Puppeteers And Their Strings. (STORYLINE)

[Leon Loire]

OOC: I'm no Pleb, I'm a Liberal - and ironically enough, they can act the same as well, so that doesn't work very well. But hell, I'll need someone's support of my action if anything's to be gained, so let's hope they listen.

IC: The Freshman Hircinian had reacted in a way that honestly concerned Loire, and yet when his lips prepared to react with words, he found them cut short by the blunt order of a Pillar - Kurtz O'Neil, to be specific.

'Great... the almighty crusader of the System.' Loire felt his mind grow hot at the Pillar's forced arrival, the examination he made expected. The sudden eyes of suspicion, while a bit intimidating, were also nothing new, since the Pillars still had a clear bias toward the Varronite population, regardless of their preaching.

Still, Leon had not expected the sudden turn of events, with Kurtz claiming he was a possible suspect.

"What?" Leon muttered in shock as the Pillar grabbed his arm, a natural resistance meeting him. At first Leon feared absolutely that Kurtz was going to make the terrible mistake of immediately attempting to arc the mantle of scapegoat toward him, which would require a high-risk defense on his own part that would clearly harm him politically. A trickle of sweat traced down his back, and Leon's eyes widened in surprise.

Fortunately, O'Neil played the safe card; he was only talking of questions, and Leon instantly saw the Pillar's strategy.

'Clever...'

While there was still the risk of being framed, Leon had his own clear bargaining chips that he could play behind the scenes, and even still, any attempts the Pillars made to incriminating Loire would only make their target a martyr or victim, and their own face that of an oppressor. However, if Kurtz were following Leon's suspected approach, all it would need would be for Leon to quietly follow, the Varronite would be "interrogated" for a few hours, and then released with the proof of innocence. It would satisfy everyone, dissipate the crowd, and still not alienate the Varronites - it'd even make the Pillars look better by noting their "security."

Had nothing gone wrong from there, everything could have been ended peacefully.

But it had not ended so.

Odin Reeves suddenly claimed that he was the attacker of the two students - clearly false - which not only alienated his reputation with the student body, but now placed Leon in an even deadlier position.

'Damnit, if he was trying to cast the blame away from me, it just backfired...'

Leon's face began to sweat in the fear that could not be helped. He was becoming a fox in a corner, with clear and false suspicion now placed upon him, and worse, the Pillars were now attempting to force him off. If he even made a note of protest, his reputation would be shattered. He had to accept their request, and even then, Odin only made it worse, and he would more than likely not accept their terms, only escalating the risk of violence.

Again, Leon could still attempt to accept their terms, hopefully walk away with the loss of Odin as a clear ally, and then things would have gone peacefully, but with a clear loss in his favor either way.

Yet, fortunately, an unknown identity arrived to suddenly claim that he had committed the deed, with far more success than Odin, and now saving both their skins. He was attempting to play off the classic strategy of others claiming the same sin, forcing the authority to either criminalize them all, or releasing their captivity. The sudden interruption allowed for Leon to have more breathing room, and clearly placed the burning limelight back on the Pillars and away from the accused.

And then Kurtz snapped and ruined his temper, sending a clear risk of the riot to the maximum, yet giving Leon the edge he needed to bring back the peace, and reclaim his victory.

Taj had attempted to heat up the event by shaking the Pillars' resolve, with Kai trying to settle him and Kurtz only growing more determined to follow his childish and oppressive methods to ending the situation. He had just ruined his edge, and if he succeeded in his countdown, he'd severely alienate his reputation with the student body.

Had Leon wished to bring more students against the current Pillarship, it'd be as easy as encouraging the arguments against Blayne and O'Neil in the middle of the countdown, making them oppressors. Then Leon Loire's coalition would win, and the war between their factions would erupt.

But, fortunately, Leon had other ideas, and a calm understanding between Blayne's Pillars and Leon's "Coalition" was necessary for absolute success.

Finally sighing away his observant apathy, Leon panted Odin Reeves on the shoulder and passed by him, reaching the side of Darren Blayne and whispering toward him, "I wouldn't mind you backing me up on this, since this could lead to alot more success for our cause than you know. Now just a moment please."

Turning his eyes to Kurtz O'Neil as he continued his count, Leon walked over to him and brought his voice close, keeping sure not to overlap the man's apparent authority and coming off as respectable, courteous.

"Pillar Kurtz, please, I'd like to say a word before you make everyone run off, and honestly, I think it could save the face of all of us here. We have more in common toward our goals that you may think, and if you let me speak, then a peace will follow and an agreement will come between us. But I need you to end your countdown and to give me this moment to speak. Please."

[Tiao Lei Shen]

"You'll have your turn to to speak, Loire. There are questions for you after all. Until then, I suggest you shut the hell up."

Tiao emerged from the crowd, the students moving slightly quicker to give Tiao the space he needed. Whether he held as much favor in the opinions of the students as Kurtz and Darren was irrelevant, for Tiao was easily the most feared of Hircine High's student body. He gave his words harshly to Leon, as he walked past him, checking him with his shoulder, and not by accident.

Tiao had gotten the page from Principal MacMillan, and while he began to make his way to the scene then, he didn't exactly jump into step. It wasn't til he had recieved message from Darren that Tiao began to take heavy of the situation. The principal gave Tiao his orders, but the captain was the one who gave him purpose.

