Post by sawg138 on Aug 30, 2010 18:41:51 GMT -5
[11:04] Misfit: You find him on the far side of the berm smoking and staring towards the ruins of Monterrey
[11:04] Russell: "Hi, um, Ringo?"
[11:05] Misfit: He raises an eyebrow and blows a puff of smoke. "Yes?"
[11:05] Russell: "Can I ask you something?"
[11:06] Misfit: "You just did" He shrugs "Yes, ask"
[11:07] Russell: Ciara giggles. "Well. Second something... um, when I said the Pythia sent me, you looked like you knew who I was talking about?"
[11:07] Misfit: "Did I now. Perhaps I do. What's it to you?"
[11:09] Russell: "Well, I'd like to know more about her. Right now I don't know all that much except she likes being cryptic, she said beware of the orb, but I don't know what orb she's talking about, and, well, it would be handy to if I'm supposed to beware of it."
[11:09] Misfit: "She is an oracle; they're supposed to be cryptic. As for orbs, I have none you should be cautious of. Where did you meet this Pythia?"
[11:11] Russell: (Where did I meet her, did she show up back home or did I run into her after I came to earth?)
[11:11] Misfit: After home and before earth
[11:13] Russell: Give me a few minutes to think of a suitable location, then :-)
[11:13] Misfit: Ok
[11:17] Misfit: brb too
[11:27] Misfit: Back
[11:28] Russell: "The Bowl of Tranquility. It's, well among other things it's kind of a resting spot, neutral meeting ground -- you get there -- well I got there at least -- by hiking up the Stair of Tears... It's a training exercise we all get, sort of a test too... supposed to be a spiritual journey as well, if you're into that sort of thing... anyway, basically it wasn't terribly surprising place to meet her, sometimes people do come there to hire someone, especially if they want to be sure what kind of someone they're getting."
[11:31] Misfit: "Interesting. You come from another dimension then? one where this Bowl of Tranquility is"
[11:32] Russell: "Not the same one, but we do know the way there."
[11:33] Misfit: "I see. Most interesting. And what brought you here, apart from the Pythia's vague warnings"
[11:34] Russell: "She directed me here. Said I was to kill Kryang, and you guys were after the same thing, and if I hurried I could run into both of you here at the same time."
[11:38] Misfit: "Well, you helped us with Kryang. But is that it?" (Did you forget Chronos?)
[11:39] Russell: "Uh-uh," she shakes her head. "I don't think she needed to go hiring me just for that. It's just step one of the big job. Have you heard of Chronos?"
[11:39] Russell: (nope
)
[11:40] Misfit: "I have. He slumbers in Tarterus, safely."
[11:41] Russell: "Except for the safely part. Somebody's trying to wake him up."
[11:43] Misfit: Ringo frowns. "Someone looks to release Chronos and the Pythia act to stop it by sending a slip of a girl to my banner?"
[11:43] Russell: "Now do you see what I mean about her being cryptic?"
[11:44] Misfit: "Oh, that's to be expected. But she was right about one thing, should Chronos wake, the gods will burn and fall"
[11:46] Russell: "which would be, like, bad. so... any idea where we start looking?"
[11:49] Misfit: "Actually, yes. But you must convince Anna. Though she is not the official leader, five here follow where she leads and at least one more will likely go as she does. Plus, she has our only transportation to where we need to go. You could hire a ship if you made port, but that is expensive, risky, and hazardous"
[11:50] Russell: "That was the impression I got earlier on," Ciara nods. "So where do we need to go?"
[11:51] Misfit: "Greece. There was an oracle on Atlantis, but none alive know it's location. Delphi is our safest bet now"
[11:52] Russell: "Okay, so I'll ask Anna to take us to Greece. Um, What's the catch? Why is she likely to not want to go there?"
[11:53] Misfit: "That depends. Your quest affects her father's throne"
[11:54] Russell: "Who is her father?"
[11:55] Misfit: Ringo laughs. "Best settle that with her. It is not my place to say any more"
[11:57] Russell: "Well," Ciara giggles, "Some missions you get advance intelligence, some missions you don't. I'll go look for her then."
[11:59] Misfit: "You do that. I will be around. It seems I am destined to be at her side as well. I'm sure she is delighted"
[11:59] Russell: Ciara grins, and off she goes in search of anna
Ciara: okay, apparently the fight took place at midday and we are spending the rest of the day camped out and resting in the old mission; so Ciara goes looking for Anna that afternoon, where can she be found?
Anna: I am here.
Ciara: ^.^
Anna: probably outside. She's been locked inside for awhile. She's likely sitting out in the sun, looking kind of tired. She dropped a LOT of ppe in that fight
** Ciara walks up. "Hi, Anna? um, can I ask you something?" **
Anna: *looks up at Ciara* "sure, have a seat. Thanks for your help by the way. I'm not 100% sure where you came from or how you got here, but we needed all the help we could get"
Ciara: "Welcome," she smiles, sitting down. "He was pretty tough, wasn't he? I'm of the Mordingjarnir. Pythia sent me to help kill Kryang, but that's only the first stage -- do you know of Chronos?"
Anna: *shakes her head* "no, I'm afraid not. I don't know what a Moringjarnir is, nor who Pythia is either. You'll have to enlighten me"
Ciara: "Our profession is solving the problem of evil, one target at a time. Pythia's an Oracle, which apparently means her profession is being cryptic. And Chronos is the greatest of the old gods... he was dispatched to Tartarus ages ago, but now somebody is trying to wake him up. Which," she adds with dry understatement, "would be a bit of a problem."
Anna: "interesting. I'd imagine the newer gods wouldn't be too happy with that either. I'm sure if I'm meant to do something about it, my father will see to it I'm directed that way" *said quite dryly*
Ciara: "Who is your father?"
Anna: "My father is Zeus. He has a bad habit of sending me off on 'quests' without actually telling me what I'm about to run into. It's led to some interesting situations, to say the least"
Amp (enter): 22:52
Amp: Sauntering off
Amp (exit): 22:53
Ciara: Ciara's eyes widen. "Wow!" She thinks about this for a moment. "Maybe it was his idea for me to get hired and sent to join you guys, then. I've talked to Ringo, and he figures we should go to Greece so we can visit Delphi and find out more about what's going on."
