The Veil had been here for the longest time, long before Kagatoh had even set foot into it.. It had been abandoned, of course - the building itself, but with a little elbow grease, and a lot of magic it had been restored to far more than what one could ever hope for it to be.

The front of the shop appeared nearly like any other, with magical trinkets filling boxes, chests, and crates - even displayed behind glass displays. Scrolls, Skulls, and all manner of strangeness crammed within' the dusty shelves, herbs of odd scent hanging from the celing to dry.

Little bird cages also hung there, containing birds, monkies, and bats. And more cages still lined the thin and dark corridor, each one covered with a dull cloth to hide what was inside...

The countertop where the store owner (or his servant) normally sat contained books and an old glass lamp. The back-room was only shielded by a curtain, just enough to obscure the view.

There were growls, shrieks, and sometimes screams in the distance - no doubt much deeper in the store than the guests were allowed.. You see, this place was a labyrinth - a deep world created by magic. No larger than a single room physically, but behind it - it stretched on for nearly miles - a great maninsion of winding corridors and stairways and a hundered doors. Magic breathed in this place - so much so that it lay thick in the air, preventing all other magics of any kind, save for what the creator made.

No spells could be cast, natural or not.. You see, this place sold creatures - creatures of magic by nature; and it would not do to allow them to use their trickery here!

Such a place is strange, for sure.. But stranger still was the sheet of paper that floated around the labs upon the wind - each one seemingly hand written in scrolling script with an old quill pen; dancing into the hands of anyone who would be truely interested in it's contents:

Come one, come all - Into the Veil...

Who be truely noble of heart, the time has come for myself and my ward to leave.
I seek a single employee - who shall vow to watch over my store, my goods, and my services. I expect nothing of you other than a sound mind and loyatly to guard what is precious to me. If you dare commit yourself to my employment - meet me at the Veil at any time of day, I shall be there waiting. Prove yourself to me, and my home will be yours for the using.

Signed,
Kagatoh, Owner of the Broken Veil


Do you dare come?


***************

OOC Notes:
Eluuri is no longer going to be running the Veil, and I do not have the time.
If you wish to work at the Veil - go ahead and start RPing here to get an "interview" with Kagatoh.
This job will require you to RP in the Veil, to "sell goods", and to moniter the distribution of said goods. They are supposed to be RARE and very DIFFICULT to obtain, remember that. The things in this shop are dangerous - and most would consider them (if purchased) slaves - a very immoral thing to purchase.
If you get this job, you will not need to make a new character to play here - your CHARACTER gets the job, and you as the user will be responsible for the Veil's upkeep.
If you get this job, you must ask me for final approval on any sale you make in this shop.

He looked down at the piece of paper that had fluttered into his hand. Not really something to be looked at seriously, or so he'd thought at first. But then he'd read it... and was entirely too intrigued not to read further. It was advertising... advertising a position open in the Veil. The Veil... sadly, he'd not been there, just heard whispered rumors in the Black Market about it.

Obsidion set his black eyes on the door to the building, glancing back down to the note. This was the building, there was no possibility it couldn't be. He tilted his head. It trafficked in slaves... or so he'd heard, but recently he'd found the great urge to come and find one of his own. Which was... strange, considering he felt creatures were companions.

To be honest with himself, he didn't know how much of a chance he had being hired. But one would never know if one didn't try. Taking a deep breath, Obsidion opened the door and stepped inside.

The sights and noises overwhelmed him and he staggered for a moment. Scrolls, skulls, furs, creatures, screams... it was almost too much for his senses. But, he prevailed, and pulled his chin up, striding with confidence to the counter.

That would be where people met, correct? A counter? Hopefully this was what he was supposed to do... His nerves were shot, and he desperately wished Kro or Cata was with him. It was always better with one of them at his side.

But no, this was for him alone. A bit of a darker side to him, for sure, but it was nothing compared to the past...

Obsidion shook his head and glanced around, "Hello?"

Kagatoh.. Kagatoh.. Now where had she heard that name before..? It seemed so familiar - yet so strange.. and intriguing. And the Veil.. Surely that was the place that was talked about merely in whispers of the wind, a place of magic, discovery, enchantments?

The parchment had simply picked itself off the ground - and flown.. yes, flown, she was sure of it - more magic, perhaps? - into her hand. Inviting her to read its contents.. and apply. And of course, who was to deny a magic parchment its wishes?

And so, she had made her way to this veil place.. and - from the outside - it looked no more spectacular than her garden shed.. Dusty.. and - wait, surely that couldn't be a -skull-? Furs, trinkets, parchments.. oh joy, what more could one want? thought Imp, a little sarcastically, as she set foot toward the door.

Knock.

"Hello? I'm Imperfection, and I've come t-" Imp began, before the door creaked slightly open, seemingly of its own accord. Reaching out tentatively, she slid her fingers to the door handle, and opened the door wider..

and stepped in.

She was immediately greeted by wailing screams, howls, barks, whines.. the intensity burning her mind, making her forget even her purpose of coming here in the first place. But soon after she entered, it calmed, even if a mere amount, and she regained her senses.

Now more determined than ever, she stepped forward toward - the.. counter.. er - yes, it had to be. She reached out once again and tapped the bell, and a dull tone reverberated around the walls.

Honestly, in her mind, she had no chance of getting this job. She knew that this place was rare - and the things in it even more so. And why would they want Imperfection, of all people, to run it..? She did stand for all things broken, torn, and cast aside, after all.

But then again, maybe that was a good thing..

She looked around again, trying to se if any.. humans.. were there. "Hello?" she called out tentatively.

Jarad sighed as he quietly walked into the building. He had found this piece of paper and had wondered if maybe this "veil" place would have what he wants. For you see, Jarad has been searching for someone to teach him how to use magic. He has been waiting to learn how to use magic and has been searching for one who could teach him. Hopefully, his search would end here. If he could find someone in the veil that could teach him even the smallest amount of magic he would be happy. Maybe this owner of this shop would know a few tricks. He sighed and wondered about runes.

He entered the shop and noticed that there where a lot of strange things and creatures in the room. He tilted his head as he looked at the merchandise. He didn't touch anything, but he found some of them vary interesting to say the least. "Oi, I wonder if anyone knows about the temple of the moon tribe?" He said to himself. While he had been in the mines he had encountered a man that lead him to a temple. Sadly, after a few minutes in the temple the man who lead him there caused a cave in. Jarad could only guess that he had used magic.

Jarad sighed, "Um, hello? Is anyone here?" He asked aloud. He didn't ask to loud because he had a feeling that there where things in here that shouldn't be disturbed by loud noises. Hopefully, the owner of the shop would allow him to take care of his shop. Though, Jarad's luck hasn't been good, so he doubted he would get lucky with this.

She wasn't going to lie. She felt, well, Silly applying for this.
It wasn't her chances that she though would ruin her. No, she was an organizational person at heart. She enjoyed keeping things right, clean, and didn't like seeing things fail. She was sociable, polite, and even, yes, kind.
She even allowed herself to think that she was a good judge of character, and would be able to tell if a person was "Good" or "Evil", and be able to make a wise decision based off of that.
And even if she did have a...slight temper and a bit of a sarcastic mouth, she was sure she could shut if off, when need be.

So personality wise, she thought she could handle it.

The thing was, as vain as it sounded, she didn't look the part.
Tall and muscular, with oversize feet, tail, ears. Small hands, long fingers. Strange, questioning eyes and a moth full of sharp teeth.
She was a piece of patchwork, alright, and she definetly didn't look like she belonged behind the counter at such a prestige, magical place.
She shuddered to think of herself dressed up in a kimono.
So, as much as she though her mind was geared for the task, She was a bit worried about her, um, physicality getting in the way.
But enough of that.

She clutched the piece of paper in her hand, feeling it crumple at the edges. She lifted it to her topaz eyes once more, letting the sentence run through her mind once more. Little words drifted over her eyes, making her smile.
" Noble of heart, Sound mind, Loyalty."

She would swear that she held those attributes.

The shop was startling for her, but more in it's general being than its collaboration of sights, sounds, and otherwise. It was just so...much. But it didn't frighten her, no. It...intrigued her. She wanted to spend time here, exploring, sniffing...experiencing.

But finally she found that she was at the counter. She took a deep breath, relaxing her last set of nerves. She would do as best she could, and that was all she had.

Still, her tail was yearning to be securely between her legs.

Ashe had been here before. He had walked alone then, and he was walking alone now. His 'faithful' servant had stayed at home, with a whole list of strict orders to follow. She was to keep the pets in order, but not to touch them, hurt them or distress them in any way. She hadn't wanted to come, either, so Ashe hadn't made her... But Inyala was starting to show that michievious side that Seguchi had warned him about. Ashe hadn't listened then, and he would probably come back to a bloodbath at home, but... He kept walking. He would deal with that when he got home.

The walk there was uneventful, and he hummed to himself lightly as he walked. He sort of wished he'd brought someone along, like Macabre or something huge, to serve as a distraction, Genji, as usual, was padding along silently beside him, love and slight unease transferring from feline to himself. He smiled grimly over at Genji, but the tiger didn't look back at him. He knew Genji was caught up in where they were going again, and why.

