The Passing Days; An Uncertain Future (OPEN)

[reynolds]

~Meetings (Side Story)

Hircine's courtyard wasn't a place Alicia was fond of, but since the rooftop was littered with people, she chose a particular spot just outside the crowd, making herself as inconspicuous as possible. There were people, but she paid little attention to them, blending their voices within the background, ignoring them completely. For her, they were distractions from her daily past time of reading.

And on this day, she read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; the play about two star-crossed lovers whose fate were to die against the backdrop of a family rivalry. It kept her interest despite her difficulty understanding their lines.

Yet, her mind strayed back to the announcement made earlier in the week; the one regarding Hircine and Paragon's fate as functioning schools.

She wasn't present that day, no thanks to the recent cold, but hearsay was enough for her to determine what happened, and what would happen in the near future. It didn't interest her, but Christie couldn't stop bringing it up every time they were together; the more she ignored her, the greater Christie's determination to make her care. Until it finally went to the point where she listened to her for the rest of her day.

It was funny in a way. Here she was, a supposed delinquent who entered this school based on her academic excellence, in a period of time where its existence was brought into question by the School Board along with its pending destruction given to the hands of its students.

Fights had broken out. Gossip spread like wildfire. Even those who had little to involve themselves with took interest in Hircine's fragile state. To many, it was the end for them. To some, they knew it was a matter of time. To a select few, they would do something about it.

Just because of this, the possibility of her returning to Japan skyrocketed. The only question was:

How eager was she?

Lunch break. Like before, she expected something to happen. Like before, she waited for it. But today, she only wanted information that a few possessed. She wanted in on the events that were shaping this and their neighbor school, Paragon. Yet, she wasn't certain how involved she was willing to be in a place where she didn't belong.

She stared at the long, vinyl shinai case next to her, and reflected on how long it would be before she would open it. Would it be in a brutal fight where she was left to defend herself? What about an incident where she had little to do with it? Those instances where a student from Paragon decided to fight her?

She didn't know.

Now, in the courtyard, seated comfortably against a tree in the afternoon, a book in hand with her attention divided between both worlds...

All she could do now was wait.

[pinefresh]

Pine was starting to get tired of this shit. For whatever reason when these kids began to shit their pants they turned on one another. Could Pine blame them? Hell yeah. Was he going to enjoy beating the snot out of every little punk? Absolutely... but he was getting a little agitated at the amount of fighting his faction of Genaht was being forced to deal with. Two of his members just got out of the hospital as two more went in. The fighting was starting to get really perilous and Pine needed them to turn their anger on Paragon so Hircine could be at peace.

For the first time he was praying the students of Paragon would come knocking on the door. That way when he put them down it would all end. Pine continued to think and he casually side stepped as a brick went flying past his head. The Vice Principals were seeing several students a day and were now severally overworked. With that in mind Pine would be sure this kid went straight to the hospital instead. He needed to cause enough injury so the severally overworked nurse would be by-passed.

Pine moved forward casually with his hands in his hoodie pocket, down the stairs toward the offender. Well, the person Pine assumed was the offender. The student had a shit eating grin on his face and held direct eye contact with Pine. The student's eyes were full of excitement as the Genaht leader moved forward. He was anticipating something to happen. Pine's eyes were dull and sleepy to show his lack of amusement at the situation.

"Did you throw that brick at my head?" Pine asked as if uninterested in the entire event. He was of course forced to look up at the student who must have been about 5'10-6'0 in height.

"Yeah and what of it you scarred little midget?" He asked with a laugh drawing encouragement from the crowd. Pine snorted and looked around. The former Varronites knew what was about to happen, anyone that had fought him before knew what was about to happen and they began to turn away. The rest of the crowd drew in hoping for some entertainment.

