Dare to Disagree Finished Closed

Interacting with @Jack Burnett

Stella gave a small sigh as she entered the library, noting that it was pretty bare save for a few Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and a Slytherin who appeared to be paging through The Basic Book of Spells and taking notes. Smart, she thought to herself. He was preparing himself so he could be ahead of the game. Although, as the ginger boy flipped through the book, Stella noted that he looked a little confused at all of the information.

Perhaps he's muggle-born her conscience chimed in smartly, and Stella immediately knew who this was. She recognized him from a few of her classes-- they hadn't interacted, but she'd definitely seen his face before. Her housemates had warned her about him-- That one definitely matches the description of a Slytherin, a first year had said with distaste. Don't let that kind looking face fool you, another had cautioned. "Oh, how bad can he possibly be?" Stella had replied, shaking her head in disbelief. To think that people would make up their minds about someone's personality so fast without actually giving them a shot! Don't say we didn't warn you The first had said before returning back to work as Stella rolled her eyes. She could have easily been a Slytherin, but her trusting attitude had initially overruled all of her Slytherin-like qualities, she'd muttered to herself as she worked. And thank goodness for that! The other Hufflepuff had told her. Slytherins are sneaky and untrustworthy. We Huffles should never find ourselves engaging with them. They will drag. You. Down.

Stella shuddered before pushing those thoughts aside and venturing into the library. She wouldn't believe what her housemates had said about the snake house. Everyone, no matter which Hogwarts house they were sorted into, had the ability within them to be good. And, since they had that ability, why would they choose anything else? Kindness was always the better alternative.

Stella sat herself down at a table a bit away from the boy-- Jack Burnett, she recalled from the memory of the other first year Hufflepuffs warning her away from him-- and started working, trying her best to stay focused on her own Charms homework and not looking at anything else. But, as she continued to glance up, she noticed Jack every time, and each time he looked as if he were becoming more confused. It can't hurt to give him a little help, Stella thought, her brows knitting together as her quill paused on the parchment. I'll just go over and offer my help. If he doesn't want it, he'll kindly decline and I'll go back to my own work. Surely, that must be how it would go down. Stella didn't see why it wouldn't. She believed that everyone should always be civil and polite. Never rude or harsh. She packed up her homework and stood from her seat.

Walking over, Stella gently rapped her knuckles on the surface of the table Jack was working at to catch his attention. Once she'd waited a moment and had seen the smallest hint of acknowledgment,
Stella cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak. "Hi. You're Jack Burnett, right? I recognize you from some of my classes.." Her Scottish accent altered her words a bit, but she was fairly certain her words were still understandable. She'd been able to communicate with her peers so far with no difficulty. "I was just doing my Charms homework at a table not far away from here, and I couldn't help but notice that you appear to be a bit distressed as you've been working on yours. If you'd like, I could help you..?" She offered kindly, four feet seven inches of genuine Hufflepuff friendliness. 'You're too trusting, Stella' Her father's voice, surfacing to the front of her mind, chided sternly. Stella shook her head in the slightest and pushed the memory away. She was trying to focus on helping Jack. That was her top priority right now, no matter the fact that she'd never once before talked to him or gotten a good opinion on his personality-- she didn't even know his personality. But she was about to!

Interacting with @Stella Dawson

The soft rap of knuckles on the tabletop drew the boy's gaze from his book. At first he'd thought it was just someone's idle gesture, but then noticed that the one responsible was bearing down on him with her full and undivided attention. Furthermore, she spoke his name - first and last.

"You...recognize me?" He repeated, astonished, as hazel eyes flickered from her house colors to her ridiculously good-natured countenance. First of all, she and he weren't even in the same house, so she wouldn't have had the chance to just casually see him around as often as she would have another Hufflepuff. If she recognized him, she must have had a pretty good memory - or else, a particular reason for keeping him in mind. Second, not only did she recognize him, she evidently memorized his whole name, which put the cautious first year on edge immediately. He had too many enemies already to not be wary. What did this girl want from him?

