Stirring up trouble

[victor]

Victor climbed the stairs that led to the roof. He was not in the best of moods.

He couldn't quite put his finger on why it happened, but he had a tendency to swing into moods like these for no apparent reason. It was strange and perverse, but it was also... gratifying. Very gratifying indeed. When he got like this, he could do anything and laugh about it. And people said mental illness impaired you! Sometimes you had to be a little sick in the head to do things!

He had already set up a guy and his girlfriend into believing that one had been cheating on the other. It had worked, just like it always did, but Victor considered it a failure as there had only been angry words, no violence on either side. Oh well. He couldn't expect to trick everyone.

As Victor opened the door leading to the roof, a thuggish kid with brass knuckles jumped down from the roof above. He was grinning.

"Hey there kid! Looks like you're going to get your face punched in!"

Victor did not even think about it as the thug swung a haymaker punch at him. He simply stepped into his opponents guard and drove a reverse punch into his chest. The sound of ribs cracking was music to Victor's ears.

"I bet you think your tough, eh pendejo?" Victor sneered. "Well, let's just see how tough you are!"

Victor thrust the guy up against the wall and drove a spear hand strike to the thug's throat. He doubled over and began to gag. As he fell, Victor seized his arm and began to squeeze the joint at the wrist with his powerful fingers. The thug squealed like a stuck pig.

"Yeah, I guess you are tough! Come on pendejo, show me what you're made of!" Victor twisted the thug's wrist, loving the sound of bones twisting and cracking like dry twigs. The thug howled, spit running out of his mouth.

Grinning like a demon from Hell, Victor drove his knee into the thug's face, knocking him out cold. It still wasn't enough. He needed to make a point and make sure this never happened again. He set down his backpack and took out a roll of powerful tape from one of the pockets. Looking around, he saw a small step ladder near the corner. The janitor had probably forgotten it or something. And to top it off there was some spray paint left over from some other thug. Perfect.

Victor moved the ladder against the wall and stood the thug up on it with his back against the wall. He unrolled some tape and used it to tape the thug's legs together against the wall. He then jumped up and used tape to hold the thug's left arm out to one side, then did the same with his right. The thug was now taped to the wall in a crucifixion pose.

Victor used the ladder to step up and spray paint a cross around the thug's body. Now it really did look like the real deal. Victor had to admit this was pretty sick, even for him. His only regret was that he didn't have any nails that he could have used instead.

Victor laughed to himself as he admired his handiwork. Life was grand.

[gary]

There were few subjects that lacked the depth to keep people from falling asleep or just annoying people, but maths had the tendency to be one of those few. Perhaps this was the reason, along with recent events and new found goals, that Gary never really makes an attempt at retaining the things he learns in that particular classroom; so he would attempt to do the homework set as soon as possible while the things learnt were fresh in his mind.

Walking up the steps to the roof, a place in which solitude could often be found, Gary's remained focused on the work that had been set earlier that day; he was unable to recall everything perfectly, but those little details could be refreshed easily by checking over the methods that had been noted down. The objective that held the centre of focus was diverted; the door to the roof was open. Then there was that sound, a spray releasing its contents for what was obviously an act of vandalism. The school seemed to be full of idiots, thugs and brutes as of late, and one of them happened to be ruining the dull look of the rooftop.

Sighing silently to himself, Gary let his books drop to the floor. Taking of his overcoat, to drop that on top of his books; he then smirked at something that he had heard earlier:

"Give him a tie and one of those suit coats; he'd be dressed like the Doctor. You know, from Doctor Who."

So with his sneakers, khaki pants and dress shirt, Gary stepped through the door to the roof and turned to his left, facing two people, as opposed to the expected one. One of these two was taped to the wall and had been smothered with spray paint; Gary might have called the work artistic, if it didn't seem quite as sadistic.

Gary took one step toward the person standing on the ladder, so he was able to lean on the wall that had been used for what almost looked like a make-shift crucifixion. Looking up at the face of the 'artist', Gary said "Varronite or Hircinian?" he paused for a moment, considering how accurate his guesswork could be based on first impressions. Then again, he might get lucky. "Not that it matters, you seem like the type to be a part of, or at least once been a part of a gang led by a sadomasochist." Gary stopped again, this time to smirk. "Want to give me information on it, or shall I kick your teeth in first?" He had heard of a few apparent gangs that proved vital to Hircine Highs protection, or destruction. Gary only had the name of one, which was Geh-nat, or something like that.

