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 Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:10 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:13 am
It’s about 6:30 am in the morning and it's Monday, the start of a new week. The weather seems cloudy and fog is rolling lazily about giving the air a crisp springtime chill. Wildlife is stirring to forage around dew speckled foliage, it’s bright green color a stark contrast to the earth brick red and brown of the old castle it surrounds. Just like the creatures outside, the residents too begin to wake. But within the castle there is a sense of purpose, unity, and beginning of people rushing about to signify that today in an important day. Today, the castle would be receiving more visitors than it has had in many years.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:20 am
 Through the many windows of the castle one could see a young lady running about with a clipboard in one hand and brandishing a pen in the other. She wore high waisted white trousers and when lifted as she ran, they revealed navy ballerina slippers. A navy cardigan was this lady’s top of choice and a light checkered pink scarf decorated her neck. Upon reaching large wooden double doors, she tried taming the brunette flyaways back into her top bun though some continued to rebel. Clearing her throat, she entered through the doors and into a bustling kitchen filled with a dozen workers all dressed in white. “Good morning Miss Le’Frarie,” they chimed. Smiling and greeting in return Constance surveyed the brick themed kitchen all the while resisting the savory scents that wafted her way. Today was a big day and nothing wrong was going to happen under her watch. Organized, prim, and prompt was her inner motto and it was going to be tested today. She marked off boxes upon her inspection of the prepared courses and planned meals until one of the chefs pointed out that the Sir’s breakfast had been prepared. Just then a little tune emitted from her phone, indicating a summons by the director himself. “Perfect,” She chirped and put the pen behind her ear. “I’ll take this up to him!” Constance said as she grabbed the breakfast tray and briskly headed towards the President’s office. As Constance passed through the many hallways, all the while balancing a breakfast tray and clipboard. She allowed herself a little ego stroking to note that many of the rooms and corridors were her by design and decoration. But then it hit her, as it had many times over the past years, no one was really here to relish it. For so long the castle had been empty, well of course not deserted, the staff was still here and a few cardholders had made it their residence, but it wasn’t like old time when this castle was truly headquarters and was bustling with members both seasoned and fresh for learning. Constance wouldn’t have been honest with herself if she didn’t realize how much she missed those day, even though the general silence of the castle usually meant that there wasn’t any major catastrophe. Ever since the castle had been destroyed in the Crimson Battle it seemed like no one stayed here for too long. Those that had survived returned to their homelands or traveled far and settled elsewhere. And even most of those that came through these hall to learn and hone their skills eventually left to fulfill their destinies. However, the latest news was unsettling. Random attacks on cardholders and their families across the world, even to those of prominent families...Constance grimaced, though before she knew it, she was at Radik’s white office door. She gave it a couple a knocks while trying to make sure Radik’s breakfast did not end up on the floor.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:21 am
 With one press of the button a room that was once submerged in darkness was bathed in cloudy morning light as multiple curtain were pulled back revealing a white modern office that surveyed the rolling fog over the open meadow and through the thick forest that was known as the ‘Zelena Forest.’ Radik would have enjoyed to peer out through those glass windows and ponder, as he has habitually done, but today there were more pressing manners. Already prepped and dressed for the day he returned his attention to a voluminous stack of papers, one of many that now shared his desk. Sharp grey eyes scanned the first page of a very thick report, a frown slightly forming on his face. Widespread attacks on cardholders, quick and vicious, the culprits gone without a trace. It seemed to be a global phenomenon that only occurred in the last two months. It brought back painful memories of the great Crimson battle long ago, but at least those attacks were centralized on the castle. And there have been random attacks on cardholders, especially those in the field of bounty hunters and solo explorers, but the attacks have never been this numerous. So many cardholders had been lost, and these were some of the best in years. Something must be behind this and while his team figures it out, the best option is the keep the remaining cardholders safe and bring the new recruits in for duty so that they may protect themselves. Now that the castle is fully repaired, it is time to bring everyone together, and maybe in doing so...new bonds may be forged, broken ties reconnected, and allow the trust in the Arcane Society, trust in the cards, and finally trust in oneself will awaken. Radik turned to his computer and in a moment a request was sent out to a few individual phones.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:23 am
