warped_replica (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
warped_replica) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
saveourearth2018-09-22 04:53 pm
warped_replica) wrote in saveourearth2018-09-22 04:53 pm
Breaking Lines [Semi-Closed Log]
Date: September 20th
Characters: Benjiro, Jacob, and later Sadie with possibly others? Anyone that would hear about it can talk to Ben after the fact
Warnings: Blood, violence, bullying
The first week returning to school had been the hardest as Benjiro did his best to sustain a lie to friends and classmates alike. He presented it as a matter of limiting allergies that disrupted his attempts to sleep too much to function while not suffering the haze of medication side effects. Professor Petty had helped him put it on record for the school so his other teachers would tolerate the mask. There were some misunderstandings, yet with time it became normal enough that his personal space once more felt limited in the hallways. Wariness of the odd accessory waned over time. It also helped that he had quickly figured out he could eat small portions of food through the day and still manage to join friends and Sadie alike in the cafeteria without going hungry.
There was a lot of teasing of course, but most of the material was spent in those handful of days. Benjiro felt sensitive to it, but he would usually just force a laugh or shake his head and move on in the moment. Redirection worked well to disrupt any sense of isolation, and Sadie provided her support whenever they could be together. Then he had met with Russell and Walter after school one day for a break from the facade, and even that helped his spirits.
Unfortunately, not everyone accepts change.
Between classes as students are moving about in the morning heading to various locations, Benjiro is on his way to Biology when he hears a gratingly familiar holler of his name; “Wotcha, Benji!”
Grimacing under his mask as he cringes inwardly, he cools his expression before he turns his head enough to spot Blaise and his cronies Owen, Kieran, and Bailey heading straight for him. They had taken issue with him when he arrived last year, not liking the fact someone from so far out of town was wasting a seat in local classes. His nonplused reactions to them often left them too bored to mess with him for long, and once Benjiro had made friends, they were even less intrusive. In the last couple of weeks however, their dislike of him had been revived.
Careful not to change his cadence, Benjiro keeps walking as he looks ahead once more and answers cooly, “Hello, Blaise.”
Blaise doesn’t care to be brushed off, and he hurries to step up next to Benjiro and walk with him as the others collect at their backs and Ben’s other side like a pack of wolves closing around a target. “Oh, not feeling well today? If living here makes you so sick you could go back home and go to school there.” His pal Kieran slaps Benjiro on the shoulder a bit too hard to be friendly, “There’s a grand idea!”
Balance and pathway kept steady despite the perturbance and the stench of body odor from one of them, Benjiro answers simply, “No thank you.”
“Oooh, you know, I bet he’s so stubborn cause of that pretty thing he’s got now,” Owen speculates behind Blaise with obvious eagerness. Blaise follows that up, “Oh right right, he got himself a girlfriend. So is that what the game is then?”
“Excuse me..?” Benjiro questions with caution and a sense of revulsion already welling upwards as the group brings Sadie into discussion.
“The mask! You wear it to get pity like some sick sod in a soap opera, and that bint you got is the one you tricked. It’s a brilliant ploy, Benji!” Stunned by the accusation, Benjiro is silent as Owen and Kieran mime and mimic woes and pity with whining tones and falsetto respectively. The sickening thought is only worsened as Bailey laughs, “Maybe Molly’ll go out with me if I tell her I got cancer or some shit!”
Disgusted by the four, Benjiro stops and twists away from them with a subtle glare in his eyes as he faces the teens already a year older than him and certainly bigger, “That’s enough.”
“Or what?” Blaise challenges as he gets close enough to Benjiro to loom over him. The three others quiet in anticipation, but not without the playground ‘ooo’s.
“Nothing. But that’s what you’re good at, isn’t it?” snarks the irritated teenager.
Called out brazenly in front of his little pond crew, Blaise immediately makes a grab for Benjiro, “You bloody Nip!” but finds his hand empty when he evades the swipe for his shirt. Not delaying, Benjiro drops low as he turns and takes off at a sprint down the hallway with his back pack bouncing in the motions. Smaller than them, he’s not going to outrun them for long, but he only has to make it to the classroom to get out of their reach for the time being. After that, he can outsmart them in getting around.
Turning the corner, he sees the open doorway he wants well off down the hallway a split second before he nearly collides with another classmate. Surprised, he staggers and veers to avoid crashing into her, and his delay attempting to get back on course costs him dearly.
