CH 9: Uneasy First Impressions

                                    

                                          
Stein's P.O.V. 
                          
       The bell rang for class and the students hurried out of class to do God knows what, save for Maka and Soul. The duo gathered their belongings from the seats and approached me as I stood in the center of the floor. A worried look was clearly expressed on Makas young face. "Professor Stein, may I talk to you for a second?" Maka asks as she approaches me. 
                          
      I nod my head. "What Is it Maka?" I respond with a monotone voice. I was not extremely worried or concerned as to what she was going to confront me about. It seems to happen often that she stresses over simple and unproblematic things. I assumed that she is wanting to speak about Stella and her unpredictable wave length. 
                          
      "It's about Stella. I can see her wave length. It is crazy and wavering. I don't understand why Lord Death brought her here to teach. There has to be plenty of other misters or weapons that could teach this course." She states with the look of worry still present on her face. 
                          
      My left hand reaches up to the bolt protruding from my skull and starts to twist. "I don't question Lord Deaths decisions, but I can assure you that he knew exactly what he was doing when he asked her to teach. She is knew and has not expressed her ability to you all yet. When she does, you will all understand as to why she is now teaching you. Don't worry Maka, there is nothing to worry about with Stella." I state and pull a cigarette from my lab coat and place it between my lips. 
                          
      Maka's mouth opens with frustration. She can sense the wavelength that Stella emits. I agree, it is not stable, but I know her capabilities when she is paired with the right partner. "But Stein! Yo.." 
                          
     I raise my lighter to the cigarette and light it while she spoke. Once lit I raised my hand to mid chest level to quiet her. "Enough Maka. The decision has been made for her to teach her. Now go home." I state and her eyebrows drop in a glare. Her vision shifts to Stella, who still sat near my desk and then back to me before she trudges out of the room with Soul walking calmly behind her. 
                          
      I turn to face Stella. "The school day is over Stella, it's time to gather your things. We will be staying at my house for the time being." She stood with a curt nod and grabbed her bag filled with the students papers and her books.  
                          
    We walked out of the school and started the long decent of the grand stairway which lead to the rest of Death City. Stella walked quietly next to me looking straight ahead. Something was on her mind, but it was no place for me to ask. As we walked I could feel her soul going through a turmoil of emotions. With each change her soul would shift wildly, mine stayed a steady tone with not even a hint of madness pulling at the edges. Curiosity pulled at my head and I reached up and started to wind the screw in my head. Out of the very corner of my eye I noticed Stella look up at me for a second before averting her gaze back to the sunset covered city before us. 
                          
~~~~~~~~~~
                          
Stellas P.O.V. 
                          
       We started to ascend the enormous stair case that lead up to the DWMA. My mind raced over the conversation Stein had with Maka. She was uncomfortable with me here, I can tell from the way she looked at me. She must be able to sense someones soul. If that were the case, then she must have been able to see the tornado mimicking soul that resided within me. Stein seemed unfazed by their conversation, or maybe he just didn't show it. He was a stoic man after all. 
                          
      I glanced up at the taller male next to me. "I will need help carrying my things to your house. By the way, I hope you are ok with dogs. I have a German Shepherd puppy, Vince. He's a good dog, but still young." I said as we reached the cobble stone streets of Death City. The setting sunlight glinted off of Steins glasses in an almost eerie way. "Operating and experimenting on me or my dog is far off limits Stein." I stated with a flat tone as Spirits story raced through my head. 
                          
     The corner of his lip twitched. "Alright. I didn't think you'd be as fun to rearrange as Spirit was." He stated as his lips twitched up to a smirk. I shook my head and turned down a side street where the entrance to my apartment was. Stein followed me in after I unlocked the door and we were both greeted by a bouncing puppy. I squatted down to pet Vince as Stein stood there surveying the place and the scene before him. I assume he wasn't used to seeing someone show this much affection to a simple pet. 
                          
     I packed my clothing and toiletries, along with Vince's bowls, food, and toys. During the process Stein remained quiet and stood in the entry way of my apartment. "Do you have everything?" He asked as I approached with 2 bags and Vince on a leash. I nodded. Me and Stein each took a bag and I held Vinces leash in one hand as we made our way to what would now be my home.