Fight School [IC]

[Beta]

"I saw another one today." a male student whispered to another while hiding in a dark ally of the school grounds. He glanced both ways to make sure nobody besides the group of four students were eavesdropping in on the conversation before continuing. "One of those filthy half breeds. Looks like a cross with a freakin' iguana or something. Disgusting thing."

"Eh? The school has seriously lowered their standards this year. Just what are they trying to pull?" a girl said, disgust clearly evident in her tone. "What the hell? I paid good money to go here thinking that they would keep those things far away." Said the second of the two boys "I bet they're forming an army to wipe out the normal humans. Don't trust them for anything." a third boy said. His dark green eyes narrowed with rage. "They want us to just accept these monsters as if they're human, and then it will be too late. Why can't the others see this?!"

"If we don't stop them, who knows how far this new "equality" crap of theirs can spread." the first boy said. "If this school starts filling up with them..." the disdain and hatred was clear in the boy's tone as he spoke "Don't worry. I heard that there's some sort of group that is trying to get them all barred from coming here. That'll put them back in their place soon enough." the last boy assured them with a smooth tone. "I also heard they're recruiting mem-"

"Hey you, opening evaluations will begin in 10 minutes!" A woman in a business suit shouted at them as she passed by, waving them over. "Don't want to be late on your first day!" stated the teacher as she tilted her head toward the school, as if to say 'get going' to the boys. "Yeah yeah, we're going." shouted one of the boys just before he and his friends walked off toward the various evaluation locations.

==================================================================================

Vincento's first day at New Peaks went about as well as expected. Upperclassmen were mostly polite, with a couple hardasses or bullies among them, Underclassmen were about the same. So far it seemed like any normal school. But then he got to the challenge board and saw just how different it was. Having been tested for his combat aptitude the entire day, he was not so much looking to fight as he was simply intrigued by the fact so many students WANTED to fight so early in the year. He'd tested incredibly well, ranking in at C2 despite only being a first year. In fact, he saw that a couple people had put him down as a requested opponent.

He deserved his rank, after the tests he had just went through. Tests of endurance, reflexes, and athleticism were first. Then when you were good and warmed up (or tired in some cases) came the demonstrations. Shows of techniques on both dummy targets AND willing volunteers in the case of testing one for their ability to defend against an attack. Naturally, Vincento did quite well. His senses helped him to recognize a couple of the moves that the volunteers came at him with, and his Hapkido training handled the ones he didn't know. In the end, he earned that C2-Rank... and no one could tell him otherwise.

So distracted was Vincento by the fact his name was already being tossed around by students who were there on their second year or higher, that he didn't... or rather COULDN'T react in time to avoid bumping into another student. "Oh, le mie scuse." he smiled and looked to the other student. "Sorry, I am still used to speaking mostly Italian." Indeed, while he knew English, he had lived in Italy nearly his entire life, and was more comfortable speaking his native language.

"So tell me, who might you be?. Are you a first-year, too? Or are you an upperclassman? I actually just finished my placement testing. C-Two, if you can believe it." ... and then he realized just how rude he was being. "Mi dispiace. I am Vincento Sarconni de Palermo. It's a bit of a mouthful to foreigners, so you can just call me Vincent if you like." he extended his hand in greeting, but watched the other student's movements very carefully. If they happened to be one of the people who wanted to fight him, this would be an opportunity to strike pre-emptively. Should they engage in hostility, he would quickly counter with a joint-lock or throw. If not, then a handshake was just a handshake.

As it turned out, he bumped into the wrong person... Shotaro Yanmei, head of the school's "Imperius Gloria" faction. Many of the students stared in shock and waited to see what one of New Peaks' elite students did to this apparently clumsy new kid. "Vincent, huh? Well lemme tell you something, Vince." said Shotaro as he shook the Italian boy's hand. "You seem a pleasant enough sort, so I'll let you in on something I've learned over the last couple years here." Vincento was eager to learn from a more experienced student and a bit overwhelmed by everything he had done thus far today, so he was curious and let down his guard.

That was a mistake...

"Don't bump into people unless you're itching to fight." Before Vincento could react, Shotaro delivered a forceful knee to his stomach. Not quite enough to bring him to the floor, but more than enough to leave him gasping for breath. "There's your first lesson. Free of charge." said Shotaro before turning and walking away with two of his friends. It seemed like Vincento was off to a rough start at New Peaks. But would that trend continue? As he crouched on one knee and coughed heavily, all he could do was hope it didn't.

