People-Watching [open]

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia wistfully approached Paragon Institute before making a beeline for one of the shady trees to escape the cooking sun. While some might assume that she is at her rival school for a reconnaissance mission, they would only be half right. After a run in with her boss at Hircine, Principal Alexander, this Asian has been treading on thin ice when it came to earning a steady income. Don't get her wrong, she's been a bit more mindful of her actions, but she hates restrictions and she's one who likes to keep her options open. So despite her collecting data that would be useful to she and Allen Daughtry, Valencia was hoping for another possible source of income if Hircine gives her the boot.

She sat down beside a tree's trunk to watch the students passing by. After hearing so much about Paragon's reputation, she half expected someone to get jumped right in front of her. Maybe their violence was selective? Or maybe the rumors were just rumors? The Asian kept people watching out of sight and wasn't in a hurry to directly ask the administrative office if there were openings or tours so long as she was in a nice cool place.

How is the place inside? Is the front the only “nice” place? I wonder if anyone will recognize me? Hopefully, not too much.

A large group of students approached the tree. Valencia had no intention of finding out if they were going to talk, smoke, or jump her, so she made her way to another, but less shady tree. They didn't follow her, so the Asian sat down and kept people watching until she got tired and stood near the front doors beneath overhang. She was beginning to sweat and irritably muttered about the heat...

“Why does it feel like this place is hotter than Hircine...? It's not THAT far away...”

[Aden Allett]

Aden exited the main building of Paragon, entering the grounds. The sun shone down leaving the heat to rise exponentially from the morning. He waved his hand by his hand for a breeze for a short time, before making his way for a park bench to sit and eat. Seemed like the only thing to look forward to in Paragon was lunch nowadays. Maybe he could start another riot; oh joy. With his recent alliance involving Tai, Aden only hoped for more action in the near future. Even this school wasn’t as exciting as he would enjoy from time to time. Yeah, patience and what not. Besides, the school wasn’t always so dull. On the contrary, Aden found himself in more bouts than eh ever had back at Hircine.

Aden sat down on top of the bench, opening a can of soda as he did so. He was eating ‘light’ if you called it that. The cold drink was a god send in the heat, that was a given. Already a busy day, Aden could feel a bead or two of sweat going down the left side of his head, wiping it off with his exposed arm, exiting the sleeve or his orange T. He hated the heat. Winter was his preferred season, for sure; the cool air was something he always looked forward too. He sighed slightly, taking another sip of his drink before his ears perked slightly towards the talk beside him. A few men seemed to be observing something of interest.

”Oi, check that girl over there.”

”Hmm? You know her; She a student?”

Nah, don’t think so, but I wouldn’t mind getting to know her, heh heh.


Ooh, that wasn’t good. Paragon kids here had a thing with violence, obviously, and the malicious intent Aden could see in the mans eyes made it clear what he was thinking about. Dirty. Ah well, so it goes, it seemed. It was obvious the aggression in the area of the men was growing slightly. Paragon was bringing out a part of them, it being the best or worst based on your views with the subject. A couple of the guys already looked up for a fight and this could be the perfect excuse. On one hand, those men ganging on the one girl would give Aden something to do, while on the other, it seemed kind of wrong to let a girl get the shit beat out of her. Only slightly, though.

Aden rose from his bench, making his way over to the tree; the men from behind eyeing him slightly. As he reached his destination, the sudden lower temperature due to the shade caused for a sigh of relief. It was nice being in a cooler area. He eyed the girl at the tree before speaking.

“So what’s someone who isn’t even a student at Paragon doing all the way over here?”

[Valencia Donahue]

((OOC: XD Valencia ain't under a tree anymore, but I can deal with it.))

At this point, Valencia began fanning herself with her hand and wondering when the sea breeze would come in. It didn't take her too long to acknowledge the new presence approaching. She thought Aden was going to take this shady tree as well and was about to leave until he spoke to her. She kept staring ahead at the people walking by, making sure not to make eye contact with the stranger as she thought about her answer.

Who the heck is this guy...? Do I know him? Well, it's one thing to directly identify me to know I'm not from Paragon, but I guess it works the same way if you don't know me at all...

She sighed lightly and kept fanning herself as she responded...

“I'm... Acquainting myself with the campus. I'm thinking of possibly getting a job here in case my current one doesn't work out.”

Brief, succinct, concise. Not only that, but keeping her own prying questions to herself. Valencia was getting a feel for this individual before jumping the gun.

