Golden Tyrant X (Holly)

[Akira Nakajima]

Management was something Akira knew all about. Management of resources, management of hands, management of information; he knew how to utilize everything within the school, to varying degrees, for his benefit as the president. If something odd seemed to be happening, all he had to do was poke into a class room and ask one of his agents for some info. See, he was fine with lesser criminals in the school. He wasn't in charge of the disciplinary committee, so only things that directly inhibited the school life of the students bothered him. Skippers? Hey, that was fine. Stay out of trouble, stay safe, and all that. What bothered him was the fact that someone seemed to be working at an angle to organize mass-skipping.

Those with lesser nerves could be influenced by those with charisma. This was typically true and often the case with tyrants. Just a quick view back through European history would prove that in the case of Germany. Even if they used a network, masterminds ultimately had to utilize pawns to further their plans. That was usually the chink in their armor. This was even more true when considering that there were certain perks that Akira, as the Student Council President, could offer in parts of deals. So a skipper wanted to skip, but needed a guaranteed excuse? Information for a pass. Someone was hungry? Lunch ticket. He had agents in every class. Typically one, but sometimes two. Information was easy to come by within the school's halls.

Was it necessarily a good trait for someone in his position? Maybe not. But if it allowed him to perform his duties better, and it improved the circumstances for the student body as a whole, he was willing to be both a god and a devil. Laws were limits placed by humans. They could, just as easily, be bent and warped for the sake of bettering the lives of many.

In this case, he was dealing with a Holly Mason. Tall as hell, had a penchant for skipping, and seemed to have a complex in which she considered herself a queen. Also, it went worth noting that her work's quality and handwriting seemed to vary, suggesting that she implemented the services of others. No proof on that, though. Just a teacher note in the dossier from more official channels. Pictures and information suggested she'd be an excellent dominatrix. Fun thought there.

Classes were soon to be over for lunch. He quietly opened the back door of a classroom, slipping in and closing the door just as silently. He leaned against a wall, crossing his arms, and listened in on the class. Why was he there? Why, Miss Mason was there. And even nearby, to boot. He didn't see the point in disrupting a class for business. Especially not when it was so close to a break, anyway. He could wait a few minutes.

He just wanted to talk, after all.

[Holly Mason]

Life could be irritating.  There were annoying people, annoying things, and worst of all annoying rules.  Holly hated anything that limited her, and judging from peoples' attitudes and comments about many of the rules that were bothering her she wasn't alone.  Most people were too afraid to do anything about it though.  They wanted to be 'good people.'  More like complete doormats.  Nothing changed without a little bit of a fight!  But the will of the people would shine through.  All it took was one person brave enough to stand up to it all.  So, Holly decided it was her job to change the world for the better.  It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.  Just what was bothering her now?  She believed that students should have more control over their academic career.  The way it was structured now served the teachers better than the students.  It was full of corruption and had to be dismantled.  However, that was a rather large task.  She figured she should start with something simple.  Students just being able to control when they went to class and what classes they went to would be a nice start and a start that would probably be relatively simple to facilitate, so she decided to start there.

Her plan?  Organize a day where large numbers of students wouldn't come to class.  Too many to punish properly.  Do it on a Monday since no one likes Mondays.  Yes, that sounded quite nice.  Holly was sure that the second any actual delinquents heard about this that they'd just go along with it.  Any excuse to skip was probably a good one to them, and if enough people did it they may even be able to avoid punishment.  There was no reason to worry about them.  Holly had to focus her attention on those good little students who yearned for a little bit of freedom, but didn't want to make anyone upset with them or get into trouble.  A little bit of persuasion and assurance that they aren't alone in their feelings should be enough to get a reasonable number onto her side.  She didn't want to threaten anyone...yet...so she decided to see if this strategy would produce the numbers she needed.

Time passed and everything was looking good.  Holly was careful to hide herself as the mastermind, typically only going up to people in carefully crafted disguises and only writing to them with fake handwriting.  While she had learned to forge signatures in order to not have to deal with her parents, she was pleased to find that it had other uses.  She was able to make the movement look bigger than it actually was and therefore attract more people.  The day was in about a week and a half and she could not wait.

