DeviousMe

"He's quite right." Tharomar agreed with Mr. D, "You look fatigued. Don't think we executives don't appreciate all the hard work our employees are putting into this company. Get some rest, we're all only human after all."

He played around with te thought of having her 'mysteriously disappear' during a routine medical experiment at the hospital, but shelved the thought again as he saw what Mr. D was up to, pressing the intercom button on his desk instead and calling up the staff nurse...

((I can take Tempest if you like.))

[ QUOTE ]
"So, you are the students I take it? Name's Wack Jack, and I'll be one of the teachers over on Mountain School. Don't ask about my name.

[/ QUOTE ]
"Oh, you shouldn't have said that." Hotaka grinned, "Now I'm forced to. How'd you come by your name?"

[ QUOTE ]
The hooded figure smiled again.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you. No, I can't tell you or the people I used to work for would find me. Other than that, I can't say anything."

[/ QUOTE ]
"We'll see." Hotaka replied ominously, smiling with a menacing visage, "The Headmaster will want to know such things."

[ QUOTE ]
Light Strike perked up. "I'm here, mostly because my old master says that quote 'you really suck."

[/ QUOTE ]
"Oh my." Hotak shook his head, "Tsk tsk, that's such a terrible thing of your master to say to a student about yourself. Then again, I suppose we'll find out if you've got any skill in you at all at the entrance exam, that is."

[ QUOTE ]
"Well," Gerden began, "I'm a student of the Raptor School, who have been sending their most promising student to these Temples every time they open their doors. But this year, it seems," and at this, he gave a pointed look to the girl sitting on a rock nearby, affecting disinterest in the proceedings, " that the school has decided to send two students... Oh, and by the way, do you know if there's any truth to the rumor that one of the Raptor School students who was sent here teaches at the Temple now?"

[/ QUOTE ]
"Raptor School." Hotaka huffed, eyes narrowing, though it was hard to see because of the obstructing coolie, "Sheesh, just hearing that makes me cringe. If I had a nickel for everyone and everything naming itself 'Raptor-something-or-other' just because they think it sounds tough, I'd...well, I'd be very rich indeed."

"And I'm not one for current events right now either." he continued, "Just got back from my little journey around the world. Paragon city and the so-called Rogue Isles were most interesting. Freedom Corps even assigned me the moinker 'Dragon of Decay', though I can't imagine why. Go figure with those nutcases."

Hotaka sighed, looking into the misty gorge as the bells tolled, "I have to say, this modern world does have its impressions, but sometimes I do miss the old eras of Meiji and such. Ah well, time goes on now, doesn't it? But we've kept a few things around, such as growing your own food - and don't worry, there's meat...so long as you catch it and gut it yourself..."

"Pulverized dragon scales in vinegar." Hotaka grined, "I hear the vinegar does nothing, but I'd find it hard to drink a powder. Not to mention that it adds a bit of flavor."

He turned to the one making all the Star Wars references, then back to Yuri, "And yes, the Movie Watcher is right, you're better off not knowing where I get it from."

Stretching his back, Hokata stood up again, suddnly relaizing he'd dropped his walking stick and wasn't hunched over anymore...ah well, not like the 'old man' thing probably fooled anyone anyway.

"Actually, the Movie Watchers bring up just the right question. I'd be very interested as to what brings everyone here..."

"Oh fine." Hotaka decided, producing the tiny gourd once more and bending down to the stricken girl.

"Don't throw up, now." he said ho her, lifting her head and uncorking the gourd, "I'm told it tastes very bad. I don't think so, but I've been proven to have a bad sense of taste."

With that, he tilted her head back to open her mouth, and moved to pour the sickly green mixture in the container down her throat...

Hotaka mumbled somethig as he apporache dthe girl, putting his hand to his chin in a thinking gesture...and bumped promptly into the small gourd, which he still held and had completely forgotten to put away again!

Then he saw someone else had a few herbs on hand.

"Save this for later then." Hotaka nodded, putting the gourd back into his robes, "The herbs should do for now. She doesn't look injured, just tired. Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation...?"