 It was foggy, no matter where she looked fog swirled in front of her blocking anything ahead from view, but when she looked down upon the ground she gasped, for there was no solid ground just slowly swirling fog. Then she heard something, it sounded like fabric tearing at first softly, but now it grow louder and more erratic like a cat clawing on a couch's leg. Suddenly it stopped and all was silent once more. Then something shot out at her...an arm...it came at her through the mist. It looked like it was a human arm, possibly male because of it’s strong muscular physic, but it was black and gleaming as if it was covered in wet tar that dripped, the droplets falling into the fog, falling into nothingness. Then the arm shuddered and began to swing wildly at her, flaying around as if it knew she was there and close...but it couldn’t get any closer, though it tried desperately. Fear mounted though she found her body had tensed up and she could not move nor make any sound. Then more sounds of tearing came even though the arm was still hungrily swatting at the air. The arm retreated and the tearing seemed to cease, but before she could think a black figure jumped at her, yellow eyes gleaming and white long pointed teeth bared, it lunged... “AUGGGGHHHHH!” Lenka screamed and toppled backward and onto solid...and very hard ground. Little stars danced before her eyes until where she was came into focus and her mind cleared. Lenka was staring straight up at the stark white ceiling that belong to the Commons's library. Her hands brushed against the Persian rug as she lifted herself up. It was all coming back to her now. The reason she was here was because she had been tossed out of the scholar library when the head librarian discovered her secretly munching on some chocolate. The reason Lenka was in the library was because she was researching about a potentially newly discovered spirit creature. And the reason she had stumbled on this specimen was because she was bored and wandered into the castle ground close to the Zelena forest. And the ultimate reason that set this chain of event into motion, the reason she was bored is because her two best friends, her partners in crime, her compadres were off of their own little adventures in the big world leaving her to fill the void with a manic like obsession over researching spirit creatures. Here Lenka stood next to a wooden chair, in a grey sweatpants, a pink sweatshirt, and slipper socks. She huffed into her cheeks as she surveyed the fort of books. The good news was there was no record of her spirit specimen and the two bad news was she still felt lonely and was now having the same dream. “That’s twice now...” Lenka murmured to herself though she could talk aloud for all she wished since the Commons's library was empty. Lenka went over the dream in her head, recalling the sound, the definite sound she knew so well of the barrier being torn. But what was that thing? She had never seen anything like, though all she could remember were its yellow haunting eyes, the bared teeth, and the human arm covered in tar...it moved so fast that the rest of it was lost. Lenka sighed, there were more pressing matter to think about. Milos and Kiwan for that matter. She felt a bang of guilt for being angry at them for leaving her alone in the castle. But she also felt worried, though reports came assuring that they were fine, they had still been attacked in the first place. Lenka was eager for their arrival not only to see them again, but also have the peace of mind that they would be safe at Headquarters. Abandoning her fort, Lenka headed to her room to prepare for greeting the arrivals.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:28 am
 The cool feeling of the window pressing upon the side of his face helped Milos relax into a tired nap. He felt quite spent after the past few days of havoc. It all started when Milos was granted permission to leave headquarters and visit Mittenwald his once home before he became a cardholder. Milos didn’t visit the town often, preferring to stay with Lenka and Kiwan at the castle, but as he grew older a pang in the depths of his heart yearned for closeness with his family, or family by blood he used to say when he was younger. These pangs, he could not express and luckily did not need to divulge much to Radik when requesting to visit his family. Radik had the trip organized and before Milos realized it, a taxi was dropping him off in front of a very familiar house. Somewhere within it a dog let out deep booming barks, soon voices could be heard and then the door opened revealing a tall man with brown short hair with hints of grey streaks and a moustache which was speckled with white. Lines had aged his once handsome face and his form had grown paunchier, though he still had his muscular woods man frame. Yet his eyes were still a forest green and had the brightness to them. Muric stopped dead in his tracks as he stared at Milos, his mouth agape. Milos didn’t blame his surprise, they haven’t seen each other since Radik had whisked him of to the Czech republic, though they did keep in contact through post, and occasionally email which was rare for the village seemed like it was still stuck in the olden days, however tourism was slowly pushing for modernization. As if reverting to his child state, Milos made a small uncertain smile. Muric walked towards him, as if he were in a sort of daze, then he opened his arms and sized Milos in a great bear hug that took the air out of Milos. After letting go, for what felt like an age, Muric ushered him in, unable to still talk though his eyes conveyed his emotion for they were twinkling with tears. There stood his mother, Mina, a pleasantly plump women with white hair neatly set in a bun a top her head and dark brown eyes that, too, were shining with emotion. “You are home, welcome back Milosh my child,” she said in a thick german accent admist sniffs. “You look thin, come come, I prepared your favorite dishes,” Mina said merrily as she ushered Milos into the warm cozy house. Milos sat at the wooden kitchen table next to two of his younger siblings, Mishka, Marjeta, and Muurno, all three had grown considerably since he had last seen them. Upon seeing their older brother, they broke into a babble of talk, screams of joy, and gave him hugs. Milos was overwhelmed with emotion and could only smile and pat the heads of his siblings for fear of breaking down before the feast that they had prepared for him. After dinner and reconnecting with his family a travel weary and emotionally drained Milos, followed his mother to his bedroom. Upon walking in, he was surprised and moved, to see that nothing had changed. During the night, he was left to ponder. Milos knew his family loved him, and didn’t blame them for their behavior when he was little, he knew that they and the rest of the village were deeply religious and superstitious. The days went on well. Milos played with his younger siblings, explored the town with his mother when she went to the market, and helped his father with chores. It was almost like the normal happy life Milos had envisioned when he was younger. However, it wasn’t until later, that Milos should have realized that his seemingly normal visit would turn sour. It was after dinner and looking over at the low pile of wood next to the fireplace, his father announced that he was going to make a quick trek int the forest for some more logs. Mother wasn’t pleased since nightfall was quickly approaching, but