To Answer The Call (Watchmen & Potentials)

[Maverik]

ooc: It is assumed all Watchmen are present. Anyone who does not post will be assumed to have turned up and left without anything to say. New members are free to post their entrances.

ic: Maverik stood firmly in the dojo, now filled with the already members of his anti-gang, The Watchmen. At the very front of the room, sitting in a chair against the wall was Rose. The groups intelligence gatherer, and Maverik’s mother, though he had not divulged that information to anyone. He had even neglected to tell Xian, simply due to the simple fact that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. Maverik stood affront the shrine at the front, Rose to his right, and the Watchmen members standing in front of him. As promised when the group was formed, every member stood equal, and so even Xian stood amongst the rest.

The dojo was very similar to the previous one, still retaining a secretive second level from which Rose had descended only moments ago. Maverik surveyed the group, and his face stayed stern and serious. Not hard and uncaring, but unwavering none the less. His arms were folded behind his back, and though everyone who was coming had already arrived, he said nothing… The shrine behind him held the onyx box that contained the silver rings of the Watchmen. The sword that he had cut free the silk that had held their laws rolled up, also sat upon the alter. And of course, the rules hung from the wall behind him.

Finally, when the tension and suspense in the room seemed to reach its breaking point, Maverik spoke. “Watchmen” He said simply, addressing the group. “You all served this group, and Varron itself well during Stern’s assault on the school… And there is no doubt about your willingness to do what you had all promised when you joined the Watchmen… And so I now entrust the protection of not only your fellow Varronites… But the Hircinians as well… To all of you. You will continue to protect what is important to you. You will continue to watch over those who cannot watch over themselves… And you will continue to serve the peace for the sake of those who wish not for the life that has been thrust upon them.” When Maverik spoke, his voice was defined and with great conviction.

“But before all of that… I wish to issue a challenge to all Watchmen who are willing to accept…” He announced in a rather official manner. “It has come to my attention that one of the pillars is hosting a tournament soon… One a regular series of such tournaments… From what I have heard, it will be more brutal, and more physically straining than the warehouse matches that were so well known back in Varron.” He released his arms from their holds, and pointed at the rules behind him, without actually looking at them, nor expecting the others to.

“Never lose sight of your goals” He read aloud. “The goal I refer to is that of self betterment. If this is meant to be the toughest fight we’ve ever faced, then it could be no less than one of the best ways to do this.” He brought his arms back behind him once more. “I want everyone who has the determination to face this unknown challenge, to sign up for this tournament… And fight to win… Because if any one of you manage to come out on top, as the best fighter of the night… I will give you the status of Officer. You will be recognized for your strength and determination by the ankh you will wear around your neck as I do, and you will gain authority within these walls…”

He turned around, preparing to initiate the final ceremonial bow to the shrine, but paused. “Oh and one final thing… I myself will be competing… And I shall not show the restraint I would exercise in our sparring matches…” He grinned a little, though none but perhaps Rose could see it. And then finally finished the meeting. “Eshaku!” He said in a commanding voice, followed by a Japanese bow to the shrine, in expectance that the rest would also bow. Eshaku of course meant bow in Japanese, which he had taught the Watchmen. Officially the meeting was over. However those who wished to stay were welcome, and Maverik wondered whether he would find his dojo probed by any newcomers seeking such ideals as he offered as a Watchmen. There was no flyer this time. Just an open dojo.

[kenshin]

And so Raphael arrived and stood with Dignity looking on towards Sensei. HE listened and took every mental note he could make. 'A Tournament, Protect both Hircinians and Varronites. Tournament shall be more brutal, Sensei will be there...and fight without Restraint...oh my..' when he heard the last part of Maveriks meeting, That HE himself would be entering this tourny and fighting, A small grin of Greed appeared on his face. He had fought Taiku Akimoto, and lost. But this time, he would be fighting with Sensei Maverik....This would have his adreneline going and his muscles tight. After the meting and bowing politely, he walked to the corner of the Dojo and laid down and looked up. This would be in his mind for quite a long while...