 

[Cheselth]

Diana, eager to get be on her first day of school at Peak Academy, was sitting against a wall in a hallway and reading a book on fighting to get some refreshers on counter attacks and blocking. It was then she realized that people were staring at her, and some even looked at her as if they were a tiger ready to pounce on their prey. This made her feel uncomfortable so she closed her book and put it in her backpack, walking away to find a more empty place to read.

She had gotten through her tests and was given the rank of D-3, which she figured wasn't too bad. While she was walking through the halls, two people bumped into her. "U- uh... E- excuse me! That was quite rude of me." She said as she bowed slightly. She didn't look them in the face directly until she stood straight up. "It really was, don't you think?" The girl said to the boy that she was apperently walking with. "This... thing obviously doesn't know its manners. Shall we share a little information with it?" He said mockingly.

Diana looked at the two, expecting a fight, so she prepared to block any attacks that may be thrown at her, putting her two arms up and taking a stance that would prevent her from being knocked back.
The two throw a strike at the same time, trying to break her stance for a chance to get real attacks in, going for low blows and high blows, even kicking her legs in an attempt to knock her down. Diana hoped for someone to come by and help her, because at this rate she wouldn't be able to win. She never even had a chance to counter with the flurry of punches and kicks. It really was just like home.

 

[Iwazuma]

So this was New Peaks Academy? Junkiro glanced around the sprawling campus, a thin smile adorning his face. It wasn't nearly as bad as his family had tried to make it seem. Of course, he had to take everything they said with a grain of salt. As he wandered about through the halls, his smile faded as he considered exactly how the day had proceeded. It had been a stressful day, after all.

The tests had been....a rather mixed proceeding. The physical tests, the endurance, the strength, the speed...he had blazed through that without much issue; his training had left him with a great level of stamina and good strength to back it up, so the first set of tests went easily enough. It wasn't until he got to the demonstrations that he ran into some trouble. He had thought his training had been more sufficient, but the tests had proven to him otherwise.

He looked over the results he had been given...."Fighting style: Kyokushin karate. Notes: Knows the moves by heart, but inconsistent application of said moves leads to a rigid, less adaptive time on the spot. Blocking is good, but punishment for mistakes still needs some work." Junkiro grumbled to himself. "I wish I could contact my instructor....I have so much work to do." Still, the next section had brought him hope.

"Special ability: Sticky aura. Has a fantastic punish game out of block when utilizing his power. Leads to an effective defensive fighting style, though it appears to make him somewhat reluctant to attack. Fairly adept control allows for a varied and diverse variety of uses. More training may allow for further unlocking of powers and capabilities." Junkiro smirked to himself as he read that over. He knew his power had been honed fairly well, but he also knew he had a long way to go before it'd be nearly good enough.

"Final results: With proper training, Junkiro will improve upon his fighting skills and more adeptly master his karate. This, combined with his already proficient power control, will result in a difficult opponent for many. Promotion should be expected to be fairly quick for this student if he improves at the rate he is expected to. A worthy addition to New Peaks, he is more than worth keeping a trained eye on. Rank: D-1." D-1. Not nearly as bad as he had been expecting.

He was nonchalantly wandering about the halls, making his way to the challenge board to see if anyone had taken notice of him, when he spotted a skirmish going on in the halls. Not wanting to fight right now, Junkiro kept to the walls, making sure not to be seen as one of the boys took a heavy knee too the stomach. Junkiro winced; that looked like it hurt really bad. Junkiro felt a pang of sympathy for the boy, and chose to help him out, rather than just walk on. He made his way to the hurt boy, helping him up.

"Don't let that kid give you bother," Junkiro said with a slight challenge; his English was good, but was still not totally perfect. "Bullies like him are just insecure. I am sure he only wishes to make himself feel better, and this is the only way to do it for him. My name is Junkiro. Do not worry, I'm not going to be a jerk like that fool."