Slammed in the side by Blaise, he’s carried a meter right into the brick wall to be pinned by the larger teen’s weight and bulk. Air knocked from his lungs in the impact, he’s not able to steady when dropped to his feet before a meaty pair of fists slam between his shoulders to put him on the ground.
Within seconds, more phones are out and recording the onslaught as the bullies lay into Benjiro, and a crowd gathers to encircle the spectacle. A few call into the fray to stop or encourage Benjiro, but most onlookers are gossiping or watching to see how the violent spectacle plays out.
The four are standing around him, stomping and kicking in turns to force Benjiro against the seam between the wall and floor. A strike hits his face before he can bring an arm up to shield himself, and immediately the sharp pain of his cheek cutting on his teeth releases the taste of blood. He tries to crawl out from under them only to be grabbed by the ankle and drug back and twisted over. Panic sets in as each blow promises a new bruise or worse as a rib gives, and the feeling of being trapped by this painful attack resonates with something in him. Numbed by the hollow feeling, Benjiro lashes out suddenly with the precision of a martial artist. He sweeps the legs of one flunky to drop him to the floor and immediately uses that anchor to turn where he lays on the floor to angle for another attack with a kick that lands at the side of Blaise’s knee with a sickening pop to send it bending inward.
Blaise screams in pain as he falls down with the medial ligament of his knee torn through, and the three uninjured dive on top of Benjiro. Only now, he’s fighting back, so the first gets a kick to the stomach as he is redirected over him into the wall. Twisting to try to get up, the other two slam onto him with anger now driving them for injuring their leader as the crowd starts to chant.
Characters: Benjiro, Jacob, and later Sadie with possibly others? Anyone that would hear about it can talk to Ben after the fact
Warnings: Blood, violence, bullying
The first week returning to school had been the hardest as Benjiro did his best to sustain a lie to friends and classmates alike. He presented it as a matter of limiting allergies that disrupted his attempts to sleep too much to function while not suffering the haze of medication side effects. Professor Petty had helped him put it on record for the school so his other teachers would tolerate the mask. There were some misunderstandings, yet with time it became normal enough that his personal space once more felt limited in the hallways. Wariness of the odd accessory waned over time. It also helped that he had quickly figured out he could eat small portions of food through the day and still manage to join friends and Sadie alike in the cafeteria without going hungry.
There was a lot of teasing of course, but most of the material was spent in those handful of days. Benjiro felt sensitive to it, but he would usually just force a laugh or shake his head and move on in the moment. Redirection worked well to disrupt any sense of isolation, and Sadie provided her support whenever they could be together. Then he had met with Russell and Walter after school one day for a break from the facade, and even that helped his spirits.
Unfortunately, not everyone accepts change.
Between classes as students are moving about in the morning heading to various locations, Benjiro is on his way to Biology when he hears a gratingly familiar holler of his name; “Wotcha, Benji!”
Grimacing under his mask as he cringes inwardly, he cools his expression before he turns his head enough to spot Blaise and his cronies Owen, Kieran, and Bailey heading straight for him. They had taken issue with him when he arrived last year, not liking the fact someone from so far out of town was wasting a seat in local classes. His nonplused reactions to them often left them too bored to mess with him for long, and once Benjiro had made friends, they were even less intrusive. In the last couple of weeks however, their dislike of him had been revived.
Careful not to change his cadence, Benjiro keeps walking as he looks ahead once more and answers cooly, “Hello, Blaise.”
Blaise doesn’t care to be brushed off, and he hurries to step up next to Benjiro and walk with him as the others collect at their backs and Ben’s other side like a pack of wolves closing around a target. “Oh, not feeling well today? If living here makes you so sick you could go back home and go to school there.” His pal Kieran slaps Benjiro on the shoulder a bit too hard to be friendly, “There’s a grand idea!”
Balance and pathway kept steady despite the perturbance and the stench of body odor from one of them, Benjiro answers simply, “No thank you.”
“Oooh, you know, I bet he’s so stubborn cause of that pretty thing he’s got now,” Owen speculates behind Blaise with obvious eagerness. Blaise follows that up, “Oh right right, he got himself a girlfriend. So is that what the game is then?”
“Excuse me..?” Benjiro questions with caution and a sense of revulsion already welling upwards as the group brings Sadie into discussion.