He continued his walk past his fellow pillars, making his way towards Taj in the likelihood he would be the first student needed to be detained as Darren had commanded. The Hircinians would want a sacrifice, which would be Loire and Reeves, but the Varron students would want retribution as well. This loudmouth would likely be a good middleground. However, the politics were for Darren and Kurtz to play out, Tiao would simply do what he did best.

1. Intimidate troublemakers til they pooped their pants.
2. Continue on to beat the poo out of them if they thought themselves to be above scare tactics.

"You touch that camera, and Valencia will make you more of a woman than you already are. She would tear you a new one so big, that it would make the one you already had widened in prison, seem small." Tiao's mocking tone was still very apparent, however, his face lacked the usual smirk or grin. His face was solemn, and showing not just a little bit of irritance to the entire situation. If he had a nickel for every riot he had to stop this year he'd have...well, just ten cents.

"That is, if you ever got the chance to take a step towards her. Now, if you don't turn around and walk away right now, you're going to get hurt. So either leave, or throw a damn punch already. You talk more than he does." Tiao scoffed, throwing a thumb behind his shoulder towards Kurtz who was likely continuing his count.

[king]

Kurtz stopped for a moment and turned to Leon as he spoke. He looked at him rather blankly, as though he were not really paying attention to what he said. It was more of apathy to the words though than just ignoring him.

Leon thought that perhaps by asking permission, and acknowledging authority, he might get the room he needed to get his speech in. All he did was piss of the Pillar's more. He was a suspect, which meant he spoke when asked a question. He wasn't allowed to bargain, he'd be given his choice. Back down or fall permanently, there was no negotiation. The Pillar's didn't need more proof than they had to make him take the blame for this. If he didn't back down, the Pillars were not going to take it as a declaration of war.....they were going to take it as admiting to guilt. Who would the school beleive, the upstart causing trouble or the Pillars who would beat you if you didn't believe thier story.

~He actually thinks he can win....cute...~

"EIGHT!"

Kurtz yelled the last one directly into Loire's face, shruging of his pathetic attempts to advance his hippy ways. The crowd had gotten to the point now that if they were going to leave, they would leave now. Most of those still present were going to stay, and with more help arriving it was going to be a short and brutal affair....not that the three Pillar's actually needed help in this situation. Still appearances dictated that large amounts of force be used, as well that Leon shut his damn mouth.

Except if he were going to give in and come along...otherwise he'd be signing away his future along with his friends. Though Kurtz didn't believe that he would be too concerned about that over the immediate guilt of knowing he was responsible for every wound about to be inflicted. Kurtz turned back to the crowd once more.

"NINE!"

[kaiser]

Taj was makin' moves. Indeed he was, with the isolation of Kurtz now in place, their plans are finally coming in place. He was real happy. Kurtz was making an ass of himself, flaunting his power around. So he didn't mind when Kurtz played the cool role and ignored him, in fact he rather enjoyed it.

Suddenly, a random kid, who looked like Freddy Krueger's stunt double put his hand on Taj's should and told him to shut up.

[Woah, this guy was ugly..]

Taj's mind drifted off from the objective at hand, although he quickly resume composure as his eyes leaned toward Kai's direction. Then the options rolled in. Then his preferable vision caught 2 very good opportunities. Well for one, Mr. Krueger had a pretty silver ring with a ying yang symbol carved into it. That meant he was a Watchmen. Gangs are real useful when riots occur, so his intervention could lead to the successful riot.

The freshman who tried to use this as a way to gain some sort...well...whatever, now lost his little ambitions and decided to leave. Then the unthinkable happened. Tiao showed up. Jee who didn't see that coming?

That childish anxiousness returned real quick when he saw the Chinese "Tough" guy barge his way through the crowd, not forgetting to stir up something with Leon on his way, and made his way to the freshman.

And the act began..


"You touch that camera, and Valencia will make you more of a woman than you already are. She would tear you a new one so big, that it would make the one you already had widened in prison, seem small."



Tiao's act never made Taj flinch, he was quite comfortable around the Pillar's lap dog. And the mocking tone Tiao gave him only made Taj realize he was going to fight Tiao, here and now, no matter the odds.


"That is, if you ever got the chance to take a step towards her. Now, if you don't turn around and walk away right now, you're going to get hurt. So either leave, or throw a damn punch already. You talk more than he does."

Taj chuckled he couldn't help it, he wasn't going to back down now...

"Awww...that's cute. You know I don't think any one is less of a man is you Tiao. Well I know a chick who said that stereo type about Asian guys...well it's apparently true. Well in your case at least." Taj said as he return the same mocking tone, but gave a grin instead of the "Tough" guy frown Tiao fashioned.

NINE!!!

The time was now, it was clear there was no more delay. Kurtz pressured Taj, and no it was a slim chance the riot was going to occur, he didn't have enough time. So what does Taj do, he does the next best thing, well in his eyes at least.

"Ten..." Taj grunted as he proceeded to simultaneously stomp on Tiao's left foot with his right, while delivering a stern headbutt, that only someone with spider sense would expect.

[Kit Lee]

The scene had become a mess within an instant. People that Kit did not recognize entered, adding more problems to the current dilemma. Also, something intriguing was brought to Kit's attention. Kit was not aware of the split in the Pillars. It became apparent when the Pillar Kurtz did not acknowledge the school captain and from the angered look on his face that did not get any better. Tiao soon came in, telling Loire to shut up after he had requested that Kurtz should stop the countdown and allow him to speak. Kit was not sure of Tiao's position but he judged it was towards the side of the school captain from the tone in his voice when he talk about Kurtz.

