Where the darkness is.....

[maxine]

It couldn’t be too far now, for Maxine could hear the creaking of the boats that rested at the dock. Abandoned and alone, she felt the same way, left on her own but still empty on the inside. Her footsteps seemed to echo through the approaching mist, and she struggled to keep her hair out of her violet eyes. A strange site they were too many, but to her, it was the one thing that set her apart from everyone else and she liked it that way. Now she moved at a lingering pace taking her time to inspect each ship but eventually pushed herself to move on. The darkness hung over her like a thin veil and she shuddered, “I will be finding where I belong soon.” Her voice came out in a flat unnerving tone. She could easily reach into her small pack and find her cloak that in a way would keep her safe. But Maxine loved to feel danger, and desired a life towards living on the edge. It was perhaps what brought her here now. Her journey was far from over but her eyes needed rest, relaxing them Maxine let the weight of her eyelids droop down until everything went dark.

[Creator]

"Wake up, runt! You're an adult, you should know better!"
Before Maxine stood a man of about forty, with dark brown, neatly trimmed hair and blue eyes that were glaring sternly at her. "I know you're probably tired, but you'll be getting no slack from me. Save it for your room. Now, I assume you're Maxine?"

The man was about six feet tall and wore a black jumpsuit, with bulky gray something-or-others on his forearms with slots, implying that they contained something small. The devices had small red pads next to each of his elbows, and a latch on the opposite end, presumably to open it. The devices were made of durable metal, though they weren't really intended for close-range combat. They each contained seven ninja stars, which were launched out at high speed when he pressed on the pads, allowing him to start his attack without ever uncrossing his arms. He wore a pair of geta, adding to his ninja-esque appearance, and a red elastic headband with a black kanji on the front. He had no pouches for carrying kunai, though he didn't need them.

"My name is Robert Smith, but you can call me Rob. Tell me a little bit about yourself, Maxine, they didn't give me much info beforehand."

[maxine]

In a flash, Maxine’s violet eyes snapped open to the rather gruff voice that was so close to her. Even when sleeping she had learned to always be on guard, and had her instincts kicked in there may have been trouble set between the figures now standing on the dock. She flashed a look of irritation towards the voice that had addressed her as a runt. A thin line formed across her mouth, as she got a better look at who she was dealing with. He was older and going by the name of Smith, but Maxine had other plans. No one told her what to do where she came from.

“Robert Smith…mind if I just call you Smithie?”, but she did not give him a chance to answer and continued on. “Nice outfit did Halloween come early this year? Don’t worry I brought a cloak I should feel right at home I’m assuming?” Letting out a wide grin, Maxine crossed her arms. “Yeah, I’m Maxine but most of my friends just call me Max. Oh and I was raised by vampires, but don’t worry they haven’t turned me yet.” The last few words she let come out in a sarcastic bitter tone. This would be a new start for Maxine, and had pushed her to leaving the sheltered life behind.

[Creator]

Rob leaned back, holding out a hand. As if at his command, a blue canteen formed from the air, landing in his palm. He unscrewed it slowly. "This is the blood of the last student who tried that with me." He turned the canteen upside-down, and thick red liquid poured out onto the ground. "She was a prodigy. Only came to this school to have somewhere to stay, not for training. I killed her because she didn't respect her teachers. And I don't care if you think I can kill you. I will. Disbelief will only make my job easier." He dropped the canteen and crossed his arms, frowning at her. "Now if you'd like to make it to the school, I'd suggest you try again."

[maxine]

The way he let the contents spill from the canteen was enough to confirm that what he said was true, but fear did not stop to rest within her. To her this school was more than just a place to stay; coming here had not even been her own idea of a good time. Maxine did not care in the least that teachers could take down their own students, and did not leave the slightest impression. But she had a feeling that if she didn’t try now, she might as well be catching the next bus home. “It’s nice to meet you Rob”, Maxine said through gritted teeth. She had the feeling that this wouldn’t be the only time she’d ever have a confrontation with him. He proved to be a trying case just like her own self, Maxine could deal with this though and welcomed the challenge.

Offering her hand out to Rob, she looked at him coldly but still falling into submission. “But just to make it clear, I could care less if you were to finish me off right now. My purpose far before this was death, so I’ve come to accept it.” Her words did not have an edge this time for Maxine and become quiet now. Maxine’s tone was serious now but almost peaceful.

