First Day at Hircine

[Stella Rosenberg]

Stella stood outside the school building staring up at the massive structure. I hate it already she thought. her previous school was for the rich and snotty, and hircine didn't look a thing like it, which in one way was exciting that she was finally out of that hell hole, but also creepy because she didn't know what to expect. her parents sent her away from her previous home because she was being mildly rebellious (a single fight and she was expelled). so, Stella was forced to move in with her aunt, and attend Hircine where hopefully she'd be more behaved.

her first steps into the large building were timid, as she noticed some of the students. the group that she happened to pass were 3 times her size. they looked completely different: she was wearing jeans and a purple tank top. the people, or really all men, were baggy jeans with so many holes they didn't look like jeans and some messed up shirts. as she passed by, they just stared at her, but she continued on without stopping.

after walking a way into the school, she say many people who were either similar to different to the first people she saw. but no matter who she saw, Stella was the outcast in every group.

Compared to some, she thought almost jokingly, i'm the best behaved person in the world. wish my parents could see this...

[Allen Daughtry]

'Early mornings in school are always so loud and erratic...'

Another day had begun in Hircine High, one that would - as always - have some punk crack their neighbor into a wall, or a group of smart asses would clash and end up holding up traffic when lunch started up, or the classes would drag along as the teacher tried their best to explain whatever it was they were trained to teach and the students instead chose to gossip over petty matters, or worse: somebody would think themself worth the time and effort and try to take over some position of power around here. It was, as all schools were, just another day in a school of the Corporal Punishment System.

Still, Allen Daughtry couldn't help but think that there was something odd about Hircine High. He just couldn't figure out what it was yet.

Leaning against one of the plain locker walls of an inner corridor of the first floor, the recently-transferred junior watched casually as his fellow students passed him without much of a glance, either in a rush to reach their classes or a delayed crawl so that they could chat with their friends. The man himself was, for the most part, just observing the crowds, watching the body language of the individuals passing him and peaking the sense of his ears in case he heard a tidbit of particular interest. But, for the most part, there was nothing spectacular. It was all just talk; cheap, worthless gibberish.

The boy sighed in a bit of internal frustration as his left hand pressed itself against his shades and repositioned them onto his nose, covering his cerulean eyes. For the most part, he looked no different than he usually did, and so if anyone knew him here in Hircine High, they would recognize him easily. The thing was, however, he wasn't well known; he was still a newcomer, a fresh face.

What was interesting, however, was how easy it could be to recognize another recent transfer. As he leaned against the lockers, lazily watching other people pass him by, Allen noticed a relatively modest girl cautiously strolling on a vector that would come in front of him, and her demeanor clearly suggested that she was trying to absorb the atmosphere of her surroundings, a tell-tale sign of a fresh face to the school.

Now, Allen was far from considering himself a local or veteran of the school yet, as he was still trying to fully understand the place, but to see another new person at the school was a little comforting if anything.

Smirking to himself and placing his hands behind his head as the girl began to reach a position in front of him, the boy noting her violet top and simple blue jeans, he allowed his smile to widen, before he finally spoke, hoping to draw her attention.

"Well, I guess you're feeling pretty foreign right now, what with that look on your face," Allen began, his eyes not focused on the girl at the moment behind his shades, before he would turn his gaze onto her eyes, "I'm guessing you're new here? It's a little more than obvious, since I know the feeling all too well, let me tell you."

[Nobu]

Why the hell do we have to learn quadratic equations? It's not like I care what the parabola of something is going to be...

Nobuo Yamamoto sat in his math class, mind-numbingly bored with his eyes closed and left palm pressed against his cheek, twirling a pencil around his thumb as he contemplated on the use of quadratic equations in his life. A few students at the back of the class were mingling, their voices low and hushed as the rest of the class sat in silence, either sleeping, crunching numbers, or doing nothing at all.

"Mr. Yamamoto, would you please wake up? Mr.Yamamoto."