Kurtz's countdown was not helping in cooling the situation. Whoever was staying in this situation, would become united against the pillars as opposed to united against each other. It would stop a riot from occuring as they would unite and fight the pillars and the football team, but it would lead to further dissent against the Pillar system. Dissent against the pillar system would lead to an unstable school system as more groups would gather such as the one Stern Mason had formed. Basically, the way Kit saw the current situation was, Kurtz's countdown would eventually stop the riot at hand, but would lead to more problems in the future. This was most certainly not the best solution, but seeing how Kit had no say in this, he stood there as Kurtz continued his countdown.

Ready to assist the Pillars if necessary, Kit stood his position. He looked around to see who was left in the crowd, as he saw someone attempting to headbutt Tiao.

[Odin Reeves]

‘Well. This is boring.’

Between Kurtz’ threats and Darren’s speculation of Odin’s mentality to do damage, things had escalated from a anger filled gathering to a dispersal of human bodies, moving away in fear. Speculations were being thrown every which way; Odin being in association with Leon – hasn’t even talk to the guy once. The fact that some other guy had physically destroyed the two students – doubtful, highly doubtful. He seemed more like a case of monkey see monkey do. All that it really came down to was a group of guys standing around bickering, with one side doing all of the talking.

When Leon finally spoke up, pushing past him, Odin looked back over his shoulder. He could’ve easily just walked away, slipped into the retreating masses and blend with the crowd as he had learned to do over 4 years of high school. Seeing as this was technically his 5th year he would by some standards be accustom to doing so, almost as though as it was instinctual. But alas, he remained. He was there for reason’s all of his own, though everyone seemed to think of him only as a brutal savage looking for his next challenge. How foolish.

The arrival of Tiao and other football players only made this seem like a hostile take-over of the courtyard. Anyone could tell that things were calming down, except for a few minor brats who needed a bottle. All the while Odin remained quiet as the politics pursued. Seriously, all this just to bring two seniors ready to be questioned in to whatever room or office they choose. However, since everyone seemed set on making a fuss Odin decided to take a break from standing.

”Whenever you guys are ready to go, I’ll be over there.” Despite speaking to the back of Kurtz’ head, more or less, Odin pointed toward the water fountain and began to make his way across the courtyard in order to take a seat. He yawned while on his path towards relaxation, showing his boredom as his eyes drooped and arms hung low. He looked tired, increased by the sheer amount of boredom that had risen amongst the yard.

Taking a seat on the fountains edge he slumped back, bracing himself with his hands, as he looked onward at the setting before him. Politics were boring, fights were interesting. Debates, once again boring. Arguments; interesting. This however seemed like something out of a movie, or a randomly inspired flash animation one would see online. Either way it seemed overly dramatic, sides trying to make speeches to declining crowds, presence’s trying to dominate one another. To think, if they were actors they’d all be going for an Oscar, or is it an Emmy, Odin wasn’t quite sure. Needless to say, things were far to heated for such an cold situation.

[William Fletcher]

ooc: I think people forgot I was here. Anyway, since this is getting too dramatic, I might as well leave before people think my characters an attention hog...

ic:

His eyes flicked at the loud-mouthed youth who stepped forward, making his threats to Valencia after Kurtz had...instructed her to take pictures? The moments confusion caught him, but he was able to come to only one likely conclusion, that being that Valencia was in the pillars employ.

'T'think...I'd thought higher o' her as well...'

However, he gave only the shortest moments look towards Taj, who he had finally taken the time to properly look at. He'd heard of him and the fact he was both a gobby little shit and a 'street' kid to boot, both of which things that raised the Irishmans ire quickly. Despite his current misgivings to the young woman, he acted on his own interests, sidelining the fact that she was apparently linked to the pillars and Kurtz...

"Shut the fuck up an' leave the lass alone. Ye're givin' it the big 'un t' the pillar, then go onto threatenin' a lass wi' a camera? Please..."

Just like that, he turned away again, no longer interested in the situation. It had riled him a moment, but he found himself drawn back to his sole intent, to piss off the pillar a little ways away from him. This wasn't about the beaten students to him, frankly, he cared little about them. Even the Varron one, he was barely ambivalent in regard to, despite his clear leaning toward the 'away' side in the situation. Bearing it in mind, he was quickly growing tired of the chattersome nature of the one holding court for Varron, Leon...was it?

Pacing away from Odin, he gave a simple, cold glance at Darren before stepping away from him and pacing over the small space they stood in, standing a little closer to Kurtz and Leon. His palms sat calmly in his pockets as he watched a jogging individual approach, a moments puzzlement on his face before it clicked...

'Another one o' the football players...Yer face is noted, sunshine...'

The grin would be unexplained, but perhaps hinted at with the simple remark he made to Kurtz as he continued past him, his destination seemingly outside of the main circle of students.

"Seems like the players are no' as quick t' rush t'yer aid these days, mebbe after what I did t' the last five of 'em, they're startin' to question loyalties....?"

Sensibly, he didn't pass directly to the open side where Kurtz could intervene in his passing, nor did he pay heed to the count. By this time, most likely, Kurtz would have long since passed his 'ten count' for 'time-out', and William was making his way away with only a single passing remark to Leon, his eyes not even turning to the Varronite he had held in higher regard before now, quickly dropping down with the weak display he made. He had figured these transfers as fighters, as people unwilling to lay down when someone told them to, but Leon simply made the impression that they would show civility.

