Paying a Visit (Demetra)

[Louis Pepperdine]

OOC- For Demetra and myself only.

My job was a simple, yet fulfilling one. The Director of Media. Now, this was what I liked to refer to as a 'power position.' I controlled absolutely everything that I wanted the school to see and hear. If I didn't want word of something getting out, it didn't get out. If I wanted to hype an event, everyone in the school would know about it. It was a perfect way for me to feel in control without having all the responsibility of a captain.

From what the grapevine had told me, this school's Director of Media, Damien Kross, was away on vacation out of state. Shame... I wanted to meet him. Alas, I still had my own agenda, and I needed to get the job done.

I found myself outside the media center, licking the lollipop on my mouth. I double-tapped the door with my knuckles, waiting for someone to let me in. I hoped that even though the Pillar was gone, someone was working in his absence to keep things afloat.

If not, it made my job a whole lot easier. If someone was here to give me problems though, then oh well... I don't mind inducing a few panic attacks. I may be refined, but if I have a job to get done, then so be it.

But being civil is so much for fashionable.

[Demetra Katsaros]

The inverted pyramid arrangement of news story format could suck my giants balls. Problem: I don't have a pair of those. How about tits? Yes, that'll have to do.

As I was glaring, a bit agitated, at recycled scraps of paper with short tidbits on a couple recent events I planned to cover that sprawled across the biggest desk in the media center (not to remain messy for long, of course; neat freaks like myself can't tolerate messiness for extended periods of time), I heard a knock at the door. Say what? People at this school actually knocked? The only reason I see for a person to assume knocking was appropriate was if there was a possibility of nudity on the other side of the door, in which case most students wouldn't give a rat's ass about and burst in anyway. Who here isn't interested in getting a peek at a hot piece of ass?

Well, there's me. But I was fully clothed, albeit a wife-beater (God, why are the damn tank tops called that? It creeps me out) and some loose sweat pants, so there wasn't an issue, unless the person on the other side happened to be naked.

With a quick swing of the door, sending a gust of air flying toward my face through the motion, the latter also proved to be a false plausibility. He looked like an Aryan. Not that I liked to give people labels or make assumptions based on appearance, yet around here, it was often safer to be observant and take hints before you were smacked in the face-- and I mean that quite literally.

"Hello, how may I help you?" I asked in a chipper polite voice. No sense in being rude, right?

[Louis Pepperdine]

The girl who answered the door was very pleasant in her greeting, but the messy state of the room and her poor choice in clothing sent her back a few pegs. Oh well, I knew what I'd be dealing with. I gave her a nice smile and removed the lollipop from my mouth, careful not to make a slurping sound.

"Hi, my name is Louis Pepperdine. I'm the Media Director from Masters Academy. I've been sent here as a replacement for Mister Damien Kross until he returns from his vacation." I said. Now, it wasn't exactly a lie... but was it stretching the truth? Yeah, teehee. "Are you his assistant?" I checked a small notepad in my pocket. Purple was nice enough to do some research and find out a couple names for me- hence the knowledge of Damien. "Uh, Demetra, is it? Pleasure to meet you." I extended my hand for a handshake.

Demetra seemed nice enough. Definitely had the look. But so much more mattered to me than just being nice and having a pretty face. My evaluations ran deep. While most boys would drool at the sight of this girl's massive chest, to me, they're just a couple of appendages that will lead to back surgery. Granted, they're nice appendages.

[Demetra Katsaros]

Ew-- lollipops. Most people don't realize that lollipops are a vegan no-no; after all, the piece of confectionery doesn't appear to be anything meat-like. However, most of the damn sticky candies are made with gelatin, a.k.a. collagen sucked right out of animal's skin, bones, internal organs, and occasionally intestines. And this guy acts like he's so classy. Ick.

I've spent enough time trying to convert people to veganism to realize it doesn't work very well, though. So 71% of beef has traces of feces in it? Meh, whatever. I'm fine with eating shit, as long as it tastes good (that's obviously meat-eaters response, not mine, mind you). My point is, I wasn't going to lecture blondie here about his sweet tooth, especially when he brought up a matter that was more immediately discussable. I may not have dressed for handling business affairs (if I want to be comfy, then I sure as hell am going to be comfy), and I could've swore that I detected some kind of disdain in his gaze, but my tongue was always ready to work.