 

[KiroAkira]

Zen entered the halls only just after testing, side stepping one of the half breeds. They were of course half humans so he did need to at least treat them with some form of respect. Yet, the one he just side stepped was shoved into a wall by one of the other students. He sighed softly thinking of his score. D-3 it wasn't as good as he was hoping but it could have been an E at the worst. Zen examined the halls as each student made their way around each and every turn and dodged students. Half breeds were already getting the worse of everything. Next was the one kid being attacked by the Upperclassman who kneed a student in the stomach. Before Zen could make his way over to help another student had stepped that way.

Zen was about to continue down the halls and towards class when his attention averted to the neko girl who was being attacked. Without thinking, Zen rushed over and met the one students kick with his own, bringing his right leg up and extending it out with a slight spin. If his kick contacted correctly it would knock the student straight to the ground. Yet his calculations weren't as precise as he expected. Yet, it was effective, sending a jolt of pain through his shin and knocking the student off balance. The guy didn't fall but did stumble back some. Zen's attention left that student and looked to the second man, he couldn't have blocked his moves on the girl but the boy did look to Zen after he 'attacked' his friend. "Hey! What's the deal kid? You're going to stand up for this..... this thing here? It's not even human! "

Zen glared at the child and stepped towards him as if daring the boy to attack. His eyes locked with the boy as Zen's special ability kicked in. His shadow boxing technique came in handy. As it did need some tightening and strengthening. "Kid I will end you and your stupid little games. As if this girl needs some child like you messing with her. If you keep on I might have to make you look like one of those half breeds." The kid glared and only moments later a woman began shouting at kids to get to class before it starts. The boy left and hurried off. Zen looked to the half breed and smiled softly at her. "Well then, seems like you're having a wonderful first day."

 

[Cheselth]

The young parahuman cringed as her arms and legs began to hurt badly from the flurry of attacks. She tried to hold her stance as long as she possibly could and she was just about to fail in this when another boy rushed to her aid. Diana was taken by surprise when he kicked the other kid to make them stop hitting her. She was wondering why someone would be protecting her, someone that everyone regarded as either a freak or a thing that always needed to be taught a lesson, and why he didn't just pass her up. After they ran off he even... smiled? This made her feel a little more than confused. Most people wouldn't even give a second glace at her, let alone protect or even be kind to her.

She put down her defenses and stood normally, and still not totally sure if he was going to attack or not, she kept vigilant. Still cringing in pain from the new bruises that could stay a while, though it was nothing serious, she smiled a little awkwardly. "Thank you..." She simply uttered, a little quietly. Diana really didn't know what else to say except for maybe who she was at least. After all, not telling would be rude of her. "My name i- is Diana."

 

[Cfavano]

Bradley took his tests with silent and dignified grace, as showed by his upbringing. He neither passed with flying colors, and he did not fail miserably. His score was C3, about middle of the road in terms of skill, but pretty high for a first year. It was tiring, and took quite a while, but he got through it without killing anyone, so that was something. But now, his entrance passed, he continued to the school.

It was a well-built facility, on its own private island. It was more like a city, close up, having its own shopping and residential district. Bradley took in the wonder of it all. This was his first time out of the house in over a decade. The freedom was almost overwhelming. He saw a scuffle between two students, but, as he had no reason to think it was out of the ordinary, he continued exploring the premises.

 

[I.S. Zero]

After having finished his opening skill assessments, Axel decided it might be smart for him to tour the campus for himself. Traveling around the entirety of New Peaks academy proper, Axel visited some of the areas that were the most important to him personally. These places included the school cafeteria, any and all gymnasiums that he hadn't already seen, the courtyard, and the extensive and quite impressive weight room - a place the he was going to have to get rather familiar with in order to satisfy himself.

While wandering around the school campus, Axel was consumed in thought. After the opening assessment, once he received the assessment and rank summary and report, it was all he could think of. He had achieved the rank of D-1, which at first he was quite pleased with, since he had been informed that it was a rather high ranking for a freshman in the opening examinations and very few freshmen ever get a C-rank on opening exams, but he soon learned that there were multiple first-years who obtained a C-rank. "I guess I'm not the prodigy I had believed I was" remarked the former two-time youth unifight world champion to himself, a false smirk crawling across his face in an attempt to lift himself up. Continuing his conversation with himself, he then uttered, "Well, It seems to me that this shall be quite the interesting and helpful experience indeed, It looks like I'll have to ramp up my training if I even hope to be able to keep up with these guys."