[kruzy]

Kruzy showed up and stood during the whole meeting. Knowing that this was kind of like a family meeting, but yet in such a way looking for more to join the group. Maverick spoke with a tone of wisdome and leadership, as though he should've anyways.
Kruzy stood with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes focused on Mavericks as he spoke, to show respect for what he was saying, as Kruzy must've also been one of the older members of the Watchmen, almost in such an way, that whatever happens in schools.... is out of Kruzy's reach, until hit upon the streets.
By the end of the meeting, Maverick told everyone about a tournement being held, and with no more interest in fighting, Kruzy turned slightly, and walked towards the door. Just as Maverick finished, he turned again, bowed, with his arms in the appropriate manner, then left, while walking out showing the ring still molded onto his finger. Then glancing quickly at Maverick, grinning with a slight nod, showing loyalty, then walking off.

[Kokaku Musha]

‘Things seem to heat up… with that Kurtz guy starting a tournament… from all I heard, there haven’t been tournaments here before in a long time… why would some pillar suddenly start one? This sounds more to a set-up to me… but I reckon I should be around there… I need to keep an eye on our Varron students over there, making sure that if it truly is a set-up, our boys won’t get too wounded… After speaking to that Tiao fellow, things have become more clear to me than anything the principle could’ve said… the pillars and captain are here to tame us…’

Kokaku turned a final corner before arriving in front of the flower shop. He had strolled through the city several times since his arrival… better than sitting in his empty dorm, Leaf wasn’t there too often… only to sleep it seemed. Walking inside, he looked around until he found what he sought, a dozen of red roses. Without looking at the price he took them and paid the cashier. He had neglected Hikari slightly… he had been busy a lot with finding out more about this place and looking after the younger students and kind of lacked the time to go out with Hikari. She didn’t say anything about it but Kokaku felt she was slightly disappointed. He would be taking her out for a surprise dinner tonight… if she wished so…

He thanked the man and left in silence again, his mind wondering about a lot of thing. He seemed to have gotten used to the city already as his feet seemed to take him back without him actually having to pay too much attention.

‘I guess I need to talk to Leon some more, about what he plans to do… I haven’t seen the likes of Kazuki or Maverik in ages… I doubt I can turn to them on advise on how to act at the moment… Though, I know I must solve these problems myself now… how will I know whether I made the right decision or not?’

”Eshaku!”

Kokaku suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a familiar word, shouted by what seemed to be a familiar voice. Watching to his left, he noticed a fairly large group of people, his age and slightly younger, all bowing in the same direction. Slightly confused, he turned his body towards the building and started to slowly move towards it. A two storage building… obviously a dojo… he had walked passed the building several times before but never had he seen anyone or anything through the windows. Looking at the sign at the top of the first floor he smiled slightly.

“Watchmen Dojo?”

With every step he got closer to the building, more was revealed to the left inside… until he was finally acknowledged… “Maverik…” A smile appeared on his face as he now stood in front of the window, looking at how all these apparent students were facing Maverik. ‘Has he started a gang of his own?’ Shaking his head slightly while keeping his laugh, he slowly entered the dojo. Maverik probably wouldn’t notice him between the crowd but it seemed someone else did. A woman slowly rose to her feet and walked over to Maverik, while her eyes were fixated at Kokaku, whispering something in Maverik’s eyes… something that made Maverik’s eyes suddenly scan the area in which Kokaku was standing. Kokaku’s mouth had opened as his eyes stared at the woman in disbelief. He hadn’t seen her in ages… but apparently Maverik had taken her with him to San Francisco… Their mother…

[katsu]

I had heard around the school area that the Watchmen were regrouping in the new school of Hircine high. I had talked to many people who were from Varron and this crew was one like no other. It wasn’t a crew that would take over territory and take out all who stand in their way. This crew would do the exact opposite and give the land back to those it truly belonged. They also protected the weak, homeless and others who were not able to help themselves.

When at Varron, I was leader to the Guild. It was an assassin’s guild that was to take out Kvist, but that never came to fruition. When I could not complete my objectives or anything, I called in my cousin Suki to make it seem as if someone wanted me dead. In fact, someone did and she came to really kill me. She was very close in her efforts and wounded me to the point that it would be fatal if not operated on immediately. When that treatment didn’t come for more than an hour, I was presumed dead at the scene and taken to the hospital for evaluation. When on the way, my heart started to beat, but very slowly. This was their chance to save me, but lost me again on the operating table.

Raphael, my blood brother, wanted me dead. He wanted to kill me with his own hands, but that would never happen. He heard shortly after the attack that I had been wounded and came to the hospital to see for himself that I was indeed dead. When my body was shown to him, he saw the pale face, still body and dilated eyes. He conceived that I was truly dead. He was happy at first, but then went into a deep depression which was only chased away with him being trained by Maverik, his sensei. What Raphael never realized was that I was revived and well and that I was here at this very school.

