All My Heroes... (Open)

[Leon Loire]

The sheep of 'The System' strode forward, their ample feet dragging across the floors of Hircine High's elaborate rectangular halls, their heads bobbing in a lackless thought toward whatever was commanded as their next class - a place that, supposedly, would help them escape the hell known as 'Education.' Their backpacks motioned left to right, left to right, in such a symbolic pattern of human mind and body both...

Floating in the center of the river of bodies strode a Varronian Senior, a comfortably dressed youth by the name of Leon Loire. His legs traced more slowly and less melodically than the Hircinians surrounding him, giving a blatant trace of his own individuality to the herd. The rebellious traits within him were slightly obvious - however, so far ignored by his neighbors; it seemed most of them were too busy traversing the path of the hallways to their classes.

Their faces were frowns; his was a simple, ironic smirk. Their ears were untouched by any device - other than the booming voices of their dictating staff, of course; Leon Loire, however, was ignoring all outside sound and command, his own attention placed on a pair of small plastic receptors, and the voice of a little girl flowing from them:

Time your riddles right, and make a point that has no sense
Make sure that you're smiling, and the money's been well spent

The voice seemed intent to tell a story, tell a perspective... a confusing one, to note, but still one of interest. Perhaps Leon Loire was a storyteller himself, one that had seen a way of life gone, and was now ready to pass it on those know hopeful to learn more knowledge then calculationing the grams of materials, the solutions of algrabraic equations, or the proper method of scratching paper.

Innocence and ignorance, it all goes hand in hand
I'm not sure that I'm right, but I hope you'll understand

Still, Leon grew tired of following those who wished to lay before their oppressors, and with an excused passing across the sea of the school, Loire parted the river that flowed onward, and found himself strolling toward the nearby wall of lockers, its occupants leaning toward their precious possessions. Leaning against a wall nearby a Sophomore Hircinian, Leon allowed his eyes to shut - mostly to ignore the flow of the mindless, and forget the sudden rustle of bodies inching near him. Instead of voices in his ears - as was possibly what was told toward him - Loire allowed a single poet to speak toward him.

I hope that you're still searching for the start that has no end
And all the plastic people have now become your friends
Before you start to drift and your soul begins to scream
I just wanted to tell you that you're listening to a dream

[pinefresh]

~So this is the former overall Captain of Varron, he doesn't look so powerful~ Malikai thought to himself as he stood their leaning against a locker, his emerald eyes looking around that the mob of students moving in every direction. Malikai did not expect it to be so easy, he expected this captain of captains to have at least a retinue of bodyguards flanking him.

No one knew better than Malikai that looks could be deceiving. Once upon a time he stood in a ring against a much smaller opponent than he to spar. The fight itself lasted all of two minutes and it was a painful lesson for anyone to learn. The 110lb boy hit twice as hard, twice as accurate, and twice as hard as Malikai could ever hope to hit. He was easily toyed with and broken down starting with his legs, then his stomach, then his arms, then his face all systematic and calculated. Perhaps this boy was the same perhaps the boy was more powerful than his outward appearance lead on.

Then again perhaps he did not win his place by brute force but by use of intellect. Perhaps he was better suited for the manipulation of people, getting them to do his dirty work. Cunning in Malikai's rankings stood just as high as the ability to fight. As he had stated not too long before the pen and the sword were equals and had to co-exist for balance. It was time for Malikai to find out what made this boy so special.

He pushed himself slowly off the locker as not to bring about any unwanted attention. He was known as The Benedict many had already labeled him a traitor, many more wanted to end him. He moved slowly, slipping in between people almost water through the ground. Slipping ever so easily through all the cracks until he was maybe a foot from Loire. He was about the same height and probably weight as Malikai but different none the less.

"Oh Captain my Captain, what brings you to revel in the likes of us common folk?" His tone was mocking and probably even demeaning but he was here first to gain information and play nice later. The question on Malikai's mind was simply how would this boy react?

[Leon Loire]

All my heroes have now become ghosts
Sold their sorrow to the ones who paid the most
All my heroes are dead and gone
But they're inside of me, they still live on

The loud beat of Shinedown's Heroes kept Loire's world separate from Hircine High for a brief time, his mind barely thinking, simply dreaming. However, before he could even hope to imagine an idea, his ears miraculously caught the note of a voice beyond his music, someone remarking on a particularly interesting subject.

"-- Captain -- Captain, what ---gs you -- revel -- --- like- -- -- common folk?"

The constant tempos of the band's guitarist seemed to blot out a few words and phrases from the man, but Leon still caught the most important term throughout the entire sentence. However, considering Leon knew his own past, the thought that the Hircinian was speaking to him passed over his head naively.

'What, is Darren here or something?'

Slowly opening his eyes, the navy gaze came across a Sophomore - the same Sophomore that he had stood beside just a minute ago, in fact - whose built form nearly came to Leon's own height. The fellow youth wore typical teenage clothing, nothing too surprising in that; what was different was his hair: mostly black, yet with small strands of red dyed hair, and a small addition of blond hairs to boot. The shed looked natural, but curiously unique.

