{Striking} a friendship - (Jack)

[Anatra]

{Striking} a friendship Tyren Orca - District Two - Eighteen The past few hours have been back and forth, emotional yet almost tearing. Sometimes, if you pull on fabrics long enough it breaks. Yet the friendship between Matthew and I doesn't feel like that. It is a strange, unbreakable one due to the fact that we depend on each other so much. Dependency is something that is unmeasured in the lives of anybody else, it seems. People just do it. I wonder briefly whether I have been the only one to care how much I rely on others. With my hands on the wheel and my eyes set on the road, I can't help but bring wonder into my mind yet again, thinking about why I would want to go back to this place; the Peacekeeper Academy. There's a few reasons, now. Alex is one of them. No matter how much I say I don't feel the same brotherhood with him, I have to admit that it is there. With the trees passing by quickly as I drive through a portion of what appears to be a forest, maybe even a lake if I was to look more carefully. It's the usual route, I look at my watch. We're not late for admittance. That's good, at least. Alex will be there early, I just know that. I start thinking of things I can ask him, say to him, to make it at least appear as though he's a nice guy and that Matthew can get to know him better. How are you doing, bro? No, that's not like me. He'd know it straight away. What's up? Nope. How you doin'? I can't think of anything. Maybe I'll let Matthew do the talking. We pull up in the car park, which is pretty empty, but it exists for the purpose that some people do have cars. Leaving the car, I lock it after Matthew gets out. I brush a hand through my short hair and find my bearings, looking around at the place I haven't been back to since the training centre incident. Nobody can fail to be daunted by the dreariness of this place, I think, mentally. We walk through the doors, take a right - or something, and eventually we reach the dorm rooms. Apparently, ours has been switched. When we walked in, somebody gave us a card that showed us our new dorm number, with a refreshed list of who was in it. Same old, same old. I slip a hand around the handle of the door, which is warmer than I expected. Opening the door with ease, the carpet mustn't drag like the last one did, I see the face of Alex. Matthew is behind me, but Alex has company. It's her, it's Adina, I remind myself. She sees me and subtly resumes her previous business of being behind Alex, arms around his waist as they both look at a photograph that he has in his hand. He turns his head to me with a smile, at least I think it's a smile. I hope it is, a proper one and not just a fake. He puts the photograph down, unintentionally allowing me to see it. You can't mistaken who it is; little Tyler. "Hey, Tyren." He speaks. Adina gives a little smile before she leaves the room, sliding past me whilst I'm walking through the doorway. "Hey, you alright?" I ask casually, placing down my bag on the bed. "Yeah, good. This room's better, don't you think?" He asks, but it just looks the same to me. "It's identical." I speak, but he has a comment ready I think. "It's closer to everyone else's dorms." He implies, but it's really because Adina's dorm is just down the corridor. "Is Vy still dorming with us?" I ask him, out of curiosity mostly. "Yeah, seems so." His reply gives me a little reassurance as we won't be having a stranger, like I would have feared. "Matthew." He acknowledges with a greeting tone, saying just his name in place of a hello, or a hi. I give Matthew a little look, hopefully coming across as 'play nice'.

[Jack Lexington]

The ride to the academy is fairly long. Much shorter than taking public transportation though. It's a ride I've been dreading for days but now that I feel better and have mustered up the guts to go into the cell block near the academy where criminals who haven't been processed will be held until their trial I have a good reason to go back.

We stay in silence most of the rise since we've talked a lot this morning. While I watch the green fields and meadows between the towns fly by I think about what I want to ask and say about Jins. I intend to make a statement that could be used at the trial.




Unlike the others I don't have to come back to the academy just yet until the hospital gives me the all clear to work again. Yet I follow Tyren into the dorms first where we find Alex and his girl friend in our new dorm. He must be a little surprise to see me and greets me with my name.
"Alex, hi." I just state since we haven't really talked since the bar incident.

