Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Nexus Earth - Ikaris: Hotsprings and the Hanafubuki Inn

[Justin OOC]

"For the spell you cast, A kilometer or more. Same goes for the other one. Within five hundred meters you'd critically injure normal humans. Kai's wounds were bad only because he'd already been severely injured in the battle. If he hadn't been hurt fighting whatever you were fighting, he wouldn't be so bad off. As it stands he'll recover just fine."

"So you honestly just focused and said the incantation and fired off a Ragnablade without any concept of how magic works? You've never heard the terms mana pool and bucket capacity?"

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A light voice knocks Georgi and Saito from their quiet. There is a young woman at the door, her back to them. "Pardon the interruption sirs, but the baths are supposed to be changing places soon. if you are not done you can continue in the next location, or if you are hungry a late supper is about to be served in the main eating hall. I can take you to either if you like." It's only then that they notice they're alone in the bath, seeming to have drifted off.

[Lawrence Thebes]

Lawrence was obviously very suspicious of this appearing mark of light and her comforting words. It was not, of course, in a cats nature to me too trusting. Still, though, he wanted to trust her. There was something about her that made him feel like he should be at home here. Was it because he was a guy and she was a girl? Was it because they were both felines? Or was it something much, much more than that? He swallowed his suspicions for the time being and tried to take her word. Her hand on his cheek was soothing and nerve-wrecking at the same time. He wanted to move closer, so he did. He ran his fingers across the mark on her shoulder, inspecting it and her a little closer.

[Georgi]

"Huh? What? Oh yeah." Georgi drowsily acknowledges her words, as he rises from the water. He grabs his towel and wraps it around his waste. He then looks down at Saito.

"Saito. I think I will grab some food." Georgi heads to the changing room put some clothes on.

[Justin OOC]

Asia smiles at Lawrence's adventurism. "See? nothing bad happened. I won't bite lawrence, unless you ask nicely."

Just as she was inching her smiling face closer to his there was a knock at the door. "Lady Asia, The saunas are about to change up, I've been asked to..." The voice trails off..

"Asia pulls back and frowns ofr a moment. "Well Damn. Alright Michiru, I'll be out in a momentI'll be returning to my room then to the private dining hall, please make arrangements for myself and a guest."

"At once my Lady."

Asia looks at Lawrence. it seems we'll have to postpone further explorations for now, though if you wnt you can come to eat with me. The chefs here are great, especially the ones for the "private" rooms."

She smiles. "first though I'm gonna have to actually get dressed I suppose."

Her amber eyes seem to gleam impishly. "So are you going to come, or are you still tired?"

[Lawrence Thebes]

He looks at Asia, wondering how far this game will go on. Was it a game? Was it sincerity? Either way, he figured he should find his cohorts and meet up with them. He'd no idea exactly how long he'd spent in the room with Asia, but knew it was longer than he'd planned to be in the room. Her offer seemed genuine enough, so he obliged by nodding his head. "How will I find the room, if I cannot even find the right sauna?" He spoke softly.

[Justin OOC]

"Oh I can find you if you want. "How long of a headstart would you like, shall we say fifteen minutes?"

In that instant for the first time, it was as though he were a mouse being played with by a very playful cat. Her amber eyes radiated impish glee.

"Though if you're not really interested I guess we can just leave it at that and I'll be on my way. Though the next woman you walk in on may not be half as forgiving as I am for such a cute intruder...." Her tail flicks around behind her playfully as she smiles.

[SalmonMax]

Lily's mouth drops open in alarm.

"A kilometer?!" she repeats, stunned. "You mean, if I cast this around normal people from Earth, I'll kill everyone within five hundred meters?!"

She puts a hand to her head and half turns away before something occurs to her.

Circinus people...military people...they weren't much different than Earth humans, normally. It was their technology that made them dangerous.

Could this 'manaburn' be a weapon too?

A little sick at the thought of wreaking that kind of devastation, Lily looks back at Shizuru.

"I'm new to this world. An archmage explained the basic idea of magic, but...I don't know who told me how to cast the spell. To be honest, if it hadn't been an emergency, I wouldn't have. It seemed like..."

She remembered the darkening of the sky on the invocation of the Lord of Nightmares. She remembered the red-black energy that was more like the Void given form.

"It seemed dark."