I wasn't even sleeping... prying an eye open, the one lacking heterochromia to be exact, he glared at the teacher's forehead until he went back to marking tests or whatever he did at his desk. Glancing at the clock with a single eye, he noticed that the period would be over at any moment, and he was grateful. Now he could grab Hagakure from his locker and read it while he waited for the next period to start.

With a sigh of relief as the bell rang, Nobu scooped up his math textbook and shoved whatever papers he had used into it, not really concerned with how crinkled and unkempt they would appear later. Leaving the classroom with the initial wave of students, Nobu began strolling down the hall at a casual pace, textbook tucked under his left arm and his right hand shoved into the pocket of his black cotton pants. The Japanese student was a ghost in the halls of Hircine High, and has been for the entire year and a half he's been here. He didn't care much for recognition; the most he's been recognized as was "that Asian guy with the karate pants" or "that Japanese dude with long hair", but other than that, Nobu has remained an unknown variable.

The Japanese student spotted it from a distance; some blonde student he had never seen before leaning against his locker. Presuming that it was of course an accident, given that the student was new and that his locker had coincidentally been there when the student felt like he had to rest against something, Nobu moved in a straight line toward the blonde with the intention of asking him to move politely.

As he approached blonde, the smile present on his face widened, and Nobu couldn't help but feel a bit confused. What the blonde said next did not help alleviate the perplexion in his mind at all. Was he making a racial quip? Foreign? What look on my face? It's always the same. And Nobu was right; he normally had a calm, almost emotionless look on his face. Perhaps even a bit melancholic, but nonetheless, it was a very unassuming appearance. The thought that the blonde could be speaking to somebody else also crossed his mind, but the sunglasses he donned did not help with that assumption. Sunglasses actually look pretty slick, and they'd hide my eyes--and heterochromia. Perhaps I should get myself a pair?

The blonde continued to speak, and confirmed the Japanese student's latter assumption, but regardless, he still needed to get to his locker, which meant he still needed to talk to him. Standing a bit off to the side of the blonde, but still pretty much in front of him, Nobu confronted him politely, "Excuse me," he said with a little bow of his head, "if you don't mind, I'd really like to get to my locker now."

[Stella Rosenberg]

WHO SAID THAT?! was the first thing that entered Stella's mind when she heard a voice. for some reason, that was always the first thing that entered her mind when someone spoke to her. only this time, it was more confusing because the man that was talking to her wasn't looking at her. completely confused, Stella anxiously looked around, searching for the person speaking. the closest to her was a blonde guy with some sunglasses on. gee, Stella mentally retorted to the kid, it's not like we have our own sun in this building... The other person that might've spoken to her was a Japanese person. from the voice that spoke to her, it couldn't've been him. finally, she settled with the blonde kid.

she was going to say something back, but when the Japanese person asked to get to his locker, Stella muttered an apologetic sorry and took a step back to let the blonde one move away from the locker so the other get get maybe his books or something. they stood somewhat in the middle of the hallway and she finally had time to answer, "yeah, i'm new. is it really that obvious?"

Well, at least now i feel like i can talk... being surrounded by new people is suffocating, Stella reflected. at least there was someone she was related to. maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she originally thought.

[Allen Daughtry]

It appeared that, before Allen could open complete conversation with the girl in front of him, he would first have to bow to societal courtesy and step out of the way of the student that coincidentally - 'Kind of weird how whenever you lean on a locker, its owner shows up all of a sudden...' - arrived to deposit his possessions. Still, Daughtry had no problem at all with stepping out of the way; it wasn't hard to comply, and in the end, it was easier to avoid conflict than make it.

The request had been sudden, but when Allen glanced to the Asian-descending man, he pulled up a pleasant smirk and nodded, "Of course, let me get out of your way..."

