Oh, For The Love Of... (Gabriel)

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam had been in better moods. The cast on her right wrist was making her itch, and she still hadn't figured out a good system for using the crutch on her left side. Stupid cut on her thigh was still deep enough that it was dangerous for her to be putting the leg to much use.

Unfortunately, with her right hand partially out of commission and her left hand using the crutch, it made it pretty hard for Sam to get around on her own, much less participate in her dance classes. But she managed as best she could; sometimes people were nice enough to hold doors open for her, and when they weren't, Sam wished a whole bunch of bad karma on the lot of them and made her way painstakingly by herself.

Today she was in a coffee shop. She didn't like coffee, really, but the place had some really good non-coffee ice blended drinks, too. As she got up to the register, the woman looked her up and down with disdain, and Sam raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything out loud.

Are cripples not allowed in coffee shops anymore? "Regular size banana caramel, please." The lady rolled her eyes, and began placing the order. But as Sam struggled to pull her wallet out of her back pocket, her fingers slipped, jarring the cast and sending a spasm of pain up the girl's arm, simultaneously forcing her to drop the wallet on the ground.

"Merda..." The girl sighed, trying to bend down to pick it up while not using any of the muscles of her left leg, leaning heavily on her crutch. The lady at the register sighed impatiently, tapping her foot, but made no move to help, or ask anyone else to help her. Were people really this heartless?

[Gabriel Seran]

A small break in the action around this time today. Gabriel had been hard at work and was seeing time fit to break from his laborious schedule of mixed plotting and running amok. TImes were tough, Mr. Oranges recent rampage had left the school in shambles and riots were at an all time high. It left Gabriel with a small grin plastered on his face, amused with the new turn of events. He walked today unafraid by the recent violence in fact he welcomed it was cheery disposition finding whatever chance he got to enter a small brawl but for now he'd settle for an early drink and a few kicks.

He turned the corner entering the small cafe at the corner. Too many memories here, the recent fights the murders, changing of the guard, and all the drafting. It was a good place a very nostalgic one. Gabriel's strong apparel made him out to be nothing less than the higher class. Black jeans and a slick buttoned up white shirt. His hair slicked back bringing an attractive edge to his face.

His eyes set on a small looking girl, her body looked broken and recently under a new reconstruction. A drop of the essentials and an unforgiving stare by the attendance. Gabriel hurried to her side, slowly bending to grab for the wallet bumping her softly as he did.

"Pardon, this would be yours then, ma belle?" Gabriel accented in deep french before slipping her the wallet smoothly, with a shift of his head he'd return a disapproving stare a the attendant serving them.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam sighed in relief as a hand picked up the wallet she was trying to hard to reach. She stood back up, rather laboriously, and nodded, taking the wallet from him as she noticed his definitively European accent.

"Grazie," she said, turning to the cashier and tossing her a few bills, not even bothering to but them straight into the woman's hand. When she got her change, she moved out of the way of the people in line behind her.

She turned back to the French boy. He was dressed nicely, in what looked like rather expensive clothing. "Thanks again," she said. "Glad to see common courtesy isn't completely dead." She grinned at him, noticing for the first time that he did look a little familiar. From his age she guessed that she'd probably seen him around school or something.

"I'm Sam," she said, holding on to the crutch under her left arm and reaching the rest of it as far out as she could to shake his hand. It was usually customary to use the right hand, but that one was a little difficult to use just then, so the boy would have to deal.

[Gabriel Seran]

An Italian? Gabriel thought quickly rising a brow with a certain curiosity. He gave her a quick smile to cover up the quick once over he gave her. It was simply habit to examine a person before becoming acquainted, Gabriel enjoyed knowing how to approach before actually conversing a more of ask questions first rather than shoot approach.

"Non, it seemed the only right thing to do..." Gabriel gave a quick feverish smile before handing the lady a file of bills, "Gabriel, a pleasure"

As he took her hand he moved quickly to plant a respectable kiss on the knuckle before retreating his grip. With the other hand he took hold of the coffee he'd ordered. Not only had he helped a young damsel but he got front cuts in line, good start so far. He turned and offered a hand to help her get to a seat shortly.

"Mind if I stick around? I'd feel guilty seeing you get taken advantage of in your current state..." Gabriel pointed out quickly before taking a short seat.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam was pleasantly surprised by his move to kiss her hand. It seemed that not only was common courtesy alive and well with this one, but chivalry as well. She grinned as he let go of her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Gabriel."

She felt like she should be curtsying or something, but in her current condition, it wasn't something that could be attempted at the moment. She grabbed her drink as best she could with her right hand, which wasn't horribly difficult, as her fingers were left pretty much free of the cast.

The girl nodded at his next request. "Be my guest," she said. She didn't want to seem rude, and besides, it would be nice to have some company. She accepted his help to get her to her seat, and set her drink down on the table before grabbing his hand, and using both him and her crutch, managed to sit down in the chair.

"You look somewhat familiar, Gabriel," she said once she'd gotten seated, lacing her fingers together and looking at him. "You wouldn't happen to go to Moral Crest?" He looked the right age, and Sam hadn't heard about any other schools in the near vicinity.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel sat with a cool presence about him. A small smile of the neutral manner set on his face as he listened to her observations. He had been a student in fact her bringing that up brought his own question, particularly involving the recent damages to the school.

"Yes, I do in fact. And I'd assume by asking you do as well Samantha?" Gabriel said assuming her name was indeed Samantha, he generally referred to people by their full names rather than the short nick names, it just seemed disrespectful in his mind.

