don't think along his rails—And about that: He's just plain freaky. He knows that he's intimidating and he just kept piling on the pressure while I was there, so if he has a history of antagonizing people, I wouldn't be surprised. I bet after meeting him, you wouldn't believe me if I told you that he's a Philosophy teacher when he's not psychologically belittling interviewees in his office.”

Breathing-down-your-neck kind of guy... Ugh...

Valencia focused her gaze down on the table to recall any other kind of information that's directly relevant to Davis that couldn't be explained in the second half of her answer. She moved on when there was nothing else to say but that.

“Anyways, he left an impression on me and I'll give you credit that you've inspired me to take advantage of that. I sketched the image of his face burned into my mind. I asked Hircine's Captain Tyler to come in to get a portrait as an excuse to talk to him and despite me setting everything up for him to chat non-stop with me, he clammed up immediately when he saw Davis's picture. He was really disturbed and upset... Through deductive reasoning, I can say they have history involving one-another—Varron-ish maybe. Just learn about one guy and you'll find about the same amount for the other.”

I call dibs on Tyler, but as if THAT'S practical...

By the time she finished the first round of answers, her water arrived and she gulped several mouthfuls to replenish herself. In a nutshell, Davis is creepy and Tyler obviously knows who the enigmatic principal is.

[Seth Calloway]

"As you wish."

Admittedly slightly disappointed that Valencia had turned down the wine offered, Seth quickly refocused, listening to the information presented. His head tilted slightly to the side as he considered it, very aware that until this moment he hadn't known anything about Paragon's principal. Now, it seemed that not only was Davis apparently openly hostile to even those he employs, but also had a rather colourful history with Hircine's School Captain. In some respects, it was disturbing, but all the same, quite amusing.

"Intertwined, through and through. Now that's interesting. Hircine's School Captain and Paragon's principal have such a dark history between them, and at the same time their respective schools are striking out at one another more and more often, with increasing ferocity. That seems rather... convenient, wouldn't you say, Valencia?"

Purposefully using her real name rather than the alias he'd come to know her as, Seth left his suspicions at what he had mentioned already. So far, he had no evidence of something larger taking place above the schools' rivalry, and so there was no point in getting into any detail about it at the moment. However, since the waiter had come by to drop off Valencia's water, it seemed the perfect time to order and forego anymore interruptions for a time.

"Are you ready to order, Valencia?"

Provided she answered in the affirmative, Seth would continue.

"I'll have the New York Steak, medium-well, with Basmati Rice, please."

Handing his menu to the waiter after Valencia gave her order, Seth would watch the man leave for a moment before looking back to her, leaning forwards slightly as he spoke again.

"What about the other students at Paragon? Which ones seemed to stand out from the rest?"

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia nodded when asked if she was ready and she listed everything she planned on eating (and sharing later with her canine companion at home). She decided against ordering too much more when she noticed that Seth mentioned her real name rather than her alias.

“I'd like to have a Cowboy Steak. Medium. Polenta Fries on the side. Heirloom Tomato Soup as an appetizer and if I can have something to go, I'd deeply appreciate a Sonoma Rack of Lamb.”

She brought a hand up to her mouth and thought quietly, seemingly about what else to tell Seth but also to take in what was just said. They're actually striking out now, eh? And here she thought both sides consisted of simmering souls instead of boiling boneheads. It might've partially been her fault though, as she let the cat out of the bag about Davis to Tyler. After some pondering, she answered Seth the best she could. In all honesty, the most info she had about the students were from records and from Davis than from direct confrontation.

“According to Davis, Tai Yang, Paragon's Captain, is a loose cannon who's easy to provoke—Ego thing. Kuioku is in the same boat, but leans more towards being unpredictable. And... Well, Tiao got transferred over there and became extremely volatile since...”

Valencia furrowed her brow and it still troubled her that she never learned what caused Tiao to snap more than ever. She decided against bringing up Keith. If one thing leads to another, Seth may find a way to blackmail her and she's been rather protective about being blackmail-able since MacMillan.