“The mask! You wear it to get pity like some sick sod in a soap opera, and that bint you got is the one you tricked. It’s a brilliant ploy, Benji!” Stunned by the accusation, Benjiro is silent as Owen and Kieran mime and mimic woes and pity with whining tones and falsetto respectively. The sickening thought is only worsened as Bailey laughs, “Maybe Molly’ll go out with me if I tell her I got cancer or some shit!”
Disgusted by the four, Benjiro stops and twists away from them with a subtle glare in his eyes as he faces the teens already a year older than him and certainly bigger, “That’s enough.”
“Or what?” Blaise challenges as he gets close enough to Benjiro to loom over him. The three others quiet in anticipation, but not without the playground ‘ooo’s.
“Nothing. But that’s what you’re good at, isn’t it?” snarks the irritated teenager.
Called out brazenly in front of his little pond crew, Blaise immediately makes a grab for Benjiro, “You bloody Nip!” but finds his hand empty when he evades the swipe for his shirt. Not delaying, Benjiro drops low as he turns and takes off at a sprint down the hallway with his back pack bouncing in the motions. Smaller than them, he’s not going to outrun them for long, but he only has to make it to the classroom to get out of their reach for the time being. After that, he can outsmart them in getting around.
Turning the corner, he sees the open doorway he wants well off down the hallway a split second before he nearly collides with another classmate. Surprised, he staggers and veers to avoid crashing into her, and his delay attempting to get back on course costs him dearly.
Slammed in the side by Blaise, he’s carried a meter right into the brick wall to be pinned by the larger teen’s weight and bulk. Air knocked from his lungs in the impact, he’s not able to steady when dropped to his feet before a meaty pair of fists slam between his shoulders to put him on the ground.
Within seconds, more phones are out and recording the onslaught as the bullies lay into Benjiro, and a crowd gathers to encircle the spectacle. A few call into the fray to stop or encourage Benjiro, but most onlookers are gossiping or watching to see how the violent spectacle plays out.
The four are standing around him, stomping and kicking in turns to force Benjiro against the seam between the wall and floor. A strike hits his face before he can bring an arm up to shield himself, and immediately the sharp pain of his cheek cutting on his teeth releases the taste of blood. He tries to crawl out from under them only to be grabbed by the ankle and drug back and twisted over. Panic sets in as each blow promises a new bruise or worse as a rib gives, and the feeling of being trapped by this painful attack resonates with something in him. Numbed by the hollow feeling, Benjiro lashes out suddenly with the precision of a martial artist. He sweeps the legs of one flunky to drop him to the floor and immediately uses that anchor to turn where he lays on the floor to angle for another attack with a kick that lands at the side of Blaise’s knee with a sickening pop to send it bending inward.
Blaise screams in pain as he falls down with the medial ligament of his knee torn through, and the three uninjured dive on top of Benjiro. Only now, he’s fighting back, so the first gets a kick to the stomach as he is redirected over him into the wall. Twisting to try to get up, the other two slam onto him with anger now driving them for injuring their leader as the crowd starts to chant.
no subject
His first, rash instinct is to dash over to Ben's school and- do what, exactly? Intervene? Judging by the timestamps on the videos, he couldn't get there in time even if he paid no mind to attracting unwanted attention (and then directing that attention towards Benjiro, oh gods). And it's not as if Sadie and sir Jacob Petty aren't much closer, Numbers and his friends as well.
So, taking a deep breath and telling himself to calm down (and stop combing through his memories for clues, because that won't make things better), he sends a text after waiting a realistic amount of time (that is, minutes instead of seconds).
Ben? Someone took video. Did you have to go to Medical?
... I understand some of the other parties are going to have to.
no subject
It isn’t until Benjiro has moved to the floor in Jacob’s office that he even thinks to fish his silenced phone out of his backpack to check for messages. Between group chats, private messages, text messages, and email alerts, he has too many to answer. First priority to check is the smaller number of text messages. There he finds the initial alert to Walter texting him nearly half an hour ago.
Inwardly cringing, he types quickly to answer.
Sorry, I’m okay.
One of them went to the emergency room.
no subject
Good to hear. And I'm not mad at you; they were clearly out-of-line.
That is important to make clear.
I was mad on your behalf, though. How many people have you heard from already?
