Destructed World Cacophony IC

Wiping clean a brow full of sweat with his sleeve, Yohan's breaths were heavy as his head snapped back and forth in reference to his sketches, water and various oils were splashed against the floor as the young man seemed to be working himself to the point where it could probably count as 'intense exercise'.

Despite it all though, felt like he was making something.

Time didn't even feel like it was passing. He was in the moment. He was in 'the zone'.

Slowly but surely, one of his many blueprints was coming to life. An improved cooling system, that could improve the efficiency of some existing machines for ages, in theory. With this, machinery could work for longer... harder, faster... and with the addition of a few chemicals in the outlet system, rust wouldn't even be an issue with the usage of water.

Watching his creation come to life from paper, made by his own hands... Yohan Rye felt happy.

A wrench hung loosely from his hand, whitish teeth visible in an enthusiastic grin as he pushed up the goggles on his grease-stained face.

He felt happy.

Giving a slight jump out of this moment, a low voice acted as the hammer that cracked whatever prideful glass he was hiding behind right now, even if he was just working on a prototype. Ah... a visitor? That was nice, and certainly encouraging that a professor of all people seemed interested in his work. ...Hadn't he just started working, though? What even was the time...?

"Ah! Apologies, I was lost in the moment. Please... come in, come in," Yohan offered, a welcoming smile visible inbetween heavy breaths as he backed off a moment from the creation. Looking somewhat excitable as he tightened a few bolts around the thing, the inventor took a moment to ponder a question. ...Wait... was it his first time here? He couldn't really remember.

"...Erm... I don't think so?" Regardless of how odd the answer sounded, Yohan continued on as if it were nothing. "Either way, I've always had a bit of a problem with actually making my project happen, see. Sure, my ideas on paper were good enough to get me here... but... I've only stuck to silly little ideas." Yohan took his cap off to scratch his head, his eyes widening abruptly as he seemed to remember something. "...Ah! Yes, I remember now! The 'Propulsor Mark Five'... it was my first silly little 'proper creation' in here. Dangerous, stupid, mostly pointless... but certainly entertaining! Imagine all of the reckless individuals lining up, just to make their sweetheart laugh as they get propelled twenty feet into the air and land with a splash. I know many types that'd try it out, at least..." Yohan gave a suitcase under a table a loud tap.

"I didn't work down here much after creating that. Just more sketches, sketches, sketches... but... gah, where does that get you? But... something hit me, I suppose. You only get one shot at life, right? I might as well try some of my more 'ambitious' ideas." The young man grinned, before stepping forth an extending a hand. The man was clearly a professor, and one who sported a mustache that was an artform within itself. Yohan couldn't think to treat him with anything other than profound respect.

"Yohan Rye. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr...?"
 
Having listened to his story intently, Alina too could see no reason for him to get turned down in that situation, really.
I mean, he'd basically done nothing exactly wrong the entire time, so in theory, it should have gone perfectly.
She was beginning to get the feeling she didn't really understand this "romance" business.
"Well, honestly, you did your best. I think she should at least have given you a try given what you've told me," she said, as if trying to offer consolation.

Upon Onyx opening the door, Alina's first instinct was to hold her breath.
Christ, this stuff was strong. Who the hell could even survive in here? Couldn't this guy open a window?
Nonetheless, she knew better than to disturb someone from their reading material, so she quietly gave a small nod (though she doubted he was paying much attention to her) and gestured to Onyx to get to looking around.

She began to search the left side of the shop, searching in particular for anything that looked like it could, at some point, have been sharp. She started with the corners and worked her way along, hoping that literally anything showed itself.

She wasn't particularly betting on it. More to the point, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing, but thankfully the shopkeeper didn't seem to notice her silent bumbling from behind his paper.
 
@Jakers
"Don't think so?" The man echoed, a small smile surfacing, "You shouldn't be using such wishy-washy statements, Yohan. Either you've been here before or you haven't. The world's made out of ones and zeroes, after all, not halves."

Leaning against an unused table, he twirled his moustache in amusement as Yohan animatedly recounted the curious invention. A 'Propulsor Mk 5', was it? Something usable only for entertainment, if Yohan was to be believed, perhaps similar to how bungee jumping is popular even amongst the young academics of Ringrange. Still… "No need to deride your own inventions with such statements. An individual propulsion system could definitely have many applications, and even as entertainment…well, if I recall correctly, one of the members of the Governing Council's quite the daredevil themselves. It's good that you're pursuing bigger projects, but don't neglect the ones that brought you where you are now."

The man took Yohan's hand in a firm grasp, shaking thrice.

"And where are my manners? Professor Arthur Kalende from the Department of Alternative Resources. It's always a pleasure to meet a new member of Ringrange, especially one brimming with such vigor."

@RedArmyShogun
Laughing off Alice's concern, Namie smirked and called back, "What sort of gentleman would I be if I made someone else pay for my own mistakes?"

As if to show just how strong his grocery bag was (or how little he cared about money), the auburn-haired youth spun his bag in three wide circles, the paper bag holding strong. "See?" he said, "Dunno what super-smart people did, but it's pretty good at holding in food, eh?"

Suddenly, he paused. Though the contents of the bag didn't spill out, whether or not they were intact after getting scrambled by centrifugal force was another question. A question that he didn't want answered. Swaying from side to side as the clockwork girl spoke, Namie made a prayer to retroactively prevent his carton of eggs from breaking, before turning his attention to Alice fully. "'The piggy bank is apt?'" he echoed, "That's a phrase I haven't heard before…but hey, glad that it looks like you scrounged up money from somewhere, eh? Huh…if you're in the gardening club though, how about asking them to grow some more veggies instead, and get those as freebies?"