Pushing of the wall lightly to support himself, Gary folded his arms. He prepared himself mentally for an attack, staring solidly at this seemingly sadistic person before him. For the time being, the world in which Gary belonged would revolve around this one male; it also seemed math homework would have to be put on hold.

[victor]

As Victor chuckled to himself over his little "masterpiece", a voice behind him asked "Varronite or Hircinian?" He turned to regard the owner of the voice and came face to face with a boy who looked to be a few years younger than him. He had brownish hair and brown eyes, and was quite good looking. Not what you'd call "hot", but definitely something that certain girls may want a peek at. That didn't concern him though. What did was that the boy-whoever he was-seemed to be in the mood for a confrontation of sorts. Judging from his tight muscle build he had probably had a bit of experience. Very interesting indeed.

"Where I'm from is not your concern, whoever you are compadre." Victor said. "And if I was part of a gang, it wouldn't be very wise to say so, now would it? Even people like me have reputations to keep."

Victor took a step forward. "I'm not going to be rude, so I'll introduce myself. My name is Victor. No need for rudeness, even here."

Victor walked away from the mock crucifixion, keeping his eyes on the figure before him. He had no business with him, but if he intended to start a fight, he would more than gladly oblige. The roof was the perfect place for a fight to occur. No teachers would hear them, and students didn't get involved unless the problem was about them. It was all part of the weird social laws of school. It was almost like some sick, twisted version of Bushido.

The figure spoke again and Victor smirked. "Kick my teeth in, you say? I doubt that would get any information out of me, but if you want to fight, then by all means fight. Today has been a boring day anyway."

Victor kept his stance neutral and his eyes forward. If there was one thing most amateur fighters didn't know, it was that a neutral stance was easily the most dangerous one of all. This boy was not an amateur though. Victor could tell by looking at him. There was a definite aura around him that most street fighters had.

Still standing in a neutral stance, Victor waited. Would the boy attack, or would he try to talk more? He was more then ready for either.

[gary]

As Victor stepped forward, Gary figured he knew something; the stab in the dark seemed to have struck gold. Yet through the confidence and cocky approach, a supposed effort to avoid being rude was made via an introduction. There had to be a reply, such a moment warranted one. "Gary Connors. Now, lets see of I can convince you to share what's inside your head." This was obviously a choice being made on Gary’s part, as Victor had made no offensive advances toward the Irishman, either verbally or physically.

Not that violence was the first thing thought of here, there was obviously the fact that words could continue to be used here. In fact, Gary thought things through, he could swing this situation to his advantage; maybe it was possible to get this person to aid the intention that was for the good of the school. Alliances are handy things, the help from other people could prove vital at the most surprising of times, as even the most inexperienced have their uses when the time presents itself.

Still ready for a fight at any moment, Gary made the response he deemed suitable, "You must get that often. Fighting me on one lousy day might stem your boredom, but what about tomorrow, what about other days? I've got a better solution, we could be..." He struggled to find a word that fitted, friends didn't seem right to him. But then, who knew what could spark between two people? "Let’s just say, acquaintances. I've got ideas that will ensure that you will have things to do, until certain people are forced to leave. Which, believe me, will take a very long time." Dropping his arms to his sides, Gary loosened his stance, leaning more on his right foot, bending his left knee slightly.

[victor]

So the boy's name was Gary Connors? Quite an American name. Victor ran his fingers through his ponytail and leaned back against the wall, taking in the sunlight from above. Gary clearly wanted information, but he didn't seem to want to use violence too quickly. He was prying into him. Not bad.

"I can't tell you much Gary." Victor sighed. "Some of the information I wish to keep private, and some of it is irrelevant."

He looked at the crucified thug on the wall. "As for him, he just tried to attack me when I came up here. I wasn't in a very good mood and sometimes when I get like this I... slip. I could have done much better."

That was when Gary began to suggest something but trailed off. Victor had a pretty good idea of what it was and already knew what to say. It was a generous offer though, he had to admit.

"I can't say we can become partners or anything. I have good reasons, both for me and you, but I will say this: I'm not interested in bringing this school down. I'm just here to fulfill my own survival and I have a... different way of doing it." He reflected on all the lies he had spun throughout his life, tricking people into hurting each other for false ideas of betrayal and deceit. All those years of tricking people and nobody had even suspected him. And people thought the school disciplinary system was effective. Hah.

