Making Waves

[DeadManSleeping]

The Last Day of Calibration before RY 768

The entrance of an illustrious auction house in the port city of Gateway. The area is packed with revelers so thick that one can hardly see five feet forward. A pair of menacing looking men with swords guards the gateway, checking tickets. Inside, everyone is dressed in posh finery, suggesting the price of admission is quite steep indeed. But not everyone inside paid for their ticket...

The auctioneer calls everyone's attention as the night draws to a close.

"Heed my words, kind guests! The time has come for the final raffle! We shall now see upon whom the luck of Calibration lands. From each of the 10 sets, we will call a number from the raffle box," he pauses to show a rotating cage with a large quantity of enumerated polyhedrons, "and from the 10 finalists, the roll of a die shall choose who walks away with tonight's prize!"

As soon as the word leaves his mouth, a pair of young maidens part from each other to display a mostly black jade box with hints of soulsteel and even starmetal in the design. It is about the size of a grown man's torso, and feels to your eyes heavier than its size would entail. There are no seams or openings of any sort.

"Discovered in the Pearl Court by a man entranced by the Fae, this box has remained a mystery to even the greatest of scholars." A couple of jeering remarks from the assembled crowd. Clearly there are some scholars present. "So, without further ado, we begin the draw! Ears open, ladies and gentlemen!"

He sets into motion the number device, spinning it by a handle so that the pieces shake inside, until one pops into the small upper cage. He peers into it carefully.

"First, for the behemoth set...eighty three!" The crowd immediately begins rumbling, as nearly a hundred raffle-goers immediately lose any chance they had.

"Next, the Empress set...forty five!" More rumbling, but a bit less this time.

"The beast set...twentyyyyy six!" By this time, the rumbling has died down to a steady, but ceaseless, level.

"Spirit! Seventy six!"
"Demon! Fifty!"
"Man! Four!"
"Faerie! Twenty nine!"
"Ghost! Sixty six!"
"Gaia! One hundred!"
"Last, the dragon set! The number is...eighteen! Would the ten finalists please come up to the stage?"

---------------------------
((Aaaaaaaaand...go!))

[Yuki Akuma]

Ledaal Serena, Chosen of Journeys Serene Tempest, Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded and Immaculate Monk

A young-looking woman dressed in the robes of a monk slowly makes her way to the stage once the finalists are called up. She stands out quite a bit, despite - or perhaps because - of her quite spartan, blue clothing. Her hands are folded together, hidden by her long sleeves, and she looks the perfect picture of serenity as she takes measured, even steps.

Her hair is blue, and her skin is a pale brown, marking her as a native to the West. Her eyes are a pale blue. If one were to get very close, they may be able to pick out flecks of yellow in her pupils, although the eye seems to slide off of them, as if they don't want themselves to be seen. She keeps her head bowed, her soft features mostly concealed by the straw, conical hat she wears.

Hanging from her belt are five exquisitely crafted chakrams, each bearing designs and imagery reminiscent of one of the five directions of Creation, as well as one of the five realms most known among the mortals of Creation - Creation itself, as well Yu-Shan, Malfaes, the Underworld and the Wyld. She makes no effort to conceal these weapons.

[Fri]

Bearded Owl

"Huh, wha? Wait. This isn't a ticket for more free meal?"

A bearded old man can be seen sitting messily at one corner of the room. That corner is somehow a bit less crowded than other parts of the room.

The old man is out of his place, that can be clearly seen from his less-than-fine finery or his messy hair that looks like haven't been touched by a comb for at least a decade. Maybe that's why those fine dressed people tried to sit as far away from him as possible, they don't want to be seen with this low class peasant. Or maybe because he's been snoring loudly for the last half of this hour.

He squints his eyes toward a piece of paper. He then grins and moves across the sea of people. "Whaddya know? It might be something good after all!" He whispers at random people's ears.

[Rotekian]

Kulili, Water-aspected Dragon-Blooded

A young looking man towers over the rest of the crowd as he barges past the few people slow enough not to have instinctively moved out of his way. Both the monstrous grand daiklave on his back and the armour covering his upper body enough to quickly silence any complaints. Both armour and weapon clearly constructed from black jade. He strides purposely to the stage with the natural rolling gait of a man who has lived aboard ship for much of his life.

As he steps up to the stage, he takes stock of the other lottery winners giving them a view of his intense sea green eyes which seem to flicker and roil like waves against a cliff. His long deep blue hair is drawn back into a long ponytail showing off his unmarred but heavily tanned visage. He looks especially suspicious of the old man, suspecting that he'll cheat somehow.

