Enter the Storm

Enter the Storm; open
Topic Started: Dec 1 2009, 09:07 PM (193 Views)
Chizu	Dec 1 2009, 09:07 PM Post #1
ModPink Posts: 1,143 Group: Global Moderators Member #232 Joined: Sep 26, 2009	The sun had gone down almost an hour ago, and the candle beside her was already nothing more than a stub. Wax trickled down over the table from where the candle had been when she lit it, and outside the Sanctum, she could hear the sounds and howls of Heartless milling around Second District after dark. Likely making it home would be difficult, but she would have to make it home tonight. Damon didn't know she was here, after all. She paused and took a deep breath, rubbing at her eyes with one hand. She had never read this much at one time in her life, and the words were starting to swim in front of her face. Chizu looked back at the book and willed the words to come back to focus, staring at the black lines on the page until they began to make sense. The book in front of her was huge and appeared to be about atmospheric phenomena. A slightly smaller book to her left was a book on elemancy, and beside that, an even smaller and newer book that seemed to be devoted solely to electromancy. She had already checked out a book on aeromancy, intending to read it at home on her own time. To her right was a notepad with a pen lying on it and just above that was an open dictionary. Chizu paused for a moment to look up through the dim light at the dictionary. She flipped it to the letter P, her lips moving as she recited the word "perturbation" over and over again to herself until she found the meaning. Apparently it meant a disturbance. One had to wonder why they didn't just write "disturbance". Chizu in the library after so long was a rare sight. Usually, she avoided them like the plague, but this time she was on a mission. And she wasn't intending to stop until she had what she was looking for.



Zero	Dec 1 2009, 11:43 PM Post #2
Above the starry skies judges god, the way we judged. (ModNero) Posts: 378 Group: Global Moderators Member #127 Joined: Aug 26, 2008	Leon sighed walking through the dark library with only the light of his Navigator's Hologram to illuminate his path, not wanting to waste his PET's small bulb since there was quite a reading ahead of them or rather Leon since the Navi had Nightvision, lucky bastard. If only this library had an internet site to get all the information he needed. Needless to say, he needed to get the information on how to improve the Processors for his NetNavi, and even possibly to improve his Navi's coding to make him stronger. Not only did this grand library hold information on all that but maybe he could learn to improve his martial arts abilities or even learn Elemancing. The possibilities were endless, sadly it would require so much time reading and having come so late, was there really time at all? "Leon, get a move on." Harpuia, his navi declared impatiently. "Hey, I'm doing you the favor buddy." Leon replied smartly, "Aw, just do it." Harpuia stated simply as Leon sighed once more. Moving his wrist towards the direction of the bookshelves, his Link PET Delta having night-vision app installed allowing Harpuia to more easily find the book. "There bottom right-hand corner." Harpuia added as Leon reached to grab it. "Alright, now to actually read it...The real hard part." Leon whispered to himself with the creaking of the floors sounding off with every step he took. Eventually, after a bit they had come to see a girl reading a book with a small candle to her side. She was almost engulfed by her reading. Hearing her repeat the word perturbation, Harpuia retorted loudly "It means Disturbance!", with Leon feeling embarrassed at his Navi acting like a know it all sometimes and bothering the girl studying so hard... Edited by Zero, Dec 1 2009, 11:44 PM.