"Just wanted to know." Pine replied and made as if to turn away to the left. The student predictably took a step forward and Pine twisted back forcefully to the right. His left foot came up, turned so the shin was aimed at the opponent and followed threw straight to his side. The student flinched and Pine shot forward grabbing him around the neck in a clinch. From there several knees were sent into a abdomen and head butts to the face. Pine threw his opponent to the ground and watched him spit out blood. eyes shifted around the crowd to see if there were anymore takers but no one seemed brave after that. Pine shrugged and walked on and over his opponent toward the trees.

Pine liked the trees and wanted nothing more than to just sit and relax. To his surprise and old acquaintance was sitting under a tree with a book. Pine decided to go over and say hello.

"Long time no see Alicia."

[reynolds]

But she didn't have to wait.

Not too far from where she sat, another fight had taken place. Unlike most, however, the fight was more of a encounter that lasted no longer than a few minutes with a severe beating for the other. Even before it began, it was obvious who would have won the scruffle between the shorter, scarred student and the taller, scrawny one. Even if the most oblivious student couldn't tell, they certainly would know by the end result.

She glanced towards the brick thrown earlier, landing only a few feet away from her spot then focused on the beating just nearby. Just now, it seemed the victorious student crushed his opponent mercilessly and waited for anyone from the crowd to respond. Most were unwilling, having witnessed how brutal it was. And with a shrug, she watched the scarred student approach her.

Pine, was it? She recognized him from the rooftop and was surprised to have seen him since. She placed a bookmark inside the book, closed it, and placed it on her lap. She wasn't sure what he was doing here, aside from beating down opposing students, but if he held information pertaining to certain student movements, no doubt she would want in.

The possibility of her involvement seemed likely. The chance of her doing something other than study was there. All she had to do was push forward without hesitation. Could she, however, do so when the time called for it?

Time would tell...

When Pine was within speaking range, she waved and greeted him kindly with an indifferent glance.

"Same with you, Pine-san. It's surprising seeing you here."

Rather than wait for a reply, she didn't want to waste time, so she went ahead and pressed her questions. She may have sounded rude, but she couldn't stand to wait any longer.

"If you don't mind, answer this question for me." She asked, "Do you know anyone planning something serious against Paragon, or not? If not, do you know anyone who would?"

[pinefresh]

Pine was not sure how to take that. He was always out and about the school. If anything he was surprised that they had not crossed paths sooner. Though, he had to admit, he thought she went the way of many of the other students and transferred out of Hircine. Not all students were sent here for their 'school deeds' some just came here to learn. Those that began to realize they made a mistake in coming often transferred out as quickly as they transferred in. Yet Pine had been around monitoring the halls and sending students to the various principals for a little while. Now that he thought about it, he was never in one area of the school for a significant amount of time to really be noticed. His life consisted of find the problem, assess the problem, neutralize, and send to office for punishment.

Her question however caught him off guard. Why would she want to know anyone that was actively against Paragon? Not only that, but what good could she do? Pine was not sure of what to tell her. He decided to go with the most obvious information, the stuff that could be easily verified and leave the more complicated stuff out.

"Actively against Paragon... Well really all you have is Genaht. They patrol the school here and help security out. Highly organized and well trained make them formidable against the unorganized masses of Paragon. Even if they are greatly out numbered by fighters. Though it should be said, we only operate in a defensive manner considering there are not enough skilled fighters in Hircine to properly fend off an attack. As for offensive...I really don't know." He said and took a seat under the tree not to far from Alicia.

"Humor me, why are you so interested in this information?"

[reynolds]

Perhaps, the worst part of her personality was her spontaneity. She always thought things through, followed with it, and made the necessary accommodations, but they were always commitments that could easily be turned back before she became too involved. She never was the type to follow through with promises nor was she the type to make others do the same.

This case wasn't one she could turn back and treat as if it never happened, however.

Now, she was asking Pine information regarding any who have decided to take out Paragon, or do something serious to warrant their attention. He mentioned a gang known as Genaht with praise to support his answer, yet with weaknesses to not overestimate their position or influence. Christy only mentioned a few gangs, but she always told her to stay away from them; they were not people she should associate herself with, being one of those top students with excellent grades, good relationships with her teachers, and an absence-free attendance.