“From the records I dug up, other notable transfers from Hircine include Aden Allet, Arlen, Conner, Mae-Lim, Vince, and... Damien Blaze? I haven't met any of these people personally though. Their names were the only ones that seemed remotely familiar out of the whole lot. Not sure if they've assimilated into Paragon's values or are revolting against them at every chance they get—Ah, extra detail. Davis is hardcore about those 'my way or the highway'-ish ideals. If they don't go to the beat of his drum, odds are that they're clashing heavily. That ought to be useful.”

It's strange how certain company evokes certain concepts. It never occurred to Valencia that there's “structured” conflict going on at Paragon until Seth brought up that things were heating up, so there was an indirect intellectual exchange going on the more the gang leader contributed details to work with.

[Seth Calloway]

Mildly surprised at the amount of food Valencia ordered, Seth would give her an amused glance when she was finished, noting that she had no qualms over using his generousity to its fullest extent. It certainly wasn't a bad thing in the Junior student's eyes, but it was one of those subtle nuances that told him more about the person than they may have anticipated.

Such thoughts only occupied him for a short amount of time, however, as business came before pleasure, even in this situation. He filed away the first three names she mentioned, imagining them to be among the most important, especially since one was the School Captain. Yet, what stuck out the most to him was the way Valencia trailed off at Tiao's recent developments, the change in her expression speaking volumes of her own involvement with the former Pillar. The most Seth could gather was that Valencia had something to do with Tiao's newfound explosive behaviour, but that was certainly enough for him to be interested in finding out the rest of the story.

However, once again Seth would simply file the information away for future use, listening to the other information brought up. Of the names mentioned, he only knew of the two Horsemen and Genaht member, though the others no doubt had some value as well. He would need to keep his ears open for news on them all; difficult, but not impossible. The extra information on the school's atmosphere was certainly useful, causing Seth to smile broadly.

"It would appear that Paragon's screening process still has a few holes in it, then. I'm sure you've noticed that the Paragon Institute had done its best to scoop up every troublesome case it can get its hands on, bringing every kid with a chip on his shoulder and every psychopathic maniac under one roof, but some of the students transferred from Hircine don't fit that criteria. If they truly were transferred accidentally, then one couldn't count on their numbers to provide any serious resistance to Paragon's ideals, but the fact they are there at least provides a foothold to work with."

Seth lifted his wine glass from the table, slowly mixing the contents within before taking a sip. It was good, much better than he assumed it would be, and it was the perfect compliment to the conversation at hand.

"I believe before we go any further, we should probably get the issue of your payment out of the way. The cameras at Hircine are able to be taken down at any point you wish, though with your new position at Paragon I'm not sure how useful that will be now. As it was just meant as a downpayment, I'm curious of what you would want for the rest I owe you. Along that same vein, I'm also interested in hearing where you intend to go from here."

The dark-haired gang leader placed his glass back on the table, leaning back once more in a subtle, non-threatening gesture. He knew full well the reputation Revelation had, and how it could damage his plan for the next few moments. However, if he didn't act on his recent intentions, then he knew it would bother him for far too long.

Besides, if nothing else, the challenge should prove entertaining enough.

[Valencia Donahue]

And so, it eventually became obvious—The sparkle. Valencia subconsciously anticipated Seth to react in some kind of amused or “happy-aura'd” way after she placed her order and sensing the glance in her general direction, she looked off to another table to avoid the full onslaught of “I-know-something-you-don't-know” charisma. Oh how much it scathed the insides of her mental defenses for something so temporary... Fortunately, she recovered most of her composure in time to hear what he had to say about Paragon's students. Sure, the mis-transfers are few in numbers to really mean much, but at a place where students are more likely to eat books (literally) instead of devouring them (figuratively), she'd prefer to be in their company at any opportunity. Besides, it's the students who are willing to cause trouble for their own values who pose more of a threat anyhow. She knows this from how the Network functions. Once they know how to use what few resources they have available to their advantage, hell will break loose.