Following her own gaze towards the muscled man, Namie shrugged at Alice's evaluation. "Takes one to know one, I suppose," he said, before waving off her thanks, "And no need to thank me. Us first years gotta watch out for each other! And as for meeting again…well, it's the Student District. Where else are you going to be able to randomly stumble across familiar faces? Where's your friend, by the way? The white-haired one?"

@Random @Jageroux
There was certainly…a lot to go through. As a matter of fact, it really did look like all they could do was quietly bumble through the contents of the shelves. Shuffling carefully through shelves that essentially had no sense of categorization at all, their stay at the Dragon's Den soon turned from a shopping trip to a treasure hunt. There were no price tags, and only the hawkish appearance of the Morceban shopkeeper served as deterrent against shoplifting…but on the other hand, was there even any real value in these items?

Some looked to be religious, like incense sticks and brass statues of potbellied bald men.

Others looked to be purely ornamental, painted paper walls and scrolls with hieroglyphic calligraphy brushed on it.

And even more seemed to be altogether too lavish to be considered functional, and yet too practical to be considered ornamental, from impractically large teapots to gourds too tall for someone to peer into.

As far as weapons went, however, neither of the duo had yet to find anything that resembled a weapon, unless they wanted to start bludgeoning people to death with Buddda statues. Honestly, the treasure hunt was becoming a little exhausting. In a lapse of judgment, Onyx tripped over a low-hanging scroll, stumbled, and bumped into a stack of dusty old books.

Thump thump CLANK thump!

Dust clouds rose as two dozen objects spilled onto the floor, the shopkeeper's eyes finally flickering upwards at the sound of the noise.
 
Watching the science performance, she knew the principle to it and how it worked. It was a simple trick grounded in the rules of reality, one her own father would carry out. Reflecting on the bittersweet memory she at least does smile for the performance. "Not as impressive as the strongman and clowns, but it's something."

Partly worried about the contents of the bag, her father mostly used buckets of water or dirt for this very reason. With Namie's later question she wasn't sure how to put it, but goes for the truthful explanation. "It's a term meaning appropriate or suitable in the circumstances; In other words, yes it was the piggy bank. I picked up the word from my Grandfather. I always keep a little money for emergencies." Moving on to the next bit it was a reasonable request, though it was funny as much as he knew that he thought it was up to her what plants the City had. Or if the club even listened to a new face.

"It would not be a bad idea, I know of a few plots kept to help with the City food supply and stockpiles. But I'm just a worker so I don't know if they would listen. I mostly trim bushes or hedges, tend to small trees to help with me getting used to these arms." Show casing both with slow movements, while still holding her pastry bag she gives a shrug. "They are easier to use now than before, but I still can't juggle if you want me to do tricks."

The next bit however she does not respond to, at least immediately. Even now it was a bit of a sore spot, one she didn't care to speak of, more so on a public street corner. "Yeah... And ah, the white haired girl? Oh you mean Alina, I can't say I know where she is right now, but I'm meeting up with her in a couple hours, that's part of why I'm carrying this bag around. Regardless unless we live around the same section the district is fairly large.. Oh, you're a first year? I wouldn't have guessed, you seem to know so much about the city, more than me at least." While she was curious about why he had asked about Alina, she assumed it was just his questioning nature. Namie was a reporter after all.
 
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Giving a good-humored laugh at the Professor's comment on his own uncertain one, Yohan was secretly hiding some sort of... nervous feeling, after that. In a way, he almost wanted to just explode at some point, and explain everything that'd happened. But how would he explain it?

What would happen, if he 'Translocated' in public? Just to prove a point? Whatever it'd do, it'd probably cause him too many issues that outweighed the positive of getting this... 'contained information', out of his chest. Besides, he felt so much better! He was doing things! It'd just be stupid to squander it all now!

Giving a polite bow of apology, though half-serious, Yohan apologized for the comment.
"Ahah, yes, of course! Please forgive my uncertainty. My waking process this morning was somewhat... fuzzier than usual," Yohan explained, it being half-true not really mattering to him. Jokingly, he added, "I believe I have a bit of a problem when I skip out on the morning coffee."

Releasing the Professor's hand, Yohan felt somewhat invigorated by the man's grasp. If he wasn't inspired already, shaking the hand of a Professor had inspired him even further. He almost forgot about the dread of when the next 'destructed world' would occur, but after the changes he was going as a result of them, was it even a bad thing anyway? Yohan stood at ease for a moment, relaxing when the man had finished introducing himself.

"And a pleasure to meet you in return, Sir. It isn't often I'm shaking hands with a Professor of such a calibre; I'm quite honoured you came to have a peek at my silly inventions," Yohan brushed his hair back, the mousy blonde falling back down. For some reason, he hadn't really felt obliged to wear his hat or long coat recently. It just felt somewhat restricting at work.

"Though... what you said about the Propulsor, earlier..." Yohan took a peek back at the suitcase containing the device, resting his other free hand on the considerably bulkier cooling system he'd been working on. Looking back with an enthusiastic eyebrow, the young inventor tilted his head slightly. "Do you really think such a thing could catch on?"

"I've been looking to pitch my ideas, recently. But... obviously, I want to refine them as much as possible, first. At the same time, I'm somewhat limited in materials, and funds are somewhat of a difficult process to manage..." Yohan paused, shaking his hands somewhat. "Oh! That might've come across the wrong way; don't think I'm asking for handouts. It's just... somewhat of a concern, but I should be fine. A little break in my work to take up a job temporarily; there seems to be no shortage in Ringrange after all. Then I'll have the money to stock up on materials and get back to work again."

Whilst it was never out of Yohan Rye's nature to chat quite a bit, the manner in which he was doing so was completely different. He treated his conversational partner with respect, looking at them in the eye the whole way through talking, compared to his older ways of looking into the distance with the occasional glance whilst speaking.