[Aden Allett]

(Ah, my bad)

Aden leaned against the tree, waiting for the girl’s response. She answered, yes, but in a rather rude manner. Was everyone who associated with Paragon that much of an ass? Well, he couldn’t say that, really, he knew a couple decent people, sure. Maybe the heat was just getting to him. He did feel a little agitated, but the inside of the school wasn’t any better at the moment, sadly. What happened to air conditioning? Bah, it didn’t matter. Heat concerns could be held off until later. The shade would do for now, anyway.

The girl didn’t look at him, continuing to wave her hand for a breeze. Aden shrugged it off for the most part. Maybe he did kind of throw her off with the sudden assumption of her educational status. Acquainting ones self with the campus could be a dangerous task, which was definite; a lot of people watching other people, itching for a fight or for a brawl here or there. Aden couldn’t say he wasn’t one of them, but he knew how to hold back. Self control and all that psychological drabble. What threw him off was the fact that the girl may actually be looking for a job.

“I’m surprised anyone would be looking for a staff job here. I can’t really say the students are well behaved…Oh, sorry if I came off a bit string there, I tend to do that. Aden Allett, by the way.”

He extended his hand, trying to act slightly friendly. It may have come off a little awkward though. He was known to do something like that.

“You are?”

[Valencia Donahue]

Aden's apology prompted Valencia to tilt her gaze his way, barely enough to show why she was avoiding eye contact: Her eyes were faded as though she's blind. It wasn't as though she herself was blind, but the way she behaved to avoid being stared at confirmed their expectations. The Vietnamese woman stopped fanning herself and used that very hand to return the gesture with a firm grasp and a shake of Aden's hand.

“Valencia Donahue.”

Always the handshake...

While holding Aden's hand, Valencia felt a slight uneasiness. She assumed that she caught him off guard before judging that he was insincere. She nodded lightly and silently accepted his apology before answering the rest of his inquiries...

“Trust me, I'm not picky when it comes to income so long as it's within reasonable limits. I believe this school more or less follows my principles, so I don't think I should be worried about the students here. I am not one to judge without proper assessment.”

She paused momentarily to watch a group of students head into the building before continuing.

“...On the other hand, you may be a better judge of that than I am. Is it really as bad as you say? Are there any particular examples you can use?”

[Aden Allett]

Upon the apology, the girl in front of him shifted her sight slightly to his direction. She grasped his extended hand and shook it firmly, before letting go. She introduced as Valencia Donahue, a name that didn’t really ring any bells, although he wasn’t the best with names. The name was rather unique it seemed, but it didn’t really matter. What was still on his mind was the fact that anyone would want to work here with the reputation the school had. Maybe she was just looking for a challenge.

After inquiring onto her reasons for wanting to work at such a school, the girl responded. Seemed like money was everything and Aden wasn’t one to deny that. He loved money. Income was obviously an important aspect, but the point still stood that the school’s reputation wasn’t jus talk. If the girl was to ‘assess’ the student body as she said, it wouldn’t be a surprising change from what she most likely heard. She paused in her speech, Aden not catching was she was eyeing across the grounds. She returned to the discussion, asking Aden his personal views and possible experiences. Oh, the fun he had.

“Well, most of the rumors aren’t just that; constant fights and brawls, along with a riot here and there every so often. We’ve even had a full cafeteria riot go on. It’s a little dangerous, yeah, but if you’re up for it, it’s rather enjoyable.”

A grin grew on Aden’s face. He loved the riots the most; full chaos and the ability to take anyone down without a reason. Chills went up his spine with the thought. Punching, stabbing, stomping, it may be too much fun. He wasn’t exaggerating either, he loved it. It was much more exciting than back at Hircine, even if their were dry spells like today.

“I’m not trying to sway you’re decision, but this school is pretty violent. Some people embrace that, though. What is it you do?”

[Vince]

"And some people don't."

Vince would speak ominously walking slowly to the pair. He didn't wear a usual grin this way, the fresh black eye and bruised cheek doing their part in removing his usual good humor. He was fighting a losing battle and it was showing at this time.

"Not the best idea to be over here, Valencia, but atleast you're in one of the better parts. I think most of the females here have gotten smart with staying in groups, or around Genaht...."

Vince knew his group was the last and certainly failing vestiges of limited order and safety. Hell if he would fall without the fight though, they'd have to tear huge chunks of his humanity away for him to quit. He didn't know how far he would go on that account though.

"Still if you end up here, help would be welcome."