As Axel continued his little self-tour of the academy he found himself come to a rather crowded area in the hallway, which seemingly contained the challenge request board. He hadn't bothered to check and see if anyone had requested to fight him yet, so he decided that it may be a good idea to take a look and find out whether or not anyone had challenged him yet. He began making his way over to the section of the board he thought was sure to be placed, but on his way over something caught his eye. He witnessed a younger student bump into an older student who was presumably a senior. Nothing big, the younger student started to apologize to his senior, who then responded with a comment and proceeding to nail the younger student with quite the nasty knee to the stomach and making one last remark, continuing on his way. After witnessing the event, he saw another student walk up to the younger student, apparently checking on him to make sure he was alright. Seeing that another student had decided to do so, Axel then went over to the student and, unable to think of anything much better to say, asked student, "Are you alright man? That looked like you just took quite the blow you just took right there my friend."

 

[Beta]

After coughing a few more times, Vincento moved to stand, but was forced to clench his stomach and drop to one knee again. It seemed the older student REALLY nailed him one. "Grazie mille. My thanks." said the Italian boy through clenched teeth to the two other students who came to his aid. "Pezzo di merda. I didn't do anything to him." ... but again, he forgot his manners. After a few more seconds of recovering from the knee in his stomach, Vincento finally managed to get to both feet. "Buongiorno. I am Vincento Sarconni. Feel free to call me Vince or Vincent, if you like. I know my name can be difficult for some."

The first of the two students to assist him, who said his name was Junkiro, spoke true. Most bullies were insecure and picked on others to boost their own self-image. But for the briefest of moments, Vincento could almost... FEEL the power that the older student had at his disposal. The second, who had not given his name, seemed concerned for Vincento's well-being. "Si. I'll be ok. He hurt my image more than he hurt me. Which, sono sicuro, was what he wanted to do." Anyone with eyes could tell he was just acting tough. One hand was still on his stomach, and his eyes were narrowed slightly due to the pain.

"So... you-" Vincento first turned to the Asian boy. "-are Junkiro. That would make you..." his attention turned to the other young man who had come to his aid. First impressions meant a lot to him, what with coming from a family of businessmen and busniesswomen. Still, he had been TOLD to not be such a "stuck up little merda", as his father sometimes called him. In any case, he definitely was in no shape to do anything if his little comment angered the second boy, so he immediately followed his rude statement with a joke. "... the King of Scotland, no? I joke, I joke." Not the smoothest of transitions, but then humor was not always universal.

After the introductions, Vincento would make a suggestion. "Perhaps we should all get something to eat, si? There is supposedly a thai place in Plaza B that is simply magnifico." To further repay the two for their kindness in helping a complete stranger, Vincento then upped the ante. "I'll buy. The least I can do to pay you both back." That was one language that WAS universal. Food. You'd have to be crazy to turn down free food, after all.

Meanwhile...

Shotaro and his two pals made their way back to Imperius Hall. A grand structure that was built when the founder of the faction told his father that he wanted a place at school where he and his friends could "hang out", Imperius Hall was a two-story building with eight rooms per floor. The second floor was all dorms for the group's elite members, arranged around a catwalk-style walkway. The main floor was more recreational. A game room, kitchen, lounge, meeting room, security room, weight room, guest restroom, and of course a storage room. These were arranged in a manner similar to the second floor, so the ring in the center of the first floor was easily accessable and did not have a low ceiling. Plus, the elite members could watch any scraps from just outside their dorms.

Walking near the ring on the first floor, Shotaro suddenly turned toward one of the heavy bags and delivered a crushing kick. Numbers rattled by on the small panel beneath it, then displayed a static number. "Holy shit, Shotaro! Nineteen-hundred and seventy-three pounds! That's... intense." said one of the guys that had followed him away from his encounter witht he freshman. "I'd hate to be that freshman's guts right now. Bet he's still hacking up his breakfast from that knee." said the other, chuckling afterward. Rather than comment, Shotaro simply kicked the bag again and got a similar, though slightly lower number.

The first day of school at New Peaks had pissed Shotaro off. Mainly because this was his last year as a student at the academy. After this year, he wouldn't be faction head, he wouldn't be able to piss with the lower-rank students, and most importantly... the fountain of money from the wealthier kids who paid for his "training and protection" would dry up. That, and the freshman he made an example of just kinda rubbed him the wrong way. After kicking the bag a few more times with similar results, Shotaro headed upstairs to his private room. Today was a free pass to be a lazy bastard, and those didn't come often... so he decided to call it a day and relax.

