Tension's Peak (Stern Finale)

[stern]

(((OOC: I have no doubt that the events in this thread will eventually become so hectic and involve so many people that it will become necessary to create more.....juts put (Stern Finale) next to the title thread that involves any event's that would pertain to this.)))

IC:

Years of work were about to pay off. Years of sacrifice were about to yield results. Years of injustice were about to see light. For Stern personally, he was about to receive vindication for being the one who survived.

It was late morning, around 10:30, nd the sun would have been shining if not for the heavy clouds overhead. For Stern's plans, it was a fitting collection of weather to fit the last sacrifice he would make. The day had come he had spoken of, and the student's had quietly and without incident left their class rooms and marched into the school's courtyard. They were not the only ones, as many did not agree with their views and had also left their classroom's to face them. The courtyard filled quicker than one would expect, Stern doubting if any other school function had ever had as much attendance besides the mandatory assemblies.

Stern surveyed those with him, not exactly impressed with what he saw. There were very few people of any ability in his crowd, and even without most his opponents here it was obvious they were going to be heavily outnumbered. They were tense, though resolute, bound together by his will. It was obvious on their faces though that with the gradual rise in tension over the course of their non-violent campaign that they didn't expect to get out of this without being attacked. This was of course made worse because the news crews Stern had claimed he would call had not arrived yet. He was the only one that knew he hadn't made the call....yet. Stern knew that a good performance required the right timing. He planned for the news crews to arrive in about an hour and 15 minutes....just in time for the cities lunch break and for that spike in ratings.

A few of Stern's followers, namely his "true" followers, were not present. Key among them was Zeniro, who was busy taking care of a certain issue necessary for the success of Stern's plan. He didn't want the Pillar's to win quickly, so he had to take care of their biggest advantage first. Those who were there were aligned with one of the schools walls, with one door behind them. Stern had chosen this position it seemed because if a retreat was necessary, there would be somewhere to flee. This made it the position of the other two parties predictable as well. The Pillars would likely gather around the nearest doors as well, their numbers making it impossible to fight them for the position anyway. Stern had only gotten his because he had moved first and decided it earlier as the meeting point for the group.

If this were the case, this would leave the furthest doors to whoever else decided to come, most likely anyone who actually followed Leon at this point and time. This meant they would be the last to head indoors should anyone retreat for the situation, but also meant that if anyone could bypass the others, it was them, easily moving around the school as they would not be pressed against and of the walls. This was a dangerous gamble on Stern's part, but he knew it would be a certain loss if the Pillars were controlling this area.

So Stern waited, time ticking away, for fate to play out it's will and to see whether his life's work was meant to be, or whether he really just was "lucky" that day. The dark clouds continued to gather as Stern stood at the front of his followers, watching those around gather and move, and wait to see if the Pillars would meet their demands.

[Sathanas]

((Well, I suppose I'll post first...if I'm not supposed to just holler...and I'll delete it.))

Timothy Masters walked out of the school quickly, chuckling at the kids he'd just overran in a political debate. It wasn't difficult...he found it sort of difficult to fathom how a such a pair of witless conservatives actually existed in a city such as San Francisco.

"Goddamn...how do you get off thinking like...wait... What the fuck!?" Tim exclaimed, his thought derailed by the crowd in the courtyard, and more importantly the man at its head.

'That's Stern!' his mind yelled, 'I saw a picture when I looked into what Leon told me!'

Tim stopped and looked across the massive group gathering in the courtyard and grimaced. If what Leon had told him was right this was going to get ugly. Very very very very very ugly.

The sea of people before him told him that much.

Discarding the idea of eating lunch, Tim walked to the nearest planter and sat down, sliding his earbuds in, and pumping some music into his ears. He hoped the music would remove some of the tension...but it didn't.

'The air is thick as water...or is it blood...' Tim thought to himself as he just watched the crowd...

[Leon Loire]

The day had come.

Leaning against his chair in the early part of the day, listening to the speech of his English teacher, Leon Loire kept his left hand in grip of his blue-ink pen and hovered it near the desk, telling himself to write notes, but finding that he was in no mood for it. It was supposed to be an easy day, a time to just get through the six hours of education, go home, and rest...

Once a minority in his class began to stand up, however, Leon's attention perked, wondering why the class had been interrupted. In a class of twenty Honor level students, there were about eight of them, all pushing in their seats calmly, grabbing their bags, and strolling over to the door as if they were meant to leave early.

The teacher was caught in awe, "What... what are you all doing?"

One of the students, a Hircinian female at the Junior level who had taken the AP course earlier than expected came forward to respond, "We're sorry Mr. Wellington, but today is Stern Mason's march. We're standing against oppression, and we're not stopping until the System listens to us!"

'Bloody hell...' Leon thought as his eyes watched the eight students trail through the door, Mr. Wellington - one of the school's more lenient teachers - unable to move, completely struck by confusion.

"You... you get back here! You're supposed to be the good students of this school! Why can't you just sit here and wait it out!"

"No! No more!" one of them yelled, and in a spirited chant, the eight walked down the hall, the noise of their yells increasing as waves of other students joined with them, the outdoor environment echoing with the familiar sound of the time between classes.

'So Stern's making his final move... he's finally going to march.' Leon pondered, placing down his pen and beginning to stand up.

"Leon Loire, what are you doing? I could have sworn..."

"Don't worry Wellington, I'm not with them; but I can't pass something like this up. I need to get out there." Leon shot back, with as much courtesy as he could muster, grabbing his jacket and tossing it over his shoulders, looking to the other students as they either stared back at him with surprise or intrigue, or a few stood up to follow Leon outside - to support him or merely satisfy their own curiosities, he wasn't certain.

Passing his teacher and walking through the door, following the mass of students out past the exits, watching in the corner of his eye as Deans and the more volatile teachers attempted to coerce some students to turn back, but failing utterly. One thing Stern had done, apparently, was to collect enough followers to prevent any immediate action from the System, and fill them with enough ideology to keep them marching even against a few blows against them.