Anna: *chuckles* "it sounds more impressive than it is, trust me. Greece, huh? We need to head back to Jaurez first, Jeff's daughter and wife are there, and I could use a little rest. This trip took a lot out of me"
Ciara: "Okay, how far away is that? How long will it take to get there?"
Anna: "it took us a week to get here, but we had to come by traditional methods. We can get back faster"
Ciara: "Oh, faster is good, what method are you thinking of? I can go by ley line, but I don't know the geography around here."
Anna: *nods* "i can go by ley line myself, but I can only take a couple of people with me. We'll probably cast a portal"
Ciara: "Okay that sounds good. I'm looking forward to getting to see more of this planet. ... this is actually my first real mission."
Anna: "which planet are you from?
Anna: "
Ciara: "Alftanes. It's a lot colder than here, you can really only live near the equator. We came from Earth originally, just not the same Earth as this one."
Anna: "and how did you get chosen to come here?"
Ciara: "Well I was out on an exercise, they figured I was ready for it, it's a three-day solo hike up the Stair of Tears, and then you get to stop and rest in the Bowl of Tranquility - quite a nice place really, it's on a planet that's warmer than Alftanes - supposed to be a spiritual journey as well if you're into that sort of thing - anyway it's sort of a neutral meeting ground, and people do sometimes come there to hire someone, especially if they want to be sure about what kind of someone they're getting. So I was only a little bit surprised when Pythia picked me up there. When she told me the bit about Chronos, now that was surprising. Actually I pretty much ended up transcending the very limits of surprise and having to resort to astonishment."
Anna: "I think I understood about half of that, but that's ok" *grins* "our whole group would need to decided if we needed to check into this whole Chronos thing. We don't just go winging off on any quest because someone shows up and says it's a good idea."
Ciara: Ciara grins back. "I guess there'll be plenty of stuff in this Juarez place I don't understand. Okay, fair enough."
Anna: "most likely"
Ciara: "How did you end up leading this group, anyway?"
Anna: "I don't really lead the group. I just led this particular outing because Kryang had a price on my head, and we needed to get rid of the threat"
Ciara: "Oh. What did he have a price on your head for?"
Ciara: (just to check, we are in Mexico at the moment, aren't we?)
Anna: (south america I think)\
Anna: "I took something he wanted. It was powerful enough to make your Chronos charachter seem kind of meek. I thought a pirate king shouldn't have something like that. He was....not happy about my decision"
Ciara: (oh, got here by ship, right. Still, seriously hot especially by the standards Ciara is used to?)
Ciara: "Oh, I suppose he wouldn't be. Well, good for you!"
Anna: *shrugs* "wasn't much of decision to make. Now I need to decide what to do with the damn thing"
Ciara: (I've played assassins of the Oriental ninja flavor before, this one I ended up going with a Northern European flavor. Only just occurred to me the climate here is going to be a novelty for her :-))
** Ciara has stripped down a lot from the picture, and is probably going to get sunburned :-) **
Ciara: "Hmm, what sort of thing is it? What does it do?"
Anna: "I don't know exactly. It's an...orb...or something. I can tell you it's powerful magic, and it's not from this world. I don't know how to use it, but I can tell you it doesn't like me to leave it anywhere"
Ciara: "Can I look at it?"
Anna: "sure. Just don't try to run off with it. It gets pissed about that" *fishes a glass ball with coral over half of it out of her bag and hands it to Ciara*
Ciara: "Don't worry, I understand amazingly powerful artifacts and running off with things don't mix," she grins, examining the item carefully.
Ciara: "hmm... interesting!" She examines it for a couple of minutes before handing it back. "Well if were going to Delphi, maybe you can ask them about it there."
Anna: "possibly. I kind of think that I don't want knowledge of it getting around too much. I'm afraid someone might know how to use it..."
Ciara: "Hmm. well... seems to me there are two things to do with it, either keep it for using in an emergency, or destroy it, right?"
Anna: "I don't know how to use it. I just keep it safe..."
[12:21] Matt: So elex sees her removing all of his stuff from his now deceased horse?
[12:21] Misfit: Yeah
[12:22] Matt: *approaches her with a look of obvious confusion, frowning* "Erinti-san... what are you doing?"
[12:22] Misfit: "Seeing to your things, master"
[12:23] Matt: *blinks* "Erinti-san... did one of those miscreants hit you on the head? Ringo-san is over there..." *points to him* "And Scarab is just fine..."
[12:25] Misfit: "Did you not hear him? Perhaps we should take you to a healer in town..." She frowns, looking concerned
[12:26] Matt: "Ringo-san... said..." *frowns in thought* "That... Erinti-san was mine... if we survived..." *blinks and looks back* "Ringo-san is not in good health?"
[12:28] Misfit: "We survived, master. You lived. I lived. I am yours"
[12:30] Matt: *blinks and frowns, brow furrowing slowly as the pieces fit into place* "RINGO-SAN!!" *turns and starts walking up to him*
[12:33] Misfit: Ringo is sitting some distance away on the berm's outer edge. There are girl sized footprints coming and going. He is finishing a cigar
[13:04] Matt: *approaches him looking upset* "What did you do, Ringo-san? Why is Erinti-san calling me Master?"
[13:09] Misfit: "You were there when I did it"
[13:15] Matt: "That was if you had DIED, Ringo-san... So that there was someone who could take care of her..."
[13:15] Misfit: "It was?"
[13:26] Matt: *frowns deeply* "Ringo-san... Why?"
[13:28] Misfit: "Why? Because she deserves better than me for a master"
[13:59] Matt: *frowns and looks down* "Ringo-san, I am not a slaver, a slave owner... I am a Knight... What am I to do with a slave except NOT treat her like a slave?"
[14:00] Misfit: Ringo shrugs "You think I know what the hell to do to treat her well?