"I guess this ticket was worth winning after all. Now hurry up with the dice rolling so I can take my winnings." His loud booming voice easily reaching the ears of every member of the crowd.

[Tengu_temp]

Tireya, Dancer of Descending Fire

Another of the finalists that step forward is a girl of (seemingly) nineteen or twenty years of age. Of average height, but certainly not average appearance, she certainly is not a citizen of Gateway - her skin and short hair are too light, and most local women tend to be more massive, while she is more similar to a willow. The white, sleeveless (and, coincidentally, showing off both her midriff and a lot of her back) top she's wearing looks like Coral Archipelago or even Realm fashion, but the long, brown and yellow skirt embroidered with diamond-shaped patterns looks more local, and the thick-heeled sandals could come from anywhere. She's wearing a bit of jewellery, mostly copper and bronze, but also a red jade egg on a string around her neck. Just an expensive trinket, most likely.

With a large fan, painted red, white and gold in hand (another, closed one hangs from a yellow sash around her waist), the young woman makes her way towards the stage. Her motions, while fluid and graceful, also have a feeling of shyness to them, as if she was embarassed of the attention she gathers - either with her status as one of the finalists, or with her beauty. This feeling is, unbeknownst to any but the most keen observer, completely fabricated.

There is something else that such an observer might notice - a pair of silver wings, the size of a large bird's, sprouts from the girl's back. Such a feature should be impossible to ignore, yet most of the gathered people seem to manage this feat just fine.

Using Subtle Silver Declaration in this scene, to increase the effectiveness of the Tell by 2 at the cost of 1 mote. Only those with Dodge Mental Defense Value 7 or more notice the Tell.

[Arcanoi]

Aquilar Vallux

The southern desert garb was stifling, but Grandfather had advised him against going openly through Creation. He'd met Wyld Huntsmen only once on his adventures so far, but he was not eager to repeat the process, even if there purportedly were none in Gateway. His spear was likewise wrapped in heavy cloth, but he kept the hood down, letting his red-gold hair spell out around his straight face and strong nose. Luckily, there were no dust-storms in the West, a virtue the southern deserts did not possess.

Never-the-less, Aquilar barely heard his number called. He was too busy staring. At her. He didn't know who she was, but he could barely look away. When he'd walked into the tent, he'd scanned for threats, fortunately finding precious few. Two guards with swords, who he was quite confident he could cut down if necessary, a young, slight female monk with an unhealthy amount of chakrams on her belt, and a drunken, one-armed oaf with a sword on his back. He'd spied another woman who looked like she knew how to fight, but she'd vanished in the crowd as he walked in. There was also a colossal, blue-haired man with an impressive sword across his back. He was the biggest threat in the room, and those near him edged back in recognition. His eyes kept searching, and then he'd seen her.

It wasn't just her looks, though she was utterly gorgeous, easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and it wasn't just her mien, though she carried herself like a coquettish goddess. She was dressed in garb that any Metagalapan would have called scandalous, but that wasn't it either. She was just... perfect, and he was utterly entranced. He felt his pulse speed up, just staring.

The auctioneer startled him out of his shocked reverie, as the numbers were shouted, he looked down at the ticket he'd taken off the nobleman to find that he'd been called. The blue-haired giant moved as well, and the drunkard and the monk. And she approached the stage as well. He staggered forward, towards the stage, nearly tripping before righting himself, taking slow breaths, trying to get himself, and his libido, under control.

[Tengu_temp]

Tireya, Dancer of Descending Fire

She could feel her heartbeat growing still for a second, and then starting to go faster. There was something that just seemed so incredibly familiar about one of the other finalists, something that made her feel drawn to him, even though she has never met him before. Four Claws explained to her what it means, but even without his lesson she would know what is this feeling.

Discreetely, Tireya takes a closer look at the man who must be her Solar Mate. His garb obscures most of his features, but what can be seen looks promising. Appearance aside, though, what about his personality and goals? He's obviously a warrior, but what is he fighting for? This is what she's going to find out later, after the raffle. While her racing thoughts and emotions encourage her to find out right here and now, she doesn't let them take control - patience is the greatest virtue.

It seems that he noticed her as well. Very good - this will be easier than expected. Shielding the lower part of her face with her fan, Tireya smiles. This is a very lucky day.

