Mere Idealism

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Early morning. Uneventful and quiet.
The Dean was sitting by a circular table by himself, occasionally sipping a steaming mug of coffee. His morose gaze swept over the room. Various students were out and about, preparing hot beverages, munching on cereal, pinching slices of bread - true to the name of the room. They were chattering to their peers, their voices mingling with each other to produce a hazy murmur that Rendaz did not care to distinguish. Whatever they spoke of, it was certainly of no pressing matters.

He seemed tired, but not downtrodden. He did nothing more than observe the other residents with a calm, watchful eye.

It was how mornings should be.

[Leon Barner]

Leon had opened his eyes far too early for his liking, but once they were open, closing them again for any length of time wouldn't bring him sleep. After giving on the prospect, Leon waited until it was a more reasonable time for him to actually get up. He didn't really have a desire to meet or speak to anyone this morning, but being up and about too early in the morning was alien to him.

Once he arrived at the breakfast room, the first thing he would do is get an apple from the fridge. He was too hungry for the apple alone to satisfy him, but it would sustain him until he could find something worth more calories, anyway.

He caught a quick glance at the dean staring daggers the rest of the room as he began to search the breakfast room for a meal. Despite his rather foul mood, he couldn't stifle a chuckle at his last memory of the ruckarl. He'd disappeared for a while. It looked like he was finally showing his face again. Leon took a bit from the projectile in his hand.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

And there, another figure entered the room; this time, a familiar one. His eyes flickered over him with half-interest, recalling their last meeting. A memory that he didn't particularly cherish nor hold close to his chest - it merely rested in the depths of his mind until he'd shown up.

They exchanged a brief glance, to which the ruckarl simply raised a single brow. He didn't respond in any other way, and instead, simply continued to sip his beverage.

Though his field of vision expanded to most of the room, it frequently locked on the demon, should he decide to start any trouble.

[Leon Barner]

Leon took his time looking for something to eat, going between the fridge and the pantry at least two times before finally deciding. He took the necessary materials out of the fridge and slathered too much mayonnaise onto two slices of bread, then stacked an amount of turkey slices that was just barely reasonable. He repeated this process a second time, creating two turkey sandwiches for himself.

After he was finished, he took the two sandwiches and the apple to one of the tables in the breakfast room. If he'd only made one sandwich, he might have just brought it with him and left, but since he'd got up so early today anyway, he didn't see any harm in eating in the breakfast. Other than the obnoxious roar of the other students conversing. He chose a table that was relatively devoid of students. There was a small group one end, so he took a seat at the other end, brief eye contact with the dean already forgotten.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

He tapped his fingers on the table. Ah, to approach or not to approach. But, there was simply no point in delaying the inevitable, at what happened to be an opportune moment. The day was going to suck, and he'd get the worst of it over.

Standing, he picked up his half finished mug and trailed slowly towards him as to not make much of a presence. He pulled up a chair next to the demon, casually sitting himself down, leaning back comfortably and sipping his hot beverage. There was no tension or bitterness in his actions.

He addressed the demon with a nod of acknowledgement and a rough "G'morning", and nothing more.

[Leon Barner]

Though it didn't show on his face, Leon was surprised at Rendaz's approach. He considered simply getting up and leaving, perhaps as the ruckarl spoke, just to be rude. He still had both sandwiches in front of him though, so he decided not to be chased away.

Rude would do just as well. "Was the last seat uncomfortable?" Mornings were never good anyway. That's why he slept through them whenever possible. The dean's company didn't make this morning any better though.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Leon's snark came as no surprise, and Rendaz gave no response other than a silent, half-lidded stare. Even the demon would know that it was a matter more than of uncomfortable chairs, responding would just add unnecessary fuel to the fires.

Slowly, he sipped on his drink, dragging out the silence for a few long moments, before turning to address him again. "Nice to see you up so early," he simply said, his expression neither approving nor disapproving. "I expect it's for a good cause?" His brow quirked with the slightest interest.

