genessia | [Video] Remember me? Before the war? I'm the man who lived next door...

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[Video] Remember me? Before the war? I'm the man who lived next door...

[The video clicks on to show an unfamiliar face on the screen. Though Drake has been here for a while now, and some have met him in person, he's yet to ever make an appearance on the network.

Until now, of course. He's dressed very colorfully, and in many loose layers, with feathers and beads decorating his hair among the occasional braid. To any earthlings, he looks distinctly native american, but with bright blue eyes.

His expression is pleasant, if mild.]

Hello, everyone. I have a request to make; if you are a mage or a magic-user of some sort, and are interested in a potential one-off job, please contact me -- in private.

If you reply publicly, I cannot hire you.

Thank you.

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Oh Amberdrake, if you needed help, you could've asked!

[Ni had his suspicions on what Drake might need a magic user for but he could have fun, even if he was wrong.]

[Amberdrake actually laughs at that.]

My dear Ukoku, I couldn't possibly impose on your expertise. Aren't you a busy man?

[So familiar! And rude! Ni grinned, seemingly unaffected by the use of his name on a public video.]

Oh of course, but how could I deny a favor for a friend?

Aww, and you're such a good friend! I couldn't possibly drag you into such tedious affairs.

But I'll keep you in mind for future projects, don't you worry.

Aww, you're sure? [He sighed in disappointment.]

Well don't leave me out of it next time you need help, I'd hate to miss such an opportunity.

Of course, of course. But for now, I'll let you get back to your... biomechanical engineering, isn't it? Fascinating stuff. Be sure to drop by the office sometime soon to catch up, hm?

[Drake gives the camera a wave, mimicking the finger-wiggle style Ukoku's done to him before, and then hangs up. Because Gods does he have a ton of texts from Genjyo all of a sudden...]

:/

Drake!

What are you doing!

What are you doing?! Don't goad him!

DRAKE!

DRAKE

Stop!

Don't ignore me, asshole!

Edited 2016-11-12 08:00 (UTC)

[Drake reads all the texts after hanging up on Ukoku. Honestly, how did Genjyo think he was supposed to do both video and texting at the same time?]

It's fine dearheart, this is what I do.

Including the goading.

[By hanging up on the douchebag of course.]

By telling him whatever shit you know about him? :/

Edited 2016-11-12 08:10 (UTC)

Yes dear, that's how this works.

I like reminding him that I know far more about him than the reverse. <3

It drives him nuts.

How is that a good thing? Driving him nuts? He's already nuts.

It keeps him interested. Boredom is when he gets dangerous.

Fine.

[ugh]

<33

I... I could do m-magic. What kind do you n-need?

Oh, good. Are you any good at wards?

W-Wards...?

[He thought about it, but shook his head. He didn't know what kind of magic that was exactly.]

I... I mostly use e-elemental magic.

Oh, sadly I'm not looking to have anything... attacked. It's defenses I'm after, for my house.

And possibly some cloaking, for my birds.

S-Sorry... I... I guess I can't be very u-useful then.

H-How come you need p-protection? Do... Do you live in Everglade?

It's fine, I'm sure I'll find someone...

[At worst, he'll hit up his client base. There's always someone willing to take a discount in exchange for their own skills.]

No, we live in Attleton.

I-Is Attleton dangerous?

No.

[Amberdrake smiles slightly.]

I simply attract predators. I'd prefer they not be able to invade or spy on my house.

O-Oh...

[Well, at least all of Attleton wasn't a horror show. Still, it sucked for someone to have this sort of trouble.]

What... What kind of predators?

The kind that can see what's posted on the network. Thus, the need for such secrecy as private messages.

M-Maybe you could move and they w-won't be able to find you.

No, I don't think that would work, sadly. Besides, running from a predator just riles them up.

O-Oh...

[He fidgeted a bit.]

S-Sorry I'm not much help...

Not to worry, at worst I have clients I can hit up who should have the skills.

[Ah, the good old barter system.]

O-Okay. I hope you find wh... what you need.

I know a fair bit of magic. What kind of help do you need?

I'm looking for defenses for my house; wards, like. And possibly some form of cloaking for my birds to keep the crows from eating them.

I know a set of seals that should be able to keep out anything short of an archdemon. Granted that there are many in this place with that kind of power, but it's the best I can offer. As for your birds... I can't cloak them, but I may be able to provide a guardian of sorts.

[Amberdrake tilts his head a little to one side, curious.]

A guardian of sorts?

Cats, birds of prey, imps... there are a number of options. Anything I set up would have to be bound either to you or to your birds - preferably to you, because the kind of magic I know sticks better to beings that can think.