"Hrrrm. What you said has really got me thinking." Yohan admitted, tapping his chin in thought slowly, before looking to the Professor with a more serious tone. "Do you - in all honesty - think something like the Propulsor could be worthy of showcasing? I already have quite a few versions, and whilst this version could use some 'tuning up'... it's certainly 'safe', as long as the rider is above water."
 
In hindsight, Alina could probably pin her poor judgement down to his recent and remarkably quick-witted escapades, but why the hell did she think it was a good idea to let him walk around an antique store alone?!
Only speedwalking so as to avoid tripping over anything herself, she hastily made her way around the corner.
"Onyx! What did you--?! For crying out loud!"
Luckily, there only seemed to be books and scrolls knocked over, so nothing was necessarily broken, but even so...

Wait a second.

Alina got to work clearing up the books one by one and making sure none of the scrolls were creased or ripped, and examined, in addition, a fallen fan with interest.
It was an awfully curious thing to keep near some books.
Nonetheless, she handled it incredibly delicately so as to not damage it by accident. Who knew how old the stuff here was, after all?
"Please be more careful," she chided her companion quietly.
 
Man, that was unlucky.

"I was being careful but the scroll pretty much jumped in front of me and I couldn't dodge it." He hissed out, staggering off to the side. This place was awful! It smelled bad, there was shit everywhere and nothing interested him. "Y'know what? I'm not doing this. I'm not. Nah. There is a simple solution to our problem!" Onyx said with a raised finger before he turned and quickly made a b-line for the shopkeeper.

"Hey..." He said, slightly nervous. "Me and a friend have to complete a project about 'Ancient Weaponry', and I was hoping you could help us out. You certainly have some... Antiquated... Stuff, here. So, I was wondering if maybe you had any of those, uh... What're the called? 'Ornamental' weapons? We're looking for something genuine for display purposes, as it'd probably bump our grade up significantly. You have anything like that here?" Onyx inquired, not wanting to deal with bumping into who know's what and getting himself killed because the shop was a mess.
 
@RedArmyShogun
"Ah, one of those tree sculpting types, eh?" Namie said, "Guess that makes sense in a way, and hey, even if you're just a worker, good suggestions are still good suggestions. Though…"

The auburn-haired youth paused, trying to recall something.

"…I guess there's also the Agricultural Club or the Ringrange Student Farmers' Union or the Greenhouse Project, if you just want to farm for vegetables." He laughed then, before bowing slightly at her compliment. "And eh, this level of research is sorta necessary if you're going to a school with such a long history, you know? I was taking guided tours of Ringrange ever since I started gymnasium. Gotta get prepared and all."


"There a particular reason you came to Ringrange? Or are you just here because your grandpa wanted you to be?"

@Jakers
"I'm not that much of an elite," Arthur chuckled, "If you want something to actually brag about, you'd be wanting to shake hands with the Dean of the Faculty of Steam Engineering. And didn't we already go over this? No need to depreciate your work as 'silly'."

That smile faded, however, as Yohan spoke more seriously about his own invention. Meeting the young man's gaze head on, the dark-skinned professor nodded once. As an educator, it was always enjoyable for him to see a student's eyes light up with inspiration and motivation that adults accustomed to the bitterness of society no longer had. A propulsion device could indeed have many uses, especially if refined, and its applications would definitely be interesting to government functions.


"Don't ask a question like that from someone who hasn't even seen your invention," he spoke, "Conceptually, it's interesting, but the onus is on you to decide if you have enough faith in your invention to showcase it. Nevertheless…wouldn't happen to be in any clubs, would you, Yohan?"

@Random @Jageroux
As Alina picked up the fan, the first thing she noticed was the weight and texture of the object. As opposed to the paper fans that were once a fashion trend amongst the Three Old Powers, this fan appeared to be made of metal, fanciful designs engraved upon the dark, blunted steel as opposed to painted. Tianwen characters lined up vertically on each individual panel, but their meaning was lost to the white-haired female.

It was definitely heavy though, something that could, perhaps, be used as a bludgeoning weapon.

Onyx, on the other hand, had to deal with the blue-eyed death glare of the shopkeeper, who had set aside his mainland newspaper as the perpetrator of that loud crash walked over. What gall, to ask for help after causing so much trouble! This was why Westerners were trash. No respect at all, compared to the great, selfless, society-serving individuals of Tian Guo.

"That's a funny way of apologizing. I really like how you got your friend to clean up for you as well," the man said, brows furrowed in 'well' restrained displeasure. "Really shows some character."
 
"Hmm I guess that is true." Alice says in reply to his suggestion in regards to the fact she could make some suggestions, exhaling a bit there was not harm in saying what she had on her mind next. "I would be better suited to working in a machine shop, mostly in building machines, mechanical toys or automated dolls, ironic no? But I took this as I can mostly be out of public eye or doing tasks while most are in class.. Though maybe I should look into some of the other classes and clubs."

Moving on she was interested in the idea of a tour, though Alice had her own concerns with that regards. Motioning with her limbs she decides to at least point out the key factor. "As you can see I may draw more attention than the tour. Though I would like to see what I should of the city."

Course Namie had another question, one that was a bit personal. Pausing to consider it, he had been nice to her mostly and it wasn't anything that wouldn't be in her school records at any rate. "I'm here because of him. He wanted me to learn to live and open up to the world again. I'm good with machines mostly, so I have a job either way if I leave here, but a degree would be more useful than not. Plus there were.. some issues with when I became this. I'm also here partly as an R&D project in some ways and out of hopes to improve the design that is not part of me."

