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Post by king on Dec 26, 2006 12:18:02 GMT 1
Kurtz lay across a table in the courtyard, with a glass overhang from the ceiling allowing him a nice view of the clear sky. This was the Pillars table, the best table in the entire courtyard. The glass allowed the sun to keep it warm for those who sat there, while the positioning meant that on a cold day, the biting wind could not effect those who say there. It was the most comfortable place to sit in the entire courtyard for lunch. This, however, meant it was destined to never be sat at by an student.
The table was reserved for the Pillars to eat at when they ate together. It always remained early until one of them sat their when they wanted to speak to the others when the need arrived. Kurtz had never really taken advantage of it, only sat when others sat first. He never really cared for anything after becoming a pillar, not having any threats to his life-style beyond the usual banter with Darren. He sat whenever someone else did, but was never one to instigate. Today was different though, as the new students arrived today for the school year. For the first time since becoming a Pillar, Kurtz had something to really care about.
So he waited with a mouth full of sandwich and a mind full of questions for other pillars to show up. Other students looked uneasy seeing them there, as such meetings always foreshadowed hardship, and Kurtz was wildly known as the most likable and lenient Pillar. If he started a meeting, there really was a problem.
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Post by Tiao Lei Shen on Dec 26, 2006 23:32:33 GMT 1
"Damn I'm hungry." Tiao Lei Shen, the first pillar of the School Captain muttered as he walked down the hallway, boxed lunch in his hand. He was about to head to the library to catch up on his latest assignment, but as he walked by the large glass windows something caught his attention.
"Kurtz." Tiao stated plainly, turning on his heels and walking out towards the courtyard. He was sitting at their table, and that always meant that there was business to discuss. To Tiao's knowledge Kurtz hadn't brought anything up before, as he was usually the one to join in, not bring up.
Tiao casually walked out the doors, giving a few smiles and winks to the cheerleading team on his way to the table. He tossed his boxed lunch onto the table and hopped into a seat, bringing his gaze to the Irish-Japanese pillar in front of him. Weird. He thought to himself, shaking his head.
"Whats up Kurtz?" Tiao asked as more of a formality. Likely, they wouldn't start until Darren showed up, but from Tiao had seen from Kurtz he wouldn't be one to sit in uncomfortable silence.
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Post by king on Dec 26, 2006 23:52:49 GMT 1
"Not much that you probably haven't noticed yourself"
Kurtz was, of course, referring to the Varronites. They were a big change to the schools workings, and something would have to be done to maintain stabibilty, at least that is what Kurtz was thinking Darren would say. He quite frankly welcomed the change, but he knew his reindeer games and the other pillars methods could lead to trouble.
He knew that Darren himself would eventuall show up himself today, probably thinking that he would need to start things. He usually did, being the one Liam sent his orders through.
Kurtz got up from his his back and sat at the end of the table, twisting his neck to look back at Tiao. Unlike Darren, who's relationship with Kurtz was a playful rivalry, Tiao and Kurtz were much more compatible. They were both very motivated and enjoyed the perks of thier position, but both lacked the desire to lead as Captain. This was probably a good thing, as if Kurtz himself hadn't fallen in line the school would be a warzone, let alone if Tiao went solo. The only real conflict of thier personalities was that while Kurtz ddn't want to lead, he also didn't want to follow. This resulted in his constant tension with Darren, and Kurtz didn't need his contacts to see which side Tiao would take.
"So, how's the skateboarding going? Learned any new tricks lately?"
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Post by Tiao Lei Shen on Dec 27, 2006 2:46:56 GMT 1
"Yeah, I'm sure you saw the jokesters this morning in the auditorium." Tiao mentioned, frustrated at the two girls who caused a small scene, Kira and Hikari he believed they were named. They were smart asses and they would learn their lesson one way or another when the time came.
Kurtz joined Tiao at the table, showing how the two often got along quite well. Though Kurtz and Darren often had their little bouts of words, Tiao never really had an issue with him. If worse came to worse Tiao would stick with Darren as he always would, but unless that happend he got along fine with Kurtz. They were both rather easy-going and Tiao had respect for Kurtz, something that he didn't give too much of.
"Well I nailed the Casper Slide the other day, but I'm still having trouble getting into the Casper Flip from there. I wipe out on the 360 everytime. What about you? Make any money or play anything new lately?"
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Post by king on Dec 27, 2006 6:58:59 GMT 1
"I made three hundred at a dive downtown last weekend. I could have gotten more until the manager realized who I was and kicked me out. It's getting harder to find a place to play poker this town."
Kurtz neck moved down while his hand moved up, taking another small bite from his sandwich. To move so much of his body to take a small bite gave away that he was enjoying it. When he finished chewing, he started up again.