Meaning friends, teachers, and/or family, mostly.
no subject
A surge of nausea stirs at the thought that Blaise may require surgery to correct his knee to regain basic function. Still, there is comfort to be had in knowing his friend is not angry with him.
I’m with Professor Petty now. Sadie and James are in class. Everyone else is either being questioned or sent off. My great aunts were called, but they are going to try to contact my parents in Japan before they come here.
no subject
Probably best they aren't crowding you.
Now, how best to help Ben?
What else is on your mind right now?
no subject
Asked about the thoughts weighing his mind, Benjiro lowers his phone and rubs at the intact side of his face. He has quite a lot going through his head, but the things he is willing to share are far fewer in number.
Trying to figure out how to not be sent back to Japan.
If Walter thought at all that the Optional!Hugs or similar methods would help...
Sadie would throw a fit.Wouldn't losing friends be the opposite of what they want to happen?I would miss you.All options thought up and discarded in less than two seconds - though that second one shows some promise...
If you want people to vouch for you, I'll be there.
Hugs are always welcome from friends
Thank you. I think Professor Petty will be able to help me stay enrolled here at 6th form if the police don’t arrest me.
Oddly enough, he feels more threat from the phone call that will eventually come from his parents.
\o/
Good. Can you name any others?
It's both a good cognitive exercise for Ben, and because Walter knows not all the teachers at Ben's school are going to turn on him just like that. A bullying incident like this should come as a blow to most of them...
no subject
Considering Walter may not be familiar with all the faculty, he’ll refer to them otherwise. My math teacher and chemistry teacher. I only know a couple other teachers, and not very well. I’ve spoken with the dean several times, so that might be helpful.
Blaise and his friends have been an issue for other students as well historically.
As long as I can stay at school, I think that should be enough.
Then, he asks a question of Walter.
I’m hesitant to ask, but how far have the videos spread? In other words, has news circulated beyond school yet.
no subject
He had no argument on the other matter. And as for Ben's question...
3543 views and counting, across the three most popular video platforms. I've been flagging them and contacting available site moderators, but responses are slow.
Damn site traffic and bureaucracy!
no subject
Reading the number twice to confirm, he groans and leans his head back to the wall. That is definitely beyond the school. Slow, deeper inhale taken in, he lifts his head back up after a moment to respond on the phone.
Not full on viral yet but it has the potential.
Thank you for reporting the videos. That’s one less thing for me to try to deal with right now.
no subject
I'll keep on trying to get those videos down.
He might even try to track down and contact the uploaders directly, though doing that explicitly on Ben's behalf could come back to haunt both of them.
Have you had to give a statement yet, or are they waiving that?
no subject
Don’t worry too much if it takes a couple days.
Asked about interactions with the police, he frowns slightly. That is one of the other matters that he is still contemplating.
Not yet. They know I’m not going anywhere, so they’re focused on witnesses and the other guys.
no subject
He's taking a risk injecting humor at this point - but Benjiro probably also needs it, so.
Need help settling on a statement?
Though, given who he's with, that might already be covered.
no subject
Humor helps. Before moving back to the topic of meeting the police, he’ll add one more thing about the videos.
This is an odd request...but before the videos are taken down, please save me a copy of each one. He has good reason to ask related to the Numbers.
I don’t know what normally goes into a statement. Do you think they might try to interview me instead?
This was an enlightening search!
Just one last byte (hah!) of humor.
Ben's request brings Walter up short, but he can figure out where the teen's going with it.
... Alright.
That question gets Walter to send a few relevant links, to documents of varying length and depth.
They may have you make your statement on video record, yes.
Ooooh yes indeed! Good find!
Benjiro is having a hard enough time still processing what happened to him, and knowing how much he has upset other people, especially those he cares about, makes it that much more difficult. Sadie especially is going to be livid when she finds out.... As for worrying Walter, he will strive to offload those videos as soon as possible so he need not have the record readily available.
Barely closing his eyes to rest them a moment, he feels his phone vibrate in his grasp. Opening each link sent to him, he skims them over and searches out the most relevant pieces. It takes him longer than it normally might thinking through fatigue and his headache, but he manages.
So nothing too extraordinary.
A short delay follows as he considers his words, then, I’m really sorry about all this. It got out of hand so quickly, I didn’t have time to think.
:> My Google-fu does me proud again!