"As for the fighting, I will admit it is like a drug. You should know Gary. You have the look about you of a person with a fair deal of combat experience. Perhaps you're as fast as you are strong, I presume?"

Victor did not step away from the wall, merely stood there looking at Gary. It was bait, but there was no malice. Victor knew from years and years of training with his father that people-particularly the males-tended to bond quickly by sparring with each other. He had no grudge against Gary, but he was curious about the boy's skills. Besides, he still needed to hone his technique. It would be a great test... if Gary accepted.

[gary]

The fact that victor could have his own reasons for avoiding the 'partnership' Gary could understand; the same went for the misunderstanding regarding his intentions. The latter would have to be corrected; after all, he wasn't the bad guy in the big scheme of things.

"Take down the school? The school is fine, but ever since certain transfers arrived there have been noticeable changes in the general atmosphere of the place. Not to mention things happening that nobody can be sure about, plans unfolding that could put Hircine High and the student body in serious danger." Gary sighed, not many people seemed to be willing to see things his way. He'd have to try a different approach, so with a smile, he would. "The students from Varron, particularly the better known, are being manipulated. At the very least, their influence needs to be lessened, a sort of damage control. I cannot do this alone, but I would rather avoid the hassle of transferring, and I'm sure the Varronites have had enough of that. Why let them go through it again if it can be avoided? Bottom line: I have no intention of bringing down the school."

Now came the answer to the last implication, it seemed Victor was inviting the opportunity for a fight, or at least a spar. With the possibilities that were arriving each day, who could blame someone for wanting to brush up on their fighting abilities? "I guess we could find out through a fight. I s'pose it wouldn't be a serious one; regardless, I won't go lightly on you. If you get hit, you'll get hit hard." Sparring or not, Gary didn't believe there really was a soft fight, besides, if either fighter were to improve to any significant degree they might as well give a decent attempt.

Turning so that his body became perpendicular to the wall, Gary placed his left foot behind his right, still looking intently at Victors eyes with his arms limply at either side. If a spar was wanted, then Victor would have to strike first.

[victor]

Gary made an interesting point. Victor had to admit ever since the transfers had begun things had been heating up significantly. Then again, that wasn't any of his business. If he wanted to start trouble, he didn't do something out in the open. Victor's Iago like personality much more preferred to work behind the scenes and pull strings rather than just come out and cut them. Well, there was the exception here on the wall of course, but he had not been in a good mood and his day had been particularly stressful. And anyway, thugs like that were everywhere. Somebody needed to teach them a lesson.

Victor smiled as Gary accepted the bait. Gary told him that he wasn't going to hold back, but that was good. Victor loved a good challenge, espescially in a fight.

"Heh," Victor chuckled, "I'm going to enjoy this Gary. Don't expect me to hold back either. I'll give you everything I have. Just don't expect me to be as wild as some of the other fighters in this school."

Victor walked towards Gary, already going over his options. There were plenty, given the stance Gary was in. As he drew closer, he decided on a course of action.

Victor suddenly stepped out of his neutral stance and slid forward like a dancer into a front stance towards Gary. As he drew closer he would throw a simple straight jab with his left hand. If Gary blocked the blow, he would follow up with a right hand punch to his elbow as it came to block him. If he dodged it, Victor could slide up again and hammerfist him on the shoulder with his same hand while blocking with the other. It was subtle and basic, but subtle and basic could sometimes be the most useful... and the most dangerous.

[gary]

'Another assumption? You are a fun one... I won't go lightly, but I'm not going to go all out as you are... Yet.'

Gary decided that since this was a spar, he would pay more attention to options at the start than usual. He was able to make some rough guesses while analyzing his opponent; about Gary's height, give or take a few inches, about forty-fifty pounds heavier and obviously had a fair deal more muscle. It seemed that while walking towards Gary, Victor was also mulling things over.

Stepping out of the stance, Victor virtually slid forward in preparation to attack with a left jab. Small and probably to merely see a reaction, which would prove to be equally as small. As Victor slid forward, Gary raised his left arm to be level with his abdomen and his right arm bent with his hand level with his chin. The jab was easily deflected with Gary’s forearm to the right (your left); the movement synchronized with a step to the left, the previous stance then being mirrored; the right arm was quickly moved down to be level with the abdomen after deflecting the punch, and his left side facing his opponent, as the right foot was placed behind the left. This step to the side and shift in stance meant the strike intended to follow the jab simply missed.