[14:18] Matt: *shakes his head* "Ringo-san, you have a hard enough time taking care of yourself at times... Much less another... That we all know..." *sighs and shakes his head again, looking up to the sky* "A cyber-knight with a slave... Truly not what I imagined myself to be..."
[14:21] Misfit: Ringo shrugs "Talk to Anna. My suggestion is take her as a primer for your indian. But that's probably why I gave her to you"
[14:29] Matt: *raises an eyebrow, still looking thoroughly displeased about this* "A primer, Ringo-san?"
[14:31] Misfit: "A warm up. Something to get you going before bedding Chu'Si"
[14:40] Matt: *groans loudly and mutters something in sioux that sounds less than pleasant* "I have no need of such things..." *slumps his shoulders* "I will find something to make of her so that she may become more than... a convenient bed mate..."
[14:41] Misfit: Ringo laughs again. "How often did she defend me in battle? How skilled is she with a blade?"
[14:42] Matt: "Skilled enough. That I do not doubt... But again, she is used to being used and mistreated. I have no intention of doing that..."
[14:43] Misfit: "Then make love to her"
[14:49] Matt: *facepalms heavily* "Ringo-san... I would not expect you to understand that I am already involved with another and that engaging in such... acts... with a second individual is... morally problematic."
[14:51] Misfit: "Then why talk to me about thinks which we have no common language?"
[15:13] Matt: "Because, like so many other things between Ringo-san and I, we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. You will engage in these acts with whom-so-ever Ringo-san pleases. I, on the other hand, have committed myself to just one..." *sighs* "Talking about this with you seems cyclic and endless... I will simply do what I can for Erinti-san and hope for the best."
[15:15] Misfit: Ringo blinks "Then go, speak with someone you have something in common with"
[15:19] Matt: *bows* "As always Ringo-san... An elightening conversation." *goes back over to Erinti, still not really sure how he's gonna handle this*
[15:20] Misfit: She has his things removed from the dead horse and placed with her horse's things. "Yes, master?"
[16:13] Matt: *frowns at her* "Erinti-san... please do not call me that. If you must call me something... Call me Sensei."
[16:14] Misfit: "Yes, sensei" said verly slowly, as if to be certain she said it right
[16:16] Matt: *sighs and seems extraordinarily unhappy about this* "Erinti-san... what is it you wish out of life?"
[16:16] Misfit: "To serve my master"
[16:17] Matt: "You no longer have a master, Erinti-san..."
[16:18] Misfit: "You are my master"
[16:18] Matt: *spoken very tersely* "Sensei."
[16:19] Misfit: "Is that merely another word for master"
[16:20] Matt: *titls his head* "In a manner of speaking, yes. However, sensei holds the meaning of Teacher moreso than Master. I have a Sensei, he was the one who taught me how to wield a blade, how to live, what to believe, how to behave... He was my master, my teacher. Sensei."
[16:20] Matt: "I do not care for the term Master, Erinti-san. You may serve me, you may treat me as your master, but you will think of me as your Sensei."
[16:22] Misfit: "Yes, Sensei"
[16:24] Matt: "Erinti-san, I will ask you once more... What is your life's wish?"
[16:25] Misfit: "To serve my sensei"
[16:31] Matt: *frowns* "Is that all?
[16:31] Matt: You have no wish to improve yourself? No desire to achieve something greater than yourself?"
[16:32] Misfit: "I serve my mas... sensei who is greater than I"
[16:42] Matt: "And so begins your training, Erinti-san. Under me, you will no longer be used at the convenience of another. You will no longer be taken advantage of. You will no longer put your life on the line for the amusement of others. All of these will no longer happen, unless you so choose it. Even then you may be denied. What you will gain under my tutelage will prove far more worthwile."
[16:49] Matt: "You will learn, Erinti-san. If you wish to stay by my side, you will learn. Philosophy, honor, literature, language... You will learn a great many things from me, not all of them you will like or care for. Is that a problem, Erinti-san?"
[16:50] Misfit: "You are my sensei. You may use me as you please"
[16:53] Matt: "No. No, Erinti-san. That is not what I asked you. I am giving you a choice between two options Erinti-san. You may either take my offer, of your own free will, or deny my offer of your own free will. The choice must be yours and yours alone and I refuse to make it for you."
[16:55] Misfit: "But you said you are my teacher"
[16:56] Matt: "I am. Consider this your first lesson. Make the choice."
[17:00] Misfit: She blinks, uncertain
[17:02] Misfit: "Teach me"
[17:07] Matt: "Are you sure, Erinti-san? This will not be anything you have ever experienced before. So... Tell me once again, Erinti-san. Make that choice one more time."
[17:16] Misfit: "If it is like nothing I have done before, how can you expect an answer?"
[17:18] Matt: "I can expect an answer Erinti-san, because I believe you already know it. I am allowing you this time to reflect upon what I am going to ask of you properly. It will be unknown territory to you, things you are not familiar with and would probably have never believed that you would become familiar with. I am allowing you to consider if it is what YOU want."
[17:21] Misfit: "You want me to ponder things I do not know yet you want an answer?"
[17:26] Matt: *nods* "Yes, Erinti-san. Except not in the way you state it. I wish you to ponder upon a new way of life. Look less of it as that which you do not know or understand, and more as a new beginning to your life."
[17:36] Misfit: "Teach me"
[17:43] Matt: *nods solemnly, being fairly emotionless about this* "Alright, Erinti-san."
[17:51] Matt: "For now, you will ride with me and I will give you small tid bits of wisdom and knowledge. When we get home, the Lady Chu'Si and I will have to discuss this further."
[17:54] Misfit: She nods
[21:53] Matt: Anywho, a short stint after the battle, probably some time in the late evening hours, Elex would come a knockin on Anna's door, probably believing Jeff to be with her anyway.
[21:54] Misfit: Jeff probably is
[21:54] Juli W: *would be sitting outside, since she's been locked INSIDE for way too long. Looks up as Elex walks up* "Hey...."
[21:56] Matt: *gives Anna and Jeff a very respectful bow* "Anna-san, Jeff-san. There is something I... would like your assitances with..." *seems a little unsure of how to go about saying it*
[21:56] Misfit: Jeff blinks "ok..."