 

[Cheselth]

Diana then realized that she had no clue how to go about exploring without getting lost or into fights of some sort, and she would probably need someone to go with her. The boy who had helped her was, really, her only choice right now. "You... wouldn't happen to mind if you, uh... helped me learn the layout of this place, would you...?" She asked, her voice soft, but still just loud enough to be heard over the other students.

She rubbed one of her hurting arms, cringing slightly from the pain. She was really just wanting to leave the area. She wasn't sure if the other two would come back with friends and with that thought came worry that was written all over Diana's face. "This is just my first year here and I need to get to know the school before I can walk around on my own..."

 

[KiroAkira]

Zen nodded and bowed to the female as she spoke her name. "Greetings Dianna, naneun ojeon Zen Akero. Or in english terms I am Zen Akero." He grinned at his korean language. Knowing it wasn't understandable, he spoke it just for the feel of going back to his roots. He enjoyed the Korean language but speaking it out loud with just two words had already gotten him a strange glance or two from people. To him Neko's were humans as well. A half breed was just as human as anyone else just with different features upon their figure.

Zen had begun glancing around half zoning out half looking around and perked a bit when the half breed spoke to him. "I'm sorry what?" He asked blinking then caught up to the conversation. "Learn the layout? Heh thats the fun part then isn't it? I don't know much about it." He pointed off into a random direction and began walking. "Well I can agree with that, lets walk on this way. Maybe find something to do or look at, at the least." Upon walking he paused and looked to the man hurled over holding his gut. Zen stared at him frowning softly. "Wonder what happened to him..."

 

[Cheselth]

She gave off a small, but noticable, smile to Zen for a split second before nodding. "You can lead the way if you want... I wouldn't want to be the one to get us lost." Diana told him as she followed close behind. She stared in the direction that Zen was looking and frowned slightly.

I guess I'm not the only one with bully problems... She thought to herself. She was tempted to check on him but there were already two other people there, and she didn't want to risk getting caught up in another fight she would not be able to win. "Do you think he'll be okay?" She directed a question towards her aquaintance, placing her hands over the straps of her backpack and pulling them down a little so that it wouldn't hang as low as it was.

"Isn't there a nurse's office somewhere around here...?" She seemed to be just a bit worried for the stranger- but still not sure what was going on, she remained in her spot behind Zen.

 

[Cfavano]

While Bradley was exploring, he did not look where he was going, and he bumped into Vincente. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry..." He says, taking a few steps back while also not making eye contact. "Oh, it's you, the chap that got kicked in the gut by that ruffian. Are you alright?" He asks as he brushes himself off. "Maybe you should go to the nurse's to be safe."

He would look at the other boy. "Greetings to the both of you. My name is Bradley, and this place is amazing, isn't it? It's also the first real school I've been to!" Bradley says, seeming excited. "That's not weird, is it? My mum says most kids go to school from when they're young, but I don't really remember anything except having a string of tutors. Does that make me weird? I hope that does not make me weird, and here I am just blathering on, I'm sorry." He is obviously becoming flustered, not being used to social encounters. "You were probably talking and I interrupted you, oh dear I've made a fool of myself. I was supposed to make friends and now you probably think I'm annoying oh, I'm sorry. Please, allow me to make it up to both of you, I'll buy you lunch." With how flustered he was, he did not notice the third boy, Axel.

 

[Beta]

The Following is a Collaborative post between myself, Greased Smitening, and I.S. Zero.​

​

Well this was turning out to be an eventful first day. A high grade on his evaluation, a knee to the guts, two friendly bystanders helping out, and now a third bystander who couldn't quite seem to control how much he talked. The kid was polite enough, sure. The problem was just that he rambled a lot. Vincento decided to help the guy out and chime in before he could start up again. "Bradley, was it? My name is Vincento." another slight wince from the pain in his stomach, and vincento resumed speaking. "I have had worse days, I'm sure. And my bruises will heal. I thank you for the concern, at least. However-"

"Oh my, where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself yet, I had completely forgotten to do so." interjected Axel, having finally realized his impoliteness. The Austrian boy would then procede to formally introduce himself to the group with whom he was conversing,"My name is Axel Von Brandt, I hail from Austria, and I am-"