Oh, my birds can think. They have about the same intelligence as a toddler. But I'd prefer the crows not come to harm, either.

[After all, it's not the crows' fault they have a prey drive and that Amberdrake's birds are tiny and zippy and thus delicious looking, like mice with wings. Drake considers the other offer, these 'seals'.]

I doubt there's much that could keep this threat out of my house entirely, but anything that dissuades him would be welcome. The presence of something will make him wonder what else there is behind it. He's not much of a gambler.

That rules out the imps, but the cats and birds I mentioned are better behaved. And since your problem also has wings, the raptors are probably the best option.

Where might we meet, to discuss this in person? I don't necessarily trust communications like this to remain private, if someone determined and skilled enough takes it into their head to eavesdrop.

((OOC: I haven't mentioned this yet, but I am over here quietly keysmashing that someone is actually playing Amberdrake. I love those books.))

Edited 2016-11-17 14:15 (UTC)

Hm, a valid concern, especially with... him. How about my office in Attleton? I'm here now with my birds, and it sees enough traffic that he won't suspect anything of another visitor.

[Amberdrake sends the address to Soma's phone.]

((OOC: And now I'm keysmashing that someone recognizes Drake! :D))

I know others who pose a similar threat. [He checks the text message, nodding to himself as he memorizes it.] I'll be there in about an hour, depending on traffic.

[True to his word, Soma arrives just on the far side of the predicted hour. The gate guards gave him a bit of trouble over his mode of transport - apparently demon horses aren't considered safe to the public. It took him demonstrating the ability to banish the beast three times before they would allow him to pass through from Everglade.]

[The subtle riot of color and smell gives him a moment of pause as he enters the kestra'chern's workplace, but only a moment. This is a place of peace and healing, despite its unfortunate resemblance to certain establishments Soma never set foot in back home. Even the flow of chaos from the Castle feels muted here, which is a blessing beyond what mere words can convey.]

((OOC: The three books he's featured in are quite probably my favorites of the entire series, though Vanyel's trilogy are a very close second. If only we had a Skan here...))

[And there's Amberdrake, waiting with a pot of tea and two cups already ready. He smiles when Soma enters the room, looking up from a book he'd had open on his lap. Ten tiny, extremely colorful birds are situated around the room on a variety of perches.]

Well, you certainly guessed your timing accurately. I am Amberdrake, by the way. I realized while waiting that I never introduced myself. Would you like some tea?

((OOC: I've played Skan before, too! ~~You're welcome to play him if you wanna. You know you wanna. Be the big vain bird you've always wanted to be!~~ Van's also cool. I also adore Tarma and Kethry (and Warrl)'s books, and Kero's book. The series as a whole definitely has its ups and downs, but the ups are worth it~ :D))

[Soma sketches a bow, smiling in return. The birds... seem to want to avoid him, at least for the moment. It seems his predator aura isn't entirely shut down, though he's making a conscious effort to keep it reined in.]

I am likewise remiss; my name is Soma. And yes, I would like a cup.

[He watches the birds while Drake pours; already they seem to have gotten over their initial fear, and have moved on to curiosity.] I can see why you're worried. A crow wouldn't find most of them to be more than a full beak.

((OOC: Alas, I'm not the Skan type. I'd be more comfortable with Warrl or Urtho, to be truthful, but RL seems to want to keep me to one or two characters at most for the near future at least.))

[Amberdrake returns the bow, somehow making it quite graceful despite being seated. He picks up the steaming pot and pours tea into the two cups, situated on a small table between his chair and another. He gestures to that other seat with one hand, the one bearing a tattoo spanning across his entire palm. The image is that of a golden lotus, black brush-strokes inked over and then the petals filled in with yellow.]

Indeed. And while the crows themselves are not malicious, their nature is still their nature. They happen to follow around the person I'm having to take steps against, so they've taken to lurking near my office and house. It makes it difficult for my little birds to go out without a human escort.

((OOC: Aw, well that's okay. :3 And I've been playing Drake for... eeesh, ten years now. He's CRAU four times over, lmao.))

Edited 2016-11-17 16:50 (UTC)

[Soma notices the tatoo, but is too polite to ask about it - after all, a man's body is his own, to do with what he will. He takes the offered chair, and the cup when it's poured. He takes a sip while he mulls over the problem.] Mm... And that can get to be quite tiring, I'd imagine. [His smile has a wry edge as he watches the tiny birds' antics. Anything that small has entirely too much energy for its owner's good.]