[21:57] Juli W: *nods at an empty chair* "have a seat. I am more than happy to assist you with whatever it is you need"
[22:02] Matt: *sits down solemnly and seems to be pondering something* "I... have never had this much money in my entire life, and I did not know what to do with it all... And then I figured -I- would do nothing with it, I will do something for Juarez and I want you two to be involved..."
[22:06] Juli W: *smiles* "what is it you want to do?"
[22:08] Misfit: Jeff sits up, curious
[22:09] Matt: "I... want to build a dojo in Juarez to help those who need help. To teach self-defense classes to those who cannot defend themselves. I wish to give the downtrodden some form of hope and help in that city."
[22:11] Misfit: "Ambitious, but I think Juarez could use something like that"
[22:11] Juli W: *smiles* "that is a great idea! I would love to help you with something like that. For that matter" *frowns towards the other pirates and then lowers her voice so they can't hear* "we can put my second share towards it. I was going to distribute it amongst everyone anyway"
[22:14] Matt: *nods solemnly* "Since arriving in Juarez, I have tried to think of a way I can try to clean that place up... but there is just so much that needs helping... so many people who have lost hope, their light, and so many others who are willing to try and stop someone like me from accomplishing something... I think this would be a great start in helping some of the people who need it the most."
[22:15] Misfit: Jeff nods "I'd be glad to help. But I don't think we should build it in psykes territory":
[22:16] Matt: *shakes his head* "If I can, I would like to avoid affiliations with the gangs that proliferate in Juarez. Some kind of a neutral ground..."
[22:17] Juli W: "that will be the tough part...."
[22:17] Misfit: Jeff frowns "What about the Guard?"
[22:19] Matt: *frowns* "They would be the closest acceptable alternative should nothing else be available. However, they do not particularly care for non-humans..."
[22:19] Juli W: "what Guard? I am afraid I don't know Juarez that well, didn't want to do too much wandering while there"
[22:20] Misfit: Jeff "Perhaps you can convince them they are wrong to mistrust non-humans?"
[22:21] Matt: *shrugs slightly* "It is always worth a try to spread acceptance."
[22:22] Matt: *looks over at anna and nods somewhat* "The Guard is one of the Gangs in Juarez. They are... somewhat supremists in regards to humans and other races..."
[22:22] Juli W: "perhaps you can build it on the outskirts of town"
[22:24] Misfit: Jeff "Maybe..."
[22:24] Matt: "It is worth considering. As I said, I would like to avoid gang territories as much as I can. I want this to be a place of peace, learning and self understanding. I would believe it to be hard to accomplish with one gang or another constantly on the prowl..."
[22:26] Misfit: Jeff "I think we'll have to look for such a place in Juarez"
[22:29] Juli W: "absolutely"
[22:29] Matt: *nods slightly* "Obviously there are options that need to be considered. However, this is the first time that the opportunity to do something GOOD for the people of Juarez has become so available, Anna-san and Jeff-san... And I believe you two would like to see this opportunity become a reality..."
[22:29] Matt: "Just as much as I would!"
[22:29] Misfit: Jeff nods "I would"
[22:33] Juli W: "it'll be kind of fun to do I think"
[22:35] Matt: *nods with a slight smile* "Excellent. It does my heart good to hear such things." *frowns slightly* "If you two believe there are any others who would like to join in this... grand endeavor, I will be more than happy over it. However, if you two could... not tell some of our group about it just yet. I do not believe everyone would understand just why I am doing this..."
[22:36] Juli W: *chuckles* "you are not wrong about that. Some of our colleagues think with their hormones and pocket books more so than with anything else"
[22:37] Misfit: "Mum's the word"
[22:37] Matt: *tilts his head to the side and makes a face that seems to say "exactly, but oh well..."*
[22:40] Matt: "Admittedly, I do not seek profit in this, money holds very little interest for me... but I will have to find a way to sustain it..." *frowns* "I am not sure how I will accomplish that... just yet..."
[22:42] Juli W: "you do it by charging the wealthier members of the area to train their children, while holding open spots to train those who can't afford to pay. If the dojo is good enough, it will sustain itself"
[22:43] Matt: *blinks* "I would not have any idea how to go about doing that.
[22:43] Matt: "I just wish to give to those who have nothing... How can I take from those who have something?"
[22:46] Juli W: "unless you have a steady influx of money to sustain something, you will need to do something like that. You start by opening a dojo. You set a price for training, say 100 credits per month per person. We know that it will take 2000 credits a month to maintain the dojo, so we will need 20 paying students to keep it solvent. The remaining spots go to "scholarship" students. People tend to respect things more if they pay for it. So the scholarship students get charged, but it's based on need. They only pay what they can. If they can't pay anything, they work off their training in the dojo"
[22:47] Matt: "Become... aids to the dojo?"
[22:47] Matt: "Cooking, cleaning... they do... chores..."
[22:48] Juli W: "sure. They clean the dojo, help out in other classes, laundry, man the front desk, things like that"
[22:49] Misfit: Jeff nods. "Many universities before the Rifts did similar arrangements with their students"
[22:52] Matt: *blinks* "Strange arrangement, but plausible and easily accommodating..." *thinks upon for a few moments* "I like it..."
[22:52] Juli W: *smiles* "good"
[22:53] Misfit: "Then all we have to do now is find a spot in Juarez and get some students"
[22:53] Juli W: "show off some of Elex's fighting skills, and we'll have students coming out of our ears"
[22:53] Matt: *blushes slightly*
[22:54] Matt: "My combat prowess really is not that great... I am sure there are better..."
[22:54] Juli W: *chuckles* "seriously Elex, you are scary with that sword. I'm going to have to come outside and train with you, because you could surely teach me a lot"
[22:54] Matt: (And anna has successfully embarrassed Elex...)
[22:55] Matt: *bows his head to hide his blush* "Thank you for the compliment, Anna-san. I am not worthy of such praise."
