The Encompass

[Otogi]

You find yourselves relaxing in a comfy, yet plain room. It has no windows and only one steel door. It's cozy with two couches and a single arm chair. There are two book cases and a television set, one rather old for the "current" age of televisions. In a corner there are a few simple, yet colorful toys for a younger or simpler crowd. There's no scent, and no colors - just plain steel walls.

There's a knock on the very singe steel door, an echoing one at that. What do you do, or rather, do you answer?

[Innis Cabal]

Yen removed his headphones, sighing slightly

"Who is it"

[sidhe_blooded]

Davin

Davin gets up and goes over to the door.
Who's there?

[Otogi]

The door opens slightly with a bit of white hair sticking out. "You don't mind if I come in, do you?" The hair becomes more hair and finally a pale, sweet looking head pops through. "I know you're new, but you still have to at least get around if you want to be somebody". He says.

[Sicarius]

Shiho

Transparent, suspended in the air, and only with her head poking out of the ceiling, Shiho was as silent as the death that had claimed her. She watched over her brother as much as she could. Her white kimono always rustled in the chill winds of unlife. It was the only thing she really experienced as far as a physical sensation. That didn't matter, emotions made her life.

Shiho was sad that Yen never experienced the joy that other people gave. Truth be told, Shiho had let more than one date or night out go because of Yen. But it was still there, and Yen needed to understand it. She had noticed that he had powers...and she wasn't sure what they were. Maybe it was like living versions of what she herself was?

Maybe not.

[Innis Cabal]

Yen places his headphones back on, shrugging

"Who wants that? What's there to do anyway out there."

Yen then takes a seat.

[Gavin Sage]

Isaac

The attractive young man sitting easily in the arm chair didn't even look up from his book at the knock. If anyone cared to look at it they could have caught the title of the hardcover tome. Useful Incantations for the Wayard Planesman was written on the front cover in a gold scrawl. The young man was studying it intently, occaisonally mumbling to himself or tracing odd patterns with his free hand.

As one of his fellows got up to open the door the young man stopped reading. Plucking a thick envelope from somewhere in the folds of his loose coat he slipped it between the pages of the book. The book itself went into a stuffed travel bag lying beside the chair. With that the young man rose to his feet, and straightend the green tie he wore as part of a brown suit.

"Do come in miss," he said, "My name is Isaac, and who might you be?"

[corvus Korrian]

Jonathan

A man best described as nondescript aside from the obviously Victorian style gentleman's suit he is wearing, Jon is leaning casually against a bare space of wall. Of fair but slightly pale complexion, black hair with prominent sideburns, and wire-rimmed spectacles, he seems to be reading one of books off the shelf at an impressive speed.

At the knock he looks toward the door and closes the book which he has somehow already managed to read half through.

As the visitor peeks in, Jon flashes a cordial smile at him. Quickly replacing the book to its shelf Jon turns to again face the white haired man. In a low, calm voice he says, "By all means. Are you our guide?"

[Otogi]

The thin man opens the door slightly more, this time with an orange, bright light shining through the steel-plated gateway. "You should probably come with me if you really want to know what everybody else does around here. I'm afraid it can't be another time, either; they're timing me and I have to be back by sundown, and it's eleven, if that means anything" he says, opening the door. Through the arch the light is even brighter than you could dream, surrounding the pale fellow with aura of the desert sun. "Besides, there's a whole world out there."

[sidhe_blooded]

Davin

Well I guess I'll follow your lead then.

[corvus Korrian]

Jonathan

Jon glances briefly at the other people in the room. "No time like the present, as they say... Lead on good sir, if your time is limited I daresay we shall not tarry."

He strides to the door at a moderate pace to give others time to gather themselves, waiting until he is the last to leave the room.

[Innis Cabal]

Yen covers his eyes

"Fine. What ever."

Yen throws his back on his back, striding through the light.