He looks in good health without any bruises so that idiot didn't catch up to him.
With a small smirk I follow Adina out the door with my eyes and then look back at him.
"She's fine." What else could I say to let him know I'm trying to make peace even though I feel I'm not at fault for anything.
briefly my eyes meet with tyrens to imply 'Happy?'

on the contrary to Tyren I don't have a bag of clothes with me just yet so I take one of the chairs and sit down.

[Anatra]

{Striking} a friendship Tyren Orca - District Two - Eighteen "Alex, hi.", the simplest of responses to the simplest of greetings. It is genuinely true to say that anything that Matthew would have to say to Alex is going to be blunt, short and brief. I watch as the smirk Matthew pulls at Adina leads me to believe that he likes her. Her apparel, that is. "She's fine." He comments, and Alex gives him a look as to suggest what his next words are, "She's mine." He insists on saying. It is good, that Alex is willing to defend his girlfriend, but it is also bad because it can also mean that there will be a lack of friendship, the likes of which I want to see, between them if this is kept up. I try to break the tension. "So, how's things?" I subtly ask, seated on the bunk. "Good, considering. It's nice to see you back." Alex says, meaning the words but saying them casually to give off the vibe that he maybe doesn't. I like the way he is speaking to me, like I am his brother. Maybe, it is because Matthew is here and he can see that perhaps I'm really not Alex's enemy, and that he can dislike others more - like Matthew. Whether his reasons for doing so are just, I don't know. "What about you?" He asks, but when I look up to answer he's actually speaking to Matthew.

[Jack Lexington]

"She's mine" He needs to say.
"Course she is." Is all I give him in return since I have no interest in his girl friend. It also implies that it might just be what Alex thinks.
I let it slip though.

The brothers exchange a few words before he adresses me. Tyren said things were good. I know he didn't want to come back to the academy and mostly did it for me. I wonder if he changed his mind. A little later I'll ask him about that. Today we came for the cells.

"What about you?"
It's interesting that he should ask me but on the contrary to what I'd say to Tyren I state. "It's all good, man."
I exchange a look with Tyren warning him not to get into more details about my health.
"I'll be back to training next week. Today I came to go to the cell block and talk to the peace keepers in charge of the holding cells and guys being processed."
I think he knows who I came for.

[Anatra]

{Striking} a friendship Tyren Orca - District Two - Eighteen "It's all good, man." I watch as Alex simply nods at Matthew. It doesn't seem to be going too bad, which has me at least a little happy about the situation. "I'll be back to training next week. Today I came to go to the cell block and talk to the peace keepers in charge of the holding cells and guys being processed." Alex puts down the picture that he was holding, the one of little Tyler. It's on the drawer, in a small polite frame. "Well, I hope you find your guy." He says, clueless as to whom Matthew is talking about. It's almost as though he's disconcerned himself with the situation that he was once part of. "Tyren, are you going to see Joe?" Alex asks me, and a little part of me is afraid of my own response. "Nah, I'll go another time." He nods at me now, throwing me something. I catch it and it's a bottle of water that he must have had in his hand that I didn't see. "Cheers." I tell him reluctantly. This is a sign that things are looking up, and perhaps I was quick to assume us to a fault. "Come on then, if you're going downstairs Matt." I tell Matthew, who seems eager to go. Alex puts his hands in his pockets and follows me out of the door.

[Jack Lexington]

To actually make the trip down the stairs and over to the other part of the buildings a little off to the side is tough. I've never been there but the reason I'm going is as important to me as it is hard.

Slowly I cross the yard and approach the building that surrounded in high fences with Barb wire on top. Cameras and guards complete the picture. I'm getting more and more uneasy by the minute but I have to do this. I'm glad I'm not alone though.

For a moment I stop and look over at Tyren. "I have to do this."
Why I'm saying it I'm not sure.
"I need to make sure he stays locked up. This guy can't come back to hunt us down."
I know each single one is going to be on his hit list next time. Kyanite on top."

