Of Brains and Brunt [Zoe]

Jostling with the events of earlier that day
Raphael struggled with a particular bruise at the
base of his chin. Who said girls didn't hit hard,
despite not being an intentional mishap she did
nearly KO him in a single victimizing strike.
foresaking the potentiality of being weak Raph
grimaced through the pain giving his chin a soft
stroke before leaving his classroom and taking to
the hallways. Fourth period, that meant that
lunch was just around the corner both literally
and metephorically.

Hoisting his burdened limbs around the corner
Raphael came upon a dead end and instantly
despire fluttered through his body. Flannel
posture came to a sag as his shoulders hunched
downwards to his mid torso, backpack falling from
its sling only to be limply captured in one of
his descended hands. His jean clothed knees
buckled inwards and a sigh emerged from deep
within his chest.

"Ohhh mann now I'm never going to eat." He puffed
slow to reassert his posture to an upright
position motioning his arm upwards running figers
through his scalp and resting there just the same
with a bit of levity. Now where could that dining
hall be, he didn't make for a good starving
student in fact he was quite the bear.

"K'mon kid, fess it up, you know there's a tax to
get in."

The sound of distant voices played out against
the slowly emptying halls. Shadows and glimpses
of bodies disappeared against the inline
structure of the building but the presence of a
handful still remained. With his posture
reclaimed Raphael managed to straighten out, his
focus face on which looked more like a scowl than
anything else as he left in a hasty jog.

"Ya'know holding out on your buddies like this is
kind of rude..."

A towering bulk of a figure said bearing down on
a smaller student, the bullies frame was nearly
twice as wide as Raphael's across but not nearly
as tall. Just the same however he was not alone,
flanked on either side by two different shades
each with their own damage. To the right a boy
with persistant acne although veiled by a hood,
his dark posture looked bigger with the jacket
but certainly not quite as domineering. The other
taller than Raph however sporting a lanky hunch
to his back, a steady wheeze to his breath like a
great deal too many cigerettes in his system.

"I don't think you're in the place to define what
rudeness is." Or buddies for that matter. Raphael
said emerging from the corner in a haste, his
motions carrying him to the downed student's
side. He should know better than this, it was the
killbox surrounded by these thugs but he was an
aimless warrior one daring to be bloodied for the
sake of justice. Three wasn't going to be enough.

*Thwack*

A fist thrown but not his, instead Raphael seemed
to catch a blind sided fist to his lower jaw
right where his bruise had been. Goddamnit. He'd internally monologue to himself managing to keep his footing and bring up his guard.

"Looks like we have to teach another dolt what taxes are."

---

He wasn't too badly hurt. Namely buckled and bruised, though his ego fairing a good deal worse off than his body. Raphael recovered pretty fast he just wasn't ready. The poor kid at his flank probably worse off than he was all the same he'd spared the kid his/her lunch money and in the same rasp lost his own. Bringing himself to a shambling upright he'd attempt rubbing his wounds not finding them to be an impairment to his movements and would slowly stretch them out once again. Damn. Feeling up his pockets he realised he had nothing to eat, looks like today was one of those days he'd be grumpy.