Eyes of chocolate brown, burgundy red locks, and that accent...come to think of it, he thought he might have recognized her too, since she seemed to stand out quite a bit. Friendly, kind, always trying to help everyone - exactly the sort of person he went out of his way to avoid. And yet here she was, standing there with more knowledge of him than he was comfortable with her knowing. Nevertheless, he put on a pleasant smile. Despite the unease that her information of him brought, he also couldn't help feeling a bit flattered that someone had bothered to learn his face and name at all, let alone offer him help.

No! he yelled at himself internally. People like her are dangerous! This is exactly why you've steered clear of her all this time. Don't let her get to you! Stay focused. He couldn't let her know he feared her, though; his pride wouldn't allow it. All he had to do was discourage her a little, right? With any luck, by the time this conversation ended, she'd go away and regret ever having thought to talk to him in the first place.

Before he could question her motives, she was already explaining. "I was just doing my Charms homework at a table not far away from here, and I couldn't help but notice that you appear to be a bit distressed as you've been working on yours. If you'd like, I could help you..?"

She noticed he looked distressed? Normally he liked to think he was better about concealing his thoughts, opinions, and emotions when he wanted to. But in this case, how could he have expected anyone around to be so unnervingly observant to have paid attention to his expression, much less be worried about him?

It could have been a lie. she could have been playing a prank on him or have lost a bet or had someone put her up to it. But the more he looked her over and thought back to the glimpses he'd had of her before, the more he doubted it. She was far too genuine - and that concerned him more than any ulterior motives she could have otherwise had. What was the Hufflepuff house all about again? Hard work and...friendship? Was that what she was trying to do; make friends? Or did she just pity him? If he was lucky, maybe she was just making fun of him. Anything - anything but her just choosing to be kind out of the goodness of her heart.

To Jack, kindness was one of the most deadly weapons one could weild because, in his experience, there was no way to combat it. He never understood kind people, either, and it creeped him out. Their logically unsound ways terrified the heck out of him. Their behavior and choices went against the very laws of nature and the main instinct of any creature to survive. But he couldn't think about that too much right now; it would only highten his panic. All he had to do at the moment was to take deep breaths and keep calm. Outwardly, at the very least.

"Wow, that's really considerate of you to notice. Not to mention kind of you to offer," he answered with a smile, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "But as it turns out, whatever distress you've noticed has nothing to do with this." He waved his hand over his textbook. "Anyway..." Jack clasped his hands together and leaned back in his chair, looking up at her once more with a friendly smile. "...as flattered as I am that you recognize me and know my name, we're still virtually strangers. Why would you bother wasting your time on me when you could be spending it on yourself?"

Interacting with @Jack Burnett

"You...recognize me?"

He repeated, his gaze travelling over her. Stella crossed her arms subconsciously, seeming to hug her body a little, but still keeping the smile on her face. If there was one thing Stella could always be doing non-stop, it was definitely smiling. No matter if it was the genuine, kind smile that was currently on display, or the coy, sly smirk she sometimes donned-- She always had a grin of sorts on her lips. Unless she was upset or annoyed, she never stopped smiling(and she did her best to keep smiling even if she was upset.)

"Wow, that's really considerate of you to notice. Not to mention kind of you to offer," he answered with a smile, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "But as it turns out, whatever distress you've noticed has nothing to do with this." He waved his hand over his textbook. [color=#e69138]"Anyway..."[/color] Jack clasped his hands together and leaned back in his chair, looking up at her once more with a friendly smile. "...as flattered as I am that you recognize me and know my name, we're still virtually strangers. Why would you bother wasting your time on me when you could be spending it on yourself?"