Admittedly, I think that'll take a while for the folks at Paragon. They're too individualistic to use their best resource: Vast numbers of violent students. Mob mentality is their closest form of leadership, really.

Seth then brought up the matter of payment and Valencia appreciated his consideration towards her current predicament. She nodded approvingly at him not letting the payment go to waste and instead asking if there was anything else he could do.

“I currently work at Paragon during the morning until noon before working off the rest of my afternoon at Hircine for the detention shift. Sometimes I drop by at Hircine at other random times, but I'm fine enough with my protection being limited to my shift alone if possible. Certainty is one of the best things I can have in this kind of business.”

Hell, I think it's one of the best things I can have for anything at this point.

“Information for information would also be nice. It's kinda sad when you don't even know all of the Pillars of the schools you work for... And whether or not they can live up to their title.”

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, a clear sign that she was unsure of what else to ask of the gang leader. Her current motivation was survival. She had little interest in causing a ruckus at this point when people were well underway of doing it for her to test Hircine's limits.

“I'll be honest, I'm just trying to get by on my own at the moment. My roommate moved out to somewhere near the Castro with her girlfriend. Until my taxes and bills become less of a burden to pay, I'm going to do whatever to pass the time. I don't know about you, but my life... 'Makes itself more interesting' without me doing much. A blessing and a curse, really.”

Valencia sighed heavily at the thought of dealing with Keith, her ex, and everything else that's out there conspiring to ruin her life or kill her because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. She just wanted a good life. She's been through too much already because of Hircine and its troubles alone. By this time, Valencia's appetizer arrived and the waiter assured them that their meal will be ready soon as the Asian indulged her appetite.

((OOC: Telefragged because of the heat...))

[Seth Calloway]

(Very sorry about the wait.)

The Junior thought carefully about her requests, looking for the best way to accomplish what Valencia asked. The cameras required little thought; rather than disabling them when Valencia was there, Seth would simply take them out altogether. The Pillars and their capabilities, however, would require more effort. The gang leader nodded, filing away the request for later consideration.

"I appreciate your honesty, In return, I'd like to let you in on something that isn't very well known."

Seth paused for a moment, watching as the waiter brought Valencia's appetizer. Her response had been a good sign, giving him the impression that his efforts hadn't been wasted, but that there was still room for improvement; something he would certainly enjoy seeing develop. Once the waiter had left, Seth would lean in once more, speaking in a more quiet tone in order to gain her attention more completely. It was one of the subtle tricks he'd learned; speaking quietly forced the person listening to focus harder on the words.

"AS things stand now, a war between the schools will go very badly for Hircine High. The students are divided in their support of the School Captain, the principals have been doing nothing positive for their relationship with the student body, and there are far too many factions attempting to gain power. There has already been incidents where Paragon students have come onto Hircine's school grounds and beaten students, and vice versa. If an actual leader emerged among Paragon's population, such as this Tai Yang, then Hircine's students are going to be beaten, and beaten often."

Another sip from his glass accentuated the interval in his speech, Seth allowing the words to sink in briefly and have meaning before continuing on. His eyes would stare directly into Valencia's own, working the eye contact for all it was worth while his voice held an undertone of playfulness, almost out of place considering what he was about to propose.

"I can understand that while you may not be looking for trouble, it seems to find you regardless. In the end, however, Hircine High needs your help. If it were up to me, then I would say that I want your assistance in tearing the Paragon Institute down, that I need you. I would be more than willing to deal with any of your other problems to the best of my ability, to limit that which would distract you, at least. The question is, do you believe Hircine and these students are worth saving, or not?"

[Valencia Donahue]

While Seth spoke, Valencia consumed her soup as though it might be her last... Which lends to her tendency to seem like she's ignoring her company. The illusion faltered when he paused and leaned in to speak to her softly though. She wasn't unfamiliar to this technique and slowed down her sipping enough to listen intently, whether or not she even looked up from her bowl. Some of the things he said wasn't surprising. Too many divisions amongst the student body and not a single group or name stood out enough for even this reclusive information broker to make a living using. For crying out loud... All this was flippin' familiar! Remember how Stern rose to power? It's because everyone was too busy trying to be “different”! That, and everyone had their ounce of hate towards the folks with questionable power... A la Captain and Principals in this case. Yes. Familiar indeed.