Still: was Stern simply planning a march, a riot, a concert, or was this all the steps of an intricate ploy to bring something else? Was Stern really attempting to bring out a violent reaction from the System to make themselves a massive group of martyrs?

'Only time will tell.'

Loire kept his eyes peeked for anyone he knew or recognized, but failed. He was surrounded by a mass of Seniors and Juniors at the moment, yet oddly enough, no one around him was a friend or ally. Only strangers or light acquaintances.

Eventually the body of Mason's followers spilled out onto the school courtyard, collecting together into a circle around a single person, and standing at the ready. Leon Loire suspected who the core of the protesters' body of people was, but couldn't precisely tell. There were too many people of various diversities, so it was difficult to catch the tall form of Stern Mason.

Leon found himself analyzing the situation, attempting to find those he could trust; there were very few that officially supported Leon Loire at the moment, save for a few close friends and other students that had recognized their own views paralleled with Loire's. Yet no one came to Leon's eyes. Attempting to think of a way to catch up with someone he could trust, Leon shoved his way past the mass of Mason's supporters and found himself at a clearing, his eyes scanning the faces. At last, Leon grew frustrated, and brought his hands to his lips and began to yell.

"Kira Karyuudo! Charlotte Anders! Jellar Feint! Kokaku Musha! Kyukaku! Alkaiser Barzhad! Tim Masters! Odin Reeves! Where are you?!"

Leon brought his hands down, doubting the yell would have been a success, but knew he had to get somewhere to at least make some calls. If his allies and friends were there in the crowd, through their typical luck, they'd find each other.

Pushing through the crowds that were arriving - Varronites, Hircinians, supporters of Liberty, supporters of Conformity, so on and so forth - Leon found the nearest doorway, its radius clustered from the mass of students filtering through, and the general circle surrounded by supporters of the Pillarship. Leon had hoped to find the Captain here, but he failed.

'Damnit, where is everybody?'

Turning left and following the wall, Loire finds a clearing near one of the school's support corners, and leans against the brick as his left hand sifts through his pockets for his cell phone. Bringing up the contact's list and clicking on Charlotte's number, Leon brings the ringer to his ear, waiting as the dial ticks once, twice, thrice...

Picked up.

"Charlotte? It's Leon... listen, where are you? - Okay... all right. Well, if you haven't noticed yet, it's pretty hectic here... yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Listen, I'm at the school's far wall away from the other students, can you get to me? Good, I can't have you walking around in that mass of crazy people with that hurt leg of yours. We'll need to stick together. Grab any friends of yours and bring them along if you can. I hope that with me standing here so obviously on my own that it'll attract everyone else to come over as well... All right, I'll talk to you soon, bye."

Ending the phone call, Leon goes to work with calling another person: Taiku Akimoto.

Ringing once, twice, thrice... a fourth time... a fifth damn time.

'Pick up!!'

Finally, the other end opened.

"Taiku? Where are you? I don't have time to explain very well, but Stern's making his move; his entire bloody following is out here starting the march! I could use your help if at all possible, and Dain's too if he can make it. Please, I don't want to get Legion or yourself involved in this, but I don't have a lot of people I can rely on right now, other than our friends and my close allies. If Legion's unable to help, I understand. Do what you must, and you know where I am."

Hanging up the phone, Leon sighs, leaning against the wall with a bit of concern. The march had begun, and Stern's actions - whatever they were - had finally come to fruition. If it really was just a simple march, then nothing dangerous would come of it - in fact, it may even be a positive thing for Leon, since it'd bring more potential awareness of the System to the parents and neighbors of San Francisco. Even though the System could suppress the chances of the march passing into National television - unless Stern had convinced them to show up no matter what - at least a bit of something positive would come from it.

Of course, Leon was still strongly convinced that Stern wasn't here just to throw a little march, or to play the part of Martin Luther King. He was here to, in symbolism, begin a tea party... perhaps a very big, bloody, terrifying party.

And of course, instead of simple taxes being placed on the student body, it would be a punishment through fist and oppression that would come. And from what Leon suspected, that was exactly what Stern Mason desired.

He desired change... and to bring about a Revolution, one needs a symbol, and as the Christian religion has recognized, no symbol is stronger than that of a martyr.

So Leon waited, hoping his allies would reach him, hoping his friends would stand by him, hoping his girlfriend would be safe, and hoping that soon enough, beyond his control, Darren Blayne would arrive, and commit to something past the idea of relying on fist and foot to deal with social issues.

'Just be smart about it Captain, that's all I ask.'

It had come. It had finally come.

The battle for Liberty.

[kej]

Matthieu had been silently positioned on a bench outside of the school, enjoying this dark, melancholy day as the overcast smothered the sun's usually bright rays out of the sky, when, without the warning of a bell, students began flooding into the courtyard of the school in front of him, as if there was some sort of school-wide assembly occurring out in the courtyard. Taking a long, drawn-out pull of his smoke he inhaled deeply, exhaling as he rose from the bench, his curiosity getting the best of him. He made his way toward the crowded courtyard, his eyes dating back and forth, looking for a focal point in the massive sea of people. As he drew nearer to the courtyard, he all of a sudden felt like he hit a wall; there was a thick feeling of unease in the air, so thick Matt almost choked on the tension.

Matt made his way through the edgy crowd, receiving many pushes and shoves as he did so. When his cigar almost fell from his mouth that's when he decided to begin redirecting the pushes away from his self, looking for an area where the amount of people was less concentrated. Foreign chit-chat could be heard from all directions, the English falling upon deaf ears as Matt continued to make his way through the crowd, the smoke in his mouth burning to ash. He broke into an opening, taking a drag from his cigarillo like a deep breath of fresh air; he blew the smoke into the crowd, and a short distance away he found what he had been searching for; the focal point of this gathering. The man before him seemed to hold an air of superiority over the students that were gathering and traveling within the crowd; his large, intimidating frame and steely gaze that seemed watch each and every student that passed by only adding to that air. Matthieu's eyes briefly met with his, causing him to avert his eyes elsewhere and take a pull of his smoke. He began moving through the more sparsely distributed crowds to find an area just on the outskirts of the commotion to sit and have his smoke; and, to observe the events that are about to unfold before him once the tension present in the air has reached its peak, and cracked.

