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Post by artemis on Sept 6, 2007 4:48:11 GMT 1
Artemis stood on the roof of the school surveying his strange new environment. He stared down at the students below with an expression of intense thought. The level of activity that pervaded here was something he was definitely not use to. These “students” seemed loud and obnoxious as they walked though the courtyard socializing with one another. Something inside him was irked and made uneasy by this scene, but still something else inside him could not help but be excited and curious about them.
Is this what it’s like out here? So much noise…so much activity…
so much freedom.
Artemis absentmindedly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he stared down at the group of people below him with an intense glare of deep concentration.
This was his third day since he forged his records and enrolled himself into this school. Within this time he had already confirmed that even the most challenging classes offered here was mere child’s-play for him, but that is not what interested him. He could care less whether the school could offer him any kind of academic education; he was more interested in learning to cope with this new sense of freedom that seemed to overwhelm him. He had never given any thought to what he was going to do after he got this far, which he found to be a bit ironic. Given the amount of time and effort he put into getting this far, and his tendency to overanalyze every facet of his surroundings it seemed almost impossible that he had never given any thought to what he was going to do for the rest of his life.
He stood there giving it some thought as he watched the crowd of students below.
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Post by zeke on Sept 6, 2007 6:07:16 GMT 1
Zeke was sitting on the top of the roof of the small stairway opening to the rooftop of the school. It was his break period, and he liked to hang out there. It was then that he noticed a student he hadn't seen before. Then again, he hadn't been at Hircine that long, so he might have just not noticed him.
No, this guy was definitely new.
He jumped down from his perch, and walked up to the student. "Hey, you're new here, right? I'm Zeke." He said. Judging by the student's intellectual appearance, he guessed he wasn't that good at fighting, so he should be given the heads-up.
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Post by artemis on Sept 6, 2007 6:58:42 GMT 1
Artemis stared for a moment transfixed in thought over this new concept of true freedom. For a good 3 to 5 seconds he stared blankly into the same spot almost unaware of the student that approached him. When the student’s words finally reached him, he shook his head slightly and peered at the student with a piercing, but unintentional glare.
He surveyed the boy in front of him, his mind subconsciously sizing him up as it took in every piece of data he could gather. Before Artemis could think about it, his mind had already gathered enough data on this boy’s appearance to approximate his fighting style, as well as the most efficient way to counter it.
For a split second or more his mind continued to gather data about the surrounding area before Artemis blinked allowing his glare to disappear from his face as his glasses slid slightly down the bridge of his nose. His eyes took on a cold emotionless tone with a small hint of kindness hidden beneath the glassy stare.
“Hello, I am Artemis.”
His voice emotionless, showing no real signs of personality. Artemis held out his hand to the student waiting for the student to return the gesture.
This was the first person who had addressed Artemis directly since he enrolled here, so with a calculating curiosity and a little bit of fear and anxiety hidden deep within him he waited calmly to see what would happen next.
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Post by zeke on Sept 6, 2007 10:20:25 GMT 1
"I thought i'd warn you, since you don't look like the fighting type," Said Zeke, "that this school is a pretty rough place. Unless you can fight, you should be careful." Zeke looked at the boy, wondering if there was something he misunderstood here. Maybe the boy could fight. If there was one thing this school had taught him, It's that looks can be decieving. Strange that he was at a school and that's the most important thing he learned.
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Post by artemis on Sept 6, 2007 15:23:33 GMT 1
Artemis looked at the boy coolly a slight expression of arrogance crossing his face.
“I appreciate the warning, but your concern for me isn’t necessary. I am more than capable of handling any brute who thinks he can use his fist to solve his problems.”
Artemis used the hand previously held out towards his addresser to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The light from the sun was reflected briefly on the lenses as he moved his hand away.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Artemis said with a smirk on his face and a friendly tone to his voice.
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Post by zeke on Sept 6, 2007 19:46:45 GMT 1
Zeke was surprised. Artemis didn't appear to have much strength, or much experience in combat. Looks really are decieving. Then he realized that Artemis might not realize how dangerous the school really was.
"Even so, you should be careful. Have you ever heard of the watchers? Basically, they're a group of well-trained adult rule-enforcers, armed with metal poles. They're extremely dangerous, and deal out rediculous punishments the second you step out of line. I'm with a group that's trying to stop them, but they're a huge threat. My advice is: Be careful."
He awaited Artemis's reply.