"Uh..." Junkiro was a bit put off by the sudden appearance, accent, and demeanor of the intruder amongst their group. While it seemed the others didn`t really have an issue with him, Junkiro didn`t want a fourth person to join the group. He had a bit of an issue in larger groups, three usually being about his limit before he got uncomfortable. "If you do not mind terribly much, the three of us were about to go to lunch, and Vincento has already offered to compensate our appetites. As much as we appreciate the offer, I have a feeling we might prefer to dine with our own selves as of the moment." Junkiro hated being the mean one, but what choice did he have? This kid was...strange, to say the least. Really, Junkiro just got weird vibes from the kid. Maybe because he talked so much or something. Even Junkiro didn't really know why.

Despite being interrupted, Vincento stayed relaxed. He'd just have to partake of his particular brand of humor sometime in the near future as recompense for the rude manners his new acquaintances displayed. "It is as they say, Brad. We already had plans, you see. Le mie scuse più sincere, I am terribly sorry." Perhaps there was a way to come out being the good guy... Aha! "Tombola! Or, how you say... bingo! Perhaps we could study or spar sometime, Brad. We will talk sometime tomorrow, I promise. Arrivederci until then." And with that, Vincento started down the hall, his new acquantances hopefully in tow.

Although Junkiro had cut him off while he was speaking, Axel simply dismissed it and supposed that he had gotten what he deserved for cutting off Vincent prior. Vincent and Junkiro seemed like they wanted to leave the conversation with this "Bradley" fellow and continue on to the meal that Vincent had offered. Soon, Vincent excused himself from the discussion, promising to speak or study with Bradley the next day, then beginning to make his way down the hall. Axel decided to do the same, and went on to say:"I would definitely enjoy training with you sometime. But as of right now, I have made different plans, so I should get going. Goodbye my new friend, Auf Wiedersehen." Axel then began to walk away, in attempt to catch up to Vincent.

Junkiro was actually surprised that the other two agreed with him. Frankly, he had expected them to jump at the free food that was offered. After all, it would have saved Vincento the expense of buying. But despite that fact, they had chosen his company over that of the newcomer, Bradley. What a lucky turn of events. With a turn of his head, Junkiro did his very best to stop being the scapegoat. "My apologies. Were there another circumstance in which you spoke to me, I would surely have accepted. As the others have said, if you meet me at a time that is different, I will gladly spend time with you." With a backhanded wave, Junkiro quickly caught up to the others, leaving Bradley alone in the halls.

As the three of them headed outside, they were greeted by a crisp ocean breeze and the noonday sun. A beautiful day, really. After about twenty minutes of walking around blind, Vincento pulled a campus map from his pocket, He then informed Axel and Junkiro of where they were heading. Unfortunately when the trio arrived, the place was closed. Apparently the delivery they were supposed to receive had been delayed by a storm over the airport on the mainland. Thankfully, someone informed them that a steakhouse just down the plaza was open, and that the food there was great as well. Turning to the other two boys, Vincento did the only proper thing: Ask their opinions. "I don't mind a steakhouse. What do you two think?"

"Dear God, why is this Italian so clueless with directions?" He could have pulled out the map sooner, but he decided to wait for a third of an hour to go by while just wandering around almost aimless and seemingly confused. Once Vincent decided to act logically and pull out the map, it was a breeze finding their way to the Thai restaraunt that Vincent had mentioned earlier, but when they finally got there, the restaraunt was closed. A friendly passerby told them that there was another good restaraunt, namely a steakhouse, that was of good quality dining. The directionaly challenged Italian then turned around and asked Axel and Junkiro what they thought about going to the steakhouse instead. Given he didn't have too much of a choice, and actually rather enjoyed steak, Axel responded "Sounds good, let's go. Why not?"

Where were they even going? After a good twenty minutes had passed, Junkiro had realized they had yet to find a single Thai restaurant anywhere. He was about to remind Vince helpfully that maps were often a good thing when he finally pulled it out himself. Reenergized, Junkiro took the lead, hoping to have some delicious food to quell the growling of his stomach. Unfortunately, the venue was not open for business. Figured. Junkiro let out a sigh, then heard Vincento suggest what he called a steak house."I have not ever been to a house of steaks. It sounds like an American type of eatery, correct? I would not mind at all sampling a little cultural cuisine. Lead the way."