[Lawrence Thebes]

Well, she's got resources and that cannot be denied he thought. She seemed happy enough to toy with him, but did feel a little helpless. He spent his life being meek, but never really pictured himself as the mouse. "In fifteen minutes I will be waiting then." He said with a slight smile, half feeling and half forced.

[Justin OOC]

"There's only a handful of spells on its level Lily. Normal magic has different elemental affinities. The Ragna Blade is one of a handful of spells that calls on something more. The Dragonslave attack is A Dark Spell calling upon the power of Red Eyes Shabriniggdo, the Dark One. The Lord of Nightmares is beyond him. The Lord of Nightmares is the root source of all magic, and that is why spells calling upon her are all S-class. Each of them is a veritable world-breaking spell if used improperlly. The Ragnablade is the combat spell, Ragnarok is the Creation spell, The Gigaslave the destruction spell. Those are three I've heard about being cast, though only the Ragna Blade has been successfully cast."

"As for mana pool, Think of your magical energy as a pool of water. This is the total amount of Magical energy a single individual possesses. It can vary greatly with age , gender, race, and even mental state. Bucket capacity is best thought of along the lines of You take a bucket to the pool and your BC rating governs how large a bucket, or rather how much magical energy you can expend at once. To Cast the Ragna Blade you have at least twice the innate mana pool of a normal human and four times the bucket capacity, to make a comparrison."

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"PPPUUURrrrfect." With that the door opened and two young catgirls looked to her and then to Lawrence. She nodded for one. "Yui-Lan, please escort Lawrnce to his room. I'll be there in a bit. Come now Yui-Fong, I need to get dressed in proper attire." "At once Lady Asia."

The demure catgirl quietly lead Lawrence to a room near the others and smiled as she opened the door. "Mistress Asia seems to have taken a liking to you. Most of the men she's caught peaking at her woke up later in a medical bath, with broken ribs, arms, and legs at the very least. Please enjoy your stay." Like an apparition she vanished leaving Lawrence alone to get ready for dinner.

[Lawrence Thebes]

He was about to thank her but than she disappeared. It would have been unsettling if it wasn't for the things he had seen in the past few weeks. He dropped off his wet clothes and grabbed his other pair. "I need to buy some more clothes.. " He told himself. He quickly contemplated taking a fast shower, but decided that he needed to find his cohorts to figure out what actually was happening before he went and did his own thing. Valerie had gone to sleep, so there was no need to go and find her. The guys could handle themselves for the time being, so the obvious choice was Lily. She'd ran off to the med area to help Kai so he took off out the door and to find her.

[SalmonMax]

Lily frowns at the descriptions. "If the spell is so powerful, why can I use it so freely? I mean, I admit, I completely exhausted myself casting it, but still. This magic must be..."

similar somehow to my normal powers...so casting spells isn't totally new to me.

She shakes her head. "Well, anyway. At least now I know. Is there anything else dangerous about using spells?"

[Justin OOC]

"You can actually burn lifeforce to cast them, so be careful.." She doesn't get to finish because Lawrence knocks on the door, which opens admitting him to the room. Kai is lying unconscious on the table and Lily is standing there talking to anothe redhaired female.

"You must be the young Hiroga I heard had come to the Inn. It is a pleasure to to meet you young man. I am Shizuru Kaunac, Head Researcher and Doctor here at the inn. Can I be of some assistant to you?"

[Lawrence Thebes]

Lawrence entered the room, not yet sure if it was actually the door he was looking for. He sighed in relief in seeing Lily and Kai, knowing that Kai couldn't be in any worse condition than when he last saw him. His eyes followed to the doctor, barely hearing her words. "I'm sorry?" He said, than seemed to shake back into consciousness. "Oh, no, I just need to speak with Ms. Lily for a moment." His smile was nervous.

"Lily.. " He paused, still unsure as to how undercover they were. "Did we decide on how long we were staying here, and are we all supposed to meet up later? Because I got invited to some dinner just now by some girl I walked in on in a sauna and I wasn't sure.. " He realized how much he actually said and became visibly embarrassed.

[SalmonMax]

Lily turns around and waits for Lawrence to trail off and blush before she decides he's done for the moment and answers.

"Nothing's been decided for sure except tonight," she tells him. "I think we should all meet up though, so we can talk about our plans. I was going to say over dinner, but if you've made plans we..."

She pauses, then realizes what he's talking about.