[Gavin Sage]

Isaac slung his bag up quickly and made his way to the door swiftly as he could. .
"Do lead on, I'm afraid I haven't seen more then the Byzantium's local hall. I expected being loaned to another organization to involve a bit less waiting really."

As he talked Isaac quietly examined each of his companions in turn. His briefing details had been infuriatingly vague about what it was exactly he'd be doing. Which unsuprisingly had not reduced the packet brief's size noticably. Still nothing about this being espinonage or otherwise working for someone the Byzantium didn't trust. Still the Watch was always supposed to keep a look-out for trouble, too many problems could arise from the least expected places. For that matter there was the current surroundings to take note of. Had the guide said 'elven' just then? Interesting.

Spoiler

Show

Occut Roll For what Elven means to me:

(2d6+10)[16]

[Sicarius]

Shiho

Shiho, wordlessly, glided along the surface of the ceiling, wishing to reach out and touch her brother's shoulders. She instead, sadly, slowly withdrew her ghostly hand. Onii-chan...

[Otogi]

"Alright, I guess you just fallow me then." the man says, existing into the brilliance.

Spoiler

Show

Occult: Elves are mystical creatures who have a fondness for magic and nature, as well as an opposition to evil and a certain arrogance to them. There are many origins and ways that the elves operate, but they often involves beings very old and from ethereal beings.

This may also be a case of the misspelling of eleven, as the clocks seem to say that so

[Innis Cabal]

Yen looks over his shoulder for just a second, was there...no...it was a trick of the mind.

"If I have to go with you. Where are we going."

[Otogi]

Through the door, you gaze into the Encompass. The city is a beautiful mixture or ancient, current and soon to be architecture, from Tribal, to Gothic, to Spheric Deco spread over dozens of buildings. The denizens of the nexus litter the streets, dressed in almost any kind of fashion imaginable. The light you saw before is a large, shining orb where the sun would be, and the sky itself is a bright orange with the clouds tinted the same color. As you look back, you see that your steel plated room was placed on an unworked stone wall with a ledge.

The man turns to you. "So, are we off?" He asks, eyes squinted in the "sun".

[Innis Cabal]

Yen gives a slight sigh, his form shifting as two other almost mirror images split from him

Hunger
"Where can we eat! Where are the women!"

Humanity
"Where are we going?"

[Sicarius]

Shiho

Onii-chan's power was scary. Shiho didn't understand any of it. She hadn't noticed it when she was alive, and she was fairly sure she would notice something. She had guessed that his mind was at war with itself, and it manifested because of...something. Some power in their blood, maybe. She read far too much manga for a woman her age, but her jousei comics were funny. Of course, she didn't have a power, except for...well, being what she was right now.

Onii-chan... She didn't speak. Speech was hard for her. It sounded twisted, horrible. The words came out amidst agonized moans that were not of Shiho's own make. Even though the world was strange, she couldn't manifest for very long, and she didn't want to leave onii-chan alone to talk to someone who could help her speak normally, or teach her how to control her powers.

[Gavin Sage]

Isaac

Egad some warning would be nice, Isaac thought to himself as he backpedaled slightly to evade as the man in front of him was suddenly three. Not that a man spliting into three bothered him terribly, you had to expect such things in his world. Still a little common courteousy would be apreciated.

"If you don't mind my asking, did you three mean to do that?" He said at once.

While waiting for an answer Isaac a deep hood over his head, shading his face against the fairly bright light. Isaac had to wonder what sort of technique went into spliting yourself apart. It hadn't been the sort of spells he was familar with certainly.

"I guess expect the unexpected is a good rule for the Encompass," He mumble quietly, not really intending anyone else to overhear.

[Innis Cabal]

Yen merely places the head phones over his ears as the other two turn around.

"Leave me alone"

Humanity
"More people. Do you know where we are going? And never mind us. This is fairly common. Its crowded in there after all."

Hunger
"Your ugly!"

[sidhe_blooded]

Davin

Jeez, this is one helluva place.
Davin says, looking around.

