Solo Disorderly Conduct

[Lu Gavima]

65th Day of Spring, AV 513

One of many beautiful days as Syna shone down on the peaks of Lhavit. Lu had been to Shinyama to report as was procedure for all Shinya. he felt relaxed and was looking forward to another day of work. His current duty was to assist with some kind of growing disturbance in Surya Plaza. One could never tell what kind of things would happen with a large crowd. Things could escalate easily with a mob mentality. Best to contain and control the population before anything out of the ordinary occurred.

Arriving at the Plaza, he leaned on his staff and watched as a growing crowd was forming around two men who were arguing about something. Looking around the periphery of the swarm, he could see other Brothers and Sisters, who were in the process of positioning themselves at key choke points. he approached Brother Nars, who he had seen at the Zith attack. He wore the same grin he had then, as if the anticipatory violence was meat hanging before a beast.

"Brother Gavima! There's something going on down there about the Zith attack. One guy is claiming that the other knew it was going to happen. Of course, that set off a lot of people that were affected by it. We are supposed to start clearing the crowd out, but this is entertaining!" A small sigh of disbelief mixed with disappointment escaped Lu's lips as he set out to actually do what was ordered. why Nars was still Shinya escaped him, but it was not his duty to judge other Brothers and Sisters.

Moving through the crowd, he used his staff as a guide before him, parting the sea of flesh. "Move along. Continue with your business!" The throng became tighter and harder to navigate, though his entrance to the fray at least caused a few stragglers to move away, though they would stop and rubberneck from safer distances. He could hear parts of the argument as he approached and his eyebrow did indeed raise as well.

"Then why did I see you talking to that Zith?! Just explain it. I am sure we would all love to hear it!" The crowd seemed to cheer an assent to this inquisition as Lu had to start pushing his way through with a bit more force. "Shinya business. Move away!" The occasional poke with his staff seemed to do more than his voice. He kept his emotions in check as he neared the center of the makeshift arena.

[Lu Gavima]

At long last, Lu pushed through the wall of flesh and sweat, a newborn being pushed out into the cruel world of taunting and shoving. This new arrival was no babe in the woods, however, and he intended to make it known to those before him. There were actually three men on one side and one man on the other of this open ring of personal space being violated. The three were clearly the taunters, their hands balled into fists and sneers written on their faces.

The other, a larger man in girth, had the look of the guilty on him. It was a look Lu had seen many times now that he had begun patrolling. Those who had been found out often carried this look of defiance mixed with fear. Until found out, it was mainly defiance, smug and heavy. The alleged victim wore common clothes, brown and gray. He was balding on top and wore a scraggly mottled beard of brown and silver. The crows was pushing in and it took no sensitive to realize that without some kind of presence, they would implode on him out of mob mentality.

Stepping between the parties, Lu extended his staff between the two to maintain some kind of distance and keep the fight from popping off. "That's ENOUGH! What is going here?!" The three brawlers, all young, though of course older than Lu as most Lhavitian adults were, turned their anger beams to Lu. The alleged victim seemed to relax, though his eyes scanned the crowd.The one in the middle, who may have been chosen for being thge ugliest, opened his maw to fire spittle and accusations. "This guy was seen talking to Zith and pointing toward the Peaks the night before the Zith attacks! He is a conspirator and he is going to talk, if we have to beat it out of him.!" At which point one of the other uglies, with stringy blond hair and a sinister look to him, replied, "Yeah! Beat it out of him!"

A wave of mumbling and half cheering moved through the crowd. Lu took note that Shinya presence at least calmed the crowd a bit. "Everyone back up! All the way up! I need to investigate these claims and you are all in the way!" He could see a general movement, though not much. His eyes flashed up to the various Shinya guards on duty around the barriers of the plaza, who began to approach. He was not the only one to see this, as the crowd indeed began to disperse with more vigor. That was one problem down.

[Lu Gavima]

Next problem.

"Are you going to protect that guy, Shinya? he betrayed us all and now he has to pay!" The three were edging up on Lu, which made any sort of anxiety or cautiousness step out of the way for discipline. The staff went from horizontal to a slant, the lower end pointing toward the three. Lu knew that the crowd would not allow the victim to escape. These three needed to understand how things worked, since they seemed to lack the knowledge. "The Shinya decide innocence or guilt. We do so after interrogation and investigation. We do not beat it out of them. Neither will you."

The center ugly had shoulder length hair and a large mole on his jaw, hair creeping from it. Right ugly was the biggest of the three and by biggest, it should be taken as obese. The three looked greasy and Lu wondered if they were not old friends of Mouthy and the work gang. Center ugly began to chuckle, a grating sound coming from his grizzled throat. " You sound like those old throwbacks of the Anchorite. Maybe we will end up slaves if we don't be silent, is that right?"