"Yes, I'm Demetra," I confirmed as I shook his hand, a weary expression clear on my face. "It's nice to meet you, Louis, but um, I'm not so sure that you can just walk in here and take over Damien's position." The only reason I could think of that he would expect this to be a legitimate and smooth process was if he happened to be a good old buddy of Mr. Kross and had been told he could get cozy in the 42 Media Director's place. Still, I needed to be cautious. Pillar positions equaled power, and power screwed people up. "If anyone gets to be Damien's replacement, it's me. I might just be titled as an assistant, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm next in line. I'm more qualified to handle media affairs than anyone else in this school, including yourself. Even if others know techniques for the main medium we use here, I can't just let random people come in here and potentially abuse the system to spread propaganda for their own gain." Now, I didn't outright saw I didn't trust the guy. In fact, I didn't have too much against him thus far (excluding the sucker in his mouth); it was just that I wasn't naive enough to let any person, newcomer or not, mess around with communication mechanisms like the Weekly Whammy.

"However, if you're really dedicated to the common goal of creating a more informed and knowledgeable student body, or encouraging participation in worthy events, you can be MY assistant while Mr. Kross is gone, provided you can give substantial evidence of your talents in the journalistic field. "

[Louis Pepperdine]

Hm, she was good at doing her job. Protecting the media outlet from outsiders was a necessary part of the job, and Demetra was doing it perfectly. However, what the young vegan failed to take into account was that I had methods for taking this position. Was there any way for her to know? Of course not.

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper- simple, blank paper. At least to me. Making use of my abilities, this simple piece of paper would appear to be a legal document, signed by none other than Mr. Purple himself, Daniel Brosid. The document would detail the necessity of the change in command. It would continue to explain my skills in broadcasting and the messages that needed to be delivered. Even a signature would be fabricated at the bottom, the red ink setting it apart from the typed lettering.

"I understand your position, but I'm afraid this is a command from Mr. Brosid himself." I shrugged. "I know it's a tough pill to swallow... but business is business." I would hand the paper over to her- the illusion remaining even as the paper changed hands. Yes, I was good. Very good.

[Demetra Katsaros]

Fucking aye. This was worse than I expected. Pepperdine here didn't have approval from Damien; he had something even better-- permission from that crazy-ass mofo who had wanted kids to go to school seven days a week, if I remembered correctly. Boy, does authority piss me off. But this was something I couldn't exactly tackle. The document looked legit, and there was nothing I could do to prove otherwise. What was I going to say? "Oh, uh, I need to see Mr. Brosid's signature on other crap to compare"? It wasn't like I've never seen people forge signatures. Students did it all the time for field trip slips and report cards and whatever else they might need. But it'd be pretty daring to march up to me with a fake signature and claim the position. That kind of thing required balls (what is it with me and testicles today? I need to make new analogies).

"Alright, that looks legit. There's still some stuff I'd like to work out, though." He must have a reason he wanted to speak to me. After all, he knocked, as if he was expecting somebody to be here, and if he was really taking over, he would have gotten to work pretty quickly without the formalities. Plus, he knew my name. He needed me for something, and I could use that to my advantage. Was it the equipment? Knowledge of our system? Not everyone would know how to broadcast themselves across the channel designated for the school for our main medium to reach the student body in their class. "I want to talk to that Brosid myself, firstly to verify that you are qualified to handle this department, even with your broadcasting skills, and can be trusted more than me, and secondly to argue that I can handle the position."

I know how to work a debate, and I sure as hell know how to start a protest if I don't get my way. Demetra Katsaros was a force to be reckoned with, you can bet your balls on that.

Getting away from balls, now... "Do you have his cell number or something so I can contact him? I mean, I don't want to sound bitchy for taking what you think you deserve, but I need to be certain his judgement was good, otherwise I'll be paranoid for the rest of your stay." Worst-case scenario was that this guy was actually trying to corrupt the school for his own means ('cause, you know, there's nothing better than a bunch of teenagers under your control, even after you have all the monetary power that you could possibly want), and that he had bribed Purple to sign the paper. Bribing was NOT my forte.