That, it had to be said, had disappointed the large Irishman immensely.

"Ye should consider yer options before ye decide t' talk it o'er wi' the pillars, Leon. Ye'd be surprised how many o' the school would side wi' ye if ye showed more of a leadership o'er yer fellow transfers."

Pushing his way past the remaining students, he slipped away in relative silence, unless attacked by someone, before approaching the Varron student who had been beaten. Whilst the entire focus had been on the attacked Hircine student, hence the reason for the entire facade beforehand, nobody had shown much toward the other of the victims beside passing glances. People who clearly thought that 'someone else would deal with it'...

'It aye gets passed off tae someone else...If Leon cannae lead the transfers, and the captain and the pillars will lead as they do, someone needs to do something before this place goes to shit....'

Sighing, he kneeled beside the young man, his wounds not overtly severe, but the number of them making it far worse than would be expected. Seeing to it that he brought one of his arms over the back of his neck carefully, rising to his feet again and shouldering the dead-weight of the unconscious young man, he made no other remark or gesture as he left the courtyard and stepped back into the corridors, making his way to the infirmary in silence, the solitary individual who would offer his shoulder to a beaten 'enemy'.

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: So many posts… Pardon the inconsistencies… I was distracted all afternoon…))

With plenty enough said and done, let’s just jump to Valencia’s thoughts the moment Kurtz gave her the order to snap pictures of everyone.

ARE YOU FLIPPIN’ BONKERS?! WHAT PART OF “INCOGNITO” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND!? WHY MUST YOU ASSOCIATE ME TO YOU!? ARE YOU TRYING TO DESTROY WHATEVER ANNONYMOUS DIGNITY I HAVE LEFT?! WHY, I OUGHTA KICK YOU DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS, FEED YOU TO RABID MONKEYS, STICK MOSQUITO LARVAE INTO YOUR FOOD, SHOVE PREGNANT COCKROACHES DOWN YOUR--

…Ad infinitum. Any more details regarding her thoughts would overwhelm anyone who possessed the audacity and telekinesis to probe her skull. That, and no one wants to see her thoughts unfiltered. Valencia’s face was blank, as usual, but her eyes looked ghostly, if not slightly vengeful. All those eyes focused on her and it just made her feel exposed and she didn’t like it when people saw her when she didn’t mean them to. Well, orders are orders and although she really didn’t want to follow them, a sinking feeling told her that MacMillan was watching somewhere. Following the command was the countdown, then Taj threatening to destroy Valencia’s camera.

You don’t know how digital cameras work, do you!?

What she thought could be read as plain as day on her face, particularly because she was still in the irked state of mind Kurtz put her in. I mean, if someone threatened to destroy your birthday gift, wouldn’t you be ticked off? Then several people came along to stop Taj, those people being Tiao and William respectively. Sure, Valencia, as usual, appreciated the consideration, but deep down… She wanted to pummel Taj’s insides out on her own. Not like she can say much. This day was simply turning sour for her. She looked up to the heavens and shook her head.

Doesn’t the School Captain have this entire school rigged with cameras!? Why me?! WHY!?

Did Valencia’s eye twitch? I mean, how much worse could this day get? Some people she held the highest regard for, like Odin and William, probably won’t acknowledge her as the same person again, now she won’t be able to use her pictures discreetly as planned, and y’see, now Taj is being stupid by picking a fight with Tiao and may one day find maggots in his locker. Will she snap away? Won’t she snap away? Dang, does being blackmailed do stupid things to—Oh dear. Blue Screen of Death. Her hands were on the camera, but she did little else since she already had quite a bunch of pictures taken and the memory card was replaced with a blank to continue her photo-happy endeavors while the first was stored who-knows-where.

Can’t I just flip a coin!? Okay, calm down… Restart and maybe some clearer thinking will solve the problem… Yeah… That’s it… Just… Calm down…

((OOC: ::baps brain:: ))

[Darren Blayne]

Darren's eyes, almost ignoring everyone else for the moment, would meet Valencia's in a look of sheer puzzlement. Then, from there, his head would turn, traveling to meet Kurtz's angry gaze. Then, just as quickly, right back to Valencia. It was almost as if the Captain was trying to piece together a part of the big picture he hadn't seen.

Or at least, that's what Darren had figured the crowd would see.

"Go as you will, Miss Donahue. Mr. O'Neill hasn't the right to order you like that. If I recall correctly, you were caught for what you had done all that time ago, and have been rightly punished. There is no more we could do to you for one offense."

Darren's eyes met Valencia's once more, and he hoped that the message rang true to her. The School Captain was giving her another chance at anonymity. Surely, her outburst from long ago was known enough at school. It was hard not to talk about the wild golf-cart chase and the fact that the gym had to be shut down the rest of the day to wait for it to dry out. However, from Darren's words, it would have hopefully been seen that, while Valencia may or may not have had to do some work for the Pillars before, the Captain had surely stated that she was no longer under their wing. Darren had done his homework on almost every student at the school, and Valencia was no exception. She had enjoyed her anonymity beforehand, and even more so, now that she WAS under the employ of the pillars. Darren simply saw no need to blow her cover this early in the game, when it could be used to much more useful purposes later.

He simply did the best he could with his most useful resource: His credibility.