Allen leaned forward and took a few steps forward, hoping to give the locker's owner lenient room to his own privacy. Still, the man's demeanor held an interesting behavior about it, and Allen made a note to open discussion with him later on, as he seemed to walk like a local and showed clear experience in some sort of fighting discipline. In any case, Daughtry would leave him alone for now, and keep his focus on the girl.

Turning his shades onto the new student, before shrugging at the reply and allowing his smirk to widen again, "Considering how you're walking with a cautious step, yeah. You're acting like you're about to get jumped or something, from what I see."

Allen's face went blank for a second, and he glanced around to the mass of students around them, "Though, in retrospect, that is always a possibility in a school like this, though not as much this semester, apparently."

Allen turned his attention back to the girl and waved off the thought, before continuing with his piece of the conversation, "Don't blame yourself, though; you could say I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to observation. Sort of comes with the job. In any case, you certainly don't look like someone searching out a fight... mind if I ask why you're here at Hircine High? I'm Allen, by the way, so you don't have to call me 'blondie'."

[Stella Rosenberg]

Stella couldn't help but give out a small giggle by the comments the man gave. Subtle humor tended to make Stella feel a bit more relaxed.

"I'm Stella. It's nice to meet you Allen." She held out her hand as confidently as she could. being around new people was something she wasn't used to. at least now she had a friend. quickly, she eyed Allen to try and figure out what type of person he was. her first impression was he liked to talk and sound expert-y. second, she noticed he didn't fit the crowd. New? it's possible... she thought. Soon, she realized she'd left a pause in the conversation, which she always found was annoying and weird, at least to her. so, quickly she started talking again.

"Well, i'm kinda here for weird reasons. i attended a private school and pretty much, if you forgot to do one homework assignment, you were punished severely, if you consider 10 licks to the hand with a stick severe..." Stella took a moment to reflect on the first time she witnessed corporal punishment in her school. a smile revealed itself when she thought how silly it was. "i got expelled when i caused a fight that literally lasted less than a minute. my parents thought i needed tough punishment, so they sent me here."

ya know, Stella wondered, wonder if my parents managed to figure out what the school was? my aunt only said it was a bit tougher... never said anything about how much was a bit.

[Nobu]

The taller blonde readily complied to Nobu's request, much to his relief. He really must be new. If it was any other Hircine student, there would of been some sort of conflict. Then again, things seemed to have calmed down a lot around here, since most of the more violent and erratic students were transferred over to Paragon. the Japanese student thought to himself as he nonchalantly chucked his math textbook into his locker and retrieved the Hagakure. The conversation going on next to Nobu between the blonde and a girl would be hard for him not to eavesdrop on, given the proximity between the two. He learned the new students' names when they introduced themselves; Allen and Stella.

Nobu listened to the rest of the conversation, and couldn't help but add his two cents in, his back still turned to the pair as he thumbed through the Hagakure, looking for a particular page to read. "You chose the wrong time to attend this school." he said, his tone almost eerily gentle as he slammed his locker shut and replaced the lock. Turning around to face to the two newcomers, he snapped the book in his hands shut with both hands, and tucked it neatly in the back pocket of his pants. He brushed some invisible lint off of the front of his turquoise tank top, and ran a hand through his mahogany locks so that his face would be uncovered. As much as he disliked revealing his eyes, Nobu found it disrespectful if one does not show themselves when speaking with another. Those are the clandestine tactics of the ninja, not the samurai.

The Japanese student's eyes would drift from Allen's lips to Stella's lips, awaiting a response from either since that comment was directed at both of them. He leaned against his locker, not unlike the blonde had a few moments ago, and slipped his hands into his pockets with the thumb sticking out. There was no doubt that one of them would question him as to why it was a bad time to attend Hircine, and Nobu was ready with a response.

[Allen Daughtry]

Allen sustained his pleasant grin for the sake of politeness, and received Stella's hand with a comfortable and firm shake back, though modest at best, casually speaking "Likewise," to respond. Allowing his hand to fall back to his side, Daughtry listened to the girl as she explained her own past experiences at a private school, and pointed out that one measly fight had someone shaken up enough to send her to Hircine High.