This angered Lu and his face showed it, which only encouraged the uglies and fueled their bravado. "Aww, I think baldy is going to cry!" , said left ugly, his eyes hardening. Lu tried to breathe and keep himself in check. He wasn't sure if he would be able to. "Well, if it were those times, I could do away with arresting you and kill the three of you for your slights and disrespect. Would you like to go back in time?" The crowd became quiet, as many of those gathered were well aware of what Lu spoke of. the time of the Anchorite was not one for disrespecting the Shinya so openly. Examples had to be made. Right ugly stepped forward and Lu quickly and firmly slammed the point of his staff into his swollen foot.

The loud shrill shriek of pain pushed the crowd back and lit the fuses of the other uglies. They didn't care about anything but revenge for their fat brother. Lu, at that singular point in time, had nothing on his mind but revenge for the names of all Shinya, living or dead.

[Lu Gavima]

They were waiting for his next move. The air in the space inside the crowd was palpable. Lu stepped back and looked back at the original victim, the man standing with his mouth open. He tossed his staff back to the man who caught it like it was something he had never seen before. He looked up at Lu with confusion.

"Someone go get the other Shinya guards. If I am going to honor my Brothers and Sisters, I will do so on as even a level as I can allow." His legs dropped into the stance of the horse, his breathing even and deep. His eyes traveled over the three. Right ugly was limping but angry. Left was chomping at the bit to lash out at Lu. Center was grinning, yellow teeth shining under Syna's light. Lu waited. Each moment that they hesitated was another moment of preparation for combat. Left, with his stringy hair dripping with anticipatory sweat, could hold his feet no longer. he ran toward Lu and the Shinya wondered if he knew what was going to happen next.

Stepping into the onslaught, Lu moved his hips and stepped sideways, his left leg catching Left Ugly in the crook of his knee. The kinetic motion stopped him and pushed his torso forward. Bringing his knee up hard into the midsection, Lu used the left leg to kick Left square in the tailbone and toward the ground. Turning, back, he caught a solid left from Right Ugly, the weight behind it staggering Lu briefly. Center was circling around during this moment. The Shinya felt the anger rising like water from inside the earth, the pressure unstoppable.

A straight kick caught Right in the hip, a sweep to the same side bringing the beast down hard with an audible crash of fat and pain. Left was almost up and heading for the victim, who was holding the staff as if he might fight with it. Lu turned his body again, facing Center who had something in his hand. Syna's light caught its glimmer. Lu did not know what it was, but his training kicked into overdirve. The metallic item began to rise in Center's hand and Lu reached forward, grabbing the offending wrist from the back and bending it forward. Center's free hand lashed out and Lu took the wild swing in the side, his arm wrapping around the recently free elbow.

He looked the thug dead in his eyes, the yellow smile eclipsed by the shadow of Lu's head as it slammed directly into Center's. Lu looked down at him, the pain in his own head a daydream. His anger seethed through him, leaking through his pores. His left foot raised up, the thigh muscles tightening for a recoil of true vengeance. The crowd seemed to part as Lu felt a solid hand on his shoulder. The sudden grip made him snap free and bring his foot around. A more experienced foot caught his own and put it on the ground.

It was Nars. His eyes were steel and serious, but that annoying smile grew on his face. "Okay, Little Brother. Maybe contain the rest of them now. I think the others can handle it." Lu looked up and saw that there were many other Brothers and Sisters now, all dispersing the onlookers, some gathering the uglies, a few speaking with the original victim. His rage had taken the awareness from him and Lu felt sorry for his temporary lack of focus. Nars handed him his staff, which gave Lu a sense of solidity and security. "Thank you, Brother Nars." The older and larger Brother clapped Lu on his shoulder. "No problem. I think we got this. Thanks for the help."

Lu understood the hidden message. Go on before you are ordered to go on. Lu looked down, seeing Center Ugly. He was bleeding from an open wound on his forehead. He didn't look at the young Shinya in the eyes, knowing that had there not been an intervention, Lu may have very well stomped his windpipe shut forever. Lu shook the image out of his head and walked back through the crowd, or what was left of it.

[Elysium]

Lu Gavima

XP:
Unarmed +3
Rhetoric +2
Observation +1

Lore:
How to Disperse a Crowd
Unarmed: Battle Meditation

Other:
By your description, Lu has earned himself a bruised kidney and a bruised rib. With regular visits to the Catholicon, he'll be fine in two weeks or less.

Notes: This was a very action-packed solo! Good work, Gavima. If you have any questions, please contact me!

and so, the journey continues...