Control (Open)

[Matrim Gallagher]

Matrim passed through the crowded streets without problems. It seemed nowadays he wasn't picking fights so much, he had lost a lot of anger. Still, the temptation to take pills was always there, as well as the temptation to drink. Luckily, he had been doing neither of these things. In fact, he had been holding off on it quite well, making sure to rid his place of any and all alcohol, flushing every prescribed or non-prescribed drug. He wouldn't take anything, not even advil. All he would do is drink water, eat healthy foods, and work out.

Still, the sunny day was a good chance to go out and walk around town for exercise. A chance to get out of his loft on the weekend and take a break from his homework he had been doing. Of course this didn't last very long before something happened. Something always happens right?

Always.

Matrim was crossing the street when some idiot wasn't looking at the light, someone in a very cheap red sports car nearly ran Matrim over. They swerved at last second, smashing into the post at the corner. Matrim shrugged and walked off, the driver of the car getting out and cussing at Matrim.

Matrim shrugged it off and kept walking. Decided to just let it go, but the guy kept calling out 'hey' and following Matrim, jogging to catch up with him, only the second he did Matrim snapped, turning around and grabbing the guy by the throat with his right hand, shoving the guy into a wall, pinning him against it as he raised him up off of his feet.

"Let's get one thing straight, the reason I don't kick your ass for nearly killing me after running that red light is because I'm trying to pass on the adrenaline rush. If you really want to piss me off I'd be willing to take it and kick your ass though, got it?" Matrim said, tossing the guy to the side. Some people who had stopped clapped, supporting Matrim since quite frankly the guy was in the wrong and was being an asshole. The guy walked off and Matrim turned the other way.

He got as far as to the next street before seeing a messed up red sports car heading straight at him, "SHIT!" Matrim yelled, realizing that he couldn't move his legs for some reason. Whether it was fear or shock or panic. For some reason he lost his nerve as the car charged for him.

[Jay]

"Shit!"

What is that guy doing? Jay wondered as he waited for the light to change. However, from the looks of it, a Jaywalker had gone out into the road, then froze. Was he trying to die? Jay also kept in mind that a few moments ago, the kid had just... bitched someone out. Maybe he was pissed, and didn't realize. But either way...

VROOM!

Jay turned his head, seeing a red sports car - a damaged on heading right for the kid. Shit! Why isn't he moving? Upon closer inspection, Jay saw that it was a Corvette sans the front bumper, though this detail isn't really important. What was important was that Matrim was seemingly glued to the middle of the road. The horn began sounding, though the kid showed no signs of wanting to move.

"Tch!" Before he knew what he was doing, Jay sprinted out towards the open road, feeling every bit as stupid as he must have looked. With a yell, Jay leaped into the air feet first, intent on kicking Matrim out of the way. There was a bone-jarring shake as his Air Forces made contact with the boy, and both boys were thrown off to the side.

...and the Corvette just sped by...

Asshole.

[Matrim Gallagher]

Matrim was kicked out of the way, landing hard on his shoulder but safely away from the asshole in the sports car. Matrim was thankful, but it wouldn't show on his face as he slowly got up. He had been hoping to avoid the rush of adrenaline and it just kicked in when he got kicked out of the way of that car. Actually the car coming at him itself sort of started that, and now he wanted to keep feeling the rush, he wanted to fight. Though he wasn't sure if he should, knowing how easily he might be tempted to do other things. How the rush of adrenaline and release of endorphins might trigger and feed into his other addictions, tempting him.

And he needed to clear his bodies of everything. He needed to stay clean for six months to detox, that was what the school nurse and Emily had told him, and that was what he planned to do, so he held his anger, "Thanks...." Matrim said, he would look over at the kid, "You're a real life saver there, for some reason flight or fight kicked in and I chose C, none of the above."

Don't know why the hell I froze up like that....... but being kicked is definitely better then becoming a human speed bump.

[Elmira Medina]

Elmira had a few passions in life, mainly revolving around hair, parties, and bikes. It may seem like an odd combination of interests, but each hobby she pursued gave her a similar thrill. Today she showed her keenness for the latter with a slight hint of the first as she sped along the streets, pedaling swiftly on her nine hundred dollar bicycle, her tresses pulled back neatly into a French braid that trailed behind her in the wind while her legs moved in unison with the gears. Sure, she also liked fast cars, particularly expensive, fancy sports cars, but the day was warm and sunny, and the feeling of riding a bike was drastically different than driving along in a motorized vehicle.