Genji certainly did not want another Inyala to take home...

Finally, Ashe spotted the place. He recognized it this time, and felt his pace quicken, his strides lengthen. He was excited, and at the same time nervous. He'd see Seguchi again, and get to- what was this? He opened the door, left slightly ajar. That wasn't normal... He frowned, and stepped in, hearing no voices of anyone else inside. Was this Kagatoh here? And, did this mean Seguchi had fled...?

Part of Ashe had hoped for it to be a co-op, though he knew Seguchi wouldn't be able to tolerate him. But either way... A chance like this, to take care of such a place, even for just as long as Kagatoh needed him...

Ashe was enticed.

He sighed softly, and looked at the note he had received, upon the breeze. He turned it over, and looked at the back. Nothing. Now, to find this Kagatoh... Whom he had never met before. This was going to be...fun...

And so, Ashe wandered the shop, waiting for him to show up. He visited the place where he had first laid eyes on Inyala, though cages had been moved since then. Skulls now in places he didn't remember. So many wondrous things... But he kept his hands to himself.

"Well, I'm here..." he murmured, to the silence. He ran a hand through his dark hair, and let it settle on the back of his neck as he gazed around. He had to be on guard, he knew. If not for Kagatoh, for any of the other countless lives that existed in and around this place... Things that no one, not even he, had seen, or would see...such secrets...

He smiled grimly, and proceeded to the counter.

A doubtful glance downwards at the paper. A considering peek in front of her. Another look down, this time in a studying manner.

Well, it almost looked magical. In a homey-shack kind of way. If you looked at it sideways. Or upside down, like Abel appeared to be doing.

Alright, it didn’t look like anything extraordinarily magical to her. What could she do about something like that? People always said it was the first impression that counted, but surely that didn’t always mean everything …?

Perhaps if she looked at it another way?

…

No, it still looked like a shack.

“D’you think it’s a hoax?” She asked absently to the floating blue shijin hovering at her shoulder. He only expressed puzzlement and general pleasantness, to which she heaved a sigh at.

“Well aren’t you a bundle of help.”

Abel rather thought so, even if she didn’t.

Still …the writing didn’t appear to be forged (like she had any real experience with that), and there always had been the rumors of a place like this back in the Market (but they were also prophesizing the creation of lactose-intolerant cows via the labs there as well …she wasn’t so sure how reliable all the sources were). If it turned out to really only be a plain ‘ol shack, she could just apologize profusely, run like the dickens, and hope in her embarrassment to never stumble upon the place again. OR she could walk into a mystical shop and apply for a job.

Which, she didn’t know why she was applying for in the first place. In part, it was a “Why the hell not?” thing. And the other part …well, who wouldn’t be curious about a magical shop? Someone who had no sense of adventure that’s what, and she had plenty of that.

As for the other things …

Sound mind? You had to have that while traveling. Granted, she wasn’t THE expert on traveling (she could only wish). But she had been around the block a few times, so it wasn’t anything new. You saw a lot of things on the road, including things that you probably wouldn’t have guessed were there. And she lived in the Labs for heaven’s sake, the largest and strangest place she had been to date. A sound mind was a necessity to deal with the bustle of everything going on.

Loyalty? She was loyal to the few friends she had. She’d rather die than not have their backs, and her creatures were the only family she’d ever have after solitary nights spent on her feet. So yeah, some amount of loyalty had to kick in there.

Noble of heart? She had to raise an eyebrow at that one. Um, did one instinctively know if they were noble at heart? Weren’t noble people supposed to have some degree of modesty, and therefore possibly prevent them from realizing how noble they were?

“I dunno,” she said, tapping the toe of one sneaker against the dirt, “D’you think I’m ‘noble at heart’?” The shijin just kind of gave her the equivalent of a blank stare.

Well great. That sure inspired confidence.

Another point that needed addressing was this ‘my home will be yours for the using’. Until the Labs, she hadn’t the experience of owning anything remotely related to property. The one time she tried to rent a flat she’d been kicked out in two weeks. Something about complaints from neighbors and faulty flammable ovens …the details were a bit hazy.

If it was any consolation, her cooking skills had gotten better. Some. She hadn’t burned down anything at any rate, and had learned that the smoke alarm isn’t a timer.

…

Perhaps she wouldn’t mention that in the interview.

Which reminded her: that wasn’t going to happen if she stood out here all day. Unless someone came outside and did it here …which would be a bit odd.

“Now remember,” she told her soul-bound wuff of smoke sternly, “No attempts at juggling. I'm not made of credits and would appreciate it if we weren’t kicked out.” The shijin came to wrap itself around her neck like a choker necklace (a favorite customary place of his), emitting an aura of innocence. She rolled her eyes.

“Better safe than sorry, in any case.” Slender fingers alighted on the door, and she pushed it open with a creak, to be greeted by harsh wails and screams that drove into her ears. Sobbing was heard in an undertone as well, intermingled with countless other caws and calls of creatures not sounding in the least familiar.

Biting her lip, she strode forward anyhow. Who needed both their ears in proper working order anyway?

She wasn’t all that surprised to find others in the shop as well. And what a shop it was. She gaped at the ceiling in pure tourist like fashion, before realizing what she was doing and forcing her head back to eye level. And even then, her eyes had a sight to behold as well. Deciding that maybe not being one of the ones to crowd the desk (one girl looked like she had already rung that little bell on the counter – what good would come of ringing it again?), instead she slowly made her way amongst the wares, hands carefully clasped behind her back.

You know, just in case a skull or amulet wanted to curse her and her great-great-great-great-grandchildren on contact. Or something.

The girl was considered tall by most, reaching 5’9’’ at the top of her head and grasping at 5’10’’ when her tall canine ears were taken into account. She was nicely dressed in clean cloths that were comfortable and not terrible to look at. A dark grey tail that didn’t look like it had seen much sun in a long while seemed to try to wrap itself around her leg, which annoyed the girl slightly because it betrayed her nerves.

Skylark’s hands were empty. She didn’t like the feeling not having any daggers resting against her skin, no sword hanging at her side. Nothing on her... she always had some sort of protection on her person. The girl had to shake this feeling of emptiness that had consumed her once she stepped up to the door of the Veil. So, she reached out and turned the knob.

The first thing that caught her eyes were the items on display. Such a range, these were things she had never seen before! The unknown uses could be so numerous; she was envious for a moment at whoever got to spend their time here. Knickknacks, obscure scrolls, different languages, the side of the girl that loved to learn as much as she could struggled to her mind and began shining through her eyes. So much!

But then the second effect of this Veil place took hold; or rather two effects tackled the girl at once. The noise, screams, shrieks, growls, all the sound, all the creatures and adding to that the thick air... Skylark couldn’t know what it was, but the air in this place seemed to lay on a bit thicker then that outside. And those noises! She had already been curious about the items... now Skylark was nervous, but she wanted to know, to learn what was hidden in this secret world of magic spells and gifted beings.

As she stood there, closer to the counter then the door, she suddenly felt her old feelings of inadequacy begin to wind around her brain. She knew so little about these types of things... And she was still alone in a strange place.

Not to long ago, she had returned from a short trip to explore her old memories and since then, she had that sword that she had rediscovered with her at all times. When it was gone, Skylark felt alone. She felt silly. And she had been in such a big hurry to get here that in the quick-thinking mode of trying to leave the house as soon as possible, her flying mind had thought it best to leave behind her weapons and her friends. Except for Andie (a shijin) and her pipfox, of course, but those two were tucked in her pockets out of sight. No doubt now that that was the best choice, but still...

Why? She looked down at her hands, the question echoing in her mind as the self-confidence issues took further hold. Why did I come here? How did I get here? She lifted one hand that was still carefully holding a flier that was covered in hand written script. Do I really fit...?

Noble of heart. The girl was very friendly, especially to strangers. She was thoughtful, willing to listen, but also had pride that let her keep her head up even when faced with not-so-nice people.

Sound mind. Certainly! Skylark had good control over her mind, she prided herself for it. Though, the confidence in herself was something that needed to be constantly watched.

Loyalty. Unquestionable. There was no evil in this girl’s heart. She was a lover of nature and the beings that lived in it. Their loyalty was what she admired and strived to duplicate. She could follow orders, assuming she could agree with them. She would not let someone down if she could help it.

She folded the paper neatly and stuffed it in her pocket. Skylark wasn’t the same person as she was not too long ago... She no longer hid behind her hair; she had gotten a haircut, literally. She was even confident enough to not wear her hat in public all the time, exposing her canine-like ears to the air rather then squishing them all the time. She could handle this, she was sure she could. Despite the things she had heard about the Veil, the whispers in the wind and rumors that were muttered among strangers when no one was looking.

Slaves. If she were to care for slaves, she’d make sure they went to the homes they needed to go to. Skylark certainly didn’t approve of slaves; she valued her more intelligent creatures as companions and tied to treat them with respect as well as firmness when necessary. But there were many ways to name one truth and she would not mind shipping creatures to homes that fit them. She could judged character and make judgments. She could do something like that, yeah...