But for now, she had to go to class and it was terrible.  The teacher was talking about some kind of calculation for some kind of science thing last she was paying attention.  She didn't really care, she'd just read about it later.  Right now, she was too busy planning and day dreaming.  Holly was intently staring at her notes making random squiggles on them to make it look like she was actually paying attention.  Drawing squiggles like this actually helped her think.  Not quite as well as pacing did, but this would do for now.  Her plotting was interrupted when she heard the door open.  It took her a moment to place the face, but she was pretty sure that was The Man; the student council president.  What did he (at least Holly was pretty sure he was a he) want?  She had been pretty careful to cover her tracks, so if it was her he wanted he probably only had circumstantial evidence at best.  She looked back down at her 'notes' unconcerned.  He probably didn't want to talk to her anyway.

The bell rang shortly after The Man walked in.  Holly packed up her stuff and proceeded to leave the classroom just like she would any other day.  It was lunch time and she was a little hungry.  Where should she go to eat today?

[Akira Nakajima]

Once class was dismissed, Miss Mason excused herself from the room- though not quite as politely, as she simply stepped out. Akira? Akira just silent stepped out after her. Didn't speak to her, even though that was his intent. Nope, he just kept tailing her. Kept a distance of about ten feet. Stalking people had this profound effect on them. They became unnerved, said more than they needed to, generally frantic. Now, while he doubted he would have that sort of effect on this girl, it would still likely annoy the hell out of her. And, frankly, that was cool, too. He could concentrate on the complexities of human life and the differences brought about by memories and ideals.

Or he could slip his hands into his pockets and stare out the windows along the hall. The latter worked better, of course. He kept the blonde giant in the edge of his vision. Didn't let himself daydream, either, so she wouldn't be able to pull a fast one on him or slip away. Minus the glorious ponytail he sported, he was the ideal male student. Uniform was prim and proper, buttoned up just right, fly zipped up, and all that jazz. He wasn't in charge of discipline, but he led by example. Besides, at the risk of being conceited, he believed he looked good regardless of what he was wearing.

Or not wearing.

So, tailing the probably mastermind, he just casually relaxed. It was more vanilla stalking than anything, but whatever. Eventually, it'd get on her nerves. That was when they'd speak.

[Holly Mason]

At first, she didn't even notice that she was being followed.  When The Man didn't bother her as she was walking out of the classroom she just figured that her previous assumption was correct and he was looking for someone else.  It wasn't until she made her way to her locker to get her things, made her way to the entrance of the school, then changed her mind on where she wanted to eat and started heading to the cafeteria that it became obvious.  At first, she just thought he finished his business with whoever and happened to be going in the same direction as her.  In other words, it still wasn't her problem; but now he was just being suspicious.  Geez, if he wanted to talk to her all he had to do was pull her aside in the classroom.  What a creeper.  She shrugged it off mentally.  There was still no need to get worked up or change what she was doing.  She was still hungry after all.

Food was one area Holly differed from most rich people she knew.  She honestly didn't care for it that much.  She didn't have this sophisticated 'refined' palette or anything like that.  She didn't even have a favorite food.  For the most part, she could barely taste it because she rarely just ate.  It was boring, she wanted to be doing something while eating.  Therefore, shitty cafeteria food didn't really bother her and it actually wasn't that unusual for to just eat at school if she either didn't feel like going out or wanted to sit and talk with some people at lunch.  Today she just didn't feel like going out, so she would be more than happy to do the same thing she always did when she didn't want to be bothered.

Holly continued to make her way through the halls in her typical fashion.  That is, she pretended like no one else was there and just kept walking.  If the people didn't get out of her way it was their own fault if their feet got stepped on or if they were pushed out of the way a bit.  She quickly made her way to the lunchroom.  No one even swore at her today, or even tried to chastise her for ignoring them.  Good, they were learning.  She did at least have the decency to wait in line to get food, but that too was her normal behavior.  After receiving her food, she pulled a loose round table to a corner and a chair leaving the rest of the chairs in the middle of the floor.  She set her food on the table off to the side a bit, sat down in the chair and put her feet up on the table.  While this was still wasn't that unusual for her she did hope it would bother The Man at least a little.

Holly pulled out some notes regarding her parents' business.  She had asked them to give her their numbers and any information they were willing to give her on the business so she could learn about it several years ago.  She didn't expect it to be so useful now.  They ran a shipping company, so she was always interested to see what was still getting in and out, and it really looked like things were moving around as usual.  That was rather interesting given the situation.  