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia's expression didn't change as Aden described riots as enjoyable. Admittedly, she believed riots were exhilarating... So long as there weren't any liabilities to worry about. If given the choice though, she would prefer to stay out of them unless the gains can only be achieved through these means. An example that comes to mind would be fighting for territory and whatnot when she was still with her ex. Aden then touched upon the students' love for violence and before she could give her thoughts, there was a familiar voice that brought attention to the students who don't. Vince was one of them. Valencia was first surprised that he was at Paragon before taking in his stern (and a bit battered) appearance. Aside from that distracted time when they found Chelsea Owens's body in Hircine's gym closet, she never saw him so serious before. It takes a lot to bring the Mouth to this...

I wonder how all this'll turn out... Have Aden and Vince met before?

“If there's any sign of... Intelligence at work, I'd like to work there. I imagine the library needs a lot of tending to.”

In other words, a lot of the schools in SanFran have a hand in the Network... But with Paragon being so new, it's hard to tell if the Network got established here yet. Considering how Paragon isn't a place that'd hide anything, the information monopoly at the student store and the library might not be seen here. Basement and boiler room, maybe, but you can't earn legit and steady cash there...

“Of course, since this school places value on other things, I may have to rethink that plan if I want to earn anything worthwhile. I can't be picky when I'm having trouble making ends meet. What does the faculty do here, anyways?”

[Aden Allett]

“True enough.”

Aden mentioned as the man approached the two. He had no prior recollection to who the man was, but he seemed to be having a rough time at Paragon. His face managed to show that. As he made his way over, his attention towards Aden’s comment shifted over to Valencia. Obviously knowing the girl already, he went off into conversation. What caused Aden to raise a brow was the mention of Genaht. One of the prior enemies to Revelation. Aden ran into one or two of them before. But that was in the past, unfortunately, leaving no ill will towards the ‘gang.’ Really though, he had no ill will towards them in Revelation either.

“For someone passing Genaht off as a sanctuary, you sure seem to be getting quite the beating; things not going so well?”

Requesting help from Valencia was an interesting topic. In a place like this, it wouldn’t surprise Aden if Genaht could use all the help it could get. It’s a difficult task being the shining goody-goods in a school with no rules. From personal experience, Paragon really brought out the primal urges in people and damn, if it wasn’t amusing. It was Valencia who spoke up next, mentioning the library as the place she would most like to work. Aden couldn’t really comment; he’d never step foot in the Library yet. Did they have one? She went off to mention something about ends meet. People’s income wasn’t any of Aden’s business, leaving him to shrug off the comment. Her later inquiry would leave Aden to answer, however.

“The faculty does most of what they’re supposed to. Teacher’s teaching and the Janitor’s cleaning, but I haven’t seen a staff member enforce any rules. As for the higher members of staff, I’m not sure. I haven’t run into any yet.”

His attention turned back to Vince. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Aden Allett.” His arm extended towards the other man. “And you happen to be?”

[Vince]

"I wouldn't say that, If this is how I look standing, imagine how the fallen look."

A small smirk would creep onto the Genaht leader's face. He knew his point would inspire abit of confidence in Valencia as to his well being and perhaps keep the other from dismissing him so easily. Genaht knew they were made to be fallen, but that didn't mean they did so easily.

"The teachers don't enforce any rules, but they do have to fend off students from time to time as well. Though I think the Janitors get the raw end of the deal, they get left alone mostly, but imagine the messes they deal with."

Vince would eye Aden for a second as the arm was extended, but grasp it firmly and shake before nodding and speaking. He wasn't trusting of the man, but did his best to keep that out of his tone of voice.

"Vince Crane."

The Mouth would straighten up for a moment, stretching and even popping afew joints as he did so. His eyes falling on Aden for a few moments again, though when he spoke he was certainly speaking to Valencia.

"Still probably the biggest problem here aren't the leaders and the most violent, but guys like this one. They resign themselves to the chaos, take part and ignore any reason. If enough people got sense this place could be impressive."

[Valencia Donahue]

Aden and Vince both shed light upon the faculty matter and Valencia had to sigh quietly to herself because of the heat and the even lower possibility of getting a decent job at this point at Paragon. Sure, she sorta had what it takes to be a teacher if she has to, but she's not the sort of person who'd talk for hours on end, especially with people she'll likely dislike. Things were looking bleak for this safety source of income... If worse comes to worse, she might have to ask the principal directly for an appropriate opening somewhere and she wants to avoid principals of all shapes and sizes at this point.