[22:56] Juli W: *smiles*
[22:58] Misfit: Jeff coughs "Elex, you do things with a sword I don't think any mortal has ever done"
[11:04] Russell: "Hi, um, Ringo?"
[11:05] Misfit: He raises an eyebrow and blows a puff of smoke. "Yes?"
[11:05] Russell: "Can I ask you something?"
[11:06] Misfit: "You just did" He shrugs "Yes, ask"
[11:07] Russell: Ciara giggles. "Well. Second something... um, when I said the Pythia sent me, you looked like you knew who I was talking about?"
[11:07] Misfit: "Did I now. Perhaps I do. What's it to you?"
[11:09] Russell: "Well, I'd like to know more about her. Right now I don't know all that much except she likes being cryptic, she said beware of the orb, but I don't know what orb she's talking about, and, well, it would be handy to if I'm supposed to beware of it."
[11:09] Misfit: "She is an oracle; they're supposed to be cryptic. As for orbs, I have none you should be cautious of. Where did you meet this Pythia?"
[11:11] Russell: (Where did I meet her, did she show up back home or did I run into her after I came to earth?)
[11:11] Misfit: After home and before earth
[11:13] Russell: Give me a few minutes to think of a suitable location, then :-)
[11:13] Misfit: Ok
[11:17] Misfit: brb too
[11:27] Misfit: Back
[11:28] Russell: "The Bowl of Tranquility. It's, well among other things it's kind of a resting spot, neutral meeting ground -- you get there -- well I got there at least -- by hiking up the Stair of Tears... It's a training exercise we all get, sort of a test too... supposed to be a spiritual journey as well, if you're into that sort of thing... anyway, basically it wasn't terribly surprising place to meet her, sometimes people do come there to hire someone, especially if they want to be sure what kind of someone they're getting."
[11:31] Misfit: "Interesting. You come from another dimension then? one where this Bowl of Tranquility is"
[11:32] Russell: "Not the same one, but we do know the way there."
[11:33] Misfit: "I see. Most interesting. And what brought you here, apart from the Pythia's vague warnings"
[11:34] Russell: "She directed me here. Said I was to kill Kryang, and you guys were after the same thing, and if I hurried I could run into both of you here at the same time."
[11:38] Misfit: "Well, you helped us with Kryang. But is that it?" (Did you forget Chronos?)
[11:39] Russell: "Uh-uh," she shakes her head. "I don't think she needed to go hiring me just for that. It's just step one of the big job. Have you heard of Chronos?"
[11:39] Russell: (nope
)[11:40] Misfit: "I have. He slumbers in Tarterus, safely."
[11:41] Russell: "Except for the safely part. Somebody's trying to wake him up."
[11:43] Misfit: Ringo frowns. "Someone looks to release Chronos and the Pythia act to stop it by sending a slip of a girl to my banner?"
[11:43] Russell: "Now do you see what I mean about her being cryptic?"
[11:44] Misfit: "Oh, that's to be expected. But she was right about one thing, should Chronos wake, the gods will burn and fall"
[11:46] Russell: "which would be, like, bad. so... any idea where we start looking?"
[11:49] Misfit: "Actually, yes. But you must convince Anna. Though she is not the official leader, five here follow where she leads and at least one more will likely go as she does. Plus, she has our only transportation to where we need to go. You could hire a ship if you made port, but that is expensive, risky, and hazardous"
[11:50] Russell: "That was the impression I got earlier on," Ciara nods. "So where do we need to go?"
[11:51] Misfit: "Greece. There was an oracle on Atlantis, but none alive know it's location. Delphi is our safest bet now"
[11:52] Russell: "Okay, so I'll ask Anna to take us to Greece. Um, What's the catch? Why is she likely to not want to go there?"
[11:53] Misfit: "That depends. Your quest affects her father's throne"
[11:54] Russell: "Who is her father?"
[11:55] Misfit: Ringo laughs. "Best settle that with her. It is not my place to say any more"
[11:57] Russell: "Well," Ciara giggles, "Some missions you get advance intelligence, some missions you don't. I'll go look for her then."
[11:59] Misfit: "You do that. I will be around. It seems I am destined to be at her side as well. I'm sure she is delighted"
[11:59] Russell: Ciara grins, and off she goes in search of anna
Ciara: okay, apparently the fight took place at midday and we are spending the rest of the day camped out and resting in the old mission; so Ciara goes looking for Anna that afternoon, where can she be found?
Anna: I am here.
Ciara: ^.^
Anna: probably outside. She's been locked inside for awhile. She's likely sitting out in the sun, looking kind of tired. She dropped a LOT of ppe in that fight
** Ciara walks up. "Hi, Anna? um, can I ask you something?" **
Anna: *looks up at Ciara* "sure, have a seat. Thanks for your help by the way. I'm not 100% sure where you came from or how you got here, but we needed all the help we could get"
Ciara: "Welcome," she smiles, sitting down. "He was pretty tough, wasn't he? I'm of the Mordingjarnir. Pythia sent me to help kill Kryang, but that's only the first stage -- do you know of Chronos?"
Anna: *shakes her head* "no, I'm afraid not. I don't know what a Moringjarnir is, nor who Pythia is either. You'll have to enlighten me"
Ciara: "Our profession is solving the problem of evil, one target at a time. Pythia's an Oracle, which apparently means her profession is being cryptic. And Chronos is the greatest of the old gods... he was dispatched to Tartarus ages ago, but now somebody is trying to wake him up. Which," she adds with dry understatement, "would be a bit of a problem."
Anna: "interesting. I'd imagine the newer gods wouldn't be too happy with that either. I'm sure if I'm meant to do something about it, my father will see to it I'm directed that way" *said quite dryly*
Ciara: "Who is your father?"
Anna: "My father is Zeus. He has a bad habit of sending me off on 'quests' without actually telling me what I'm about to run into. It's led to some interesting situations, to say the least"
Amp (enter): 22:52
Amp: Sauntering off
Amp (exit): 22:53
Ciara: Ciara's eyes widen. "Wow!" She thinks about this for a moment. "Maybe it was his idea for me to get hired and sent to join you guys, then. I've talked to Ringo, and he figures we should go to Greece so we can visit Delphi and find out more about what's going on."