Dominique	Dec 2 2009, 12:42 AM Post #3
Always running Posts: 499 Group: Members Member #152 Joined: Oct 10, 2008	It seemed the need had arisen to improve her time management skills. Nozomi was quite unused to being in places she was unfamiliar with, habitually surveying her areas of employment or wherever she was deployed for whatever reason ahead of time. However, having been dumped in Traverse Town rather unexpectedly, the usually collected navigation system that was Nozomi Kimishima had become quite lost in the Third District. Despite being as large it was, such a towering library had been quite difficult to find. It seemed her natural sense of direction was quite useless in a town with very few natural clues to navigate by. However, having arrived at her destination (albeit not in an ideal amount of time), that issue would have to be put on the back-burner for awhile. From the outside, it was difficult to see anything beyond the it's silhouette as this entire section of the district was poorly lit. From the inside though, one could get a sense as to why. The tower itself was an extremely old looking structure, almost medieval in nature. Bookshelves seemed to stretch on for miles with rows and volumes of books reaching up into infinity. Nozomi prayed they had a brilliant cataloging system, otherwise milling through all of this would probably take her days. The library appeared unsurprisingly empty given the time of day, but a few lights here and there could be seen moving about the various floors. While the GLADIUS Commander was not a firm believer in the existence of magic, the situation at hand had moved her a bit. Lavender, her GLADIUS superior had indeed not only indulged this belief, but had seen fit to take the reigns of a local organization of magical freedom fighters. Their Chinese Commander-in-Chief had also followed her in this respect. Being the closest things she had left to family in this world, Nozomi was not quick to dismiss the invitation. Even if they were actually misguided Espers, they were fighting to save the worlds just like everyone else and that was something she could truly put her talent behind. Which brought about the present situation. Having little to no knowledge of magic, one of the members of the group had given her a good place to start researching the subject. Naturally, Nozomi had advised that she wouldn't need directions to get here being the expert navigator that she was. The irony was immutable. However, now that she was here, where exactly was she supposed to start? Pulling a flashlight from her jacket, she flicked it on, scanning the first few rows of books. They were all extremely old looking with faded leather binding. The gold letters on them had degraded, making it difficult to imagine that they could still be readable after all this time. That was certainly no good, the only solution would be to find someone who worked here. Or had at least been here enough times to know the layout. Quote: It appears I've gone overboard! tl;dr? skip here! Walking herself towards the nearest lit candle, she shined her flashlight on its hosts, a pair of sensible looking teenagers. One of them appeared to be referencing a pair of books while the other read over her shoulder. "Excuse me, can either of you assist me? This place is a bit overwhelming." Nozomi asked politely.



Lawman	Dec 2 2009, 08:50 AM Post #4
Moderatus Rex Posts: 1,792 Group: Global Moderators Member #100 Joined: Jul 11, 2008	OOC Bringing in two of my characters here Since her encounter with the Briton known as Twelve Curien Lavender had found herself visiting the Arcane Sanctum more and more frequently, finding the subject of magic increasingly interesting to read up on, and frequently discussing the subject with known practicioners of the art such as Selene. And so there the purple-haired Esper was, wandering past rows and rows of bookshelves in search of tomes pertaining to the creation and use of magic circles, the same kind of magic she often witnessed the redhead use. The aeromancer smiled as she noticed a dust-covered leather-bound tome sitting on a shelf next to her, sandwiched between a book on magical creatures and a compendium of alchemical reagents. As Lavender reached for the book, she paused when she heard a familiar voice on the other side of the shelf. "Excuse me, can either of you assist me? This place is a bit overwhelming." That voice belonged to none other than her second-in-command at GLADIUS and fellow Arcadian, Nozomi Kimishima. Nozomi and the others would feel a slight breeze wafting through the hallways as Lavender floated up on a cushion of air, rising above the top of the shelf to get a peek at the others on the other side. "Ah, Nozomi-san! It's a pleasant surprise indeed!" Lavender said as her upper body emerged above the top of the shelf, looking down upon the medic, and to her surprise - Chizu was there as well, along with another young man reading nearby. "Or should I say, pleasant surprise at seeing you two. So, what brings you two here?" A cheerful smile crossed the aeromancer's face as she floated over the shelf and gently lowered herself between Chizu, Leon and Nozomi. Jennifer's head bobbed slightly as she listened to songs from her anime song collection on her Creative ZEN, the purple-haired American whistling the tune (softly) to herself as she thumbed through the pages of a book about contractual magic, going through a section on how certain practicioners of magic can form a contractual bond with another individual to form a Servant/Master relationship. And one of the apparent benefits received by the Servant being a readily available source of mana to power themselves; although needless to say, the part that detailed how mana can be transferred to a Servant by a Master was something that made Jen feel a wee bit uncomfortable. Still, all this literature about magic was really nothing more than a source of leisure reading for the purple-haired girl - who never really acknowledged the existence of magic; which was pretty ironic considering how she was a student from a school that is very similar to Hyakuji High. While reading, Jen picked up her smart phone from the study table and sent a message back home to remind her father not to call her as she is currently in the library. On the table in front of her and on the floor were piles upon piles of books, all having been read through by the purple-haired girl. Jen looked up from her reading as a draft of wind blew towards her - did someone open a window somewhere? This was when she caught sight of the source of the breeze, a woman with long purple hair and pointed elven ears descending from midair to greet another group of people. Now that certainly piqued her curiosity; as Jen got up from the desk and made her way towards Chizu and Leon, whose backs were currently facing her, trying to peek over Chizu's shoulders at what was going on.



