The Blades (Nobu, Others if Invited)

[Allen Daughtry]

The need for observation was over; Allen Daughtry was beginning to sense a need for initiative.

Having spent the last few months idly traversing from class to class, learning whatever he could on the various subjects of teenage life and Hircine High history, meeting various people and spilling the blood of others, Allen felt that the school was in need of someone to take a more proactive approach than currently followed. In fact, besides the sudden rise of Captain Tyler Scott and the apparent battle for Paragon's own captainship (which he already found redundant, considering the school's basis on chaos and violence) the theater of the two schools was peaceful - almost normal. Granted, there was still plenty of young drama and fighting, but based on what Daughtry had learned about the past lives of the Hircinians and Varronites, and referring to his own experience in Mugen Hall, the quiet of the present was a good break.

Of course, there was also something terribly wrong with that calm, and someone didn't need to look far to suspect the worse.

As such, the boy decided that now was the time to rise up and prepare for whatever event was to come. Having a working relationship with the Hircine Captain and a few others, Allen felt that he was in a developing position to take whatever action was needed. For now, though, he only knew of one or two individuals that he could look to for assistance or a possible partnership, and in all honesty, the newcomer was still uncertain about the latter.

'Venn's still too ominous for my tastes... that'd be damn useful for me later on, but right now I need to keep with what I can trust, and right now, I can't think of anyone but Nobou.'

Thus, there stood Allen Daughtry, garbed in his usual attire - with a change in the basics: black jeans and a scarlet western button-up - under the shade of Hircine High's supply drop-off platform, directly behind the school's cafeteria kitchen. Usually, the place was rather loud as the school's many cooks shifted canisters of food and drink to and fro, and even took breaks to smoke a cigarette on the side. Now, of course, as the school bell rang for the day's end, its supply sector was silent, only filled by the boy's presence, as he too lit up a small, well-rolled stick of jade - his own slang for marijuana.

(And how did "jade" even relate to such a drug? That's easy: Allen heard the first pronunciation of the object one day when half baked and thought of Luke Skywalker's wife - being the closet nerd that he was.)

Breathing in the faint fumes of the hemp that he sparsely used - since he wanted to avoid an instinctual addiction at whatever cost - Allen stared mindlessly into the brightness of the afternoon beyond him as he awaited his summoned guest. Of course, it could have been easier since he had Nobu's phone number (he had given Daughtry his card, after all) but considering the circumstances, the sly boy thought of another source to communicate.

Such as, Allen had planted that very same card from before into Nobu's locker with a letter written across its back; and he not only inserted the note, he left it square on top of the Japanese man's favorite book, guaranteeing that it'd be seen. And of course, when it came to breaking open lockers, it was too easy for Allen Daughtry; he was also a closet thief.

And so, when Nobu would arrive at his locker at whatever point in the day, the note would sit, waiting, with the letter written boldly and darkly across the white paper. It read:

PHONE CALLS ARE FOR PUBLIC CHATS.
OUR CHAT IS MORE PRIVATE.
MEET ME OUTSIDE THE PLATFORM
BEHIND THE CAFETERIA AFTER SCHOOL.

- AD

'And so the ninja said hello to the samurai...'

[Nobu]

On the trip back to his locker from the day's final class, Nobuo Yamamoto pondered about the recent events he had taken part in and how they affected him. While turning the knob of his combination lock he let out an exasperated sigh, a mixed bag of feelings welling up inside of him. Questions about his morality were constantly running through his mind, for he knew that he was less righteous than he'd like to think. The trip to the Paragon Institute had made Nobu realize this. Was he really looking to avenge his fallen Hircinian brethren? Or was he just looking for an excuse to bust a few heads open? Had his irate and violent nature resurfaced now that he was back in the city, the serene and honorable Nobuo left behind in the Japanese wilderness with his deceased grandfather? These questions and more had been plaguing the youth's mind since his departure from the Paragon Institute.

He had calmed down considerably since the incident with the Panthers; however, it was mostly due to the conflicts he was facing internally. Answers that he sought could not be given to him by his own tongue. Perhaps that is why his grandfather sent him here to meet his old friend. His wisdom would aid Nobu in searching for the answers he so desperately needed; but that would have to wait, as the Japanese boy had not the faintest idea of where to even start looking for this man. Instead, he would reach into his locker and grab the book he tried lived his life by, hoping that reading it would relax his spirit and reinforce some of its teachings into his mind.

When Nobu retrieved the Hagakure, a familiar-looking slip of card had fallen off of it and fluttered to the floor. Curious as to what it was, seeing as how he didn't recall putting anything like that in his locker, he pocketed the book in the back pocket of his red cotton gi pants and bent down, swiping up the card. Scrawled onto it was his mobile number in red ballpoint pen, but what really caught his attention was a series of dark, bolded words that simply jumped out at him from the white card. Shortly after reading it, Nobu looked around warily, as if someone was watching him, but only saw a hallway full of bustling students trying to get out of school as soon as possible.

Who's AD? the Japanese youth thought to himself, quickly coming to the conclusion since he had only been acquainted with about four people within the grounds of Hircine High. Allen had requested via the note to seem him in person, and Nobu would respect that instead of calling him to ask what he wanted. Shutting his locker closed and securing it with the lock, Nobu grasped the card firmly in his hand as he made his way toward the meeting point.