Anna: *chuckles* "it sounds more impressive than it is, trust me. Greece, huh? We need to head back to Jaurez first, Jeff's daughter and wife are there, and I could use a little rest. This trip took a lot out of me"
Ciara: "Okay, how far away is that? How long will it take to get there?"
Anna: "it took us a week to get here, but we had to come by traditional methods. We can get back faster"
Ciara: "Oh, faster is good, what method are you thinking of? I can go by ley line, but I don't know the geography around here."
Anna: *nods* "i can go by ley line myself, but I can only take a couple of people with me. We'll probably cast a portal"
Ciara: "Okay that sounds good. I'm looking forward to getting to see more of this planet. ... this is actually my first real mission."
Anna: "which planet are you from?
Anna: "
Ciara: "Alftanes. It's a lot colder than here, you can really only live near the equator. We came from Earth originally, just not the same Earth as this one."
Anna: "and how did you get chosen to come here?"
Ciara: "Well I was out on an exercise, they figured I was ready for it, it's a three-day solo hike up the Stair of Tears, and then you get to stop and rest in the Bowl of Tranquility - quite a nice place really, it's on a planet that's warmer than Alftanes - supposed to be a spiritual journey as well if you're into that sort of thing - anyway it's sort of a neutral meeting ground, and people do sometimes come there to hire someone, especially if they want to be sure about what kind of someone they're getting. So I was only a little bit surprised when Pythia picked me up there. When she told me the bit about Chronos, now that was surprising. Actually I pretty much ended up transcending the very limits of surprise and having to resort to astonishment."
Anna: "I think I understood about half of that, but that's ok" *grins* "our whole group would need to decided if we needed to check into this whole Chronos thing. We don't just go winging off on any quest because someone shows up and says it's a good idea."
Ciara: Ciara grins back. "I guess there'll be plenty of stuff in this Juarez place I don't understand. Okay, fair enough."
Anna: "most likely"
Ciara: "How did you end up leading this group, anyway?"
Anna: "I don't really lead the group. I just led this particular outing because Kryang had a price on my head, and we needed to get rid of the threat"
Ciara: "Oh. What did he have a price on your head for?"
Ciara: (just to check, we are in Mexico at the moment, aren't we?)
Anna: (south america I think)\
Anna: "I took something he wanted. It was powerful enough to make your Chronos charachter seem kind of meek. I thought a pirate king shouldn't have something like that. He was....not happy about my decision"
Ciara: (oh, got here by ship, right. Still, seriously hot especially by the standards Ciara is used to?)
Ciara: "Oh, I suppose he wouldn't be. Well, good for you!"
Anna: *shrugs* "wasn't much of decision to make. Now I need to decide what to do with the damn thing"
Ciara: (I've played assassins of the Oriental ninja flavor before, this one I ended up going with a Northern European flavor. Only just occurred to me the climate here is going to be a novelty for her :-))
** Ciara has stripped down a lot from the picture, and is probably going to get sunburned :-) **
Ciara: "Hmm, what sort of thing is it? What does it do?"
Anna: "I don't know exactly. It's an...orb...or something. I can tell you it's powerful magic, and it's not from this world. I don't know how to use it, but I can tell you it doesn't like me to leave it anywhere"
Ciara: "Can I look at it?"
Anna: "sure. Just don't try to run off with it. It gets pissed about that" *fishes a glass ball with coral over half of it out of her bag and hands it to Ciara*
Ciara: "Don't worry, I understand amazingly powerful artifacts and running off with things don't mix," she grins, examining the item carefully.
Ciara: "hmm... interesting!" She examines it for a couple of minutes before handing it back. "Well if were going to Delphi, maybe you can ask them about it there."
Anna: "possibly. I kind of think that I don't want knowledge of it getting around too much. I'm afraid someone might know how to use it..."
Ciara: "Hmm. well... seems to me there are two things to do with it, either keep it for using in an emergency, or destroy it, right?"
Anna: "I don't know how to use it. I just keep it safe..."
[12:21] Matt: So elex sees her removing all of his stuff from his now deceased horse?
[12:21] Misfit: Yeah
[12:22] Matt: *approaches her with a look of obvious confusion, frowning* "Erinti-san... what are you doing?"
[12:22] Misfit: "Seeing to your things, master"
[12:23] Matt: *blinks* "Erinti-san... did one of those miscreants hit you on the head? Ringo-san is over there..." *points to him* "And Scarab is just fine..."
[12:25] Misfit: "Did you not hear him? Perhaps we should take you to a healer in town..." She frowns, looking concerned
[12:26] Matt: "Ringo-san... said..." *frowns in thought* "That... Erinti-san was mine... if we survived..." *blinks and looks back* "Ringo-san is not in good health?"
[12:28] Misfit: "We survived, master. You lived. I lived. I am yours"
[12:30] Matt: *blinks and frowns, brow furrowing slowly as the pieces fit into place* "RINGO-SAN!!" *turns and starts walking up to him*
[12:33] Misfit: Ringo is sitting some distance away on the berm's outer edge. There are girl sized footprints coming and going. He is finishing a cigar
[13:04] Matt: *approaches him looking upset* "What did you do, Ringo-san? Why is Erinti-san calling me Master?"
[13:09] Misfit: "You were there when I did it"
[13:15] Matt: "That was if you had DIED, Ringo-san... So that there was someone who could take care of her..."
[13:15] Misfit: "It was?"
[13:26] Matt: *frowns deeply* "Ringo-san... Why?"
[13:28] Misfit: "Why? Because she deserves better than me for a master"
[13:59] Matt: *frowns and looks down* "Ringo-san, I am not a slaver, a slave owner... I am a Knight... What am I to do with a slave except NOT treat her like a slave?"
[14:00] Misfit: Ringo shrugs "You think I know what the hell to do to treat her well?
[14:18] Matt: *shakes his head* "Ringo-san, you have a hard enough time taking care of yourself at times... Much less another... That we all know..." *sighs and shakes his head again, looking up to the sky* "A cyber-knight with a slave... Truly not what I imagined myself to be..."