At the gates we're asked for our names and ranks. The fact that we're cadets only provokes a subtle frown. "What do you want?"
Raising my chin slightly I frown back and say. "I want to make a statement about an incident."

Upon this we're allowed inside where we are walked to one of the peace keepers desks. The man looks at us over the rim of our glasses.
"How can I help you?"
"I want to give you my statement about the incident at the gym two weeks ago."
He wrinkles his brow for a moment, then opens a file from his desk drawer.
"I already have statements here." He states matter of factly.
"Not mine." I suddenly become nervous that I will be turned away before I can point out just how dangerous this man is.
"And you are?" Again I get that look over the rim of his glasses before he changes his gaze to Tyren.
"Cadet Dunham. I'm one of the pks who were called to the scene." In a way that's true.

[Anatra]

Striking a friendship Tyren Orca - District Two - Eighteen He tells me about how he has got to do this. "I need to make sure he stays locked up. This guy can't come back to hunt us down." I agree with him, that's as simple as it is. We make light work of getting out and into the center and I just let him take lead, he seems to know this place as well as anybody who knows what they are doing. In honesty, I am just following for moral support. Whatever he has to do here is his business. Though, I didn't expect to just be waiting outside. That's what it seems like as he approaches the desk. "I want to give you my statement about the incident at the gym two weeks ago." I arch my brows because I thought we all gave our statements... Apparently, he skipped that stage. Why would he not? I know for fact that anybody in a somewhat declining position like he was can't exactly give a statement, but surely if Kyanite, Gala and everybody else were able to, so would he. Why would he withhold his statement? There's far more going on than I realize, I think. Unless, he's planning on fabricating some kind of evidence scheme, the likes of which I don't exactly want any part of. If I'm going to get in trouble, again, then I want it to be by my hand and not his. For his own good, not mine. "And you are?" He gives his name. The person behind the desk then looks to me and Alex. "Tyren Orca, Alex Orca." I tell her, nodding my head toward Alex. "We've already given statements." I mention, just so the person behind the desk doesn't get confused, or anything of the sort. I take a deep breath, almost like a sigh, because I think this is going to be a long day. "I don't see why they bother with statements and trials. This isn't a democracy, they should just shoot him." Alex says, always being the more brutal one which is actually a contrast as to what you may expect upon first impressions. He says it slightly hushed, and I hear it clearly. "Well, clearly they don't trust us." I say, because a peacekeeper's word should be final.

[Jack Lexington]

The man in front of us with his serious expression, the neatly pressed uniform and stereotype haircut scans his files for witness statements and finds that Tyren Orca has already given his.
"Why is yours not here yet? Weren't you questioned?"
I wrinkle my brow wondering that myself for a moment. Maybe they were asked a day or two after it happened.
"I was unable to talk when it first happened." My posture is straight, eyes straight ahead as I don't want to fish for his pity but be taken serious.

Alex has his own two cents to add to that. "I don't see why they bother with statements and trials. This isn't a democracy, they should just shoot him."
I like the sound of that and give him a slight smirk for a very brief moment as only me and Tyren were abel to hear this since we stand across the room from the man.

"Please sit down, Cadet Dunham."
Over the rim of his glasses he give the Orca brothers a look wondering what they are doing here.
"Unless you want to change your statement you're free to go. If you want to, please wait outside."
Apparently he"s trying to make sure that we're not copying off of each other.

I give Tyren a slight nod and then approach the desk to sit down.
"Sir, I think it is important that you know that the man, who attacked Kyanite Ruze has been harrassed by him for years."
I take a deep breath and state. "I'm not sure whether she shared that with you but she's my girl friend and has told me about it. I even witnessed him with her one time. He forced a kiss on her and hurt her. It seems to me that he's obsessed with the idea that she belongs to him when she's never told him so."
For some reason this sounds just like a figment of my imagination, maybe something a love would say about another one who wants the same girl.

Maybe it would have been better to leave the statements as they are without bringing the 'rejected love' story into it. It's Jins motive for all of it though.