"Oh. I see. Well, when are you meeting her? Maybe we can have our get-together before that."

[Justin OOC]

Shizuru looks to them both. "You'll be here 3-5 days if you want this young man to heal fully and properly. Cost isn't remotely an issue considering I've confirmed his lineage and that he's a valid member of the bloodline the Kimono he wears says he is."

She looks at them sternly. "Besides, there are other things to consider are there not?"

[Lawrence Thebes]

He listened to Lily and was torn on what he should do. He really wanted to have the dinner, and to try something now. But on the other hand, he should be with his group. But they still have 3 days, right?

"Not sure there is time, actually. Listen, I will find you after this dinner thing. She seems like some kind of noble or something.. and a cat girl. So.. I don't know. I'll find you after that and than hopefully we can see what else everyone is doing. I think Valerie is sleeping and the guys went off and showered together or something and i'm not sure how long they will be and.. " He was rambling, so he stopped dead. "Alright?"

[Valerie]

Valerie propped herself up from the futon she was sleeping in, she had a bad case of pillow hair and her pillow had a small stain from drool. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept that well!

Stretching in an almost feline like manner she put on a bathroom robe, and decided that the best thing would be to go for a soak on the thermal baths. Still halfway sleep, Valerie moves through the Inn in a zombie like state while she proceeded to the after-hours thermal baths. Removing her clothing and covering herself with a Towel, Valerie decided to find a secluded corner and just lie in there for a while, neatly folding her towel behind her head she laid back letting the hot water remove any battle tension from her body and almost drifting off to sleep again.

[Justin OOC]

Just as Valerie was drifting off, The door slid open again.

"My God all these champions showing up at once, who'd have ever thought we'd see so many?"

"Well Lady Kaunac, at least most of them were not injured."

"Yes that's true. Lady Asia seems to have take a liking to that Lawrence fellow."

"Well of course, he's the only catboy I've ever heard of. Here on Ikaris they're something od a rarity."

The two women get into the otherwise deserted bath. It's clear to see that The first woman is a redhead who looks very similar to Amane. The second is the Catgirl who first greeted them at the entrance to the Inn.

"What of young Master Morisato? I trust he will be alright..."

"OF course he will. Though his travelling companions worry me."

"How so Lady Kaunac?"

"I've told you to call Me Shizuru when we're like this."

"Yes Shizuru."

"To answer your question, only Growler is an Ikaris native, the others are all from The other worlds. Lily, the young redhead, and lawrence of course, aren't even human. What's more they don't even seem to have the basic grasp of magical workings."

"I did ense incredible amounts of Mana within Lawrence, Valerie, and Lily, and of course Kai."

"Enough that two of them can cast S-rank spells without any real training."

"You're joking."

"According to Lily she successfully cast the Ragna Blade, and Valerie cast the Dragonslave."

"That's incredible."

"They didn't even realize the damage they were doing to Kai. If not for his impressive innate mana, the combination of those two spells could have killed him."

[Valerie]

Valerie sat wide-eyed as the two women talked behind her, the steam hiding them on the darkened baths. Tears filled the brim of her eyes and rolled slowly down her cheeks, it was her who had done this injuries to Kai?

She sank herself up to her mouth in the water, letting her tears intermingle freely with the bathwater.

I can never do that again, that...power of mine simply cannot be done again. I don't want to hurt innocent people again.

Valerie keep listening to the pair of women, quietly on her spot, only a slight sniffling escaped every now and then as she quietly cried for her mistakes.

[Justin OOC]

The second Valerie made a sound, both of them stopped. "It seems we aren't alone Shizuru. The catwoman's ears perk up and she seems to look right into the mist right at Valerie. "You there, come out and don't be affraid. show yourself please."

Shizuru watched intently for the stranger in the mist to show herself.

[Valerie]

Valerie stood up in the water, covering herself with her towel she walked towards the other two. "I....I'm Valerie DeQuebedo, I come with Kai and Lily." Still hiccuping, Valerie sat back down in plain view of both of them. "I thought...I swear I thought I was protecting Kai, I didn't knew that using that could kill him, it's not so different from the Stock, that I figured it would have the same secondary effects."

Valerie covers her face with her towel, trying to wipe the tears away. "Is....Is there anything I can do for him? Any way I can help Kai recover before time? It doesn't matter what it is I will do it. I...I want to correct what I did wrong." Valerie looks up at Lady Kunac. "Is there anything?"

