Moving Inn (Open)

[stern]

Stern carried the last box into his apartment in the student dorm. Being a late transfer, he was actually one of the few who didn't have a roommate yet. All the Varron students had been paired on arrival, and the odd one who weren't had already been crammed int vacancies. Stern knew it was only a matter of time until circumstances changed that, and it could very well be within the day. Until then, Stern was alone is the small area.

Stern, despite either manipulating a crowd or hiding among them, didn't enjoy solitude. It was not a case of a longing for human attachment, as Stern had grown distrustful of such things and grown cold against such actions from others. Stern was not above admitting being completely self-serving.

Stern liked having distractions, it made him focus more. The necessity of keeping ones thoughts on topic in a busy area forced to dwell on his subject of choice, think of it clearly from every angle. In private though, he was not forced into such mental discipline, and his mind wandered. Stern, while confident in his abilities, did not actually like the person he was, and his own uncensored thoughts thus caused him displeasure.

Stern, realizing that his thoughts had began dwelling on this very dilemma, immediately moved toward unpacking as a means to focus his mind. He quickly moved past the common shared area of the dorm into one of the private rooms, and began to unpack.

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Stern finally finished unpacking his things in his room, placing a picture of his father on the small nightstand next to his bed. For a high-school boy, calling his room austere was an understatement. It was completely barren, barely anything added to it's originally provided furnishings. The only furniture added was a chair and desk, one which sat a computer of generic quality. The room was devoid of posters, no CD player, no books. In fact, there was nothing in the room that gave a hint that Stern did anything besides go to school and live.

It was a room without a sign self-exploration, without color, without personality, and throughly dull. Stern found it dull, but couldn't think of a single thing he would want to add to it. Stern couldn't find the irony of the situation, as that someone known for finding a way to profit from any situation couldn't think a way to decorate his own room. Like most people who found humor at ones own expense, Stern didn't laugh...though he wasn't known for his sense of humor anyway.

Stern walked out of the room, not wanting to be in there anymore, and moved to another set of boxes. He tore the tape sealing it shut to reveal cooking pots, and proceeded to take two and find a place for them in the kitchenette. As he placed them into the shelf above the stove, he heard a knock on the door. Wondering what reason a person would have to bother him, he moved to the door in case it was an emergency.

"Who is it?"

Stern moved one eye closer to the door, examining the distorted sample of the view on the other side.

[charlotte]

It had taken her a long time to find out where Stern Mason had taken residence, but nonetheless, Charlotte had found him. He was like a ghost, silent, smart, and terrifying. Stern scared her, but it was now part of her job to find out more about him, not just from MacMillan's order, but from her own curiosity.

Stern claimed he was the strongest man in the school, and he seemed smart as well. The question she couldn't stop asking herself, however, was if Stern was smarter than she was?

Charlotte picked her way the dorm slowly. She lived off campus with her mother, so she had little experience or direction as to where she was really going in the campus, but she made do with what she had.

A number. That was it. Taken from a senior who was passing by on his way to god knows where. Interesting, it seemed, how far one could get with a cute pose and an innocent expression in terms of information. Not that Stern probably cared otherwise.

Nevertheless, she contemplated the disturbing fact as she walked at a casual pace, her thin, dark-rimmed glasses reflecting the glow of the sun. Information, even the msot harmless or inocculous of tidbits could be garnered from anywhere, from any passing student. And even the smallest bit of information had the potential to grow into something larger and faaaaar more sinister.

Charlotte pulled her glasses off, a few strands of hair falling across her face with the motion and then straightening her bangs with a flick of her head. She reached into the pocket of her light tan corderoy pants, removing the slim case for her glasses, clasping it itghtly once they were within and slipping it back in her pocket. She had chosen to wear a white shortsleeve blouse over a dark tank-top today, choosing to forgoe her usual scarf - a nigh habitual accessorizing choice.

