One Girl and Her Dog [went to the Shipyards...]

[Sea]

A girl in tribal prints waved farewell with two hands- while holding the rail with two more- to the bemused conductor of the train, before leaping off. The painted dog with her followed suit, and by some miracle, the girl landed upon her feet. Before her stood a forest of birches and other similar trees. She lifted the bag onto her shoulder, and began to navigate her way through.
The trees were tall and stark where she was walking. There was little foliage upon her level, and the trees were grey, their leaves not beginning until many feet above the girl's head. Her dark chocolate skin looked less chocolate-ish in the overcast forest, and looked more grey, causing her to blend in. She even had four arms, perfect to mimic branches. But this was not her goal, and the painted dog still trotted beside her, tongue lolling, a doggy smile on his face.
Though the ground was barren of foliage, one could not see very far, because many tall, straight trees blocked the view. After about an hour of walking, a thick mist began to creep in. The painted dog shied away, but the girl led him along. It was nearing seven in the morning, she'd leapt from the train at six. Thirty minutes past. The mist was thick about the girl and the dog. The girl kept a hand on the dog at all times, so they wouldn't separate. A cold wind swept in, making the girl shiver and the dog whine. Then, the girl realized that there were no longer trees around them. She bent down, and touched the ground. Sand.
Could anyone see her? She doubted it. She located a piling, and sat down upon it. She opened her bag, and rummaged about in it until she felt some cold and smooth. She pulled it out. Louis. She placed the bag back on the ground; it wasn't large, and she had traveled light. She rubbed the saxophone on her thin, green coat, and raised it to her mouth. She began to play. The sound pierced the mist, and washed out about her. It could mean only one thing. Anantzi Sisya had arrived.

[demonfire]

Through the stunning music came a cackling crack of electricity as if a small lightning bolt had struck through the clouds and hit the ground quite close to Anantzi. Hard, thick steps commanded the sand to either move or be trampled. The crunch of boot against sand became louder and louder until it seemed like it was right on top of Anantzi. But there was no one. Not even the birds, nor any other animal, would take the fall for the footsteps.

Then, as if he was there all along, Gareth appeared. One lone scar had taken control of the left side, overshadowing one of the two green eyes that he had. His hair was mostly covered by a brown hood from his long cloak that stopped right before his combat boots. On his hands were leather gauntlets of some kind, fingerless on the right hand but covered on the left.

On his face, covering his mouth was the strangest thing. At first, it appeared to be a leather facemask, but as one looked at it, they would recogonize the metal tubes that ran out of it and headed toward the back of his neck and entered there. Even the facemask had metal lines that glowed a crimson red at regular intervals, showing that it, just like Optimus Prime, was more than met the eye.

"Anantzi," Gareth stated. It came out with a bit of a computer voice, but pretty good for a prototype. Best kind that you're going to steal, at least.

[Sea]

Anantzi had looked about as the footsteps came closer, and had put away her saxophone. When the strange man came into view, she stood up. Picasso growled mistrustfully at her feet, but she shushed him.
"Yes?" she said. The man looked frightening, but she figured she was strange as well since she had four arms. She bent down to pick up her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Picasso was sitting doggedly between the two, eyes not leaving the man. She extended her upper right hand. Picasso still sat, glaring.

[demonfire]

Gareth grasped Anantzi's extended hand with his own and shook. Even from under the gauntlet, his hand was warm to touch, as if he had just come from a bonfire party. Judging by the fair temperature in the air, it was most likely not the case. "I'm your Master Teacher Gareth," he said quite plainly. Gareth released his student's hand. His serious gaze wandered down to the dog that seemed to guard its owner.

"I'll be your personalized teacher. With me you'll learn to control your powers and improve upon them." He seemed to be as flat as soda that had been sitting open for days. And yet, there seemed to be the slightest nanogram of caring in his voice like an actual teacher.

[Sea]

Anantzi nodded, wondering while exactly the man's hands were hot.
"Pleasure to meet you, sir," she responded pleasantly in her thick, South African accent. She shooed Picasso to stand beside her, before looking about. "Where is the building? Is it here in the mist somewhere?" She continued to survey the area. "Is it nearby?" She looked back at the man, a questioning look in her deep brown eyes. At her side, Anantzi seemed torn between coming forward at the man and barking savagely, or running off into the mist whimpering. As a compromise, the dog stayed by her feet, a look of apprehension on it brown and black face.