relaxed slightly when Milos said he would accompany his father. Whistling a tune, his father hefted a sizable axe over his shoulder and exited the cottage, quickly followed by a trotting Milos. The pair didn’t venture far from the house, just nearby on the edge of the wood was a cleared area, no doubt made by Muric for his wood cutting needs. Gathering up fallen small trunks and well sized twigs, they hauled their loot to the chopping trunk o that Muric could chop them into manageable pieces for the fireplace. It was in the silence that Milos’s keen ears picked up rustling sounds coming within the dark forest. Upon seeing his son’s sudden alertness, Muric said, “It must be the night creatures awaking,” for darkness was slowly setting, though the sign of nightfall did not ease Milos’s tension. However, Milos couldn’t help to be on edge for the rustling didn’t sound like that of an animal pitter pattering about, it sounded like a swift wind swishing through the foliage…yet there was no breeze tonight. A chill ran down Milos’s back and his heart started to beat faster...something else was here. From the corner of his eye, Milos saw a sudden blurred movement. He jerked his head in the direction of whatever it was, but nothing was there...not even a newly fallen leaf on the forest floor to explain what caught his attention. From behind him, Milos heard his father suddenly let out a gasp of pain. Milos spun around to see Muric bent over and wheezing. “Father!” Milos yelled in pounding fright as he rushed to his father’s side, putting a shaky hand on his shoulder and fearing the worse. What was happening?! Was his father suffering from a sudden heart attack? What was he to do? Milos needed to get help! A doctor! But the thought of getting help completely vanished from Milos when Muric lifted his head and stared up into his son’s face. Eyes unseeing...they were like those an elder with cataracts...misty white and fogging one’s clear vision. Muric’s face was phasing through several emotions...first was pain with a grimace, then fright when his face stretched in shock. By now Milos was backing away, his head racing as he tried to ascertain what was going on. And then it dawned on him as another chill ran down his spin, for Muris face turned into a cruel twisted smile...his father was possessed and on top of that...still wielding a broad sharp axe! My mask! Where is my mask!! Milos frantically thought, but then he remembered that it had been left forgotten in his traveling bag. Milos had become so comfortably over the weeks that he allowed his guard down...and he was going to pay for it with his life.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:31 am
WAIT! What on earth was he thinking...obviously he wasn’t for he was a cardholder! The holder of The Hermit and a wielder of Light. Milos may not have his mask...but it was mainly used to guide oneself through the spirit world and help guard against attacks...though a Milos highly doubted that the mask would extend protection to the physical and deadly slash of an axe! There was no doubt in his that the spirit possessing his father was a possessor Majora or Minora , as to which one...Milos wasn’t exactly sure, probably a Minora since they usually possessed one human, but something wasn’t right with this scene... The possessed Muric charged, the axe held high and ready to come down upon Milos. “Lumination!” Milos yelled as he thrusted out both his arms in front of him. From between the points of where his fingers touched light glowed and three orbs of light, the size of cannonballs, shot out at his father. Muric diverted the first by slashing it down with a mighty swing of the axe, but he was bombarded by the second and third orbs. The second seemed to stun him, setting his body alight as if he were electrocuted...and Muric screamed as if he was...though Milos knew it was the light affecting the Minora that was causing the reaction. The ethereal spirit was weak against the power of the light. The third orb collided with Muric, knocking the axe out of his hand, and flung him backwards so that his body flew into the air momentarily before crashing upon the solid ground with a loud thud. Frightened that he had harmed his father, Milos hurried to Muric’s side. Fear had risen to his throat for Muric’s eyes were closed and his body was stalk still. But as Milos bent down to check the health of his father, Muric’s white eyes flung open and suddenly strong and painfully cold hands lunged at Milos’s neck, grabbing a hold with a deadly grip. Milos gave a gasp, but soon nothing was able to pass in or out of his throat save for a sickly rasping and struggling of his wriggling body. Milos felt his eyes bulging and an ache steadily grow in his brain as his heartbeat reverberated against his skull. Muric’s face glowed in a sadistic grin and saliva trickled down the corners of his lips. “no...” said a small weak voice. “No...” it came again, growing stronger. “NO!” His mind bellow and warm Milos’s hands gripped around his father’s. Muric seemed taken aback...but then he frowned and bared his teeth as he tried to tighten his grip. But Milos’s hands were now glowing and the light grew brighter and expanded until their was a sudden... BOOM! Both him and his father were flung into the air and away from each other. Milos’s body hit the hard cold earth, stars flickering in his darkened vision until they began to clear and Milos was able to scramble up to see what happened to his father. Again, Muric was laying still upon the ground...but as Milos hesitantly approached him, he was an wisps of purple smoke rising from his father’s body. They collected and swirled about until they formed an orb that had a wispy tail. Two white spots appeared and looked about until they spotted Milos and widened. Milos had halted and was staring at the possessor...realizing that it was a Majora! The larger cousin of the Minora! What in the world! But the Majora had turned about and was about to zip back into the forest when suddenly a stream of jet black smoke hurtled at the spirit, forming into a seemingly solid obsidian dagger that tore through the Majora making it disperse into wisps of smoke that faded into the night. It had been abolished...but by whom! “Whose there!” Milos called in German, surprised to hear his voice strong and steady when just awhile ago he felt that it had been lost forever and he still felt weak kneed and aching. “Show yourself,” Milos bellowed, now in English. There was no sound of stirring of leaves or even a whisper of movement. The