[Creator]

Rob shook her hand firmly and dropped his hand back down to his side. "Likewise." He turned toward the water and crossed his arms, not seeming to pay much attention as she spoke. But a minute later he responded, still watching the water. "One shouldn't accept death. You don't have to fear it, but don't just roll over and die. That's weakness. You might be weak right now, but I can change that. I enjoy fixing things." The canteen and the blood hissed into a dark red smoke and fizzled away into the air they had come from. He began to walk out across the water as though it were solid ground, then turned back, remembering Maxine. "Right. Unless you have some way to get across the water, I'll take care of it." With a flick of his hand and a shhhhhwoop, a large hunk of dark red stone formed from the air, actually causing the wind to blow in toward it for a moment. Then it fizzled, releasing jets of air and carving itself down to size. When just the right amount of stone remained, it was a boat with comfortable seating for two. He reached up and dragged it into the water, then stepped in.
"Come on."

[maxine]

She studied his reactions closely taking no mind at all as what was occurring before her. Waving it off as nothing of a surprise, Maxine looked up at the sky taking in its dark appearance. Everything here seemed to become a dark shadow, and this made her curious as to what this new school would be like. She had never spoken to anyone outside of the fortress but in a way this though t pleased her. At the same time it served as a comfort knowing that there were other places out there no matter how obscure everything may appear. Without making a sound, Maxine in followed Rob into the boat sitting up straight and not moving. From afar she could have been mistaken for a statute; her posture was stiff and almost lifeless if not for her breathing.

“Where I come from it is not seen as a weakness”, she said at last though her eyes remained trained on something far off in the distance. Her emotions seemed to be floating in balance at that moment, the type of training one would expect from her fellow vampires. “Then have fun trying to repair me, but sadly I am in need of no repair. I suppose you will just have to find out for yourself though.” She broke off her train of thought to glance over at him.

[Creator]

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that willingness to lay down your life is weakness. I'm saying that doing so without fighting back is weakness." He formed a pair of oars in a similar manner and held them out to Maxine. "Lesson #1: Rowing. You'll be taking us across the lake, so get to work." He leaned back in his seat and draped his arms across the edge of the boat, crossing one leg over the other. It seemed he was just trying to piss her off. "And make it snappy."

[maxine]

Looking away from him Maxine only nodded her head; most would never understand the rules of her first home. Why should they though? This didn’t surprise her either way and simply continued to stare off the side of the boat, until he handed her two oars. She blinked twice before frowning as though there was something wrong with them. With a blank expression she took them, but only kept one before tossing the other back. “Lesson number two; don’t expect me to do your job. You’re helping to, unless you want to be stuck with me out here.” Still her face did not give away any signs of what she was feeling, and her voice carried the same blank expression that was now settled upon her face.

Maxine was confused, this was the way to the school but she wasn’t expecting to learn how to row. Picking up the oar she had chosen, Maxine let it rest in her hands waiting for him to pick of the one she had tossed over. Maxine couldn’t tell exactly what he was getting at, but was intent on finding out. His own voice had not been angry this time, rather as if he was testing her or trying her patience. *Well two can play at that game.* She thought to herself, all the while wondering what this would prove.

[Creator]

Rob grinned, snickered, then busted out laughing. "Listen, I can get out just fine." To prove his point, he poofed into a deep red cloud and whipped through the air, then settled back into the boat and solidified once more. "I can also do that to the boat, so if you can't make it, you'll at least learn how to swim. My job is to show you the way to the school, provide some way for you to get there, give you your schedule, and a gift to boost your mood as you enter. Your job is to do whatever I say. Now row. If you don't, you're pretty much stuck." The dock melted into a thick red liquid, mixing in with the water and increasing the distance between their boat and dry land.
"Or, of course, you could go it alone. Swim to the school, or back to shore. Should you choose the former, I feel obligated to tell you about the beasts that live in this lake. Students have died trying to swim through. And even if you lived, you'd be sent back without your schedule. And I'm sure you want this. He produced a strange orb from the air, an orb that seemed to shimmer with darkness, as if it was light and dark at the same time. "I dare say it would prove extremely useful to someone such as yourself."

[maxine]

As the boat rocked against the small waves, Maxine glared at Rob when he began to laugh. This day had been far too long and she was not sure how much more she could take, and could not even begin to imagine her life near here. She kept her eyes focused on the red cloud and half pictured herself turning into a black dust that could be carried over the water easily. Maxine had tried this a few times in controlling her element but it whittled her energy away to almost nothing. The farthest she had ever reached was down a single flight of stairs. Even this could be too tiring and knew this was not a possibility now. "I can't believe they are forcing me to go here." She muttered to only herself. "Fine, I'll row." Picking up the two oars she began to turn the boat in the correct direction and push it forward, "Monsters? Well if they are anything close to you then I guess I will have something to swim away from." It was in times like these that Maxine could not control her behavior.

Catching the sight of the orb she let her eyes take it all in, curiosity flowing through her at the same time. "What is that...a school that hands out gifts that's somewhat odd don't you think?" Maxine had not known of a single school that just gave things a way, maybe loan out but that was all. A she continued to row she kept her eyes locked on to Rob, "How do you know to look for specific students…I mean vampires wouldn't be so hard to track…but mortals?" She figured that even if she did not like him, she might as well learn a thing or two. But the day seemed long and still Maxine wondered when they would arrive.