Ben's next text gets an emote of a nuzzling seal in response.
That's what some of the most stressful things in our lives have in common. We have to act, in the moment, and then when the thoughts do come later, there's almost too many of them.
Or, occasionally, forget the 'almost'.
no subject
A wistful thought towards days before they were numbered.
The unexpected emote is a welcome change from the serious tone of the text messages.
Sounds about right.
Benjiro tends to plan to an excessive degree, yet even he had not set a backup for such an encounter. He had severely underestimated the aggression of the four bullies.
no subject
Avoiding physical altercation was another thing they had in common, then.
Anything else?
I can just spam emotes at you if you'd like.
no subject
Stress controlled for the time being, he can let his mind work on other issues as he rests.
Not that I can think of at the moment. I will keep you updated.
More emotes would be nice... Thank you.
no subject
And Ben does, in fact, get many more silly emotes.
Including a variant of this seal video.
Because sometimes a little bit of 'fibsh' and 'l'egg' can be enough to brighten someone's day!
no subject
It would be hours later before Benjiro could give him a full update, beginning with mention of a visit from Sadie and James in Professor Petty’s office followed by a mild scolding from his great aunts upon their arrival. He met with the police with his great aunts and their lawyer present, and basically was asked to give his account of events. He did so without mention of the Echo that had seized him, merely describing it as the onset of sheer panic causing him to strike out, and expressed his regret for the injuries he caused. His own injuries had been photographed for evidence, but he had been allowed to keep his mouth closed when his face mask had to be removed. The school staff met in that time and it was decided he would be placed on External Exclusion for a week immediately as punishment. However, he would be allowed to keep up with his classes so as not to suffer academically when he had not instigated the fight.
That evening, he’d add one last update from his great aunts’ couch to confirm his parents were furious, but not ready to recall him to Japan. Skipping details of the video conference between three devices, his great aunts had been the ones to intervene when the yelling dragged on so he could sleep.
no subject
Both of their phones buzz at the same time, the group chat they have with a couple of friends going off. Sneaking a look at each other and then a quick glance at the teacher who is busy marking, phones are quickly fished from bags, unlocked, headphones plugged in, and video played. As Ben moves into frame and the taunting starts it becomes apparent as to why their friend had forwarded this to them.
The comment about Sadie and Ben's mask gets both of them glaring at their phones but it's when Ben gets knocked to the ground that Sadie shifts in her seat, making to stand up as an honest to God growl straying to rumble in her chest. It is only because James latches onto her arm and yanks her down further into her seat that she doesn't run straight from her lesson, although the scuffle does draw the attention of their classmates and their teacher.
"Is there a problem Sadie? James?" She calls across the room. Sadie clamps her jaw together, stopping the growl in its tracks and so it falls to James to answer. "Sorry Miss, I dropped my pencil under the table, we were trying to get it back."
What passes are the fifty most frustrating minutes of maths for Sadie, fifty minutes of James poking her periodically to get her to focus and stop scowling but eventually the bell goes and Sadie is up from her chair and out of the classroom like a shot, James cursing as he grabs her bag and dashes off after her.
Sadie makes a beeline for Professor Petty's office, he was the one who seperate the boys at the end and Ben would either be with him or he would know what happened to Ben. With absolutely none of her usual politeness Sadie reaches Jacob's office and shoves the door straight open as James catches up to her.
"Ben?!"
no subject
"What- Sadie Moore!" His voice is sharp, rebuking, what is going on with everyone today!?! To be fair, he already has an idea, from what Ben's told him, but still.
Jacob Petty is displaying a rare amount of anger, and that in itself may be enough to take away how tightly his clothes seem to be fitting him today.
no subject
Posture slumped, and a look of deep upset and worry pulling down at his face. Sadie sniffles as she moves over to where Ben is sat and reaches out for his hands. "Oh Ben, I was so worried."
On the other hand, James, who enters the room behind his twin with a muttered "Fucking hell Sadie." does not ignore their Tutor's displeasure and ends up staring at the man because James had seen Jacob early that day and there was no way that his clothes had been so poorly fitting then.
"What the hell?!"
no subject
He didn’t even know they retained a lawyer.