But she may never get the chance, if the owner didn’t like her. A few more steps and the girl was at the counter. “Hello there!” A pause. “I’m looking for one called Kagatoh, anyone home?” She looked around now, that curiosity trying to perk back up now that she had become more comfortable with actually being here. What things she could learn...

Running from place to place has seemed to really become the norm for her, had it not? Then again, she had a bad cough, and it had become a bit harder for her to get around. Shuffling around, organizing her things, taking care of her pets. Ling, Nakia, and Nalix had become quite needed now, helping her with everything. Mira had almost become banished from her mind, other things becoming much more important.

Thoughts of actuality forgetting her past- just letting go, had flooded her mind. And she realized that she was no longer needed, that she no longer has a reason to live, as she had in her tribe.

And then- she had ran. She had run back, abandoning everyone but those three. Hiding among the borders of the wild, waiting. She missed everyone. And had then come back, seemingly sane, or just. Dressing, she appeared older, and wiser in some ways.

Just as she had seemed to accept coming back, a paper of sorts had fallen in her path, just as she was about to leave, to go back to the labs where there was no pain.

And in opening it, breaking the wax seal, she had perhaps condemned her own soul.

She wouldn't be going back, not now. For this- Kagatoh, was it?, was offering her a chance, to stay close to what she loved, but at the same time, try something new. Dove was sane, and she was loyal, yes.

But it was how to prove herself, now that was another matter.

Clutching the paper- her lifeline, the only thing she had left, she had changed into the one thing she had left from her old home. A red long-sleeve dress, made by her mother, hair- now shoulder-length, from spending so much time in the wilderness, tied into a rough bun. Dove's only jewelry was her choker, trying to keep herself plain, simple, almost pure. Clean, fresh, still young- her basic idea of how she wanted to appear. She wanted to show the shopkeeper that she was eager to learn from whatever opportunities would present themselves here.

Walking through the forest, slipping past the others who were traveling around to the wild, taking with her the ribbon that bound her to Nakia and the charm that bound her to Nalix and a bit of food.

It was not fancied a crusade, of sorts, to save her soul.

But in her own way, it was a march for a new life.

On her trek, she had almost missed the hut, but it seemed to be radiating something- and that was what had drawn her there. And now, walking into this place, there was a crowd there, people everywhere, but that was ok.

She brushed the hair from her face, and called out softly, joining the other voices.

"E-e-excuse me, is.. Is there a Mr. Kagatoh here..? I- I got the letter, sir.., and .."

Dove let her voice die down and fade out, waiting for any confirmation of what was to happen next. Twisting her hair, she fussed with the feathers.

Taini walked at a leisurely pace to the Veil. She was in no hurry to get there. No matter what time she would have leaved there still would have been lots of people there, applying for the job. So she took her time making the trek, allowing herself to take breaks and admire the quietness of the forest.

The journey wasn’t too hard for her, but she could see how many would be discouraged from buying from the Veil. If she could somehow manage to get the job this would be a comforting thought. Though she has never been shopping there before, she has heard enough of the stuff they sell. Maybe not stuff she would pay for, but she would care for it.

Finally, the store came into her view. She peered inside to see how many of the competition were already there. A lot by the looks of it. She sighed and stepped inside. None of the heads turned her way and for that she was grateful. Crowds and Taini did not mix very well if she was just by herself. But she was focused and today she wouldn’t let it show it bothered her.

She dug her hand into her pocket and tore out the piece of paper that led her hear. She skimmed over it, making sure she knew what to do. But the word ‘noble hearted’ caught her eye. She wasn’t sure how noble she was.

She shook the thoughts from her head. She shouldn’t doubt herself now! She was already here. Oh well, She thought as she made her way up to the counter that already seemed full. If he wants, he wants me if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. No need to be sad about losing. She knew she would be sad and frustrated if she didn’t get what she wanted. She didn’t want to feel like that, but it would come no matter what.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to try to get his attention just yet. There were already too many people here begging for it. She could wait until he was done attending them, then she would talk to him. Besides, if she was him she would be somewhat irritated by the large number of people all wanting his attention.

She was surprised by the sudden burst of patience. She figured it was due to sympathy for the soon to be over-whelmed man and just because she really wanted this job. Shop-keepers are supposed to be patient right? She guessed so and played with her extended claws while she waited for him to be less busy.

Good lord what buisness did he have coming here? He had no work experience, why in the world would he be taking up a job. He had spooted the advertisement on one of the many walks he and his companion Issui had been taking as of late.

The advertisment had obviously blown from some nearby city, after all he had found it in the forest, though the paper and it's print had remained pristeen through out it's journey. The flyer he clutched in his hand became ever more crumpled as he neared the store, which in his opinion looked more like a shack.

Besides how would this Mr. Kagatoh react to a blue fox showing up on his very doorstep and asking 'Hello there I was inquiring about the posistion in this ad'. Better yet how about a tall fox with white belly fur light blue base fur and royal blue husky markings with absolutely no work experience or family background. Well family background he wished to share anyways.

He knew one thing and one thing only about the veil, it was mysterious. Okay well two things, they allowed shijin within the store. That was the farthest extent of his knowledge about the store. Well there were always whispers about the place being somewhat magical and whatnot. Which in fact could have been true seeing as they were inside what the residents of the lab referred to as "The Beyond".

"Okay Kyle you can do this, you can do this."
And with that new mantra circulating on his breath he returned to crumpled flyer to the pocket of his rolled up jeans, wearing them full length didn't make much sense when your legs sloped backward at an awkward extent, dusted off the pristeen tight blue t-shirt that showed off what little physique he had, and began to take the steps needed to reach the door.

You know this place wasn't terribly frightening at all, it was actually quite peaceful out here in the beyond. Sure there were things in the beyond such as monsters, that were no doubt watching him as of right now from there homes in the surrounding area, but he could see why one would live out here. Though for himself a place near the shore would have been preferable. Then again nasty little leviathans lurked near the shore, oh well he'd manage.

He strode through the door with ease, only to be assailed by a cacophony of noises. That was all right however seeing as he had dealt with worse, like bellowing thundergug and screeching wiurn. Ah the counter surely Mr. Kagatoh would be with him quickly if he just stood there at the counter.

"Hello? Sir are you in there?"
His enquiry was meek at best, but he was sure it was loud enough for someone to hear. Nothing to do now but wait.

And as he waited his eyes took iun the multitude of sights and smells the veil presented. Bottles, skulls, gems, creatures veiled in darkness, ingredients, all could be found here. Truly if he were to work here his mind would become open to the possibility of a whole new world to be explored.

That was if he managed to get the job.

He took the crumpled flyer back out and read it through again. What had the criteria been again? Ah yes now he remembered. Noble of heart, sound of mind, and loyalty.

Noble of heart, well he was a rather friendly sort of person once people got to now him in his mind. Never before had he really insulted anyone in a manner befitting hurt feelings. He was kind to everyone and everything, especially creatures of the water.

Sound mind, he liked to thing of himself sane as well educated. He did read runes after all, and by the look of some of the tomes found in the shop that skill could indeed come in handy.

Loyalty, now that he was sure of in all facets of his life. He took pride in the fact that he tried to talk to everyone, if his shyness allowed it, even if it did end rather unsuccessfully. He was especially loyal to his friend, who were mainly the creatures he had befriended over his years of travel. Especially to Issui his genbu shijin who had received his utmost loyalty to her.

Maybe he had a chance after all.

But still, not likely

A young girl, working?

At her age, it was very rare. Most people would say it might be illigal for child labor at her age. But in this world, even very much so in this small land, soforth claimed by buisnesses as 'MML' and 'DWF', Rare things were actually quite common. So would one more oddity of it's kind make to much of a difference?

Touj, a short, delicate fae, walked into the place people called "The Veil". Apparently, they were hiring. She, Touj herself, had been getting a build of confidence lately. Tale said it's called being light-headed from so many colds. Although she was still rather reclusive about fights or a bit too much talking, she was getting better at holding her fears in.

She closed the door quietly behind her, hoping not to disturb anything. This was a store, after all. Though she didn't expect it to be running and open at the time. But... Not many people knew the Veil existed, right? And that's because they didn't want their shop to be over-run with eager I-want-that-cool-pet fools.

...To Touj, it was kinda Ironic that they put up and advertisment if they didn't want to many people there.

"Hello?"

Touj called, stepping farther into the shop. It looked odd, more like a traditional japanese house than a place that sellls magical items and creatures. She took another step forward.

Sounds of agony and howls of entrapped creatures... It was so horrible. Touj was literally shaking to keep herself from crying and covering her ears in pain. But she flinched and walked on. Then the scents reached her... Oh, now those were good, even better with listening to those horrible cries. But...

The cries were a bit sad, it came from something, that was probably caged up somewhere...

She shook her head, and focussed on what she came here for. She came to get the job that was open here. Touj wondered to herself what you have to do to get the 'shopkeeper' employment... Maybe an interview? Or an application? Applications would suck on her part, for this would be her first job.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Her anxiousness was building up. Who was this 'Kagahtoh'? She'd heard the name before... But where? Shrugging it off, she tensionly stood where she was.