There was Stern's dorm. It seemed almost rediculous to obtain information on him this way, but here she was, regardless. She offered a knock on the door, then moving a ways back so anyone within would be able to see her, should they look through the eyehole. Inside, she half hoped that Stern wouldn't answer, or was not there.

[stern]

Stern unlocked the door when he saw who was outside, a woman from earlier in the day. she was at the incident where Zeniro had started.....well, being Zeniro. Stern did not recall her performing anything particular of note, interacting only to threaten to call one of the schools student monitors.

He didn't know why she was here, and Stern preferred to know things. He may fall into a trap, but he had something he wanted to know. He quickly unlocked the door and pushed it open, leaning out when it opened enough. The collar of his shirt was as far to his right she would see, with notably less buttoned than earlier in the day. His large hand was on the door frame, the wrapped palm easily curving around the piece of wood.

"I remember you from earlier.....your not here to report some sort of grievance are you?"

[charlotte]

"Hmmm .. greivance? Nope," Charlotte veritably hummed slyly as she leaned back, taking note of Stern, his appearance, stance, and body language. Frankly, it had surprised her that he had even opened the door, but then, what reason would he have not to?

Stern Mason defied every sense of reason or logic within her. Not only did he radiate a strong aura of near crippling fear, but she felt a strange, almost magnetic pull towards him, or rather, towards his mind. Charlotte had rarely felt such things as imbition or curiosity of such an incredible scale, but now, looking at the very object of her perpetual inquisition, the feeling boiled through to the surface all to quickly.

She wanted to pick his brain apart, discover what created that fearsome aura of control and learn how to dismember it, turn it inside out. She wanted to find out what made him tick.

And the thought of her curiosity, Charlotte found, was even more frightening than her fear of Stern himself.

She leaned on on hip, tilting her head slightly to the right, her dark bangs falling over one eye as she scanned the interior of the dorm over Stern's shoulder. Bleak, drab, boring, and lifeless were the first four words that emerged to descibe what she saw.

There was nothing save for the bare essentials of living and a few boxes that she guessed her had used to cart his few and utterly functional personal belongings from ... where ever he had come from. No posters on the wall, no forms of entertainment, no style, no personality, not even any books, aside from the neccessary texts for school use.

It seemed more dreary than a prison cell.

"Hm." Charlotte mused, shifting again to regard Stern, brushing her bangs aside as she took a step foward. She stopped a few inches from Stern's arm where it reached around the doorframe, her chin coming about level with his elevated limb, and she looked up at him, a highly uncharacteristic ghost of a smile forming at her lips.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here then," she shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back a bit on her heels. "Why don't you invite me and maybe we can talk about it?"

[stern]

~Interesting....~

"You assume I'd want you inside already? I may be a teenage boy, but I have no illusions that your seemingly good intentions must be as they appear."

Stern, despite what he said, pushed the door out further and moved to the side, letting her pass through. He was intrigued because she though she had something he'd want to hear. He was curious if she was true or not, as that could tell him a good deal about the impressions she made on his first day. There was also the chance she was actually right.

The specific move itself was also planned, as it required her to walk by his length as she entered. Very few people, alone at least, would consider being violent to Stern after getting such a close look at him. A man as broad at the shoulders as his door was even more intimidating at such a distance.

"So, what exactly do you wish to speak of?"

[charlotte]

Charlotte opted not to answer or respond to Stern's statment or his question about her intent. Instead, she gave a slight nod of her head and walked smoothly, straight past Stern as he allowed her entrance into the room.

Glancing sidelong at his muscles and figure as she passed - a feat hard to avoid, considering Stern's position and posture denoted that he had intentionally wanted her to notice.

"Impressive," she remarked off-handedly, an almost uninterested tone to her voice as she moved deeper into the interior of the apartment. "I guess you must work out then."

She shrugged and opened his fridge, scanning it quickly, then closed it, supressing a giggle at the near obscene level of absurdity of the situation. Charlotte turned then, moving foward, towards Stern, a few paces.