As the supposed 'leader' of the School Hierarchy, it would stand to reason that Darren would be privy to all plans that the other pillars had. Thus, if Darren could not understand why Kurtz was ordering Valencia about, it would appear, to the students, at least, that either Kurtz had other tricks he had not told Darren about, or that he was simply mistaken, a small mistake that would lead to no harm.

The choice, however, laid upon Valencia. Were she to continue with Kurtz's orders, things would seem fishy for the two. However, to listen to the Captain would help save the reputations of all involved.

Meanwhile, Darren stood stolidly, watching the fight begin to break out between Taj and Tiao. Odin seemed to want to go along peacefully, a smart move on his part, and Loire seemed to still be hesitant to go without another speech. The person who Darren had his eyes on the closest, however, was his very own Pillar, who was merely moments away from finishing the final countdown.

[Tiao Lei Shen]

Racial discrimination.

If Tiao hadn't thought it to be a problem in this school when Taru had his outburst after being beaten to a bloody pulp, he sure did now. Taj's comeback held no wits, no hidden mesages, or real insult as Tiao believed his had. However, it did manage to piss him off regardless, something that Taj would be regretting later on.

To not expect an attack when Taj came forth, Tiao would have to have been under the influence; which too bad for Taj, he wasn't. Tiao allowed Taj to step on his foot, as the student wasn't very heavy and therefore did no damage whatsoever.

As Taj threw his head forward, he would be met with a hard right palm to his nose. If Taj's headbutt was as fast as he thought it would be, he would have no time to react according to Tiao's counter, that merely met him halfway, shortening the already quick attack. Instead of capitalizing on Taj's mistake however, Tiao would merely stand there, allowing Taj time to soak in what would be his broken, bloody mess of a nose.

This was just a warning shot, if Taj wanted to come at Tiao so careless again, he'd have to pay for it on much more of a level.

[king]

(((Yeah.....I've given Leon more than enough time now. Also, no one here is allowed to say when I say gave the count to ten, so any actions written in accordance to that are going to be considered to be done before hand. You can't complain, because you controlled my character in your post, which your not allowed to do.)))

"The Principal makes that call Darren, not you."

Kurtz immediately counteracted Darren's attempt at restoring Valencia's facade. No, he didn't want her hiding anymore, that's why he chose to single her out. He had been keeping track of her actions....she hadn't been helping too much, and had been spending too much time with the troublemakers. Better to have them know she was on their side rather than let her believe she had a choice in the matter.

Of course, Darren could argue, but then again he would be openly going against the Principal in public. Not exactly the image of power and unity the captain would want to convey.

Kurtz watched as everyone continued to ramble on as if they had any authority. It was sad that these people, for their incredible boasting, thought they had any hope in this situation. He held the final count, to enjoy their pitiful attempts at defiance. People began to leave, making it seem as though they were doing so willingly. It was cute, considering that by leaving they were giving in to the Pillar's. Kurtz found it particularly humorous that one of them, the one who apparently was there to piss of Darren, left carrying the wounded students. To go from high and mighty to doing labor for the Pillars was an interesting sight.

Not that it mattered, as Kurtz had every intention of hunting him down later. If what he said was true, he was still a nobody....handle five players at the same time and you might be able to touch a Pillar, but if he had given individual players trouble he would make a nice reward.

"TEN!"

The football players dove in and attacked. Predictably, people scattered as the attack began, looking to escape. They must have thought Kurtz was bluffing....probably Varronites if they thought Kurtz had to bluff when it came to force in this school. Kurtz, however, had began to bore of this exercise. The crowd would not be able to handle the players and Tiao, who would not take long with that fool who tried in instigate the crowd. He would take his leave from the main event, letting the public handle public business.

He had some personal business to attend to.

Kurtz began to take off his jacket, and tossed it to Darren as he walked past. He was confident in his physical ability, but knew it would get in the way in a fight with as good as an opponent he was going to. His muscles flexed, exposed to the world now that his long sleeves were gone, making the captain seem a bit skinny in comparison. Indeed, Kurtz had more power, though notably less agility, of the two when it came to a fight. Darren, however, was of similar mind enough to know what Kurtz was doing.

"I'll let you escort Leon...since your probably going to make the decision on how we spin this.....I'll be along with the other one shortly."

With that, Kurtz left Darren, who would know damn well that any rank he held would not matter to him at the moment. Someone had not paid in full on a deal, and for now it was to collect in full. Kurtz walked away from the crowd, and toward his target.

"You didn't meet your obligations....you didn't even try....that's a serious offense in this school."

It was time that Kurtz reminded Odin that it was Kurtz's tournament that he fought in..... and that it was his mistake that meant he would never fight in the underground in the city again.

At that moment at the school though, he was heading straight for a beating.

[Odin Reeves]

[Got tired of waiting as well.]

Remaining perched on the edge of the fountain he felt bored, the bickering all around of no interest to the young man with scared knuckles. Tiao’s brawl showed no interest due to the lack of experience in a combined total. He wouldn’t be able to gain anything from watching, and so it was pointless violence. Then there was the three-way squabble between the school captain, his pillar, and Valencia. The words which remained unheard by his deaf ears. Simply, he didn’t care to listen. Perhaps he could’ve found something out to aid his unknown cause, but he doubted it and chose to refrain from entering himself into a place not his own.