Positioned down on the floor seated upright against an open space along the wall for recovery and more support where Professor Petty can easily watch him, Benjiro had started to partially doze from sheer exhaustion when he hears the door swung open. He lifts his head at the sound of Sadie calling his name, only to be stunned by the slam against the desk when Jacob stands with a spike of anger audible. Maybe he’s just that out of it, but it sounded like the wood of the desk cracked just then.
Bowed forward from the wall to keep his chest muscles slack to reduce the pull on the ribs, Benjiro looks up as Sadie comes into his view fully and reaches her hands down to him. Phone set aside, he raises the arm opposite his hurt ribs to take her hands and grasp at least one in a tight squeeze. His hair is hanging uncharacteristically over his face, but it serves to make the forming bruises less apparent across his forehead with one half of his face swollen and already quite dark at the cheek. His bare arms show bold patches of discoloration as well after shielding his head most of the time.
Even as he tries to calm Sadie with physical contact, Benjiro is not so ready to ignore his professor. Anxious, he tries to smooth the disruption, “Sorry, Professor...! They weren’t even nearby. The videos must have circulated completely... T-they’re just worried, please let them stay for a minute.”
no subject
"...alright. They can stay," he concedes, "but I don't want any more door slamming. And if you're expecting any more visitors," he adds directly to Ben, "Please give me some warning."
With that, he starts to sit down, frowning at the new damage to the desk. He glances at his hand, then grabs a few papers and moves them over the cracked wood.
no subject
The mounting anger makes her chest feel tight in a way that is both very similar and very different to the sensation Sadie has started to associate with her purring. And just like her purring she has little chance of stopping this. In the quiet of the office Sadie let's out a loud, deep growl, that starts up again as soon as the noise dies down. If someone was to walk past the office it would sound like Jacob was keep a small but furious tiger in there.
James moves his stare from Jacob back to Sadie as she starts growling, yep definitely a good job she didn't start doing that in Maths, he's just going to close the door behind him and turn back to Jacob.
"Erm, Sadie said there was someone at school involved in," He jeasture inelegantly at his growling sister, "... That. I didn't think it would be you."
no subject
Barely able to reply, Benjiro blinks as he hears an unexpected sound coming from very close to him. He turns his head to look up to Sadie in surprise as he registers a rather threatening growl emanating from her. That’s certainly new for him to hear, but it makes sense when she has gained the ability to purr. His eyes flicker briefly away to the door as he hears it close - good. Her brother is truly reliable.
His hand squeezes her own tighter, trying to muster up the energy to show her that he isn’t too bad off as he manages to smile lopsidedly, “…I look that bad, huh?” Benjiro braces as he raises his other hand to take both of her hands and tug downward with a bend of his elbows, the pull slowly strengthened to request rather than force. A tilt of his head, and he verbalizes that request, “Come down with me…please?”
no subject
"All I did was help break up the fight and get Ben cleaned up." And experience a flashback that wasn't mine, he adds silently.
no subject
"What's going to happen next?" He asks Jacob with quiet concern, "Will Ben be alright?"
Sadie keeps half an ear on her brother's conversation even as Ben tugs on her hands. Not wanting him to hurt himself Sadie quickly moves closer and sits herself on the side of the hand he offered her first, not letting it go even as she continues to growl.
"I'm going to kill them." She grits out through her growling.
no subject
Bringing his arms back down lower is relief enough as he sags against the wall fully once more when Sadie grants his request without delay. Grateful to have her position herself close to his less injured side, he makes no move to take back that same hand, and instead gives her hand a longer squeeze, “Thank you...” Thumb lightly rubbing against her hand after, he turns his head at a tilt to look towards her.
Benjiro barely raises a brow and blinks at her words, then hums from his dry throat, “If I were you, I’d share the sentiment...but, then you’d be me. And, I think you would tell me that it’s not worth your future when their own already look dim.” Then, sliding a centimeter across the wall, he leans a bit closer to her to add, “Besides, I think I’ve had all the excitement I can handle today. Maybe wait until tomorrow?”
His focus is on Sadie primarily, but even he is partially awaiting an answer to the question from James. He has some idea, but he wants to know the expectations of his professor.
no subject
"I'm talking about a schoolyard fight, not anything that happened in it, kids."
no subject
James goes to sit on Ben's other side now that that's been sorted and pokes Sadie's leg, tilting his head in Jacob's direction. Sadie blushes now that she isn't as angry. "Sorry about the door Professor...and the desk."
Sorry for the delay!