Chizu	Dec 2 2009, 10:32 AM Post #5
ModPink Posts: 1,143 Group: Global Moderators Member #232 Joined: Sep 26, 2009	"It means Disturbance!" A voice suddenly cut through Chizu's already strained concentration and she looked up sharply, turning around to find the source of it. "I know--!" she said loudly, cutting herself off when she realized what she sounded like and taking a deep breath. All this reading was wreaking havoc on her patience. "I found it, thanks," she said, quieter this time as she looked back at the books and at her hurried collection of notes. The combination of kanji, hiragana, katakana, and English written in the dark only looked like chicken scratches from this angle. Handwriting had never exactly been Chizu's strong point. Likely when she went back over them, she would probably need to decipher them before she could read them. Chizu picked up the unlit candle next to her and lit it from the dying candle, setting up another one as she ran a hand through her hair, her concentration pretty much broken by now. And if it wasn't yet, it definitely would be when another person came into view, this one with white hair and gray eyes. Chizu reined in her frayed nerves before she said something she would regret and only sighed and shook her head. "Sorry," she said, "This is my first time here too. But I've been here all afternoon so...y'know, I can try." And then another voice cut through the quiet of the library as Lavender came into view, greeting the first woman first before greeting her next. Chizu sighed. By now, she had given up hope of learning anything more today. She would have to come back. She shut the book on the atmosphere and shoved it back as she turned to Lavender. "Studying," said Chizu in reply, keeping her answer short and simple. She didn't particularly want to tell Lavender about her plans of beating electromancy with aeromancy just yet. Besides, this wasn't exactly a private conversation.



Zero	Dec 2 2009, 10:32 PM Post #6
Above the starry skies judges god, the way we judged. (ModNero) Posts: 378 Group: Global Moderators Member #127 Joined: Aug 26, 2008	Leon expected such a response, it would only be natural for someone so concentrated to have replied like that. They were were ruining it or better said, Harpuia was ruining it. "I apologize, he acts like a know it all sometimes..." Leon stated once she looked back her books. "...She's cute, as such... he thought to himself when she turned as he tensed his muscles, quite common among males really to impress the opposite sex. "Predictable as ever and Oh-so very smooth, hmm Leon?" Harpuia thought rolling his eyes. He had always noticed, the interactions between males and females of the human race were very tricky ones. Before Leon could make his move, another woman came out from the shadows as well. "My isn't she quite the looker..." Leon thought to himself coolly as asked "Excuse me, can either of you assist me? This place is a bit overwhelming." very politely. Luckily for her and Leon prior, the NetNavigator was already well-versed on where books should be within the Library. As the Library was catching up to the times, it had even gotten itself a Book Database on if it was free to read and borrow and where it would be in the Library itself. The database required an Internet connection, but the map of the place was stored onto the PET. "I think we can, Harpuia?" Leon said as Harpuia's Hologram quickly popped out of the PET, "Maybe I could point you in the right direction if your looking for a certain book or section, an internet connection needed for the former." Harpuia added in. Before Leon could feel annoyed at his Navi for once again a breeze was felt by Leon...funny, he hadn't felt a draft before?... "Ah, Nozomi-san! It's a pleasant surprise indeed!" A purple haired woman with elven ears said as her upper body emerged above the top of the shelf, looking down upon all of them. "Or should I say, pleasant surprise at seeing you two. So, what brings you two here?" apparently this one knowing both of them. This one is cute too. A day or rather night of random encounters with women, aren't I lucky?" Leon thought to himself as looked over to look at the to see the responses to this woman who emerged from nowhere, not yet noticing there was another behind him as well. Apparently with the latest appearance, the first girl had given up reading anymore, her replying only with the word "Studying," she was certainly keen not revealing anymore than that.