___________________________________________________________

A pungent aroma was blown his way by the wind. To Nobu, it brought back good memories of his grandfather, as he could often be found smoking some herb out of a pipe that created a scent similar to the one that was currently in the air. The smell got stronger as he approached the blonde, a conspicuous-looking cigarette hanging from his lips. Nobu wasn't a smoker himself, but he wasn't one to criticize other people for their choices. While most others would be offended by the herb's burnt grass-like aroma, it failed to have any visible effect on the Japanese student.

Nobu stood off to the side of the taller boy, muttering a quick "Allen," to catch his attention before extending the hand with the card in it toward him. "You needed something?"

[Allen Daughtry]

"Need? Yeah, I'm in need of something Nobu - your ear."

Daughtry's response to the Samurai came with a widened grin and a puff of wisping exhalation, the thick trace of marijuana evident. The joint itself sat limp between his index and middle finger, now floating directly in front of his left cheek as his shaded eyes observed its new companion.

Watching Nobu for a moment's pause, Daughtry began to stride forward between a pair of cardboard boxes, ignoring his stick of weed for the time he spoke, "To be rightly honest, I'm just running on thought and speculation here Nobu, so before I start rambling, don't think I've got a solid plan or offer or whatever. Still, hear me out, I bet you'll like what I've got in my head here..."

Halting his step and taking a new whiff, Allen exhaled the smoke through his nostrils as the joint now hung from his lips, his left hand falling down into its corresponding jacket pocket. Strangely, the boy found that the chemical effects of the drug had little mark on him or his mental capacity. While it did lighten his mood and warm his body, his state of mind was not altered at all - if anything, it was expanded. It helped Daughtry calm his instincts, to focus his thoughts on multiple subjects, and to consider new options that he'd never seen. In a way, the drug 'enlightened' him, a unique factor that others would find surprising.

Turning his attention back to Nobu, Allen rose his right hand to follow his words, acting as a sort of physical addition to his verbal rhetoric, waving and pointing whenever he felt the mood strike him, "See, the current situation brewing between Hircine and Paragon has got me worried that something big is going to happen. Considering the fact that, for some reason, the System kept the safest and most orderly students of the region in Hircine High, then grabbed the bloodiest and most chaotic fighters and tossed them into Paragon, there is no doubt in my mind that the major differences between the two schools, especially the atmosphere of the latter, will lead to a major conflict. It could, in fact, lead to something close to an anarchy, or perhaps even war."

As Allen spoke of his concerns, the stick of marijuana bounced through the air under the pinch of his lips, his face faintly dabbed in the air of the words and source of clarity, as he continued. "Now, I don't know about you Nobu, but when it comes to choosing between Order and Chaos, I know where I'd rather be in a heartbeat. Hircine's a nice school, and now it's more than evident that, if we don't do something, then we're all in danger of losing that peace and comfort. I'd like to do whatever is necessary to protect that, even if it means cracking some heads and reminding the Paragonians that even though they enjoy fighting more than our classmates, the Hircine fighters aren't going to stand aside. Our school needs a defense - or rather, a quiet offense - to prevent the eventual chaos."

Watching Nobu for a moment more, Daughtry grinned as he retrieved his "jade" from the clamp of his lips back to the grip of his left hand, and absorbed one more dash of smoke before requesting a response from his guest with a casual, eased smiled, "So Samurai, you think the two of us would make an ample pair of Blades to start the strike?"

[Nobu]

A look of surprise flickered across the Japanese youth's face, fading as quickly as the last remnants of ear left his taller acquaintance's mouth. Allen continued to puff on his cigarette, it becoming quite obviously the source of the strong smell that Nobu had--and was currently--getting whiffs of as the wind blew in his direction. Crossing his arms against his chest as he intently listened to the blonde's words, Nobu simply nodded at him, signalling for him to continue with whatever he needed to. The student was being the ear Allen needed, afterall, and Nobu wasn't much for plans, anyway. He preferred just rushing in and taking obstacles in stride.

The Japanese youth's face remained stoic throughout the entirety of Daughtry's speech, only giving him the occasional raised eyebrow of curiosity or nod of agreement. War.. where someone like me would have a purpose. were the boy's initial thoughts, for his grandfather had told him the greatest honour was to die in the battlefield. Where else would a samurai in modern times fit into the world? However, Allen's following words also stirred something up within the youngster. With this, I will no longer fight to simply satisfy my own selfish urges. My blade, my fists, will now have a purpose to strike down my enemies. No; to strike down my school's, Hircine High's enemies.

The blonde removed the funky-smelling cigarette from his lips, finally asking the question Nobu had been waiting for as the thoughts of moments ago still lingered in his head. Nobu ran a hand through his dark hair, brushing out any loose strands from his face before speaking. "So, us Blades will be keeping the Order before Chaos has even surfaced?" Nobu felt like he could smile, but the corners of his lips barely twitched. His arms unravelled themselves from his chest, and he rested them behind his head.

"When shall the first blow be dealt?"