Smoke in the Water (OPEN)

[Virgil Biggs]

While his first day at Hircine High had gone on with no problems, Virgil couldn't help but remember the words of his new Principle. For her to warn him of the violent tendencies of some of the students on his first day made him believe that things were a little more severe than what she mentioned. Usually if they wanted a student to stay they would simply mention all of the positives and little, if none, of the negatives of the school, but this place was definitely different. He liked that she was honest enough to disclose what little information that she did to him, and he would be sure to keep an eye out for the 'Deflectors' that she mentioned. Virgil wasn't the type of person to openly approach a negative situation without having a reason to, but he had always been drawn to them in the past so why resist anymore? Was he simply meant to fight the ones that cause others pain and suffering, or was it just chance that he was brought into such scenarios? He would find out soon enough.

As he walked out of the school door he saw that storm clouds were forming across the orange colored sky. He had stayed at school a little longer than he had anticipated so that he could visit all of his teachers, introduce himself and get any work that they assigned that day. The sun was nearly set over the horizon and the clouds began to rumble with the warning of rain and thunder, but Virgil wasn't in any rush to head dorm room. Over the entirety of his first day too out of the norm happened, but he did happen to overhear a couple of guys talking about taking out some kid after school. They made it sound like an easy plan, and so Virgil simply assumed that the target wasn't much of a fighter. At first he thought to leave it at that but after seeing them in one of his classes again and hearing what they planned to do he decided to change up his original strategy.

He was sick of getting brought into conflict when he wanted to just attend school like a normal student, and so he decided that he would uphold justice right away instead of being almost forced into the roll of a guardian. He walked to where the target was supposed to be waiting, and when he got a glimpse of the kid he knew he didn't stand a chance. He was a scrawny, geeky looking kid that had an excited look on his face, which made Virgil wonder why he was told to be in the middle of a grassy courtyard behind the school. When he walked up to him he looked down towards his shoes and seemed to look disappointed for some reason. So Katie decided not to come, huh? I guess I should have expected that. Why would she be interested in me anyways? Virgil shook his head at the pathetic sight before him, but he knew what had to be said.

"This Katie person you're talking about was never gonna come here in the first place. This was a cruel trap set by some goons that obviously have it out for you. I came here to tell you to leave while you can." The geeky kid looked up at Virgil with watery eyes as he started to speak. S-s-so sh-she was never into me in the first place? It was truly pathetic to see someone cry over a girl, but Virgil just thought of how he would feel if Kristen hated him. He placed his right hand on the kid's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "This was all a set-up, and so I doubt Katie even knows how you feel about her. Don't give up on her until you've actually tried. If you do it wouldn't have even been worth saving you from the beating of your life. Now get out of here and talk to her about how you feel."

The kid rubbed his tear-filled eyes before turning around to walk away from Virgil. When he was about thirty feet away he stopped and turned back with a smile and a wave to Virgil. Thanks for the help, both with the fight and the advice! I won't forget it! The kid then ran as fast as his scrawny legs could take him to an unknown destination. Virgil nodded his head in approval at what he had just done. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to help people without reason. Right as the kid disappeared from view it started to rain, and not just a little sprinkle, it was a full on down pour. He knew that the storm would come sooner or later, but he never would have expected it to rain as much as it did. Soon the goons would be coming around the corner to take out the kid, but they'd find a more worthy glasses-wearing student waiting for them.

Lightning struck and thunder clashed as the two ruffians made their way around the corner, yelling at each other when they saw that their target was replaced by Virgil. They were obviously aggravated, but that was something that Virgil was prepared for. He stood with his hands in his jacket pocket waiting for them to reach his location. When they did they had a few words to share with him before things got started. Who the fuck are you and where's Price?! The larger of the goons demanded of Virgil. Yeah! That little shit was suppose to be waiting here for Katie or whoever, but instead we come to find you standing here in his place! Virgil just stood there without moving a muscle as they looked back at one another doing hand gestures to each other.

Virgil let out a sigh as his patients for them to start something reached its end. "I heard your guy's plan to pummel that Price kid, and so I decided to inform him of your plans. He's long gone by now, so all you've got is me. So what's your next move?" It seemed that he finally hit the right buttons for both of the goons to finally loose what little temper they had. They both went to punch Virgil in the face, but simply moved forward in between their arms to dodge both of the attacks. Then, while they both cocked their head to look at the guy that dodged them with ease, Virgil sent both of his fists directly into each of their solar plexus', knocking the wind out of both of them. With the two of them on the ground gasping for air, Virgil left them with some words of wisdom. "Next time your planning on fighting someone for the fun of it, don't talk about it so loud. Someone might hear you and do something about it.