"The prize fighting I organize is picking up again finally. It seems the economy is back up and people are willing to spend. I plan on getting the college fund full finally when the new kids start attending. All those new faces are just going to earn me more money."
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Post by Tiao Lei Shen on Dec 27, 2006 7:17:58 GMT 1
A long, low frequency whistle would eminate from Tiao's mouth, impressed by how much Kurtz could hustle in such a short amount of time.
He's good at what he does, thats why he's one of us.
Kurtz began to dig into his lunch, signalling to Tiao that there was no need to hold off on eating until Darren arrived. He opened his box and grabbed his chop sticks, pinching a piece of his smoked until it came loose and lifted into his mouth. As he chewed, Tiao began to nod his head ferociously, signalling he had something to add. Finishing his bite and swallow Tiao's head came to a slow stop before he opened his mouth once again to speak.
"I was thinking about that too. These Varron kids are nuts. They are all either as passionate as you and me, or as dead on the inside as Darren is. Either way, these kids always resort to violence. Even the ones who claim to be trying to keep the peace. But anyways, I was thinking we should start openly challenging these guys and putting them up against eachother. Its good for business, and its good to let the animals blow off some steam. Take the dog for a walk before he pees on the carpet sort of thing."
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Post by king on Dec 27, 2006 8:30:21 GMT 1
"Yeah, the fact that they are so much like us is what makes them dangerous. It's something we have to deal with, but I'm not commiting to a plan until we all talk it out. These students, though they don't realize it, could easily unite for a period against a common enemy. I think it would be best to take care of the community before we attack the leaders. The hard part will be convincing Darren, as he will likely plan like you."
Kurtz finished his sandwich, and swiftly tossed the wrapper into the trash after rolling it into a ball. He rubbed his hand together to dislodge the errant crumbs before conitnuing.
"Anyway, it seems all the trouble these kids have gone through just grinded the axe into a sharper edge. I think we should plan this more carefully than just the random beatings."
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Post by Darren Blayne on Dec 27, 2006 9:10:40 GMT 1
"I couldn't agree more," Darren spoke suddenly, seemingly only catching the tail end of the previous conversation. With a small bowl of soup from the cafeteria in hand, he sat down, taking a seat next to Kurtz at the table quietly. As he sat down, however, he suddenly shot a look to Tiao, raising his eyebrow with a small smile upon his face.
"And if I'm dead on the inside, Tiao, then it's troublemakers like you that made me this way." A quiet, quick exhale of a laugh followed, in what was a display of humor usually unseen from Darren during school hours. Using his spoon to take a sip of the vegetable soup, Darren followed with the obvious formalities.
"Good afternoon, Tiao, Kurtz. I heard it through the grapevine, Kurtz," he continued, straight to business like always, "that you wanted to speak to the rest of us. I'm quite sure I know what it's about, considering the conversation I overheard on my way over, so, fill us in. Do you have a plan?"
Darren, after speaking immediately went back to his meal, all the while keeping an ear on his most controversial Pillar. He knew all about Kurtz, and how the only reason he was sitting at this table was because he was tricked into it by the administration. Darren wasn't quite sure how he felt about it, since, for one thing, Kurtz's unpredictability was a constant source of worry for the captain, and for another, there was something about fooling someone into a position of responsibility they did not care to accept that didn't sit well with him. Either way, Kurtz had proven himself time and time again to be an asset to the Hierarchy, both physically and mentally. Regardless of the situations surrounding him, Kurtz was an asset to the team, and one that Darren, despite himself, rather enjoyed having around.
One could hardly blame the captain, however, as Kurtz was just one of those people you couldn't not like.
Hearing no answer, as of yet, from Kurtz, likely because he was either taking a bite of his sandwich or gathering his thoughts, Darren decided to speak up again, more as a semi-friendly jest than anything.
"Or would you rather us place bets on what we think your plan is?"
Darren smiled his toothless smile once more for a moment, before going back to his soup.
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Post by king on Dec 28, 2006 8:07:02 GMT 1
"First of all, you know I don't gamble if I can't win anything out of it. Second, of course I have a plan. I always have a plan. When have I ever not had a plan? Finally...."
As Kurtz trailed off, he removed his wallet from his jacket. It was thick, full of fairly won earnings. He quickly got out a ten dollar bill and tossed it to Tia. It swaying back and forth in the air in front of him.
"you win, he does have a sense of humor, though I was surprised I was able to detect it without lab equipment"
Kurtz span around now, turning to face the others without needing to turn his neck. He sat down at the provided chair at the head of the table, his feet resting on the table itself. He had that look on his face when he knew he was going to get to hear his own magnificent voice produce another awesome plan. The look of casual arrogance that, though out of proportion, was still based on ability and sheer confidence.