It took a moment for Stella to register this-- what exactly did he mean by that? Stella wasn't one to be selfish-- she was more selfless. She always had been-- she enjoyed doing things nice for others, and didn't know what it was like to act selfishly-- which was probably another thing about her that made the sorting hat sort her into Hufflepuff over Slytherin.

"Because that's not the kind of person that I am." She replied softly, her mind again travelling to the memory of her father's brief pep talk to her before she'd boarded the train. You can't always let your heart decide, Stella. Well, joke's on you, she'd thought. Her heart always won over when it came to helping others. And her heart had told her to offer her help to Jack. "If I see someone in distress, I want to help them." She added, her tone slightly implying that she thought everyone should do this-- and she did. The world was bad enough as it was. Why make it worse by throwing away the opportunity to always choose kindness?

"And, I'm aware that we're virtually strangers and I have no reason to try and help you, but I'd like to anyway. It's not some sort of joke I'm pulling, or something that I'm doing to satisfy myself. Believe me, I know what you're thinking." She laughed a little bit. Slytherins, she'd been told, were very clever and tended to overanalyze things. They were cautious that way. Stella sometimes did that--She had her own experiences of contemplating every single possibility. What tone had her father written to her in? Was he his normal self, or was there emotion behind those scrawled words? Or, perhaps, was she just driving herself insane? While that last one was the most probable, Stella did worry about her father finding out about the things she'd done behind her parents' back-- Joining the LGBTQIA club, joining a study group, and now trying to befriend a Slytherin. What would they think of all of that?

But that wasn't important at the moment. Sure, Jack had said that he wasn't distressed over his homework, but he was still distressed nevertheless. And Stella wasn't about to let that go. "You said that the homework isn't what's causing your distress. If I may ask, what is causing your distress? I may be able to help you." She said kindly, her smile still on her face as per the usual. Never ending, it was permanently fixed on her lips as she stood there, leaning a bit against the table with her hip and focusing her gaze on Jack. He had her full, undivided attention.

Interacting with @Stella Dawson

If nothing else, Jack had to admire the Hufflepuff's determination to keep smiling. He himself was of the opinion that it was important never to let others know if they were getting to you. Smiling worked as both a mask to conceal unpleasant emotions and simultaneously projected confidence, regardless of whether that confidence was real or not. It could work to both intimidate one's enemies as well as encourage one's friends at the same time. Besides, one was never fully dressed without a smile. He wondered absently how long the girl could keep it up.

"I don't understand," the Slytherin boy said, still smiling, after she told him she wasn't that kind of person. "Everyone is that kind of person. It goes against human nature not to be. In fact, it goes against the nature of all living things not to be. Are you sure you don't have some ulterior motive in mind?" He tilted his head, raising a brow. "Even if it's subconscious?"

The suggestion that he was in distress caused his brows to crease slightly, but his smile remained undaunted. He closed his book and turned his body in his chair to give her his full attention, keeping eye-contact while remaining silent until she was finished. You know what I'm thinking? he thought. Do you really?

If she had, he imagined she wouldn't have still been asking him what was causing his distress. Jack laughed, leaning back in his chair as he casually draped his arm over the back of it. "Honestly? The cause of my distress are people like you. I don't understand you or the way you work. You're so self-destructive. Are you masochistic, or just messed up in the head?"

(Oh, this will be fun )

Interacting with @Jack Burnett

"I don't understand," the Slytherin boy said, still smiling, after she told him she wasn't that kind of person. "Everyone is that kind of person. It goes against human nature not to be. In fact, it goes against the nature of all living things not to be. Are you sure you don't have some ulterior motive in mind?" He tilted his head, raising a brow. "Even if it's subconcious?"

Stella was confused by this, and her smile faltered in the slightest before she firmly set it back on her lips and bit her tongue in thought. She could tell he didn't trust her-- but why? She was 95% sure that she was a better trust worthy candidate than any of his Slytherin friends-- or, at least that was what she'd been told by her fellow Huffles.. which had been the ones who'd initially warned Stella away from Jack in the first place, so she wasn't sure if that was exactly one hundred percent true-- but she at least believed over half of it! She'd just fabricated her response to this-- No, of course she didn't have any ulterior motives-- when Jack closed his book, turned to face her, and continued on.