Well, she broke one stereotype. She figured it wouldn't take too long to break the other.

She thought Pine's question through carefully, assessing her position in school, the future troubles set to come, and whether or not she was capable of going through with this. Still, even thinking it through properly didn't seem to help. Reasons were what others use to justify, often times, meaningless actions or bouts of stupidity. For her, the greatest reason was to never have a reason at all.

Then, perhaps, spontaneity wasn't so bad of a trait as people make it out to be.

"I don't know." She answered honestly, "I don't know why I want to know about it, why I'm so interested in it, or why I'm even asking you. But if you need a reason why...I'll tell you once I find out what it is. For now, just be satisfied with, 'I don't know'."

She then said, "If you don't know anyone planning that, maybe you could introduce me to someone who would know? Like a gang leader, or someone who has a lot of...what was that word? For someone who knows a lot of people?" She paused, "Connections. That's it."

Maybe it was time to review the dictionary again. If only to make her stop looking stupid from time to time. She was a bit embarrassed, but kept her serious facade up.

"Or if you don't know anyone, what would you do against Paragon, Pine-san?"

[pinefresh]

"What would I do against Paragon?" Pine repeated the question and looked to the sky as if for guidance. The fact was Pine already knew what he would do and was already doing it. Right now he was just playing around with Alicia in an effort to calm his heart rate and force the adrenaline from his body. He found by focusing on something far away from fighting he could do so. Pine scratched his chin and looked like he was giving the answer much careful thought. Really Pine was just thinking of what he was going to make for dinner tonight when he got home. He was thinking take-out, perhaps pizza, Pine was craving the stuff at the moment. He looked back down at Alicia and began to speak.

"Nothing. I would take no offensive action against Paragon at all." He said and wiped a speck off his jeans. "Paragon was created to house the worst of the worst. Hircine is where those that can be reformed go. As a result the most dangerous and therefore best fighters are sent to Paragon where everyone else is sent to Hircine. There is a power imbalance created and now that the schools are being forced into conflict it will become more apparent. The key to winning a fight is to utilize your resources to the greatest effect possible." Pine stopped and pulled out a piece of paper in order to better illustrate what he was saying.

"So let's say this box is Paragon and this Box is Hircine. The dots are the students and the x's are the fighters. You can see what I mean by power imbalance right? Lets say we were to send as many fighters as were willing to fight Paragon, we would be slaughtered before we even made it to the office. Now if we forced Paragon to come to us we would only be dealing with those that believed Paragon should stay open. Those that would perhaps like to return to Hircine would not take part in the fight because they would have nothing to gain from winning it. Not to mention on our own turf many of the students would also turn into combatants because they would be fighting to protect their own, be it a friend, sibling, girlfriend/boyfriend. You have potentially tripled your number of fighters and those fighters would be far more dangerous than anything Paragon could throw at us. Which is why I haven't ordered Genaht to attack Paragon. By keeping my men here I am ensuring Hircine's survival. So from a gang leaders point of view there is no reason to take offensive action against Paragon. It would be far more effective to have them waste their resources to attack us."

[reynolds]

Much explanation; necessitated interest; a bleak situation at best.

Pine's explanation of the current balance of power told her a great deal regarding the situation of both school's in a simple and easily understood manner. Though there were a few words she couldn't understand immediately, the general understanding was clear, and somewhat depressing at the same time. From what she knew, Hircine was in a much better position to stave off the school board's closing, and force its violent twin to sleep for an indefinite period of time. And with Pine's conclusion, she came to an understanding that would force most transfer students out before things spiraled out of control:

Paragon had much to gain, little to lose, while Hircine had much to lose, very little to gain.

Maybe there was little point getting involved in a conflict that would easily play itself out, with or without getting involved too deeply. If nothing were to happen, Hircine would manage to live. If something were to happen, Paragon would survive. Though there were more factors involved other than numbers, the general conclusion shifted to Paragon's survival. But what if something did happen, and Hircine managed to live?