The ssashirk had always taken an intrest in magic and mystery. It was her fancy...her strongest desire. "Why couldn't I have been born a fae?" she constantly asked herself. Except, with her accent, it was rather distorted and morphed and came out as something like "Wah cuddent Ah huv bun bahrn uh faaey?" But this is a digression, and has only very little meaning as to why Shadow now paced the loney paths leading to the Veil.

Magic lay thick here, Shadow could almost tell. It took her breath away, and filled her heart with wonder. Perhaps it was just nerves, but one can never tell when something like magic is involved in the matter. She walked slowly, anticipation clutching and pulling at her heart like the mud that was clutching and pulling at her feet. As she brushed off her shoes with her scaly, navy tail, something caught her eye. It was a paper, floating on a breeze, that was being carried right to her.
"Wut thuh...?"
The paper gave a twirl lightly through the air, and landed in Shadow's claws. She held it carefully, trying not to puncture the thin sheet. Turning it over, she saw airy script, definatly written by a careful and agile hand. She gasped with joy as she read it; a chance to work with the magical and wonderous items contained in the Veil! She was so excited she was about to break into a run in that direction, but with a deep breath, she was able to contain herself. Besides, someone like Kagatoh wouldn't want to hire an over-excited twit with no self control.

Shadow paced through the area, knowing that she would be seeing the building at any moment now. Her breath caught in her throat as she glimpsed the store, and she slowly walked up to the entrance. She raised her hand to knock on the door, but apon touching it, it swung open silently. Shadow slowly walked inside, and was met by a sight of some of the most amazing things she had ever seen in her life. Lining the walls were trinkets, curios, and some things Shadow could not even discribe. She saw rows and rows of cages, filled with creatures more outstanding and exotic than she could ever have dreamed of. This was it. This was the Veil.

Soundlessly and slowly, Shadow walked through the store. She kept her hands behind her back, looking at the wares but not touching them. To think, she might be in charge of this mystical place! Shadow was filled with excitement, longing, and sevral other emotions just at the thought of it. There was the counter...would she be the one to stand behind it? Shadow had to stop moving for a moment, for fear that she might have a heart attack. She breathed deeply, trying to catch her breath but not entirely regaining it. Shadow waited a couple of moments before approaching the counter.

Noble of heart, sound mind, loyal, Shadow was certain she possessed all of the qualities that were described on the sheet. She was intelligent, and always had the ability to know what was right or wrong, rash or practical, and was always sure of herself. She never left the side of her friends, or what she believed to be right and true. As far as Shadow was concerned, she had what it took to be the keeper of the Veil. Now, it was up for Kagatoh to see that, but someone that ran a store as magical as this definately could. Shadow had no doubts in him or in herself.

Patiently, she waited for the keeper's final choice.

**************
Fawn walked into the shop, and the first thing she saw was the cages on the ceiling. She veiwed the animals quietly, and when she heard a shriek in the distance she jumped. She looked in the direction it was coming from.

"Thats odd." She said out loud, as a peice of paper floated into her hands. Not knowing if she should read it or not she looked around first to see if someone was going to stop her. When no one showed up, she then looked at it.

The note said something about a job position! "Oh good!" She pratically shouted. "Oops..." She whispered. Fawn looked around to see if she disturbed anything. When she saw that everything was fine she looked back at the note.
'This is great!' She thought. ' I can interact with all sorts of creatures!'

Not knowing what to do next, Fawn started walking through the shop looking at everything as she looked for someone that might be able to help her...

Night walked silently, her ears lain back in sureen content. Her eyes scanned the buildings on either side of her. There was nothing here that would be of use. Many of the buildings were abandoned, not of any use to someone looking for employment.

She sighed, a soft and whispering sound that was carried away on the slight breeze. For once, she was alone. Not one of her few companions stalked the night beside her, warning her of the magic that lay heavily in the air as she sauntered up upon a building quite unlike the others. Not unlike them in looks, no in that it was much the same. Unlike the others in feel, in magic... A sign hung up, and she let her eyes ajust to the brightness of the letters on the white backdrop. The Broken Veil... it read. She did not speak the name alloud, only repeated it in her mind. It sounded faintly familiar, though she wasn't sure why.

A white drifting shape caught her eye. It was a paper, perhaps blown by the wind. She caught it in her right hand, using her left hand and her tail to keep her balance as she leaned over so as not to miss it.

It was....A want ad? That was odd. There was a flying want ad floating around the Broken Veil. This place got stranger and stranger. Night liked it.

Walking boldly up to the shop, she opened the door. It made a not a noise, which Night noted. but hey, there was no point in stressing over the little things.

The shop was widely stocked with what seemed to be cages full of strange creatures. Many were covered, making Night wonder, but she left well enough alone. No point screwing up something before she had the chance to possibly work here. She thought over what the paper had said; Noble of heart...Sound mind...Loyal. Was this her? She had no way of knowing.

She glanced through the cages that were uncovered. Monkeys, various birds....not exactly what she expected, but fascinating.

A scream echoed in the distance, and Night looked up. She didn't start. She was a little shy, but well used to screams and such. Some of her neighbors were absolute monsters in the middle of the night.

She looked around for Kagatoh, and saw...no one. Well perhaps they will show up soon, she thought.

In the meanwhile, she glanced through the random items stockpiled everywhere. Trinkets, charms, boxes, bags...what didn't this place sell, anyways?

It hadn't been a flier she'd expected to receive. In fact, it had seemed to dangle in front of her at the farm...Carried by some freak wind she swore felt different than normal wind. She may have been superstitious normally, but a wind created to bring her a flier...?

Still, though, she'd been intrigued. Vaugely, somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered the name. Somewhere, somehow, someway, she'd heard of the name. And yet, she knew nothing of it at the same time. But, disturbingly called, she decided to take a visit to this... Veil. At least, she would take a visit under the dead of night.

She wondered vaugely about changing her outfit to something more...Well... Formal, but decided against it. Throwing on her usual leather dress and all-concealing cloak, she headed out the door- Following what she felt was the direction to this mysterious store.

When she found it and entered, the sounds of each creature intrigued her. Seeing no one, she began to slowly walk around the store...Stopping before each and every cage and creature, even the ones covered, and fixing her deep emerald eyes on all...The ones revealed in interest, and the ones hidden with eyes filled with wonder. She inhaled the scents of the creatures, trying to identify...Trying to think of what exactly she'd be working with, if indeed she got the job.

Stopping before the desk, she let one paw slip out from under her cloak and began to run along the desk, testing its feel as she tried to read the titles of the books. This place was fascinating to her...And yet, she could hear things farther away from her view.

Just how much would she be working with, if things worked...?

OOC:

These are all awesometacular posts!!

Though, as you may (or may not) have noticed.. Kagatoh seems to be missing from the counter.. or room, for that matter - and this room, as it is.. seems quite crowded now (what, with 15 people in it?). *nod nod*

There -is- the curtain toward the back, and the cages, that's for sure.. But no Kagatoh.. No Yamase... What do you do now?

Night looked around and strangely, there was no shopkeeper. There was just these......cages. She lightly lifted one's cover, then quickly let it fall back into place. That was an....odd....thing. She wasn't sure what to call it. But she pushed the mental image away, letting her eyes wander.

Well, no shopkeeper to apply with. No one to speak with except for these.....others. Where had they come from? She could have sworn the room was empty. Oh well. She was always being told she had attention issues. Maybe they had been there when she walked in? Hmmm.....

Anyways, she made her way (slowly) Up to the counter. Looking around, she saw the curtain. Maybe they were back there? But she was a bit hessitant to push back that veil. Umm...well, this was a strange place. It she was kind of scared to know what else could lie in wait for her.

But, after letting her eyes adjust to the light, (Having been shadowed by many people), she let her hand reach out, and just touch the cloth. Then, she shut her eyes and lightly stepped through it. Not much scared her any more, after what she had been through. But that first step.....that first step was so hard for her to pull off. And she wasn't even sure she could force herself to open her eyes.

But she had to! Her navy eyes were suddenly revealed at that thought. She took one more step, hessitant, and then looked around. "Hullo? Umm....Someone here?"

He glanced around as people began filing in after him, taking in the sights of the building just as he had. But he'd stayed near the counter, unsure of what was to come. Where was the person who'd sent out the letters anyway? What was supposed to happen now?

Sighing, the young man pushed his hair back, the dragon dangling from his left ear gleaming a bit before black hair hid it once again. Obsidion looked around, trying to make up his mind. Well... if no one was going to greet any of them, might as well try to find someone right? As much as he enjoyed meeting other people, something told him this wasn't quite the place to go around introducing himself and shaking hands.

He eyes caught sight of the curtain and he tilted his head a little, curious. Well... that seemed to be the only other area for someone to be... Okay boyo, couldn't be that hard could it? Just push aside the curtain and hope that nothing would leap out and rip your throat out... Not that he knew what to expect or anything, but it just seemed like that kind of thing would happen.

Obsidion glanced back to the rest of the store, the veiled cages, the shimmering ceiling, the floating lanterns... and nodded. Yes, definitely, he'd see what was going on. Stepping up to the curtain, the young man boldly tossed it aside, glancing around, hoping to see something at least. "Um... hello?"