[The Rose Dragon]

Glorious Desert Rose

"Faerie. 29." Rose checks her ticket to see if she was the winning person. "Naming a ticket after soul-eating creatures from beyond Creation is kind of ominous. Hopefully whatever I won will not suck out my emotions," she mumbles silently. Although hardly a homely woman, Rose has been doing her best to look as plain as she could, trying to draw the attention of only those who may need her help. To that end, she had dressed herself in the least flattering clothing she could get her hands on and made the effort to look the part of a lower-class girl. She walks up to the stage, minimizing her figure to be ignored as much as possible. "You know," she lies, although possibly only to herself, for she hardly raises her voice above a whisper, "I spent most of my scrip on this ticket. I hope I have won something worth it."

[DeadManSleeping]

The other four to take the stage are no less distinctive than the six Exalts.
One is a short, fat, old man of obvious wealth who could not appear more drunk if he were the world's greatest actor and his motivation "Be drunk". His graying beard clearly was kempt before the festivities, but has been neglected in the time since. He seems to try to loudly proclaim something, but only manages a "Wooo!" before he appears to forget what he's doing.
Next is a short, beautiful woman dressed in incredible finery. Her skin and clothing are both extremely pale, but she is wreathed in flowers (white as well), quite softening her appearance. The lines of her face are sharp, though, and her expression a little severe. She uses a white fan to put distance (both personal and physical) between herself and those who come near.
The third is a young man of dark presence. His hat angles over his face, and his leather cuirass and number of knives suggest that his ornamented straight sword is not just for ornamentation. He seems to almost go out of his way to shove and elbow people aside. He makes a snarling expression at any who dare meet his eyes.
The fourth is a Dynast through and through. His hair is the green of the western sea, and just long enough to billow slightly as he walks. Though he is fully armored in black jade, with a prominently displayed wavecleaver, he smiles genuinely at everyone and walks with grace rather than strength. As he takes the stage, he waves with near-exuberance at the Immaculate, though he positions himself between others, perhaps hoping to make more friends.

The auctioneer takes the center.

"Will you all please give applause for the finalists, whom Plentimonn smiles upon this last day of Calibration?" A couple audience members applaud, but most seem a bit too sore about not winning.

"Aha. Well, then let's get to the last, final die roll! Only one of these ten will go home with the artifact of mystery...the unknown treasure...the wonder of wonder...will my assistant PLEASE bring the 10-sided die!" He manages to say the last in the same tone of voice as the rest of his speech, but it certainly is enough to make a young boy at the corner of the stage run like he's peed himself with a pillow bearing a single decahedron. The auctioneer places it in a faceted glass and cups his hand over it and begins rolling it around. He then places it face down on the small podium in front of him. Many crowd around to see the result.

"Two! The Spirit holder has won the raffle of 768! Thank you everyone for coming! Please enjoy the complementary drinks until the sun rises!" He steps back to stand with the box.

[Yuki Akuma]

Serene Tempest

The Immaculate bows deeply to the Dynast as he waves to her. The rest of the contestants get cursory glances, but nothing particularly in-depth. She shifts a little bit to get comfortable, standing there with an air of perfect calm.

After all, she's just here to enjoy herself. Why bother with being all Secret Agent by studying the contestants in-depth? If there were any threats here, she would have already been told about it, surely.

The Immaculate Dragon keeps her face completely passive when she doesn't manage to win - although she's decided it would be a good idea to keep an eye on whoever did. After all, anything made with soulsteel couldn't be a good thing...

[Arcanoi]

Aquilar Vallux

It took Aquilar a long moment to realize he had won. He was still rather engrossed in staring at the woman. He thought he caught her staring back. He hoped he had.

As the booming voice of the auctioneer again perforated his reverie, he turned to stare at his 'prize'. What he would possibly do with such an arcane device, he had not the slightest clue. Maybe he could sell it to a collector who would have more use of it. Besides, he thought, his gaze wandering back to the woman, almost of its own accord, he had more important things to think about.

[Fri]

Owl raises one of his eyebrow as he squints his eyes toward the young girl (pretty, but a bit too gaudy for his taste) and the man wrapped in heavy clothes (definitely would drown if dipped into the ocean) as they exchange spark-laden looks at each others.

He whispers to the man beside him, which is incidentally the black armored man.

"Are we supposed to start to spontaneously dance for them now?"

But before he can say anything more, the announcer's voice boomed. Owl scrutinized his ticket.

"Oh well. At least I didn't lost much. In fact, I didn't lost anything!" he shrugs and throw the ticket without the slightest second glance.

[Tengu_temp]

Tireya, Dancer of Descending Fire

She didn't win the mysterious box, but he did, and that's almost as good. She approaches the winner, tilts her head slightly and gives him an almost painfully sweet and innocent smile.
"Congratulations."

[Rotekian]

Kulili was distracted from his contemplations on how he'd manage to open the box, by the old man muttering something while staring at one of the prettier girls in the room.
"What was that old man? I think she's too young for you." he interjects just before the announcer speaks.