She took another glance about the room before her eyes met his and she spoke, her voice once again retaining the icy and patronising tone she had gotten used to having during most conversations. The entire situation, a result of her bizzare urgings to figure out the mind of Stern Mason - and pick it apart - made it almost difficult for her to return to her usual sarcasm; more than ever, she just wanted to burst out laughing, at the situation, at Stern, but mostly at herself.

However, a simple reminder as to how potentially dangerous Stern Mason was, as well as her apparent duty to discover his motives - at the behest of Principle MacMillan, her new 'employer' - was all it took to chase away her fit of the giggles in lieu of a more serious tone.

"So," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think you're smart enough to know that I'm here to talk about you, but I don't think you know exactly what yet, which is the whole reason you didn't shut the door in my face: you're curious, aren't you? So we'll talk Stern, but I think it should be you who choses what to talk about ... for now at least."

[stern]

"So you came here to talk, but you don't want to set the topic...an odd stance to take, you may not hear a single word that interests you if I don't want you too."

Stern walked away from the door, leaving it open. It was warm outside for the time of day, and the warm breeze was welcome. That, combined with the possibility he may literally throw his guest out, was enough to keep the door open.

"Given the fact that you have been incredibly confident in your approach to me, not even trying to feign a casual persona, I'm guessing your here on business. I doubting it's personal though, as you lack the physical stature to stop me should I not enjoy what I hear. You walk with a stride of one who has an army marching behind them, so your with the school probably. I doubt they would really counteract if I were to ignore you though, your not high enough in the hierarchy to hold any sort of fear in the student body."

Stern walked over and sat on his couch, relaxing leisurely as he did so. He could say whatever he wanted in this meeting, as even if he did give details he could very well be lying. This information would likely go all the way to the principle, and Stern would want him to know the truth as events unfolded.

"Unfortunately for you, this means that not only are you expendable, but that you can't answer the one question I truly want answered. You have nothing to offer me, I only wish to know why your here....it's your wish to be here after all."

Stern pointed to the door, though it lacked any demand or confidence in the action. It was awkwardly casual for it's intent, like pointing out the weather or the time of day.

"If your not going to get to your point, I recommend you stop wasting my time and yours and go. Mind games and subtle conversation will not work on me. Tell what your want and have to offer."

[charlotte]

"You know, you're absolutely right - I'm not very high in the student hierarchy, not that I have any inclination to be at all. And despite my walk, there's no one watching my back," Charlotte said, walking towards the door slowly, carefully, Stern still very much visible in peripheral vision, and swung the door shut.

She turned, pressing her hands against the door, leaning her back against it. Stern very literally screamed 'ominous' and 'terrifying' with his cool, almost casual demeanor, and though it did frighten her significantly, a smaller part of her felt strangely comfortable with his level of deceptive ... something.

"Word of mouth travels rather quickly, even if people make an effort to conceal thier efforts, they still talk. Listen long and hard enough, and you can find nearly anything," Charlotte began, jumping into her discussion, as Stern had recommened.

"I ask you not to fight, but to stand tall, when they try to be silence you to yell, and when they knock you down to get back up." She quoted, her expression deviod of any emotion.

"An inspiring speech you made ... but that's only a small part of your master plan, isn't it?" Charlotte shifted slightly, staring straight at Stern as she spoke, now back to her usual icy vocal expression. "It's only for Stern to know, though, right? The entire plan?"

"But that's understandable. You're Stern, after all, the mystery, the enigma. Fear embodied in a teenager. So intent on bringing down this school, and possibly with the means to do it.

"Why though? Why does Stern want to do this? Why does he have his plan? Is it because he's afraid of something, something buried so far beneath his exterior of control and power that if he ever managed to dredge it up, he would have to struggle to keep it there, and barely recognise it as a part of himself? But it's still there, even if he doesn't recognise it, driving his every action and motion.

"Of course, that isn't for us to know either. To know would compromise the very essence of Stern, would allow the potential for leverage against his impenitrable armor."