Speaking of fast cars... what the hell?! Her eyes averted over to a zooming red Corvette, zipping right past her much slower bike and almost running over two guys who appeared roughly her age. In fact, she recognized one of them as the Varsity Captain who had given her a position on the basketball team some time ago- Matrim. The other was a fresh face.

With a quick jerk of the handlebars, Elmira made her way over to the area where the eye-opening scene had taken place, finding her fellow student on the floor at the side of the street. "Oh my gawd, are you okay?" she asked upon approaching them, jumping off the bike and sliding down the kickstand with her foot. "Dude, that's totally messed up! Did you get the license plate number? I mean, it was probably moving too fast to tell, but like, people should not be getting away with shit like that."

[Jay]

"Thanks...."

"You're welcome," Jay replied, his breathing harsh. He was definitely not up for doing that again, no matter how welcome Jay sounded. Jay turned to look at the vehicle, perhaps for a glance at its plate, but by then, the only thing he could see was its exhaust fumes. Jay coughed.

"You're a real life saver there, for some reason flight or fight kicked in and I chose C, none of the above," the student tried to reason, to which Jay answered with a pat on the shoulder.

"It doesn't happen to everyone," Jay quipped with a smirk. "But it's okay." Helping the boy up so that they weren't anywhere near the road, he bent down and looked around before asking.

"Have you been taking drugs or-"

"Oh my gawd, are you okay?"

It was at that moment in time someone on a bicycle decided to jump in and maybe help, albeit a tad too late. Still, the gesture was appreciated. "Dude, that's totally messed up! Did you get the license plate number? I mean, it was probably moving too fast to tell, but like, people should not be getting away with shit like that." Jay shook his head.

"The front bumper was missing, and I didn't have time to look back until it left," Jay explained.

"But don't worry - a bumper-less sports car generally doesn't stay hidden for long."

[Matrim Gallagher]

A pat on the shoulder comforted Matrim as the boy assured him it was OK. The certainty in his voice was comforting in itself, because Matrim was trying to hold on, trying to fight his addictions. Then the boy said something that made Matrim wonder, wonder if this had been part of the reason he froze up...

"Have you been taking drugs or-"

"Oh my gawd, are you okay?" A girl had entered the scene, Elmira. Matrim remembered her, his great memory wasn't fading at least. The problem was, he had eyes. He wasn't blind to the fact that Elmira was an extremely well built girl, tall and curvy to an extent with nice legs---

I need to get that out of my mind... I can only be with Reira. There is no question or doubt in my mind. I can get through this. For her..... I wonder if Reira would be interested in---- no! Mind out of the gutter!

Matrim lacked the will to punch himself in the nuts, so instead he simply kept his eyes to the ground, trying not to look up at Elmira, which didn't work. And then he kept his eyes deadlocked above her neck, making sure not to look down at her body, and attempted to ignore his peripheral vision. "Dude, that's totally messed up! Did you get the license plate number? I mean, it was probably moving too fast to tell, but like, people should not be getting away with shit like that."

"The front bumper was missing, and I didn't have time to look back until it left, but don't worry - a bumper-less sports car generally doesn't stay hidden for long."

"621-FAU," Matrim said out loud, looking back and forth between the two, "Don't worry, he won't get away."

At least my photographic memory is still working well......

"In any case, it's been awhile Elmira, good to see you're keeping in shape," He refrained from saying something along the lines of a more specific compliment. Instead he pulled out his phone and checked for any messages or texts he might have from Reira, but came up with squat, "So, Mr. Savior, got a name? And Elmira, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?"

Matrim was fighting the urge to fight, the urge to flirt, and the urge to run into the nearest bar to down a bottle of whiskey.

[Elmira Medina]

"Heh heh, I was more bicycling for the hell of it than for the actual exercise," Elmira replied to comment about staying in shape, her worried and concerned expression fading to a grin as the subject was changed and the recently kicked victim began a conversation.

Getting Elmira talking was a dangerous and risky thing to do--she may never stop. "I have a gym membership and a basketball team for that." She winked at Matrim after mentioning the basketball team. "But besides that stuff, I've just been up to the usual: parties, clubs, homework projects at two in the morning. It seems like the middle of the night is the only time I get anything done." She rolled her eyes, then turned to Jay.