[Leon Barner]

Leon was bothered by the wait. Actually he wouldn't have cared if the ruckarl just didn't say anything at all. When he did, though, Leon mimicked him by taking several bites from his sandwich and chewing slowly before answering.

"What if it isn't?" Really there was no cause. Good, bad or otherwise. He finished off the first sandwich in one final bite, then added the true cause. "Birds."

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Well, it seemed that conversation they were about to have would be a lengthy one.  But that was fine, if they wanted to take things slowly and casually, then Rendaz certainly enjoyed drinking more than he did talking.  

"Birds, eh?" He squinted at the boy.  No, he didn't have a particularly bad figure, but his demeanour could make flowers wilt. The only kinds of birds he could snag were the blind, misguided and foolish. He stared for a moment more, before shaking his head.  He finished off the rest of his beverage, thudded it onto the table and stood up.  

"Mr Barner, would you mind coming with me for a moment?  I'm sure these birds of yours can wait." With a pleasant sneer, he twisted around to walk away, gesturing with a claw for the demon to follow.

[Leon Barner]

Ah, so it seemed the ruckarl actually did have a reason to come speak to him after all. It made Leon wish that he'd made a third sandwich or hadn't been so quick to finish off the first.

As the dean stood, Leon picked up the second sandwich and remained seated. He waited until Rendaz had turned and taken a few steps before speaking. "I'm eating." As a matter of fact, he did mind. He was in the middle of something now.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Considering Leon had a notorious reputation for being a pain the ass, Rendaz wasn't surprised at his refusal to follow. Of course, he would only be making his own situation even stickier.

"I can see that," he tartly responded, still standing and waiting for him.  "And if I cared about that, I wouldn't have asked." His hands slid to his elbows as his red stare remained fixed on the student expectantly.  

"Come with me," he repeated.  "Breakfast can wait."
He'd get one more chance.  Just one.

[Leon Barner]

Rendaz's insistence frustrated Leon. He'd just come up out of nowhere and now he was interrupting Leon's breakfast without even so much as an explanation. He wasn't in the mood for this right now.

Leon took the first bite of his second sandwich, seeming to ignore the ruckarl altogether. His tone was testier than he intended it to be after swallowing though. "For what?" He wouldn't have made a point of continuing to eat if he'd cared about whatever it was Rendaz wanted right now. Maybe it'd be different if knew what it was, but for now he kept eating in spite of Rendaz's impatience.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

...Well, Leon had used up all of his chances now. If Leon found it so impossibly difficult to let go of his sandwich and follow him, then so be it. If the will of the stomach was so much more overpowering than the command of authority, then fine.  Rendaz had no problem with it.

With a chuckle, he slowly started to stroll back towards the table, his grin all but pleasant. Then, he slammed both hands on the table in front of Leon, his cheerful demeanour disappearing in an instant.  "Listen, you repulsive maggot. If that thick skull of yours couldn't figure it out already, the only reason I'm asking you to follow is so that I wouldn't have to scold you in public. I guess that's not happening."

Smoke gushing from between his teeth, he pulled closer towards him, forcing his face into Leon's. "The coin has two sides, cretin. Disrespect me as authority, and I'll disrespect you as a student. This ain't like those shitty human schools.  You think your life is comfortable? Try hitting the streets. Only rats would appreciate your filthy company."

Various students in the room had stopped chattering amongst theirselves and had begun staring at the impending drama.
Rendaz paid no heed. "If you don't change your game, you are no longer welcome here, Leon."

[Leon Barner]

Leon simply looked Rendaz in the eyes until he seemed to be finished ranting, and even then he waited a few seconds longer to come up with a suitable response. Oh, Rendaz was publicly scolding him. It was almost as if the dean expected this to be as effective as it would be if he'd been a kindergartner. At the question of respect it took all he had to keep a snarky smirk off his lips.

"I can live without your respect. Actually, I think you put far too much faith in the respect your 'authority' is supposed to grant you automatically. If you ask me, I think relationships of mutual disrespect are more interesting than ones of mutual respect. Easier too. No obligations. As for your authority. Well, there's very little I actually care about. The opinions of the other students in this room certainly aren't included in that and neither is yours."