Zaraki Kenpachi is my new name and Raphael will never know, but that thought was shut out of my head when I heard the commanding voice of Maverik. I had somewhat traveled all the way to where people said that they meet and I was in the doorway looking at him in front of an alter, bowing respectfully. I saw all the others there do the same and it was all done in complete unison. I didn’t know what to do so I bowed and then walked into the dojo and stood silently. I didn’t know whether to speak or not so I would wait to be spoken to.

When about ten minutes past, no one came and talked to me so I decided to make myself known and looked around to see if there was anyone there that I knew. There was only one, Raphael, and he was with those who were bowing. When I looked above the alter I saw the rules of the gang and saw a formal declaration of a tournament. It was written by someone who was a pillar of the school and from what I heard from Maverik, he wanted all members to join. From reading the rules on the wall, I could see why he wanted all to do so. When I had finished reading, I walked over to Raphael and stood next to him. I didn’t say anything yet because I didn’t think that it was aloud. If it was, then Raphael would say the first words.

[kenshin]

HE was laying down after the meeting with sensei maverik. He considerd restr a good form of meditation, for iot revitilized the body and rested the mind. His eyes were closed. He had not known that His 'Mountain Friend' was standing beside him. Feeling as though he may know this person, whether it be Xenarius or Tong xian, he decided to break the silence by speaking in a low tone. "So who do you think will draw first blood?...Hircinians?....Or Varronites?"

[Dante Williams]

Dante was walking around in the dojo, he couldn't really help it. Even when Maverik-Sensei was talking he couldn't help but enjoy his freedom of being able to get up on his two legs and move without any help of crutches.

“Watchmen!" Dante stopped immediately and looked straight at Maverik. It was his commanding air that made you want to do anything he told you anywhere he told you to do it, "You all served this group, and Varron itself well during Stern’s assault on the school… And there is no doubt about your willingness to do what you had all promised when you joined the Watchmen"
Dante shuddered as he remembered the last battle with the Watchmen against the Nameless Masses. It was horrible, unconcous bodies everywhere, and he even saw someone die right before his very eyes. He snapped back to reality when Maverik said "And so I now entrust the protection of not only your fellow Varronites… But the Hircinians as well… To all of you. You will continue to protect what is important to you. You will continue to watch over those who cannot watch over themselves… And you will continue to serve the peace for the sake of those who wish not for the life that has been thrust upon them.”

Well, Dante thought, Where can all this be leading to? It seems pretty obvious that he wants something from us.
“But before all of that… I wish to issue a challenge to all Watchmen who are willing to accept…”
Aaannnnd here it is... Dante continued.
“It has come to my attention that one of the pillars is hosting a tournament soon… One a regular series of such tournaments… From what I have heard, it will be more brutal, and more physically straining than the warehouse matches that were so well known back in Varron.”
Then Dante finished, And now I repeat the immortal words of Bender from Futurama when I say, 'Thank you, and good night...'

Then Maverik explained how he wanted them to enter the tournament and if one of the gang members won, then they would be promoted to officer. Sounds good... Dante thought, then waited for the ritualistic Eshaku command.
When it came Dante bowed obedientely and after the meeting and most of the people left, Dante walked up to Maverik slowly and asked.

"Maverik... Sensei? I wish to train with you sometimes, learn how you do it..." He heard how great at fighting Maverik was, and saw him in action too back at Varron.
He needed to get stronger. That was the one thing he learned if he learned anything at all from fighting Tiao and losing, causing most of Dante's bones to break.

"I need to get stronger Sensei..." Dante explained as he would expect Maverik to face him, "If I am ever going to enter that tournament, I need to get stronger..." Then he paused, "I'll just leave it at that and wait for your reply."
And he just leaned against the wall and waited for Maverik to reply, just like he said.

[Maverik]

ooc: I’m going to do a little time distortion to make this work properly… Hope no one minds.

ic: Maverik finished his speech, and watched as many left the dojo, Kruzy particularly showing his ring so as to indicate that he was still a part of their group, to which he nodded slightly. He was glad to see that he still had this many people fighting for the Watchmen ideals, because it meant that he would be more successful when things got really out of hand like they did during Stern’s assault. They hadn’t managed to save the school… But they had kept the casualties to a minimum, making sure that the death toll was almost none existent. Unfortunately, he knew that even with their efforts, the body count had risen anyway. But still, things would have been far worse had they not been there to help.