[travis]

The lines in the sand had been drawn.

Everyone had know this was coming. Even thoughs claimed to stay out of school politics and who really didn't seem to care what happen in the school were standing up and paying attention. With the amount of tension that had been building in the air of the past few weeks it had become something that no one could ignore. No matter how hard. it had changed people aswell. people that normally stayed quiet had begun to speak out

There was definitely fear in the air, mixed with the air of expectancy expectancy of something grand and memorable. What that would be Travis couldn't say but he was defiantly more than interested to see how it would all pan out. It could well be a defining day in the history of the school. Stern had his piece in place now all he need was for his opponents to appear.

Travis his self stood away from either faction, leaning against a wall watching, staring a cold hard stare. He imagined that he'd pick a side but for the moment like so many other he was unsure.

" My my my the shit really has hit the fan now ,"

[Pain Killer]

10:25... time to move.

Adam's eyes finally left the clock, the anxiety that had building for so long making him smile in pure excitement, though he kept it from growing exceedingly large. After all, too much excitement would make him seem to be enjoying the event, rather than the motives Stern had been speaking of thus far to his followers. In an unhurried fashion, the self-proclaimed Pain Killer stood from his desk, his movements signalling to the others of Stern's group present in his class to do the same, gathering courage from the fact someone else had started the action first. As one, the students walked out of the classroom, ignoring the flustered teacher who was ineffectively trying to control his class.

The group made their way through the halls, its numbers swelling slightly as those who hadn't left for the rally already began to join up alongside them. In a matter of minutes, they'd arrived, mingling with those already protesting, and while Adam didn't show it, he felt a twinge of annoyance. So many students in one spot meant it'd be that much harder to find Stern amongst the group. Slowly but surely, Adam shuffled through the crowd, gently pushing some aside, stepping around others until he found the student he was looking for, the very head behind the entire operation.

"I thought this day might not come. But of course, I know better than to doubt you, Stern."

His hands dropped into his pockets as Adam stood off to Stern's left, a few feet away. Until action was taken against the group, there was nothing for him to do but to stand and wait.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: Just a heads up John, I'm not posting a thesis to this, and I'm not going to react unless I see due cause.

ic:

"....You're kidding...Alright, alright, I'll come along, but I'm not involving Legion in case things get out of hand. It's bad enough nobody can work out what this little fuckers doing, he decides to pull a bad one and things will hit the fan at high speed..."

Without any further remark or question, the phone was closed over and he leaned back into the sofa as he sat at home, pondering the issue. He'd heard enough of this guy, that he had some big plan that nobody could figure out, let alone himself, but until now Taiku had maintained distance from it. The school wasn't in danger, there was no real violence, why tamper with something that wasn't broken? However, he found himself being called onto retainer for a matter that, all things considered, his hands should be washed clean of.

'...But if this turns out bad, it could reflect badly on a lot of innocent folk who just wanted some change.'

Glancing at the other two who were still sitting at the breakfast bar, curious about the call considering Taiku had mentioned Legion...His eyes were serious as he sighed, standing from the sofa and giving a very sharp glance to the pair of them.

"You're either in or you're out, right now..."

Without hesitation, both of them simply nodded and stood up...They knew fine well that Taiku never approached them for Legion for a single reason; he'd never need to. They would fight at his side until the bloody end if it so turned out, and he would do the same for them. Rarely did he ever enlist their help in something, but he was right, involving Legion now could be a drastically bad move for all involved depending on the outcome. Better to take his chances alone than endanger everyone recklessly.

Stepping into his room, the sweats and muscle shirt he'd worn for his morning off were discarded as he pulled on a pair of thick, patched and battered jeans, the same ones he wore often for their durability if he was busy in something more strenuous, black steel-toed boots, and a simple, white zip-down hooded sweatshirt. A brief glance to one of the drawers was discarded immediately, there would be no need for anything other than bare-fists, if the situation even chanced upon that matter, and with that he stepped outside and into the main hall, going over to his coat and taking his car keys from the pocket, the packet of cigarettes and a small book of matches. His cellphone, needless to say, was already at hand, having been transferred from one set of pants to the other.

Two more doors closed behind him, Rene and Rocco stepping out as they left the apartment in quick time.

~At the school~

The cars pulled up sharply, taking three separate spots considering the students seemed content to park in a mishmash of spots consistently, but it held little importance as he strode purposefully through the main grounds, flanked by the other two, and flipped his cellphone out quickly.

"Leon. Yeah, it's me. I'm here, but where the hell is everyone...? ...Alright, look out for us."

Closing the phone again swiftly, it was dropped back into his pocket again as they approached the courtyard quietly. All things considered, the faculty and students would be far more attentive towards the actual demonstration itself than three individuals who rather calmly made their way through the grounds and entered the courtyard, using the swarms of students as suitable cover before flipping his phone again, dialling for Leon once more.

"We're here. For now we'll watch, if you want to find us, we came in with the last big crowd. I'm sure you'll know where to look."

[Gilsin]

Once the first few reports of students walking out of classes came to Ein's attention he got the word out to Genaht to guard the doors of whatever classrooms they were in. It would stem the tide temporarily, but he knew that his information was slow to getting to him and there were more class rooms than there were Genaht.

For the 30 he kept in class there would be atleast 90 leaving to join the march. With the way his Genaht was spread around, Ein could expect maybe 700 students to be held within their classes. It wasn't a bad number, but it was a very temporary stopgap at best. Many students had already left class by the time Ein's orders got around.

Ein sighed, leaving class for himself, looking to the gathering crowd of Stern supporters. He could see it growing and also see that Mason had already secured one of the doors leading into the yard. No doubt securing escape and entrance. Ein would grumble, he would have to secure the next closest door, it might be enough to slow Stern, as Ein wasn't sure how to stop him as of yet.

The Varronite Pillar would make his way to the next door over from Stern, already teeming with his supporters, he would simply have to push his way through and begin calling what Genaht he could to him. If any of the pillars had even a small chance of stopping Mason, it was Ein and his Genaht, assuming Stern didn't have a plan set in motion for that as well.