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Post by artemis on Sept 6, 2007 20:28:52 GMT 1
Artemis had heard of the watchers. In fact this schools unique and dangerous environment was exactly why he came here. He did his fair share of background checks and he decided that the best way to blend in to the general population was to go to a school well known for its fair share of peculiarities.
The recent transfer of all the students from Varron Academy was the perfect opportunity to slip in. With all of the administration scrambling to organize all the new student records it was easy to slip another one in.
Hircine High was the perfect place for him. Even he could fit in here.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Artemis replied as he turned once again to watch the students down below him; his eyes once again returning to deep wells of thought.
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Post by zeke on Sept 6, 2007 20:54:56 GMT 1
Maybe he hadn't been giving Artemis enough credit. Maybe he really was capable of defending himself, even though he looked like he couldn't.
"okay, then. But if you get into a tight spot, i'll be happy to help."
And with that, he left, going back inside the school. He thought he heard an announcement.
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Post by Ran Ling Xiao on Sept 8, 2007 2:07:17 GMT 1
(Blarg. This feels rushed. I apologies)
There was something Ran had neglected to do in a long time it seemed, and something about that didn't feel right. The roof. Oh how she missed hanging out on a roof. Heck at Varron, a lot of memories were about being on the roof! Some, kind of insignificant but still they were memories all the same.
Her eyes wandered about to figure out exactly WHERE she was in the school. Once she 'remembered' Ran began to make her way up the first flight of stairs and then continued to find the other to get to the roof. It wasn't hard to tell where it was, and she didn't have to think twice before making her way there.
Ran had begun her march up the school steps, passing by a familiar face as she did so. It was the boy who had gang troubles near the school before, who went after a guy with a bandana. Ran's eyes shifted away from him after, reaching the door in a matter of seconds and opening it, squinting her eyes as the sun beamed down on her. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, but soon enough she took a full step out and let the door shut behind her. Ahhh, she always loved comming on the roof back at Varron, there was always a lot of things happening there! Often times it was fights so that always made things interesting.
She smiled brightly, feeling in high spirits here outside. With a stretch and a content "Hmph!" Ran further continued to inspect the area. Ahh, she had a feeling she wouldn't be alone up here. Still, Ran enjoyed company and meeting new people had always been fun. Not to mention it seemed to be a less dangerous thing here at Hircine. Varron, you never knew what kind of psycho you were possibly meeting.
"Oh, Hello," Ran said gently, a sort of cheery but calm tone to her. She slowly began to approach the younger boy, taking a place next to him and looking down. She felt a slight nausiating sensation, forcing her to take a step back and diverting her eyes on the boy. A fear of heights, how could she forget? And yet, she always hoped she could get over that fear. Unfotunately that had yet to happen.
"Lovely day isn't it?"
The girl beamed friendliness, something that would probably never change. "My name is Ran, I hope you don't mind my company for a little bit?"
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Post by artemis on Sept 8, 2007 18:10:41 GMT 1
Artemis again took a second to respond. He pulled himself out of the wells of his mind and blinked for a second. He turned to look at the girl next to him his expression for a moment expressing a cold annoyance before switching to grudging indifference.
“sure.” Artemis said his shoulders shrugging slightly.
Artemis turned back to face the crowd then as an afterthought in an attempt to be social he spoke.
“My name is Artemis.”
OOC: srry for the short post kinda hard to deal with an antisocial character
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Post by Ran Ling Xiao on Sept 8, 2007 20:03:33 GMT 1
(No problem~)
Ran's eyes had caught into the emotion from Artemis' facial expressions. Most people would probably feel sort of awkward at this stage but Ran felt perfectly comfortable. It was already easy to tell what sort of person he was and she'd dealt with some such as he before. 'Either he'll eventually open up or he'll end up thinking I'm a nuisance' she thought.
Her lips curved into a smile as he replied almost bluntly. 'Sure?' she thought in amusement, forcing herself not to giggle and shake her head. Instead she kept up displaying a sense of calm. The girl would try to bring up something else, anything, to possibly stirr up some conversation however to her pleasant surprise, the boy spoke again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Artemis." she said giving a short drop of her head in a nod/bow kind of motion, a sort of way for her to say "hello".
Still, Ran felt if she left it at that, even if Artemis replied in any form to her words, that the conversation would probably come to a stall again. And while Ran hadn't always known how to start conversations, that never stopped her from trying. It barely took a second of thinking before the ebony-haired asian asked,
"How long have you been at Hircine?"
