Asau smiled. She'd been hoping Landras would ask her that question. "Do you know why the only god of the Mauros not devoured by the God-Eater is called the Nameless One? He was cursed, once, by Vautul, the former king of the Mauros gods. He was stripped of his True Name for his illicit affair with Vautul's son. But the curse was a blessing when the God-Eater arrived. He could not harm a being without a True Name. Vautul was devoured, and the Nameless One lived. I traveled far away, to the temple of the Nameless One, and his priests taught me their god's great secret. With their help, I burned my True Name from my very soul. It was the most agonizing thirty days of my life. I nearly lost my soul to the God-Eater. But, in the Rite of the All-Seeing, I tricked it. I let it destroy my true name, but nothing more. This is why I can see you. And this is why I do not fear you." She let her words sink in, before continuing. "Love, my friend, is what separates animals from humans, not some minor details of physical makeup. In this way, it is you who is the animal, not I."
(OOC: Rachel, Lien, Hope, and JHM's characters are near the beach, IIRC.)
(OOC: A bit of explanation. Asau is not correct: she does have a True Name. It's just protected. The Rite of the All-Seeing involves tricking the Eyes and Teeth, a.k.a. the God-Eater, into protecting the Supplicant from any sort of magic, in exchange for handful of memories, and a few days of abject agony — in addition to the physically and mentally taxing time spent preparing for the rite.)
edited 18th Mar '11 9:01:30 AM by KillerClowns
"What a human she is," Landras thought. Now, by her stream of logic, love is something that intelligent beings only have. However, it could be said that it's a natural urge that all animals have, but since Shinigami could love...
"It looks like you beaten me in that matter," Landras confessed. She floated out of the table and back where Justin was sitting, "But it looks like that neither of us can kill each other. I could try to use a weapon to kill you, but I'll suffer an even greater punishment than I would get if I tried to romance a human. But I bet that your powers won't work on me, and even if they do, you'll incur the wrath of the Shinigami King, therefore initating a conflict that could protenially destroy worlds..."
Yes, worlds...
"Now, I bet you know how I kill, base on what you know about me, so I won't need to tell you. But I have something to ask you...tell me about your friend..."
Justin was considering a walk on the beach until he saw a few people talking to each other. While one or two of the he seen already, there were a new pair of people who he didn't seen yet.
"More and more just keep arriving," he thought. He turned towards the water and walked towards them.
Asau found herself wondering how powerful Landras was. She said, "no. I have a better idea. I'll give you a True Name to play with. Not Rachel's. I'm sure you'll figure out what manner of being holds it soon enough. The name I give you, 'Shinigami' is..." Asau leaned in close, and whispered:
"H͇̬̤̩̬̾̌ͯͣͮ̑̆u͕ͭ̏͆͐̃͛͑n̩̳͇̻̟ͪ͋̅g͇̩̞̜̮ͮ̎ẽ͍͉̮͖͔̺̓̓̂̚r͙͖̠̪͕̬̍͊̇́́ͅ."
It was not the name like that of any mortal being. It was more of a mathematical equation, one which no human system could contain, condensed into a single, sickening sound, a name that anybody, regardless of language, would recognize as representing a vast, insatiable, hateful desire to devour.
edited 18th Mar '11 9:16:47 AM by KillerClowns
What an unearthly sound, one that an ordinary human shouldn't have been able to say. It wasn't a human name, that's for certain.
But there was a slight feeling of fear in her, which she hadn't have for a long, long time.
"You got me again," Landras said, mantaining her regular facade, "However, it is of no use to me. In order for a name to be of use to me, I have to see the owner's face. Since I don't even know who this name belongs to, and I bet it doesn't belong to a human, it's useless. It's like the problem I have with you: I know your face, but your True Name is long gone."
"Say, do you happen to be immortal too?"