[Odin Reeves]

“What are you talking about?” Odin’s voice showed irritation as he stood against the lockers.

“Some guy called out a whole bunch of names, and yours was in there.” His informant was just to the outside of the gathering crowd, keen on being part of the demonstration.

“Do you know who it was?” Once more, irritation pushed through his voice. Being called for something so trivial seemed to be a waste of his minutes.

“Think he’s from Varron…I know I recognize him. OH! It’s that Loire fellow.”

Hanging up directly after that the average priced cell phone fell into the depths of his front jean pocket. He knew his informant was a ‘follower’ of Sterns, but didn’t care about his personal agenda or beliefs as long as he stuck true to his word in alerting him of anything he should draw interest too.

Absent-mindly he pushed himself off from the lockers, stepping into the middle of the hall as his eyes focused on the tiled floor. Doing so he became somewhat of a clot in a vein. Students were now forced to move around him as they traveled in drones toward the school grounds. Yet he clung to the floor, standing strong as they diverted around him. He may’ve been in the way but common sense played out as the group of robotic followers trudged along. Strangely enough not a single shoulder bumped his, nor was there a brush of clothing from one body to another.

Regardless of this Odin’s mind was set on a different scenario. He wasn’t trying to figure out Sterns plan, it was in motion and by tomorrow it would be plastered all over every paper the city read. He was still stuck on the fact that Leon Loire, someone who he had never talked to, someone who he had only been in the same room as on a small set of occasions, had called out his name. It was the strangest thing he heard all year, but the question dawning in his mind was whether or not to go and find the honor-roll senior, a man a complete contrast to himself.

‘Might as well. What harm could it do.’

Setting off down the hall he found he had a long way to go in order to reach the school grounds filled with demonstrators, and currently was in no need to hurry along his way in order to answer the beckon of a ‘unknown’ individual.

[Kit Lee]

It appeared that Stern was finally deciding to put his plan in action. The walk out was scheduled for today, and as students in the class got up and walked out, Kit followed. He would send a text to the supporters of the Pillars and to the group that had gathered up in opposition against Stern. They were all of the same cause right now, to stop the entropy that Stern was trying to generate within the school. However, it was not likely that Kit needed to send a text message to alert anyone as it was obvious an event was occuring with the numerous students leaving the classrooms.

Kit would look around for the pillars, wondering what their reaction to this mess would be. He also wondered what Leon would do as he heard him shouting out some names, some of which he recognized. Kit's eyes caught what appeared to be Ein Gilsin, and he followed him as Kaho and some more students who were also opposed to Stern or for the pillars gathered with him. They would assist Ein in pushing their way through, wondering what was to come.

[charlotte]

It had seemed to begin with a scraping of chairs upon the floor and a fluttering of paper and textbooks, but from the onset of that series of exit-noises - ones which felt so alien when not accompanied by the intrusive briiiiing of the bell - Charlotte Anders knew that it had begun. It: Stern Mason's plan; his staged walkout. The junior did not even have to look up from her Biology quiz to know what was happening; only the sound assured of her of what her mind already knew. The teacher gave little more than a surprised half-word, his question or command caught in his throat at the shock of the nearly the entire class rising to thier feet and wordlessly filing out.

However, there Charlotte sat - whether unconcerned or merely pretending to be so - finishing her questions neatly before capping her pen and turning her gaze to the rest of the room. The teacher stood at the front, staring incredulously, his glasses having slid down his nose and his mouth hanging open. Only one other student remained, his gaze filtering nervously back and forth between Charlotte, the teacher, and the nearby window overlooking the courtyard. The student, then, with a nervous thinking-noise akin to a whimper, hurridly shot out of his seat and dashed from the classroom, leaving his books behind and apparantly wanting to be part of the ever growing crowd outside. Meanwhile, Charlotte merely stood, taking off her glasses and stowing them inside thier case, slipping it into her pocket and sliding her books into a neat pile on her desk. She hobbled her way past the teacher, her walk far more steady than it was when she had first recieved the cane, speaking quietly as she passed the teacher on her way out.

"I'll be back for my things later ... my quiz is on my desk."

The teacher spoke, his usual monotonous tone replaced with a sudden stern warning to the junior as he turned to her retreating form, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"High school is only the beginning, but it is where your choices can matter most. Consider yours carefully."

Charlotte knew what he had said was in reference to his belief that she too was leaving merely to follow the crowd, but the words had struck a different sort of chord in the junior. A sort of ringing began to resound in her ears as she limped out of the classroom and into the deserted hall, the dull roar of the crowd outside resonating through the very walls, though considerably muffled. The sound seemed a testament to Stern himself, a symbol of power: the great rumbling of the crowd; the ghostly empty halls, devoid of life, and the low thunder of the mob gathered outside. However, her's was not the only presence in the hallway as the sound of running sneakers caught her attention. The student from before, the one who had run from the classroom was there before her, jogging for the door, seemingly eager to be a part of what Stern Mason was inciting.


"HEY!" She yelled to him, and the student skidded to an abrupt halt, turning to face her with a mixture of surprise and shock. "What are you doing!?"

"I ... ah ..."

"Joining the crowd for the sake of joining the crowd? Pathetic."

"Well what exactly are YOU doing then!?" The student shot back, though if there was one thing Charlotte had learned since coming to Hircine, it was the power of words; especially that of a female addressed to an impressionable male in a patronizing manner, one designed to gain exactly the response needed.

"I'm watching, waiting, and not jumping in with the sheep because of some stupid need to 'fit in'."

At this the student seemed to clear his throat and reconsider himself, just as Charlotte's phone rang. She reached for it, flicking it open and holding it to her ear as she observed the student approaching her, hands firmly entrenched in his pockets.

"Hello?"

Pause.

"Leon? Yes, I'm in the main hallway, about to enter the courtyard."

A few more pauses and words followed as Charlotte listened to what Leon had to say before offering a final word:

"I'll see you there ... and be careful yourself."

A second flip closed her cell phone, ending the call, as she turned to the student.