I'M SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS. THOSE STUPID CHILDREN.

...Even though she's only a couple years older than most of those stupid children. If word got out to Valencia that Alexander threatened to discipline a crowd of nutsy rebellious students through her own means, a certain incident involving Kurtz, unveiling of alliances, and mass chaos will come to mind. As a witness to that unpleasant moment in history, making that connection will spell even more bad news between she and Alexander.

What's news to Valencia was how Hircine students and Paragon students were crossing lines to beat on the opposition. She blinked and lifted at eyebrow at her spoon thinking about how this conflict is warming up. She swallowed her last few spoonfuls of her tasty appetizer and sighed to express lack of astonishment before downing it with a gulp of water. If there is a united force, there will be trouble. Until she gets evidence of Tai Yang's leadership skills, she will assume that he isn't a threat until proven otherwise. It's not so much as arrogance, but how she saw it. To this day, she never feared Kvist's name because of lack of exposure... But eventually, that may change to concern under another name the moment the game of catch-up is over.

More people ought to realize that initiative and spread of influence is key to any victory. I'm tempted to drop everything and show everyone how it's done...

Her inner musings were interrupted when Seth took the chance to look her way, as directly as he could into her eyes. Valencia felt inclined to look away as quickly as she could before the sparkles kicked in, but... Apparently, sparkles aren't limited to charming smiles and deep eyes. She's a sucker for playful, charismatic fellows. No matter how many times she may claim that she wants to slam her fist into their faces, deep down, she actually wants to warm up to them... To certain extents, of course. Seth, strangely enough, said the right words to test the edges of Valencia's limits and she looked back into his eyes with her own ghostly silver hues.

“Davis and Tyler... After meeting the two of them, I had to admit... I ought to take more responsibility over what happens with my life. Sure, a lot of it is out of my control, but there's this saying that there are hands I am born with and hands I can shape my future with. Many things are inevitable, but my actions determine the intensity or severity of the outcome.”

With every action there is no rewards or punishments, but consequences.

“That said, I guess it's high time I face my fortune with more purpose. Besides... First come, first serve, highest bidder. I guess that can be another incentive if my 'newfound initiative' is short-lived.”

Valencia broke eye contact to take a few gulps of water. Right then and there, an observant eye would've caught a glimpse of her more inner thoughts when she spoke her mind to Seth. By the looks of things, she placed a good amount of trust in this gang leader to be able tell him that much.

“As for whether or not Hircine and its students are worth saving after all I've been through because of that school, I'll let them determine their own worth. I'm in no place to judge when a part of me wishes for some chaos and destruction to 'set it straight'.”

An eye twitched as she subconsciously remembered a “date” gone wrong with Keith. When she mentioned something along the lines of “If you can make me give a damn about that bloody school, maybe it'll be easier for me to give a damn about something as impossible as this relationship”... Yeah... Something like that.

“Pretend I'm an 'altruist'.”

[Seth Calloway]

A much better answer than I expected. I'm actually surprised.

Far too often, the people Seth interacted with were too easy to convince of his own opinion, leaving everything boring and predictable. In response to his proclamation, however, Valencia hadn't explicity agreed or disagreed to assist him against the Paragon Institute, something of a pleasant surprise to the gang leader. The longer he spoke to Valencia, the more he began to believe that there was a lot more to her than met the eye. Unlike many others his age, Seth waited until Valencia had finished speaking before replying, refusing to interject or interrupt before hearing the entire message first.

"An altruist? That's a dying breed, I'm afraid. I wouldn't even make such a claim about myself, despite what others might try to convince you of."

Especially Tamara.

