Calling all Pillars(SC/Pillars/open)

[Patrick O'Connor]

Well Patrick had just had his little conversation with Asiv. Interesting cripple. Seemed real confident at least. Well at least Daniel had done his duty. That was really all that he could say. Patrick was unsure if Asiv would heed his warning and just not be here or at the very least be able to get away. That meeting was not exactly the most confidence inspiring conversation that he had ever had. Patrick certainly hoped that he was on the right side. Whatever, he had already picked a side. He might as well see this one through to the end for kicks. Anyway, he could at least blow his doubts off in a few fights.

Daniel walked from the main office areas where he had just had his little conversation with Asiv. He didn't really have much of an idea where he was going. He knew what he wanted to do but he was really just waiting for inspiration. He wandered around the halls looking for something. After a few minutes he found something. It was one student beating another. There was a slight crowd forming around the beating. It wasn't much but hell, it would work for his purposes.

Daniel walked up behind where the dominating student was standing. The bully was kicking the downed student in the ribs. All Daniel did was simply to tap the kid on his shoulder prompting him to turn around cursing, "What the fu-"

His question was interrupted with Daniel's right fist popping him in the mouth, breaking a few teeth. The thug staggered back putting his hand in his mouth to feel blood in his mouth. After which he would charge forward and try and place a haymaker on Daniel's face. Daniel would just take a slight step to the left and overhook the arm trying to strike him. Daniel would step back with his right foot, placing his right hand on the thug's head pushing down and spinning with his step back. He would use the kid's momentum to throw the kid head first into a locker. If there were any holes in the circle surrounding them the reverberations travelling down the hallway would cause them to be filled.

The kid groaned, crawling his way back to his arms. He would try to make his way to his feet but Daniel wouldn't let him. Daniel kicked him in the ribs, and again. And again. He crumpled to the ground and didn't move anymore. Daniel kicked him again growling, "Fucker."

Daniel then looked to the crowd and said, "Someone get a pillar or the school captain. Obviously their not around enough to do their job. Or at least they don't care enough. Who knows, just get one. Perhaps the whole hierarchy needs to go."

His intentions should be pretty clear by now. He wanted to challenge the schools hierarch

[Deleted]

"Someone get a pillar or the school captain. Obviously their not around enough to do their job. Or at least they don't care enough. Who knows, just get one. Perhaps the whole hierarchy needs to go."

Jaus would be caught in a tractor beam to the comment, slowly striding into the hallway in which the apparent challenge had been made. He felt the peeking bit of interest in the boy's statements. Something of course that strived along the same lines as something David Blaze had done. Proclaimed themselves some ideal pillar of justice however their actions proving otherwise.

"Quite the leader you are, haven't you tried this once before."

A tilted head in some belittling curiosity at the boy's actions being reminded of him just a few months ago starting a riot over a title just the same as this. If that was his intentions it was quite a childish jest in Jaus' opinion, otherwise just plain stupid.

"Please try you're luck against me if you think yourself the better, otherwise stand down and take account for the trouble you've made."

Eyeing the downed boy. Idiots, disembarking violence with more violence. Something that probably needed to be taught in schools was conflict management.

[Patrick O'Connor]

"Quite the leader you are, haven't you tried this once before."


Ding, Ding, Ding. Ladies and Gentlemen we have ourselves a winner.

"Do you mean the SLF riot?" Daniel grinned, "Cause if that's the one that we're talking about then I feel I was quite successful in my objective."

Daniel gave a weak chuckle. It was here where he could be completely honest. He could be completely honest but all the same it was still a facade. No matter how honest he was here Daniel was still lying. It was his current station in life that forced that hand. He could never truly be honest but at the same time he could never truly lie. Constantly lying, constantly hiding his true colors from everyone, constantly hated. It was ironic, though Daniel was use to it, that didn't make it any easier.