"You really think watching and wating is the best thing to do right now?" the student asked. Charlotte merely nodded, and turned, walking towards the doors and into the overcast daylight - the other student following her almost curiously and of his own accord.

A wave far larger than any of Stern's previous rallies or protests had stretched over the courtyard, their sound - the sound of hundreds of individual voices united under a single delusion - wafting through the air and rising like the storm the air seemed to keep at bay through the grey clouds above. Still, as many were absorbed by the autonomous rolling and surging collective of bodies and sound, all centered around the Grand Nucleus of Sterndom, Charlotte did not. She instead moved around the outside of the New Organism, looking for the familiar face of Leon Loire, while the student from her biology class tagged along, occasionally taking sidelong glances at the crowd. As the dark haired Junior moved, keeping her cane out before her so as not to be painfully jostled by the fringes of the mob. Despite her best efforts, however, a few branching members of the crowd did brush shoulders against her with a careless roughness, though she remained steady in her footing; she eventually sighted Leon, pushing her way towards him.

As she approached she eased her arms about him in a soft hug before planting a parting kiss on his lips and releasing her hold of him.

"Have you heard from any of the pillars yet?" She asked him, leaning back upon her cane. "I saw Ein and his gang pushing into the mob on my way over here, but I haven't caught sight of anyone else."

Then, realizing that she had not introduced the student tagging along behind her, she twisted, regarding both he and Leon as the boy stepped foward slightly.

"This is .."

"Jared," the boy nodded, almost sheepishly.

"I met him in the hall and he decided to tag along rather than join Stern's mob."

Jared offered a shrug, hands still firmly entrenched within his pockets as Charlotte turned, stepping backwards nearer Leon as she regarded the scene. The very air bristled with energy, building to a sharp crescent that was sure to boil over - or more likely explode - in due time. Her mind wandered back to the riot that had occured some time ago as she spoke again to her boyfriend.

"Did you call anyone else?"

Of course, it was not a matter of how the situation erupted.






When was all that mattered now.

[stern]

"It was always going to come Adam, I just made it arrive much sooner......"

Stern didn't really answer the Adam properly or with his full attention, as his attention was elsewhere and everywhere. He was glad Adam had arrived though, his plan required him for maximum effect, as Stern needed his muscular strength ability to follow naturally with Stern's plans to work best. Zeniro had to be kept on a short leash or set free, if he needed natural communication Adam was the better choice as long as they were not in a fight.

Stern watched as his followers were pushed closer as Ein took the nearest door. Stern could tell at first glance that his followers were not entirely there, which in itself was a useless move. In the courtyard, numbers were going to be far more important than individual strength. If the Pillars wasted people keeping others from arriving, they reduced their numbers more than anyone else's. People were getting up and heading out on all sides, and you couldn't tell the difference at a mere glance. Still, Ein would undoubtedly regroup his troops when he thought the surge was over, and those held back would resume their pace. He was delaying the inevitable, but was smart enough to know with complex plans delays were the first step to failure.

Stern suddenly realized he was rubbing his wrist with the opposite hand, and immediately stopped the motion. It seemed while his mind remained as sharp as ever in the tension, his body was getting pumped and wrapped up in it. He had to keep that in check, as under Stern's cold exterior as much an animal as Zeniro lived. He didn't want people to see his true face until all this was over.

Stern suddenly realized how troublesome his life was going to be if he succeeded. No prom date for Stern, that was a near certainty. Thinking this Stern pulled his wrist to his mouth and bit down, tearing the fabric surrounding them. He began to unwrap them, realizing that if he was going to do this, he was going to do it honestly.

"Ready to be unpopular again Adam?"

It wasn't really a question to be answered, as Stern didn't plan to give him much of a choice, but he hoped deep down Adam would provide a witty quip to match his happy mood. Indeed, Stern was smiling genuinely for once, something he hadn't recalled doing since....well he couldn't remember. Even if his plan had failed, it seemed that part of him was at least going to come to terms with his past and move on. He began to walk toward the front of his crowd, ready to start the mock negotiations that would be required to play out the scene he had written.

As he walked, the first roll of linen hit the grass, exposing Stern's forearms publicly for the first time. in contrast to his relatively pale skin, there was a ring around the entire wrist thew inches long that seemed to be a dark tan, even brown. Upon closer inspection, is anyone ever bothered to notice the difference, they would notice they were burns. He discarded the second moments before breaking through his own crowd. Now looking across the grass to the opposition, noting that neither side had gathered as quickly as his. He waited for the start of what they were all waiting for. It would all begin, and hopefully end, with a Pillar coming to talk to Stern. If they didn't they had a giant mob who saw them drop the ball and another unorganized one without leadership. If they did, there was supposedly the chance that this could end without incident.

It wouldn't be Tiao, too straightforward. Kurtz seemed to be in disgrace since his last gamble didn't pay off. Darren or Ein most likely, though Stern would prefer Ein for his plan. He was the least favored among the majority of Pillar support, and if it appeared like he did anything wrong, he would be a traitor in the eyes of all the sides present.

Stern waited, easily seen by all the crowds, who kept a distance from each other naturally. He would wait, for the surrender to be delivered, or for the true battle to begin.

[Valencia Donahue]

You can say that a straggler followed way behind the main horde of students and that student was Ruth, fellow friend and ally of Valencia, who would usually be the craziest of the trio of young ladies… This wasn’t one of those usual times, evident by the exchange between the Asian and the lesbian when Valencia shifted her gaze directly into Ruth’s from further down the hall.

“Ruth. What are you doing?”

[RUTH]: “No Pillars came when I hollered everywhere for help, particularly when you were about to get killed by your ex! So, if anything, there’s something seriously wrong with this system and I might as well fix it so your daredevil ways don’t get you killed!”

“You do realize that it’s inevitable for me to be in some sort of danger each and every day?”

[RUTH]: “You know what I mean! I meant the dangers where someone wants to KILL you! You’re tough, I respect that, but when your ex pulls a knife and a stun gun, you know they’re not playing around anymore! And what are you doing now!?”