'How odd,' Allen thought to himself, 'But I suppose it can happen, with some parents. Generation X can be filled with a bunch of neurotic people, after all, and our generation's blessed to be their children.'

Allen was about to reply in a casual style when the man behind him tossed in his own perspective, and one that caught Allen a bit off guard. It was nothing aggressive or controversial, but it was in such a different direction from the tone Allen and Stella were peaking that the junior felt his face droop in a surprised frown and his mind blanked over to prepare for new considerations.

Unfortunately, Allen was still too fresh to consider what the man was talking about, so all he could do was ask, "What do you mean? You referring to Paragon Institute? Beyond that, it seems like Hircine's nothing but quiet, a few fights here and there, but I'd say it's definitely better than my old school."

[Nobu]

"You could say that I'm referring to the Paragon Institute,"

Nobu paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, then continued, "but it has more to do with being a Hircine student while the Paragon Institute around, than with Paragon itself. Us Hircinians have to watch our backs when travelling around the district that both Hircine and Paragon govern. I pass by the Paragon Institute everyday to and from Hircine High, and did not pay it much mind until the other day, when one of their students confronted me about being a Hircinian. I, of course, not seeing anything wrong with it, answered truthfully, which earned me a punch to the face." the Japanese student waved a hand in front of his face and shook his head, "I don't bruise very easily, so there's no marks on my face or anything."

Brushing a few bangs out of his face, Nobu thought, Now where was I... Paragonites, right. "I roughed him up a bit because I wasn't just going to leave that attack unanswered. What was really, um, how do you say it in English..." he pressed the index finger of his tattooed left arm gently against his lips, looking deep in contemplation before he continued, "Seiten no heki-reki; the literal translation to English probably makes little sense, but it means something along the lines of 'caught without guard'. Anyway, the following day as I was running to school a car full of Paragon students pulled up in front of me. In short, they all emerged from the vehicle and proceeded to jump me, all four Paragonites wielding weapons. With the help of two other Hircinians, I managed to escape, but not unscathed."

Nobu's hands reached down to the bottom of his tank top and he pulled up, revealing his developed abdomen and more importantly, the discolouration of his left ribcage, where a sickly purple-blue bruise had developed from being struck with a broom handle. Releasing the fabric from his grip, he allowed the tank top to drop over his frame, and he began speaking again,

"Even though that was the only incident involving conflict between the schools that I know about, I just have this feeling in my gut that a war between Hircinians and Paragonites is beginning to brew. I've also heard Paragonites are showing disdain toward the Hircinians that have transferred over to Paragon, so some things may have happened over there that I don't know about."

[Stella Rosenberg]

((sorry i've been gone... finals and all))

Stella listened quietly as the Japanese person spoke. at first, she was confused. What could be going on that made Hircine so bad? From the outside, everything looked fine except for some students here and there. Just out of curiosity, Stella looked left and right from where she stood, turning her head quickly. She was looking at the other students again, on this time more carefully. Was it something with the students?

Apparently, Allen had a small idea of what the kid was talking about: Paragon Institute. Huh, i wonder if it's just rivalry... Stella had no idea what the Institute was, so she was very naive thinking it'd be okay. Her mind instantly changed when the kid started talking again about being jumped by tons of Paragon students. Her eyebrows instantly lifted a bit, just to show amazement, shock, and utter horror. I'm gonna have a talk with my aunt, once this day ends Stella thought, infuriated that her family sent her here. still, in the back of her mind, she was intrigued. this was something Stella had never experienced, and she wanted to see what it was like. however, she had one thing on her mind.

"What's Paragon Institute? Is it like a new school or something?"

it seemed strange to her that if it were old, the students would've had a war long before she'd've came. getting her facts straight, she stared at the Japanese kid. he sure knows a lot. i wonder who he is?

"By the way, who are you?"