Dominique	Dec 4 2009, 02:58 PM Post #7
Always running Posts: 499 Group: Members Member #152 Joined: Oct 10, 2008	"No it's alright, I'll keep looking, I apologize for distu-" "Ah, Nozomi-san! It's a pleasant surprise indeed!" A certain familiar voice called out. An uncanny wind blew softly around the bookshelves, reminding her of a time before she wore pencil skirts. As she suspected, Lavender sailed over the bookshelf, observing her from above the top of it. "Or should I say, pleasant surprise at seeing you two. So, what brings you two here?" It seemed this girl was also an acquaintance of hers. Another Arcadia member? Lavender had certainly been busy since arriving in this world, it continued to amaze her that purple-haired Esper could move so quickly and was already running an entire freedom-fighting group. Then again, it was likely those very qualities that qualified her to head such an unusual group like GLADIUS. A pop-up suddenly appeared from the other gentlemen's pocket, offering to help her as well. That kind of thing would have at least made her raise an eyebrow at one time. The idea that she'd lost her sense of surprise felt almost depressing in a way. Nozomi nodded towards the...hologram and turned to address Lavender. "Actually, I'm here because of you." She said smirking deviously. "It's simple really, I'm just here to read up on magic. I figured as long as I'm going to be working alongside you in that Arcadia group, it would be beneficial for me to brush up on the subject." The commander turned back to the well-mannered hologram. "That was what I needed help finding." She finished. The other girl seemed less than enthusiastic for them to be there. It seemed fairly likely they were disturbing her, but at least she was being accommodating about it. "And what brings you here Commander Lavender?" She asked, again with her trademark smirk. There was something about that kind of confidence that Nozomi found people responded to.



Lawman	Dec 5 2009, 01:35 AM Post #8
Moderatus Rex Posts: 1,792 Group: Global Moderators Member #100 Joined: Jul 11, 2008	"Ah, sorry... I didn't mean to disturb you," Lavender replied apologetically to Chizu as she learned that the younger aeromancer was here to study; and from the looks of it, focusing on that has become all but impossible for the silver-haired girl as Nozomi and Lavender quickly struck up a conversation. "I wouldn't exactly consider myself a subject expert on magic yet, though," Lavender replied as her second-in-command mentioned her reason for being here was to learn more about magic. "Still, I'll be more than happy to help where I can... if there's something I don't know... well, I suppose I could consult Selene," the purple-haired Esper chuckled softly. "And what brings you here Commander Lavender?" Nozomi asked, wearing that signature smirk of hers. "Well, furthering my knowledge on the subject of magic," Lavender replied earnestly. "For every new thing I learn it just seems that it only raises more questions." "A-ha! So you're the one Xuanmeng talked about!" Another girl with purple hair suddenly chimed in, peeking from behind Chizu before stepping into full view, removing the earpieces from her Creative ZEN, a sugary grin etched on her face as her purple eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "You must be her boss Lavender!" "Excuse me?" Lavender blinked, taken slightly aback at a stranger suddenly calling her name. "You claim to know me?" The amethyst-haired aeromancer asked, incredulously. "Of course," Jen continued. "Xuanmeng told me about you." "My adjutant, I see..." Lavender nodded slowly as Jen twirled about a few times to get a good look at everyone - Nozomi, Lavender, Leon and Chizu. "So... seeing how Genmu-san has spoken to you, how shall I address you, girl?" "So the leader of Arcadia wants to know my name! Cool!" Jen squealed in excitement, totally forgetting they were in a library. But not just Lavender - there were three others present! That means she could make more friends! Flashing a smile that almost seemed to radiate light, the purple-haired girl rested her left hand on her hip while pointing towards her chest with her right thumb. "The name's Jennifer Chase!" Jen winked (and in her mind creating a glitter effect that scattered twinkling stars everywhere) and gave everyone a thumbs-up. "But you can call me Jen!" Edited by Lawman, Dec 5 2009, 03:54 AM.