His train of thought was broken suddenly by the voice of Dante. One of the more recognizable members in the group, and someone with a happier disposition than many other members. Though he seemed a bit more serious this time, as he asked to train with him sometime. To learn how he did what he did. He believed that he would need to be stronger if he was to enter the tournament, and he wanted to gain that strength by training with Maverik.

Maverik paused a moment, then placed his hand on Dante’s head and smiled. “Sure” He said simply. “If you want, you can stay back after everyone’s finished up here and I’ll spar with you” His smile was kind and wise. He wanted to help each and every one of his Watchmen achieve their goals, and was willing to do what he had to in order to do that.

It was then that rose whispered something in his ear. Something that made his eyes widen greatly. “Kokaku?” He whispered to himself, his eyes immediately scanning the crowd for his brother, looking to see if he truly was amongst the Watchmen somewhere, and sure enough he was, looking back at him from near the doorway. “Kokaku!” He yelled happily as he hopped down from the elevated platform at the front, dashing through the now fairly dispersed crowd.

“I haven’t seen you in so long bro” He said happily as he playfully punched his brother’s arm. “So you came to San Francisco too huh?” He asked rhetorically, his smile beaming. “What on earth have you been doing with yourself?” He asked as he lead Kokaku to the front, listening to his answer. As he finished, Maverik turned and addressed his mother as he would anyone, simply because they didn’t like to use terms like mum and son. “Rose, look who turned up” He said with a laugh.

[Kokaku Musha]

Kokaku grinned playfully as his brother suddenly seemed to forget his position as so called ‘sensei’ of this place and dashed forwards at him after having shout his name through the crowd. For a minute Kokaku thought Maverik would jump him but luckily for him, his brother was able to restrain himself in time and stop in front of him, punching him playfully against the shoulder. Kokaku’s eyes shot from his brother towards the student that had been talking to him just before he had stumbled towards Kokaku.

’Good thing to see the kid is up and about again… yet, if all these people are followers of Maverik and they decide to take on a pillar or captain… Maverik has definitely given them freedom… it was foolish of the kid to challenge Tiao so soon… I doubt even Leon or me are able to take him down easily… Ah well, I wonder what Maverik’s been up to lately with this great mass…’

“San Francisco?” Kokaku responded, his face turning questioning, “You mean this isn’t LA?” He started grinning again as he turned his side towards his brother slightly, trying to keep their words as close as possible. He had no idea what all this was about and did not intend on anyone to get pissed off because of anything he said.

“Not too much I reckon… trying to keep the Varron students out of harms way as much as possible… gaining some information regarding the hierarchy while I’m at it… yet it seems you’ve been building an army of yourself… is this what fought that guy back at Varron when I was sleeping comfortably in my warm hospital bed?”

When Maverik addressed their mother, Kokaku simply stared at her, not really knowing what to say. For starters, he had no idea what she was doing here at all, and second, he hadn’t seen her for quite a while… in fact, he hardly knew her… not the most common relation between a mother and son. Moving his face towards Maverik slowly, he whispered to him softly, only allowing his brother to hear him.

“I see you brought mom too… I might be asking a lot from you, but is there any chance of you explaining me this entire spectacle… privately?”

[katsu]

Raphael spoke up, as I knew he would. He most likely didn’t know that I would have showed up to this meeting, but he would know soon enough. He most likely thought it to be someone that he knew just as he knew me because the tone of his voice was normal, neither enthusiastic nor monotone. I heard the words come out of his lips, they moved slowly, but the words moved quickly to my ears. They floated in the air formed a question, a serious question. I didn’t expect to hear that kind of question whether is being me or someone else.

Raphael wasn’t known for thinking ahead and asking question accordingly, but this was a shift from that. He was thinking as if the war had already started and that he was prepared for anything. I thought of how to answer him, but the thoughts that came were only from the fight with the man on the mountain. It wasn’t that it stuck with me for killing him, but the fact that he wasn’t a former Varronian. He was a Hircinian and that meant, soon, the act would circulate in the school and I would have a lot more on my hands.