[Louis Pepperdine]

"Not a problem at all." I smiled.

Oh, she wanted to speak to Purple? Well, that shouldn't be an issue. I pulled a sleek cell phone from my pocket and went through my list of contacts, finding one labeled Purple-Brosid. I handed the phone over to her.

"To dial, just press the little green phone button. That'll dial him." I waited patiently for her to make the call. I knew she'd probably have some questions for him, but Daniel Brosid was no fool. Even with no knowledge of this coming, he'd know two things. One, this call was coming from MY number, which he has stored. Second, as soon as he realizes it isn't me, he's going to go along with it.

She could talk for hours, and still, anything he says will be exactly what my document says. Words are vague. Improvisation fills many gaps. "Take your time." I said, letting her know we were in no rush.

[Demetra Katsaros]

I was getting agitated. Louis did not appear the least bit distressed about me contacting Brosid, which meant that Purple had indeed verified the document I was shown. Pepperdine was either thought to be a worthy media director, or Mr. Brosid was bribed (I know, it sounds sick that a school administrator could be bought out by the right amount of cash, but hey, they can have mouths to feed as well, and the district doesn’t pay much of its workers particularly well; I don’t condone it, but I wouldn’t be surprised).

Wait. It could be something else entirely: Mr. Purple could be using Louis as a tool to execute more incongruous plans for our disorderly and wayward public high school. Could this be a scheme that was above me? Was it really alright to accept whatever decision Brosid made, knowing that some dreadful plot could be rising up, and it would therefore be my fault for not stopping it before it occurred? Of course, this was beginning to sound like a conspiracy theory, and while I rather enjoyed delving into the possibility of the aforementioned from time to time on a given matter (like, say, the government), there was often a lack of proof to validate such notions, and I wasn’t stupid enough to jump to conclusions. You know what they say about people who assume; they make an ass out of… Ugh. Gotta stay focused.

“Thank you,” I replied awkwardly as I took the phone, not saying anything as he described how it worked, as if I wasn’t familiar with the technology of the cellular device. “Hello, Mr. Brosid? This is Demetra Katsaros, Director of Media assistant at Public High School Forty-Two. I’m sorry to disturb you if you’re busy, but I would like to discuss a matter with you about the replacement of Damien Kross, the current Media Director of our school.”

[Mr. Purple]

"Yes... Yes, thank you very much." Mr. Purple spoke into the phone, ending the call with an angry business man from across town. It took an hour of convincing, but Purple was able to work through another batch of misinformation. With a sigh, Daniel was able to put the phone down...

-just to have it ring again.

"Oh for the love of-" Daniel picked up the phone. Caller I.D. tol me it was Masters Academy's Director of Media, Louis Pepperdine. This had better be good. "Hello Louis. What can I do for you?" He spoke very warmly and officially.

“Hello, Mr. Brosid? This is Demetra Katsaros, Director of Media assistant at Public High School Forty-Two. I’m sorry to disturb you if you’re busy, but I would like to discuss a matter with you about the replacement of Damien Kross, the current Media Director of our school.”

What in the hell? Okay, this was not Pepperdine. It was the Director of Media from... Fourty-two. Interesting. Apparently, something is amiss with the entire operation. Clever bastard is probably knee-deep in his magic. Okay, time to play along.

"Ah, hello Miss Katsaros. Yes, I've seen you on my records. I'm sorry to have this be conducted so informally, but Louis Pepperdine has been sent to officially replace Mister Kross. He has some important information regarding changes in school code, so he will be using your broadcasting to get this changes across." Purple was quite good at lying. "I assure you, Louis will only be there for a week or so. This is not a permanent change. If Mister Kross returns during this time, if he has any problems, he can call me and work all this out."

Ugh, Louis, what did you get yourself into this time?

"Have a nice day Ms. Katsaros." Purple would say at the end of the conversation before hanging up. "Well... at least he's doing his job." Daniel would say to himself, resuming his daily duties.