mood illuminated the clearing, but did not aid in revealing who...or what had caused that dagger attack. A groan and gasp nearly made Milos jump out of his skin. Muric was slowly getting to his feet and now massaging his head. “Milos? What happened? I feel sore all over?” Muric groaned and Milos hurried over to help him by offering his shoulder to lean against. Not sure how to handle this...Milos decided to say, “Let’s head back to the house and I shall explain.” And the pair wearily made their way back to the house to be greeted by a very anxious Mina. There in the warm kitchen over a cup of steaming tea did Milos recount the event to the shock and dismay of his parents. Milos excused himself to go up to his room and pack...he would leave first thing tomorrow and return back to Headquarters. All the proper arrangements were made after a long conversation with Radik directly over the cell phone. Protection would be set to oversee his family, and Milos knew deep down that he would not be able to visit again unless whatever was going on was understood and dealt with. For now, Milos was a danger to them. A sudden jerk of the car made Milos’s cheek squash up against the glass. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar red brick towers loom close. A warm feeling started within him, he was home. The feeling of joy increased as the car circled the roundabout and Milos caught the sight of auburn hair streaking out of the grand door. He was barely out of the car when something...someone propelled them self onto him, nearly knocking the wind out of him. Milos looked down to see a wide smile and cheerful face beam up at him. Lenka had changed and was now wearing a simple pea green dress and white bow tie overcoat to battle the lingering spring chill. Adorning her feet were pea green pumps that matched a fabric bracelet wrapped around her right wrist and green flower earring adorning her ears. “Milos! I’m so glad you are back! And in one whole piece, after hearing about that attack!” Lenka said very quickly in one breath as she let him go from her hug to survey him, noting that he was indeed dressed for the occasion, but more importantly to probably make sure that he was indeed connected together. Grinning, Milos patted her on the head before another sound caught his attention.
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:05 pm
 Another black sedan was rolling up the pebbled driveway and it halted behind Milos’s ride. Out stepped out a formidable person, tall and broad shouldered, Kiwan could resemble a grizzly bear on a bad day in both mannerism and even looks. But on this particular day he was uncharacteristically trimmed, polished, and well dressed. The presentation was enough to make the mouths of both Lenka and Milos go agape in surprise. Grinning roguishly, Kiwan replied in his deep voice, “If this has such a stunning effect on you two then I should test it on our adversaries...see if I can stop them dead in their tracks with my stunning charm, dazzling smile, and deadly good looks.” He then mimicked a haughty supermodel by tossing the flyaway curly hair back over his shoulder and sighing. Lenka rolled her eyes and gave a loud “Pfffffffttttt”. Milos smiled as Kiwan walked towards them, still grinning and pleased to see them as the pair engulfed...most of him...in a group hug. Stepping back he peered at his two friends and said, “Well, well. News has already reached my ear about your fantastic fight back home Milos. Glad to see that you are alright.” Lenka blushed slightly for it was she who alerted Kiwan immediately after she had heard what had happened. Milos gave a slight frown and replied back thoughtfully, “I am glad my father and I are alright, but I’m really keen to talk to Radik about the situation, there was something definitely odd going on that night.” Lenka, not wanted the growing weight of that thought to hang above them at the moment change the subject by asking Kiwan about his trip. Kiwan began to recall his escapade. Summer was during the months of September to March so the temperature was usually warm to hot where ever he teleported to around South Africa. He visited the rich neighborhoods of Cape Town and the as well as trekked through the poor slums that looked no better than the day he lived in the slum. However, Kiwan didn’t voice the reason that brought him back to South Africa because he himself wasn’t sure what brought him out to the country. Milos’s departure was understandable since he had family, but Kiwan didn’t have any family in south Africa so why did he felt the urge to visit? Kiwan had never had felt this way before. But, if Kiwan was honest with himself, he would have recognized that deep within him, he had hoped to hear the whisper of the surname ‘Mustafu’ or see a familiar face as he roved through the bustling streets dotted with various carts, an assortment of shops, and busy people. Kiwan had just finished describing the fantastic time that he had during the canopy tours in Tsitsikamma Forest where he got to travel around high in the forest’s tree tops along suspended steel cables, plateforms and slides. “I think it was more exciting than the bungee jumping!” He was to share the story about the very exciting sailboat race off of Cape Town’s Waterfront when he remembered something, “You know, when I was travelling around the country I didn’t see a single sign of a spirit, both malicious and friendly...nowhere to be found. Nothing haunted the graveyards of the famous anti-apartheid town Soweto and no hinky sprites dancing with lanterns at night when there was festivities. I found that very odd, I thought I was going to attract a lot of them and have to run around like a mad man with a lot of them chasing me around!” Kiwan stated then massaged the stubble on chin as he mulled it over in his brain. Like Milos, Kiwan hadn’t been back to his country since he had first arrived at Headquarters. Yet, Kiwan distinctly remember that the country was packed with spirits having met several during his wanderings when he was young. The sudden revving of the two black sedan cars made the three members jump and shuffle off to the side to let the unpacked cars leave. So absorbed in their conversations that they hadn’t noticed the attendants take Milos’s and Kiwan’s luggage out of the cars and no doubt were delivering them straight to their dormitories. “Well,” Lenka said in a matter of fact voice, “Now you can help me greet the guests and usher them into the hall. You won’t believe what is being prepared for the banquet feast!”