Very, very cautiously, Tala scented the air from beneath her cloak. No...She scented someone farther on. They might know she was here, but then again, they might not. Taking her emerald eyes reluctantly from the book, she trailed her paw along the counter...Before approaching the Veil. She smoothed her paw over the curtain curiously, scenting the air again. Possibly.

She hesitated, glancing more around the shop. She got an eerie feeling here. But at the same time, something...Different hovered in the air. Something mystical was here. Maybe not just something...But more than one something. Perhaps this was why the cages were covered.

'What am I getting myself into...?' She again wondered to herself, flicking her tail lightly under her cloak. She felt her pitch black fur prickle as she turned her attention back to the fabric barring her from what could possibly be part of her new future.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and swiveled her ears around. She sensed no immediate danger. Was hearing nothing but the chitterings of the creatures. She didn't scent anything off.

Exhaling and opening her eyes, she slipped her paw from beneath her concealer and very carefully, delicately, pulled the curtain back and stepped behind it. "Hello...? I...Saw that you needed someone." Her voice was soft, calling, as she searched the new area for something new.

Good lord so many people in one place, he felt as if he were being closed in, what he need was some space. Though the only person who hadn't seemed to appear yet was the shoppe keeper himself, how odd. Ah well no sense standing about like a lout he might as well take a look to what lay behind the curtain. He watched from a distance as a few of the others filed in before him through the curtain. Would it be seen as intruding if he simply sauntered back there without permission? The respectable thing would be to just wait outside the veil with all the other people, but then again what if the owner had forgotten about the interviews? Perhaps he was back there somewhere sipping his tea and reading a good book. Oh well that did sound nice didn't it?

Emotions and indecision swirled about inside of him. Would he be punished for going into the back with the other few who had already gone? Or maybe the owner did forget about them entirely? Well in this case the benefits of being a little rude outweighed the risks.

"Umm I hope you don't mind most respectable shop owner, but I am coming through the doorway and I hope for you to be on the other side, if njot I apologize profusely for intruding on your solitude."

Oh how he wished his genbu was here right now, she always calmed him down when he was making decisions such as these. He took several deep breaths and continued to think over the possibilities of an exciting new life. And then as his mind cleared that oldest of old sayings popped into his head.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Taking another large inhale of air he slowly put one paw in front of the other and was quickly through the veil and into the back room. He only hoped he hadn't done anything to upset the shop keeper.

Well, no one was here it seemed... No one of importance, that is. Ashe recognized a few faces around him, but there were a few he didn't know, either... And while that would be all fine and dandy, as he liked to meet new people... He knew they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. He shook his head, smiling a little bit to himself. Inyala was always trying to cause all sorts of problems at home, finding ways around his orders. He knew things took some getting used to, and a lot of these people...

He shook his head to himself, and pulled aside the curtain, next in line, letting it fall back into place once he'd passed through. He wasn't intimidated by this place, but cautious. Anything could be back here... When he had been here Seguchi had made sure it was known, if only from tiny actions, that no one was to pass through the courtain... Or so was the impression that Ashe had gotten. But he wasn't here, and the room was way too crowded...

If he was that mad, he could blame this Kagatoh person.

Once through, Ashe glanced around, and spotted a friend. He must have entered just about right in front of him, as that was his distance away. "Obs!" Ashe hissed, slipping through the waterfall of people trickling through the curtain now. He couldn't believe his luck- Obs was here too! He grinned at the other man, knowing why he was here- and everyone else at that. And even though it felt more like a competition now, to see who could find Kagatoh first, Ashe wanted to talk to his training buddy. Or even walk silently, it didn't matter.

It was a bit darker back here, Ashe noted, but he could still see just fine due to the light coming from the candles behind him, around the curtain. He gazed around, trying to take note and remember everything, comitting it to memory. What would they find down this passage? There was a foolish thrill in Ashe, for facing the unknown head on. There could be creatures back here that could kill him in a blink of an eye...and still he went.

Several minutes and quite a few people later, Skylark was beginning to decide that she did, in fact, hate crowds. When she had first arrived the girl had decided to ignore the other people who were slowly gathering around the counter... In her mind, it was pretty safe to assume that they were all here for a purpose similar to her own. With that in mind, it was also safe to assume that most of them didn’t have any better an idea then she did about what this place was and who they were supposed to be meeting there.

It wasn’t long before the girl found herself on the outskirts of the crowd, sandwiched between it and on of the shelves that wasn’t too far from the counter. Her outward appearance and body language suggested that she’d be easy to approach and harmless, but perhaps a little on the nervous side. Her eyes were calm and clear, watching the crowd with a level of interest that suggested she looking for someone.

In a way, she was. Someone. Anyone. A friendly face, someone she could recognize and talk to. Oh, that would be lovely to have a friend here in this crowd of unknowns. But it wasn’t until she happened to glance at some movement near that curtain that she finally recognized someone.

“Kyle?” She spoke softly, to herself, doubting anyone could hear her. But that certainly was Kyle, it was hard to mistake the blue fox for anyone else. And house could she mistake her own housemate? The girl took a step toward the crowd around the curtain, then another.

The curtain. Now there was an idea. Though she hated the idea of walking blindly into some private section of the shops, where else might a shopkeeper wait then in a back room somewhere. She took a few more steps, drawing closer, but she didn’t dare to enter like those before her. It wasn't a question of bravery or a lack of curiosity, more of a different set of rules that she liked to follow when she could. Don't stick your nose where you shouldn't... unless you have to. Instead she waited, moving to one side, her eyes and ears on the curtain.

Where did it lead to, anyway?

BAMPHF!


What?


Don’t you look at me like that, haven’t you ever seen a BAMPHF! before? No? Tch! Uneducated simpleton…Well you better believe that’s what just happened- oh yes; right there and then in the middle of the room—Or it would be the middle of the room if it wasn’t up towards the ceiling.

But there it was all the same, with that old standby sound effect the giant puff of smoke that signaled something magical appearing. Oh yeah- that’s a BAMPHF. And of course, after the smoke clears—there is but one thing.


No- it isn’t a giant blue genie, or even Barbara Eden. No wizened old wizard with a staff or a heavy codex. What IS there however is a boy.

A blonde boy…. In heavy silk robes with mesmerizing green eyes—eyes that are rather significantly narrowed into a vicious sort of glare at the crowd gathered and mucking about like tourists on holiday. Have we perhaps mentioned that this boy—

Is upside down?


Oh yes, he remains where he appeared, legs crossed beneath him and hands firmly clasped over his knees as though he were sitting Indian style on the floor. …Only it’s the ceiling. That same, gemstone studded ceiling that only moments before had certainly been void of young blonde boys.

The chatter and rabble of …ridiculous proportions continues as he watches the crowd going about their business, waiting for something to happen. The scowl that was beginning to flicker down from his eyes into the rest of his features is most definitely apparent now, and soon it’s nothing less than murderous.

“What…in the seven layers of stillwent HELLS DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HERE?!”

The voice which starts out summer soft is abrupt as it’s volume grows and cuts into a nasty winter chill… Even over the murmurs of their own conversations his words can be heard--- in ears, in mind, all encompassing as though someone had dropped a glass vase to the floor in a silent room.

The venom slips into each word even as it becomes punctuated by the rising color of the torches against the walls.

“INTRUSIVE little –wretches-…”

“How =DARE= you think to come here- think yourselves –worthy- of the position offered to you… Pathetic, useless dreamers who haven’t the first notion the coils of ether you tromp through today. MY home- MY world, and you think you can come here and poke your curious little noses into it?”

He scoffs, “Clearly enough it has certainly been seen that none of you are worthy.”

“You waste my time- Go home.”


….


…


Did we mention he’s still hanging out on the ceiling?

Crazy man.

Night was taken aback. As she slipped her head around to look behind the strange curtain, some... boy... er.. Man? Had appeared on the ceiling.

THE CEILING. She stiffled a laugh, and would have laughed alloud had he not started promptly yelling at them. She shrunk back for a moment before smiling to herself. She was tired of all this acting shy crud; that wasn't who she was. It didn't used to be, at least.

With a scowl, she looked up at the ceiling to the... person. Whoever the hell he was; Night didn't recognize him. "What do we think WE'RE doing? You're the one hanging on the ceiling!" She called up, exasperated. Her frown was evident, and she was partially frowning at herself. Since when did she have enough courage to speak up to a crazy person?

And the man was clearly insane. There was no other word for it. Though she did marvel at his abilities to stick to ceilings; that had to have come in handy at some point.

Though... what would you really need to stick to a ceiling for? I mean.... Yeah, if you were spying on someone, it would be useful. Or maybe if you were having some kind of weird day and just felt like sitting on the ceiling...

And ya know, people have to look awesome upside down when your on the ceiling. I mean... come on! And then, there had to be the downsides of course...

Wouldn't you get a headache after a while? Well... with all the blood rushing into your brain. Would your brain explode? The dude had been up there a good ten minutes now, yelling at them. And the yelling had to be making it worse, at that; the built up pressure from straining his voice and the blood rushing to his head would have to be uncomfortable. How long would it be before he had to come down?