Jack laughed, leaning back in his chair as he casually draped his arm over the back of it. "Honestly? The cause of my distress are people like you. I don't understand you or the way you work. You're so self-destructive. Are you masochistic, or just messed up in the head?"

O-kay, Stella thought, startled by the boy's words and more than a little insulted. Don't let him get to you, She told herself as she stubbornly continued to keep the smile cemented to her lips and took a few deep breaths. "I think you'll be surprised to find that neither of those things apply to people who choose to be kind," She said at length, her tone just the same as it was before, just a bit more cautious. She couldn't lose her cool in the middle of the library. The library was for nice, quiet, and civil conversations-- if there were conversations at all. "In fact, they do it out of the goodness of their hearts-- at least, I do, anyway. I don't understand why you see kind people self-destructive when all they wish to do is help others and put others' needs before their own." She continued, her hands balling into fists as she kept her arms crossed how they were and held her lips into a smile, although it had lost just a hint of its usual glow. "But it sounds like you've had previous experiences with kind people, and bottling up thoughts like that can't be good for your health. Would you like me to assist you to the Headmaster's office? Perhaps he would be able to help you resolve whatever dislike and distrust that you have against genuinely nice people." Ah, there. The slightest hint of annoyance had begun to seep into Stella's tone at the end of that last sentence. Why was this Slytherin so against her? She'd been told that, surprisingly, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs usually got along pretty well, though they were polar opposites. Surely not, Stella thought now as she continued to give Jack her full attention and hold her smile on her face. This one's a bit of an ass. No wonder everyone warned me about him... No matter-- it's nothing I can't handle. She thought decidedly, unfisting her hands and letting them fall to her sides.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. I would like to help you in any way possible--out of the goodness of my heart. I don't have any 'ulterior motives', as you say. I'm not trying to make fun of you or trick you at all-- just ask anyone else who knows me. They'll tell you the same thing. I actually have a few I can recommend on the spot, if you'd rather trust someone else's words over mine."

@Stella Dawson

At her response, Jack sneered down at his lap and shook his head pityingly. "Badger, if what you're saying is true, then I feel truly, deeply sorry for you. Let me try to explain with a story I once heard. After all, this is a library." He leaned forward, interlocking his fingers as he rested his elbows on his knees.

"Once upon a time, there was a man who loved being kind and generous. He gave away everything he had until he was just walking around with nothing. Eventually, he met some ogres who also asked him for something - his flesh, for they were hungry and had nothing to eat. The man happily gave what he had out of the kindness of his heart. And guess what? He died."

Jack's smile tightened as he continued. "Not enough? Let's try another. Once upon a time, there was a starving tiger. He managed to catch a mother cow by surprise. The cow begged the tiger to let her go, telling him that she only wanted to visit her calf one last time and then she would return to allow the tiger to eat her. The tiger, though he was oh, so hungry, finally decided to trust the cow and allowed her to go, never expecting to see her again.

"Within a day, the cow was back and she told the tiger she was ready to be the eaten. The tiger, touched by the cow's act of keeping her word, told her he would not eat her, and let her live. But guess what happened to the starving tiger?" He spread his arms. "Beginning to see a trend...? It's because kind people put others' needs before their own that they forget about taking care of themselves. And since survival is about promoting one's own life rather than sacrificing it for others, what you call 'kindness' goes against the very laws of nature."

Jack pushed himself to his feet, Stella's words having worked him up. "Oh, and don't forget the sayings like, 'no good deed goes unpunished' or 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'. In the end, Badger, there is no such thing as good or bad, or right or wrong."