"Any, after observing these student for half a day it is clear there are only four distinct division among them, none of which are gang related. There are those who don't want to fight anymore, those who wish they didn't have to fight anymore, those who want to fight because they are too stupid to do otherwise, and those who want to fight because they don't like their new position."
Kurtz's analysis, though very vague, was true. Many of the students who came, even some who were amongts Varrons strongest, undoubtedly were tired of it all and wanted to stop. The weakest were among them, and they would conform quickly. The strongest among would still fight if they needed to. Besides that were those who liked fighting or just wanted to be something again. They would be the easiest to deal with, as the traditional method for dealing with them would be sufficient. The last one was the real issue, and would probably be best addressed last. These were the ones who were sick of the system, wanted their freedom, or were quite frankly just tired of authority backed by force, not consent.
"The first group will take advantage of their current situation and get what they want, which causes us no problem. The third will be ground to dust before they ever become a threat by lesser students. The problem is, the remaining students are the ones that we actually would be threatened by if they got together. I we push too hard, or when they don't view it as appropriate, we'll get a backlash before we're ready for it. The key to wining is to not push too hard until they won't unite anymore."
Kurtz raised his hand into the air vertically, and chopped down into his palm quickly, a loud clap emanating despite the lack of actual contact.
"So, if we are capable of dividing them for even a day, our side is the best bet to win. This can be done by either making those who wish they didn't want to fight see are solution as a viable one, or make the rebels seem so violent that we appear to be the lesser of too evils. I have already planned a few plans for both objectives, but I'll let fearless leader decide which path to take. After all, I don't want to get the blame if you guys screw it up."
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Post by Darren Blayne on Dec 28, 2006 8:23:34 GMT 1
Darren's smile was brought to his face again at Kurtz's loss of ten dollars to Tiao over a bet that he'd not heard of previously. In the hidden rivalry-that-wasn't between Kurtz and Darren, any victory was a viable one, even when it was as indirect as this one happened to be. Without further ado, Kurtz, changing seats to one more appropriate of a speech-giver, allowing him to see both Darren and Tiao equally well, began setting forth his ideas, allowing the Captain and his Lieutenant to take them in and mull them over.
Kurtz's analysis of the new students was spot-on, as usual. The student was smarter than most gave him credit for, as Darren well knew that all of his winnings in almost all forms of competition were much more than just dumb luck.
As he went on to announce his plans of 'dealing' with all of the Transfers, Darren discontinued his eating for the moment and leaned forward, propping his head up with one elbow to further listen to Kurtz's ideas. He brought forth many good points, and left the final decision up to the Captain, obviously as a method of saving his own skin in the end, should the plans go awry.
However, that was the glory of Darren and Kurtz working together. If one came up with the plan, than the other could ensure that it went off flawlessly.
"All told, Kurtz, I believe the former would be our best bet. Convincing those who don't really want to fight, yet fight regardless to a course of peacefulness will not only require a lot less physical effort on our parts, it will also lower the possibility of the rest of the student body becoming harmed significantly. Even so, should this plan fail, it would still be possible to use your other as a fall-back."
Darren had thought about it, and came to the conclusion he already knew he would have come to. In the end, what was most important, at least to him, was to keep the student body out of trouble, and away from violence, and thus, safe.
"Unless, of course, there are any objections or comments...?" Darren trailed off, his eyes darting from both Kurtz to Tiao, and back again, giving either of them a fair chance to add in any last words on the subject.
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Post by king on Dec 28, 2006 8:53:01 GMT 1
"Aw man, there was one kid I wanted to volunteer for the other plan. I guess we'll do things the boring way then."
Kurtz gave a obviously dramatic sigh as he leaned on to the table, sliding his feet off. If they were offensive he could of pinned something really brutal on the Varron kids, using that little shit Malakai as the "volunteer". Kurtz had already given up his right to decide the issue though, and would have to think of something less formal to punish the insolent weakling with. All he was doing just now was bitching to get on Darren's nerve.
"Of course, lets ask Tiaos opinion....cause we all know he is going to disagree with you out of spite."
Kurtz silver tongue was lightning fast as usual, though the point of his sarcasm was only audible to those who were familiar with him. After all, he wasn't making fun of Tiao, who's loyalty made all their lives easier, but actually insulting Darren for being so dumb as to thin Tiao would disagree with Darren even if he had objections.
After all, Kurtz took a loss this lunch, he had to recoup his losses.
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Post by Tiao Lei Shen on Dec 29, 2006 22:50:05 GMT 1
Darren had walked in unnoticed, obviously hearing Tiao's comment about him. Tiao smiled at Darren's rebuke, actually happy that he had heard it. It was decently accurate and well, funny. The second Darren cracked another joke, this time at Kurtz, Tiao beamed with happiness. It wasn't everyday someone beat Kurtz in a bet.