When he came down, would he have that sort of vertigo that you got after you sat upsidedown on a bed too long? Hmm... the possibilities were endless!

Night snapped from her little thought process, however, when her tail started flicking. She was somewhat annoyed that this person would suddenly come in here and tell them to leave, after all.

Of course, she would if he got really mad at her. Though she was kind of interested in learning who this person was, actually. "Who are you, anyways?" She asked him skeptically. She honestly wanted to know; if anything, so she could tell people a crazy dude named ______ can hang from ceilings. It would be quite an interesting conversataion, really...

And she had to wonder if he was going to get ticked off at her now. She had to admit, she had gotten a rather sudden confidence boost. But she wasn't sure she could handle another person out to do her in, at this point.

"Hey Ashe..."

He was already in a bad mood. It had just... there was just enough. First of all he'd seen this letter on the wind, got curious, and came to the shop, expecting to be greeted by at least a creature, if nothing else. Then, when nothing happened, natural curiousity of course had set in, and so he'd gone behind the curtain. Now, after WHO KNOWS how long, standing around, waiting for something to happen, some kid shows up, on the ceiling, wielding a stick, and insulting him. And everyone else.

No, he was done.

Usually he would still be a little cheerful.

But he was done.

"YOU should probably learn to be nice around people if you're ever going to be productive in society. Though, since you live on the outskirts, chances are you've given up on that. Now, we all answered this letter thing," a waving of the letter was given, "And no one was out there to greet us, or say anything, nothing posted, and no answer given when any of us called out," a few random gestures to the curtain, "So! You have to at least confess that a natural curiousity would lead people to believe there would be a person behind this curtain here, because no one else was found anywhere else!"

The young man breathed for a moment, attempting to regain a little of what he thought was composure, but... maybe not.

"And, why would these letters....flyers...whatever," more shaking of the paper, "Be sent out if one didn't expect anyone to show up? The least that could have been done was something posted in the front of the shop saying it was closed. Or something."

Obsidion finally deflated a little, anger gone for a good long while now. Unless the kid tried something else. He didn't think he liked him. Nope, not a bit. And usually he could find something good in everyone.

Bad day...

Selindra winced inwardly as whatever it was that boomed through her ears, mind, and head finished echoing painfully. High pain tolerance was always a good thing. If she had a deity to pray to, you can be sure they’d be a very happy, bloated-on-sacrifices god. Because you couldn’t imagine how it came in handy.

Or, perhaps you could, taking into account who the girl liked to hang out with critter-wise …

(But moving on ...)

It couldn’t have been anyone in this room that was so -loud- …at least, she didn’t think so. Scattered among them were a few familiar faces, who she decided not to engage in conversation at the moment because she had been quite content just looking around thank you – and besides, she was on a job interview! – but many were new. So yes, she supposed they could have been the one who shouted.

Oh course, that theory was discarded like a used tissue when Abel reached up with a wispy head, and she followed his gaze.

…

Because the boy on the ceiling? Well, he had to be responsible for something.

She tilted her head in thought, her grey eyes glued upwards.

It seemed that he lived here. That would explain why he appeared so hospitable, handing out compliments like generous showers of flowers, or candy. Or something equally as pleasing.

Abel took this time to let his girl know that her brand of sarcasm was distracting. He was trying to pry the boy off the ceiling, because …did he really need a reason? He was on the -ceiling- after all. Surely that explained everything.

“Oh no you don’t!” She hissed inaudibly, tearing her eyes away to glare firmly at her shijin, one hand clamping him to her neck. That last thing she needed was for him to give someone a concussion. Can you say winning first impression? Sure you can.

A bit better now that her shijin wouldn’t fly away and break something …for the moment …her gaze returned to the boy. And she frowned. Which was odd, considering she seemed just fine with his presence before. What could it be that made that mouth tilt towards the ground? Perhaps it was the fact that had demanded they all leave (perfectly understandable, she was sure, although she had no intention of leaving quite yet) or perhaps it was the fact that …he almost looked like someone she had met before …

…

Nah. Must be her.

But she was quickly distracted upon hearing Obsidion's rant. Her eyes flickered between him and the boy, her eyes dancing brighter and brighter as her rolled on before stumbling to a stop.

She had to bit her lip sharply from laughing, and she was sure she wasn't the only one waiting to hear the blond boy's response.

Well, she hadn't expected so many people here. It was quite crowded now, and she really didn't like crowds. Much to her liking, no one else around here seemed to either. Other than a select few. But she hadn't actually been privialaged to meet one of those people yet.

But still. The point was she was here for the job. And no one was here.

...She just have to wait. Great.

But then a boy popped onto the ceiling... She jumped at him, once she realized he was there. That wasn't expected. But they boy was very odd, he had green eyes and blonde hair- not common traits around here. She'd never seen a blonde boy before except for that one guy who gave out the harachius. Was that him? Well probably, seeing this was the Veil, and rumors say that this is where they came from.

But her ponderings were interupted when he spoke. Touj normally was very good at ignoring voices, but this one seemed to seep into her mind as well. She listened, a bit startled, but curious as well.

...What?

She was unworthy? No. She wasn't unworthy... If she really was, then- Oh, he was talking to the whole crowd. But that didn't stop her anger. He shouldn't be allowed to talk to anyone like that, reguardless of her own thanking him for the harachiu.

"Mister, I think that's very-"

She began, but stopped. Someone was already yelling her rant for her. Who was he? Oh, that one guy at the new Coin Hut thing. Or something along those lines. But he was right, they did all get leafets saying to come here... Why shouldn't they? Did he expect them just to ignore it? Well, if that's what they wanted, why send the leafets out anyways? Even if everyone ignores it, someone will actually come. It's for sure.

And she wanted to here the boy's response to his.

Her eyes widened first in shock, second in indignation, and last in curious amusement. He was...Hanging from the ceiling. Like a bat. Only...Human ish. Although, he was attractive. Fairly normal-looking, unlike herself. He'd appeared in her scents as magically as he materialized out of thin air, and something told her reacting well here was the only way she had a chance to stay here.

"Perhaps you may think me unworthy now..." She spoke softly, reaching to draw her cloak tighter around herself. "But it was almost as if that wind wanted me to receive the flier. Maybe if you would give me the time of day to explain myself, or train me, you would find I am of more worth than initial sight. Anything you ask of me, I would be willing to comply." Her voice was almost... under the rest. She didn't feel to speak for anyone but herself.

She continued to look about, forgetting to notice as finally the hood would fall- Revealing darkened emerald green eyes, taking in every detail of not only the boy but her surroundings. Panther ears were perked forward, and pitch-black fur ran smoothly over her face. Her face was strange, actually. She had a muzzle shaped exactly like a panther's... And if she would open her mouth to speak, her sharp teeth would glitter almost sinisterly in the light.

Ebony hair cascaded down to her shoulders, and would shimmer dimly as she moved. It was clear there were very small, underlying crystals... It appeared she had at least tried to look her best in meeting a possible employer. Perhaps she had put more of her hope into finding a place she belonged in this new world of hers.

"Maybe we could talk...? I know how to make a good pot of tea..."

The noise ruffled Kyle immeasurably as his hair was caused to stand on end by the sheer shock of it. He listened to the yelling and the ranting which was escalating at an alarming rate very quickly. And as he finished and the other man who looked familiar spoke his mind. He found that many of the points he made were correct if not a little harsh and to tell the truth he himself had something to say. He stepped forward slowly applauding the young man before him. As his hands ceased their movement and he took a deep breath trying to calm himself for what he was about to do.

"You know, I agree fully with him the least that could have been done was to post a sign saying 'Whoops nevermind no need to come'. And I'm unworthy am I? You who I have never met in all my life have the gall to judge me? You don't even know me! How would you feel I came in here all pomp and circumstance looking utterly amazing, I was impressed by the way, and then proceeded to yell and scream at you? Admittedly I wouldn't get to the same volume as you, but why the venom in your tone when we were asked to come here for this Kagatoh person? Is this how your shoppe receives customers and guests?"

His teeth were now visibly clenched and his usually peaceful green eyes were now whirlpools of anger. If feelings could affect a person's surroundings his current ones would be all but scorched into oblivion. Yet at the same time he could feel his anger rolling of of him. His eyes became calm again and his stance loosened. His jaw relaxed. He had no idea what had caused his current relaxed state, although he had something in mind. And just as he had supposed Issui his genbu had appeared next to him in her usual nonchalance.

"Oh I suppose you felt that spike huh?"

The genbu stared worldlessly back.

"I suppose so," he looked back to the boy again,"really though some notice would have been nice, maybe this would best be discussed calmly."

And once again he withdrew into his introverted persona to watch the reaction.

Apparently at some point he had acquired a stick. …He…wasn’t at all sure how it got there really, and after giving it a rather bewildered expression, tossed it aside like the rubbish it was.

Must’ve fallen out of a sleeve or something.

It had however provided enough of a distraction to pull him away from his furious mind-set, and that at least took away the nasty expression…For a moment anyhow. Then again he was listening as a variable sea of voices gave chorus to his irritation with their own Oh-so-pleasant-song.