On that note, there was her other problem to deal with. "Ah! I need to go! I forgot I had an appointment to keep.. Haha... Maybe I'll see you tomorrow Namie, I live in this area, maybe you could give me a map or recommend a tour guide? Either way I'll be walking around this area tomorrow if I'm feeling alright." Turning to walk away she does wave in parting, but takes her time in case the reporter had more to say or not, though there was no way she could allow him to go to the meeting, not only would it complicate things having a reporter there, it would also likely endanger him.
 
As the mustachioed man continued to talk, the brownish eyes of Yohan Rye seemed to light up a little with inspiration. Perhaps Arthur was onto something, even if he hadn't seen his 'silly' device just yet. Here he was, trying to make something commercial and impressive, but perhaps it was the more unique, entertaining ideas of his that would actually catch on?

Either way, it was worth trying. He wasn't sure he had much time left, after all. Maybe Onyx - if he managed to find him later - would be willing to test out his prototype? And speaking of Onyx, Yohan was beginning to wonder if he'd managed to find Alina yet. Hopefully she was well, and not still stuck in that wretched blood-soaked body he had a vague memory of, even if she probably couldn't even remember him at this point.

"If you believe it has potential, then I'd be a fool to just throw it away. Just a little tuning up... some little safety precautions..." He thought out loud, knowing seriously injuring an official in some sort of demonstration would be a surefire way to end what little 'career' he had here. Pulling out the device to give it a brief show to Arthur, the brass board, compact yet well-crafted and efficient, was somewhat unique in design. Nodding his head slowly, he looked somewhat inspired. "...yeah! Perhaps it could work, and even if it doesn't, it'd be worth a try to show them at the very least. You have my thanks, Professor Kalende. Sometimes you just need someone - or something - to open your eyes."

Smiling widely, Yohan brushed the blondish hair that'd managed to fall onto his face again; a visit to the barber's was seeming like a worthwhile investment at this point. Oh, a question about himself? Clubs? What club would someone like him go to? He had a hobby, didn't he? But what was it again? There was inventing, but he felt like he used to do something else. It probably wasn't a useful one, whatever it may have been, be it playing the piano or weaving baskets.

"No, I don't thin-" Yohan shook his head, remembering the Professor's earlier statement. Ones and zeroes. "No, none in particular. For some reason, I didn't really look too deeply into the clubs when I first arrived here. Perhaps it was something to do with leaving a lot of free time to work..." Yohan stroked his chin, looking up. "Why do you ask? Were you about to recommend one for someone such as myself?"
 
"Apologize?" Onyx inquired, raising an eyebrow curiously. Was this guy serious? He couldn't have been serious. Sputtering, Onyx could barely contain his laughter as he shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself as he met the shopkeeper's eyes. "You know, if someone walked in this shop right now and looked at where I tripped... They wouldn't even know it. Because, I don't know if you've even looked at the rest of your shop, but it's a mess - buddy. That says a lot about your character." Onyx maintained eye-contact, a sneer on his face.

"So, how about you actually organize half the shit you have in here before you expect anyone to apologize for knocking anything over, buddy." He added, the same contemptuous smile on his face.
 
Alina sighed.
Well, there went any chance of ever getting on this guy's good side.
Attempting to step between the pair and dismantle the perpetual emasculation machine, she gave Onyx a subtle jab and an apologetic nod to the shopkeeper.
"Sorry. My friend's on the recovering end of an illness, so he's a little disoriented and not feeling great," she said simply.
Well, Onyx seemed pretty much always at least a tenth disoriented and three quarters pretending to not be, so it wasn't a total untruth.
"If it's not too much trouble, mind you, I'd actually like to borrow your expertise on this particular curiosity. It seems incredibly unique," she continued, this time opting to phase into total honesty.
After all, she, who prided herself on her ability to collect useless information, hadn't seen anything like this before, and while language had never been an outstanding strong suit, if there was a chance that she could decipher the unfamiliar symbols with some help, she was taking the help.
 
@RedArmyShogun
Oh, so much natural talent in her field of interest that she didn't even need to have intrinsic motivation in order to pass the examinations required to enter Ringrange? The way that Alice casually stated how she was simply 'good with machines' and that a degree was merely 'more useful than not', as if a degree from any university was fine almost made Namie baffled as to how she could feel pressured about anything. He shook off the buds of jealousy, however. No doubt, having a grandpa being an employee there helped in regards to her acceptance.

"Mhmm," the reporter nodded, "Dunno if they're running any tours now that admissions is closed, but I can probably find a half-decent map somewhere! Oh, yeah!"

The auburn-haired youth grinned.

"Tell Alina I said 'hi'! She's cute!"

@Jakers
Peering at the brass board, Arthur's eyes glimmered as they jumped from one spot to the other. The sheer novelty of such an object was already enough, and if this strange object worked as Yohan had described…

"No need to thank me. Inventors should be showing appreciation by unveiling new technologies," Professor Kalende said, "And if inventors could be made with just a couple of words, the world would have jumped a century or three into the future. It's your own ability that has allowed you to get so far, Yohan. Don't attribute it to anyone other than yourself. We're greedy, selfish people, after all?"

He winked at that, before pulling his suit's sleeve back slightly to glance at the watch. Getting to be time, wasn't it?

"And yes, I do have a recommendation. Have you heard of the Order of the Golden Dawn?" A pause to allow Yohan to mull that name over. "It's less of a club and more of a forum for inventors and eccentrics to share ideas and collaborate, as well as to network and perhaps…"

"…make some friends? The present mustn't be forgotten while one chases the future. Men who devote the entirety of their soul to their craft are like fireworks, explosions of brilliance that fade once their passion burns out, but true geniuses remember to kindle their flames."

"Can't forget to breathe, after all."

@Jageroux @Random
Huh? HUH?!