[14:21] Misfit: Ringo shrugs "Talk to Anna. My suggestion is take her as a primer for your indian. But that's probably why I gave her to you"
[14:29] Matt: *raises an eyebrow, still looking thoroughly displeased about this* "A primer, Ringo-san?"
[14:31] Misfit: "A warm up. Something to get you going before bedding Chu'Si"
[14:40] Matt: *groans loudly and mutters something in sioux that sounds less than pleasant* "I have no need of such things..." *slumps his shoulders* "I will find something to make of her so that she may become more than... a convenient bed mate..."
[14:41] Misfit: Ringo laughs again. "How often did she defend me in battle? How skilled is she with a blade?"
[14:42] Matt: "Skilled enough. That I do not doubt... But again, she is used to being used and mistreated. I have no intention of doing that..."
[14:43] Misfit: "Then make love to her"
[14:49] Matt: *facepalms heavily* "Ringo-san... I would not expect you to understand that I am already involved with another and that engaging in such... acts... with a second individual is... morally problematic."
[14:51] Misfit: "Then why talk to me about thinks which we have no common language?"
[15:13] Matt: "Because, like so many other things between Ringo-san and I, we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. You will engage in these acts with whom-so-ever Ringo-san pleases. I, on the other hand, have committed myself to just one..." *sighs* "Talking about this with you seems cyclic and endless... I will simply do what I can for Erinti-san and hope for the best."
[15:15] Misfit: Ringo blinks "Then go, speak with someone you have something in common with"
[15:19] Matt: *bows* "As always Ringo-san... An elightening conversation." *goes back over to Erinti, still not really sure how he's gonna handle this*
[15:20] Misfit: She has his things removed from the dead horse and placed with her horse's things. "Yes, master?"
[16:13] Matt: *frowns at her* "Erinti-san... please do not call me that. If you must call me something... Call me Sensei."
[16:14] Misfit: "Yes, sensei" said verly slowly, as if to be certain she said it right
[16:16] Matt: *sighs and seems extraordinarily unhappy about this* "Erinti-san... what is it you wish out of life?"
[16:16] Misfit: "To serve my master"
[16:17] Matt: "You no longer have a master, Erinti-san..."
[16:18] Misfit: "You are my master"
[16:18] Matt: *spoken very tersely* "Sensei."
[16:19] Misfit: "Is that merely another word for master"
[16:20] Matt: *titls his head* "In a manner of speaking, yes. However, sensei holds the meaning of Teacher moreso than Master. I have a Sensei, he was the one who taught me how to wield a blade, how to live, what to believe, how to behave... He was my master, my teacher. Sensei."
[16:20] Matt: "I do not care for the term Master, Erinti-san. You may serve me, you may treat me as your master, but you will think of me as your Sensei."
[16:22] Misfit: "Yes, Sensei"
[16:24] Matt: "Erinti-san, I will ask you once more... What is your life's wish?"
[16:25] Misfit: "To serve my sensei"
[16:31] Matt: *frowns* "Is that all?
[16:31] Matt: You have no wish to improve yourself? No desire to achieve something greater than yourself?"
[16:32] Misfit: "I serve my mas... sensei who is greater than I"
[16:42] Matt: "And so begins your training, Erinti-san. Under me, you will no longer be used at the convenience of another. You will no longer be taken advantage of. You will no longer put your life on the line for the amusement of others. All of these will no longer happen, unless you so choose it. Even then you may be denied. What you will gain under my tutelage will prove far more worthwile."
[16:49] Matt: "You will learn, Erinti-san. If you wish to stay by my side, you will learn. Philosophy, honor, literature, language... You will learn a great many things from me, not all of them you will like or care for. Is that a problem, Erinti-san?"
[16:50] Misfit: "You are my sensei. You may use me as you please"
[16:53] Matt: "No. No, Erinti-san. That is not what I asked you. I am giving you a choice between two options Erinti-san. You may either take my offer, of your own free will, or deny my offer of your own free will. The choice must be yours and yours alone and I refuse to make it for you."
[16:55] Misfit: "But you said you are my teacher"
[16:56] Matt: "I am. Consider this your first lesson. Make the choice."
[17:00] Misfit: She blinks, uncertain
[17:02] Misfit: "Teach me"
[17:07] Matt: "Are you sure, Erinti-san? This will not be anything you have ever experienced before. So... Tell me once again, Erinti-san. Make that choice one more time."
[17:16] Misfit: "If it is like nothing I have done before, how can you expect an answer?"
[17:18] Matt: "I can expect an answer Erinti-san, because I believe you already know it. I am allowing you this time to reflect upon what I am going to ask of you properly. It will be unknown territory to you, things you are not familiar with and would probably have never believed that you would become familiar with. I am allowing you to consider if it is what YOU want."
[17:21] Misfit: "You want me to ponder things I do not know yet you want an answer?"
[17:26] Matt: *nods* "Yes, Erinti-san. Except not in the way you state it. I wish you to ponder upon a new way of life. Look less of it as that which you do not know or understand, and more as a new beginning to your life."
[17:36] Misfit: "Teach me"
[17:43] Matt: *nods solemnly, being fairly emotionless about this* "Alright, Erinti-san."
[17:51] Matt: "For now, you will ride with me and I will give you small tid bits of wisdom and knowledge. When we get home, the Lady Chu'Si and I will have to discuss this further."
[17:54] Misfit: She nods
[21:53] Matt: Anywho, a short stint after the battle, probably some time in the late evening hours, Elex would come a knockin on Anna's door, probably believing Jeff to be with her anyway.
[21:54] Misfit: Jeff probably is
[21:54] Juli W: *would be sitting outside, since she's been locked INSIDE for way too long. Looks up as Elex walks up* "Hey...."
[21:56] Matt: *gives Anna and Jeff a very respectful bow* "Anna-san, Jeff-san. There is something I... would like your assitances with..." *seems a little unsure of how to go about saying it*
[21:56] Misfit: Jeff blinks "ok..."