OOC: My computer can't process any of the characters that you used in the name, except the first one, an H, so that adds another element to it.
edited 18th Mar '11 9:37:10 AM by chihuahua0
Apparition in the Woods
The large, white-clad man halted, slowly turning his head toward a house in the distance. He had overheard something private, something dark. He recognised it tacitly, yet could not give a name to what it was. He sprinted forward clumsily.
The bespectacled man gave a few futile shouts, then, with a soft snort, began to run after his companion.
I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
(OOC: Stupid Black Screens Of Death.... *grumblegrumble*)
"Hope's old foster father wanted to meet with us, so my husband is talking to him for today."
Hope didn't look quite as scared as before at the moment, she seemed to be calming down.
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Rachel nodded, and said, "ah, I suppose it's a girls' night out then, so to speak." She turned, and noticed the men she'd sighted earlier approaching. She hoped they wouldn't cause her any trouble, or scare poor Hope. From another direction, she saw a sixteen year old boy, the one that Asau had been molesting earlier, approaching. Poor kid had evidently been scared off. Rachel turned back to Lien and said, "it appears we have company. If you're worried about your daughter getting nervous, I could head them off for you."
Asau was impressed. Landras showed no sign of fear at the God-Eater's True Name. Did she know of other, similar beings? Asau hoped not: one God-Eater was more than enough. Asau sighed and said, "immortal? Quite the opposite. The price for my vision was my immortal soul — when I die, nothing but a dreamless sleep awaits me. The priests of the Nameless One consider this paradise, and embrace it eagerly. I consider it a sacrifice, but one I am willing to make if it helps me overthrow the dark mages of the God-Eater." An amusing notion came to Asau, then. "You said you cannot harm a being without a name. Likewise, you cannot harm a being whose face is unseen by yourself. Can you harm a being without a face? Or one who changes faces as easily as a performer changes masks?"
(OOC: Again, Asau is unreliable, though she believes everything she has said thus far. The priests of the Nameless One claim that Cessation of Existence after death is the result of the Rite, but this is mostly to scare off unworthy Supplicants. Whether there is any life after death for those who don't serve the Eyes and Teeth is left ambiguous in my universe, as is the existence or non-existence of any god other than the Eyes and Teeth.)
edited 18th Mar '11 1:00:04 PM by KillerClowns
OOC: I was going to reply a little earlier, but I was working on a character bio for a Steampunk RP, and I kept having to refer back to this thead for my post so...*sweatdrop*
Justin approached them nervousely. There was the tanned-woman, Rachel, who was Asau's friends, and the new people was a woman with a girl, about eight or ten. They seem to be having a causal and confortable conversation.
Justin walked into the circle and asked, "May I join?" she faced Rachel and said, "Your friend was making me uncomfortable, so I left her with my...friend. Is she always like that?"
He heard the waves brushing the end of the beach. The sun was near its zenith.
"No, no, none of that. I can only use my power on humans, since they are the only sapiant race on Justin's world, and Shinigami's are immune to it."
"Oh, and we have a similar afterlife. Nothing after death. The human soul just ceases to exist."
"Now," Landras looked out of the window. Justin was next to a small group of people, "I don't think your friend came from the same world, correct?"
OOC: In the Death Note universe, the Shinigami King is the nearest thing to a real God, but almost nothing is known about his powers. Also, as far as I remember, she hadn't lied yet.
edited 18th Mar '11 12:55:40 PM by chihuahua0
In response to Justin's question, Rachel laughed, and said, "no. Sometimes she's worse." Then, with a wry smile, she added, "don't worry, she's really a good person, once you get used to her. Uh... Justin, was it? Justin, this is Lien, and this is Hope." She whispered, "Hope's deaf, and apparently a bit nervous around men. Give her some space." Then, speaking aloud again, she said, "so, Justin. You here for any thing specific, or did you just happen to find your way here?"