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:18 pm
 The scent of sandlewood mixed with wafting fumes of cheery blossom would overwhelm anyone’s senses...unless they had a very stuffy nose or the ironclad meditative focus of Hidiyoshi Yamano. He was already dressed in black robes and sat on a bamboo mat kneeling and with eyes closed. If one didn’t know that he was in his meditative state, they would have thought that Hidiyoshi slept upright. But what Hidiyoshi was doing was crucial to the protection of the Headquarters. The Arcane Society’s Headquarters was surrounded by a powerful, though practically invisible domed shield. Every morning after waking up and every night before laying down to rest, Hidiyoshi would sit down, close his eyes and repair the shield. His mind would glide over every inch of it sensing for any weak spots along the shield and focusing on areas that were dented or being chipped away at by some unknown forces. This process usually takes a hour plus depending on the volume of repair that needed to be done and for the past few weeks it seemed to take him gradually longer to mend the protective barrier. Hidiyoshi sighed and slowly rose to his feet, wobbling slightly for he hadn’t eaten any breakfast during his morning prep since he had wanted to get to his mending job as soon as possible. There was a knock at the door and Hidiyoshi knew that it was a servant bringing him breakfast. Hidiyoshi didn’t usually have breakfast severed to his room, though it was an option for staff and students, most students still went down to the Commons Dining area for meals and staff usually dined in the GreyHound lounge. Feeling a little weary, Hidiyoshi made his way to the door and opened it to find a silver tray near his feet. Bringing the tray inside his room he found it containing exactly what he ordered from the kitchens, one earthern clay pot of fragrant green tea and cup and a matching bowl of steaming jasmine rice ontop of which settled a sunny side up egg sprinkled with flakes of nori accompanied by a fork, Hidiyoshi had grown accustom of using western utensils. Now feeling his strength return to him, Hidiyoshi laid the silver tray near the outside of his door and wondered about what he should go do while the cardholders arrived. Hidiyoshi didn’t have to wonder long for his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. It was a summons from Radik to meet in his office. Hidiyoshi wondered what it would be about as he slipped into his wooden sandals and locked his room and made his way towards Radik’s office. Upon opening the door to Radik’s office, Hidiyoshi found Radik eating what looked like a bowl of oatmeal while engaged in conversation with Constance, who was sitting on the couch with legs crossed and a clipboard laying on her lap. She shifted her attention away from Radik to see Hidiyoshi entering the room. Radik’s attention shifted from his breakfast to Hidiyoshi as well in order to say, “Sit down Hidiyoshi and make yourself comfortable, we are just waiting on Markus before I begin the briefing.” Radik then returned to his breakfast. Hidiyoshi’s left eyebrow slighted lifted at the name, Markus. He didn’t deny that his heart may be in the right place, but...taken Markus’s history, Hidiyoshi was amazed that he was even a cardholder let alone the holder of the ‘Justice’, which seems backwards in its self when looking at what Markus life had been about. Hidiyoshi had already confided his doubts about Markus being a responsible cardholder and ability to uphold the integrity of the Arcane Society’s code of discipline to Radik, but to his dismay Radik had not only accepted the man, but promoted him to various departments clearly not looking to hard at the man’s CV. Hidiyoshi sighed as he lowered himself onto couch opposite of Constance. It wasn’t his place to pass judgement on Radik’s appointments, even if in this cause he believed it a poor choice. However, Radik was known to give out charity and second chances to woebegone individuals, but to be sure this would never have happened in the Yamano Clan. ((THE RP IS OPEN FOR POSTING! HUZZAH!))
Edit** Please not that unless your character has been staying at HeadQuarters, your character will be able to make their arrival to the entrance of the castle by being escorted by a headquarters car. The car can either pick them up from the airport that they have flown in to, hotel they stayed at, or if they live nearby pick them from their house. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to pm me :3
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:17 pm
 Melody woke up in a bed that was not her own. To most people, this may not seem like a big deal, but Melody has never slept in anyone else's bed before -except her father's and mother's. She ran her fingers through the coarse sheets in confusion, as her brain searched drowsily for information on where she was and why she was here in the first place. A knock on the door jolting her awake. "Room service," an woman's voice called out from behind it. "Are you ready to check out?" Sighing, she brushed her hair back with her hands and yawned, as she remembered. "Can you give me an hour?" She called back, sitting up quickly and nearly leaping out of bed. The clock resting on a nearby table glared 6:00. It was her first day at the academy and already, she had overslept. The woman mumbled something behind the door, the sound of her cart screeched and slowly faded. Nearly sprinting, Mel finished her morning routine and then threw all of her clothes and toiletries back into her suitcase, messily. After walking around the room twice to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she took a deep breath. She was finished. It was 6:20. There was already a large black car waiting for her when she got outside. Having lived her entire life in the forest, she wasn't really sure what kind of car it was. The man who drove it gave her a polite bow and then helped her put her luggage in the trunk. Mel smiled and thanked him nearly inaudibly. Out of habit, she turned her head towards the sky. It looked like it was going to cry. She whispered a prayer for it to cheer up, then slid most awkwardly into the cramped space that was the car. The entire thing was like a dream. The last thing she could remember was her running for her life, and somehow falling unconscious at the edge of the forest, a foot away from her doorstep. Now she was in an automobile, that she had seen before but never ridden in as she had preferred to go most places by horse. The smooth ride was mildly unnerving. The chauffeur conversed with her for a while about trivial things, where she is from, her age. He seemed surprised to learn that she was already 10 years old. Mel briefly wondered if she looked younger. Slowly, the red roofs of the academy pulled into view. The school was huge. Mel felt nervous and disheveled as she exited the confines of the car. Surely, this was a castle not a school, with its towers and grandly arched windows. The richly decorated interior convinced her further that she, a child from the wilderness, was completely out of place.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:09 am