"In case you didn't guess by now, with it being repeated a couple times, my name's Elmira, but you can call me Ellie if you like. You go to Moral Crest like me and Matrim here?"

[Jay]

"621-FAU."

Jay raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Impressive...," he commented. You managed to remember it as a kicked you?

"Don't worry, he won't get away."

"I would hope not."

"So, Mr. Savior, got a name? And Elmira, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you?" the boy asked, pulling his phone out, and of all the things to do now - checking his messages.

"I'm Jay," he said simply. He didn't feel the need to give anymore than that, or ask for the boy's name in return, because Jay figured he wouldn't be seeing him after this. Unlikely we'll see each other again.

After the two had a -brief- conversation, during which Jay considered leaving, since he felt so... out of place, Elmira turned him, surprising him with a question. "In case you didn't guess by now, with it being repeated a couple times, my name's Elmira, but you can call me Ellie if you like. You go to Moral Crest like me and Matrim here?"

Jay raised his eyebrows again, although this time, it was from surprise.

"Yes, I do." He gave a soft laugh. "What a coincidence."

Matrim and Elmira. Hnn.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Eh, it happens more often then you'd think," Matrim said, scratching his head and looking around. He was always running into kids from school around the town, "Although the sports car thing was a bit random I suppose. Had a fortune cookie the other day that said great things were heading your way, guess whoever wrote that liked Corvette's. Anyway, like she said, I'm Matrim, I'm the Varsity Captain, one of the pillars of the school. You got a hell of a kick, you should try out for the soccer team, Jay."

Matrim was doing anything to keep the topic off of anything have to do with a girls body part or fighting. Sports was kosher, sports was very kosher. It wasn't drinking, drugs, women, or fighting, it was kosher.

Matrim rubbed the part of his back and shoulder where he was hit as he said this and looked around, "Well I feel like going and doing something that's not just standing around, what are you guys up to, want to go-"

Go drink? Go fight? Have wild and crazy--- NO.

"Do something?" Matrim said, and finally one of his temptations came in, "Go spar, go work out, go get a milkshake, possibly track that guy down and go to town on that corvette? Really I'm up for anything here. Bursting with energy from the adrenaline rush."

[Elmira Medina]

"You got a hell of a kick, you should try out for the soccer team, Jay."

"Hey, no fair!" Elmira cried in a fake whining tone. "You made all of the other jock-types beat the shit out of each other just to get on a team, and now you're suggesting that he can try out for soccer the sane, normal way? Laaaaaame." She shook her head. "Sounds like you're giving him special treatment just because he happened to save your life. Hell, I would've kicked you out of the way of a speeding car if I happened to be walking nearby and the idea of using my foot to get you out of the way was a regular thing for me."

She leaned herself back onto her bike. It wasn't large enough to actually support her full weight if she let herself completely fall back (it obviously could support her weight if she sat on it and pedaled), but it provided a slight different from standing upright. "Anyhow, I'm totally down to chill. Work out, spar, whatever. But no milkshakes for me." She mindlessly opened the bag that was hanging off the back of the bike, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "I'm a total health freak." With that, she stuck one of the cancer sticks in her mouth and lit up. "Like, people see me so concerned about health and stuff that it annoys them, exercising and eating veggies and what-not." She held out the pack toward both of the others. "Want one?"

[Jay]

"Anyway, like she said, I'm Matrim, I'm the Varsity Captain, one of the pillars of the school. You got a hell of a kick, you should try out for the soccer team, Jay."

"Soccer season's already passed," he replied. But he didn't really hold an interest in soccer. Even though he was Asian, he played basketball - and he wasn't half bad at it either.

"Sounds like you're giving him special treatment just because he happened to save your life. Hell, I would've kicked you out of the way of a speeding car if I happened to be walking nearby and the idea of using my foot to get you out of the way was a regular thing for me."

"But you weren't the one to save him, were you?" Jay quipped with a smirk. But wasn't it true? What good is saying, "I would have done this, that, etc..."?

"Well I feel like going and doing something that's not just standing around, what are you guys up to, want to go do something?"

"Anyhow, I'm totally down to chill. Work out, spar, whatever. But no milkshakes for me."

"Why's that?"