Asau said, "indeed, me and her come from different worlds. My world has a much bigger sun — not like that little yellow orb of yours. Rachel's from this world. Seattle, specifically. I come from a world Sigmund and his goons named Destiny III, which is as good a name as any, I suppose. But me and Rachel, we travel between the two worlds. Apparently, the servants of the God-Eater want Rachel dead. Something about an ancestor of hers... I believe it was 'Qaisar Hosseini.' Some scholar, lived hundreds of years ago. The man who first discovered how our worlds are connected. You'd have to ask her for details. Basically it means she has to keep moving a lot, so we get to see a lot of both worlds." Asau sat, and thoughtfully, said, "perhaps you underestimate human souls. Just because you cannot follow them does not mean they cease to be. Perhaps their sleep is not oblivion, but just that: a sleep before the dawn."
As Rachel introduced her, Lien bowed politely as Hope stayed half-hidden behind her mother, a little wary of Justin.
(OOC: Starting about an hour and a half from the time of this post, I will be gone for the rest of the night- band competition. Ah, the joys of still being in high school.)
edited 18th Mar '11 1:40:11 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Justin looked at Hope, and then took a step away. His knowledge of sign language was very limited. He planted his feet in the warm sand. At least he wasn't the youngest person at the beach house, "I received an invitation in my mailbox a few days ago inviting me here. I needed a vacation, so I decided to fly here from Chicago,"
The waves got a little closer to them, and then they receded, damping the sand. It been a long time since he been at the beach.
Justin faced Lien and asked, "Sorry if this is a rude question, but can she lip-read yet?"
"That's a good point," Landras said, "We Shinigami don't exactly know was is beyond death. As far as we know, there is no afterlife, but there's no way to conform that."
She floated towards the door, "There was a box that I was opening until you came in the room. Feel free to follow me,"
She then disappeared through the door, leaving no traces that she was ever in the room.
The box was still unopened.
OOC: ![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
In which time-zone? Troper Time, Eastern Time?
edited 18th Mar '11 1:32:36 PM by chihuahua0
( Like... in about an hour and a half. Let's put it that way. And, yeah, Eastern Time Zone.)
Hope looked up at him uneasily.
"She can, a little."
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
(OOC: I'll wait for the 'morrow before carrying on with Rachel, then.)
Curiosity piqued, Asau followed Landras. As she did so, she lazily contemplated ways to potentially slay a Shinigami. It was a challenge she couldn't resist. A sufficiently powerful, and insane, mage could probably shift a Shinigami into the roiling chaos between the dimensions. Or just shift part of it — if anything, that might be even more effective. If that didn't kill the Shinigami, it would not doubt wish it was dead. But they'd have to be very powerful. The Eternal King might be able to manage it, but not some ordinary sell-soul. The God-Eater would probably make a meal of a Shinigami, if it got the opportunity. But Asau's best chance of defeating a Shinigami, should the need arise, was closing a portal on one. Making a mental note of this, Asau casually asked Landras, "what's in the box?"
edited 18th Mar '11 8:13:48 PM by KillerClowns
OOC: Rachel could talk to Justin for a little bit...since we're the only two role-playing currently. What happened to everybody else?
"That's what I'm wondering." Landras put her fingernail where she was cutting and slice the rest of the tape in about three seconds. She then used her other hand to open one of the flabs, and then used her first hand to reach in.
There were several large pieces of cold-metal in the box. One piece felt like a sphere, a hour glass cylinder, a few cylinders rounded by the ends, and a cone with a square top. There were five parts in total.
Using both hands, she took the first piece she felt and lifted it out of the box. It was a robot head with a bonnet, no mouth, black orbs for eyes, and receptors on both sides of its head. Carefully, she placed it by the sink.
The second piece, the hour-glass cylinder, was outfited with a Meido outfit, with a plasma-jet on its bottom. The cylinders were arms with hands. The cone had a long dress with wheels on the bottom.
It was a Robot Maid.