I sighed audibly and then tried to talk, but still nothing came out. If at all, I didn’t want to talk about first blood, fighting, or anything of the sort, but that I guess that would come with talking to anyone who was in a gang. I myself had been the leader of a gang so that made the question all the more uncomfortable. It didn’t irritate me at first, but it started to sink in a bit sooner than I wanted it to. In my eyes, first blood was already shed and I was just waiting for the repercussions to surface and make them known to my ears and to each and every nerve in my body. If someone were to come in defense of the man that I fought, I would go peacefully. I would not endanger him or myself because he wanted revenge.

“In my eyes, it has already been shed, whether it be form my blade or another. As soon as we got here, blood was already shed. Let it not be in the literal sense, but in the mental. We knew that being transferred to a new school would have its faults, but this is something that we were not prepared for. To be hated so much is something that I am only now beginning to fathom and it hurts to think about it. The hate stings my nerves and boils my blood, but I will not let it control me. I have already shed blood because of this feud that has started, but thankfully it ended with honor on both our parts. It is still not right to take a life, but it was a matter of honor. We were not representing our schools or our standings with each other. It was just a fight between our hearts and pride.”

I looked down at him; he was resting on the floor and waited for his response. I didn’t intend to make my speech so lengthy, but it just came out that way. It was a complete thought and I spoke loudly. I didn’t intend for anyone else to hear me, but if someone did, I hoped it be Maverik. I wanted to let someone here know that I was serious about my standing and that me coming here wasn’t just because it was a large gang of powerful people. I really wanted to change this place and if it meant my honor, then let it be done.

[Maverik]

As Kokaku spoke, most of the remaining watchmen left, emptying the room of all but six remaining people. Kokaku joked as he usually did, and asked if these were the people who had helped fight Stern during the event that brought down Varron. “We did indeed take part in that blood bath. But we were there to save lives, not take them. My only regret was and still is the fact that our numbers were too few to save everyone…” He then heard an unfamiliar voice speak loudly to Raphael. It spoke of ideals and a wish to use them for a greater purpose. Maverik respected this persons words and so turned to look upon him. Kokaku whispered to Maverik, asking if they could talk somewhere more private. Maverik looked back to him and nodded. “Yea, we can speak upstairs. Take Rose and I’ll meet you in a moment. It seems I’ve a little business down here first.” He said quietly enough that only Kokaku could hear.

He then turned to the newcomer and Raphael. “Raph… Everyone else has already left. If you intend to compete in the tournament, then you should go and sign up… I would like to see you of all people attend” He told him with a smile, and watched as the boy slowly stood, and with a respectful bow, left the dojo. He then turned to the unknown person. “Your words hold merit, and you convey them with the passion of a man who stays true to his path… If you are hear to become a Watchman, then I ask that you please wait while I attend to family matters. In the mean time, perhaps Dante here can fill you in on anything you may not already know” He said with a gesture towards the young Watchman. “Perhaps you could spar if that is what you would prefer. Though keep in mind that I am scheduled to duel him once all other affairs have been cleared up.” He told the newcomer calmly, before heading upstairs slowly.

As he walked up the stairs, he looked over to see Kokaku and Rose at a table. There was a lot of electrical equipment about the room, and a door that lead to a small living quarters. The rest was the info net that Maverik and Rose has set up for her to monitor for the Watchmen, feeding them vital information and helping them fight the impossible odds that they faced. Maverik walked over to a wall and leant against it, looking at them both. “Oh just sit down won’t you?” Rose said with a slightly exasperated sigh.

“I prefer to stand. I always have and a few months of interspersed mothering isn’t going to change that” He said with a soft smirk. “Kokaku, I’m sure you have many questions, the least of which would be why Rose is here…” He paused before continuing, his eyes jumping between the two. “Rose is somewhat of a techno guru it seems, and so as a favor to me, for all these years of never interfering, she has taken charge of finding all useful information for the Watchmen from her command center, this very room.” He focused on Kokaku now. “She helps us wherever she can, and we use her information to try and bring about the reform we fight to attain.” He let his gaze soften as he finished, looking Kokaku in the eyes. “But I presume that wasn’t all you were curious about now was it…” He said with a slight grin.