Valencia was in front of the window, looking down from the second floor to the gathering below. She held a coin in her hand and recalled the words she mentally took note of when she mouthed out whatever she was capable of seeing that one other time.

stern said:

"No, it isn't. Everyone had the same ideals, it's just a matter of how far someone was willing to go for them."

"Everyone in this school want's the same thing, they just don't realize the best way to get it yet."

"We all want what is best for Hircine, and my path is the one that will accomplsih that."

"and it is that desire that we all want that will give me the power to fufil my duty. Everyone want's what is best for Hircine. The Pillars, those that follow me, and even you. Because you want that, I already know what your going to do."

"By the way Leon, how long did you wait after I got back to start planning your moves."

A flash of Stern’s reaction to what he said. Suddenly, the pieces clicked together of that chance meeting in the gym.

stern said:

"Oh, my reasons and actions that led to the current state of affairs started long before Varron. Though I doubt of those involved that anyone but the principal knows the truth behind it...."

"The truth is, like those who truly follow me, I have experienced the worst this system has to offer.....anything you have gone through is nothing compared to what I endured. This system is good in many ways, but it's flaws lead to more trouble than what it solves, the only difference being this system has to power to hide them if it wants to."

“Oh.”

[RUTH]: “What!?”

“Is that so.”

[RUTH]: “What what!?”

Valencia flipped the coin in her hand high up into the air and caught it in her palm before suddenly slapping onto the top of her other hand. She stole a peek at it, then her face twitched into a momentary grimace.

“Dammit.”

[RUTH]: “Hey, you know I don’t like it when I’m confused! Are you gambling your odds of survival again or deciding what to do?!”

“Ruth, go on ahead to the gathering. I think… Gilsin, one of the Pillars, is there and have been barring people’s path… But do note that, as always, doors are overrated.”

With that, Valencia took the bat that Ruth was about to put away in her locker, since she played almost every sport that required a bat, then slammed it against the window she was looking out of from before. Hey, it wasn't one of those sliding-door windows. She pressed the bat back into Ruth’s hand before diving out of sight as people below looked up in shock from the source of falling broken glass.

[RUTH]: “Uh… Eheheh… The Pillars were stopping me, so I decided to make my own entrance! Flashy, huh?”

The crowd below either shrugged at annoyance or chuckled at the take, then resumed their waiting. Ruth peered down at Valencia, who had a cell phone in hand, texting, and her digital camera being put into one of her pockets with the other.

[RUTH]: “Okay, Valencia, am I going to have fun with this?”

“P’raps. Ya nevah know wot fayt ish gonna deal yer ‘til ya go all in.”

Ruth blinked, then snickered before shaking her head and climbing through the window. Squatting on the sill, she gave one last say before leaping out to the conveniently placed tree and climbing her way down to the rest of the crowd. Valencia repeated those words of Ruth’s when her friend disappeared:

“ ‘This better be as much fun as what I missed out on.’ Well, who knows… This might not be THAT much fun, but it sure beats waiting through another day with a lazy substitute in PE. Thank gawd Ruth still has that bat with her…”

[Dante Williams]

OOC: I was looking for a post to get rid of my RP rust, and this was PERFECT!!! ;D (I haven't posted or written anything in a while, so please excuse me if it's a bad post... T_T )

Dante sighed as his head was slumping down in his crossed arms in his Math class. He was never really BAD at math, in fact, he was usually great at math, but he was always too bored to pay attention... or care...

The teacher was discussing more advanced-ish algebra or something as, out of the corner of Dante's eye, he saw a group of students simply stand up, and simply start to walk out of the door.

"Wh-what are you doing?" The math teacher asked, her brow furrowing.

Without any emotion or turning back, one of the students answered, "Stern's March is today..."

Chill went throughout Dante's entire body. He heard about the infamous Stern, and how he was planning to take over the system in the school. Dante thought it was just a hoax, Stern would never be able to pull it off, or it would be at least be in a number of months (maybe years)...

Dante stood up and walked out of the room, the teacher was already too shocked to stop him. As soon as he was in the hall, Dante ran to the school grounds to see if it was really true.

He heard the ring of the school bell as he stepped outside, then Dante saw something that froze him: It looked like a whole army of students. Overwhelming numbers, One student looked like he was leading the 'army'.

That must be Stern... Dante thought as he looked around for a familiar face... ANY familiar face, even Tiao. Dante saw Charlotte run up to some guy... and she kissed him? Dante winced and smirked at the same time, he knew (or heard, rather) that Tiao had very strong feelings for Charlotte. He even felt a little...sorry for him.

He scanned the crowd once more, even the vast group of students, and his eyes rested on one particular guy... Pain Killer...

Dante smirked, he remembered Pain Killer... the day that he beat Dante at the big school riot... Well it wouldn't happen again...

From then on, he just stood there in the Courtyard, waiting for the storm to strike, he didn't really want to ruin Charlotte's 'moment', nor did he want to get revenge on Pain Killer. What he wanted to do was prevent as much chaos as possible by doing whatever he could to keep Stern's group down...

[Kyukaku]

"...The ants go marching two by two, hoorah! Hoorah!"

Eh?

Kyukaku turned his attention, or lack thereof, away from the lesson in today's class, bringing it to the hallway where the chant resonated. Kyu raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the choice of song by the surprisingly serious looking quintouplet of students through the hallway.

"Uh, what the hell are they doing?" Kyu inquired, nudging the student that sat in front of him. The student turned in his desk, opening his mouth to utter a reply, only to be cut off by the sudden clatter of seats being pushed back and bouncing on the tile floor.

Kyu watched the next events unfold, a half dozen students rising out their desks and continuing to sing where the song left off in the hallways. The teacher stopped his lesson to inquire the students, one of them ceasing the chant for a moment to shout, "It's time for change! Stern has paved the way for a new Hircine!"

The student returned to unison with his fellow protestors, moving towards the door. Kyukaku got up as well, the teacher shooting him another confused look that was replied to only with a small smile and a shrug. He made his way towards the door as well, beginning to hear the chattering voices of an arguement, opening the door to spot three armbands of Genaht doing their best to manage the truant students, attempting to get them to go back into their classrooms. Kyu slipped around them, figuring that he was probably noticed, but that Genaht was also smart enough to know not to break their small ranks to allow the rest to break through.