Charlotte grinned then, tilting her head sharply to flick her bangs, which had fallen over one eye once again, away from her face.

"However, this would be classified as both a mind game and subtle conversation, so, since you asked so politely, I'll just ask what I came here ask:

"I want to know your plan, Stern; I want to know who you are, what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to get it. Not for the pillars, not for the principal, not for Leon Loire or his group, not for Kvist and the Hand, but for me.
"I want to know this because you're the one thing I can't really understand. And I want to know why my need to understand you scares me even more than you yourself do."

[stern]

"You assume there's more to my plans? I assure you there is not. I have always worked for the safety of my fellow students. In Varron, while the other leaders of the student body were waging war with their gangs over a simple thing like being school captain, I was pitting those gangs against each other outside of school to keep people safe. I managed to make peace among so many that the ones who did end up causing the terrible mess that got us here was relatively contained. I'm afraid that your embodiment of fear is really a beacon of hope"

Stern lay back against the couch now, letting his arms stretch to it's respective corners. Now that he knew what the game was about, he could play at leisure. She was curious about what drove him, and that was a weakness. He doubted her curiosity was as self-centered as she thought, but every time a person learns something, their view changes.

"Despite this public image, I'm willing to tell your where your right and wrong. After all, you could try to use that knowledge against me....but who says I'm not planning on you doing so anyway. Your right, there's more to my plan, and I intend to take over this school. Your wrong about the last part, I have the means. The only question now is whether the school has the means to stop me."

Stern leaned his head back now, looking at the ceiling. He did not like the discussing the next matter, though he didn't plan to give details. It didn' matter if he did, she wouldn't be able to understand. It was actually a good thing she couldn't, but he doubted she would accept such an answer. Better to leave her in the dark, telling her what she needs to know.

"As for my reasons.....I'm not going to tell them anytime soon. While I keep them a secret from the public, I can't be touched by the school. There has to be a reason the school didn't recruit talent like mine. Even if they couldn't find the dirt they needed, they could just threaten to ruin my record if they wanted to. The truth is I have nothing to fear in what drives me, it's your friends in charge that fear me actually telling people."

"That is also the answer to your third real question as well, as to why your so frightened about your desire to know the truth. Your not actually afraid of me to begin with. You see a person who is capable, a leader, a visionary who has no fear except failure. You can't think of a single thing that would make me even want to stop, or even consider mercy. What your feeling from me isn't fear, it's awe."

Stern leaned forward now, nearing his guest, looking her straight into her eyes. The unshakable resolve was visible again, eyes that did not express the desire to win, but the promise that he would. Raw confidence, that managed to sway so many to his side in the past despite them having no idea what he aspired to.

"Your afraid of getting to know the enemy that you awe, because your afraid by doing so you will change into that which your supposed to fight. So tell me, now that your know I'm so certain in my victory I don't mind telling you my goals, whether you think I may be the one to break Hircine free? Am I the beacon of hope of hope I'm made to be, or is that simply a facade to make myself appear to be more than I am?"

[charlotte]

"No Stern, you're wrong," Charlotte countered slowly. "You're not a beacon of hope. You're not a leader, even though you may be a visionary or capable. I won't deny that you have a vision, and you can do a lot towards that end.

"But," she went on, "when I look at you, it's not awe I feel. It's not the presence of a leader. I know what that feeling is like, and what you radiate is something entirely different.

"You're not certain of victory. If you were, you wouldn't fear failure. Leaders don't become leaders by not being afraid of anything, they become leaders because they're afraid of things. They take that fear from others and hide it away in themselves, they inspire and they sacrifice."

She leaned back upon the door, placing one foot in front of the other as she rested back on her heel.

While she had no illusions that anything Stern might say could be a total lie, and thusly should be taken in with much suspicion, she was beginning to see what it was that drove her hungry curiosity.

The need to understand Stern stemmed from something else, something that she wasn't quite sure of yet, though it prevailed upon her from the back of her mind.