[katsu]

As Maverik heard me, he came down to the floor and spoke to Raphael first. He talked about him signing up for the tournament and told him that he had better hurry. I slowly watched as he got up and then with a bow, left the dojo. I then found that I was alone with Maverik and he spoke to me as a leader should. His lips moved calculated and his words didnt either move fast or slow. They formed sentences instead of anwsers and I liked that. I didnt like constantly being asked questions. I wanted people to observe the way I hold myself and then make an accurate calculation on what they heard. He was indeed right when he said that I knew what path to follow. It was clear in my mind, but I wanted to make it as clear as humanly possible. I wanted people to know that the old me will never again rise to do such work as I did for Kvist when I was Yukimura. That would end here and now.

"I do wish with a great energy to become a Watchman. I have ehad of what things you did for Varron while the school was still open and I want to help to the best of my ability. This is my penance for such evil deeds that I have done in the past, especially at Varron. I need not to place myself in that position ever again and if so, I know that my will isnt as strong as it needs to be. I wish that with your help and the help of the Watchmen, I will become something that no one would have forseen..."

I stopped there because I found that I was moving a bit quick. I didnt realize until now that I had almost given myself away to him as to who I was at Varron. I wanted him to know that Zaraki WAS in fact me, but now questions would start to follow and my now suspicious looks would warrent them too. I couldnt help it though. I wanted to tell someone and get this graet weight that was upon my chest out into the open air, but I didnt have the will to place it out there. As he walked away o deal with other matters that were at hand, I walked over to a nearby corner and silent tears rolled down my face onto the floor. The pain was so much that I almost couldnt take it anymore. The time to get this off my chest would have to be here and in the now or I will never be able to walk the path that I want to walk.

[Kokaku Musha]

Kokaku wondered who Maverik referred to when he spoke of ‘Rose’ but considering his mother was the only female around, he concluded his mother’s name had to be Rose. He nodded slowly, taking in what Maverik had just said about him and his pack of students trying to fight for the safety of the school. After seeing Varron Academy a while after the attack, he could definitely agree on the fact that they failed in their job of protecting it… but he guessed they had done the best they could. Leading the way, Kokaku slowly moved up the stairs, his mother following him closely, close enough for him to hear her whisper:

”The door on your right…”

Kokaku opened the door and strolled inside, only to find a room filled with equipment, a table and several chairs. On the far end he could see another door, leading to something that looked like a more warm environment, but his mother sat down at this table so he decided to follow suit. He could feel his mother staring at him, trying to penetrate into his mind, but he was too confused to look back. Instead, he simply stared blankly at a large screen in front of him, waiting for his brother to finally come up as well. When he did, Kokaku listened to what his brother had to see, not interfering him. His eyes remained focused upon the screen, even when his mother told Maverik to sit down. Waiting for his brother to finish, his eyes became slightly blank.

When Maverik had finished, his eyes finally left the screen and moved towards his brother. The blankness however did not disappear.

“So… an adult woman teams up with a bunch of students… for what reason again?” His eyes now turned towards Rose… their so called mother. If it was true that she helped Maverik and his gang by supplying them with information, it was clear that she had no idea about how to be a normal mother. But Maverik was right, his mother was his least of concerns at the moment. She had never been there for him in his life, why would the fact that she was here to help Maverik out make any difference?

“Alright… I know you’re not a man who wants to waste a lot of words on things that can be said with less, so I’ll get straight to the point. It seems you’ve kept your position as Dean… what are you going to do with it? And why the hell would a Dean be the leader of any gang? It doesn’t really add up, since a Dean is supposed to be with the faculty, not the students. And if you truly are simply trying to protect everyone from getting harmed, why did you allow someone like Dante to take on that Tiao fellow? Altogether, what side are you on Maverik?”

His face was stern, his eyes still cold. It was a question he truly wished answered. His brother had always fought for the rights of the students, but if the faculty and it’s original students at Hircine indeed intended on reforming the Varron students, would Maverik really assist them in doing so? Would his own brother fight him if Kokaku were to take any kind of steps that were not to the liking of the captain and his pillars?

[Xenarius]

"Come on... after all of them I've seen in the area through everything Maverick had to have moved them here. I mean he wouldn't have just disbanded us right?" I thought to myself as I walked around the city looking for some sign that the watchmen had survived the transition to Varron. I was starting to lose hope to be honest because well I had been looking for hours, and had found nothing that would even remotely resemble our headquarters here in San Francisco.