[Demetra Katsaros]

"I understand, Mr. Brosid. Thank you," I replied into the phone before pressing the end button. Psht. I shouldn't have even said thank you. There was nothing to be thankful about. Purple didn't tell me jack shit. All I knew now was that he wanted Louis to replace Damien. He didn't even have the decency to explain why-- which probably meant he didn't want me to know why. What possibly made lollipop sucker boy more qualified than me? I'm fucking capable of handling the media department, and whatever I couldn't do could wait until I was able to contact Damien, or until he came back. Hell, Brosid didn't even give me a chance to explain why I was a better candidate than Louis.

However, it wasn't in my authority to do whatever I felt like. If I fought this too hard, I could lose what little power I did have, which actually meant a lot to me, considering the goals I had set for myself and for the student body. I'd have to keep an eye on Pepperdine, but I could at least see what he was trying to do before putting a stop to his work altogether. Perhaps I didn't have anything to worry about.

I handed Louis back his cell phone. "Well, I'm beat. Congratulations, temporary Media Director. What's your first order of business?"

[Louis Pepperdine]

Well, that was dealt with. I put the forged document back into my pocket and gave Demetra a smile. She seemed to have a certain fire- the kind that almost made up for her attending this shit-hole of a school.

"Thank you Demetra." I made a point of using her first name. "First off, I'd just like you to give me a quick look around the place. This is my first time here and since I may be doing this for a week or so, I just wanna make everything familiar."

I wanted to make this portion of my duty as pleasurable as possible. Having this girl be unruly would be a hindrance. I felt it proper to try and make this initial meeting work out.

"And I am sorry. This must be a terribly awkward position for you. I just want you to know this isn't saying anything negative about you or your abilities." I extended my hand. "I hope there won't be any bad feelings between us."

If she took my hand, I would gently kiss the top of it. I was unsure why I made a habit of it... First the two girls yesterday, now Miss Katsaros... I would have to use quite a bit of Listerine when I get home today. Icky middle class people.

[Demetra Katsaros]

[OOC- I'm not sure what the media center is supposed to look like, and yeah, I was even dorky enough to scan through Damien's old posts to see if there was a description of it somewhere, so I'm going to use my lovely brain. XD]

I took his hand again, expecting another handshake, but instead he kissed it. My eyes slid up to the corner of the wall, not particularly interested. Sure, it was a rather unusual gesture, given the circumstances, as well as the fact that he was just a teenager (one who wasn't so mature that he couldn't help himself to a lollipop-- and no, I'm not going to let that go, in case you're wondering). Other girls might have been swept off their feet by the gentlemanly motion, but I was not easily swayed. Some douche could pants me right now (yes, my sweatpants are easily removable), and I wouldn’t blush a bit. I might call him a chauvinistic pig and loudly lecture him about a woman’s right to privacy and respect for the bodies of other human beings until his ears bled, but my cheeks wouldn’t change a single hue. Embarrassment? Not for me.

“Aren’t you the charming one?” I commented as I returned my gaze to his face.

“Anyway, for the room. It also serves as a classroom, as you can see,” I waved my arm over the rows of chairs and desks, the kind that were attached to each other so each student had his/her own desk, as well as a spot underneath to place a textbook, along over to the disorganized teacher’s desk where I had strips of papers with sentences and small numbers that were supposed to order their importance. Along the walls were more large desks, ones that could fit about two students, with computers sitting atop them. Yup, our school managed to afford some decent technology! “Those PCs are available for both editing and research. We get internet access in here, but don’t make the mistake of trusting every site you go to. I can help you with credibility, if you like.”

I then pointed to the back of the room, behind all the student desks, where there were two doors. “The one on the left is for junk and extra equipment—wires and cords and such. I actually don’t go in there often, since that’s not my field of expertise.”

Behind the other door was the fun part. I turned to Louis and grinned. “Now the one on the right is probably the best part about this place, as far as you’re concerned.” I walked over and opened the door. Inside were yet more computers resting atop desks in an L formation (though the bottom part of the L would be a bit stubby), across from which was a green-painted wall, obviously a green screen. A tripod stood facing the aforementioned wall, but there was no camera atop it for filming. Long desks and a few chairs were arranged in front like an anchor desk, making the perfect setup for the Weekly Whammy. “This is where a lot of the action goes down, aside from the filming done around campus.”