A vein bulged on the young shopkeeper's face as he slowly lowered the newspaper, getting off his seat. Standing a head taller than the impertinent, uncultured pig, he glowered at Onyx with righteous disdain. A mess? Of course a western barbarian, drunk on the status of being a citizen of one of the Old Powers wouldn't be able to see how absolutely enlightened the shop was. What an absolute plebeian, from his shabby clothes to his mangled hairstyle to his pea-sized mind. The glower became a snicker.

"My apologies, sir, I forgot that even a paradise of education such as Ringrange, ignorant pissants like you still manage to crawl in here. Bringing in authentic ornamental weapons to boost your grades? How about having strong arguments and some actual presentational skills instead?" A savage smirk surface. "Then again, those things must be beyond you if you're taking a course on Tian Guo and can't even recognize feng shui décor immediately. I suppose even evil-warding incense can't shield the Dragon's Den from malignant fools."

As Alina joined in, trying to cover for her…acquaintance? Retarded group member? Coattail passenger? the shopkeeper simply shook his head. "Yes, disorientation is totally a good excuse for being an absolutely terrible person with no courtesy or remorse. What's next, pleading demonic possession when he stabs another student and steals their clothes?" He snorted derisively, before turning his attention to the fan that she held. Taking it from Alina, the man looked it over, flicking it open with a quick twist of the wrist. It made a satisfying sound as metal plates slid open smoothly, revealing a full array of Tianwen characters.

"After the battle, the dead cry,
The father grieves, the mother weeps.
Ragged clouds veil the rivers,
Snow blankets the mountains.
The ladle's cast aside, a sword taken,
The stove dies out, the furnace flares.
Too many places, bonds are broken,
I stand, but shall not end."

He remained silent, calmed by the task of translating, before breaking that silence with yet another satisfying crack as the fan closed. Handing it back to Alina, the man said, "A tessen, a war fan, engraved with a poem filled with anti-war sentiment. Though made of steel, its edges are dulled, and though it is a bludgeoning weapon, its weight is distributed evenly, decreasing the force it can leverage."

"These self-defense weapons have quite a history during the latter years of Tian Guo's bloody conquest of the East, often wielded by nobles who wanted a way to protect themselves without having to dirty their clothes with blood or wield an unfashionable spring-loaded weapon. So this was made. Closed, it's a martial weapon, capable of breaking bones or locking joints. Open, it's a shield, designed well enough to deflect bullets and parry swords."

His eyes flickered back towards that slobbering, diseased mongrel.

"Though in the hands of an unskilled thug, it's just a hunk of metal."
 
Alina tried. She really did. And perhaps if it had been anyone else it would have worked out. But, not with Onyx. No, he had grown up on the streets and had grown accustomed to people talking down to him. When it was adults, he always had to accept it. But, whenever it was other kids, he always lashed out. Violently. Words had a way of striking deeper than most would believe and it was doubly true for Onyx. He was proud to be in Ringrange, but he still felt out of his element no matter how much he studied.

And this? Being spoken down to like he was back to being nothing but a street urchin really hit him in a place he wasn't expecting. He was unprepared, and man did the shopkeeper's words sting. He remained silent as Alina and the shopkeeper spoke, practically zoning out their interaction as he attempted to keep his composure.

"Though in the hands of an unskilled thug, it's just a hunk of metal."

"Oh, aren't you so fucking cute?" Onyx inquired, eyes narrowing as he stared at the shopkeeper. He hated people like this. This shopkeeper was the epitome of everything he despised. The ego and the snide remarks; that air around him that made it clear he felt as though he was superior to others. To Onyx. "Thug? Sure. Unskilled? You don't know who you're talking to. You think you're so special, don't you? You sit around here in your fucking trainwreck of a shop, high off of your own fucking ego and incense. I may not know shit about your 'Tian Guo' but I'm far from ignorant." He stepped forward, a burning hatred in his eyes.

"You don't know where I came from or what I've been through. I worked my ass off to get here, but just looking at you and your shitty attitude tells me all I need to know about you. You're probably just another cocksucker that got in because you had the right the parents. I may have 'crawled' into Ringrange but at least I worked for it. And calling this a Dragon's Den? Bitch, I've lived in gutters with more dignity than this fucking shithole." He turned to Alina, his anger still present. "I'm gonna go before I Terminate this bastard." It was a statement that bore no room for any argument. He cut the shopkeeper another death glare before storming out of the shop, rubbing his face as soon as he was outside.

'Who does that son of a bitch think he is? Fuck him. I should have beat that stupid fucking look off his face.' He fumed mentally, attempting to calm himself. He had promised his father there would be no more outbursts - that he'd behave himself. Onyx had struggled to 'adjust' when he had been taken in by Professor Norwyn. Whenever he got into arguments with other children, his answer was always violence. He had learned that violence was the answer to everything and attempting to 'unlearn' it was difficult.

But he wouldn't mess this up.

Not because he cared about Ringrange in the slightest, but solely because he didn't want to disappoint his father. That was the one thing he couldn't do.
 
"Professor..." he murmured, seemingly genuinely touched by the Eurasian man's words. Smiling to himself a little as his eyes looked to his inventions, he tried to not let pride get a firm hold of him, before looking up again at the promise of a recommendation.

Now that he thought about it... technically, his waterboard had saved a life. It had 'worked'. Even if it wasn't a 'real life', it had still perhaps saved a memory. Though for some reason his memory was a little faded on his actions, he could still roughly remember the way he shot up to Onyx, with the silver-haired boy thanking him at the top of his lungs. 'Best friend he ever had', or something? Whether that was true or not, Yohan smiled at the thought.

"Order of the Golden Dawn, you say? I'll be truthful, it doesn't ring a bell, but if it has your recommendation, I'm sure it's as worthwhile as the name suggests." He replied, before noticing the Professor's subtle cue - looking at the watch - that he'd best be going. Politely picking up on that hint, Yohan worked to end the conversation for his sake. "Well then, I'll be looking further into it tomorrow morning. But for now, I suppose it's getting quite late, isn't it?"