Chizu	Dec 5 2009, 04:55 PM Post #9
ModPink Posts: 1,143 Group: Global Moderators Member #232 Joined: Sep 26, 2009	After about two years in Hyakuji, Chizu's sense of surprise was almost completely dull. Because of that, a man with a talking computer, two women talking about magic, and another one that sounded like she had had way too much sugar this morning didn't particularly surprise her that much. Because of this, when Leon apologized for Harpuia's comment, Chizu only turned towards him and shrugged, placing the book on elemancy on top of the other books so that their covers weren't visible. "I've dealt with that kind before," she said, thinking of Kaede, Damon, and Coryn. Why was it that all the people close to her were of the bookworm variety? She quickly stopped herself from thinking about them. If she thought about the three of them too much, she would start getting depressed again. Instead, she turned towards Jennifer as the other girl introduced herself. "I'm Chizu," she said, "I'm also in Arcadia. And don't worry about it, Lavender, I was just finishing up anyway."



Zero	Dec 5 2009, 06:55 PM Post #10
Above the starry skies judges god, the way we judged. (ModNero) Posts: 378 Group: Global Moderators Member #127 Joined: Aug 26, 2008	"Yes ma'am. It'll take like a minute or so, please bare with me." Harpuia said to the woman who did want his help. Leon looked for the nearest port as he saw a small red orb-like object on a nearby wall. Apparently the library seemed older than it really was, having even Ports for a Navigator to log into while inside. Harpuia nodded at Leon as he pressed a button while pointing his PET at the red orb. Leon returned his attention to the conversations and the women in front of him. Suddenly another girl with purple hair burst into the group, learning all their names. This one seemed more hyper than Dex's little brother on sugar. She apparently knew one of Lavender's Adjutant or whatever. Apparently they were all getting to know each other now that the girl stated her name to be Jen. From listening in, he learned the one who had asked for help was named Nozomi and was Second in command of Arcadia. The second one was the actual Commander of Arcadia, Lavender. She had an adjutant Xuanmeng which was who Jen had heard about Lavender from. Finally the one he disturbed was named Chizu and was also with Arcadia. Noting this all in his head, he introduced himself as well, "Since we're all introducing ourselves, I'm Leonardo James Ambrose or Leon if you prefer," "Former NetSavior. And my Navi's name is Harpuia. Pleasure to meet you all," Leon finished as he posed by flexing both his arms and a wink of his own, playfully counteracting Jen's own dramatics. It was the perfect time to crack a lame joke. Harpuia could hear his Operator sounding like he began to flirt or something, knowing him, he had done a lame joke..."Let's hope these are the first to find something he says funny..." thought the Green Navi. Edited by Zero, Dec 5 2009, 07:21 PM.



Dominique	Dec 8 2009, 09:05 PM Post #11
Always running Posts: 499 Group: Members Member #152 Joined: Oct 10, 2008	It seemed her trip to the library had become an informal meeting of Arcadia members. Among others. The newcomer seemed to have more than a passing interest in the organization and especially so in Lavender and herself. It seemed Xuanmeng had been doing quite a bit of talking and about her no less. Nozomi wasn't sure what to make of that, other than the fact she had almost no contact with the head of GLADIUS neither during her employment in OASIS or since the collapse of the borders between worlds. The attention was rather unwanted, but the commander wasn't going to be impolite. She was a recovering hard-ass after all, not yet a reformed one. If there was anything Xuanmeng could be described as, it was brilliant so she didn't give too much thought to the publicity. "It's nice to meet all of you, my name is Dr. Nozomi Kimishima, retired CIA." She smiled at each of them as they introduced themselves and gave them a friendly nod. She looked at Leon quizzically as he posed for the ever-expanding group of women. It certainly seemed befitting of someone who was that proud of having saved the Internet (which is what she assumed a net-savior did). "So Mr. Ambrose, if you could direct me to where I might find magical research texts, I'd be very appreciative." She said politely, before turning to Lavender. "It might benefit us both to combine our efforts starting with what you know so far. I'm obviously a bit behind you, but I'm a fast learner so it shouldn't be too much work to catch me up." Nozomi smiled. Business as usual, that was why she was the boss.



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