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Post by Valencia Donahue on Jan 21, 2007 4:33:48 GMT 1
To say the very least, it was a rainy day and to say the very most, Valencia made it to her locker for the most part dry aside from everything from her ankles down getting wet. The large, splashy puddles were enough proof to say that the rain was hard this time of year. El Nino didn’t make the temperatures any more comfortable either. Nevertheless, Valencia didn’t have much to say for herself except that she wasn’t in a pleasant mood. Her jeans were dripping and her shoes weren’t exactly durable enough for her socks to keep her warm. If anything, her socks were now wet and for the remainder of the day, she’ll have to put up with her toes freezing with each step she took.
No matter… I’ll just switch to a different pair of socks and shoes when I get to my PE locker. I might as well change into my poofy warm sweat pants as well.
…Valencia thought to herself after putting her umbrella and things away. A period or two later, she did what she set out to do and headed down the halls to return to her locker. It was a testing period in PE, so she didn’t exert too much energy doing push-ups and the like. What she wore didn’t look too mismatched and she was glad. The last thing she wanted was… Actually, the last thing she wanted was what was going to happen to her next. As she once again began to put her belongings away, she heard footsteps in the halls and heard the sound of sneakers squeaking against the semi-wet floor. Valencia quickly did her thing and locked up her locker in time to turn around and see two or three people until one of them suddenly threw a jacket over her head.
This was the thing. She didn’t want to get involved in a fight. Not now, not in school, and not when there was no film crew or her stunt coordinator to make sure that no one got hurt TOO much.
In short, she had to defend herself and Valencia had little choice but to do so or else. Her arms quickly flew in tucked close to her body while her fists remained close to her chin. She let the jacket stay over her head and make her visually impaired. What her opponents didn’t know was that they were up against someone who sensed their first moves… And acted upon them. The sounds of their heavy steps were enough. Valencia swiftly shifted to her left to avoid the first strike and heard it connect against the locker to confirm it. Next, she pivoted to swing her right elbow behind her, into the one who draped the jacket over her “blonde” head, then slammed the very fist of the same arm into her foe.
I need room…
With two of her opponents now stunned momentarily, time simply didn’t just stop for Valencia to recuperate. Hell naw… Enemy number three was a mere foot or two away from her and by striking with her right she knew she was open… And she knew for a fact that anyone would go for an opening if they believed they could hit it. The steps he made were rushed and “loud” enough to be felt for Valencia to react accordingly. She didn’t know what kind of attack it was, whether it was a kick or a punch, but she didn’t hear a pause in his strides, so she dropped down to escape the strike, turning herself to face the student as she withdrew her right. It was good enough bait to get an attack, but since the move didn’t connect with anything, that meant she had to do something fast… Otherwise, he’ll follow through with something else. Rising with a right uppercut to boot, Valencia followed the attack, alternating with a left palm strike to push her opponent away and hopefully wind him.
She got a different story. Valencia’s hand connected with the student’s chest instead of the area beneath it, so it informed her of her opponent #3’s size. She didn’t forget about opponent #1 and #2 of course. She heard a rattle of metal after her palm strike and automatically presumed that it came from opponent one coming for her. Turning once again, Valencia coincidentally brushed against him and gauged how fast he was going. The most important info of all was where he was in relation to her. As she withdrew her left, she swung a right chop towards her opponent’s neck, letting it side through to be brought back to her side in time for opponent #2. With both of her hands close, she used them to shove him away as he came within reach, then used this opportunity to rapidly maneuver herself between opponents #2 and #3 to get out of the box. She was now against another wall and her foes were congregated by the wall with the lockers. The jacket remained over Valencia’s head and she didn’t bother to remove it. With enemies like these, she was quite fine with fighting without her eyesight… And being virtually, visually blind.
[EDIT: Typos...]
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Post by king on Jan 21, 2007 9:59:48 GMT 1
"Nice job! Here I thought I would have to break up another fight."
Kurtz walked forward toward her, stepping between the men and Valencia. Kurtz enjoyed rainy days immensely, had ever he was little. Rainy days were the days all the other boys wouldn't go out and play sports, instead staying home or indoors at a friends house. That meant all the games Kurtz enjoyed as a child were going to be played, and Kurtz always enjoyed the sudden rush of popularity on the street when rain was coming. These fond childhood memories lightened Kurtz's mood beyond it's usually chipper average.