[21:57] Juli W: *nods at an empty chair* "have a seat. I am more than happy to assist you with whatever it is you need"
[22:02] Matt: *sits down solemnly and seems to be pondering something* "I... have never had this much money in my entire life, and I did not know what to do with it all... And then I figured -I- would do nothing with it, I will do something for Juarez and I want you two to be involved..."
[22:06] Juli W: *smiles* "what is it you want to do?"
[22:08] Misfit: Jeff sits up, curious
[22:09] Matt: "I... want to build a dojo in Juarez to help those who need help. To teach self-defense classes to those who cannot defend themselves. I wish to give the downtrodden some form of hope and help in that city."
[22:11] Misfit: "Ambitious, but I think Juarez could use something like that"
[22:11] Juli W: *smiles* "that is a great idea! I would love to help you with something like that. For that matter" *frowns towards the other pirates and then lowers her voice so they can't hear* "we can put my second share towards it. I was going to distribute it amongst everyone anyway"
[22:14] Matt: *nods solemnly* "Since arriving in Juarez, I have tried to think of a way I can try to clean that place up... but there is just so much that needs helping... so many people who have lost hope, their light, and so many others who are willing to try and stop someone like me from accomplishing something... I think this would be a great start in helping some of the people who need it the most."
[22:15] Misfit: Jeff nods "I'd be glad to help. But I don't think we should build it in psykes territory":
[22:16] Matt: *shakes his head* "If I can, I would like to avoid affiliations with the gangs that proliferate in Juarez. Some kind of a neutral ground..."
[22:17] Juli W: "that will be the tough part...."
[22:17] Misfit: Jeff frowns "What about the Guard?"
[22:19] Matt: *frowns* "They would be the closest acceptable alternative should nothing else be available. However, they do not particularly care for non-humans..."
[22:19] Juli W: "what Guard? I am afraid I don't know Juarez that well, didn't want to do too much wandering while there"
[22:20] Misfit: Jeff "Perhaps you can convince them they are wrong to mistrust non-humans?"
[22:21] Matt: *shrugs slightly* "It is always worth a try to spread acceptance."
[22:22] Matt: *looks over at anna and nods somewhat* "The Guard is one of the Gangs in Juarez. They are... somewhat supremists in regards to humans and other races..."
[22:22] Juli W: "perhaps you can build it on the outskirts of town"
[22:24] Misfit: Jeff "Maybe..."
[22:24] Matt: "It is worth considering. As I said, I would like to avoid gang territories as much as I can. I want this to be a place of peace, learning and self understanding. I would believe it to be hard to accomplish with one gang or another constantly on the prowl..."
[22:26] Misfit: Jeff "I think we'll have to look for such a place in Juarez"
[22:29] Juli W: "absolutely"
[22:29] Matt: *nods slightly* "Obviously there are options that need to be considered. However, this is the first time that the opportunity to do something GOOD for the people of Juarez has become so available, Anna-san and Jeff-san... And I believe you two would like to see this opportunity become a reality..."
[22:29] Matt: "Just as much as I would!"
[22:29] Misfit: Jeff nods "I would"
[22:33] Juli W: "it'll be kind of fun to do I think"
[22:35] Matt: *nods with a slight smile* "Excellent. It does my heart good to hear such things." *frowns slightly* "If you two believe there are any others who would like to join in this... grand endeavor, I will be more than happy over it. However, if you two could... not tell some of our group about it just yet. I do not believe everyone would understand just why I am doing this..."
[22:36] Juli W: *chuckles* "you are not wrong about that. Some of our colleagues think with their hormones and pocket books more so than with anything else"
[22:37] Misfit: "Mum's the word"
[22:37] Matt: *tilts his head to the side and makes a face that seems to say "exactly, but oh well..."*
[22:40] Matt: "Admittedly, I do not seek profit in this, money holds very little interest for me... but I will have to find a way to sustain it..." *frowns* "I am not sure how I will accomplish that... just yet..."
[22:42] Juli W: "you do it by charging the wealthier members of the area to train their children, while holding open spots to train those who can't afford to pay. If the dojo is good enough, it will sustain itself"
[22:43] Matt: *blinks* "I would not have any idea how to go about doing that.
[22:43] Matt: "I just wish to give to those who have nothing... How can I take from those who have something?"
[22:46] Juli W: "unless you have a steady influx of money to sustain something, you will need to do something like that. You start by opening a dojo. You set a price for training, say 100 credits per month per person. We know that it will take 2000 credits a month to maintain the dojo, so we will need 20 paying students to keep it solvent. The remaining spots go to "scholarship" students. People tend to respect things more if they pay for it. So the scholarship students get charged, but it's based on need. They only pay what they can. If they can't pay anything, they work off their training in the dojo"
[22:47] Matt: "Become... aids to the dojo?"
[22:47] Matt: "Cooking, cleaning... they do... chores..."
[22:48] Juli W: "sure. They clean the dojo, help out in other classes, laundry, man the front desk, things like that"
[22:49] Misfit: Jeff nods. "Many universities before the Rifts did similar arrangements with their students"
[22:52] Matt: *blinks* "Strange arrangement, but plausible and easily accommodating..." *thinks upon for a few moments* "I like it..."
[22:52] Juli W: *smiles* "good"
[22:53] Misfit: "Then all we have to do now is find a spot in Juarez and get some students"
[22:53] Juli W: "show off some of Elex's fighting skills, and we'll have students coming out of our ears"
[22:53] Matt: *blushes slightly*
[22:54] Matt: "My combat prowess really is not that great... I am sure there are better..."
[22:54] Juli W: *chuckles* "seriously Elex, you are scary with that sword. I'm going to have to come outside and train with you, because you could surely teach me a lot"
[22:54] Matt: (And anna has successfully embarrassed Elex...)
[22:55] Matt: *bows his head to hide his blush* "Thank you for the compliment, Anna-san. I am not worthy of such praise."
[22:56] Juli W: *smiles*
[22:58] Misfit: Jeff coughs "Elex, you do things with a sword I don't think any mortal has ever done"