"Honestly though, you want to know the truth? I never wanted anyone to get hurt," Daniel admitted with a sigh, "But my hand was forced. The fearless leader Jayr would have left the school without a leader for few days. The anarchy, though temporary, would have caused a power struggle between multiple parties and factions, or as the riot showed, would have allowed those with more violent instincts to run wild making bringing them under control immensely difficult. It really showed how much of a powder keg the school was and is. My forcing a riot prevented the ensuing war that would have cause more bloodshed then the riot. If anything you should be thanking me for cleaning up the SLF's error. I forced someone to take immediate control, be it SLF or otherwise."

Daniel believed that he had stopped the war that would have come after. As far as he was concerned he did the right thing. Problem was, he had started a riot, and people had gotten hurt. It was regrettable, and it made him pretty hated by certain people. However, he had accepted all that as soon as he had stood up and told the school to riot. It really made that adage ring in his head, no good deed goes unpunished.

"Please try you're luck against me if you think yourself the better, otherwise stand down and take account for the trouble you've made."

"Take account for the trouble I've made?" Daniel asked, "To who? To you? Sorry to tell you, but that ain't happening cause you ain't the one I got to make my account to. I only have myself and my victims to make an account to for what I've done. Don't worry I will though, I've got no other choice."

Daniel paused giving the kid a moment to reply or whatever, after which he would apologize with a grin, "By the way, I never meant to insult your pillarship or captaincy. It was the quickest way to make one of you come, to throw out a challenge after stopping a thug. The name's Daniel Heart."

Daniel held out his hand to show that he bore no ill will. This was the truth, there was no deception in this, even though he was playing the part. Patrick really meant everything that he said. Though he would still remain on guard. The kid didn't seem to like him and show Patrick, Daniel, whoever the hell he was would have to proceed with caution...

[Deleted]

Sun shining, city alive out in the distance, and the cool ocean breeze. Paradise, to an extent. Granted with summer well on its way that meant crowded beaches and surf, which would cut down on his time on the waves but at least the weather would be beautiful. With all that in mind, Kiyoshi had his way to the roof today to enjoy it all in the peaceful moments the school had. He had a stereo playing one of his favorite songs, a smoke, and a glass of Tropicana Peach Orchard punch. All was right with the wor-…

“There’s a challenge going on right now.”

“I think it’s that Irish kid.”

…-ld. He sighed softly, wondering why people just couldn’t leave well enough alone for a time. Plot, plan, and make changes for the long term instead of these pointless person to person transitions of power that did nothing but continue the same set of sad circumstances. A quick toak of his smoke and a sip of his drink before the Crows leader turned toward his two information gathers, Mikey and Ryan.

“There’s more then one Irish kid you know, it’s a pretty damn big school.”

“The one that started the SLF riot.”

“Oh… that one. Alright let’s go.”

{Bloom Transition}

After a moment’s walk, the three Crows arrived through the assembled crowd to the scene at hand. Through his sunglasses, Kiyoshi idly peered at all the details to get a gist of what had happened. Some poor smuck was getting destroyed, got saved because Paddy beat down the bully, and Cappy got challenged… seemed simple enough. He took another sip of his delicious punch before placing the cigarette between his lips and letting it sit there while he injected himself into the delightful situation.

“…sup?”

Simple enough. He wasn’t sure what was going on, it didn’t seem like a normal challenge though. Neither of them had thrown a blow yet but students around here did like to talk a lot before fighting so maybe he’d gotten there just in time for that instead. He’d find out in a moment, and he wasn’t going anywhere since he had numbers on his side with the two scouts standing right behind him.

[Deleted]

"War happens, but so does growth. You have no stake in any of that."

Jaus mentioned briefly scratching the top of his head fists recoiled from their once balled position. This school had always been a powder-keg and Jayr had very little to do with that one way or another. If anything she was a grand inventor to progress. Even if there was a measure of anarchy perhaps that was good, alienation by unity was just as bad as anarchy to an extreme.

"By the way, I never meant to insult your pillarship or captaincy. It was the quickest way to make one of you come, to throw out a challenge after stopping a thug. The name's Daniel Heart."

It made sense, something he could understand at least in this scene though it didn't make sense as to why he'd come off so aggressive then let his guard down. Jaus mellowed his position coming from entirely turtled to somewhat relaxed. His hand crossing the void in a sense of introduction, amiably and not seeking to intensify aggression otherwise he'd be the hypocrite in this situation. If Daniel was putting this to rest, and his story held true then there was no sense in furthering antagonisms.