"I'm not really in the mood to brawl though, so all you boys are going to get off with a warning....though if you try it again your punishment will be twice as brutal than usual."
With the last added condition, Kurtz's face turned into a sudden frown at the group, making sure that they knew that because he wasn't in the mood to fight, he would be plenty cross if he had to. Kurtz had a reputation for being the most agreeable of Pillars, but by far the worst when you angered him. These students were no strangers to this fact.
Kurtz turned back to Valencia, not caring what the others did next. Those who would try a sneak attack with superior numbers were most likely not the kind to step up to the challenge they would have to take to stand against Kurtz. While they may indeed be foolish enough, kurtz doubted they had the courage to risk being the first one to move in. If no one else would move against him, he doubted that any of the others would maintain their will to fight. Simply, you preyed on their individual cowardice to stop their groups resolve.
"I'm starting to think every fight starts in front of me for a reason...anyway, I think this should pay of the debt I owe you for helping with that situation the other day. I never actually gave a real thank you anyway"
As Kurtz talked, whatever that was going on behind him would not be immediately discernible, the audio clues being drowned out by the number of noises in general. Valencia would be the only clue that Kurtz could rely on with any success.
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Post by Valencia Donahue on Jan 22, 2007 3:54:00 GMT 1
@%#$&!?
There. That ought to be enough to express Valencia’s surprise as she heard not only the sound of familiar footsteps approaching, but an even more familiar voice materializing with it. It was Kurtz the Pillar and this was the third time that they’ve encountered one another. The first time was purely coincidental, the second time was surprising, and this time really caught her off guard. She shook her head meekly to get some sense back into her noggin and quickly added him to her mental picture of the invisible environment she was occupying. After all, he most likely entered the scene while she was dueling with the other three, so Valencia was too preoccupied to sense him arriving ‘til now.
No way could Valencia sense Kurtz’s frown towards the trio of troublemakers, but he must’ve added something to his words if she was able to hear someone, whom she remembers as #1, bumping against the lockers again. Heavy steps were heard and almost if not barely felt as the Pillar turned around to face her. At this time, Valencia removed the jacket that was covering her head as soon as he began to speak. Her ears did the listening while her silvery eyes kept a close vigil of the fellows behind the Pillar. Her face said nothing while her eyes said “I’m more frightening when I can see” as she tossed the large jacket to one of the students. Valencia assumed that the jacket belonged to #2, if she remembered all their positions correctly. She watched as the three took a hike, then focused more of her attention back on Kurtz while a certain percentage was still on alert.
Yeah… This is beginning to get creepy…
She respectfully nodded to the Pillar and said a statement of her own in response after giving a short, small laugh. Then regained her composure.
“Heheh… You have no idea… Typically throughout all my years here, either the students duke it out to the end, someone with a bit more power and standing stops them, or I have to take care of the issue myself. I’ve hardly witnessed Pillars and the like handling the upstarts ‘til recently. Back then, I just heard about it was all. So you can say that fights start in front of you for a reason…”
Valencia crossed her arms and lifted her head enough to face Kurtz, but not quite enough to make eye contact.
“Whatever the case, you have my utmost appreciation. I’m Valencia Donahue. You have my humblest gratitude. As for proper thank you’s…”
What DID I do, anyways? Last time… Ehh… He beat up the guys I helped right before my eyes… Eheheh… Maybe he wasn’t referring to that incident. I mean, I don’t think he was there to see me “start” the fight, right? A different incident… Ahh… That time. With Malikai and that loud person.
“What I did was simply take someone to where he needed to go. As much as I understand that all good deeds get rewarded somehow in the end, what I did was nothing in comparison to how you handled the situation… You were doing your job. I was doing what I felt like doing.”
Her eyes wandered off to the side.
I need sleep. My thoughts are coming out through my mouth, not circulating in my mind…
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Post by king on Jan 22, 2007 8:33:34 GMT 1
"Well, considering my job I guess, it's a good thing, though you only now actually seeing these fights is no coincidence....."
Kurtz's voice trailed off, information coming into and leaving his thoughts quickly. The fact that he had noticed Valencia in violent situations not once, but three times was not coincidence, though not some sinister motive of someones design either. The sad truth was, the meetings and fights starting near Kurtz were symptoms of a common problem, the rising scenes of violence at the school. The problem would likely get worse before it got better too, but Kurtz was still confident that right now Hircine would remain orderly.