Well, the others were in agreement. With the destination reaffirmed, the trio headed down the sidewalk and quickly found the steakhouse. The "Shootfighter's Saloon and Steakhouse", it was called. Amusing, considering New Peaks Academy was a gigantic martial arts school. Little did the trio know that someone inside had already met with one of them, and now was pretty much the worst time for new students to see that person...

==================================================================​

Shotaro was apparetly still a bit salty over this being his last year and the gravy train being about to run out. Just five minutes after starting to relax, he burst out of the back door of his room and jumped from the overlook to the ground below. A single-story fall was nothing, and he hit the ground running. Why was he in such a rush? Lunch-time Karaoke at Shootfighter's, that's why. It was a mere five minutes before he arrived at the Western-themed restaurant. Before walking inside, he put on the cowboy hat he'd grabbed from his wardrobe. This was the one guilty pleasure he allowed himself, and he wasn't actually half bad at it. Might have just been people too scared to say he sucked, but even non-students told him he was a pretty good singer.

There was a short line of only two people in front of him for singing, so he hadn't missed much. The first person sang "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks. A good one, and one Shotaro was considering singing. Scratch that one. Next up sang " Chattahoochie" by Alan Jackson. He never was a huge fan of that one. Seemed TOO country, if anything. Now it was his turn. He had ordered his meal when he came in, so even if it came out while he was singing, it would still be hot. Perfect. So without hesitation, Shotaro got up on the small stage and began singing Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar". With his dark pants, scuffed and dirty shirt, and cowboy hat... the Singaporean actually looked right at home in the contry-western setting. And he FELT at home.

Just as the song was ending and Shotaro sang "Mmm Hmm Hmmm Hmmm Hmm, I just love this old bar.", the trio of first years walked into the restaurant. Vincento immediately froze and his stomach pain flared briefly to remind him what the older student had put him through not a half hour ago. Naturally, Shotaro's gaze moved to the door when it opened. Seeing the kid he'd kicked in the stomach along with two other students immediately gave the 4th-Year student the wrong idea. He thought the kid was there for revenge. Still, he was there to relax. No uppity first year would ruin that for him. Without saying a word, Shotaro returned to his table at almost the same moment his steakburger and cola were brought out. Perfect timing.

 

[KiroAkira]

Zen shrugged glancing back to the cat girl behind him. "He may have gotten struck but I'm pretty sure he's going to be fine. If thats all the kid can take then he's going to have a terrible year here." Zen looked back to the kid and watched them all pass the two by and head for the doors. "Well, they seem like they know where they're going. If you'd like we could always follow them." He frowned slightly thinking for a moment. This school was strange and although it was the first day he couldn't wait for the year to finally end.

After being lost in his thoughts for a moment he looked back to the cat girl and with a friendly nod he pointed back to the group who had just headed out the door. "I'm lost, they seem to know exactly where they're going so I assume that'd be a wonderful idea just to stalk them. Hopefully make new friends ya know?" He said and frowned looking away feeling as if he was being lame as ever. On the second notion in his mind he could make good friends with this girl. Would be wonderful for him being in a new area and such.

 

[Cheselth]

Diana stood by, watching the conversation between them all without actually talking that much. If she was spoken to she would give a slight nod or a simple answer such as a yes or a no and looked away for a few moments, not sure if she should speak much more. She watched as the strangers left and glanced at Zen as he spoke. "You do have a point... If he couldn't take it I'm sure he shouldn't even be here, but he seems to be alright in the least." Diana stated as she looked back at the group.

She directed her attention back towards her aquaitance as he spoke once more and gave off a very faint giggle. "Stalking isn't really the word I would use, but if you want to go with them then I am fine with that. I don't really have any better place to be at the moment... or... for the rest of the day for that matter." She then smiled a little and checked her arms to make sure they weren't too badly bruised looking. Diana didn't feel like other kids coming up to her and thinking they could ask questions or start up another fight, she really didn't have the energy for that kind of interactment. After she was done and certain they were fine she nodded and looked back up to Zen. "Well, I guess we can get going if you're all set."