Following the trickling students, Kyu found himelf outside, standing amongst quite the crowd that only grew larger as time passed, whether it be more protestors or curious spectators. Kyu did what most others had as well, looked around for a familiar face. He didn't see anyone that would be of any help, until his eyes came upon the form of Taiku. Rene and Rocco were with him, but between the group and Kyu stood a mass of bodies. He looked around again, spotting a less-friendly, but familiar face much closer to him.

The tall form of Adam Rydell, AKA Pain Killer, stood higher than most, making it that much eaiser to be spotted. He looked back at Taiku, taking a stutter step his directing before planting his foot and furrowing his brow.

He's too far. You know what? Screw it. Everyone's waiting, and besides Stern, no one knows what for. Adam was right about one thing, we did nothing, and look where it got us. Well you know what? I'm done waiting.

Doing a small 180 degree turn, Kyu turned back around to head towards Adam, attempting to formulate some sort of plan. However, Adam was closer than Kyu had initially thought, and therefore settled on the idea to simply wing it. He waded through another cluster, finding a humble amount of space. Understandable why, for there not only stood the figure head of Adam, but the leader himself, Stern Mason. Putting on the false face of confidence he often wore, Kyu smiled softly as he stood in front of each behemoth of a student.

Kyu lowered his eyes for a moment, spotting the darker patch of Stern's arm. He seemed to have unwrapped his arm, something unprecedented as far as Kyu was aware. Kyu glanced back up to Stern, placing the detail of Stern's arms back into his mind for future reference.

"Stern, Adam." Kyukaku started, giving each a simple enough nod that showed no hostility. "Despite the awkwardness of this situation knowing well, all of our histories, I need you to tell me what you're intending here. You see, I've been contemplating and contemplating what your aim was here. You know what I came up with? Nothing. Despite every thought I had of you, it all goes back to the fact nonviolence doesn't lead to something sinister. You've asked for conditions to change, and what I want to know is, what exactly are those conditions?" Kyu paused, slowing his speech in order to not ramble as the words began to flow out his mouth.

"What I need to know is if you are the bad guy I seem to desperately want to believe you to be...or if I should be standing, chanting, and marching along side with you."

[Ran Ling Xiao]

(Almost 3 am...sick...if something doesn't make sense. Sorry X...x;

Ran's eyes followed the students marching in the halls towards the exit, her face giving off a rather confused expression. There was no fire drills...otherwise the alarm would of went off. Uhh, maybe that particular class was going outdoors for some reason? No, not that either, Ran could clearly see students from her own class in the mix, joining together with students from other nearby classes and marching together.
"What...is...going...on?" she whispered, skipping towards the group of students and trying to blend in. They were chanting something, although Ran had to listen again to catch the first part.

"Stern?"
Her eyes grew wide before she slammed her fist into her palm, like someone does when they figure something out. 'Of course! So after hearing sooo many rumours, it's finally gonna start? Better not miss this.'
Luckily for her, she had gone out of class to use the washroom, otherwise she would of never dared to get up and leave. Even more luckily, Ran had been able to follow a crowd out before the Genaht were on the case.

She could see a crowd already formed in the courtyard, growing even more so with the crowd she was following, joining in. Her eyes scanned around the area, taking in the people she saw and such. So far she was in a mix of strangers. No friends, no familiars. This wasn't exactly a big shock since this Varronite Girl hadn't exactly made an effort to make any friends here. She'd need to rely on the people she DID know, or at least, had met. 'Varronites who are attending Hircine like I am should be here or at least should show up eventually. I'll undoubtably find someone I recognize then.'

While she waited, Ran watched Stern attentively, observing what he did and who he spoke with. She squinted her eyes and tilted her head before comming to realise that that very person was Adam! 'Well...I would of never guessed.' she thought, amazed at how little she knew of what was going on.

Having stood around long enough, Ran's eyes finally spotted someone vaguely familiar. 'Oh it's....uh....Leon!' Ran thought, knowing very little about him. She knew he was Dain's friend, and though she had never met Leon personally, she had chosen to be on his side that night he gave the speech.

She pushed through the crowd, hastily making her way towards him, a girl with a cane and some other boy. "Leon!" she yelled out, feeling rather awkward to call out to someone's name whom she had little interaction with. Hopefully getting his attention, Ran slowed down to a walk, making her way towards him and and giving a short gentle smile.
"Hey...um...I hope you don't mind me staying around with you and..." she gave a quite look towards Charlotte and Jared before looking back towards him, "You're friends?"
She stopped for a moment before taking in another breath. "I don't know if you were planning to do anything about...this. But if you are, I just want you to know I want to help you. I...won't be of much use if it comes to fighting...but I'll still do whatever I can to help one of Dain's friends. If there is any way."

No matter how supportive she was trying to be, her face remained in that usual sympathetic expression. In truth, she wasn't exactly sympathizing anyone, but her grey, sad eyes mixed with her soft smile kinda gave off that sort of vibe. That, or a one of someone who was very anxious.

Ran wasn't much of an addition in her mind, but she was one less supporter of any other side.

[Pain Killer]

"Popularity's overrated. Too much work for too little gain, and you've gotta kiss a lot of ugly babies."

Witty, perhaps not, but Adam had seen the smile on Stern's face, and had responded the best he could. After all, it was the first time he'd ever seen such a thing from Stern. It seemed to be a day of firsts, as the gloves came off, so to speak, when Stern removed the wrappings on his forearms and revealed his scars for all to see. Not a word came from Pain Killer, as prying was something he refused to do; if Stern wanted others to know the reason behind his injuries, he would tell them without prompting.

As he began to follow his fellow student through the mass that had gathered, Adam's eyes roamed across the courtyard, searching for those who could be conceived as against the group following Stern. Ran was the first he recognized, namely because only around Ran did Pan ever appear, however, that train of thought quickly disappeared upon recognizing who she was speaking to.

Leon...