[Creator]

Rob nodded with a smile, apparently taking the monster comment as a compliment. He stifled a yawn and thought a moment before responding to her question. "Well, the school doesn't really hand things out... it requires the teachers to do that. This gift comes from my own private collection, so you'd better be grateful. I suppose the gift is mainly to help nervous students feel more welcome, to motivate them by giving them what they may perceive as a head start of sorts."

He pondered on her second question for a moment, but in all honesty he wasn't sure. Still, that wouldn't stop him from making an educated guess. "Well, I know many students actually find us, but as for those we track down ourselves, I'd assume we have many people in many places keeping an eye on matters, perhaps with magical aid."

Rob took out a piece of paper and skimmed over it. "All that aside, we need to sort out your schedule. Now, everyone has the same six periods to start off. Magic, Weaponry, Alchemy, Beastry, Master, and a break period. Then you can choose your last four periods. Music, History, or Potionry for seventh, Holy, Flare or Summoning for eighth, Dragoon, Samurai, or Thievery for ninth, and Puppetmaster or Survival for tenth."

[maxine]

Rolling her eyes at him, she ignored the comment about being grateful. She hadn’t asked for anything and it was his own choice after all. Still, there was something about it that made her want to have it in her own possession. “I’m not nervous just curious as to what kind of place this is.” Her arms were beginning to tire as the boat continued to make its way towards the academy. “You don’t seem to come off as a teacher at all, aren’t they supposed to wear actual cloths over some…” She wasn’t sure what to call his outfit but it did seem to carry many weapons. “Stealth suit if that’s what you call it. I hope I don’t have to wear a similar one that looks almost impossible to move in.”

Then directing her attention towards her schedule she was sure to listen closely, most of the classes seemed rather dull. She never actually went to a real school but would watch from a distance. “Well, music sounds interesting and so does summoning. For the last two, I will definitely take thievery and well survival.” Maxine considered thievery an easy art, it was something important to know when living in the fortress. This class would help to sharpen what she already knew. As for survival Maxine figured it would be easy and helpful in the future. “So is that it?” She looked around hoping to spot land but it was hard to out here.

[Creator]

"What looks so bad about it? It's comfortable and easy to move around in, believe it or not, and I can kill without ever having to move from where I stand." He wrote down her classes and the paper fizzled away into the air. The back end of the boat seemed to get a bit heavier, and if she were to look, she would see the back was actually expanding, like a large purple tumor growing on the back. "You can wear whatever you want, and most teachers wear whatever suits their style. We don't just teach, you know, we have to defend against any attack, so we have to be able to get up and go if necessary. Not that attacks on the school ever happen."

Standing in the boat, Rob waved his arms out around them. The mist condensed and rained down into the lake, making a wide circle of clear air around them. Then the extra mass on the end of the boat burst back into air, propelling them forward with great speed and finally scooting the boat up onto dry land. Rob jumped out and the boat began to hiss away, changing back into air.
"Well, all that's left is this." He took out the orb once more and examined it. "I'm not really sure if it has a true name, so I just call it the Orb of Reversal. Watch." He held it tightly in both hands and it began to shine, flickering between light and shadow. Then a magical field began to expand from it, growing outward and taking in everything within about thirty feet. Inside the field, what had once been shadow became light, and vice-versa. Their shadows on the ground now shone, and as he took out a lighter and flicked it, a small area of darkness formed around the black flames. "It switches shadows and light for a short time, but it takes your own energy to make it work. I figured it would be useful to someone like yourself, in case you end up in a well-lit area and need some sort of backup." The field retracted into the orb and he handed it to her.

Orb of Reversal
A small glass orb that seems to shine with both light and darkness.
This orb can switch shadows and light for a total of five posts per roleplay, drawing on the user's energy.

"Well, that's it for me. Go ahead and go inside. I'll know if you don't." He leapt up into the air, zipping out of sight.

[maxine]

She had stopped rowing in order to listen to what Rob had to say about his suit. What surprised Maxine was the fact that teachers actually had a more important role other than teaching a class. At this point she wasn’t so sure if she could believe him about attacks on the school, after all students had been killed. Unless this had just been to scare her it counted as an attack to Maxine. Looking over her shoulder she watched as the boat began to expand in size as rain began to beat down upon her. It felt nice to have the cool water hitting against her face, and as the boat was pushed forward she enjoyed as much as she possibly could. Knowing that her classes had been already taken care of, Maxine stumbled onto dry land picking up her bad so as not to drop it in the water. Turning to Rob she thanked him by nodding her head and accepting the Orb. “Well, looks like I’m home.” Maxine then walked towards the school.