Regardless, this should give The Man a perfectly fine opportunity to talk to her and if he didn't, hey, she had something else to do.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira continued after the golden queen. People parted for her passage, clearing the way. Good going, guys! Build her ego. Once they arrived at the cafeteria, Akira closed in on her, but only to maintain the proper distance one would have in a lunch line. Still not a word spoken. No need to. Not yet, anyway. Despite going through the line, he had no intention of getting a tray or a meal or whatever. He just followed Miss Mason silently. Once she departed the line and began to rearrange the furniture to suit her needs, the boy covered his mouth to hide a smile. Well, she certainly did what she could to make a fuss, didn't she? She had an icky posture. Somewhat unfitting for a queen, though. She pulled out notes, neglecting her meal. He, on the other hand, pulled out a fiber bar from his pocket. He popped it open, began munching, and greatly enjoyed the simple, yet varied, flavors.

The simple things in life were often best. Outside of porn, of course.

”I'm more a fan of seats near the window, myself.” He noted before leaning against the wall and crossing his legs. It wasn't even a complaint. It was more lunch-side conversation than anything. ”Ah. Fair bit of warning, that'll be hell on your back in another fifteen to twenty years.” While he didn't complain about the way she used the furniture, he was pointing out a major flaw of her current rebelliousness. He seriously didn't care about the table. That was something the disciplinary people could deal with.

He didn't like doing other people's jobs, you see.

”Of course, so says the guy eating a fiber bar in place of lunch on a given day. Take it with a grain of salt. Or ten.” He casually commented before focusing on munching again.

[Holly Mason]

"That's a myth actually," she said without missing a beat in between bites of food.  "Sitting chairs are actually really bad for your back.  The ideal angle to sit at is about 135 degrees, or more like what I'm doing now.  About the best you could argue is that I probably shouldn't be sitting with all my weight on my tailbone."  She spoke without looking up from her notes and took another bite of...whatever the hell this cafeteria food was supposed to be.  "On the other hand, without proper protection, protection no one ever seems to use on a day to day basis I might add, the sun is known to cause skin cancer among other things.  Perhaps you should be more concerned about your own habits."

He was obviously not for this, but if he wanted to make conversation she would make conversation.  At least he wasn't a complete stiff like disciplinary people she normally talked to were.

[Akira Nakajima]

”Coccyx, spinal cord, eh~ They're both about the same. It'll be a pain in the ass. No two ways about that.” Smooth wordplay, president. Of course, the boy had no intentions of discussing his habits regarding substances he rubbed into his skin. He took pretty good care of himself, and with good reason- couldn't be a good crossdresser if you looked like crap, either way. ”Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps I just enjoy brown-nosing in my free time? Ah, but I suppose that's a questionably bad habit, as well.” He flashed her a smile. Before munching on that bar some more, of course.

”But I'm sure you have your own bad habits, of course. Everyone does. Everyone human, at least.” He casually noted, shrugging slightly.

[Holly Mason]

"Fortunately, there are many ways to treat, ah a 'pain in the ass' as you put it," she turned the page of her reading material.  "Oh, yes that's certainly true.  I have a bad habit only half-paying attention to some people and focusing my attention on something more interesting when it suits me.  As much as it pains me to do, I must admit that I am indeed human."

Holly still didn't take her eyes off of her reading, except for brief moments when she needed to grab a bite of food or pick up her drink.  At the very least, she still didn't look in his direction while speaking or while he was speaking.

[Akira Nakajima]

Ah, there it was. Just a little more wiggling of the proverbial knife, and something was sure to squirt out of the wound. Or armor. Or whatever, really. Akira did find it amusing that she phrased it the way she did. But that was fine. She was paying enough attention to converse with him. People that completely ignored him were the bothersome ones. Made reasoning with them a pain- even if they were listening- if only because he couldn't tell how far their understanding took them. Whatever the case, Miss Mason was being a good sport, at least, and he appreciated that. Not quite as much as he enjoyed that fiber bar, though.

”That's a fairly commonplace failing of humans, yes. But humans are supposed to be the closest to gods, if anyone is to believe religious or mythological claims. So, at that point, I guess it would be a divine comedy- a joke- to think that humans would be above something as simple as that.” Another shrug. He munched on them last third or so of the fiber bar. Definitely not as good as a well-balanced home-made meal, but a nice mix to the routine. He'd have to keep that brand in mind. All the while, he stuck his free hand in his pocket, fingers tracing along a certain device.