"Who are you, anyways?"

He nearly rolled his eyes. What did it matter who he was? HE was the one upside down on the fraggin ceiling, so it had to at least be obvious that he was in SOME position of power, wasn’t it?

"YOU should probably learn to be nice around people if you're ever going to be productive in society.”

Productive…in…society? He stared at this man- this boy…whatever he was as though he had grown an extra head… Now THAT was a thought, wasn’t it! Productive in society! HAH!! What sort of society was this one from? Certainly not. He was smiling again- and maybe that wasn’t such a good thing.

"But it was almost as if that wind wanted me to receive the flier. Maybe if you would give me the time of day to explain myself, or train me, you would find I am of more worth than initial sight. Anything you ask of me, I would be willing to comply."

Oh how cute… He raises a brow at Tala’s words, her confident speaking and will to learn. Oh it would be certain that any normal mage might find merit in these qualities. Seguchi however found them gaffish and full of undeserving credit.

“Is this how your shoppe receives customers and guests?"

Now THIS….This is the last straw…If there ever were straws at all. Here he begins to chuckle softly at first, and then with greater confidence until he’s almost rolling with laughter. Unable to keep his position he kicks back and turns in the air, shaking his head forth and back as he tries to quell his amusement. Oh this is MUCH more fun than he’s had in a while, and so very easy too!

Laying out in it as though he rested easily on a couch, with one hand pillowed under his head, he smiles prettily at Kyle, saccharine dripping from the expression while his eyes glitter with mirth… “Why… Yes actually; yes it is.”


Though he isn’t falling apart at the seams anymore he allows himself another soft chuckle. “You…people…You things… Be you beast walkers, blessed folk, or human kin… You think just because you find yourself touched with a pretty piece of parchment that you’ve the spark to come in here? That you’re entitled to –anything- at all? Even a proper ‘civil’ greeting?”


“My DEAR Lords and Ladies, forgive me! Why I shall certainly have to treat you all to high fare—My own impertinence, imagine! I should never have such poor behavior, no no…I should be such a polite and respectable salesman for you –fine-, -honored- guests…”

“Our establishment of course would never have it any other way… Dare to truthfully say that if you can’t expect fine treatment from a shop which deals in the enslavement and sales of magical creatures- well you can’t expect iit anywhere!”

His tone becomes flat, and his eyes narrow again. “Spare me.”

“Spare me your precious sense of entitlement—For you lost it the moment you walked through this door. Society is forsaken within these walls and the laws to be followed here are none of your own. Your lack of respect for your betters is apparent with your inability to even tolerate the ‘inconveniences’ placed upon you…”


Here he scoffs again and waves a hand in Tala’s direction. “Hells above, the only one at least with the common sense not to spite is the cat.”

“Now I’m sure you’ve all come seeking something –special- something wonderful…A new life, a new opportunity… Oh we have it here of course- Things to make every deluded dream, every whisper of your fantasy come true. For a price. And that price I assure you –good- people, is not something you find yourselves willing to pay.”


“This is why you waste my time—your disrespect for the ideals laid out before you is what causes you to invade my home… Did you not stop to think you would be tested? Face trials? Did you have the notion coming here that it would be a world—anything like your own?”

“I can bless your miserable lives, or condemn you with hexes or curses most foul—I can give to you a servant who will do as you ask until the day of your death—and hate you for it every moment their hearts beat.”

“So my pretty little patrons; come wandering in on the wind without the slightest notion of what your fate will set for you…”

“Entertain me.”

“You truly think you have merit here? Let’s see it. See your wonders- see your reason. You’ve failed your first trial; and still bore me with more… My home, my world, my rules… You ask of me who I am, and bitter me with your own self-righteousness, so I tell you. I am Seguchi of the Windscale; Keeper of the Veil, High Archmage of the Two Worlds, and Slave to the Master Kagatoh.”

“And you waste my time.”

Night looked up at him, baffled. Entertain him? And where would that get them in the logistics of things? Absolutly no where. However, he seemed to be highly annoyed with the lot of them; and why was that? Because we bored him. How... original. And strange. Night shook her head, confused. Really, how were they suposed to make this more interesting to him?

She looked up to this 'Seguchi', sighing in exasperation. "Well, then, Mr.Seguchi, what do you suggest we do instead?" She said, raising an eyebrow. The confrontation sounded odd in her sharp english burr, making the words drift upon the ears like music. However, they held the hint of iratation and slight annoyance, emotions she didn't usually host. She was usually a pretty undersanding person.

Maybe it was just the fact that he was yelling at them; she wasn't very infatuated with yelling. Her parents had ensured that much about her...

She flicked her tail in annoyance, but kept most of her thought process to herself. She was starting to get very irate with this man. Boy. Either or, really, as he seemed to have the looks of one and the personality of the other. Or maybe that was just her reasoning; he was starting to make her brain hurt with so many conclusions that seemed to be untrue.

Maybe she should just shut up now.

Maybe she should just leave. Perhaps that would be the best conclusion. She sighed, resting her head on her open palm. All the same, she waited patiently for his answer.

This logic was starting to get on her nerves.

Moving on, she had to think about what they were really suposed to be doing. Wasn't there suposed to be some kind of extensive interveiw going on? Finding out what people were going to be best for the job, all that good crap?

Exasperated, Night finally met his eyes. "Look, mister. You say we're wasting your time, when its the other way around. Either get over yourself or move on, because your ranting is lost on me." She sneered.

The yelling.... what was the deal with the yelling? All it did was bring back back thoughts, bad memories, and a bad state of mind. Nothing good ever came of this, and this was the time he usually put himself in isolation. It was a bad thing when you couldn't trust yourself, the times when things got a little too much and something snapped.

By now, however, he was just irritated. Despite the titles the boy was rattling off, they sounded fake to him, like a kid playing dress-up, he wasn't impressed. It was like he expected them to know who he was by just stating his name. Well, maybe everyone else did, and... well... whatever.

"So..." Obsidion said calmly, staring intently into the boy's eyes, barely hearing the words spoken by the girl by him, "You sent these out, yes? You seem content with staying here, quite more so, in fact, than this piece of paper suggests. The only thing I can bring about with your pseudo-logic and high voice, is that you're bored, lonely, and immature enough to send this out, have people come here, only so you can have a bit of fun with this..."

His voice trailed off, steady, unwavering, much too calm for someone who'd just exploded with irritation. What was it that had happened to him before like this? This wasn't another freak show for him to entertain in, this was... this was not where he'd grown up.

But... then again... that place was gone wasn't it?

"I've spent too many years entertaining the annoying, sadistic masses, much like yourself," Obsidion announced, folding his arms over his chest, half turning to leave, "I refuse to spend another moment of my time trying to amuse a cruel, immature piece of flesh as yourself."

Noises noises noises. She sighed as they simply bombarded her from all sides. Yes, she thought this boy was rather rude, and sarcastic, and maybe not the most sunshiny person in the world. That much was evident. (He also seemed to be the social butterfly, but she wouldn’t get into that.) But as much as he was all these things, she had to agree with him on something.

All these people: all their concerns and outcrys and indignant and wounded prides – some well deserved and some …maybe …just a little bit annoying – were a bit much. She’d always thought it was rude to harp on someone else’s housekeeping, and since they didn’t run this store, she thought it very much applied to the situation at hand. She was regretting ever setting foot in the place, if only for the fact that she was receiving a small, but very present, throbbing headache.

This was why she liked the nice, quiet outdoors.

But aside from that, listening to this whole conversation from a third wall standpoint was pretty interesting. Physically, she was located in a corner-ish place in the shop, most of the people being near the counter and curtain, where some had ventured. (Was she ever so glad she had failed to follow them.) She figured that adding one more voice to the complaints, or even just for sound pollution, wouldn’t help her case, or make anything better.

So she simply listened. Abel squirmed under her fingers, and she stroked him softly, grey eyes alighting wherever someone spoke.

She chewed her lip as the boy spoke up, ignoring the tiny niggling feeling that he was familiar in -some- way or another. Well, from the note, one really couldn’t be expecting a greeting like this. This lot was used to the shops in the City; mostly polite and efficient and friendly in places. But she wasn’t surprised at all: she had been living here for merely a year and a half, maybe two years of her life in total. Apparently some had forgotten that the world didn’t operate as the labs did.

His sarcasm ...her eyes turned silver as they turned as revealing as slate, and her bitten lip quirked into a smirk. He was rude – and rude people could be annoying. She found herself annoyed by rude people. She supposed eventually, everyone did. But this one had a point, and that made this debate funny and almost entertaining.

When he started to lightly scrape the surface on what the store was about, the smirk flattened out, and her eyes focused like pinpoints on the boy.

She wasn’t seeking anything special. At least, she didn’t think she was. She had come here because …well, it was more a “why not?” than anything else. And actually, listening to someone who lived and worked here, she found her sense of interest slowly but surely being hooked, which meant the desire to work here was actually gaining a reason. It wasn’t quite formed yet, but give her time – she’d make it out.

“If he cursed me, that’d suck,” she murmured idly to Abel. He shifted under her fingertips, leaving a calming sensation of coolness on her neck skin.