[He gives it a few moments' thought, then holds out his arm as if supporting a hunting bird. Then, with a small pop of air getting out of its way... there's something that looks like an eagle on his arm. A rather large one.] This is Altair. He should be able to handle your crow problem just by being around - the only problem is, without being bound to someone or someplace else, he cannot travel beyond a certain distance from my body. I can bind him to you, your birds, or this place - not all three. The choice of which, I leave up to you. [And then, the bird is gone again.] Altair is a familiar spirit, but a simple-minded one. He can obey simple commands, much like your little friends.

[The tattoo suits Amberdrake's colorful, decorative appearance. The yellow and black ink look quite at-home against his dusky skin-tone. It's only worth noting because it's there, and large. More out of place, but perhaps in-theme, is the silver ring he wears on the other hand. The engraved lotuses are hard to see, it's been so well-worn over so many, many years.]

Hm, if we go this route, I would bind him to Garth.

[Amberdrake gestures to one of the birds in particular, a black and bright golden little thing. Garth perks up and then flaps his way over to land on Drake's shoulder. From the same perch, now emptier than before, a bright red and blue bird perks up as well, but only to fluff his feathers out and mutter one crisp, clean word into the air.]

"Fuck!"

[Amberdrake smiles patiently over at the other, more vulgar bird.]

We call that one 'Red'. He's Sanzo's favorite. Garth has been with me on many worlds now, however, and is the smartest of the flock.

Edited 2016-11-19 14:53 (UTC)

[Soma gives the bird in question a bemused half-smile, almost a smirk, before turning his attention back to the matter at hand.] Charming. Do you happen to have a box of salt? Anything will do, but salt is a natural purifying agent, and it works better for binding demons as well.

[And then Soma pauses, giving Amberdrake a curious look.] Wait. Did you just say Sanzo? As in Koumyou Sanzo? [What does a friend of someone like that need the services of an outsider for? Assuming, of course, that it's the same Sanzo... which it isn't, but Soma doesn't know that yet.]

Oh, no, not Koumyou Sanzo. His son, actually. He tends to just go by 'Sanzo' with everyone.

[Amberdrake smiles a little. He gets away with calling Sanzo by his holy name alone, but theirs is a long story.]

There's actually three Sanzos in Genessia. [Which means three sutras.] The third goes by an alias and is... a problem. The problem, in fact, that created this little meeting to begin with.

[Drake is very well-versed in Sanzos, it seems.]

[Three Sanzos. Three Sanzo priests, a connection he's just now making, and three Sutras... out of five. Didn't Mina tell him about a legend like that, once? Gah, his head's too full of memories that aren't his for his own recall to be all that great - let's just say he knows of the legend, but no particulars whatsoever.] Ah. We... may have a problem, then. If this third one's anything like Koumyou, I rather sincerely doubt my seals will be any better than toilet paper against him. Though... we might have a shot if we can separate him from his Sutra. But that would require actually fighting him, and I'm... really not sure I'd stand a chance.

[Thinking tactically in advance - it's something Soma's never really had an opportunity to do before. Usually he's up against the wall, fighting something he's never even SEEN before, let alone had time to analyze.] If we can catch him without his Sutra, I can seal him away from accessing it. Maybe. It depends on how deep his connection to it is.

The third one is on par with Koumyou Sanzo, yes. I don't expect the seals to actually keep him out, more to make him wary. And if I asked Koumyou Sanzo to ward the place, my unwanted observer would know how to slip past such familiar magics... and undoubtedly be even more inclined to.

[Amberdrake laughs at the suggestion, though.]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, I just... I asked Sanzo if it would help if we separated Ukoku from his sutra before. It wouldn't. The man's arguably as dangerous as his sutra is. I could pluck it away from him at any time because he'd never expect it of me, but he'd just murder everyone involved until there was nothing left of us to come back again.

Sanzos are very... protective of their sutra. Even Sanzos who don't act a bit like it. And they're definitely bound to them, somehow. I haven't studied Koumyou Sanzo's abilities as much as I'd like to, yet, though there's plans to.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyone who's making an effort to penetrate your defenses would see something like that right away.

[He steeples his fingers, not paying the laughter any heed. Koumyou, Ukoku, and a third who only went by Sanzo. Ukoku was the one they needed to worry about - a rogue Sanzo priest, with access to the power of one of the five Sutras. Access to a fifth of the power to create (and unmake) the world. The thought kind of put his own troubles in perspective, really - all Dracula wanted, after all, was to kill humans. And God, but that was a bit of a long shot from the start.]

There's not much I can do about Ukoku without more information, I'm afraid, but Altair will certainly be able to keep the crows away from your friends.

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[Video] Remember me? Before the war? I'm the man who lived next door...

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So sorry this took so long. Life decided I needed a brick to the head.

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