[Gavin Sage]

Isaac blinked as all three responded at once. It took a second to sort out what each duplicate had said. Multiple personas were clearly at work here. Very interesting. The original's response said to Isaac his guess was right on the money, this was an uncontrolled reaction. To what though, the sunlight perhaps? Certainly wouldn't be unknown, solar symbolism could be extremely powerful and was extremely common relatively speaking.

Perhaps a curse of some kind? That would explain the original's reticence to talk about it as well. Penny could probably tell him more, or at least would know where to find out. Isaac missed her already. Or at least thats what he attributed the vague ill feeling he'd had as.

"Ugly? Not likely, though sometimes I think that my life would be a bit easier that way," Issac said with a chuckle. Maybe he stop attracting women that didn't understand the idea of 'taken' very well. And with that Isaac ignored the duplicate and turned his attention to the one that seemed vaguely friendly.

"Sorry but this is my first trip to the Encompass, I don't know my way around yet. I'm here on official liasion, but my bosses didn't give me any specifics on what I'd be doing."

For the moment he'd leave the original alone like the man plainly wanted. Look over to another of the party that had spoken Isaac nodded but did not respond. The dry descriptions he'd heard didn't really do things justice.

[corvus Korrian]

Jonathan

To the guide

Following up the rear, Jon closes the heavy steel door behind him. He squints at the brightness while his eyes struggle to adjust. Peering briefly over the ledge he says, "Yes, please show us the way."

To Yen and his sudden multiplication

Jon seems rather unperturbed by the duplicate and separate personalities who suddenly appear, though does acknowledge Humanity and Yen with a slight glance.

To Isaac

"For the most part, I think we are all at least relatively new here. I was warned about the brightness, but even so it's still quite dazzling."

[Otogi]

"Alright, then, you, er, seven? Yes, well, stay this way" The man just managed to get out. This was when he started to walk down the left side of the mountain, which looked like it led to a market.

The streets of the market were similar to that of a New York street fair, with people and other things traveling down the concrete roads while people dressed in casual clothes sat behind worn, plastic tables with their wares out, along with a few games and food courts scattered around the place. Taking away from the urban, cultural aesthetic (or perhaps, ultimately adding to it) were space marines with their guns in the air and fairy-tale like wizards walking with their staffs, transversing the area as if feeling not the slightest out of place.

[Innis Cabal]

Yen had visited Tokyo from time to time, the size of this city really wasn't that shocking, but the strange dichotomy certianly was. The other two were not nearly as silent. Hunger contined to gawk and whistle at any woman that walked by, while Humanity tried very hard to make sure such instances did not become a public event.

Yen merely ignored it all, merely walking forward, turning the volume up.

[Gavin Sage]

Isaac

Glare doesn't bother me that much," Isaac said to the pale man. And it was moderately true, if only because of the length of time he'd spent learning some very bright spells, "Still I wished I hadn't forgotten my sunglasses. I'd hate to strain my eyes and need glasses."

Looking around the market Isaac let himself feel impressed. Open practitioners meant there were more that weren't as obvious, which in turn suggested there was something for them to buy. This market was the exact sort of place Isaac could spend hours in searching and appraising items. He'd have to keep an eye out for any books, you could never have too many. They might even have some decent poetry, Penny had made him leave his collection at home. Somehow the Isaac doubted he'd have time to shop though, maybe on the way back home he could pick up a few souvenirs.

[sidhe_blooded]

Davin

This is very impressive, but I was under the impression that we were supposed to be learning things that the other folk around here know.

[corvus Korrian]

Jonathan

Jon doesn't seem particularly awed by the odd combinations amongst the surroundings, but he is obviously taking in everything he sees nonetheless.


To Isaac

"Tinted eyeglasses would probably indeed have been advised. Yet perhaps should they be required our hosts will oblige."


To Davin

"Isn't that why we have our guide?" asked Jon cordially.

[sidhe_blooded]

Davin

To Jonathan
That's who I was talking to. He replies, not quite gruffly.