[Nobu]

"Yeah, it's a new school that was built a few weeks ago in order to alleviate the congestion within the halls of Hircine High, maybe seven or eight blocks from here. It seems kind of strange; even though there were many more students walking the halls of Hircine before a portion of them had to transfer over to Paragon, it wasn't anything abnormal or 'overcrowded'. To me, it just sounds like an excuse for the institute to be built. I don't really know much about it, but according to some of the other Hircine students, Paragon has some absurd policies concerning the regulation of violence and sex and all that 'fun' stuff."

Nobu sighed, bringing up his left hand and running it through his mahogany locks. His eyes were closed for a moment, until Stella asked for his name, causing him to let his gaze fall upon the girl. "How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself," the Japanese student gave the two new Hircinians a small bow before he continued. "I'm Nobuo, but most just call me Nobu. Here," he pulled a red ballpoint pen and random business card he received earlier in the courtyard out of his pocket, and began scrawling something out on the back of the card before handing it to Stella, "it's my mobile number. I must attend class soon, but if either you ever need help or encounter any kind of trouble, just give me a ring. Assuming you both have mobiles, just save my number. Otherwise, I guess you could just keep the card."

Slipping the pen back into his pocket, he turned to leave, waving over his shoulder and muttering, "See you guys around," before dissappearing around the corner.

Hm, I didn't even get to read the Hagakure...

[Allen Daughtry]

The foreigner's story involving his experiences with the 'new kids on the block' had Daughtry's interest peaked. While he heard bits and pieces from the rumor mill about the Institute, there was nothing he could specify or investigate on his own just yet. For all he knew at the time, Paragon was just a new school with a violent number of students in its halls, and a staff that wanted to try a new approach to controlling them. He had never considered, however, the possibility of the Panthers attacking him just because of his status as a "Hircinian."

'Are they so drawn into this rivalry that's building up that they'd attack us? I understand hating our football team or stuff like that, but fighting in the streets? That pushes school pride a little too far...'

From what the Asian described, he had been struck across the face once for honestly proclaiming himself as a Hircinian, and then attacked by a gang of Panthers later on for similar reasons. While the lack of injuries on the man was enough to prove that he could handle himself, Allen wondered why the Paragonians would be so adamant with attacking their Hircinian neighbors so quickly. Was the man right to believe that some kind of street war between the two schools could occur? It was a remarkable idea, but from what he read in history and old news articles, gang warfare inside of schools dominated by the System was not uncommon.

The foreigner's extension of his explanation thanks to Stella's question helped to paint another picture: was it possible that the System had intentionally drawn out particular students from Hircine just to have an excuse for building a new school? Financially, it made no sense at all; why waste tax dollars on a new installation when a perfectly good school already sat in their local district? Therefore, it was proof enough that the System had far more planned than they wanted to let known. After this answer was given, however, the Asian excused himself for not identifying himself sooner, and bowed in an old-era style to introduce himself as Nobu, before proceeding to pass them both business cards, almost like they were given a jail-free card to use in the future. Allen couldn't help but smile at Nobu's behavior; chivalry and courtesy were rare traits in the modern era, and he was far easier to offering himself selflessly to others than Allen was used to.

As Nobu made his departure, Allen held his smile and nodded towards the man with a nod, watching him walk down the hallway. Turning his attention back to Stella, Allen kept his smile present for a second, before it subsided from a return to the current issue at hand. "Well, it seems our neighbors aren't so friendly... I think it's a good idea we both keep that in mind. As for Hircine, the place is relatively peaceful; you should have an easy time adopting to this place."

Allen took back his space beside the locker and slipped his shades from his nose, before grabbing his undershirt and wiping the lenses clean. As he rubbed his shades with both hands and his cerulean eyes focused on the task, Allen went on to ask Stella another question before returning the shades to his eyes and pressing them back, "So, I'm far from an expert on this place, but I know some things... is there anything you need help with? Who to look out for, who to make friends with, that sort of thing? Or do you just need directions?"