"You're going to fail Stern, and when you do, I'm going to be there." Charlotte grinned suddenly, the wall of Stern-Terror beginning to crumble against her mental processes. Ever so slowly, she began to fear him and her curiosity less, knowing that she only needed to know for a wholly different purpose than just to satiate her intellectual hunger.

"I'm going to watch you fall, fail, and lose. Because whatever your plan is, however capable you and your 'followers' are, there are always people who are better than you. And in this school, on these streets, in this city, those people are all around you."

[stern]

"You know, your a really bad liar."

Stern had waited for Charlotte to stop before he spoke. She may honestly believe what she was saying, but she was just lying to herself if that was the case. The very choice of her words, the way she delivered them, had a complete lack of confidence in it.

"You need to learn not to be so defensive in your approach, it's a dead give away....I'll play along though, in case their really is a bad case of denial."

Stern stood up and stretched himself out. While she had gotten very defensive, making a scene trying to tell her how he was doomed, he had yet to even change his demeanor. She hadn't phased him at all, as he began to humor her suggestions.

"It's true, leaders are not meant to be fearless. Without fear there's no courage. If I win though, I have nothing to fear at all, so there's nothing to stop me from moving forward. I have sacrificed years of my life for this ambition, given up my childhood for it."

Stern walked back toward the door now, looking down at the shorter woman as he spoke. He seemed rather distant for someone having such a serious moral discussion, almost bored.

"The problem of thinking that there's always someone stronger is that it works both ways...your school has say complacent against mundane challenges for years, three students ruling over the rest due to lack of competition. Even with all of their numbers so far, they struggle against those I already wiped the floor with."

Stern leaned down now, bringing himself to eye level with the woman.

"You may throw up a wall of denial now that you heard what I said, trying to take the conversation off of your feelings now that it has taken an embarrassing turn, but you know that I am capable of this. I want to win more than any other person in the school, trained my whole life for it, became stronger and more devious that all of your Pillars. They had no idea I was coming, but I've planned for this long in advance."

Stern now leaned past her to grab the door knob. He twisted but didn't push, instead speaking once more next to her ear.

"I'm going to win, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. Because while everyone goes on about their lives when the day is over, listening to music and spending time with friends, I come home and work harder. That's why even when you start to fight back....you'll just be doing work for me."

Stern pushed forward with his hand, opening the door again. The sun was setting on the horizon, casting a light back over his room again. It's emptiness, it's complete lack of personality, it's completely absence of any remote sign of a life. She would now know why he lived like this.

Because he lived for his plan, and no amount of suffering made failure an option.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to finish unpacking."

[charlotte]

Charlotte gave a slow smile as Stern leaned past her, speaking in her ear and pushing the door open.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to finish unpacking."

She remained still for a moment, biting the top of her lip mischeviously before turning on her heel to walk out. However, she didn't begin to walk, but instead cast a glance over her shoulder at Stern, the fading sunlight seeming to dance about her as she stood in the doorway, casting a lengthy shadow upon the bare floor, etheral orange relfecting upon the equally as bare walls.

"I don't find it embarassing at all Stern. In fact, I think our little chat has been almost enlightening. However," Charlotte turned ever more slightly towards Stern, "you should be careful when you make such generalizations about people and their habits ... assuming everyone goes home, listening to music and spending time with friends.

"It's that confidence in yourself Stern, the way you talk about your infallible plan, how no one can stop you, that is going to kill you. I'll play along though - for now - because there obviously is a bad case of denial in you.

"So I'll leave you to your unpacking now."

Charlotte turned fully, her hand not moving towards the outside doorknob as she walked across the threshold of the apartment and out under the firey sunset skyline.

"... I pity you Stern," she said with her back to him, not caring how ambiguous or not the statement would be to him, and likewise not bothering to state the reasons for it.

Charlotte walked away, not bothering to close the door, knowing full well that Stern would on his own.