He tapped his temples with his index finger. "They're all just constructs of society. It's all a matter of perspective. You can make anything seem righteous or evil depending on what arguments you use. What may seem like an act of kindness to you could be cruel and debilitating to others."

At her apology, Jack laughed again. Now he was starting to doubt the sincerity of her words. "If you want to help me, you can stop being a bigot. Don't you see? If you were trying to trick or make fun of me, it would be less irritating than what you're doing right now - spouting unrealistic ideals without any proper arguments to back them up." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he ended up getting yelled at by the librarian again for being too loud.

"...Listen," the first-year boy tried again, lowering his volume. "'The goodness of your heart' isn't a reason. You can't say you don't get something out of helping others. I mean, think about it. Don't you get a sense of pride? Of satisfaction? If it did absolutely nothing for you, you would have no reason to do it at all. And for people who are kind even when it's detrimental to them...those are the ones I can't stand the most. They might think they're helping someone, but because of their inability to see any perspective beyond their own, they could be harming those they care about more than anything else."

Okay. Stella had to admit that Jack may have been a total and utter ass, but he was smart. But so was Stella. And guess what? She wasn't an ass! Not surprising, I know, but Stella would take anything as a small victory against the Slytherin. He was standing now, and towered over her a bit like her friend Raf did whenever they stood and faced each other. But, unlike when she stood with Raf and talked to him, Stella didn't feel that short in comparison. Raf was almost a full foot taller than her. Jack, though? Only three inches. Sure, she still had to look up to meet his gaze, but their heads were almost level when Stella straightened her legs and stood at her full height. Jack had used, what, a few folk tales against her? Stella could do better than that. She could back up her statements with actual evidence.

Allowing the annoyance to seep into her tone once again, Stella took a step closer to Jack, her smile turning sarcastic as she shrugged. "Okay, Jack. Listen to what I have to say-- are you capable of doing that?" She didn't wait for a reply. "Those 'stories' you told me?--yes, she used air quotes--"They're just that: Stories. First of all, kind people don't forget about taking care about themselves-- what, you really think we aren't able to put other people before us and simultaneously take care of ourselves? If so, then you're simple-minded. And, if you really can't stand people like me so much, then why are we still having this conversation? But anyway-- back to those stories. They can't possibly be true-- yes, I get that you're trying to use them against me, and I understand the moral in both stories, but come on!" Laughing a little in disbelief, she then paused, biting her lip as she got shushed by a couple of the students around them.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Stella steadied her breathing and steepled her fingers together before interlacing them and sitting on the table-- not caring if Jack's precious book got sat on, and not exactly relieved when she found that it didn't. "It's people like you that make this world so terrible-- what with all the 'being kind is a fatal flaw' and all that. While I admire your little Wicked reference with the 'no good deed goes unpunished' saying-- I don't even care if that's where you heard it from, but it's where I heard it from. Not that you care, though." Stella added dismissively with a wave of her hand before going on.

"But, if you must know, yes I do get something out of being kind-- it actually makes you happier. Which might be why you're so negative-- you need some more kindness in your life, Jack. It's quite sad, actually. But it's a bit hard for me to sympathize with you, seeing as I don't really like your attitude at the moment. I'm not harming the people I care about most just by offering to help you with your Charms homework, for crying out loud." This, though, she said with the same quiet tone as before, although her smile was just for show now, and tight-lipped. She did not like how Jack Bennett's personality turned out to be. And she wouldn't stick around to continue to get to know him, either.

"But, seeing as I can't do anything other than hope you turn out to be a better person in the future, I'll leave you with a simple good-bye and go on with my day." Stella said curtly, hopping off the table and assessing Jack with the smallest hint of a glare. "I didn't enjoy our conversation in the slightest. You're an ass, Jack Bennett." She went to turn away before she paused and turned back. "I hope you have a good rest of your day."