The youngest Rydell's hands clenched into fists within his pockets at the sight of his fellow Varron-native, remembering the harsh words that had been spoken to each other not so long ago. So long as Leon remained where he was, then there would be no need for Pain Killer to follow through with his own warning, but as it was, he would keep at least some of his attention directed towards that small but growing group.

Hearing his name spoken distracted Adam for the moment, and as he turned his head to find the source of the voice, he found himself staring at his roommate. His hands left his pockets, his face scowling as the past argument he'd had with Kyukaku remained fresh in his mind as well. Funny, how he'd managed to come into conflict with several of the so-called "good guys" before Stern's plan had even begun its final stages. The last thing Pain Killer had expected, however, was for Kyukaku to mention the possibility of supporting Stern's march.

Something Adam didn't believe was genuine in the slightest, but for appearance's sake, wouldn't respond to. If he did, he would simply be repeating what Stern had told him, something along the lines of "Smashing this glass house and building something worthwhile in its stead." Such a thing would merely be repeating what had drawn in Adam, rather than what could work for Kyu. Instead, he would remain where he was, continuing to watch for the Pillars, or others he perceived as a threat, while listening to however Stern would respond.

Whatever Kyukaku's angle was, Pain Killer was sure it would fall apart soon enough.

[stern]

"Of course I'm the monster you think I am."

Stern did not seemed fazed by Kyu's sudden willingness to change sides. He did not seem to care how he was judged at this point. the chances of him failing now were minimal if all went according to plan. The sad fact was that no individual would likely decide what happened today, and Kyukaku changing sides would not tip the balance to anyone's favor.

"Unfortunately, that isn't really an excuse to not march with me at this point. If my plans fails today, all the sacrifices that will be made will be in vain. You won't stop the monster in me from doing it's harm, only the good if you oppose me. You will contribute to my plan even if while trying to stop me anyway...."

Stern trailed off, lost in examining Kyukaku's situation. Stern was an expert at analysis, evident by all he had done, and was capable of making a positive out of almost every situation. In the end, he could only recommend the best option to Kyukaku.

"I suggest you follow your instincts, and protect that which is important to you. If that is the world's future, march with me. If it is your own future, march beside the Pillars, and if it is your friends future, march besides them. Choose the side your gut tells you is the one you won't regret 20 years from now, and take it."

Stern continued to walk toward the head of his crowd, leaving Kyukaku to make his choice. Even if he was trying something funny, it wouldn't work. He didn't know the detail of Stern's plans, and if he tried to insight violence from within the ranks, he would lack support necessary to achieve any gains. Especially with the scrutiny Adam seemed to have placed him in. He obviously knew Stern could handle it, but it was obvious that even with his eyes elsewhere his mind was on their conversation.

He turned and looked across the courtyard, seeing all ahead of him. His eyes landed on Leon and his small gathering, and immediately his good mood became slightly diminished. He knew that Leon would likely be a figurehead for one of the groups that would form, though he would make a poor general. Unfortunately, he was a threat to one possible countermeasure to his plan, but it was also the least likely at this point and Zeniro was taking a bite out of that plan at the moment. He still felt a small amount of anger rise up inside of him, which he found foolish due to how Stern had manipulated him so and his attempts at interference had been easily repelled. This anger had grown recently for reason's he couldn't explain, and Stern found some pleasure in indulging in it. Today, however, was not a day for indulgence, and it was best to be rid of this anger.

~Loire has outlived his usefulness now.....and my patience has worn thin.....perhaps I'll have Zeniro take care of him when he meets up with us.~

[Sathanas]

Tim looked up as his name was called, then realized it was Leon. "Shit son, I'm right here... you don't need to fucking shout..." The Tim regarded the crowd, and the noise it was making, and then added "Shit...maybe you do." He grimaced at the sight of the large numbers of people. Then his gaze returned to Stern. Without moving it from him he said "So what's the game plan Leon?"

The crowd was a frothing sea of chants and signs, filled with pumping fists, but its leader strangely was not. Tim regarded him with the eyes of a sniper who could spend days finding a single shot. Then somebody ran up to him and began talking. The two traded words and then Stern began staring at his companion. It looked like the glance a STA marine gave a potential target.

"Watch for an attack on your person from Stern or one of his flunkies. I think he's noticed us..."

'This is gonna get ugly' He thought to himself as he braced himself for the worst...

[Tong Xian Tian]

Summer was on its way, the weather outdoors beginning to get much warmer as the days went. The trees had all its leaves and the grass was bright green, also gardens field with flowers were in parks so that people could enjoy them. There was much more life in San Francisco now and this was the time that Xian took to go out for a short walk. Her belly grew bigger and bigger as the time passed and she was now at her full peak. The baby would come in a few weeks if not days. It was much harder for her to move around and such; this bothering the Chinese woman so much since she was one who loved to move around and enjoy herself. But she was limited now and so the only mean of exercise she could do that was safe were minor training that didn’t move her body much at all or just take walks. So every day Xian would take a nice walk around town, see things and possibly buy some interesting things. Anything to get her out of the house and to waste a bit of time.

Today was no exception. Xian was out of the house, simply walking around and enjoying all that was around. Though something had caught her attention; looking towards Hircine High, Xian noticed a large number of students leaving the building; if not, all students. At first the raven haired woman assumed that it was a fire drill but even from where she stood she would have heard the bells sounding for it. So why would they all leave? She would have to find out and thus she walked towards the school to see if she could over hear some people.


So Tong Xian began walking, it wasn’t all that far away so it only took a few minutes before she got to the crowd. Though she tried to concentrate and hear what was going on, to no prevail. There were too many voices and all that she could catch were a few particular names, the main one being some Stern person. Whom ever he was, this girl had not met him before.
She was going to just stand there on her own, to hope and get more information somewhere but her eye soon caught someone that she had not seen in weeks. It was Ran Ling and she was walking towards more people that were unknown to her. Well she might as well meet them, no? Either way really. So Xian walked towards the other Chinese girl, stopping beside her and tapping her shoulder lightly so that she would see her.

“Hey you. Do you know what’s going on here?” she asked her best friend with a concerned look.