With the initial strike avoided a left hook was immediately sent to the ribs, fast enough to slip passed the right arm if unnoticed immediately and powerful enough to knock some wind out of the boy while possibly forcing a slight change of position in order to maintain balance, although without the excessive force that would ordinarily be applied. Regardless of what happened to the punch, Gary would instantly follow up by pushing of his left leg to shove his right knee into Victor’s stomach; this time the force was definitely excessive.

[victor]

As expected, Gary saw the move coming. Victor wasn't going to let that distract him though. He wasn't going to go all out as he had initially planned anymore. He'd hold back a little and test Gary a little bit to see his movements.

Gary stepped away and brought his arm out in a right hook towards Victor's ribs. Victor casually raised his left arm up and caught the blow in his hand while stepping into Gary's guard. As he moved in, Gary's knee shot towards his stomach.

"Not bad for a street fighter." Victor thought. "Too bad the knee gives me an opening."

Victor turned his body to the side and although the knee struck him it only brushed off of him, inflicting no damage. At the same time, Victor straightened his left hand into a spear hand strike and drove it towards the soft spot on the side of Gary's ribs. Even if he missed, he could pull back and drive another spear hand strike to Gary's arm while blocking with his right arm.

[gary]

ooc: I'm assuming you're on my left side...
And, sorry, kind of late in replying...

ic:
The knee was made ineffective and seemingly provided a window of opportunity, and windows of opportunity are always taken advantage of. As a strike was sent into Gary’s side, he twisted his body, retracting his left arm with the hopes of deflecting the strike with his elbow, while raising his right hand with hopes of defending himself if he failed to deflect the blow. Both attempts failed; the strike got through first, his chest suffering the consequences.

As he back-pedalled out of the range of any further strikes for a moment, Gary spoke with a smirk, "My my, aren't we a clever thing." He stopped for a moment to think, although he had no intention of not continuing the spar, there was one question, "Before we carry on, what about my proposal? You could still be a part of what I have planned, you could help save the school; we could bring down the evil that resides in Hircines walls and I can guarantee that it would make this little scuffle look like an episode of Barney and friends." After a moment, if an answer was or was not given, Gary would nod to show his acknowledgement and give a kick-start the spar, or ''punch-start'' if anyone wants to get overly-literal.

Going towards Victor of with a light sprint, Gary would stop abruptly the moment he was within range, immediately throwing a simple one-two combination toward the chest. It was now that he was ready for almost anything, as when the second punch landed, his right hand would have gone back to the mid-way point between the two and remain slightly bent, while his right foot remained behind his left, prepared to initiate the second stage of what Gary now intended to do.

[victor]

OOC: I'm assuming your right hand was the second punch...

The blow connected as planned, right to Gary's ribs. He backed off and began to speak again. Victor listened, already knowing his response.

"I'll have to turn down your proposal, I'm sorry to say." Victor replied. "It's not that I have anything against you or anything. It's just that there are some people in this school who I owe my life and gratitude though. These people are very powerful, and chances are I'd get more then just a beating if they found out that I wasn't interested in working for them. I know there are people here who could protect me, but I don't want protection. I don't work for them currently, but they'll find me at some point, if they think I'm still of use. Sorry, but I can't tell you who."

Gary came at him with a punch combination and Victor saw another opportunity. As the punches came, Victor performed a circular block to catch his hand. Once he caught it, he would twist Gary's arm down to pierce his guard and perform a palm strike to Gary's chest to knock him back again.

[gary]

An unfortunate sequence of events; but still able to be swung into Gary’s favour none-the-less. As his arm was grabbed and instantly twisted downward he would, out of instinct, attempt to move with it for a second in a vain attempt to lessen the effect of what victor was about to accomplish.

The palm strike that followed was seen, with time for a reaction. Gary made the instant decision of absorbing the shock of the strike with his unused hand, then interlocking his fingers with Victors while pushing Victors hand back and pulling to keep the arm as straight as possible. Now it would only be presumed that it would be a matter of who held out the longest, unless bones were broken and Victor had said he was giving everything he had...

ooc: Yeah, shortest post I've done yet, I think... Sorry, time is of the essence at the moment ^-^