A relatively positive prediction from Jacob alleviates the worst of the gnawing anxiety regarding his fate at school, however, that end clarification does make the knot in his gut twist a little tighter. The guilt pulls at his lips in a frown, and he responds with remorse, “I do not ever want to do that again... Number or not.” He would rather stay himself and not slip back into the cold calculations.
With James coming to sit with him as well, he manages a tired smile for his friend. Then, Sadie mentions the desk and Benjiro looks with confusion up to his professor, “....did the desk actually crack?”
LASTLY the thing that takes place first lmao
Jacob's gasp, however - more of a sharp inhale of breath, as though he suddenly can't breathe at all - is not just from the sight. In an instant, he's no longer at the school; he's somewhere completely different. Somewhere that looks like...some sort of arena?
Ogundimu, the crowd chants. Ogundimu, Ogundimu, Ogundimu, and he feels his arms raise and a fierce sense of victory, of pride. The knowledge that this crowd is cheering for him.
Just as quickly as it comes, the vision fades, his body knocked off-balance by students and teacher both pushing one another. His coworker tries to push through but can only make so much progress, and looks back at him, shouting, "Petty, do something!"
So he does.
"Everyone, move!" he barks, his voice fueled by his own suppressed panic as much as anger at the situation. That's Ben in there, he recognizes, but even if it wasn't he'd be angry- this fight is leagues beyond anything remotely acceptable in a school setting, and was that a scream?
What in God's name is going on?
Chest feeling too tight, he finally manages to push through to the center, grabbing at Ben to pull him out of the group while the other teacher moves for the other boys.
Worth the wait
After sending one into the wall, Benjiro struggles to his hands and one knee before he is slammed down again. In an instant, he lashes out with an elbow to the face of the one on top of him, forcing him to recoil, and he follows up with a flat-handed carotid strike. Disrupting the steady flow of oxygen to the brain, the larger teenager collapses with a gulp for air. Barely able to take a breath himself, the third lands a punch at his skull, and his forehead slams into the floor. Muscles bunching, he swings both his legs out in an arc that returns to come down into the side and back of the third to send him sprawling.
His attention snaps back to the one he sent into the wall, watching, anticipating his next counterstrike when everything is brought to an abrupt conclusion. Hauled off the floor by one hand as though he weighs nothing, his head swims as he looks up to the familiar face of his professor.
Safe.
Instead of fighting, he reaches to hold the forearm supporting him with one arm, feet trailing to find purchase on the tile floor. His whole body is shaking as his eyes widen. Benjiro sees the chaos around them, and horror sets in accompanying the realization of what he had just done. His own body has suffered greatly, the redness at the bottom of his mask and the blood dripping freely from his chin a testament to the punishment that pressured his retaliation. As it is, he can’t even stand up straight while trying to catch his breath.
no subject
Now that the adults have arrived, the mindless mob seems to be starting to break up. Or at least organize, a few students breaking apart to hurriedly follow the professor's barked order. Petty glances at his fellow woman-at-arms, judging the grasp she has on the situation as other teachers finally arrive to contribute their own help. In short order, some sort of control is extended over the situation, and now that that's done?
Petty half-carries, half-hauls Benjiro down the halls, moving purposely as he heads in to the bathroom to apply some rudimentary first aid. The nurse can handle the more serious injuries- for now, his mission is to take care of his student.
"Anyone in here?" A beat. "Good." He can't exactly lock the door, but he'll take this solitude for the moment, taking a somewhat more gentle grip on Benjiro as he moves for the sink to start running some water.
"Can the mask come off?"
no subject
Coming up to the sink, he leans forward over the basin, his other hand fumbling over the edge to latch on for support to give Jacob the freedom to move and start the running water. Benjiro keeps his eyes down as he nods his head in answer. Yes, the mask can come off.
But he can’t stop shaking.
no subject
Is he in shock? Possibly. God, Jacob half-feels like just going in to a stall and holding himself, too, with the vividity of that vision. That look on Benjiro's face. The way it still feels hard to breathe, like there's something strapped across his chest...
Focus. He has to be calm, for Ben. Jacob still ducks down to give himself a quick splash of cold water before taking a breath and catching that nod. "Alright," he breathes out. "Let's clean you up, and then we'll pop by the nurse's office."