And so, he remained calm, humming softly to himself the beat of ‘1985’ by bowling for soup as students left and foot ball players arrived. Shouts echoed all around, a boring ten count to further provoke the superiority of the pillars. Well, in one’s mind that would seem to be the idea, but as Odin’s consciousness swayed in and out of the his surroundings he found the count to be an act of child-like anger. He hadn’t heard his father use a ten-count since he was 8 years old, and that was to get him inside from dinner instead of punching the heavy bag. Ah, a nostalgic set or words allowing memories to rush back into one’s mind. Such a simple thing reviving such happy thoughts. Didn’t seem to matter what happened next, nothing could damper the spirit revived inside such a lone soul.

That was until he was approached.

“Obligations? I think my work was just carried off to the infirmary. Ain’t that proof enough?” The question was rhetorical, as shown by his actions as he stood up with his fist pressed firmly in his palm. Blended together he cracked his knuckles, making all four ‘pops’ sounds like two. Hand’s reversed, but the same process followed.

Stepping away from the fountain he made no forward movements toward an assault, the thoughts of the doctors orders still lingering in his mind. He couldn’t stress his body in his ‘weakened’ state, he couldn’t exert himself to his normal limit of aggression and power. So he’d have to stay relaxed, calm, and perform as few movements as possible.

“Look, I’m not going to stress myself here. So I’m going beat you with one punch.” He emphasized his means with the tone of his voice, yet his arms dropped to his sides with his fingers uncurled. He remained standing; his feet, hips and shoulders square with one another as he waited for the beginning assault to start. He wasn’t even warmed up, another testament to the fact that he hadn’t actually beaten those two kids, but this was personal information, and so the majority of the crowd believed he had. Oh, the reason’s he had for doing so.

[king]

Kurtz didn't bother to respond to Odin's rhetorical question....if he thought he could smart mouth Kurtz after pulling something this stupid, he...well, probably was that dumb for trying this. Betray the person responsible for your Hircine fame who had hard evidence of your being involved in illegal activity....amnd had enough judges in the pocket to get away with divulging the evidence. He should of gotten the clue that Kurtz was brining him in personally out of amusement, not because he expected resistance.

It was, however, when Odin suggested that Odin would be able to take him out in one shot, that Kurtz became amused enough by what was said to respond.

"You obviously haven't been playing this game long enough to know why I am where I am today....I'm probably the least fit Pillar, my physical ability comes mostly from having a bit more weight than the others....I have no official training either...I learned how to fight by analyzing Darren. What makes me such a deadly opponent is the fact that I am a strategist, not a fighter......so tell me Odin, do you still think that you can beat me knowing that I have watched your fights, learned your methods, and know exactly where you've been hit for weeks?"

It was, of course, rhetorical, as Kurtz's answer would have been "you couldn't have beaten me in a clean fight anyway.". The sad truth was, Kurtz had as much put the Varronites in the tournament to earn money as to analyze how they fought. With the amount of time Odin put in there, he knew what moves he was going to throw in almost any situation.

Despite giving a claim that he couldn't honor at his best, Odin was already severely disadvantaged....had he come at Kurtz in a rested state, he might of had a chance. Like this, he was nothing compared to him. Kurtz was here to satisfy his anger by taking Odin in personally, to show that Pillars would not even accept deception toward them. After all, the second the other boy had spoken up, any credibility he held after being cut down by Darren was taken.

Then again, it didn't really matter anymore. Odin had his chance to actually enjoy his time at Hircine, but had thrown it away....to what, get Leon into more trouble? Guess the mind that thought that was a noble cause would do something this stupid.

Without another word, Kurtz began. he swiftly sent his left foot up toward Odin's right knee in a side kick. He was swift, so no damage would fall to it, but Kurtz knew Odin didn't like to extend his balance very far, and almost every option to this move could start a chain of events that would exaggerate this problem. With his current positioning, it also meant he was free from reprisal, as his upper body was too far away and his lower to far down to his hand to reach without moving forward, giving him plenty of time to react.

[Odin Reeves]

“I know I can.”

Confidence, or cockiness? That was the question as Odin responded without any body movements to Kurtz’ rhetorical question. Despite the fact that his opponent had stated his facts as though they were set in gold it didn’t matter. Odin’s mindset wasn’t the same as when he entered those confined fighters. He knew what he had to do, what he had to protect, and how he was to do this. What’s more is that his opponent had actually told Odin his weaknesses while gloating about his strengths. ‘I'm probably the least fit Pillar’ ‘have no official training’ ‘not a fighter’. These series of words are what stuck out the most as he ignored the rest. What they told him is that his opponent wasn’t up to snuff with the type of training he was accustom to. His moves were uneducated, giving away fatal signs from his body language. His instincts probably weren’t as toned as they should be, and that his mind was over analytical. Oh, how sweet the world could be, this seemed like a perfect fight for Odin to win, it would be even more so if he was 100 percent.

So Odin’s game plan, one he had to stick to more then ever in order to keep from re-injuring his body, was to evade what was thrown at him. Years of watching punches fly toward his head and torso gave him the instinct and ability to block and evade those, and having recently fought more and more kick-based fighters he was learning new body signs given off with each training session. The first key was to watch the hips, then proceed from there through practice and dedication.

Lowering his eyes he began staring at Kurtz’ stomach of all things, using his peripherals to watch the hips and shoulders. Those were the two key focal points he’d have to pay attention to in order to check his opponent’s movements and evade as necessary. He watched, waited, and responded with swift, simplistic steps.