 

[Cfavano]

"Oh...alright, I guess...have fun." He says, looking a bit downcast. "I'll see you later." He would then turn away and begin walking. But then, he noticed Diana, and his face lit up and he ran over to her. "Ohmigod are you a neko?! You're so adorable!" He would then attempt to pick her up into a squeezing hug. You're so tiny and cute, my nanny was a neko and she was so nice and fun and adorable and ohmigosh I can't believe there's a neko here, they're my favorite type of abhuman."

Bradley was almost squeeing with joy, the sadness of being abandoned gone at the discovery of Diana. He would then realize that perhaps Diana didn't want to be picked up off the ground and would put her back down. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to just pick you up, I just couldn't help myself."

 

[Cheselth]

Diana quickly turned her attention to the now excited stranger. Her expression turned from smiling to a mixture of fear and confusion, but before she could respond to a word he was saying, the man picked her up in a tight hug that was out of the blue and only caused even more confusion. "I- Uh... Z- Zen?" Was all that the poor girl could manage to say before she was put back down on the ground. Diana quickly made her way over behind her aquaitance, still udderly and completely bewildered. Honestly, she didn't even know how to respond to him anymore, and she didn't know exactly how to think of the strange person who was, for some reason or another, happy to see her.

 

[KiroAkira]

Zen heard someone shouting and talking about Dianna being a neko then lifting her. He hated this school already. Now there was someone else picking on a half breed. His next motion was a swift back kick yet stopped mid way seeing her be set back down. His eyes scowled towards the man thinking he would just be another issue. "Please don't pick the girl up. All you'll do is cause yourself issues and probably get your ass kicked once or twice."

With that Zen moved over to Dianna standing beside her in a half protective stance. Staring the man down looking to the neko. "Dianna correct? Might want to use that tail of yours next time smack the guy in the face or something with it." After speaking he looked back to the man and stared him down ready to strike if he made any wrong movements. "So make your best decision now." He was ready to have a fight, hopefully the school day would go by quicker. Zen was ready to test his skills out on another student, if he attacked then Zen would counter then strike with a kick followed by a punch. He had it ready in his mind just needed it to be put into actions.

 

[Cfavano]

Bradley held his hands up and steps back. "I-I see I have offended you, good sir, I did not realize she was your girlfriend. Please, I do not want any trouble, sir. I meant her no harm. I would never. I only wanted to hug her because she was so adorable is all. I know it's wrong, but I couldn't help myself, see? I mean, I tried to resist, but she just looked so fluffy, and tiny, and...and....I'm sorry, really." He would then lowers his hands. "See? I'm not an enemy, please do not make me fight you? All I want is to make some friends, that's why Mum and Da sent me here, to make friends my own age. I didn't mean any harm, I'm sorry."

Bradley was once again panicking. If this were an anime, sweat droplets would be pouring off of his head comically and his head would be beet red with blushing. This is the second group that he bumped into that he caused trouble with unintentionally. Truly, this was not his day. Was he unlucky? He felt like a bumbling fool, being perfectly honest. How could he act so stupid, to go and hug some random girl who could be someone's girlfriend. "I know you p-probably think I'm a creeper, but I'm not, honest!"

 

[Iwazuma]

Junkiro's first impression of the steakhouse they walked into was...in a word, AMERICAN. This was exactly what his parents had taught him all of America was: Country music, redneck lifestyle, cowboys as far as the eye could see. While his psychological training caused his gut to twist in anger at the sight of such an imperialistic scene, Junkiro also couldn't help but laugh. "So THIS is a steak house? Well...at least the proprietors...they know how to set one of the scenes, huh?" Junkiro's eyes were then drawn to the man at the karaoke machine, which only made Junkiro crack up even more. "He...he likes this stuff? This humor is too much!" Of course, Junkiro knew too much humor at another's expense could end up in broken bones, so he immediately shut himself up and did his best to regain his composure.

Leading the three of them, Junkiro glanced around for a table; unfortunately, the only open one happened to be by the bully whom Junkiro had just laughed at. With a glance back to the others and a short nod, Junkiro quietly made his way to the table, hoping not to disturb the larger, stronger student. Thankfully, he made it to his seat without incident. Pulling a menu out of the holder in the center, he browsed its contents, his brow furrowing slightly at the array of choices.

"I was not aware there were so many ways to prepare a steak...what is 'char-grilled'? And what is the difference between a T-bone and a Porterhouse?" Junkiro knew so little of American cooking, and to an extent, it fascinated him. What could A1 sauce taste like? Only one way to find out....