This doesn't have to be the end~;)

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jack shook his head again. "Stories hold more truth than you know. Sure, a tiger wouldn't actually pardon a cow, but I could give you a thousand real-life situations that mirror the same lesson. Still, if you don't want to learn, no matter how many examples I give you, nothing and no one can make you."

Shrugging right back, he retorted, "Of course I don't know whether you, personally, can take care of yourself. Maybe you're more capable than you seem. But tell me this - if something came down to choosing between your life and another's, even if it wasn't someone you knew, or someone you hated, what would you do? And why?"

The comment about why they were still having the conversation caused him to falter for the first time. Why was he trying to talk sense into her? "It's because I pity you," he insisted. "Because if you don't fix that naïve attitude of yours, you're going to get hurt sooner rather than later. and then you're going to have to learn the hard way. I didn't expect you to believe me, but few do until they experience something for themselves."

Once she started talking about 'people like him' making the world 'so terrible', he rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. People like me are just trying to survive. We don't try to impose our idea of kindness on other people." He was just about to turn away, asking himself why he was still bothering trying to explain something to someone who was obviously refusing to even consider the concept. However, the comment about the musical called Wicked renewed his resolve. That story supported many of his beliefs, such as how the concepts of good and evil were subjective, or how appearances could be deceiving.

"Yeah, that saying is in Wicked, but it existed long before that musical, Badger. But if you know that story, then I don't see how you don't get it! Remember when Elphaba protected the lion cub from others who were bullying him? She did that out of kindness. But later on, it turned out she had been more harmful than helpful because he never learned to fight his own battles. Shouldn't that be proof enough of how kindness and good intentions can just make things worse?"

He watched her still fighting to keep her own smile, not bothering with his own anymore. "Yeah, I may be a horrible person in your eyes. But maybe my idea of kindness is trying to prepare you for when reality sets in," he said softly.

Sighing deeply, he sat back down and put his head in his hands as he continued to mutter to himself. "You'd be surprised how much harm you can do just by being kind - and on the flip side, how much you can help by being cruel."

All of Jack's words were meaningless to her. At least, that was what Stella was telling herself as she willed her feet to take her away from the little asshat of a Slytherin behind her. But, meaningless or not, they still rubbed her the wrong way. She'd gotten a few steps away when she heard him speak up again, making her freeze in place.

"It's because I pity you," he insisted. "Because if you don't fix that naïve attitude of yours, you're going to get hurt sooner rather than later. and then you're going to have to learn the hard way. I didn't expect you to believe me, but few do until they experience something for themselves."

Uh-oh. He did not just call her naive, did he? Sure, she was inexperienced, but she was wiser than this self-absorbed ego centric ninnyhammer! Wheeling around, she marched back up to the table and slammed her hands down onto it, not caring about the studying students that glared over in their direction.

"I'll have you know that I am not one to be pitied! Just because I'm trying to make the world a better place doesn't mean people like you need to feel bad for me. And, for the record, I'm very aware of the reality of it all-- Which is all the more reason for me to continue to be kind and compassionate towards others." She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and straightened, patting down her hair(which had frizzed up as she'd become frazzled) and straightening her tie as she fixed her smile back onto her face.

"And I'm making a pledge that, from now on, I'm going to do everything I can to help you see that kind people are not out to get you." She declared, the anger she'd just displayed gone without a trace along with most of the annoyance aimed towards the Slytherin. Biting her lip, she ducked her head in shame. "I.. owe you an apology. I'm sorry for calling you an ass, and for saying that people like you are what's making the world so bad.. I lost my temper, and that doesn't usually happen. I don't agree with your opinions, but that's no excuse for how I reacted. I would still very much like to help you, and I don't care if you don't want me to." She paused, flushing and shaking her head. "I mean that in the nicest way possible. It hurts me to see someone the same age as me who's already given up on the world so easily. And by helping you, I'll hopefully become a better person myself. It's a win-win situation."

Stella: Casually has an argument and then demands that the person she just argued with let her help him.