I was a little nervous about keeping him there too long, in case he wanted to get right to work as Media Director, so I headed out toward the door of the classroom, which lead to a conjoined room to enter another class. “That’s a Creative Writing class,” I informed Louis. “Not that they really have anything to do with here, but if you need good writers, I’m sure you can pick ‘em up in there.” I leaned in the doorway of the media center, near a bookshelf with various novels and other leisurely material. “So that’s about it. Anything else you want to know about?”

[Louis Pepperdine]

Their media center was... ahem, a courageous "attempt" at a proper building... But Masters Academy had much more than this school could ever hope for. Such a shame... I was hoping for a better facility, but alas, my hopes were too high. I suppose I'll have to make due with this inferior room.

"No Demetra, your explanation did just fine. Now, here's my question." I looked to her. "About how long would it take for an episode of your..." I checked the notecard in my jacket. "...'Weekly Whammy' to be filmed? Three days including editing time?" That sounded fair to me. "I'd like to get started on this as soon as possible. The faster we do this, the faster I'm out of your hair... I don't like being a bother."

Though that wasn't the reason, I had no intention of remaining in this sludge pit for very long. The faster I got my messages out, the better... Three days was even a stretch for this... I was quite an editor myself, so my segment could be finished by that night... I pray I wasn't expecting too much of these drones. I'd hate for them to ruin my carefully laid out plans.

I'd be a sad young man.

[Demetra Katsaros]

I slumped into a chair as Louis spoke. I wasn't just resting-- it was a very conscious decision. The fact that I was no longer upright indicated a shift in power; he was given a sense of jurisdiction because I had literally lowered myself, and plus, even without the height difference, as I was naturally shorter than many people anyway, he still had the freedom to move, while I was now confined to a desk. Of course, I wasn't really handing him dominance just yet. I just wanted my body language to give off that impression, even if it was subtle. Theater productions are blocked this way all the time, and as far as I was concerned, this was still my stage, and Louis was merely a player.

"That's all very relative," I answered, leaning my chin into my hand, propped up by my elbow against the desk to allow me to look up at him and bat my pretty eyes. It sounds fun, but I really am only partially into it. "You're being very vague with what you want to accomplish and how you plan on doing it, Mr. Pepperdine. Much of the broadcasting is done live, I believe, and if not, it can probably be filmed in a day or so, right before it airs. It will go even smoother if you know exactly what and how you're going to say it, and since you appear fairly articulate, I imagine you won't require too many takes, lest you have stage fright." I smiled innocently, baring perfect, white teeth. Oh yeah, my braces faze was over years ago, so my toothy grin was quite lovely when I decided to use it.

"Other footage, however, might take much more time, depending where you want to film it, how many people on hand you have to help you, what editing may need to be done, and so forth. If you're going to conduct interviews, you might have to go around the interviewees' schedules, and certain shots of the school, or even other locations, will have to be planned around the time of day, both for crowd and lighting purposes. Additionally, you're going to want to take some time to plot out exactly what you want, which will make shooting and editing much quicker. So yes, it can be done in three days, but it can also be done in less or more." I tilted my head to the side. "You have a story or two in mind already, though, don't you?"

[Louis Pepperdine]

I smiled as she spoke- she wanted to know more... Would I tell her anything? No, of course not. These things were on a need to know basis and miss Katsaros definitely did not need to know. Savvy? Mhm.

"I don't mean to keep you in the dark or anything Demetra, but I want to keep what I know in my lil head. Don't worry though, it's nothing bad." I smiled. "As far as the footage, I already have it filmed. I can have it edited by tomorrow."

I figured this should all begin as soon as possible. I would have to begin the operation tomorrow is the schedule was going to be followed. Ugh, such a pain... Oh well.

"Well Demetra, thank you for taking some time to show me around." I approached her and extended my hand. "I hope we'll be able to produce some quality television in the next few days." I smiled. I would hand over a business card with my phone number on it. "Do me a favor and give me your phone number either later today or tomorrow. I would now, but I really must get going."

I would follow the pleasantries and leave the room, eager to leave this hellhole for today. I needed to go home and wash all this school's filth and grime off of me... I've had just about enough of it's toxicity for today.