Brain Trauma (Matrim)

[Nicolas Constantine]

Nick was thinking a mile a minute these past few days, and he had completely forgotten about his match with Matrim. The main thing on his mind was the whole Sam/Damien catastrophe, followed closely second by the new school-wide work overload panic that the members of the school board had created.

So, he needed to find Matrim as soon as he could, to avoid him getting more upset than he could already be at him for trying to postpone. Nick asked left and right to people he didn't know if they knew where Matrim was, and getting more frustrated and frightened at each passing student he asked who didn't know.

Flustered and disappointed, Nick sat down on a bench in the courtyard under a large tree, and thought of how he should go about trying to find the elusive Pillar.

[Matrim Gallagher]

Matrim had heard that someone was asking around for him, and eventually Matrim became curious. Partially because of his paranoia, but also because he felt it could be important. He got a general description of the kid and realized who it was, "Boxing kid.... Nicolas. That's what he said his name was..." Matrim started walking around aimlessly, as he did when he looked for a good place to nap. Only he wasn't tired, so he figured the kid would find him sooner or later if he just kept walking around.

Or Matrim could find him....

Well that was easy enough he's over there by that tree....

Matrim walked over to the bench the kid was sitting at, Matrim stood with his hands in his jacket pockets, "So, I heard you're looking for me. Not throwing in the towel or anything like that are you?"

[Nicolas Constantine]

Someone was approaching Nick, but it didn't matter. He needed to find Mat-

"So, I heard you're looking for me. Not throwing in the towel or anything like that are you?"[/i]

-rim. Nick looked up to find the person he was looking for this whole time. Right in front of him. I guess ask enough people where a Pillar is, and the Pillar will find you.

"Uh, um, yeah. Yeah, I was looking for you. And I needed to talk to you about exactly that."

Nick was still a little confused as to how Matrim knew he was looking for him, but then again Nick had had the notion that the Pillars kept a close eye on him. It was silly, but this kind of pushed his speculation towards being true. But that's not what this was about, and Nick answered the question in the wrong manner, making it sound like he was throwing the match.

[Matrim Gallagher]

(OOC: Sorry for the late reply, totally spaced this thread out.)

"Uh, um, yeah. Yeah, I was looking for you. And I needed to talk to you about exactly that." Nicolas said, and Matrim let out a 'hmm?' noise Matrim scratched the back of his head wondering if the kid had changed his mind. Or maybe there was something more to it? Maybe he was moving, or maybe he was feeling sick. It couldn't be that he was afraid of Matrim, he seemed pretty determined when they talked. Unless he was getting butterflies about the match, but it's not like it'd be all that bad. After all they'd be wearing boxing equipment, so there wasn't a huge risk of any serious injury.

"Don't tell me you have cancer and you're unable to carry on with the match because of that! That'd be horrible, I shouldn't joke about cancer. Anyway, whats up? What did you need to talk about concerning the match?" Matrim asked, taking a seat next to the kid on the bench.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Matrim sat down next to Nick.

"Alright, so you know that those cheeky colored creeps have been running a muck in the school lately? Well I have absolutely no time to practice anymore, with the new workload."

Nick sighed.

"Plus that fellow Pillar of yours, Damien, has really gotten on my nerves. Its really be getting to me."

Nick found he was sounding really depressed and talking about things that Matrim probably didn't want to hear about, so he immediately perked up.

"But I'm not throwing in the towel or anything! No, no, no, just saying we should postpone the match until these things are settled, you know?"

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Yeah," Matrim said, thinking about it all. Damien was getting on his nerves?

Jester freaks me right the fuck out....

"So, tell me," Matrim said, leaning back in his chair. Trying to figure all of this out, "What is Damien doing to get on your nerves? I mean, he's a colleague of mine, and I can keep this completely confidential, I just want to investigate any and all complaints about the other Pillars. Sort of a system of checks and balance you know? Only my own version of it. So what's he been troubling you with?"

Because I already know why you are so angry with Purple and Orange. I know why everybody is angry with them. And it's true, a lot of kids aren't able to keep up in sports now because of all of this. It's a damned shame.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Nick didn't want the information relaying back to Damien, but Nick trusted Matrim. Definitely the most out of the four.

"Ugh... he... he just gets on my nerves. In my opinion he abuses his position as a Pillar, and I-I just get easily fed up with him. And then, stupid me, I talk back to him and he's much stronger than me, so it winds up being me on the ground, looking like the enemy..."

Nick sighed. He must sound like a winy little bastard.

"Sorry, tell me you get what I'm saying... I'm not completely crazy, right?"

One of the reasons Nick felt the most comfortable talking to Matrim was that he thought they shared a better cultural understanding; them both being directly British.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"It's a tactic used, yes. Make your opponent seem like the enemy, win the hearts of the people around you. It makes it easier to fight when you have the support of those around you. Makes it harder to fight when people cheer against you. I'm afriad I haven't had that much experience around him yet. We work together but, on opposite sides of everything you might say. It's not like he does sports coverage or anything like that in the weekly whammy. In any case, I'll make sure to look into his situation a bit more."

He then put his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky, "Maybe you should train a bit eventually. When everything calms down, you can take him on as well. Not that I condone fighting on school grounds," Matrim said with a wink, "But fighting has always been a passion of mine. And if you think he's abusing his power as a pillar then make it known you feel that way. Just... do me a favor and try not to cause any riots or anything like that."

God I hate when people over react....

"Just know you can talk to me about this stuff. I mean, if the other pillars slip up and abuse their power that's one thing, but I don't really think I can abuse my power... I'm just the sports guy. I mean, maybe if I had the Football team picking on the chess club or something that might be power abuse on my part but.... the editor of the Weekly Whammy definitely has a bit of power being the head of the local press."

[Nicolas Constantine]

Matrim had several valid points, and Nick was sure to mentally write them down.

"You wont be getting any riots from me." he joked.

Nick rubbed his head embarrassingly, and smiled wide.

"Anyone can abuse their power, I just don't think you would. And don't get me wrong, Damien's only abusing his power by saying hes better than me."

Nick looked up to think if that made sense.

"I'm not saying I'm better than him, but I think what I'm saying is if I were in his position, I'd try and act like the people under me were equals. Like you." he smiled.

Nick was getting off topic.

"So do you agree in postponing the match?"

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Matrim said getting up. It was an easy enough meeting between them, just postponing their fight so that everybody could deal with Purple. Matrim was trying to remain politically tied with Purple so that he could get on the inside, and possibly convince Purple in time. The truth was that it'd take a fair amount of diplomacy though. Matrim was going to try, but he couldn't make promises to the student body, not yet. He'd just have to be the guy on the inside.

"And everybody here is equal in standing, but there is something about having power that makes people feel more important. Damien needs to realize that we are only powerful because of the student body. It is through the students we represent that we have power, without that we are nothing, make sense?" Matrim asked. It was true, without a school there wouldn't be Pillars, and without a large student body there would be no real way to be the strongest member of a student body. If one man enters a contest can you really consider him the winner of anything?

"In any case, I'll see you around unless there was anything else you'd like to discuss." If the boy had anything Matrim would listen, otherwise he would leave.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Nick listened to Matrim's words carefully as he spoke. He made complete sense in what he was saying about Damien and the Student Body, and Nick believed Matrim deserved his title and did his job well.

"Yeah, makes sense."

He was done with saying what he needed to to Matrim, so he no longer needed to talk to him about anything. Nick knew he could talk to him any time he needed.

"Na, that's about it, see you later and thanks."

He smiled a friendly smile as Matrim walked off, content that he had at least one Pillar as a friend.

-End-