"I'm a total health freak," she said, and as she said those words, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, obviously about to smoke one. Jay looked on in disbelief at the sheer irony of what she just said, and what she was about to do. "Like, people see me so concerned about health and stuff that it annoys them, exercising and eating veggies and what-not."

"I don't see it."

"Want one?"

"No."

[Matrim Gallagher]

(OOC: Sorry for the late Reply)

"How about a sparring match?" Matrim said, pointing over to a small park. Of course, it was very small in comparison to Golden Gate Park but a grassy area was a grassy area nevertheless. He looked between the two of them, "And to make it fair it can be two versus one. Because while I don't doubt the opposite sex, I do doubt everybody. And since I'm a pillar it would seem hardly fair of me to make you fight each other and me at the same time.... unless you would prefer that way. Decide amongst yourselves but I want to fight the both of you either way."

Matrim would walk to the grassy area, saying nothing more. They could either follow him or leave but he wanted to fight. He wanted to get this energy out of him somehow, and fighting seemed like the vice of choice here, no drug intake, no alcohol, and not cheating on his fiancee, which made this seem like the best possible decision.

Once he got to the grassy area he would take off his shoes and socks, he liked fighting barefoot. In fact he preferred being barefoot about 95% of the time. It was just what he felt comfortable with. So he did so and took a place in the center of the small field, stretching his arms and back and finally letting out a sigh of relief from all the stretches he put both hands on his waste, took one off waving whoever followed him on, "Bring it!"

[Elmira Medina]

Elmira lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. She put the cigarette carton away, seeing that Jay denied her offer and Matrim simply was not interested. After taking a final drag of the cancer stick and putting it out on the ground, she locked her bike, wrapping the chain around a nearby pole, then slowly walking over to where Matrim had settled himself for sparring.

Sparring, huh? Elmira thought. Why do all the Moral Crest kids love sparring so much? Don't they fight enough among themselves as it is? She had very little experience with sparring, and that experience did not end particularly well, or at least as expected. That was also her first time fighting a boy since elementary school; cat fights were generally reserved for girls, as those were the ones she generally had animosity toward, enough so to physically harm.

"Well, if you think you can take on the both of us, then sure, by all means," she retorted, stretching out her legs. "Are there any ground rules, or can I fight as dirty as I please?" A grin parted her lips. She had to verify this, or things might end up as chaotic as they had in the past.

[Matrim Gallagher]

(Since Jay hasn't posted, and.... I really want to fight cha! I'll post, I don't mean to God here, I'm just gonna make it seem as though Jay didn't follow Matrim.)

It seemed only the girl had been interested, which was fine with Matrim but he hardly thought of her as a fair fight for him. He wanted to even the odds in their favor to make things interesting. Oh well, Matrim wasn't one to turn down a fight, and it was always nice to get to know how people fought, being able to see different styles and know where you stood with someone when it came to physical strength or speed.

"It looks like your own your own there girlie, and yeah fight as dirty as you want. Just know that the second you fight dirty is the second I do," He said. He was pushing dirty thoughts out of his mind, keeping it filled with thoughts of a fight. He didn't want to get kicked in the nuts, eyes gouged, or nipples twisted, but if he had to he knew places to hit people. Emily taught him in a fight through an attack of her own how to hit someones bladder and cause them to piss themselves. Something he used on Kate at another point.

Matrim kept his stance where he was the entire time, not to focus his Qi but out of boredom, "So then, why don't we get things started? Or are you just going to stand there and watch me as you stretch?" Matrim would say with outstretched arms, waiting on her to attack.

Come on girl, bring it... giving you first move here.....

[Elmira Medina]

Elmira's eyes narrowed. "Alrighty, then."

She had two different styles in fighting: fighting because she felt like it and fighting seriously. Well, they were somewhat similar, seeing as she was a single person and she was influenced a little in each. But when she fought seriously, she thought out her training in Capoeira moves and followed accordingly. When she was just pissed off, she did more of whatever came over her, much like a cat fight.

Still, while Matrim wasn't asking for a cat fight, she saw no reason to be organized and sober about the battle, at least not yet. She'd start out with the basics, what she had grown accustomed to over the years, and for her, that meant charging blindly toward her opponent with a hand outstretched to his head (not too hard for somebody as tall as Elmira) with the intent of clutching the back of his scalp with fingers grasped onto his hair and dragging his face into the ground. Not exactly full of the best tactics, this move, but it was often a favorite of Elmira's.