She would certainly want to be around when that happens, if only to watch their miraculous stand against an obviously superior force.

Once a decision was made, there was no going back. It was a commitment she would either regret to make, or stand by with in the future. Christie's advice was simple, Pine's advice was simple, the only question was, which held more importance?

Her life or her desire?

And so, she made the decision, thinking it through like she always had, but for a commitment she can never turn her back on, or ignore it ever happened.

"Pine-san, you said something ordering your men as a gang leader, and something about ordering...Ge-na-ht, Genaht?" She enunciated it carefully, uncertain of the word's origins, "So, Is it too much to assume that you're in charge of...that gang I've heard a lot about?"

She then stated, "If you are, then what do I have to do in order to join?"

[pinefresh]

Pine let Alicia finish fully talking before he started laughing. He enjoyed her lack of overall predictability, her illogical thought process and the fact she thought just by asking she could join the gang. Yet there was no logical reason behind her motives. Genaht was based on some logical thought basis. Though it could be said that Pine was not logical in any manner. Even Pine had to admit at times he had no idea what he was doing. Yet he somehow always managed to relate his madness back to Genaht's methods. What he needed was to make sure this girl could do the same.

Pine stopped laughing and looked at her sternly. He needed a task that would make her understand that Genaht's rules must be followed and that her madness always reflected Genaht's methods. "First you ask for information out of the blue. Now you ask to join the gang I represent without knowing the first thing about it. As it stands you are not fit to join." Pine said before turning his gaze up to the trees.

His tone was not stern this time but instead thoughtful. "Though when I first applied I wasn't much different...Well so I though. Your initiation is to start now with a series of small tasks you must complete. You are not allowed to ask any of my men for help in your quest for answers yet you must look to them for all but one answer. You will know my men because they all wear an armband as required by all but myself." Pine pulled the armband out of his pocket so she could see it. "First find out what Genaht means, I mean the actual meaning of the word. Next find out some of our rules and figure out what they mean. Lastly figure out why the answer to your original question is important to you. Understand why it is important and why you deserve the answers. Once you understand the why everything will fall into place." Pine got up and dusted himself off before turning back the the school.

"Well you have work to do. I suggest you get to it. Ja ne." He said and walked off.

[reynolds]

Pine laughed. At her request.

She knew it was somewhat stupid in a way to try and join a gang, especially one she had little to no information about. Even if Christie was helpful, all she knew was that Genaht had several names she didn't bother listening to. Her impulsiveness was certainly a nuisance now, but without this and her spontaneity, it was akin to practically doing nothing. And when Pine stopped and stared at her seriously, she listened closely to the following, hearing the judgment call made instantly; confirmation that she really was doing something stupid.

Yet, he explained himself and the initiation. She listened again to him, trying to make sure she wouldn't misinterpret any word he said, as anything could be used to deduce the answer he sought from her, or to bring out a certain motive or action. Fortunately, it seemed like the first task was easy, but the others didn't seem as friendly or as simplistic as she wanted it to be.

And when he left, she thought about it seriously, thinking if joining Genaht was worth the trouble.

"There you are! Just what are you doing? It's almost time for class!"

It was Christie, adjusting her glasses with a somewhat worried look. She thought back to Pine's words and asked her, "Do you know anything about...Ge-na..."

"Genaht? I know about them...Wait, I thought I recognized him..." Christie said, <"You're really going to join a gang? Genaht, out of all of them? Oh well, I only have myself to blame for not telling you who they really are.">

She looked at her, only to be dragged back to the school, her friend saying, <"I guess it's too late now. I'll help out for the meantime and I'll grab all my notes on this gang, but if you get into trouble with Tanaka-san, I'm not taking the blame for this.">

<"...thanks."> She spoke softly, surprised by her friend's willingness to help.

"Hai, hai." Christie spoke as they entered the school, <"Let's get you started then.">

~END