Leon couldn't stop thinking of how absolutely pathetic Rendaz was. Here was a dean starved of the respect of his students and hating every minute of it. He was right about one thing though. Lillegard was nothing like any human school he'd been to. If this had been a human school, he'd have been expelled a long time ago for the things he'd done up till now. Leon chose not to comment on this though, especially since Rendaz seemed to be voicing this as an actual threat.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz stared, perplexed by Leon's wordly speech. Well, he was certainly honest; a trait he found admirable for someone in his situation. But it was the only thing he found admirable; the rest of it was just a steaming pile of puke in the form of vocabulary. And when he finished, he was surprised; there was so much more that the demon left un-addressed.

"If you're quite done spewing all that garbled vomit, then I'd like to take the opportunity to bring some enlightenment into that dowdy head of yours." He raised a hand to hold Leon by his wrist, slowly urging it down towards the table. "It seems you've misunderstood me: I can very well live without your respect. You are of no advantage to me. If anything, you're a prick that oughta be put out of its misery."

"Are you aware where you are, Leon? This is Lillegard Castle. I run this place. It is a privilege staying here, not a right. I have generously bent over backwards maintaining this rotten place, fixing the results of your stupid shenanigans. I'm the one generous enough to allow you wise-asses in here in the first place. I'm one of reasons these filthy outcasts even have a place to call home!"

"And you," he narrowed his eyes.  "You disrespect me, then you disrespect all that this place stands for, and all what Everly intended. That is why you are unworthy of any respect from me." With a snort, he inhaled, before aiming a spit towards Leon's face. "From now, the rights of your room have been revoked - find some stinkin' cardboard box to sleep in. Feel free to rake the trashcans for food. No staff of mine will adhere to your call."

[Leon Barner]

Leon was about to take a bite from his sandwich out of pure disinterest for what Rendaz was saying, but the ruckarl's hand on his wrist made him stop. He met Rendaz's eyes in what appeared to be mild frustration.

What he had to say wasn't anything he hadn't heard at least once before. Something about respect, something about privileges as opposed to rights, more about respect. For everything that Rendaz was saying, all Leon really heard was the repetition of that one word that he supposedly wasn't concerned with. And Everly. He'd probably come across the ex-headmistress a grand total of one time between the time of his enrollment to the academy and the time of her passing. What did he know about Everly's intentions? For all he knew, they could have been as ambiguous as Kale's. Or Rendaz's for that matter.

Leon blinked in a flinch when Rendaz spat. He used one hand to wipe the saliva from his face as the ruckarl continued. Leon might have done something. Maybe throw the sandwich at his face in retaliation, since he apparently couldn't eat it anymore anyway. It would have been a suitable response for the spit in his face, anyway. He was too focused on appearing totally and completely unfazed by what Rendaz had just said though.

Leon stood in preparation to leave. "Fine." There was no trace of attitude to be found in the single syllable, just acceptance of what appeared to be a mere inconvenience to him rather than the punishment Rendaz obviously intended it to be. He often preferred to stay outside when he could anyway. No doubt it would raise issues in the colder seasons but he'd manage. He didn't need the school's services. He never did. With that, Leon turned away from Rendaz and left the breakfast room.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz had reason to doubt that the "fine" was actually a complete agreement.  But "fine" was better than "whatever." It was the first hint of Leon showing any obligation of doing what he was told. Not that that hint would be enough to change his mind.

Letting go of his wrist, he folded his arms, fingers curling around his upper arms, leering daggers into the boy's back until the moment he left the room.  It seemed the stubborn fool was more content with taking the plunge than ever admitting that he was wrong. He wondered why the demon even bothered staying sometimes.

He twisted around to face some of the students who were still staring.  He snorted. "Let that be an example to you all.  We do not tolerate disrespect."  With nothing more than a nod, he picked up his empty beverage, and went to refill it.

Before long, the chatter in the room slowly, uneasily resumed.

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