As his right leg was attack it moved back, a short half step leading him back as his left leg followed in step. These two quick steps were followed up with his right leg stepping back and his body turning over, pivoting more then necessary as he angled himself with the curve of the fountains edge. He was just staring over his shoulder, his eyes lowered from Kurtz gaze as he watched the hips for progression into his next move. By angling himself as he did he took former knowledge of where the fountain was and applied it to sight, his peripherals catching some of the courtyard centerpiece.

”Your slow for a pillar.”

[king]

(((Modified per Odins request)))


Odin never finished his last step back, instead ended up lying on his back on the courtyard grass. It was not something he could actually have avoided given the situation, but it wasn't exactly about to hurt him physically either. It would not be an incredible hard move to start from hurting afterall....but Kurtz wasn't exactly out to give pain alone. He was making an example out of those who would attempt to double cross him, and he was going to toy with Odin first.

As Odin began his steps, Kurtz's first kick missed and landed into the ground, giving him a foot hold. Odin, unfortunately seemed to think that just because he wasn't as fast as the other Pillar's he was slow. That was about his fourth mistake since Kurtz laid eyes on him today. Kurtz's first kick not only made Odin move, but it also increased his momentum and striking range. Odin continued to move back, but unfortunately was no where near able to escape Kurtz's striking range quickly enough.

Kurtz spun on his planted foot, sending a high round house kick toward Odin after his leg left the ground for his final step. Odin's body would have been ideally set up to block this kick should he have stable footing, but by lifting his foot instead of sliding it, he had lost sacrificed his balance if stuck from the side. He could easily block the move given the position, but considering he was mid-move and lining up with it as he moved, he could not parry it or dodge.

This would be where Odin learned the truth about what he had said to Odin. He was not the fittest Pillar, so he wasn't as fast or agile. Fortunately for Kurtz, he had the most muscle still and the best brain, despite lacking formal training. He would have a harder time getting the hits, but he would get the ones he really wanted. Odin may figure that out when he was push over by the force of the kick. The move did no damage really, despite it's power. There were better choice's of moves if he wanted to do damage.

Kurtz would let his foot return to the earth after it had knocked Odin over, and would step forward so as to end up up parallel to him. This would be when Odin would probably take in the information he would need to realize what Kurtz had done.

He hadn't hurt Odin, but he had forced him into an unfavorable position. He was no facing Kurtz in front, but had the fountain to his back. He was facing someone who had a much longer range than him, and had been backed into a confined area. If he played defensively now, he would lose without question.

When Odin got back up , it would be the right time to deliver that punch he promised, as it otherwise Kurtz would be able to pick at him in his confined space for as long as he pleased.

[Tiao Lei Shen]

(OOC: For the sake of the thread, I'm going to have to assume Taj doesn't do anything. He's had more than enough time to reply, and I'm not going to let this thread die out because of inactivity. Taj, if you want to fight at another time just let me know and I'll give it to you, but its too late for here.)

Taj's headbutt would only cause more damage as Tiao's palm dug into his nose, instantly causing his eyes to water and the nostrils to bleed. The distance Tiao's palm had to travel was minimal, so by continuing to extend his arm after the intial impact would send Taj's head back at a rapid pace.

Taj had planted his feet from the foot stomp, and therefore would have no time to shift weight. Taj's feet stayed put as his head flung backwards, the momentum carrying his head backwards as his body followed, feet swinging up at the sudden movements.

The rash fighter would smack the back of his head on the ground, blackening his vision and knocking him out. Whether "the kaiser" was better than this Tiao didn't know. This is what happened when overconfidence was met with the force of Tiao. It happened to Nathan and others before him, and Tiao knew this certainly wouldn't be the last.

Tiao snickered and turned, looking to the others. He saw Kurtz getting into a spat with Odin Reeves. On any other day, Tiao might have offered his assistance to his fellow pillar against someone Tiao wouldn't mind taking out himself. However, Kurtz had pissed Tiao of plain and simple. He spoke to Darren with such insolence that Tiao would leave Kurtz to fend for himself, even if he was fully capable of taking down Odin.

Tiao marched on towards Darren, leaning his head in and whispering in his ear so that Leon, and anyone else in the vicinity would not be able to hear.

"We have a lot of work to do. Are we going to deal with Loire now?"

[Odin Reeves]

[Following Kurtz' orders via his away post, a editted version of my last post.]

Why was it that everyone always underestimated the ability Odin had in his legs? Yes, he stepped back, but it wasn’t as though he torqued his hips around, raised his knee up into his chest, and did a shimmy before putting it back down. It was a quickened step, not something slack and idle like what you’d see in a martial arts movie. He was creating a distance, he wanted to keep this distance, as such he stepped back, nearly forcing his leg to push back as fast as possible. There was no hesitation in whatever he did, making it seemed planned out, and at this point it actually was.

Odin’s right leg barely touched the ground, only the ball of his foot presenting itself before he pushed back with his left in a hasty shuffle. His momentum continued backward as he tucked his upper body in to his right side, ducking down slightly as he moved away. Two shuffles were preformed in quick succession, avoiding the head shot with what could be called a educated ease. It was foolish to attack his head with a kick, especially since Kurtz would have to pivot over first before he’d be able to kick out. That was another added movement of Odin’s final step back, it put him at a soft angle, but one that made him slide back to a greater angle.