As for his question he'd save it for good timing rather than let something slip up here or there. "hmm though with the certain violence rising there I'm sure anyone would identify you with the school." He inclined it as a joke smirking quickly not to embarrass her too badly.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam nodded in satisfaction. That's where she recognized him from, then. "Yeah, I go there, too," she said, wrinkling her nose a bit. He called her "Samantha." Usually it was only her father and some of the teachers that called her by her full name, and to be honest, she preferred Sam - Samantha just seemed too formal - but some people (like her father) believed it a show of disrespect to call someone by other than the name they'd been given, or at least use the term "sir" or "ma'am." Maybe Gabriel was one of those types.

She chuckled as he teased her, rolling her eyes a little and giving him a rueful grin. It was true; a lot of the students had been injured during some of the recent events, making it an easy assumption that anyone walking around in the area with an injury of some sort, even just a few cuts and bruises, was probably a student there. Sam was lucky enough not to have the small injuries to deal with, at least; James had seen to that in the hospital. "Yeah, I suppose this just stamps a sign on my forehead, huh? 'I ATTEND PHS #42.'"

[Gabriel Seran]

He smiled along playfully. Gabriel took the coffee cup to his lips bringing the heated substance against his lips only parting them to let the drink through. Once it had passed he let out a relieved sigh as though it had healed a part of him.

"So, were did you end up getting these?" Gabriel jested lightly as his finger traced over the wounds gently and with particular care.

He loved to hear a good battle story, especially when it benefitted him to hear what the problem was caused by. Chances are it was in a riot, thats where the dilemmas seemed to be arising from and particularly he wanted to know more. In his own secret little way.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam's playful smile faded slowly as she watched his finger run it's way along her cast. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted, recalling the day. "Were you there when Mr. Orange... went on some kind of rampage and began attacking people, completely out of nowhere?" Whether he was or not, Sam would continue with her story.

"I was in the classroom he decided to put a hole in. He did something... sent out some kind of shockwave; it practically pulverized the floor and sent us crashing down to the floor beneath. And then he did it again, and we landed on the first floor. It was a mess..." She stopped, remembering the chaos. She'd heard someone screaming in pain and terror directly underneath her, and hadn't done a thing about it. Just another example of the atmosphere that day.

"I was kind of dazed after the falls. Once I snapped out of it, I realized I was in pain. So I don't know exactly how I got hurt, except it must have been at some point while I was in midair." She grinned ruefully. "Sorry it's not some epic story. Just a lot of blurry memory and a mild concussion."

[Gabriel Seran]

"Yes..." Gabriel said lightly lowering his head shortly, s look of short sorrow overtaking him, "Its such a burden to see the school in such disarray. If only there were some people that could control this chaos." He said referring to what the pillars were not doing. A small jab at the worthlessness of their effects.

"Its alright, probably better you don't recall anyways." Gabriel gave a short smile remembering his exit from the scene, he'd been partially to blame for the chaos but with chaos birthed new found control, "Aside from that how are you holding up? The riots been causing you any troubles lately?"

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam frowned slightly, trying to decipher his meaning, but she quickly covered it with a grin. "You make it sound like we don't have the Pillars," she said lightly.

She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "I've been steering clear of the riots as much as humanly possible, to be honest. It just gets people into trouble and gives the Pillars an unnecessarily hard time. They're working hard enough to keep order as it is." She leaned her chin in her hand. "Besides, I don't really think the violence is necessary. People get hurt-" she held up her right hand as proof- "and there's gotta be better ways to make change." She smiled. "In my opinion, anyway."

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel smiled a bit disheartened but still made it look sympathetic enough to pass off as genuine. So she was a Pillar sympathizer, that made things difficult, yet again it still called for a new game. His reach stretched out to clasp the wounded arm. and his eyes sought deeply into her own. Gabriel gave her a genuine look of concern.

"What if there was a way to do without either?" His voice was calm and yet at the same time contemplating almost as if he were setting a snare behind the bait. waiting for the young rabbit to follow it down the hole.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam's brow furrowed as he took her hand. Do without either? What in the world was that about? Well, there was one way to find out.

"What... what do you mean?" She said slowly.

It was beginning to sound to her like Gabriel was against the Pillar system entirely, which did not sit well with Sam. She liked the Pillar system the way it was, thank you very much. If anything, there needed to be more Pillars, not less. Only four of them in a school the size of Moral Crest made it very difficult to keep order.

She watched Gabriel's eyes carefully, waiting for a response.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel set his coffee down atop the table lightly and lifted his gaze curiously.

"What I'm saying is we can come to peace without the use of the pillars and without any prolonged fighting." Partly true partly lie he couldn't see the future but he predicted if the right moves were taken a short brawl would end the pillars and establish a new form of control far stronger.

He raised his hand quickly to quell any questions, "Not that I'm saying there wont be a system in control, I'm simply saying that we can spread the power around more democratically, amongst more members keeping the populous in a means of peace."

Two birds with one stone in his opinion. It just required a bit of vision, and a dose of rebellion.

[Sam Ballerino]

Sam frowned again. "You have to be careful with that, though," she said. "Too many people in power and it becomes nothing but an ineffective bureaucracy."

Normally Sam would agree with the concept of democracy, but in this case, she didn't so much. With the mindset of a lot of the students at Moral Crest, it wouldn't turn out to be a democracy so much as complete chaos. The system seemed fine the way it was. If any changes needed to be made, it would be much more efficient to just revamp the system that was already there, rather than disturb the population by recreating the arrangement entirely.