With his little mission successful, Virgil made his way to the front steps of the school so that he could escape the rain. He was already soaked from head to toe, and his hair wasn't in place anymore, so he did his best to spike it the way it always was. It still drooped but it was better than nothing. He took of his jacket and hung it over the railing as he sat down on the stair. Things were going to be different in his life this time around, but he had the feeling that it was going to be for the better. He pulled out his metal cigarette case and pulled out a Marbolo Smooth from it, placing it between his lips. It was fairly windy out, but he somehow managed to get it lit anyway. With his cigarette lit and his cloths drenched, Virgil sat under the awning and watched as the rain kept pouring down in front of him, taking a drag and releasing the smoke into the air. "What a great way to end my first day at school..."

[John Smith]

Ahh, a shame, I was hoping for a show...

I thought with a humorless smile. The rain was pounding on my umbrella. I watched as the kid fled from the scene, his savior continued to replace the kid at the ambush. This boy had guts for deliberately placing himself at an ambush. I kind of liked that mentality. With cold eyes, I watched the scene unfold. And I wasn't surprised when the ambushers were taken down and left in the rain to soak up their pain. Those two were useless. I couldn't use them for anything. However, that kid. The one being a savior somehow fitted into my plans. But his way of taking down those two. He did not punish them much for their plans of beating a kid senseless. Either a lack of care, or a sign of weakness.

The drama... A compassionate hero or a bored young man? Let's go find out.

With a lightly humored smile, I began walking, my feet were getting wet and the grass was getting muddy. My feet were already sinking half an inch into the soft grass with each step. I'd have to clean these normally black boots when I got home. Irritating, but necessary. The rest of my attire was not much different. A black pair of jeans, they were getting wet at the bottom. Another good reason to get inside. I wore a black leather jacket that until the rain had started to pound, had been unzipped to reveal a gray/dark gray shirt.

I followed in the foot steps of the savior. And I spotted him lighting a cigarette. An action that normally left me with unending hatred, but I couldn’t be bothered right now. Hah, I couldn’t be bothered to hate? Nah, you got it wrong. I could not be bothered to smash this guys face into the asphalt and force him to eat that cigarette. I shook the umbrella to get the rain off it before I packed it away into one of the pockets in my leather jacket.

”Good job out there saving that kid.”

I said with a warm smile. As I reached out with my right hand for the savior to shake. My hand was cold from holding the cold handle of the umbrella, normally it had some sort of protection to prevent that from happening, but this one was broken and I had been holding cold metal.

”The name’s John, and you are?”

[Virgil Biggs]

As Virgil sat on the stairs taking small drags from his cigarette, he couldn't help but notice the sound of splashing footsteps coming from the direction of his little scuffle. He didn't believe that it was either of the goons that he took down because of where exactly he hit them, but he didn't see anyone else around the school at the time of the fight. He started to wonder if maybe the Price kid had watched the entire thing unfold instead of running away like he was told, but when the person came into view through the thick rain he knew that it wasn't Price. This person was fairly tall, possibly even a little bit taller than Virgil himself, and he was carrying an umbrella with him. These were the two things that made it clear that the new arrival was not going to be Price. Virgil took one final drag from his cigarette before putting it out with his fingers and placing the remainder of it back into its metal case.

When the new arrival final came to the cover of the awning he closed his umbrella and placed it into his jacket. He told Virgil that he did a good job of dispatching the two goons and protecting Price, which told Virgil that he had obviously witnessed everything that had happened only a few minutes earlier. He had a smile on his face as he held out his hand for a greeting shake. Virgil looked up at him with a stoic expression as he thought to himself about the person that stood in front of him. 'This guy stood and watched me take on two people by myself without offering his help... What kind of person is hiding behind that awkwardly welcoming smile?' He told Virgil that his name was simply John, asking for Virgil's name in exchange. Virgil grasped John's hand firmly and shook it once before letting go and placing it into his pants pocket. "John, is it? Nice to meet you. You can call me Virgil."

Meeting someone that wasn't a complete idiot made Virgil feel a little better about coming to Hircine High, but there was just something about him that seemed a little too kind. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but maybe it was just that he had a hard time trusting people like him and his new Principle. They both smiled before even finding out what Virgil was like, and in his eyes it just seemed completely unrealistic to act like that right away. Virgil wasn't one to let people see how he felt on the inside, and that was probably one of the contributing reasons for him distrusting those that try to show emotion when meeting someone. Virgil looked back out into the thick rain, making sure that he could see John with his peripherals. He let out a slight sigh as he held out his hand to catch some of the rain that was falling only a foot in front of him.

"If you're wondering my reasons for doing what I did I'll tell you." Virgil knew that John didn't ask him any such question, but there had to be a reason behind him watching the events unfold from afar. "I have been the type of guy that let people get away with things even when the events were right in front of me. No matter how hard I tried I was always brought into conflict. I guess I just decided to change things up for once in my life. My life's been too repetitive so I went against my own way of life to get out of my old boring life." With the water he caught with his hand he pushed his hair back up again because it was falling down again. He then looked over at John, letting out a small huff of a laugh with a grin that faded just as quick as it arrived. "Sorry if my story bored you. I guess I just wanted to tell someone to get it off of my chest. But anyway, why are you here so late John?"