"Hmm...how would Justin put this together?" Landras thought. Handiness wasn't her forte.
edited 18th Mar '11 5:44:54 PM by chihuahua0
OOC: Micah and Marc (me and Luthen) are interacting, but I'm in Michigan, and Luthen's apparently in Australia, so... yeah.
OOC: ...and QQQQQ is studying so...only six-seven role-players or so?
We need another person!
Char!
((OOC: I'm here and on any other day I would have posted hours ago. But I slept in and the had to run to class. But I'm here now.))
OOC: Sorry for yet another OOC post, but I think I should set up a "Still Open RP Signups" thread in the RP Signup Threads section, so we can encourage people to jump in, plus, it will help other RPs that could be dying. I'll do this tomorrow.
"Anything weird?" asked Micah. "Well, nothing that doesn't fit with something else. If I just went with the stuff that seemed unbelievable, I probably wouldn't be here. It makes much more sense that you were telling the truth about spirits."
He continued. "Still, the idea that it might be able to translate idioms is pretty interesting. Non-literal parts of a language are among the hardest parts of speech to learn. A translator like this could save a lot of people trouble, assuming we could get it to work on a large scale."
Char!
"Well you have to begin to study magic at least. And that can be dangerous, most people prefer not to draw the spirits' attention to them. I think the problem is that trying to domesticate spirits is never a good idea."
You must agree, my plan is sheer elegance in its simplicity! My Tumblr
An accurate depiction
OOC: I'll be occupied for a bit of tomorrow, should rejoin then. Didn't see a fitting opportunity before.)
This is this.
"Figured something like that would happen. It's the only thing keeping someone from doing it and making loads of money."
Micah switched topics. "So, what brings you here? Everyone's coming here for some reason. I was boating and got caught in a storm, Rachel and whatserface, Asau, they're apparently here to look at the owner's paintings, there's couple who... Actually, I don't know why they're here... there's a teen who's also here for I-don't-know-why, I saw someone who looked like he was on some kind of pilgrimage or something, and if you look down the beach," he said, pointing, "you can see a woman and her daughter - at least I think it's her daughter - as well as two more men. And now we've got you, an Italian mage. There's no way we can all be here by coincidence. Do the spirits generally avoid human interaction like this? I can see them slowly pulling strings to get us all here."
Char!
"This does seem like spirits work, but it can be hard to tell." Marc said before gesturing to himself, "I'm here because I was trying to find my way home from London or Londinium, not sure which. I obviously didn't quite get it right. Though I'm closer than I was. And I was in Londinium because I mucked up a technique my master was teaching me."
You must agree, my plan is sheer elegance in its simplicity! My Tumblr
(OOC: Morning, we got a Superior rating at last night's competition! Feel free to continue with Rachel, Lien, and Hope.)
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Asau was a very intriguing human. Besides Justin. she was the only human who managed to talk to her as not a goddess of death, but something lower.
It was on.
"Shinigami aren't the fragile angels you are saying we are," Landras said, "Most of our kind have no earthly desires. I am one of the few who have interest in the human world. As long as I don't fall in love with a human, or don't violate any of my kind's laws, I am safe from anything. I am immune to swords, bullets, sickness, starvation, even nuclear radiaton. Virtually nothing physical can harm me. Oh, and don't try kissing me, you'll just go right through me."
Her grin widened. "Now, your animal accusion has flaws. What do you mean by an animal? I am not made of cells, I don't need to eat (although I enjoy doing so), nor do I need air, water, or air. I do not change physically. So basically, I am not even an animal."
Now, she wanted to see if she could put Asau into the defense. The chances of it working was extremely slim, but it was worth a try, "Asau. That's a pretty name, it rolls off the tongue nicely. But I bet it's not even your true name. As far as I know, it could be an alias, or just one part of your name.
"So, if you think you can best me, tell me your True Name."
At this point, it didn't really matter if she won their battle of words. She wanted to see which direction it went.
OOC: Who is on the beach, because I want Justin to interact with them.