The topic eventually shifted over to Vince and Genaht. Valencia tried to imagine the fallen corpses strewn behind Genaht's wake, but if Genaht managed to sustain some damage of their own, a reasonable fight of some kind was put up. She practically wanted to look inside the building to see if her imagination is as vivid as reality. Here, the two young men represented different ends of Paragon's demographic. Aden stood for the stimulant of chaos. Vince stood for the sedative dubbed order.

If there's a time to be above the influence, I think it'd be now...

“Okay then... I guess learning more about the... Culture here is a better way to understand this place instead of just job hunting. There're leaders representing the most violent? Who are they? What kind of person is the Captain and does he or she have Pillars yet? Are there other groups here? I can tell that Genaht is fighting an uphill battle already.”

Now the questions are coming out... Conveniently enough, for people with completely different views; almost like a debate.

[Aden Allett]

“Heh, I like that.”

Aden grinned at Vince’s comment. Guy was getting beat, sure enough, but what about the ones doing the beating? Aden had to wonder how much to Vince there was. Was he powerful, talented, what? Guy seemed awfully smug after all. He was curious, wondering if Vince could back up the attitude. Vince went off to continue what Aden had said about the faculty of the school. It was a definite fact that the teacher’s were having a rough time here. If anyone was a target to the student body, it was them. Though, it wasn’t as though all of them deserved it; far from it. Some just wanted to teach, which wasn’t wrong. Maybe teachers just had a bad name going for them nowadays.

The man grabbed onto Aden’s hand firmly, shaking it and introducing himself as Vince Crane. Vince stared at Aden, but as he began to speak again, it was obvious it was about Aden, or ”guys like this one,” as Vince had so blatantly put it. Aden let go of the hand of the man examining him. Seemed a little pissy towards Aden and they didn’t even know each other yet. Oh joy. People like Aden? What did Aden do? He fought people sure; people that threatened him first or others, but that was basic courtesy in his eyes. Sure he did a little more than just teach them a lesson, he admit, he got a little eccentric at times, but he never directly went out looking for a fight. Oh, how little Genaht seemed to know about some of the members of the student body.

“The fact is, Vince, I don’t ignore reason when reason is dealt to me. Why am I the one that has to ‘stop the fighting?’ The whole school is one big war zone; embrace it. If you hate it so much, why not skedaddle back to Hircine rather than continuing to fight a losing battle?”

Aden paused as Valencia spoke up, inquiring onto who was the most violent or who was the school captain.

“We have no captain or pillars yet. As for leader figures, from what I’ve seen, you got about every single student itching for a fight. I'm not really sure who is getting the biggets 'reputation.' i don't really follow all of that.”

[Vince]

"And you illustrate my point completely."

Vince would sneer, how could this man not see the problem in his very words? It didn't make sense to the Genaht leader, how someone could speak before he thought so easily.

"Why am I the one that has to ‘stop the fighting?' Indeed, the problem is they all think that same thing."

The eyes would turn back to Valencia, a certain amount of fervor in his eyes, that would match the zeal in his voice just before. His mind a whirl with all the things wrong with this place. If there was one phrase that did cut Vince slightly, it was that question of why he should continue the failing fight.

We are all made to fall.

The familiar voice would answer to him, and it was the resolution he needed while he let Aden explain the current captaincy situation to Valencia.

[Valencia Donahue]

The bystander effect is the finding that people are less likely to offer help when they are in a group than when they are alone. This is due to diffusion of responsibility, where people feel less and less responsible with others around. Pluralistic ignorance, on the other hand, is described as looking to others for cues about how to behave, while they are looking to you... It is a case of collective misinterpretation—Okay. As great as it is to apply what I'm learning in college, this really isn't going anywhere for me.

Valencia was quickly finding that getting information about Paragon will be a lot harder than she thought. No data on people of significance and both Aden and Vince were intent on settling the score on the spot instead of their own time. The cues the two were giving off made it pretty clear. At this point, she was willing to leave the two to their business so she can go inside where its cooler (perhaps). Still, she figured she might as well try another route in getting the info she needs before turning to other informants.

“Moving right along, I might as well ask about the other students here... But less generally.”

To me, the person with the most social connections and interactions have the power.

“May you two name people you know here? If you can, please describe them as well. They can be your friends, enemies, or acquaintances even. Surely, you two have ran into others of opposite or like minded-ness by now, right?”

Hopefully I'll have enough names to form a list... And find out who transferred here...