Kurtz stopped is train of thought before it go too far down the tracks, returning to the moment before an awkward silence managed to creep in.
"Well, I notice that more merit is offered for good deeds done out of character rather than profession....you know how most people our age view authority after all. Still, an apology is still a matter of courtesy, and debt is not a position I enjoy at all. It is also nice to give the etiquette of introductions out of the way, though I get the feeling you already know who I am, which usually means an opinion is already set in stone. "
Kurtz face became slightly more serious now his eyes narrowing like they had when he began thinking earlier again, this time with sense alert to the moment rather than reviewing the distant past. Clearly the usual jovial mannerisms were gone as something important was about to take place.
"This scene is different from the others though....both other times you were mostly a witness...this time, however, your interaction wasn't coincidental. This was a planned move, organized before hand. This was a goal to be reached, not just tension snapping...any idea why?"
Kurtz, honestly, was hoping to hear some sad personal tragedy or have her quickly wish to leave, anything to make this personal. If it was just one lone punk or gang, a single day would fix the problem for good. If this was just the guys getting arrogant, it was a sign that the situation was devolving far more rapidly than predicted. That would require a forward move in the schedule, and most notably time for Kurtz's plan B to solve the problem....and Kurtz's own agenda might become part of the game-plan also.
"You know anything about your attackers or why they attacked you? Any hunches or even rumors you heard can be helpful."
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Post by Valencia Donahue on Jan 23, 2007 3:42:16 GMT 1
“Indeed.”
…Valencia murmured when Kurtz implied his reputation. When he mentioned how he was now “labeled for life” so to speak, she began to wonder why would he want to be a Pillar to begin with. Do you have to apply somewhere? Or did they just give it to the most competent candidate? To be unfortunately frank, Valencia never cared much for the confounded Pillar and School Captain system enough to fully understand it. She only comprehended enough to understand what her friends are saying whenever they mention it. The School Captain and the Pillars are supposed to keep the peace in the school. If challenge them for their title and win, you’ll take their place. And that’s all she wrote. Basic knowledge as it came.
Y’know, this may sound pretty weird coming from me, but I think I should pay attention more.
No better time to start than the present, huh? It was like something was in the air as the atmosphere got a tinge more solemn. You’ve got to thank the sound of thunder in the distance for that. Props to the raindrops pelting against the glass windows for added effect. Valencia slowly turned her head to look at Kurtz’s face this time, pretty much enough to make direct eye contact if he wasn’t so deep in thought to notice. She furrowed her brow with concern, then shifted her gaze elsewhere to take in what the Pillar just deducted. She had to admit, after all these years at Hircine High, her eyes were finally beginning to be opened to all the things that have been going around her… That even she didn’t notice. Okay, maybe Valencia was aware of their presence, but didn’t exactly acknowledge it as anything more than a going-on. A flicker-flash occurred as the hall got illuminated by something other than the fluorescent lighting.
Cool. That lightning was cued, I swear it.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met those people before, but I can at least assume that it has to do with the same reasons other people may randomly jump me when they feel like it. 20% of the time, it has to do with my ex. 40% of the time, they probably don’t like my friends.”
For so many reasons…
“And the other 40% is simply that people don’t like me. I don’t know much more beyond that because they must be personal… Except of that 40%, 7% of the time I’m mistaken as a Varronian or a Varronite or whatever they call the transfers from Varron.”
Let me tell ya, it wasn’t fun when she had to teach a fellow Hircinian that she wasn’t from Varron. The hard way. Valencia brought a hand to her face and began to apply pressure to her eyes. She then murmured as she did this…
“How the hell can you tell who’s from Varron by sight, anyways?! ‘Vacant stare’!? Come on… That’s just stupid…”
It’s like identifying someone as a homosexual by sight. Sheesh… My roommate is a homosexual and even I forget that she’s one sometimes…
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Post by king on Jan 24, 2007 21:28:07 GMT 1
Kurtz noticeably calmed as he heard Valencia speak. He had been at least given enough reason to assume the offense wasn't random...and the fact that she accorded a measurable amount of violence to Varronite pressure proved that this may indeed just be another case.