Still, Leon saw Blayne no where in sight; why would this Sophomore be looking at Leon then, as if expecting a reaction? Well - maybe he was!

Frowning a small bit, Leon pulled off his earphones and hooked them over the lobes of his ears, expecting whatever the youth needed to only require a few seconds of time.

"Captain? What are you talking about? You referring to Blayne, because I certainly don't see him..."

[pinefresh]

Malikai sighed and shook his head slightly out of annoyance of his own carelessness not to notice Loire had earphones in his ears. Not that it mattered at this moment, he had the attention he wanted so there was no harm done to his cause. It would just be that much more difficult yo talk to him. Then again, Malikai always enjoyed things to be more challenging then they had to be. It kept things interesting in a good way.

"No...If Darren were here I'd probably end up fighting him. Too me he is not much of a Captain I was in fact talking to you...Former...Varron...Captain..." said Malikai plainly, leaving spaces between his last three words to make them stand out and to fake reverence of the title. Though Malikai was not the sharpest tool in the shed he was not the dullest either. All he needed was to get this boy to start talking and stop frowning. From what he had heard from the other Varron students, Loire was a fair man who would give anyone at least one chance to explain themselves. Malikai hoped he did not change too much during or after the transfer.

" At least thats what many of the other Varronites consider you. Before you get all defensive, I'm not here to fight you so don't worry. My fight is more with the elite here than it is with you and your...brood." Perhaps the wrong choice of words but Malikai was after all a Hircinian, he disliked the Varronites as well but considered them the lesser of two evils. That also comes to the fact that Malikai was shunned as the Benedict by the Hircinians and was in league with a Varronite if not two. He had yet to find out where that boy Redux had come from or exactly what was up with him. He could find out nothing about him from anyone, he was a ghost. Hopefully Loire would not try and play the same game.

[Leon Loire]

'Former Captain? Who does this guy have as a source? They're clearly exaggerating my name. Flattering, but certainly incorrect.'

Leon's gaze kept on Malikai's face with a curious innocence, the simple ease of his words not exactly hostile, but still a bit harsh. Leon felt in the back of his mind that it was possible the Sophomore wished to fight him, but once he noted the contrary, Leon felt more focused - no need to prepare for battle; instead, he could keep track of the intent.

Ignoring the Hircinian's comment of the Varronites, considering it was a typical gesture nowadays, Leon quickly glanced around the boy's shoulders to guarantee no one was eavesdropping. Then again, it was possible someone would end up listening anyway; it seemed Hircinians and Varronites both had a habit of being born with large noses.

"Whether my fellow Varronites would like it or not, I want you to understand that I am far from a Captain. At Varron we only had one School Captain in my time, and she left the title due to graduation. Unfortunately, the City Council did not trust any of us enough to deem a replacement, and so most of us were intent on taking the title ourselves. Perhaps what you heard is the result of one of my friends or former supporters attempting to make you believe I succeeded in gaining that title; I assure you, I failed."

With Leon now leaning back against the wall and returning his frown, his eyebrows rose in question, "I admit I'm curious as to why you'd come looking for Varron's 'former Captain,' but what I find more interesting is a Hircinian looking to fight their own Captain. Whether you like it or not, even I recognize Blayne's strength, and can see that any fighter - Varronian or Hircinian - would have a difficult time overthrowing him. Not to mention, but I don't see why a Hircinian would even want him gone. Care to fill me in? I'm a bit lost here - in thought, of course."

[pinefresh]

"You are lost in more ways than just one it seems..." Malikai said again looking to the heavens for some sort of divine patience to see him through this. If he didn't think he needed Loire, Malikai would not even waste his time doing this. As it stood Loire was the only route to the Varronite populace that could push a full out act of aggression against the Hircine elite.

"There are two types of leaders those appointed from the higher ups to be tools for whatever reason. To give you an example, a school Pillar or a General would suit the definition. Then there are those that are appointed by the people they serve...kinda like a politician except in that case your voting for the for the party and get stuck with whichever corrupt dolt they have as leader in hopes they serve you. You...Loire are a leader chosen by the people of Varron to represent the body. You speak they listen its as simple as that. That is not to say all of them will like it but most will follow anyways...Like a hero leading the other men of his unit into battle even if it means certain death." Perhaps a little strong but Malikai was here to get a point across and enlist help if the message was not strong enough Loire may not get it. He hoped in light of his own short falls he did. Malikai was only still learning to deal with people and to that effect his patience was very thin.

He still had to get through the entire next part of Leon's response, take it apart and answer it in full. This was going to difficult without giving away too much information that may fall into the wrong hands. That doesn't mean that he couldn't give him a taste of what was in store for the school as it was moving along. "I'm not looking to fight him in the sense you think I do. I know of his strength and fighting ability and the fact I would not win against him." Malikai moved closer until his head was basically beside Loire's left ear so no one else could here.

