Violent Shades of Blue [Open]

[cryptina]

She'd been right in assuming that she'd awaken with a headache. She'd turned in for the night with a steady pounding behind her right eye that had kept her awake, staring at her clock, for two hours. She'd pulled herself from slumber, drank far too many cups of coffee and managed her way through early morning with the headache threatening to explode. And she'd situated herself in her office, leafing through files after a quick stop at the Nurse's station where she'd downed a handful of aspirin.

She'd managed to miss Ben during her walk through the hallway, which was surprising, though not disappointing. Mornings spent conversing with him often led to such headaches. His incessant rambling would have only managed to delve the pain deeper, turning it into a full blown migraine.

She had half an hour before her new daily routine of teaching would begin. She was perfectly content to sit in her office, reading up on the handful of students who were about to become the guinea pigs of Benjamin Linus. She'd been through several of the files already over the last few days, jotting down notes here and there as she deemed fit. She was pulling out her pen to begin the process all over again on the file of Ana-Lucia, combing through the usual type-written papers with a scrutinizing eye and readying to dissect what she was perusing.

So of course she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

[Benjamin Linus]

Only a half an hour until the school year officially began. Ben had been up since about three in the morning, combing over the student files a few more times, cogs whirring in his brain as he committed their lives to memory. Instant recall was one of Ben's more useful skills.

After that had begun to bore him - and he'd memorized everything - he went over the teacher files. Yes, there were files for the teachers. They weren't exactly... aware... of their existence, but they didn't need to know about the files. Ben had a feeling that this year would bring another mental tug-of-war with Juliet Burke, who seemed to delight in throwing wrenches into plans.

But Ben had backup plans. Thankfully.

By the present-time - a half an hour before the students' boat docked at the pier - Ben was beginning to feel the adrenaline in his system. A new batch of students was coming, and, hopefully, they'd fare a little better than the last group. Ben had high hopes for these students, though. They seemed more... desperate... than the last. Ben left his office, no longer able to sit still. A plan was in motion, after all.

Ben found his feet carrying him to Juliet's office. It didn't suprise him. Despite being somewhat hard to deal with at times, Ben had a certain fondness for her. And since he didn't see her in the hallway - unusual, yes, but Ben had spent about six hours in his office alone, reading through the night - he figured he'd drop in. Ask how she was doing. Probe her brain. Maybe manipulate her a bit.

Ben knocked on her office door before looking at his dusty shoes. Mental note to self: wipe off shoes before assembly.

[cryptina]

Juliet pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger, debating on whether she should be courteous enough to open the door... or if it could possibly be considered rude to just call out a generic granted permission. Whomever was on the other side clearly deemed her privacy important enough to knock. So she stood, dropping the manila folder on her desk and circled around the wooden furniture.

It was only a few steps from the desk to the door, but it granted her enough time to pull her blonde locks back into a loose bun. Juliet opened the door with her free hand,bringing her eye-to-eye with Ben, while she finished adjusting the knot at the nape of her neck.

She could feel the downwards tug of the corner of her mouth. Her headache reminded, then and there, that such a situation could clearly become too close for comfort. Juliet stood with one hand on the doorknob and one foot behind the door, keeping the barrier between them open enough to speak with him... but closed enough that it was crystal clear that an open invitation was non-existent.

"Ben," she said, swallowing the lump in her throat that decided to plague her at that very moment, "How can I help you this morning?"

She couldn't help the small sigh that escaped her as she gazed at him, trying to keep her features void of emotion. Pleasantries.

[Benjamin Linus]

Juliet was definitely a master of the non-verbal cue, Ben realized as she opened the door just wide enough to not seem rude. At the same time, it was apparent that Juliet would rather be anywhere else than talking to him.

Off to a tremendous start here, I see, Ben thought, a little bitter about Juliet's coldness.

She was tying up her hair in a bun, seeming a bit busy. Maybe she was trying to busy herself in an effort to divert attention away from her pointed non-verbal hint.

"Ben. How can I help you this morning?"

Minor pleasantries. Ben had nothing against them, when they didn't sound forced. Juliet seemed to be straining, and the small sigh she emitted implied that, yes, she didn't want to be bothered. Too late for that. Ben smiled, looking at Juliet's emotionless face. It was amazing how pretty she looked, even when her facial expression was a mask to cover darker emotions.

"Juliet," Ben greeted briefly before getting down to business. "I'm sure you're aware that term starts today." Ben scowled inwardly. OBVIOUSLY she was aware term started today. Ben had made it pretty damn clear that TERM STARTED TODAY. Pleasantries. Ben had nothing against them, but he didn't have any real good-will towards them, either. "I'm going to be wandering the grounds a lot today." Ben noticed the files on Juliet's desk, neat and orderly. "Since you've been reading the student files, I'm sure you're aware that we'll have our hands full with a few of them. And... well, I don't really need to continue. I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind, if you could lead the informational assembly in my place."

[cryptina]

Juliet blinked and, as the words were processed into a sentence she understood, blinked again. Her grip loosened on the doorknob and she took a step backwards, allowing the small open space between them to grow. Of all the questions he could have possibly asked, inquiring about leading the assembly had been the least expected. Thus she couldn't answer with her normally rushed nod and smile... in fact, she could feel the forced smile (reserved for use mostly around Benjamin Linus) slipping from her face.

Her mind began dissecting the question, as it often did with his words. She'd learned over the past few years that nothing Ben said aloud voiced his actual intentions. There was always something behind his words... something laced into his side of the colloquy that could somehow be used against whomever he was speaking with. More and more it seemed as if she was one of his primary targets... but then maybe that was what he only wanted her to think.

Vicious circles.

Juliet's headache made itself remembered. It caused her to narrow her eyes at him in question. What could he possibly gain if she accepted his offer. What would she lose if she declined? Not willing to give him a hurried answer, though she was certain he would not want to be kept waiting, Juliet tilted her head at him. She replaced the hint of a frown with a burdened smile.

"You've led that assembly since I've been here, Ben," she responded, her blue eyes leery to leave his gaze for even a split second, "Why the sudden change?"

[Benjamin Linus]

Ben watched Juliet step away from him, her smile slipping away. He knew what she was doing, or trying to do: decipher why he was forcing her to do this. In actuality, Ben prefered to use the term "inviting", but a spade was a spade. She narrowed her eyes. Ben smirked a little before his face slipped back into its pleasant facade.

"You've led that assembly since I've been here, Ben. Why the sudden change?"

Sudden change? Was he really that suspicious?

Ben laughed mentally. Yes, he really was that suspicious. That was part of the mystique, after all. If you never knew when someone was being nonchalant, if everything they did, no matter how innocuous, could be seen as part of a greater manipulation... Ben took great pride in his work, and although Juliet had been a bit harder to crack (not to mention a fair bit more attractive than most of his other studies), she was showing signs of weakening.

"I know, and I'll regret missing it," Ben said wistfully. "But I think this group might react better to you than me."

Ben conveniently left out that he'd purposely installed a weak lock on his office door, left out a few innocuous student files, and placed a hunting knife in plain view of the doorway, expecting at least one student to try and break in. And the ensuing encounter would be sufficient enough to start dividing and forming loyalties between students surreptitiously...

"And I think we have a drug addict coming in, so..." Ben made a pained face. "I kind of want to take care of that as soon as I can..."

Neglecting to mention that there was also at least two felons also due to land at Oceanic High, Ben glanced at the clock in Juliet's office. He still had time. "It's for the best, Juliet."