"However, whether Hircine is worthy of your 'saving grace' is a matter you must decide for yourself, as the reasons that are important to one may not be important to another. It is true that Hircine is flawed, there's no denying that, but as I see it, not every student contributes to that flaw. Is it fair to let the innocent suffer because the majority of the school needs a lesson? Perhaps. Perhaps the school will be reborn like a phoenix from its ashes, and Paragon will simply be the spark to set Hircine on fire. Unfortunately, there are some among that population that I feel should be spared from the flame. Is there not anyone among the students who you would wish not to be injured?"

There was still quite a bit about the Vietnamese woman that Seth didn't know, and he found himself gambling on her good will in order to gain her assistance. The longer their conversations went on, however, Seth believed himself to be slowly getting a better handle on her personality, something that seemed much more easily said than done. In fact, despite being a fairly observant person, the gang leader had completely missed the glimpse into Valencia's inner thoughts, something that would have disappointed him greatly had he realized it. Regardless, he would continue on, looking to finish his thought before the food inevitably arrived.

"Your connection, as part of Paragon's faculty, would be a great deal of help. As long as you can find me students within Paragon who will listen to my ideals, then Paragon's defeat will be underway."

Even if Valencia seemingly changed her mind and decided to refuse Seth's offer, there was still another topic he wished to cover. However, it would be inappropriate to mention at this moment, and so, he would wait for Valencia's response. From the corner of his eye, Seth could see the waiter approaching with the food, causing him to lean back to give the waiter room, as well as give Valencia a moment to consider her response.

[Valencia Donahue]

Well, I did say “pretend” that I'm an altruist.

Valencia clearly had a thing against Hircine, but when Seth asked her a more personal question, she admittedly had to backtrack on her statements. The Asian looked down with a slight intensity in her gaze. As a person who supposedly never lies, there were quite a few people she met who left lasting impressions on her, no matter how brief their meetings were. She only had a soft spot for a handful of people, yet the neutral people were just as valuable to the development of her life... Not to mention the people who left insanely bad impressions on her life that did horrible, horrible things to her that indirectly led to a stronger Valencia. Is it really that easy to hate an entire school because it left a lot of bad memories? She figured that whatever few people she didn't mind “would live somehow” if something happened and now, Seth was turning the gears in her head to think about saving them. Or whatever. He was making it complicated...

Dammit Seth, I appreciate you changing my life and all, but it's not like I want it all at once...

She decided not to answer Seth's question. The exposure to the thoughts were enough to any individual who used persuasion as their main weapon. He was convincing. Not enough to make Valencia put aside her mercenary nature and openly settle with helping him on level of similar ideals, but still convincing. She sighed and took a gulp of water in attempt to distract herself. When he brought up Paragon, she had to wonder what Seth was planning. To speak of gathering the interest of Paragon students and Paragon's demise in the same breath just seemed weird in her books.

“I'll see what I can do at Paragon. It's pretty tricky for me to get along with people over there, with people seemingly destroying things with little purpose and my actions being triple-checked to prevent the risk of being caught. It'll be easier to get them to check something out if I knew what they're interested in and what you'll have in store. What ideals do you have that you think will win their favor?”

Her response was consistent. She was going to approach all this as a job and while doing so, will decide for herself what ought to be done according to her own beliefs. That way, she'll see if she can possibly grow more attached to Paragon and if Hircine had more redeeming qualities she overlooked. That sounded like a game plan. When their food arrived, she began to cut her Cowboy Steak and scarf it with her Polenta Fries. It may appear rude and unladylike that she's eating while another is talking, but she figured Seth wouldn't mind as long as he concentrated on what mattered.

I wish I wanted more things that're easy to obtain. This receipt is pretty darn steep and what's paid is worth hardly a fraction of what I've done and will do. Making the cameras stop functioning and a pricey dinner... What else can I get...

[Seth Calloway]

No direct answer, but the fact she hasn't outright declined is a good sign.