"I have someone who already wants to fight him and he may or may not win. The fact of the matter is that there is more then one way to skin a cat just like there is more than one way to overthrow a Captain and his Pillars. Besides they have already labeled me 'The Benedict' for standing beside a Varron during a fight. I see no reason to prove them wrong." Malikai moved back from Loire so they were about a foot apart again before continuing to speak.

"I come to offer my services to you because something tells me you see something wrong with the picture here as well. As I once heard in a movie from a great man named V 'The Government should fear the people and not the other way around' Or something to that end."

[Leon Loire]

At the thought of 'V', somewhat friendly smirk quickly spread through Loire's lips, his eyes closing for a moment to think back on the actual quote itself, "You're close, but the real thing is 'People should not be afraid of their Governments; Governments should be afraid of their People.' You got damn close, but I feel the real thing has larger emphasis. Still, I can see you chose the right quote to get my attention..."

Crossing his arms with the new focus, Leon looked to his companion with a reminder of the reply, "Perhaps you are right for the type of 'leader' that I am; however, at the moment, that position is no longer mine. Still, your offer intrigues me... and perhaps, with your help, I can regain such a position with the aid to your friend and yourself; at the same time, perhaps you and I can work together to deal with the oppression around us. "

Pulling out his Ipod and pressing down onto the play button so the device would deactivate, Loire now turned his attention yet again to his companion, "I'd ask who your other connection is, but clearly that's information that would not be welcome in such a public place. To be blunt: you have my ear, but clearly it cannot be trusted with hundreds of others surrounding it. If you have a place out in the city that is less public, then please tell me where to meet you, and I'll make sure I'm there. Until then, all I can ask what your name is before you leave."

[pinefresh]

(OOC: How did I know you'd not only know the full quote but take so well to it ;D)

~Ah...so he knows the movie and much better than I~ Malikai thought as he nodded to the fact that the full thing did hold greater effect than his condensed form. It was true that the full thing sounded better it brought more meaning to concept Malikai was trying to get across. The fact was in this school the people feared the Government when it should be the other way around. He was getting tired of it fast after having to bend his back to it for a year, it was time he was allowed to stand. Happy that he had found a useful asset to his plan.

"My friend...there are more than just the two of us and we grow steadily in number so far I'd say there are four of us, five if your included." He said with a bit of a smile on his face at the fact that his group does grow so quickly, Alkaiser will be happy to know that he had Loire on his side. His presence alone gave them many more options then they had maybe three minutes ago.

Malikai pulled out a piece of paper and a pen writing down his cell number and the address of the place he worked. This way if there were any complications he could reach Malikai easily and this gave them a place to meet. "That's my cell number and the address of the place I work after school Monday, Thursday and Saturday morning. Feel free to stop in around 7pm and we can talk then just ask for Malikai."

[Leon Loire]

'So he has allies already? Hmm... this should make things that much more interesting... and fulfilling, to boot.'

Reaching out his hand to collect the piece of paper, Loire felt the need to read it - but found Malikai's own personal explanation somewhat easier. The paper held in the author's handwriting his cell number and address for work, something that would definitely come in handy.

"Saturday morning you say? I'll visit you then, since I still need the rest of the week to figure things out. So expect to find me showing up at seven o'clock that day, considering I'm sure you'd prefer to know when your guest is arriving, right?"

Placing the number in his pocket, Leon nodded to Malikai with a small, eased grin, "And glad to know your name as well; having names with faces is alot easier then always saying 'hey guy.'"

Looking around himself, Leon realized the hall traffic was starting to dissipate - and the time for his class was closing in.

'Well, I guess that's the end of business then.'

Looking to Malikai, Leon simply nodded, keeping the order of things to a quiet murmur, "It was good meeting you Mal, and I'll make sure to find you soon. In the meantime, I've got to run off to class; keep any suspicions of me quiet. Can't have the current Captain think I'm plotting against him, right?"

And with a smirk and another nod, Leon Loire strolled off to the right, following the edge of the line of students again, finding his hands retrieving the two earpieces, and returning the noise of rock music to his ears.

All my heroes have now become ghosts
Sold their sorrow to the ones who paid the most
All my heroes are dead and gone
But they're inside of me, they still live on
They're all dead and gone

[pinefresh]

(OOC: sorry for the shortness...would you mind giving me the name of the song your lyrics are from and who sung it please.)

~How nice of him to give me a time~ Malikai thought to himself as Leon made it known he had manners. He would have been happy just having Loire show up at some point but now he had something to look forward to so to speak. Though it was no secret Malikai enjoyed being surprised at some points. For example when he met people for the first time, he was generally surprised by what you could learn from the first meeting.

For example that someone had tried to shorten Malikai to Mal. Mal, sounded like a girls name or the shortened version of one at least. "Ummm...yeah...Just Malikai will do..." He was unsure whether to be offended or honored at the gesture. Because of who he was Malikai moved slightly more to offense but hid it.

"No, I suppose we can't have that. So I'll see you around then." As Loire moved off and fixed his headphones back onto his head Malikai turned to the left and down the hall. He moved away from the scene of what he hoped would be a strong alliance. An alliance that would hopefully be beneficial to both parties involved.