The group in Radik's office waited for about four minutes longer before hearing a slight scuffling out in the hall. It was typical for Markus Shae to be late; despite his devotion to the Arcane Society, the man had almost no sense of time, let alone direction, and he was either lost or late for most of his waking day. After a brief pause there was a soft knock on the door - three soft knocks, actually, before the door opened slightly and Shae poked his head in at an angle, almost comically. Seeing the others waiting for him, Shae nodded silently and slid into the room, closing the door quietly behind himself and making his way quickly to an available seat. He might have been late, but as always he had taken the time to dress himself stylishly; as he said, you never knew when you would need to look good. "Sorry I'm late," he murmured, bowing his head towards Radik. "I even left early today. But the sun was just so beautiful - it's been so dark lately - I guess I got distracted and sat out there too long. Missed breakfast too." Despite his unfavorable position in having arrived late, the holder of Justice was smiling broadly and freely, an infectious brightness that was impossible to stay angry at. Realizing that he was talking too much, Shae shut his mouth and looked to Constance, who was always a source of order and calm in a place as sometimes crazy as this. "Constance, my dear," he said, his voice playfully coated in false affection, "what have you got to tell us today?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:18 am
Meanwhile, outside of the old castle, a different yet equally well-dressed man was casually exploring the grounds, soaking up the sunlight and the solitude while maintaining a businesslike air and a serious expression. He waved a hand towards a man wearing a plain black suit, who immediately nodded and disappeared. This man was the first man's driver, and having satisfied himself that this facility would do well enough for now, the first man had dismissed his driver to go home. This first man was none other than the young millionaire, Stetson Schraeder, and he was here to learn what he could about the strange events that were happening around him. He was a Cardholder and had already been inducted into the Arcane Society. He had even performed a few training exercises and proven that he was skilled enough to handle his card - including an event several years prior in which he and Shae had crossed paths briefly. However, despite his skill and the lack of available Cardholders, Schraeder's profession kept him far too busy to join the ranks of the working Cardholders for more than a week every year. Now, however, word had reached the young tycoon that Cardholders and those around them were being attacked. This would normally not alarm Schraeder, as he viewed his own skills as far superior to those of the others (though this could be heavily debated as soon as he left the room). What brought worry to him was the fact that the Society still had no word on who the culprit was, or what they wanted, or even how to fight them. It was time for Schraeder to put his life on pause and make his way here, to find out what he could. Still wandering the grounds, he soon spotted what appeared to be a young girl. Other than his driver, Schraeder had yet to see anyone, and had not expected his first person to be a young girl. Making his way across the lawn (for lack of a better thing to do), he approached her and said, "Excuse me, young lady? Are you perhaps lost?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:34 pm
There was not a speck of dust on any of the furniture. The air was still, silent, too quiet for Melody. She held her breath afraid to breathe as she stood only a couple feet away from the front door that was still standing open because she, in her amazement, had forgotten to close it. Wishing intently for someone to appear, she counted softly in her mind. one two three four five Nothing. A spider slid down from the ceiling on its web, hanging as delicately as sunlight, landing gently upon her. Relieved, she exhaled and extended her towards it. It backed away hesitantly, before making a bold, awkward leap into the palm of her hand. "Hello," She greeted it, bringing her hand up to eye level. The spider turned in response. Limping, it scuttled towards her face, dragging one of its legs behind. "Don't worry, I can fix it." Mel reassured the spider. Cupping her hands together, she pulled the feelings of warmth and kindness and goodwill out from inside of her and focused it towards her palms. The spider stood still. A faint blue colour passed over it, then melted back into her skin. She sighed, feeling a bit tired. The spider stretched its healed legs and nodded a small thank you. "Your welcome!" Melody answered cheerfully, and proceeded to converse with it while being completely unaware of the man who had just walked in behind her. "Excuse me, young lady? Are you perhaps lost?"She jumped when he spoke and turned to face him. Like the room, his attire made her uncomfortable with its perfection. She briefly wondered how he could move in clothes like that. "Yes....I mean... no... actually..." Words stumbled through her mouth. She was never really good at talking to adults. "What I mean to say is...." Taking a deep breath, she tried answering again, "IwastoldtocomeherethismorningbutIdon'tknowifI'mintherightplace or...not." Melody suddenly realized that she forgot to curtsy. She wondered if the stranger now found her rude. This was not the best beginning to her first day at the academy
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Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:14 pm
Schraeder was slightly taken aback. He hadn't considered the possibility of children being a part of the Society, and so hadn't expected this young girl to actually belong here. And yet, he could tell by looking at her that she was also a Cardholder. This was certainly interesting. The Cards certainly did seem to work in mysterious ways...