[SalmonMax]

Originally Posted By: Lawrence Thebes

He listened to Lily and was torn on what he should do. He really wanted to have the dinner, and to try something now. But on the other hand, he should be with his group. But they still have 3 days, right?

"Not sure there is time, actually. Listen, I will find you after this dinner thing. She seems like some kind of noble or something.. and a cat girl. So.. I don't know. I'll find you after that and than hopefully we can see what else everyone is doing. I think Valerie is sleeping and the guys went off and showered together or something and i'm not sure how long they will be and.. " He was rambling, so he stopped dead. "Alright?"

"We have some time," Lily says placatingly. "They said we had a week from when we got here. So yeah, go ahead and have your dinner. We can get together tomorrow morning over breakfast, say."

Her lips curved in a mischievous smile.

"That is, assuming you're not having breakfast with her too?"

[Justin OOC]

At that moment the door opens again. Asia is standing there with a mischievous and in some ways predatory gleam in her eyes, clad in a green and white Kimono. "Told you I'd find you Lawrence."

She notices Lily and the others. "Lady Kaunac I sse you've got a new patient..." Her eyes quickly focus on the Amaha seal and widen then return to normal in an instant. "A very special new patient it would seem."

She nods to Lily and Shizuru. "If you would Doctor, keep me informed of his status and alert me when he's awake. I've always wished to speak to one of the Amaha." Her gaze falls to Lily. "Take good care of him, he's very special."

Finally she looks to Lawrence. "Come on, they've got everything ready for us."

[Lawrence Thebes]

Lawrence paused, looking at Lily than Asia. He didn't seem to know which way he should be going. Finally, though, he smiled at Asia. He walked out the door without looking at anyone else in the room again.

"Oh.. " He said, than turned around. "I'll find you for breakfast, Lily." He said, while avoiding looking at her.

[Justin OOC]

When she had him away from the other she smiled. "So is that your girlfriend or what? I can handle competition, but a girl does need to know these things."

She led him to one of the private areas where a large sumptuous feast was prepared. A Blue-haired man with a long ponytail was seated on one side and nodded. "Lady Asia. You've brought a guest I see."

The man's voice was polite, but very forced. His red eyes showed the truth, this man was a killer.

She nods. "Not quite Lancer. He's got the mark of Xellos the same as us. He's obviously meant to be a part of the team."

She looks back to Lawrence. "Don't mind Lancer, Lawrence, he puts on a tough front, all the men on this team do."

At that moment The other door opened and two other women entered each wearing kimonos. The first had wild spikey light blue hair and amber eyes. She wore a blue and gold kimono. The second had a pink kimono with red trim and wore her long black hair in a ponytail.

"Lady Ryoko, Lady Suzaku, Welcome." Lancer was slightly more polite to the other two. Asia greeted them warmily, introducing Lawrence to them.

Suzaku spoke first. "Well then it seems all w're missing is really our leaders. It is a pleasure to meet you Lawrence, please make yourself at home."

Ryoko simply nodded and made a beeline for the sake, draining a bottle in a single draught.

[SalmonMax]

"Oh don't worry," Lily says tightly to the catgirl. She looks her up and down, a little frown on her face. "I will."

She nods at Lawrence. "Seeya then."

When Asia has left, Lily looks over at Shizuru and asks, "Who was that?"

[Justin OOC]

"That was Lady Asia Clan-Clan of the Ctarl-Ctarl. She is one of the heads of the primary clans of beast people on Ikaris. She is also a Champion for one of the Archmagi involved in the Great Tournament. She herself is unique in that she has several abilities no beastman has. Physically she's a perfect specimen, and has something in common with your little Hiroga friend."

"This Inn is held as neutral ground for all the Champions and as such we host them from time to time. The group Arich your master has assembled is by far the first to come alltogether though."

[SalmonMax]

Lily blinks, taken aback.

"Wait, you mean...she's one of the ones we have to FIGHT? And she's...Lawrence is going to have -dinner- with her?!"

For a moment she practically vibrates, torn between staying at Kai's side and rushing to Lawrence's aid. Ratheros, sensing her consternation, mews and sits up on her shoulder to look around in search of what's upsetting her.