"Guess your just one of those people who just push the right buttons unconsciously then....most people find me the same way the more they get to know me. This boyfriend of yours, he doesn't go to school hear does he? If he causes a repetitive form of violence I'm obligated to look into this....even if I do enjoy smacking spite out of people."
Kurtz, honestly, had never understood the concept of being angry at former relations....the second they were over the reasons to care seemed to vanish for him. Even if they did something bad to you, they lost you, so they had taken a big enough punishment already. That may be Kurtz's inflated value of self-worth taking speaking though...that and his policy was always "the best revenge is to date hotter", though that too was probably just his competitive personality.
~I guess I don't understand it......just isn't my nature....~
"Even if you don't want to answer me, I'm afraid if it continues I'll have to inform others of the possible threat to your person...if it continues that is. I'll be able to respect your privacy for a period before it becomes serious."
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Post by Valencia Donahue on Jan 25, 2007 1:10:37 GMT 1
“Yes, my ex boyfriend still attends this school, but…”
If only Kurtz knew of their current relationship… It was really, really hard to explain and even harder to understand, especially once you consider Valencia’s personality and her ex’s pompous attitude. I mean, didn’t they both vow to never meet each other again? In a small world and school like this, it’s nigh impossible to keep that vow. Valencia was one to move on, her ex was too prideful to give a damn, and yet, whenever they’re within striking range of one another, furs, fists, and insults fly. Mind you, not necessarily because they’re the ones fighting, but because their friends hate each other’s guts. It’s weird. Friend attacks ex during passing period, ex gets pissed, ex and friends fight the other ex, friends of the other ex gets ticked off, and after a few seconds of brawling, they break up and make a run for their next class before they get caught. In short, it was pretty logical for Kurtz to have difficulty understanding the bitterness after broken relationships. Valencia didn’t get it either.
“…But really, it’s probably nothing. It’s just ‘normal’. I’ve lasted this long, haven’t I?”
And you know what? It wasn’t that Valencia didn’t want to reply to the Pillar, although she wasn’t one who liked to chatter incessantly. She just didn’t know what to say. She appreciated Kurtz’s intentions in upping the safety factor, but considering her history of people who thought that she was blind… Valencia didn’t like to be treated as a damsel in distress or a girl who couldn’t take care of herself. Her silver hues focused on a puddle on the floor as she searched for the right words.
“…Appreciated…”
It’s not like I can dissuade him after he said what he said. He seems dead set and obviously knows what he’s doing. Pfft… As if our first meeting wasn’t a big enough clue.
Valencia nodded to the Pillar, then walked around Kurtz to her locker. After a few quick spins of the dial, it opened up for her to properly get her things as she continued to ponder about who knows what. One thing for sure…
I’m so going to take a nap in History…
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Post by king on Jan 25, 2007 8:07:37 GMT 1
"I see...."
Kurtz heard all he needed to hear. Though she talking in a cooperative manner and gave signs of gratitude, it was clear that she didn't want people to get involved. The most successful features of the system was that people tried to work things out before Pillars stepped in, like people try to before calling the police. This is often because they fear the consequences were a bit too extreme for every occurrence, and those that report crimes use their own sense to decide when necessary. She was saying it was normal even though they both knew it wasn't, probably out of hope she could make it normal.
"Very well, I will respect your wishes for as long as I can..."
Another thing about calling in the law, however, is that many don't do it before it's too late. Many also do not realize the situation they are really in, though it is no fault of their own they cannot understand reasoning that is in itself unhealthy. That was a risk that Kurtz was taking now, but he was confident he would stop it before it would go that far.
"Since the source is a student though, I will interfere if it happens again though....on either side. You may do well to mention this to him next you see him."
Kurtz didn't need his permission to tighten the reigns on his decision though...if it were really normal, a threat from a Pillar should squash it entirely. If it continued after that, the side that instigates the aggression is the source of it, be it due to Valencia, her ex, or one of their friends pushing the parties to conflict. It was abundantly clear, however, that Kurtz was going to give no special treatment to either of them. Just because he didn't know everyone involved at the moment didn't mean who would have the names of those involved by the end of the school day.
"Well, I wish you luck, I actually do have to show up for class occasionally though..."
Kurtz began to walk down the hall, in the direction he was originally was heading. He had to stop by his locker and get his book, then make it to class before it was late. He didn't have to be on time, he could get away with it by just saying he was on school business, but with things as they were the Pillars had to set an example for school behavior.
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