Smiling slightly, he looked down at her from where he stood. "I see," he said. "You know, I like you. I'm all about efficiency, and that was about as quick as you can get. Good work, kid." He nodded approvingly.
"So where are you headed to? Perhaps I can guide you, or maybe our paths are even going to the same place."
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:23 am
 The hours leading up to Adrian’s departure could not, in any dimension, be considered calm or relaxing. Though the physical preparation; his luggage, had been packed, unpacked, double-checked, relived of a 400-yard spool of maroon yarn and replaced with three pairs of underwear, repacked, and stowed in the trunk of the parked limousine, had been completed, mental preparations were still in infantile stages. In the selfsame study where Adrian had drawn his fateful card so many years ago, the small crowd consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Van Alen, Madame Beltois, and Adrian was assembled, though not all in the same activity. Mr. and Mrs. Van Alen were directly to the left of the open door, the husband sitting with his left hand supporting his head over the handsome walnut writing desk currently in use by his right hand, furiously scribbling a note on a cream colored piece of letter paper. Her head looming over his shoulder, Mrs. Van Alen’s watery eyes scanned the paper as every word was written, occasionally chiming in with ‘suggestions to make it more presentable’ every few lines or so to the mounting frustration of her husband. After perhaps the fourth incredulous murmur from behind his head, Mr. Van Alen calmly placed his pen in the recessed holding slot and slowly crumpled up the paper, tossing it casually into the wastebasket where it joined no fewer than a dozen of its peers. “I’m sorry Edwin..” Mrs. Van Alen softly mumbled, tears beginning to well up again in her deep green eyes. “I just… I just want to make sure they understand about Adrian, if he can’t fit in, or things get worse I… I.”“It’s alright Melina.” Mr. Van Alen replied, the tone of his voice akin to that of a middle school actor reciting his lines for the twentieth showing of some unbearable play. “Let’s just finish this.”~~ In the middle of the room next to a closed window, Madame Beltois sat in a slightly-understuffed armchair that seemed enormous when compared to her dainty frame. To her side, a steaming cup of what appeared to be tea sat half-empty next to a faded felt bookmark. The Madame herself sat in a seemingly untouchable bubble of calm, a small paperback volume in her hands. Occasionally the sound of polite sipping or page-turning could be heard from within, but a careful observer could deduce that however in her own world Madame Beltois seemed to be, she was very pointedly ignoring the squabbling coming the two other adults in the room. ~~ Breaking the now established trend, the final occupant of the room was neither standing nor sitting in a chair. Instead, Adrian Van Alen was very firmly planted on the hardwood floor of the room, his legs crossed in a manner that was clearly adding new folds to his black dress pants that would take a very determined ironer to get out again. From his position facing the wood paneling, the initial impression one could get would be that the nineteen-year-old was in the middle of a punishment, the famous ‘go sit in the corner’ used on naughty children. Yet were this the case, the grin on his face seemed to indicate it wasn’t working very well. In reality, the wall had challenged Vyrkomod to a duel, and being the kind of duelist he was, Vyrk couldn’t well decline. “So I’ll attack your Sapphire Pegasus with my Dark Valkyria, and since I’ve activated its Gemini effect, it has enough attack to both destroy your monster and deal 300 points of damage to you! Your move.”
“….You…wait. Crap.” A slow grimace spread across Vyrkomod’s features as apparently his opponent pulled off some unexpected strategy. “I shoulda figured Hamon would be your trump card with all those Crystal Beasts, the Rainbow Dragon is just too much of a pain to summon after all.” For a moment Vyrkomod sat there silently, his amber eyes moving slowly over the bright cardboard cards splayed out in front of him, finally stopping on one close to his right foot. “Well now.” He continued, the grimace turning to a wicked smile as his fingers reached for the selected card. “I’m so sorry, but all that hard work is going to be for nothing, as I’ll activate my Bottomless Trap Hole! I’m sure you’re well aware of what that means for you an- OW!” His grin evaporating in a squeal of pain, Vyrkomod spun around clutching the back of his head to face his parents. For the last third of a minute Mrs. Van Alen had been calling Adrain’s name in an attempt to get his attention, and an already irritable Mr. Van Alen had picked up a half-empty box of staples from the writing desk and chucked it at the back of his son’s head. “Edwin, that was not appropriate.” Mrs. Van Alen said sternly, giving her husband a small slap on the back of his shoulder, causing the pen to scribble over three previous lines of text. Oblivious of the slightly worrying twitch now appearing in her spouse’s eye, Mrs. Van Alen turned her attention back to her son who had just begun sweeping the spread-out cards together in an attempt to pick them all up. “Adrian honey, didn’t you hear me calling you?”“Yeah, I did mom. Sorry about that.” Vyrkomod said apologetically, abandoning the mess on the floor after a half-hearted attempt and began to walk stiff-leggedly over to his parents. “It’s just that you always call me Adrian, and it gets confusing when everyone else calls me Vyrkomod.”