A simle question, but that usually led her to know if the student was a transfer, as she had been, or a Hircinian. Not that it mattered much in the end so long as she wasn't treated like an outcast or anything. Still, if luck would be on her side, she'd get a good enough answer to work with. If not, then she'd just bring something else up. Amazingly persistant, you could say.
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Post by artemis on Sept 8, 2007 21:17:36 GMT 1
Artemis stared forward with the same emotionless expression on his face. He spoke in a fairly emotionless tone, his voice steady and solid.
“Just a few days.”
His body language stayed steady and confident as he spoke. It did nothing the portray the uncertain, chaotic atmosphere of his mind.
Artemis didn’t know how to deal with this situation. Part of his mind found the girl incessantly annoying. Her actions did nothing for him except to disturb the solitude and the tranquility of this moment. She was nothing, but a nescience.
However, at the same time another part of his mind buried deep under his cold logical upbringing found her presence warming and inviting. He wanted nothing more than to participate in the conversation. His mind was so socially starved he would have talked to anybody. Unfortunately, his lack of experience with social situations made it difficult for him to hold a conversation with her. He felt far too uneasy.
His mind was being indecisive, and there seemed to be no place where calm cool logic could prevail.
Finally, his mind had come to a decision.
Artemis turned his head to face the girl next to him.
He tried to convey a look of genuine interest as he awkwardly replied:
“How about you?”
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Post by Ran Ling Xiao on Sept 9, 2007 1:27:26 GMT 1
(Arg. Short, sorry)
'New Kid'
Ran didn't say much to the response, merely giving two nods of her head and crossing her arms casually. She wondered if he had much knowledge about this school. Ran was sure that knowing how things worked and being informed about the Watchers would be a good thing however she wasn't going to bring that up. The boy might've already known about them and if he didn't, it wouldn't be long before he did. 'Those guys are everywhere'
It seemed that Artemis would finally look at her, though Ran had no problem with talking to people who didn't, and Ran smiled at his awkward speech.
"I've been here since the transfer of all the Varron kids" she said shrugging her shoulders a bit. "So for a good few months, yeah. Don't know if you've heard anything about it all, but after a series of...mishaps back at Varron, Hircine decided to "take us" so a good load of us transfered here. So...here I am."
she laughed sheepishly, for a second before uncrossing her arms and placing her hands on her hips instead. "What's your story, transfering so far into the year? If i'm not crossing any boundaries by asking."
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Post by artemis on Sept 9, 2007 1:51:46 GMT 1
(no problem its difficult for me to make decently sized post in this conversation too.)
Artemis heard the question, and the answer that he had recited many times popped into his head. He tried to exude friendliness as he spoke, even attempting a genuine smile.
He couldn’t decide whether he did this just for appearances, or if he genuinely meant it.
“Nothing special really… just a German transfer student… I was officially enrolled in Varron for a short time, but I never spent any time there… Just came here to broaden my horizons.”
The words came slowly to him as he paused between every sentence. What was really difficult for him was the sincerity and kindness projected in his voice. Genuine or no.
Regardless it seemed that her infectious personality was getting to him.
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Post by Ran Ling Xiao on Sept 9, 2007 4:47:44 GMT 1
"Well I'll be!" Ran exclaimed, though not childishly, giving after a delighted grin. "Another Varronite, huh? I didn't think I'd seen you before, I guess that's why."
She gave a few skips closer to the edge, placing her hands shakily on the railings and peeking over to see the school grounds. It felt like she was about to faint but Ran kept pushing through that factor, almost like she was determined to face her fear. It took a few seconds but eventually she started to ease up, her tense muscles relaxing. She loved the view, even if she was scared. The whole thought of how she MAY fall always played in her mind which was what made it so hard to face.
"The view is so awesome. I always loved going on the roof." she said off-handedly. "I hope you didn't come here for the peace other-wise I might've ruined it, huh?"
She shot a glance at Artemis and stuck out her tongue before looking back out, towards the streets futher from the school grounds. Few cars passed, and soon Ran had lost interest in it, pulling away from the railing, but leaving one hand on it, and looking at Artemis again.
She constantly did that, changed where she was looking for a moment then look back at the person she was talking to. She was quite distracted all the time and that caused her gaze to shift even if nothing caught her attention. Some people might've found it rude, others, as she remembered, found that quite amusing. 'Must be my paranoia, too' she thought. 'Everything that moves happens to make my heart skip if I don't know what it is at the time...'