"It's...neutral ground though, right?" Lily asks Shizuru. "She can't hurt him? What happens if she tries?"

[Justin OOC]

"She may not be. There are other archmages beyond Arich and Xellos left in the tournament. I don't pay attention much to that. They all know to leave the inn be or else. I only know your team due to the paper you all flashed when you arrived. Now is she is on Xellos's team it could be bad, but for the most part I'd say he's safe from any combat with her. Though she may have other plans."

"If she were to try, well I'm not sure. Old Man Roshi says there's a defense mechanism in place, but nobody's ever been dumb enough to actually try anything."

[Justin OOC]

Shizuru looks to her and walks over and wraps her arms around the crying young girl. "It's alright Valerie. Kai's wounds are healing. I expect him to be awake by tomorrow."

She continues in her most soothing tone. Their hostess Ishtar, smiled and made her way over to them. "You used the Dragonslave and you call it normal, similar to what you wield."

She looks at her in a sort of awe. "let me assure you it is anything but normal. Still you had to use it, and by all accounts you saved two of your fellow champions, and took out a dragonknight with it. That is an impressive feat in and of itself."

[Saito]

Saito quickly opens his eyes and looks at the one who addressed him and Georgi.

"Well, if they are going to be changing places I think that I will take this chance to get something to eat. Please, lead on."

Saito went over to the bench that is in the hotspring area and put on a robe.

[Georgi]

After dressing, Georgi met Saito and they followed a young woman to the main dining facility.

The main dining hall had thirty or so people in it. All were dressed casually and milled to and from the buffet table. Most of the other guests sat in small groups, engaged in conversation. For Georgi and Saito, the anonymity was welcome.

His body felt wonderful after the long soak in the hotsprings. Even his scars looked thinner and flatter. He wondered if the springs would heal the mind as well, for somewhere, deep in his subconscious mind, memories lay buried. Only to resurface in his sleep as nightmares: fragmented, jumbled and violent. Among the images of death and dismemberment were older and more pleasant memories of people and places.

As he filled his plate with food, he looked around the room to survey it's occupants. It was always important to have situational awareness, for the enemy could strike at any moment. To Georgi, it looked that most of the people in there were simply travelers and visitors. Sitting down on the floor in front of an empty table, motioned for Saito sit across from him.

[Lawrence Thebes]

"No.. " He replied to her question about Lily. "Not my girlfriend" He said with a smile as he blushed.

When they arrived in the room and there were other people around, Lawrence was getting the idea that this wasn't just about Lawrence and Asia. He acknowledged Lancer with a nod, but he was more afraid to do anything else. He bowed to the two ladies and gave a standard greeting, but than sat down. He leaned into Asia and whispered. "What am I doing here? Isn't this a team meeting?" He said, while keeping an eye on everyone else.

[Justin OOC]

Asia smiles in response to his answer. "That's good, really good." As he greets the others she smiles and when he questions her she just smiles.

"No today is just us eating together. Besides our leaders are still off doing something, and we can't have a meeting without them."

She turns to the others. "Today is just about enjoying good company and good food, because tomorrow we may not be able to."

Lancer and Suzuka raised their glasses to the impromptu toast and the meal was served.

[Lawrence Thebes]

He looks at everyone else, wondering if the impromptu toast was merely a generalization or if it was something to be taken seriously. In the end, though, he could not decide as to what its meaning was so he left it alone. For now. He sits quietly, questioning things and words that have taken place. He did have at least one more question, which he whispers to Asia once more. "So what is this entire team thing about? I mean, I think I heard somebody refer to my friends as Champions or something, but I wasn't there so I'm not entirely sure on the details. Are you guys somebody elses champions?"

[Justin OOC]

Suzuka was the first to speak. "I'd heard another group of champions were here. I'll have to look into it."

Asia turns to Lawrence. "Well I know we are on the same team. Your mark is the same as ours. Your friends might be too, or not."

There's something being held back. "It isn't uncommon for teammembers to travel together, or even ally with each other over the course of missions. So long as some sort of accord has been reached, things tend to work out. Even if they aren't with us, we're all safe here. Nobody would dare violate the sanctity of the Inn's neutrality."

Lancer chuckles. "Well I know what I'm going to be doing the next few days. I gotta see if there's a champion out there who wants to go spar outside the inn."

(((OOC this will end this thread and we will move on to the next one. 5 cp to everyone)))