The young man smiled, moving his hand up to tip his hat, before remembering he wasn't wearing it. To recover from this mistake, he instead used his raised hand to brush a hand through his hair.

"A good day to you, Professor. It's been a pleasure." Yohan bowed. "And... thanks again. Perhaps getting these prototypes actually known by people is a possibility now, thanks to you." He almost wanted to give 'Kalende' something for his troubles, but he knew such a gesture would be far beyond necessity, and come across as impolite if anything.

Under the assumption Kalende would be taking his leave, Yohan began to pack up his work, tidying away every stray part where it belonged, cleaning every stray spill, and generally making an effort to keep the workstation just as he'd left it, carrying his waterboard by hand and putting his half-finished water cooling system under a safe lock and key.

He would check his own watch, if he had one, but it was certainly much later in the day than he'd been expecting. That was the beauty of working in an environment one enjoyed, he supposed. It was a way to sink your time into practicing one's skills, rather being left to your own thoughts of when the day would be over.

A brief trip home, a brief wash to get off all the grease, and a moment to tidy up his hair and simple clothes somewhat followed. Whilst he was very conservative with his money when it came to living costs, he'd still to his best to make do with what he had. Cold water and cheap soap, whilst a chilling and rough experience, got the job done.

With that, Yohan began to make his way to the Roaring Surf, to spend a pleasant evening reading. In truth, he was hoping he'd get a glimpse of Onyx and Alina, but they were likely as busy as he was. If the next iteration of that bizarre 'illusionary world' chose to come... so be it. Perhaps those trials were teaching him something... bending him into someone better, despite matter how unpleasant the phenomenon felt, he was still here and well in the end.

Giving a brief smile at those who caught his eye as he wandered the streets, Yohan enjoyed the relaxed feeling of a Sunday evening. The various types of music... the beautiful lighting, and the various couples, dreamily looking into each other's eyes.

Young love was a nice sight to observe, wasn't it?
 
Frowning a bit at Namie's response Alice was fairly sure she said something wrong again. Though having been fairly isolated over the years, and taking her early childhood for granted it never really dawned on her till then that a lot of people actually wanted to be here, fought, sweat and in some cases bleed over it. While he had shown no sigh of being offended his sudden change in mannerisms did make her feel guilty. Pondering to say something though not knowing what it was likely better to just let the reporter think what he wanted. She could showcase the small mechanical automations she had created, or mentioned in detail the work she had done with her grandfather and before that her parents.

But ultimately that was still riding on their reputations, guidance and work. Twitching her jaw, it was likely better to just leave it where it was, though had the reporter known the madness she was now wrapped up in, he may understand her lack of enthusiasm in regards to this city. Though his future rode on it. Her own did as well if she ever hoped to escape her Grandfather's accomplishments, as it now stood while she could have a reasonable future it would always be as his prodigy rather than of her own merits. Pausing at that, it seemed to fit in with Namie had to say next, first in regards to the map then Alina.

"Oh there are maps that detailed? I may head to the library then, no need to distract from your work, I'm just more used to maps containing general districts and road networks. This city is something else huh.." Laughing at the next bit she was likely being a little dishonest, but the nature of the treatment came far too naturally to her. Plus he was at least still being friendly in spite of her latest series of screw-ups.

"Ahahaha.. Sure I'll tell her that, can't promise anything more though. And sor-.. soft breeze today huh? See you Reporter Namie." If he wanted to know more it likely wasn't beyond him to find records in regards to her and at this point correcting her behavior would only sound like excuses, though she would pass the message along, she highly doubted the other girl would be receptive of it, largely given the current problems.

Making her way for the set meeting point she still had a little time to kill, but there would be no harm in getting there first.. While she dreaded that world, there were still questions she needed answered. Besides, she rather doubted what or whoever was behind this would just allow her to walk away. Humming to herself it likely wouldn't take all too long to reach the location.
 
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Pain had always been one of humanity's greatest gift and curse. Through experiencing pain, humanity learned of danger and self-preservation. Through inflicting pain, humanity learned how to satisfy their malicious urges against their kin. Through the knowledge of pain, humanity went to great lengths to overcome or avoid them. However, a person could only take so much at once before their very nerves fried from overload. This ordeal was experienced personally by a student of Ringrange Academy, one Evangeline Valentine, as a bullet took a tour into her head, exiting through her right eye. She felt... nothing, darkness consumed her in an instant as her lifeless body fell to the ground.

-----

Trapped in a confined space, surrounded by decaying cold iron bars. The creaks of her cage echoed in her ears as it swayed slowly over the bottomless pit below her. Where... was she? Did she die? She definitely did so was this the supposed 'afterlife', waiting for her time to be reincarnated? Well if so, the afterlife was a shitty place indeed, even worse than the infamous 'Dropout District'. The golden-haired young girl groaned weakly as she shifted in the cage, moving her hands to grasp the bars, peering through them. Amidst the heavy rain disturbing her vision, she could see movements of unknown individuals. Their features indiscernible underneath their dark cloaks.

"Hello...?! Can someone please assist me?" She tried calling out for them but no heed was given to the trapped blonde, "Wait, don't go! Please, come back!" she pleaded, shouted, "Please!" she continued until they vanished into the darkness, leaving her alone in the suspended prison. "Ha... fuh..." Confused, wet, and exhausted, Eva was assaulted with the cold winds howling through the cliffs. She hugged herself, curling up on the cage's floor but it was no use. Thirst, hunger, and sickness settled in, weakening the girl further until, at one point, her eyelids closed for the last time.