”Are you one to pay much attention to gods and divinity? Or do you believe humans have to make their dreams a reality with their own two hands?”

[Holly Mason]

What was he even talking about?  She thought she understood what he was trying to say, kind of...maybe, but that was some serious non-sequitur.  He was trying way too hard to sound philosophical.  She on the other hand, just sounded bored.

"I'm fortunate in that I haven't had to deal with it much myself.  I must command attention," she sipped her drink.  "Can't say I'm very religious, no."

Perhaps his true intentions and meaning went right over her head.  She was never one to look for insults because she didn't believe there was much about her to be insulted.  Such wordplay was wasted on her.

[Akira Nakajima]

An unsurprising answer was delivered. Not many were familiar with, or fond of, mythology. Seemed to be a niche interest that regulated mostly to gamers. And, even then, pretty rare. He was familiar with that bar, though. Emphasis on was. The poor friend that stuck with him for the first bit of that verbal engagement was now gone. He was all alone. Which, admittedly, was fine, too. He folded the wrapper up with one hand, playing with it idly as his gaze surveyed the room. Nothing major going on. Not many eyes on them, either. Even if they were being watched, that, too, would be fine. He was okay with exhibitionism on occasion.

”I see. So you'd be in the group that creates your fate with your own two hands. That's commendable. Certainly beyond the average youth that probably won't know what to do for the next decade. I take it you've got everything mapped out, then? Prepared to hit the ground running once your education has been completed?”

[Holly Mason]

"Hm, education doesn't have much to do with it.  My future was more or less decided for me the second I was born.  I'm pretty happy with the path given to me or I would obviously be working to change it.  I've been training to take over my parents' company since I was about five.  I don't even need to be in school at all, I'm just here for my own amusement.  I'll probably go to college too, but I still wouldn't say it's for my 'future.'"

Strangely enough, there was no malicious intent behind her words.  She wasn't trying to throw him off, she wasn't trying to make him feel any different about her, she had no ulterior motives behind revealing that.  It was simply the truth.  She wasn't embarrassed about it, she thought it was obvious.  It was only natural that she liked school to some degree even if parts of it pissed her off.  Otherwise, she wouldn't bother to come at all and she certainly wouldn't be trying to fix the system for the better.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira made a bit of progress with that, it seemed. He might have gotten the job done before lunch's time was completed. That would be nice. He still had plenty of paperwork to clear up, after all. Treating the heavily-folded wrapper almost like a pencil, he had begun twirling it around and in between his fingers. Good, brainless fun, it seemed. Enough to keep one hand busy while he was using his head and mouth, at the very least. So, how to proceed? It would probably be good to press onward, towards El Dorado.

”That's a good way of looking at it. No sense in doing something you don't need and don't enjoy, after. So I suppose you take certain motions to maximize your enjoyment of school, then? Probably no good to just wait and see what the day brings, right?”

[Holly Mason]

Holly realized what she had said right after she said it.  Way to tell him everything he needed to know dumbass!  Still, she doubted he had enough to call her out on anything.  Many people did things to make their school lives better, they just weren't quite as drastic as what she did.  She took a sip of her drink while he responded.  He was certainly becoming less subtle as the conversation went on.  Without even pausing for a moment she continued as though she said nothing unusual. 

"Well yeah.  I suppose your 'friends' at the disciplinary committee don't talk about me much.  I'm not sure if I should be happy or insulted."

[Akira Nakajima]

For the first time since the two had begun speaking, Akira let out a quiet chuckle. She thought the council and the disciplinary committee were friends? That was cute. They were two bodies of government that saw eye to eye on some matters, but fiercely debated on others. Regardless, he calmed himself after a moment, lightly coughing to hide his amusement. He shifted his posture against the wall. He was comfortable, but he finally let his gaze shift to the golden queen.

”I'm not sure why you brought that bunch up, not unless you're doing something worth paying attention to.” He opened up with a hook. ”But, unfortunately, you're gravely mistaken in considering those of that committee my friends. I'm here to better the lives of the students by enriching their experience, not to keep them on a path pre-defined by rules. Of course, I do become involved if it seems that someone is disrupting the peace for the students. You know, anything dangerous or bothersome.” He shrugged and went back to twirling his wrapper, turning his gaze to observe his precious herd.