[demonfire]

"The school is beyond the mist," Gareth said plainly. A slight breeze picked up and knocked down his hood, but he didn't care-right now he wasn't in any sort of stealth. "But first you will need to choose a schedule: The First periods: Magic, Weaponry, Beastry, your Break, and Masters with me are all mandatory. For the others you have choices. Period Seven is Music, History, or Potions. Eigth is Flare, Holy or Summoning. Ninth is Samurai, Dragoon, or Thievery. And Tenth is either Puppetmaster or Survival."

A small flash of red seemed to course through his eyes for a moment, but only for a moment. As suddenly as it had came, it had vanished.

[Sea]

Anantzi watched as the red flash went away. What was that? Picasso growled at her feet. She pushed it back into her mind.
"Music, for Seventh, please," she said. "And Summoning for Eighth. I'll take survival for Tenth, but tell me, what do you recommend for Ninth period?" Anantzi spoke with much interest in her voice, now ignoring her cowering dog. Both arms were folded beneath her coat and covered in goosebumps, as she was accustomed to the hot climate of the Savannah.

[demonfire]

"I would recommend Samurai as it will teach you the basics of swordplay, countering, and maneuvering in battle," Gareth said, "And that will most certainly aid you in this school." He had been aware of the numerous fights that broke out in the school, but had always stayed out of it. Better to let them beat the crap out of each other and get accumstomed to pain than learn about later on in life.

"And if there are no other questions, here is your item." A sound like a mechanical device opening sounded, and in Gareth's hand was a simple, small orb. Anantzi has recieved:

Mechanical Orb
The orb is cold to touch, and has blinking lights. It looks like a mini-factory--that is, if the factory was spherical. When in use, it will open to release its contents.
The Mechanical Orb summons Mechano-Mites. These artificial pests can siphon physical energy from an enemy, obviously making them weaker and tired faster. Beware of water. CAUTION: Practice with it beforehand to get a feel for the energy required to summon, or risk becoming tired in battle.

"Feed magical energy into it to summon creatures that will tire your enemy during battle. Remember to practice before a real battle, though," he said.

[Sea]

"Aye, sir," replied Anantzi, placing the sphere into her bag. She stretched her arms. "So, how are we to get to the school?" Picasso was still cowering about her feet. Anantzi returned her arms to under her coat, keeping the warm from the damp mist. She adjusted her bag, and stood at the ready.
((Sorry for the short post. I'm getting ready to leave.))

[demonfire]

Gareth seemed to ignore Anantzi as he headed onto the dock. The heavy 'thud' of his boots gave away his location to any kind of student that would have been following him through the thick mist. He headed into a small motorboat in the water. There was an engine, but no ignition, steering wheel, or even a horn for that matter. All there was was a hole that seemed to be just big enough for a hand to fit through, and that was what Gareth did. A metallic clank echoed out of the tunnel and vibrated the boat as the dual engines roared ferociously into life. "We'll be using my Personal watercraft."

[Sea]

Anantzi followed after him, her dog whimpering in tow. She looked, impressed, down as the boat came to life, and climbed down quietly, and slipped into the boat. Picasso got in less gracefully, leaping off the dock and causing a heavy 'WHUP' as he hit the boat. He looked about with confusion for a moment, before going to sit with Anantzi. Anantzi placed the bag on her lap, and used one of her hands to scratch the dog behind the ears.

[demonfire]

Using Gareth's left, artificial hand, he began to head forward, slowly building speed and then exploding from the starting gate. It zoomed through the water, even almost running over a swimming Shark-man. Shame he couldn't talk, or there would most likely be a stream of profanity directed at the Seven Million Dollar Man, but Gareth didn't care.

As if some wormhole had opened up in the mist, the craft hit a large bump and stopped. Gareth removed his hand from the ignition and turned around to face Anantzi. "Twilight Moon. If you've any questions before you leave, ask them now."

((Thought you might enjoy a short Ghost Shipyard so you can RP Anantzi at TMA...))

[Sea]

"No questions, but thank you," replied Anantzi, clambering out of the boat. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Good bye, sir." Anantzi pulled her bag onto her shoulder. She clicked her tongue at Picasso, who leapt to her side. She walked briskly towards the castle, her excitement showing in her fast walk and Picasso's wagging tail.