"Bah! That is the last time I let someone off a gambling debt for a lottery ticket." Kulili frowns in disgust. Before muttering very softly, "Yes you told me so, I know."

[DeadManSleeping]

"NO!" The man in the hat draws his sword and strides forcefully towards the box. It keens as it clears the sheathe, a beautiful, dangerous clash of metal on metal. "The prize was to go to me! The box and its contents are mine, do you hear me?" His blade gleams in the lantern-light of the stage, and he waves it at everyone who dares his reach or his gaze. "I have come too far to suffer this!"

----------------------
You are allowed to instigate a Join Battle, but as of yet, nobody else in the scene has.

Important characters may get colored text, since as an ST, it can be unclear who I have speaking if you're reading the big blocks o' text with multiple characters.

[Arcanoi]

Aquilar

Aquilar surges forward, rage evident on his face. He did not come here to kill this man, and he will give the man one chance to walk out alive. His face darkens even as his cloak falls to the ground behind his stride, revealing shining, golden armor and a cloak that seems to be made of feathers sweeps out behind him with a mind of its own, suddenly splitting at the hem and flowing out behind him to form a pair of glittering, glowing eagle wings flaring out three yards to either side. He himself seems to catch the light, glowing steadily as his voice booms out over the hall. "You will put up your sword, sir. You may take the Onibala-damned cube, but you will recompense each of us for our ticket, and then you will leave. Aquilar did not want the cube, and knew nothing of what he could accomplish with it, but he had far more important things to do than slaughtering this man where he stood.


Intimidation attack, activating Wings of the Raptor, so Appearance 6

Rolling Charisma 3 + Presence 4 and adding seven dice from First Presence Excellency

Essence
Personal 19/19
Peripheral 12/37 (11 Committed)

[roll0]

[Fri]

"Ha HA! This is more like it!" Owl stomps the floor with hand on his chin. "Fighting is the flower of festivities after all!" But currently, he's just observing the situation... for this moment.

[Yuki Akuma]

Serene Tempest

The Immaculate stares at the man in the hat for a few seconds. "Are you... really considering attacking...?" Really? Haven't you noticed how many people have weapons here...?" But then Aquilar has apparently sprouted wings of golden light. From his orichalcum armour. The Immaculate facepalms and sighs. Solars...

[Tengu_temp]

Tireya, Dancer of Descending Fire

Tireya takes a step back with eyes widened in surprise, although she is not afraid of the man in the hat nor shows it - if anything, she finds his method of trying to take the box by force both crude and foolish. No, the real reason is her Mate - he smites her both with the magnificence of the form he's appearing in... and the foolishness of his actions.
You can't just show your nature as an Anathema and gather attention like that... Nevertheless, the fact that he wants to solve the matter peacefully instead of immediately cleaving the thief in half is a good thing, and Tireya can't help but feel impressed a little.
I don't think if he has enough money to pay even for one ticket, much less nine... And that's good. Something tells me the cube is more valuable than all the jade in the world.
While she looks like a bystanter caught up in things beyond her on the outside, Tireya actually prepares to interfere. Before she does anything, though, she sees how the man in the hat reacts - in the best case he will just run away.

Join battle: [roll0]

[Yuki Akuma]

[OOC: I should probably roll my Join Battle too, in case it kicks off while I'm asleep or something.]

[roll0]

[Rotekian]

Kulili

Kulili goes tense when Aquilar acts, taking quick glances around the room to measure the response of the Dragonblooded to the golden figure amongst them. He also tries to gauge how large this fight could get and all the potential factions involved. Will the crowd of disappointed ticket holders want to join in now that the winner has offered to give the cube to the first man with a sword to try and take it. Who looks to be the most worthy first target of his ire and how much room does he have to manoeuvre?

As these thoughts flashed through his head, his body shifted and one hand came up to rest gently on the hilt of his sword.

[The Rose Dragon]

Glorious Desert Rose

"The sun's excrement!" Rose exclaims to herself after seeing the utter lack of subtlety by the hat-wearing man and the winged warrior in the golden armor. She quickly considers her options: she could enter the fray, marking the end of a very short career as a Lawbringer due to her meager combat talents... or she could take the better part of valor and discreetly make herself scarce. After all, the prize is apparently not her right - what an utter waste of time, she thinks - and whatever it is, it probably isn't more important than making Creation a better place.

She runs away from the impending brawl by leaving the stage and entering the crowd, though she keeps one hand on Righteous Fury beneath her cloak, just in case she is brought into the fight somehow.