And so, Kurtz’ leg flew in front of his face, too slow no matter how much the pillar had planned. Odin’s body would be repositioned, though it was at this moment that he saw his opening. Granted, he wanted to take more time and exhaust Kurtz as much as possible, but he too would be growing fatigued from evading on a constant basis. In an instant he switched from defensive to offensive. Pushing off with his right leg he swung around in a wide pivot, coming straight in with a vicious hook that came up at a sharp angle. He feeling of his knuckles connecting with the underside of Kurtz’ chin was wonderful. Having held nothing back he knew the jaw would push back into the nerve he referenced to as the ‘lights out switch.’ Basically, once struck the man, women, or child would be knocked unconscious. That’s why so many strikes are aimed toward the jaw, rather than wide across the face.

Like a tree falling in the woods Kurtz dropped, his educated plans falling prey to a quick shot. Odin had no problems against going down and finishing him off, breaking his hands and jaw in the process, but why bother? He had just knocked out one of the pillars while in an injured state. It wasn’t just a matter of being lucky and hitting the strike, he saw the opening, took advantage, and used angles to mask his movements. He was progressing as a fighter, having pushed past the need to fight in ‘underground’ tournaments. This was significant proof to say the least.

Standing straight up he didn’t bother to peer down at the disgraced pillar. He had let his anger cloud his mind, chose to fight against someone who had year’s worth of experience in the ring, and paid the price. Moving toward he captain and his trusted pillar he nonchalantly stepped over Kurtz’ body, as though he was just a puddle in the schoolyard. Getting close enough to stay out of range for a retaliation he sighed as though his blood was no longer pumping, as though the fight with Kurtz had actually bored him.

“Shall we? Or is someone else going to attack?”

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: Well, I need to do SOMETHING… I’m tired of waiting too… And Gary “died”, so ix-nay on interactions including the fella?))

Valencia couldn’t help but feel eternally grateful when Darren dove in for the save… Then felt like detonating something when Kurtz not only counteracted Darren’s defense, but outright said that Valencia was in league with the principal as well. So. Not. Cool. In the end, she was forced to make a choice once again but thank goodness that a flurry of events occurred to give her some time to think while she’s put on the spot. Tiao gave Taj a sound wallop, Odin and Kurtz duked it out, and chaos ensued as the crowd dispersed in a rather predictable fashion... In panic. The “blonde” Asian took this opportunity to take advantage of the confusion and made her way to a tree and commenced taking pictures, hoping that no one will care about the picture taking senior as long as they’re running for dear life. However, since most of the photos on her digital camera got blurry from the hurried motions, Valencia switched over to recording the event instead. Video footage!

Her silver eyes flicked over to Darren, wondering what he’d do next since Kurtz decided to play “large and in charge”… Next, her gaze floated over to Leon… Then, Valencia’s attention focused on the fight between Kurtz and Odin. Cutting to the chase, Valencia recorded the fight ‘til its finale when Odin took the win. She saved the footage, took a picture, then removed the memory card to store it in a safe place like she did to the first one. Valencia inserted a third memory card and put her digital camera away, finished with her business and trying to make her own getaway by climbing up the tree and if there was nothing else to stick around for, she’d search for an open window to climb into.

Hmm... Well, I wonder what's going to happen to my precious photos and footages...

[Darren Blayne]

(This post will likely not be very long... I just felt that this, of all threads, deserved a clear closing point, since so few good posts do.)

Darren surveyed the destruction around him, and a small sigh escaped his lips. At this point, he didn't even care if people thought he was beginning to lose his composure. They'd be far from the truth, anyway. Darren still had quite a bit left in him before he snapped.

Odin had managed a lucky blow, dropping Kurtz unconscious to the ground, and that gambling bastard of a Pillar had now, unintentionally, left Darren and Tiao with his mess. As usual, he acted on his own, thinking he would win out in the end. And now, even laying facedown on the floor, he still ended up ducking out of the responsibility.

Darren shook his head, his eyes boring quiet holes through Odin's skull. "Unlike this one," Darren began coldly and quietly to Odin and Odin alone, kicking Kurtz's fallen form softly as he spoke the first three words, "I don't much care for honor. If you really desire to oppose the system, you'd oppose anyone and anything I desire. At once."

Almost immediately snapping out of this cold, almost malicious form, Darren rolled his neck and his shoulders, loosening himself up a bit. It was a stress-relief motion, mostly. This was much more than he'd wanted to do today. Darren decided, at that very moment, when this was all said and done, he'd take a nap.

"Leon. Odin." The businesslike attitude snapped into place, and Darren met the eyes of each man as he spoke their name. "Before Kurtz so suddenly and unnecessarily attacked you, he had wanted to ask you some questions. Seeing as he is indisposed at the moment, I will be doing the questioning on his behalf. Come with me, there's an empty classroom this period."

Turning around, Darren then faced what was left of the congregation, including the football players that Kurtz had sicced upon the school. "Everyone else!" He spoke, loudly enough for all to hear. For a moment, he hesitated, and checked his watch. With a shrug, he passed judgment. "Go ahead and go to lunch early. Classes will resume as normal after the lunch period is over. Tiao," He said, more to Tiao alone than to the entire group, "Make sure they clear out. But do try to be nice to them."

Finally, Darren turned around once more, and began to head towards the empty classroom he spoke of. "Leon, Odin, if you'll come this way."


__________ END OF THREAD __________