"Thank you..." Tiao trailed off with a huge grin, slipping the ten bucks into his front pants pocket.
Kurtz began to discuss his plan, letting Darren speak his piece in as well. Tiao remained silent for most of this. He could of very well contributed to the plan but hey, lets be honest, Tiao's plans often lacked the finesse of the calculated gambler and the scholar.
Tiao grinned once again at seeing Kurtz' small pout at not being able to use the second plan. Tiao opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Kurtz. Scowling for a moment, Tiao raised his right hand, extending his middle finger and flipping the bird to Kurtz, another large grin on his face letting it soak in before he lowered his hand and spoke.
"Well as I was going to say smartass," Tiao started, also joking with Kurtz. He knew Kurtz didn't believe him to be just another yes-man. However, many probably did. The pillars do not view it that way however, Tiao is not a tool for the gardeners use, but more the pillar system is a gateway to be used by Tiao. It's a give and take relationship.
"Why don't we use a combination of both? What I'm saying is, couldn't we use the second in order to influence the first? As you put it, we are the lesser of two evils so you should side with us in order to have a peaceful school type of dealy?"
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Post by king on Dec 30, 2006 10:01:07 GMT 1
"I thought of that myself, but if you think of every consequences it becomes a risky bet. If it backfires on us, we get the worse case scenario, and probably won't be able to buy back in. We have the most chips right now, which means we're the ones who have the most to lose"
Kurtz turned his head for a moment, as if something to the side suddenly caught his attention for a moment. He then quickly got up and stepped a few feet away, then swiftly turned back to the table. He then began to speak swiftly, becoming excited by his own thoughts.
"On the other hand, there may be something to doing it the other way around. We get those who want peace....then turn them against those who want freedom. Not only do we get a peaceful student body, but we strengthen our base as well permanently."
He swiftly pointed to Tiao, using him as the representation of his perceived plan.
"Instead of using a bluff and risking losing our hand, lets get pocket aces and then get the biggest pot possible."
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Post by Darren Blayne on Jan 2, 2007 8:34:18 GMT 1
"So what you're saying is that we use those who want the peace, and send them to our dirty work us, pacifying the ones who still want to fight. In whichever way possible. It keeps my students safe, and leaves us with little actual physical work in the end. It's lazy. I like it."
Darren nodded to the excited to the pillar, pointing to him, almost as if to say 'you're the man.'
"You've got it, Kurtz. Right there. That's our plan." Darren's words were a bit accelerated as well, however, his face and actions did not show the extent of the excitement that Kurtz did. Inwardly, though, Darren was smiling ear-to-ear. They had already found a way of dealing with the transfers that would benefit them the most, while costing them the least. Leave it to the gambling man to figure out the best hand to play in any given situation, Darren thought to himself.
"So, with that out of the way, is there anything else we need to speak of while we are here? I've seen a few Hircinians that are becoming a little too agitated by the presence of the Varronites here. What do you two think we should do about them?"
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Post by king on Jan 2, 2007 9:22:32 GMT 1
"That's an easy one. If we're going to make this plan work, keeping our own restrained will be the most difficult part. If something catches a dog attention and it becomes disobedient, the best thing to do is remind it of the familiar benefits of focusing on the master commands. We're not exactly known for throwing out treats, so I recommend pulling the leash when they misbehave."
Kurtz analogy, though not exactly flattering, was true. They simply needed to remind the school who was really supposed to be feared. That would solve the problem pretty easily. That, and it'll make their plans flow smoother.
"I do have one issue, thought it's more of a PR one. Can you actually, you know, laugh Darren? I mean actually laugh. Some of the female students are starting to wonder."
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Post by Tiao Lei Shen on Jan 3, 2007 1:19:21 GMT 1
As Kurtz got up, excited to hear himself speaking as usual, Tiao liftedh is index finger, mutterting "Thats what I thought I said..." He was snapped back to what Kurtz was saying however the second he pointed at him, returning his attention to the plan.
Tiao frowned inwardly when Darren mentioned how it would leave little physical work for them. Darren and Kurtz were more thinkers, but Tiao was a doer. Everytime they had a meeting he was reminded of that small fact. He liked the physical part of it, not so much the brainstorming.
"Not to halt the turn we just made in conversation, but there is something I don't believe we worked out. We have the 'what' of our plan, but what about the 'how'? We got the strategy, but how are we going to accomplish it?" Tiao inquired, looking first at Kurtz and then to Darren, leaving his gaze on his best friend and Captain of Hircine High.
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