"Jaus Valentine. No offense taken, its just a title."

He'd shrug turning to the new person entering the fray. Seems he wasn't the best school Captain not getting to know his public. A nod of his head in reply as a bro saying hi to another though the two at the boy's flank proved intimidating.

[Patrick O'Connor]

"War happens, but so does growth. You have no stake in any of that."


"If you'd seen what I have you would've done the same. You can't witness and participate in wars without doing anything to stop new ones. Even if the population hates you, it's still a gain." Daniel shrugged, "It's better to be portrayed as a monster through your actions to prevent the prolonged suffering of the whole, even if a few have to be hurt."

Patrick remembered the anarchy and chaos of 552's reformation war. It was a crazy time. Students were actually dying on both sides. You would think that the cops would have stepped into something like that but they didn't. It was sort of the similar principle that had created the corporal punishment, and later the pillar system. The suffering of a few, the students, meant less suffering for the whole, the productive branch of society. By not addressing the war they were in fact side stepping the glaring problems of the system. By keeping the whole situation spun into the school of violent delinquents the real problem was hidden. The fact that the system encouraged violence. It was teaching that violence was your everyday answer. It kept the public safe in the present while it allowed madman to practice their craft without ever being identified as "highly dangerous to society". Men like Sean Barker and Patrick O'Connor, though he was not proud to admit it. Practice until they had perfected it.

And now the world was about to reap what it had sown.

Patrick had adamantly defended his actions in the cafeteria, keeping the pillar system intact. He had done this after fighting it's tyranny for years in that war. Funny how that had worked out. He supposed that he could take solace in the fact that even if Jayr had been successful that would not have stopped today's present predicament. He, however, took no solace in that. Funny how that worked out...

"Jaus Valentine. No offense taken, its just a title."

“…sup?”

The introduction and addition to the scene snapped Patrick out of his thoughts. He looked over at the japanese man that he recognized as Kiyoshi. They were slight acquaintances to say the least. They had taken part in a few school wide scuffles, both in 552 and 259. Also the man had helped him out of a jam once and to help down here in beautiful Long Beach. He also had invited "Daniel" to join a gang, which the man had not really turned down, but not exactly agreed either. The main thing though was, that Kiyoshi had met both Patrick and Daniel and was possibly closer to figuring out that he was truly Patrick. Perhaps something that might make this conversation more, interesting was it?

"Not much Kiyoshi," Daniel grinned, not paying any attentions to the man's adds, "Bout to challenge this guy, Jaus, to a fight. You know, to, fly free. Because we can only test ourselves to the fullest against the strongest of opponents."

Patrick noted that Kiyoshi had two men following him. An interesting note for later. This little challenge might just have led to the gold mine or information. That may have been a bit rash but knowing any gangs that might be on the scene could prove useful. He wasn't entirely sure, though it was worth further investigation.

Daniel looked at both of the men before continuing, "That is unless one of you has another plan?"

Daniel looked at Jaus and then Kiyoshi. Yeah, particularly Kiyoshi, knowing that he was just as likely to sit and watch as he was to start a brawl...

[Deleted]

"You're contradicting yourself, are you suggesting that you can stop violence by supporting a system that implies its the only means of problem solving?"

That's definitely what it sounded like, and as much as Jaus liked a scuffle here and there he didn't believe in that. Fighting was merely a means to fall back upon, a means of physically mastering oneself and perhaps even intimidation. All motivating qualities to buff ones appearance that directly related to what power was all about. What the Student Liberation Front stood for was the desecration of such ideals. Power in the school would otherwise be decided by what one invested into a situation, that hard work rather than hot headed violence determined ones position in society.

As what the conversation with Daniel and Kiyoshi was concerned didn't much phase Jaus. He'd hoped to avoid a fight with Daniel, neither had spilled any blood or stepped too far out of line that would deserve punishment so the vestiture of fighting didn't appeal to him. Though he wouldn't step down if the purpose still stood.