However, release wasn't given to her as somehow, her soul still clung to what remained of her corpse, unable to leave the cage. Was this eternal torture? Why did she deserve such a fate? Perhaps this was her punishment for scoffing off the teachings of God, the Lord was displeased to this unbeliever, this... heathen of a scholar, and condemned her forever. Truly a fate fitting for an infidel...

-----

"Aaah?!" With a loud gasp, Evangeline's eyes cracked open, her hunched back straightened abruptly. For the first few moments, all she could hear was the loud thumps of her heart. Her ragged breathings slowly calmed down as the sight of the Hugo Memorial Library's reading room graced her vision. "Oh... just a nightmare... it was just a nightmare." The student heaved a huge sigh of relief, taking her napkin to wipe the cold sweat dribbling down her forehead. Gulping, she examined the clock hanged on the wall. Evening. She had overstayed her welcome, time for her to go home.

After reorganizing the books she had been using, Eva slung her bag on her shoulder then quickly walked out of the library, into the streets of Scholar District. As always, dark smog permeated the air up above her, blocking the view what lay beyond, a heavy price paid for the heavy industrialization the world had come to. The dark-clad blonde opened up her parasol then made her way back to her dormitory in the Student District.

Finally arriving in her dorm, the first she did in her room was washing her face in her washchamber. Sighing, she gazed at the rounded mirror hung just above the sink. "...!?" It was at that moment, her eyes, her mismatched eyes, widened. While her right eye stayed its natural blue color, her left iris had somehow turned bright gold with light fluctuating off it. "What the...?" No matter how many blinks and eye rubs she did, it stayed the same unnatural color. "Okay... don't panic, there must be an explanation for this. Something, anything!" And off she went, digging through her notes and books, only for her efforts to end in futility.

Convincing herself that it was nothing dangerous to her, the blonde stopped her wild goose chase, took a bath, then changed into her nightwear. She would sleep on it first... and maybe, just maybe, it'd go away tomorrow.
 
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Though small from the outside, the space inside the gypsy's tent was much larger, thick drapes filled with embroidered stars consuming much of the space while candle light warmed the mauve and gold that dictated much of the area. Perfume suffused with the air, while somewhere hidden, a music box played a hauntingly nostalgic memory, one that caused the listener to recall a childhood that they may not even have had. Beneath a satin veil sat an olive-skinned lady with the most exotic features. Dark curls tumbled down her shoulders, the same chestnut color as her large eyes. With the vibrant innocence of a young girl and the bodacious allure of a high end prostitute, the lady, who must have been a student of Ringrange as well, wore attire that showed much more skin than was appropriate for the culture of the Three Old Powers. What may as well have been merely a ribbon of scarlet cloth functioned as a breast band, serving to keep only her breasts covered, as her smooth navel remained exposed. Beaded jewelry adorned her arms and neck, while a woven amulet, composed of gold and green concentric circles, rested comfortably upon her buxom chest.

Painted lips drew a mysterious smile as she said, in an accent that Eva could not quite pin point, "Welcome to my domain, Evangeline Valentine. What is it that you seek of this humble farseer?"
The blonde's efforts to find out the type of condition affecting her left eye in the library were hopelessly frutiless. All the medical books she managed to skim had nothing, perhaps they were covered in the more advanced study of medicine but there was no way she'd understand those. Hell, she even struggled to comprehend all those medical jargons and terms from the basic materials. She was an Archaelogy major, not a Medical student damn it. Whether for better or worse, one of the library staff noticed the stressed out girl and after a short talk, convinced her to see a doctor instead. How it did it turned out? She was laughed at in the clinic, waving her condition off as a student trying to play a prank. The nerves!

After all that, the blue-eyed student decided to delve into something she usually didn't favor, mysticism. Who knows, one of those gypsies had a clue on her strange condition and whether it was connected to the horrible nightmare she experienced yesterday. The tent and its interior certainly played the part of a mystic with all the lavender hue, celestial symbols, and even a music box to set the mood. "They certainly go above and beyond..." Was this really a seer's hut or merely a glorified scammer? ...at this point, Eva couldn't care.

The only other figure in the room, the brunette fortune teller, certainly looked the part of someone hailing from the middle east. The sheer contrast between her tanned complexion and Eva's Morceban pale were quite visible even under the dim lighting of the hut. However, what grabbed her attention the most wasn't the interior or the scantily-clad Lady's looks, it was the fact that she knew the blonde's name even before Eva uttered a single world. "How did you-...?" Was she one of her classmates? Er... nope, didn't recognize her. Either this curvaceous woman was a real mystic or someone with deep connections. Nevertheless, she was here and this 'seer' would do.

"Hello, I uh... well... let's cut to the chase then." Eva huffed as she sat on the chair across from her, "What's wrong with my left eye?"
"Your left eye, is it?" the bodacious woman spoke slowly, digesting those words. Producing a deck of beautifully illustrated cards from beneath the small table, she began to shuffle slowly, methodically, her eyes never leaving that of Eva's. "I see...conflict, aggression, a tragedy standing alongside a nightmare. A mark. A scar."

"But is this something you wish to cleanse yourself of? Or is this something you wish to claim as your own?"

The cards danced in her hands.
Curbing down her skepticism, she held back any complaints, letting the woman work on her cards even though it didn't sit right with her that the answer laid within those piece of printed paper. "Nightmare? That's it!" "Yes, a nightmare!" She almost leaped up at that word but stopped herself at the last second, muttering a barely audible, "S-sorry..."

She cleared her throat, "So you know what uh... let me just show you." She removed the flimsy eyepatch, revealing her golden left eye, "There. You are the first person who even so much as recognize what's wrong with my eye. So uh... how can I get rid of this?" No way she'd 'claim' it, what the hell does that even mean anyway?
The fortune teller closed her eyes, before drawing out the cards, one by one. Placing them face up on the table, she began to speak, eyes still closed. The first card was of a demon, holding the chains connected to a man and a woman with horns portruding from their heads.