"I assume you've been here long enough to know of the Watchers right? If you know enough..." Ran began, her tone turning a tiny bit more grave. While she was a good enough student at school, she still felt an intense pressure from them. An uneasy feeling with just the way they were. The intimidationg she felt probably helped that, but also the fact they were armed scared her even more. She couldn't imagine getting into trouble with them. 'Ow.'
"What do you think of them? Your opinion, I mean. You think they are actually beneficial or are you against their ways?"
She looked at him, her smile faded and her expression troubled. She'd heard through rumours that there was a group planning something but the details as to what were scarce. Ran had to admit all she knew was they were doing SOMETHING. That's all.
The Watchers were also a popular topic and Ran couldn't help but help enforce that theory. They were the: "Thing to Talk About" and most people shared a common opinion. Maybe it just helped vent frustration? Ran didn't go around bashing them but she was often curious about people's views on them.
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Post by artemis on Sept 9, 2007 5:15:10 GMT 1
Artemis turned to face her now his awkward attempt at a grin fading from his face, as his face regained its normal stern expression. To be honest Artemis didn’t pay close attention to the watcher reports before transferring here. He glanced over them and saw the numerous reports of injuries caused and by their reportedly malicious attitudes, but they caused little concern for him.
“The watchers in my opinion are just another layer added to the corporal punishment system. They are little different then the teachers or the pillars, they just don’t try to hide their intentions. The fact that they’re armed just adds to the climate of fear and control that they are trying to create. From my standpoint it is all just an elaborate illusion used to control a massive amount of people, which has been done countless times in the past. To be honest the watchers are no real threat to the school they are only a threat to the individual, and the school’s morality. If the social climate gets bad enough the school will rebel and take them out of power.
Honestly, the Watchers just seem like the tip of the iceberg. If you really wanted to stop all these wrong doings you would have to reformat the entire system. I think that this too will be done eventually.
As for my personal involvement, I won’t stand for unjust punishments to be served, and I will protect the innocent, but I don’t have the desire to take on the entire system. If something happens I’ll be glad to help, but I am not passionate for the cause. I know what I transferred into.”
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Post by Ran Ling Xiao on Sept 9, 2007 8:42:21 GMT 1
Ran listened silently, moving very little apart from the motion of her breathing and her eyes blinking.
"Interesting..." she whispered, holding her left cheek thoughtfully as she tilted her head. Seemed that all-in-all he held pretty much the same opinion about the Watchers as many others did. Perhaps not in the EXACT same view as others, but in the end it was the same. 'I wonder if anyone here is FOR the Watchers?' she thought. She rolled her eyes and smiled. 'Yeah right.'
"I'm glad you want to protect the innocent." Ran started smiling softly and giving him an approving nod. "That's very noble of you. I'd protect others if I could but more often then not "I'm" the one that needs protecting so I leave it to the proffesionals."
Growing tired of being on her feet, Ran proceeded to take a seat on the "ground", sitting in with her left leg bent and her right stretched out, facing in a way that would force her to look up and to the side if she wanted to look at Artemis. For a bit, she simply looked before her, smiling gently as she let a soothing breeze brush past her, her hair lifting slightly from the tiny force. She let escape a bit of an "aaah~" before looking towards Artemis.
"Oh! Right, you said you'd protect the innocent. I take it you're skilled in fighting in some way?" Ran asked leaning back on her hands and resting her head on her shoulder as she looked up at him. "I must admit I didn't think you did. Seem far more of a thinker, but, can't judge a book by it's cover right?"
Ran let her head relax by looking infront of her again, her attention completely on him regardless.
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Post by artemis on Sept 9, 2007 17:26:04 GMT 1
Artemis looked at her with a quizzical look on his face, his body language loosening as the conversation continued.
“Fighting has nothing to do with who is the biggest, or the strongest. What matters more is intelligence and preparation. ‘The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.’*
Artemis sat down next to her his legs folded up to his chest as he looked forward.
“The greatest tool that we posses is the human brain. Whoever can use that most effectively will win the battle and eventually the war. Honestly, if people used their mind instead of their fist, we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”
Artemis stared forward much more at ease then before. His eyes looked dreamily into the horizon.
How did he get to this point, why was he so relaxed? It made no sense. Artemis didn’t open up to people. This girl was different she made him feel comfortable. Her warmth had melted through his defenses, and he didn’t know whether to feel happy or afraid. He was in uncharted territory, and his cold logical mind did nothing to help his situation. There was something different about her that seemed to make him uncomfortable.
OOC:*quote is from The Art of War
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