Assuming Blaise isn't there. If not, Jacob's fine with keeping Ben for a bit. If only to find out what happened.
First things first, though. A hand is slowly reaching for that mask to guide down, and then reaching back up for that paper towel. Though it pauses halfway there, then moves to snap in front of Ben's face.
"Hey, look at me. Stay with me, alright? If you need to be sick," he adds, only half-joking, "I'll help you to the stall, but give me a little warning, alright?"
no subject
Professor Petty is there with him, and while he hears him talking, Benjiro fails to really process the words. Were he able to comprehend them, a new thread of panic might find its way into his thoughts with the risk of his teeth being exposed in an examination by someone with medical training. That matter, however, is not yet the present.
Hand coming into his field of vision close to his face, the teenager flinches visibly with a couple rapid blinks, but then he resumes staring vacantly down at the water as red drops disperse in the steady flow down the drain. The blood dribbles faster as the mask first comes off, then slows almost immediately. His lip is split, yet it doesn’t seem to be the main source of blood as the draining trails from the corners of his mouth.
That snap in front of his face gets a larger startle reaction as Benjiro stiffens through his torso and almost falls backwards from the sink with his eyes regaining focus in an instant and a sharp inhale punctuated by a crackle in his side. His second hand snags a hold of the sink to anchor him in place, and he finally turns his head to look to Jacob. Meekly, he answers, “...I-I’ll try.”
He does feel incredbily nauseous, his head is pounding, his body just hurts, and he can’t quite catch his breath yet. That tremor has yet to abate either.
Closing his eyes a few seconds with a rough swallow, he decides to not wait, “...maybe...we should move now.”
no subject
"Hey, hey, easy, Ben."
For all the good that does, anyway. Is he going to have to go to the hospital, Petty wonders? Either way, a trip to the nurses' office is definitely in order after this. Thankfully, even if the other kids are there, there'll be enough faculty to keep another fight from starting...
Oh.
Well.
He did ask for some warning.
"Use my arm," he urges, offering it both as a grip and a source of strength as he guides Ben to the aforementioned stall.
no subject
The opportunity is temptation enough to his body as his awareness gradually returns with the adrenaline becoming spent. One at a time, he wraps each hand over the offered forearm, pulling harder through one arm than the other as his side complains. He walks with Jacob, making an effort to not drag his feet and to keep from leaning too hard on the man. He does stumble once in the short distance, and murmurs his thanks for such reliable support. A glance at his hands, and he realizes his knuckles are clean.
He didn’t have to even throw a punch to hurt them.
Once inside the handicap stall, Benjiro makes the transition to holding onto the bar anchored to the wall and bows forward over the toilet. At first, he seems okay, but a cough to clear some of the blood in his throat is all it takes to cause him to expel the limited contents of his stomach. His ribs rebel against the reflexive effort, and the pain is enough to drop him to his knees as he coughs and gags his way to completely bring it all up. Gasping for breath after, he shudders and drops his head over against his forearms, still clutching to the rail.
Breathlessly, he starts to whisper as tears wet his eyes, “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry....”
no subject
Instead, he grabs some toilet paper and holds it ready for Ben to wipe his mouth - or face - whenever he's ready.
"Just focus on breathing for me," he urges, voice soft. "Get out what you need to get out, just keep breathing. I can count them off if you need to."
God knows he got to go through a couple exercise sessions of that fresh from his accident.
no subject
Benjiro closes his eyes, shutting them tight as the tears begin to roll down his pallid cheeks. Nothing more than a whimper slips from his throat in answer as his apologies stall in an effort to breathe as instructed. His arms weaken in holding the bar, and he slips slowly down to sitting on his shoes while still kneeling on the floor, now further from the bowl and leaning a shoulder to the wall instead. Head bowed fully forward, his breath hitches with pained hisses and restrained whines as tears drip to his lap. Hands resting there, his fingers grasp at the cloth of his pants hard enough for the knuckles to turn white.
He had been so terrified, then not him at all.
no subject
"Still with me, Ben?"
For once, he's not trying to lighten the situation with humor. Not really much he can joke about, here.
no subject
“...y-yeah, I’m with you.”
Still a bloody mess, Benjiro looks over to Jacob and meets his eyes for a matter of seconds before he looks away, too ashamed to keep eye contact. The boy remains frightened and shaken, however, now he is able to think more clearly after such a heavy release.