((Hm...for some reason I had the idea in my head that we were all standing on a mountain amidst many othrers, covered in lush green grass and shrubbery, and a few colections of trees here and there, overlooking a casm filled with white mist over which two rope bridges stretched - you know, those old, creaky wooden ones. One leads to the Tempest, the other to the Mountain gateway, which I had imagined as ornate arch gates hidden in the mist, like the ones used at the Forbidden City.))

The 'old man' stopped cackling at the "stereotypical ninjas", turning about to eye what Gerden was brining.

"Hm." he remarked, "My my, and what have we here?...One of those never-stops-traveling types, by the looks of it..."

[ QUOTE ]
"Ninjas! And stereotypical ninjas at that! This joint has it all, kung-fu kiddies, ninjas, creepy old dudes, all it needs is a fat bald man to give us proverbs and we can be the full monty!"

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Stereotypical ninjas you say?" Light Strike turned to Jake.

"I will give you the first attack sir."

[/ QUOTE ]

Ryuu Hotaka suddenly let out a waterfall of cackling laughter, leaning on his walking stick for support. He'd sensed these two coming a mile away, an had just waite to say something just like that!

"Aaahahaha...stereotypical ninjas, oh yes...ooohoohoohoo...that they are, ahahahaaah! But you know, I'm sure I could change into a fat bald man...heeheehee...if I tried hard enough...haahaahaa...but then I suppose we'd no longer have a creepy old dude, now would we, hahahahaaa...?"

The 'old man' chuckled as he approached the two combatants, looking as if he might sumble over at any moment as the walking stick stabbed the ground time and again.

"You know, you could've split that up to two moves, at least." he said as he pulled a small gourd from his beard and handed it to Yin, "Here, take this. Don;t mind the smell. I'm told it tastes horrible, but it'll make you feel better."

If Yin took the offer and opened the gourd, he would be immediately assaulted by the vilest of odors, a pungent stench of rot and decay that few people knew the origin of - and Hotaka quite preferred it that way...

((Ok, think I got it then...here goes... ))

"My my." an old man smiled as he stepped from the underbrush, "And what have we here. If it isn't Tenryuu picking a fight again."

The man's long beard wobbled as he spoke, and both the hunched-over back and gnarled walking stick he clung to created the perfect illusion of a simple, frail old man.

Garbed in a simple, blood-red robe of the martial arts, hands and feet wrapped in dark golden bands, he was a picture of a gentle age, his eyes hidden by the large bamboo coolie resting firmly on his head.

But of course, Reishi knew better. She knew him as the instructor Ryuu Hotaka, and he was anything but what he seemed at the moment. In fact, she remembered he was quite a bit younger when she had seen him last than he was now.

"Oh, don't let me bother you." he waved at them to go ahead, "Just go easy and don't break the whole mountain this time."

For but an instant, he lifted his gaze, but then hid it underneath his hat again. If anyone had enough attention to catch it, they would notice a very peculiar thing.

His eyes had no pupils - they were completely white...

"Very good." Tharomar commented dryly to Milly, trying not to stare her into place with his cold gray eyes, "Do you have it, then?"

Ok, I think I was misunderstood here. What I was saying is - if the other members of our little clan of forum regulars are ok with it, would you like to come along with us?

*eye twitches*

Chaaaainsaw...?

((Antennae. ))

((I'm surprise neither Leo nor Essex have jumped at this yet. Anyway, Ive almost got my concept hammered out and should be ready for intro soon.

Oh, and question - would a teacher have been with the temple all along or arrive with the students for the start of each term?))

Yeah, I myself am in the same boat as Laz:

0630: GET UP! Groaaaan...
0700: PT!
0730: leave fo the university
0800-0900: Aerodynamics
1030-1130: Materials
1300-1400: Astrophysics
1415-1515: Structural Analysis

And that's on CLASS days - Monday, Wednesday, Friday. On Tues and Thurs, which are my LAB days, I spend most of the time in the thermodynamics lad and the wind tunnel test section assigned to me. Not to mention that after all that, I still have homework, standard lab reports (5 pages average), detail lab reports (10 pages MINIMUM), andthen I head off to work until dinnertime.

And thank creation for the invention of TV dinners!

