The Mana-Verse

[Sakura Leic]

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the goblin like thing.

"Uh....what is it?" Sakura asked.

[Quickman]

"Lightning powder!" The short monk got to his feet and dusted himself off.  "My latest concoction!  I've been, I've been working on this for years!  To harness lighting!  It worked!  Look!"

He again demonstrated his lightning powder, but with a bit more success as he blasted a ball of plasma toward the ground.  The recoil still sent him stumbling backward, but he kept his footing.

Looking up at Sakura, he flashed a sooty smile. 

[Blue Valkyrie]

"I sense no mana! So thats not magic then?" Aya tilts her head.

[Sakura Leic]

"Hmm so you managed to make Lightning without a magical source when normally you need to combine Fire and Wind elemental spells?" Calien deduced "I admit that's rather impressive."

"Huh....that is actually kind of neat." Sakura admitted.

[Quickman]

"Ah, fire!  Look, look, look!"

The monk dug through his bag and produced a vial.  He uncapped it and deposited a thick drop of some frosty gel onto his finger.  He turned and flung the drop onto the ground and a burst of fire exploded in front of him.

"That, that wasn't what, well..." he nodded back to the smoldering monastery. "You see, you see, you see, I have some... volatile substances in there, and my powder set some off..."

[Blue Valkyrie]

"Oh that must have been what we saw on the way here, but shouldn't you be there trying to put it out?"

[Sakura Leic]

"Huh....is that the first time it happened?" Calien asked as he looked at the ruined building.

[Quickman]

"Oh, oh, well... It happens quite often and they don't w-want me making things worse."

The monk finally removed his hood in order to scratch at his ears.  He glanced over his shoulder as the abbot gave him a grave look.  Obviously, the other monks were quite tired of his shenanigans.

[Dr. Wily II]

(When you are done resupplying, and Prof joins the group, just give me a signal, by saying you were passing by the monastery when leaving the town.)

[Sakura Leic]

Calien glanced at the Abbot realizing that it was a monastery and started to feel a slight unease he was very familiar with.  Before he decided to live in the forest to raise Sakura he remembered that the priests in the village church would always give him looks of disapproval and suspicion due to his appearance.  He remembered hearing the word 'demon' when they thought he was out of ear shot.....but he never was out of ear shot.

He also noticed some of the monks were also glaring at Yin due to the erroneously spread rumors that Absols caused disasters, even though it was actually the opposite, they try to warn them of disasters.  Whispers of cursed beast and foul creature were heard by Calien which made Yin very nervous but also glare back at them.

He was glad that he was wearing a bandana to hide his ears but he couldn't hide his red eyes and the reaction of Yin's presence was making things more difficult. He felt that at the moment they should stay away from the monastery and head for the tavern.

"Well.......in that case." Calien stated "Why don't we head to the tavern so we can let them work."

Sakura looked at her father noticing something was off even though he was doing a very good job at hiding it from the others, she didn't know what a monastery was but she felt worried.  She didn't like what they were saying about Yin.

(I still need to have Sakura start walking around town without Calien before that.  For reasons.)

[Fxeni]

"Quite fascinating... we'll have to take some more later, sir monk. Before that, however, we need to restock on supplies. Would one of you kindly help?" Fxeni asked the group.

[Quickman]

"Yes, yes, yes, of course!" The monk scratched at his ears again, and then pulled his hood over them.  Shouldering his bag, he started for the inn.  The drunkards there enjoyed his antics, so he usually demonstrated his inventions with them as his audience.

"The vendors, the vendors are in the m-marketplace--" he pointed toward the causeway south of the monastery "--the inn is over here.   I, I, I keep some of my work there.  My work, my papers... have a room there in case, in case things get... out of hand."

[Sakura Leic]

"Sakura why don't you help Fxeni, I'm sure you want to explore the town a bit since you've never been to one before."  Calien suggested.

"Okay but what about you?" Sakura asked him.

"I'm not feeling too well....." Calien stated "I'll check us into the inn while you guys shop."

"Okay, Yin do you want to stay with Dad?" Sakura asked her.

Yin thought for a moment before she started to nuzzle Sakura.  While Yin was worried about the town's reaction towards her she was worried about Sakura's safety more.

"Guess that settles that." Calien said "Take care of each other you 2."

"Okay." Sakura nodded.

"Sol." Yin cried.

[Fxeni]

"The more, the merrier... it'll be quicker, that's for sure," Fxeni said as he closed the side car compartments on the Cheval. "Rest up while you can Calien, I'll keep an eye out for Sakura in the meantime."

[Sakura Leic]

"Thank you, I'll see you all when you get back." Calien smiled.

[Quickman]

The monk stopped and doubled back to rejoin the group.  "Oh, oh, yes, you needed assistance, yes?  Come, come!"

Limping toward the stalls, he motioned for them to follow. "Newcomers, newcomers of a... certain persuasion... the other friars are highly suspicious.  But, but, but my master, my master, he was a good man.  A good man.  It was he who brought me to the monastery.  The others tolerate me, but the ears.  The ears, the face," he turned and motioned toward his face, "They don't trust them."

[Sakura Leic]

(Wait, how can he tell he's hiding them when he's....well hiding them?)

[Quickman]

((Blargle, let me fix that...  Fixed.  I misread.))

[Sakura Leic]

Sakura's eyes widen with he said, could that be what made her father worried?

"That sounds.....horrible." Sakura said sadly.

[Fxeni]

"That's unfortunate... you're quite talented, and to squander that due to physical differences is quite petty if you ask me," Fxeni chimed in.

[Blue Valkyrie]

"Why are humans so obsessed with people's features anyway?" Aya shook her head not grasping the concept of racism toward other species.

[Sakura Leic]

"I wish I knew Aya, I really don't understand why."  Sakura sighed as she absentmindedly touched her fur cap.

[Fxeni]

"It's a trait that isn't unique to humans, unfortunately... it is perhaps more common amongst them because they are greater in number," Fxeni replied, a bit glum.

[Sakura Leic]

"Yeah...." Sakura said as she remembered the harsh things Toshi said about humans, especially those remarks about her Dad and Fxeni she's been making for the past few days, and her stubborn insistence that she and her Dad were demons when it was far from the truth.  It was so strange to meet someone who was sort of nice, but was also very mean due to her own harsh experiences.

[Quickman]

The monk dismissed it with a wave of his hand.  Pausing before entering the marketplace, he removed his hood and took off his monocle in order to give it a proper cleaning.  Perching it on his brow, he put his hood back up over his pointed ears.

"Ah-heh-heh-heh... Methinks I'll be in need of a good bath later..."

He rubbed at some of the soot on his face and looked to the group.

"The inn, the inn... We have water!  And it's hot!  The plumbing, I designed it.  Built it!  I keep a room as payment."