“Adrain..” Mrs. Van Alen murmured, a teary trill beginning to creep its way into her voice. “I…” For a moment it seemed as if emotion would overtake the woman, and she would collapse to the floor cursing whatever cruel forces had done this thing to her son, but from to her left Mrs. Van Alen caught a glimpse of Madame Beltois’ face from behind her book. The look of pain in the older woman’s eyes as she bit onto her lip and tried to maintain focus on the paperback in front of her, silenced the rising storm of emotions. After all, wasn’t Madame Beltois a woman who knew only far too well the tattered and torn shape of Adrain’s mind? After the incident the Madame had called upon countless contacts from both this world and the next in hopes that some method of recovery could be found. Yet all were met with the same answer: unless the fragments of Adrain’s mind that now were most likely inextricably bound to Zemus could somehow be pulled forth from the other world, he would never recover. Without a mask of her own, searching the Spirit world for one singular existence would prove impossible, and with a head of hair far greyer than it had started, two years later Madame Beltois was forced to admit defeat and to give Adrain into the care of the same ones who had broken him forever. Though his mother she may be, Melina Van Alen was forced, somewhere within the recesses of her mind, to admit that the one closest to her son, was no longer herself. ~~ As one would expect, the farewell was a bittersweet affair, and by the end only the hired driver had maintained dry eyes. But that was far beyond them now, lost behind the many mountains between the Van Alen estate and the Arcane Socity’s headquarters. In the front seat, Hans Gründerel was humming along poorly to the radio while also poorly keeping his eyes on the road. Could he help it? That little… person, behind the window dividing the driver from the passenger was being awfully distracting. For the past twenty minutes the kid had been sitting eerily still, his eyes fixed in a penetrating gaze on his driver. After apparently growing bored with that however, he had begun wiggling around the back, engaged in some sort of faux-martial arts with invisible foes, and Hans winced every time the thwack of fist on leather drifted forward to his ears. He wasn’t looking, but the stocky german man just knew there were going to be scuff marks to clean up there later. Understandably, the driver had developed an eerie twitch in his left hand. Normally when the back seat was becoming too distracting, he could jus reach over and flip a switch to raise a blind in front of the window, yet by special request from the lady of the household, he had been ordered to keep an eye on him at all times, meaning no button pushing today. Still, old habits die hard and every time a noise or action from the back brought up a wave of irritation within Hans, his fingers habitually spasmed, aching to simply press that shiny, shiny button. Meanwhile in the back, intense Schezwan-Fu had seemingly worn Vyrkomod out and he was now slumped comatose across the leather seat, his backpack underneath his head as a particularly lumpy pillow. A thin tendril of drool crept out of his sleeping mouth, rolling down the backpack and getting dangerously close to the pocket holding his electronic equipment. However, with a mumble the sleeping youth turned to rest on his back, and the drool instead found its way onto the sleeve of the seafoam-green dress shirt he wore beneath a black and dust-colored pinstripe vest. Apart from his socks (as the shoes were merely black tennis shoes) the vest remained the only article of visible clothing that still looked immaculate. But even that could not draw all the attention away from his rumpled pants and shirt. No doubt that, could Mrs. Van Alen see, then she would be sobbing over the ruined ‘first impressions’ her Adrian would make. In the front seat, Hans grinned to himself, noticing that his charge was now quiet for once. Turning up the volume on his radio, bad humming graduated to full-on terrible singing as the sleek black limousine made its way down from the mountains. ~~ The sound of tire on gravel was thick in the air of the Arcane Society Headquarters that day. Accelerating suddenly through a gap between two leaving vehicles, the sound of swearing and honking joined it as Hans pulled up to what apparently was the drop-off zone. “Well, we’re here kiddo.” He growled tiredly to the back of the car, not checking to make sure he had been heard. An affirmative click of a seatbelt indicated however, that he had, and from opposite sides of the car clambered out a tall thin brunet, and a stocky blond. Walking around to the back, Hans quickly popped the trunk and began dragging out luggage to place on the grass beside Vrykomod, who was staring with some dismay at the empty air between him and the front door. By now having trained himself not to question, or even think about the kid’s behavior, Hans walked past Vyrkomod, up the stairs to the three figures standing there, and after a moment of looking them over, deposited a white envelope into the hands of the woman. “I’m dropping off a Mr. Adrian Van Alen, here’s a letter from his parents they wanted me to make sure you read first, something about his ‘condition’.” Rolling his eyes, Hans looked back down onto the lawn where the kid had taken about three steps forward and then stopped again. “So good luck with the little weirdo.” Then turning, Hans walked quickly back to his car and, after punching a few well-worn buttons on his dashboard GPS, sped off as it calculated the shortest distance to the nearest pub possible. ~~ Tapping his foot impatiently, Adrain watched his driver zoom off without a single look backward, and then returned his focus to in front of him. Now, the Arcane Society was a strange place, he had expected that. But who was the genius that had decided it would be a good idea to have the check in line also be the line for a new release of some Zelda game? There were like twenty people already lined up and that narwhal at the front was taking forever… stupid narwhals. The line moved forward perhaps another foot as the asparagus steamer apparently got too frustrated and left. Vyrkomod moved up accordingly, giving a wry smile to figures near the doors. Well, if they had wanted things to go more smoothly, then they should have planned this better. Zelda, honestly. ((Yaaaay! Giant posts! Sorry to make you all read this, I just get excited when things start. ^^ wink )
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