Not that it's not fun - I'm having an absolute BLAST! - well, okay, the triple integrals aren't so fun, but you need 'em for the labs, which are fun. - but my schedule doesn't leave me with nearly as much time as I had durning summer.

So yeah, that's why my posting's slowed down.



And the timeline thing. Yeah, that just got outta hand there. That's why in GoCC, I said at the beginning it happens outside the flow of normal time. Guess I should've taken the time t erase memories too. Oh well, done is done, time really does fight dirty, and it's all good so long as we can manage it.

If you're looking for RP SGs, we - the long-time Members of the Board - have already made one on each side of the rope.

Boarderline Insanity Inc. is on villainside, and Section Morning Red is heroside. Both on Ininity. No bases to speak of, though (since we usually get together at really odd times and the groups are only about 2 weeks old ), but they're sitting in the "eventually" category.

[ QUOTE ]
"I am the Silver Knight," Archlich said. "And I am a hero of Paragon City. To think that I would cause such wanton destruction is preposturess."

[/ QUOTE ]
((WHAM! I just fell outta my chair. Just the thought of Arachlich saying that. ))

((Weeeell, I've been tinkering around with my ninja/poison melee mastermind concept. He's not done yet - deleted and remade 2 times so far - but I should have him stamped down soon enough. WAS Dragon of Mists, then I decided that was too long, was Venom Dragon, then I decided that was too uninspired...so as soon as I find a proper ID, I can get him in here if you'd like. And yes, he'd be School of the Tempest ))

Tharomar didn't flinch a muscle as he hard the knock on the door. A quick glance to the monitor atop his table told him everything - Milly had been there.

And she had heard.

Had she been one of th inner circle, such as Velasquez, Thomas, or Mr. D, this would not have ben any bother. But since she was not, it could be very problematic.

Tharomar nodded to Mr. D as he bade Milly in over the intercom. For him, the gesture contained all he needed to know.

She had become a liability. See that she does not become a problem...

But...what does that have to do with poor Johnny Sonata?

And wasn't the guy's name BURCH?

Fire-slinging hotheads who hate the world.

Anyway, thy're a NPC gang with fire powers who worship hell (duh) and try to summon demons...though they never quite get it right and nothing ever appears.

They're also in a bitter feud with the Skulls, another street gang.

((Waiting for PM reply from Arashi about Milly at the office door. Gonna post as soon as I have it. ))

((Hmmm...okay then...))

As the Makr I alpha reared back and trained its guns on Allen, he only grinned fiendishly. Not a moment later, the gattling cannos chattered to life again, turning the entire area into swiss cheese, throwing dirt, grass, and rocks everywhere.

But Allen was already gone again. He'd only been the distraction. As he came out of teleport next t one of his troopers, he was glad to see the other one already on the mech's back.

Not half a second later, a cloud of black smoke burst from the robot, completely enveloping it. The mastermind in the mountain suddenly lost all feeds to his prototype. To him, it would now seem as if it no longer existed.

The cloud of black smoke, however, had a very different opinion...

"Good work." Tharomar leaned back in his chair, "I trust everything looked like an accident, as always."

He considered the issues one after another, "Mr. Haines, hm? I see he still takes his medication. It would be tragic if his next perscription turned out to be fatal, wouldn't you agree?"

The order to poison the poor man with the addled mind to death was obvious, "Doctor a few medical records, and it should be only a formality to have him die of an overdose of something of which he should only have taken a tiny amount. That or an allergic reaction, the two seem to go hand in hand.

"As to the family problem, I don't think we need to involve Arachnos in this. it would be far more economical to supply the Mooks with a little edge. Just enough to balance the odds. The Family should be back to dealing with their own problems in no time."

"Crey...they've been too nosey lately. See if you can manage to get some dirt on them to Freedom Corps. With the right amount of quiet money, they should have a few capes and maybe even a formal investigation breathing down the Countess' neck in no time at all."

Tharmoar turned his chair about, looking out the window into the falling snow, "So nothing from Portal Corp, hm? I cannot say why, but that bothers me..."

((*pokes the prototype, wondering if it's still online*))