So I hopped back onto the trolley to get to my next destination, and hopefully my final one. " If it isn't here I might just give up..." I thought to myself as I got off at the stop. Slowly I started to search. After about fifteen minutes in the area I really was starting to lose hope.But just as I was about to give up I saw a building that looked like it might be the dojo. Crossing the street I walked up to it looking for some sign that I was in the right place, and finally just resolving to enter I did. "I'm finally home." I thought as I saw our laws hanging on the wall and a few other Watchmen still milling around.

But where was Maverik? "Oh well... I will wait for him to come back." I thought to myself sitting down to wait. While I was sitting I took the chain from around my neck, took my ring off of it, and placed my ring back on my finger. I had finally found it, the place where I could do good in this world. The place that felt like home.

(ooc: sorry about the time distortion everyone I hope this fixes it)

[Maverik]

Rose looked down at the table as Kokaku’s harsh words were laid bare in his cold gaze. “I have stood by for too long as you boys have fought for what you believed in… I decided that it was time I stepped in and helped you to fix this world as you want to… And the best way to start that was to help Maverik and his Watchmen in the only way I could” She explained, only looking up as she finished, a certain regret in her face, though she said nothing more. She didn’t feel she had the right.

Kokaku asked Maverik why he did the things he did. Who he gave his allegiance to… Maverik crossed his arms and answered directly. “No one…” He said simply. “I don’t fight for either the corrupt school faculty, nor do I fight for the misguided students… I fight for an idea Kokaku… I fight for what I believe is the best future we can provide for the generations to come after us…” He paused, and decided to address him fully. “Yes I am the Dean… And from that position, I keep the Staff from getting too tough on the students, claiming responsibility for their actions… And at the same time, I am able to keep an eye on the students, helping them to stay out of trouble wherever I can.”

He then moved on to the next point in question. “I am able to run this group… Simply because we are not a gang… We do not fight for territory, nor do we engage in any activities that would otherwise be considered wrong. We simply help the citizens of this city, and stop the fighting between the Varronites and Hircinians wherever we can… As for Dante’s fight…” He paused as he worded it in his mind for a moment. “I cannot control their every action… He fought Tiao as Dante Williams. Not as a Watchman. Such things are beyond my control. I can only hope that he learned something from his defeat” He said finally.

“I stand on no side of either conflict…” He reiterated. “I am neither with the Varronites, nor the Hircinians. I am not with the Faculty, nor the Students… I am striving for a harmony between all these groups… For a day when people will once more walk into a school, and not a cold war…” He said finally. “I want to solve this tension without any bloodshed…” He slowly drew a small object from his pocket, and threw it to Kokaku. It was a Watchmen ring he had taken out of the box as soon as he had realized that Kokaku had entered the building. “I want you to join me in this goal brother…” He told him with a serious look on his face, awaiting Kokaku’s response.

[Kokaku Musha]

After Maverik had finished speaking, a ring was thrown at Kokaku by his brother, which ended in rolling against his elbows which were positioned on the table. Staring at the ring, Kokaku thought about everything Maverik had said, before he moved his head up again to face his brother, giving him a small approval nod.

“You have your heart at the right place, my brother and also your ideas are well thought… yet I wonder how well you can put all these ideas into motion. The tension between the Varron students and Hircine students is only worsening and the faculty seems to wait for the right time to show their faces and knock down the student body. You know this… this principle… he’s not as kind towards us students as he proclaims he is… I agree, fighting for a normal school rather than a battleground is exactly what I want…”

Kokaku slowly picked up the ring and played with it in his right hand. His left ring finger was still covered by the Legion ring that was positioned there… he knew that Legion was gone a long time ago, but he had somewhat gotten a liking to the ring… apart from that it was just a nice extra attribute. Now the Watchmen’s ring could be worn at the other ring finger, but what would Kokaku do within the Watchmen?

“What would you need me for exactly, Maverik? And please, do be honest with me, your fast decision of putting me within your ranks makes me believe that you planned on inviting me in to join before I came here… What do you want me to do? What do you expect me to do? I cannot join someone’s idea if I do not agree on the methods I have to use in order to defend that idea… If joining this group of yours means I can have allies who also try to make the best out of it, avoiding battle rather than provoking it, than of course I agree… But I could never watch and stand while I’d see someone like Dante undertake action against a pillar… I would stop him… even if I would be supposed to be an equal of them… which brings me to the next point… are you the only one leading this large group, or are there several beside you who aid you… other than”

His eyes now turned towards their mother, who he had been harsh to… yet in his eyes he was correct. She had never shown her face before and all of a sudden she pops out and helps them fight for an idea they find suited?