And finally he said his name. She had to repeat his titles twice in her head to make sure she hadn’t misheard anything (some of them she’d certainly never heard of …) and even so, she didn’t understand some of them anyway.

She understood ‘slave’, however. Her eyes became slate again, as she stared at him.

She supposed the last thing this boy wanted was pity. It was a good thing she didn’t like giving out pity. Hugs and comfort and help yes, but she tried to avoid pity. It helped that she hated receiving pity, and that stood as a deterrent.

Shifting her weight from one foot to another so neither of them would fall asleep, she hung her hands behind her neck, letting her elbows hang over her chest. She wasn’t here to entertain. But now certainly wasn’t the time to tell him that.

It seemed that waiting was the only option she liked at the moment. So waiting it was.

Snow fleckled paws padded sighlently upon the dirt and rubble littered in the crowded streets. As usual the german shephered strolled on her forelegs and hinds at once, not caring that others saw her as a strange obedient creature instead of the mammalian that was in her blood and pumped in her viens.

Her green hoody stood in a briliant contrast to the dim colors around her. Her black ears pricked as they depicted a rucus up ahead. Gliding ever faster she rose to her hind legs and stuffed her paws in her hoody pockets. A toothy grin exploded over her face as she reconised what this gathering was for.

The white paws figited with a sheet of paper inside the pocket. A paper that told of the mysterious veil and each wonder with in it's vast mists and woods. Alou's paws danced their way unnoticed to the house. As she arrived she caught the last few words of a seemingly crazy mage. Then knocked once and entered.

Thinking of wether or not she should reply, Alou's lips parted and minor words fell through,"Sir, if you mind not me asking, but what is it that of which you are looking for? Surely there may not be one here at present that is worthy, why even myself fall minor to your standards, but some one in this topsy turby world would fit your qualifications. Perhaps us here could help you locate them, only if you wish us to though." Seeping with curiousity Alou made her way to the front to face the mage as best as she could.

Silver liquid swirled in the iris of her inquisitive eyes as she pondered on how her words might effect the out come. Though she cared little, she was still uncertain of what she was getting herself into but she knew well enough that this man spoke olden tounge, as she called it, and fancied the ways of those who stand for themselves, or at least that is what she had gathered so far.

Alou was here to take in, question, and leave. If she was rewarded, of course she would be please but she would not be depressed and upset if she was to leave with out gaining no more than knoledge itself, for isn't that a treasure of its own? She knew a bit herself but always loved to learn what others had in store. New lands awaiting to be found, explored and left as they were. She could hardly ever stand it when some one would destroy a place just for thier benifits.

Alou remembered hearing something about being tested as she had padded up and in a quiet tone she asked another question,"You mentioned tests of some sorts to try us for what waits ahead and what may be fall us....When may we undergo these tests? Or must we be approved before we can thrust ourselves into faith's hands and see where see brakes us?" Alou's tone was sly and seemed almost unnerved. It was not that she was afraid of the tests or the viel, though she knew she probebly should be, no it was that she was afraid she would not get to take a risk or adventure. She did not wish to drive this man insane with her questions, she was just inquisitive and loved to learn more, though she knew that if she held her muzzle tight enough the man would probebly answer her questions without her saying a word. The mammalian's ears perked up and her eyes rested delecatly upon the mage as though she didn't want to brake him. She exaimined every bit of him, her conclusion was...Why am I here? Why am I in the presence of a mage as powerful as he? Why do I stay here where I know I am an unworthy underling?

Face trials?

Well, that was different. He might've gotten along with people better if two things happened; he was calmer about it, and he actually explained some things before going off on a rant. He also might've gotten along better if he didn't act so big-headed... But who was she to judge what people should act like? Her strengths didn't involve any social interactions as it was.

But he was a slave? Well that wasn't good. No matter who it belonged to, it wasn't good.

She felt sorry a bit, but it didn't last for long. He just said it like it was a fact, and didn't seem to hold a grudge of it, and if he di, it either wasn't too big or was extremely good at hiding it. But not that that really mattered.

"Um, 'scuse me sir..."

She spoke up, knowing that if she didn't nearly yell, no one would hear her, much less acknowlage her, curse her size.

"We can do your trials, we can all entertain you for all I care, but what good would that do you? You're here to hire, and you've gotta pick someone... If not, what are you going to do? Send the little leafets to a different place and have a bunch of 'worthless fools' come from there?"

It didn't make a lot of since, at least not to her...

“Oh!”

He rights himself now, crossing his feet at the ankles and looking troubled- a soft pout on his face. “I’m so sorry… Has my attitude given you poor character? Did I upset you?”

“Well we can’t have that…can we?”

Outstretching his arms, the smile crosses slowly over his lips again while the temperature in the room drops in a sharp spike. “You seem to think little of me; my poor misguided guests… Seem to think that my demands are below you… But perhaps you have yet to grasp just what it is you’ve gotten yourselves into… So let’s move on…shall we?”


“Kavash…”

The flames flicker against the walls, climbing high and fast to cast angry shadows over the wall.

“Misamae.”

They die out in a burst, and the endless sea of jewels on the ceiling begins to glow.

“RASDAMAEDEDAN!”

The absence of light- the sense of vertigo, and suddenly the world is gone- pulled sharply away to be replaced with a void of nothingness—perhaps for a few short moments…You would think you were dead.



Kyle, Aloualou, and Oddleaf are Twisting Right.

Night, Tala, and Touj are Falling Up.

Selindra, Ashe, Obsidion find themselves Quarter, Circle, Back.

It was...that boy. The same one as before! He remembered him from when he had gotten his Imp, Inyala. She...well, the words Seguchi spoke were true; she wasn't fond of him. It was a long struggle to get her to like him, but he was working on it, slowly. Part of him just didn't care about befriending things these days... Take control, gain trust and loyalty...none of them had to love him. He had what he needed, as far as emotion went; a boy at his side, a fire-breathing nightmare, and a giant sea serpent. The rest...He'd give them what they wanted, the basics, and in return he'd use them as much as he could...

The herd of skeletons, after all, seemed unable to bond like the other Equillion, even though they should... Ashe ordered their lives, hadn't he? They lived because he had wanted them to, and gone through the labs to get such a result. They didn't care, but would do his bidding... And that's what interested him.

He craned his neck to see Seguchi up on the ceiling, still the same handsome face he'd seen before. Young, pretty, and even nice to look at when he was angry. Ashe didn't seem affected by the yelling at all; in fact, he sort of liked it... Not just because it came from a man he'd tried to flirt with before, but because it had been too long walking on eggshells, juggling people and emotions, only to have the one man that really mattered accept him still. There should be yelling, a fight, hurtful words, little fists leaving brusies on Ashe somewhere. But there were none... Seemed only right that someone would finally start yelling up a storm!

He had no clue how to impress the boy. He'd tried, and failed, only able to offer gems... And that had been enough then, but Ashe figured his whole treasury wouldn't solve anything here. He ran a hand through his hair, and ran the words through his head once before speaking. There was probably no way at all to make Seguchi speechless, or accept him, but something that would work for a little while? Probably fail as well.

"Treat me as you wish, Seguchi, I don't care. I've seen enough of this place to know what not to expect..." He glanced around himself, at the people who complained about not being treated like proper guests. They were silly,he thought, for thinking it would be so easy... Anyone who had given it a tiny thought- taking over a shop! Not only a shop, but a shop that sold things that none of these people had ever seen.... - would know it would be tough, a challenge, a battle till the very end. Ashe didn't delude himself; he knew he had no idea what exactly to expect, but knowing you don't know what's waiting saves you the trouble of your expectations being proved false.

Ashe cast another glance around at the people, sideways, out of the corners of his eyes. How many of these could own another? He knew a few of them; always "friends" with everything, everyone. Ashe'd heard the yowls and the cries of those imprisioned. They had caused nightmares for a few nights, until he created new ones for himself.

"A price..." Ashe murmured, catching on to the single phrase. It sounded like a challenge, Seguchi knowing that no one here would be willing to pay it. Their own life? The life of a beloved? A life of Seclusion? Or would it be more like enslavement; the new successor taking the place of this man, as a "slave" to someone...

But was he a good person anymore? Did that comment apply to him? He owned something, bought with meger gems found in the mines by himself. He cheated, he lied with a smile on his face- unless asked a direct question. He still made a point to tell the truth about that. He tried to recreate dead things, and got the Labs to make them live, no matter the pain caused or internal struggle of the creature.

Yes, he'd had a lot of time to think to himself... All because of a man who left. Staying alone made one thing, perhaps become a bit reckless and irrational. He would find that price, though, and even if he failed, even if Seguchi picked none assembled here, he would find a way.

"I'd like to know it." The price, of course. The same train of thought. "What would we give up? Freedom, free will, choice? Who we are, what we will become? Or something more material, physical?" He knew Seguchi would hate his question. If he chose to respond at all...

It wasn't even the magic of the place that drew Ashe in. He would leave all magic to his foxboy. No, it was the power he was after... If it was possible, he was even more power-hungry than ever. Still in control, still putting limits on himself, but, steadily, he hungered.