[Allen Daughtry]

The meteorologists called a great deal of rain that late afternoon that would last into the night. Seemed they there right, since Allen Daughtry's cerulean gaze could see the overhead clouds of orange and pink building and clumping together to make a terribly bipolar series of storm clouds. At that point in the day, the young man watched as the dimming Sun fell under the hills into the west, past the skyscrapers and the expensive house, past the beach, past the Pacific Ocean, and soon sinking into the distant horizon. Yes, from his unique vantage point on a road just a few blocks from Hircine High - and his dorm room as well - the junior could see the day beginning to unfold.

'Better high tail it if I want to avoid a cold shower.'

Quickening his pace of steps, Allen Daughtry jogged down the descending sidewalk as his hands slipped into the pockets of his black overcoat, his attention focused on two particular subjects: getting back to his pad in one piece, and making sure his beloved sunglasses - which were still planted across his eyes - were not lost in the hurry. The German Cross necklace his father passed down to him years ago hugged firmly to his neck, his leather jacket swayed with the movement of his torso with every slip and shift, and his zip down blue hoodie kept his black tee shirt out of sight, as did his blue jeans with his black tennis shoes. A pair of mahogany leather gloves lay in one of his leather jacket's chest pockets, waiting for the moment when the wind would become a biting cold.

It wasn't long when Daughtry finally arrived at the gate of Hircine High - his trek had just been about five minutes long - though the allotted time had been enough for the weather to worsen tremendously. The taste of damp air surrounded Allen, and his skin chilled, and a moment after he pulled the hood of his blue hoodie across his blond hair, the first droplets of a terrible pour bashed against his overcoat's shoulder. Pulling out his gloves as the junior strolled across the front walkway towards the school, his hands were soon wrapped and pocketed as Daughtry found himself heavy from the weight of water and clothing combined. The haze surrounded him, and his head leaned downward with his shades still across his eyes as he made his slow march to the school, hoping to arrive at a vantage point before charging for his dorm building.

Still, something in the distance caught his eye: sitting underneath the main entrance doors, hiding in the shadow of the school's second floor awning were two male figures that, from the distance, Allen did not recognize, and one of them had the blinking red light of a cigarette near his mouth before it disappeared with the arrival of the second man. Allen's curiosity was peaked, as he didn't expect two other students to sit out in the rain at such a late part of the day. And so, making his way to the two with his slow stroll, Daughtry eventually found himself standing on the staircase nearby the man with the glasses, his own clothing doused - but not soaked in, thanks to his overcoat - and his hoodie slipped over his head more than he'd like.

Unfortunately, Allen heard very little of their conversation, but he slipped in his own words no matter what, to get himself involved, "That's why we've got counselors pal... unless what you've got to say isn't for the System's ears, and then I'd understand. What's up with you two? Never heard of two hobos sleeping around by the school, of all things."

[John Smith]

I let go of his wet hand, but I did not return it to a pocket or any other casual behavior, instead I began rubbing my hands together slowly but with some power. A simple way of warming the hands up. Stupid handle on the umbrella. Virgil. I noted his name down somewhere in the back of my mind together with some other information about him. There was a brief silence while I sat down next to him and rubbed my hands together to get some heat back in to them again and to brush the water away. Stupid broken umbrella. I looked out at the rain. It didn't seem like I would clear up anytime soon. Virgil began to speak again, and while I had been wondering why he had decided to stick around until this late to save some little geek from being trashed. I would probably just have taken out those goons during school if I wanted to save the kiddo. Virgil explained and for what I understood, then this guy was trying to be the best a man could be. Stand tall and defend those weak.

I see, he's a compassionate hero. ... Interesting. I haven't seen a new one of those for a while.

I had been asked a question, I opened my mouth to answer, but it would not be my voice that would be spoken. I closed my mouth again and turned my head to look at the third person. I had no idea what his first remark meant. I could only speculate and by the time I would figure it out, it would be too late for any witty retort. So, I worked with what I had and decided the hobo remark could generate a better retort. With better, I meant the normal kind of retort.

"We can make room for a third hobo, if you'd like?"

I knew it wouldn't be the cleverest of retorts in the world. But what could I do about it? Nothing.

"But if you must know, I came down here for a walk when I saw this hero here save a young boy from being beat up. Quite interesting really."

I said with a mild smile and some hand motions toward Virgil when I mentioned the hero part. I had lied about my reason for coming down here, but that was something I would rather keep to myself. Because it involved that kid that had been saved. But that was a truth hidden by my friendly smile.

"What about you, mr ... ?"