“Other than Rose?”

[Maverik]

“Rose isn’t leading the group… She isn’t a member. She’s merely our support” Maverik corrected, the woman’s face showing no remorse or sorrow at his words. “I’m sure you glimpsed the group in action back in Varron when Stern’s riot broke out.” He said simply, not really bothering to recall the event himself. “We do not start fights if we can help it… We don’t take territory for our purposes… We minimize the damage of these brawls, and we liberate areas controlled by gangs…” He looked Kokaku square in the eyes, his face serious. “As for my position within the school… It is of no consequence… There is a time for a Dean, a time for a Watchman, and a time for just plain me… I’ve been juggling that sort of responsibility long enough to know when each is appropriate.” He told his brother in a serious tone.

“You were right though… I have been intending to ask you to join me for quite some time… However, you were previously occupied serving under another flag at the time…” He nodded towards the ring he still wore upon his finger. “You’re my brother… And you’re one of the few I trust completely… You alluded to the fact yourself… I’m the only one these kids have to direct them… The only one they can listen to… And my lifestyle has become increasingly difficult to manage such a responsibility myself… Especially recently…” Maverik’s thoughts turned to Xian and their child. It was something he had never thought about. Something he had never even considered… “I need someone to help me run this group brother… And I can think of no one else who would convey my ideals as well as you.” He finally laid his cards all on the table.

Maverik trusted Kokaku explicitly. He always had. Someone else whom the Watchmen could look to for guidance in their times of need. Maverik was but one man, and couldn’t be there to attend to their every needs… But with the aid of his brother, the great warrior, perhaps things would become easier… “So what do you say Kokaku? Will you be my brother in this, as you are in life? Will you stand by me on the battlefield until finally the day does come that we call it a battlefield no more?” He locked eyes one final time with him, not as a superior, not as a fighter, but as a brother. “Will you aid me in this fight?” He asked, bringing everything together.

[Kokaku Musha]

OOC: I really am sorry for posting so late, Nick. I thought it didn’t matter when you had your pc problems and after that it simply slipped my mind… Ah well, brothers forgive and forget, right?

“If you recall, my brother, I was in a hospital bed the time Stern’s riots started. I don’t know the full story about what happened at the time either, but I guess that’s trouble for later.”

After saying that, Kokaku went silent and let his brother speak, taking in all the important information Maverik was giving him about the Watchmen trying to avoid bloodshed, not taking any territory and going on liberation campaigns. Even though it all sounded so cliché, it seemed the gang stood for the same principles as Kokaku. Kokaku knew he couldn’t stand on the sideline any longer and knew he couldn’t keep peace alone.

When Maverik started talking about him wanting to ask Kokaku sooner however, a small blush appeared on his face, he had great respect for his brother and knowing that it was the same for Maverik made Kokaku quite proud. Kokaku’s blush increased as Maverik spoke of the trust he placed in Kokaku, but when he mentioned his lifestyle changing Kokaku frowned slightly but he didn’t press the matter. He would find out about Maverik’s lifestyle soon enough.. he would come visit him or something. For now however, joining the Watchmen was what was being discussed and Kokaku would stick to the point.

“It is true that I fought for Legion, but that was purely based on protecting most of it’s members, since they were dear to me… plus I hoped I could somewhat adjust Taiku’s methods… Alas it didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but I didn’t even know about the existence of the Watchmen at the time. If you had called on my aid, brother, I would’ve come to yours immediately…”

As Maverik concluded his speech, Kokaku’s eyes and Maverik’s met one final time, the glance in both of them being identical and the same feeling rushed through Kokaku’s blood as did through Maverik’s. Although the usage of words Maverik used were quite thickened, they were true. This wasn’t the battlefield of two individuals, it was the battle of the two brothers together. Together, they would be able to do more then any of them could alone. Kokaku knew he could be a great asset in this battle and he knew he would spend more time with his brother this way, something he had wanted for quite some time. Slipping the ring on his right ring finger, he responded to Maverik’s request with a smile on his face.

“I would’ve helped you out even if you fought the most crazy fight with no true goal in sight… but in this, there is no doubt about it. I will give my fullest in aiding you and hopefully ending this battlefield once and for all, you can count on that big brother…”

He rose to his feet and slammed his hand towards Maverik’s, allowing them to close into a firm hold. The two brothers, were finally reunited under the same flag…