Thus far, Valencia had acted in a much more positive fashion than Seth had anticipated, though admittedly not quite the to extent he had hoped for in the beginning. Moods changed, however, and Seth was no exception to this fact; he began to see her hesitation as a challenge, something to find the reasoning behind and overcome. Seth's eyes would watch the waiter as he placed the meals on the table, the dark haired Junior thanking him for the service and answering that there wasn't, in fact, anything else the two needed at the moment. Rather than answer Valencia immediately, he took a moment to have another sip of wine, giving him some time to think of an answer before replying.

"Ideals that would apply to those particular students are fairly easy to find. Any form of security for them, while still giving them the freedom they enjoy, will appeal to many. I wouldn't be surprised if they came to you in droves."

In essence, Seth would be using the best of both schools to appeal to the students; utilizing both the relative safety of Hircine High as well as the freedoms of the Paragon Institute in order to gather more to his own banner. Of course, such a concept was far out of his own reach, but it would certainly prove to be entertaining, which was reason enough for the young man.

"As for what I have planned, however, that's a slightly different story. Extreme times call for extreme methods, and not everyone is willing to go far enough to accomplish their goals, whether it be on a personal scale or school-wide. Fortunately for them, I'm fully prepared to go through with things without them, it would just be far more easier if they were to assist me."

In a way, Seth surmised he sounded like a misdirected youth, eager to do the right thing but willing to take the wrong path to achieve it. The leader of Revelation was content with such an image, and wouldn't actively attempt to change it.

"My plan of action is very simple, and therein lies its strength. I'm going to find each and every one of those students you've listed as being 'troublesome', and those that I cannot convert, I'll hospitalize. With their strongest and nastiest being felled, and unable to retaliate, it's only a matter of time before Paragon's student body is left with only two options: a desperate offensive with an exploitable opening, or surrender."

For the first time, the gang leader picked up his fork and pulled a small chunk of salmon away from the larger piece, placing the bite size morsel in his mouth and savouring the flavor while chewing, before finally swallowing and remarking with a smile;

"Delicious."

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: Retcon!))

Well, if you say so. I doubt that Paragon's majority has any concern for security since fighting is their livelihood, but I'll just take your word for it in regards to the mistransfers.

The Asian paid close attention to what Seth had to say as she ate her food. A guy with several plans. Just what she wanted to hear. There have been far too many instances where people spouted wishful thinking and expected Valencia to do all the legwork without due compensation. “I talk, you do”. It gets old and sometimes they don't even follow up. That said, it was good to hear that her employer/partner wasn't lazy and was willing to pull some weight as well. It showed accountability. Not bad for a leader.

By this time, Valencia was able to finish a large portion of her dinner. She swallowed another bite and when Seth smiled at her and commented on the taste, something just occurred to her. Sure, everything's been leaving her in the dust, but it didn't necessarily mean that she's obligated to play catch up with each waking moment. Valencia needed to to relax more often at her own pace and appreciate what life has to offer like she used to years ago. It's going to be a tough habit to break since she valued patience through perseverance as of late, but there was no harm in trying. She slowed down her eating and had to admit, the food tasted better than most of the movie premiere dinners she attended.

A sign that I should be in more shows and movies in SoCal to get better service or I overlooked a lot of things to stave off starvation.

Valencia decided to adjust her expected pay. Throughout the dinner, Seth's charm worked to his favor and the stunt woman wasn't the sort to be a jerk with business as long as her standards are met. They say you'll feed a man for a day if you catch him a fish, but you'll feed him for a lifetime if you teach him how to fish. She owed Seth in this respect and it was the same kind of service she gave to her friends, or at least those who changed her life for the better whom she felt indebted to. She didn't want to say it aloud at the risk of being exploited, but she was willing to acknowledge it. She nodded at Seth and a small tug at a corner of her mouth, signifying a sincere smile, could be seen as she reached for her glass.

“Very well then. I can't think of anything else to say, but should the need arise, I'll know who to turn to. Gratitude for your thoughtful consideration. I found this evening to be quite insightful.”

She raised her glass to Seth, then drank its contents before eating the rest of her dinner... At a regular pace.