"The Devil. The symbol of seduction and bondage, of losing control of your own self and identity. of seeking the materialistic in excess."

The second card was placed over the first, a crumbling tower, fire and lightning contrasted against a black background.

"The Tower. A sign of destructive change and of relevations, where what once stood strong is turned to dust, forcing the creation of a new perspective."

The third card remained separate, placed above the first two. A black figure standing amongst the dead and dying, bearing a great sickle.

"The Nameless Card. A plea to recognize and preserve what is most important, and a reminder of the inevitability of permanent change."

Those eyes opened, that gaze settling upon Evangeline.

"Do you understand?"
Well, shite... these cryptic words weren't the things she needed. For all the fancy illustrations accompanied by mysticism mumbo-jumbo, the fact they couldn't do anything to return her eye back to normal was infuriating. "Look here..." The blonde took a deep breath through nostrils, hands clenching. "I am not seeking glorified ramblings, I just want my eye return to normal." It became increasingly hard to keep her tone down.

"You knew my name, you knew I had a nightmare, and yet... what do you give me? A bunch of cards?!" The girl exploded and as she did it, minute tears of her dark clothes spawned out of nowhere, even a small cut could be seen on her cheek, drawing minimal amount of blood. "These useless trinkets! You might just eviscerate them!" She screamed as she looked down upon the assortment of cards on the table then swiped her arm across it, making a mess of the carefully arranged tarots.
Space itself split apart, and the table fell apart, exposing the fortune teller's scarlet dress and her toned, mile-long eyes. With a heavy thud, the two different pieces of the table fell on either side, the exposed inside so cleanly cut that the surface almost looked like glass. If she was surprised, she didn't show it, as her gaze remained level, centered on her eye.

"See?" she gestured. "You've already lost your humanity. Do you understand the meaning of those cards now?"
What transpired exactly a second after she unleashed her frustration couldn't be explained by science or logic. What was supposed to be just a sight of thrown cards and trinkets turned into a viscera of broken furniture. "W-... wha-...?" The shock on the pale blonde's face was unmistakable as her whole body froze except for her mismatched eyes which were traveling back and forth between the table and the mystic.

"Lost my-... ah... I did this?! That nightmare... no... What's happening to me?!" The panicked student charged forward, her hands grabbing the seer's shouders, looking straight into her dark brown eyes. "Are you responsible for this?!"
"The Devil, the loss of self-control."

"The Tower, the destructive change."

"The Death, the inevitable permanence."

As Eva charged over the debris, the seer stepped to the side, allowing her to trip over the displaced and severed remains of the table as she stepped on the toppled-over candlestick. Instantly, the tent was plunged into a muggy darkness, the wannabe archaeologist stumbling into the heavy folds of the tent. Heavy fabrics fell upon her, ensnaring and blinding her as the flimsy structure fell apart.

"I pray that next time, Sonathas's legacy not rob you of what wit and rationality you still retain."
"Aaaah?!" In her reckless charge, driven by fear and anger, the blonde made a horrible blunder as she stumbled over a fallen object, causing her to fall unceremoniously on the tent's floor. "...?!" As if to rub salt on the wound, the tent itself followed suit, draping her form in its lavender cloth. "N-ngggh!" After much struggling, the student managed to free herself from the ruined pavilion. A quick observation of her surroundings showed the fortune teller was nowhere to be seen.

Gasping for breaths, Eva scrambled up, recoling from the small crowd that was now gathering around her. Acting on her instincts, the blonde made a run for it, shoving those in her way, leaving the scene behind her. The nightmare... so it was all real, but there must be something she could do, she refused to accept this, there was no such thing as inevitable fate!
 
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In her panicked stupor, the Archeology student ran, ran, and ran through the streets of Roaring Surf... or what was supposedly be Roaring Surf as the world around her literally dissolved, shifting into a completely new 'reality'. "Haaa... haaa... wha-...?" Eva stopped as her mismatched wide-eyes observed her surroundings. It was as if she was plunged into the world of Alice's Wonderland. Tree-sized flowers littered the landscape, the sky shimmering into different colors in mere moments, and a suspiciously sweet odor permeating the air. "N-no... no no no!" Eva didn't take kindly to the change of scenery, she was becoming more and more convinced that she was going insane now.

Driven by the instinctive urge to survive, Eva plowed on the crimson path, heading to the only structure around, a tall obelisk in the horizon. She didn't know what it was but rather than staying put, she'd better keep moving. During the way, the blonde encountered another student, the first person since the world turned into madness. "Ah?!" She was a black-haired girl with red eyes, wearing the attire of the Disciplinary Committee with a sheathed sword on her belt. Maybe she could help her... well not like Eva had much of a choice. "Uhm... excuse me?" She approached the nonchalant girl, "What is even going on right now? Don't you see what's happening?!"

The red-eyed female simply gave a quick glance over the student's body, "Your first time?" she asked in a calm manner.

"What...?" The woman's attitude both unnerved and relieved her at the same time. At least she wasn't the only one experiencing this. The second time, huh? So this... insanity happened before in the past? If so, she couldn't remember, her head was all jumbled up right now. "Y-... yes?" Eva answered, hesitating dripping from her stuttered voice.

The woman nodded, "Second time for me. Turn around." she requested, "I need to confirm something."

"Uh..." Deciding to trust the older girl, Eva turned around, her back facing the committee member, "Okay..." fidgeting to no end until a hand was placed on her right shoulder. After Eva calmed down, the hand was removed before it brushed the golden locks away from her back, throwing it over her shoulder instead. The woman murmured something as she did so. "What is it?" Eva asked in nervous curiosity, "Is there something on my back?"

"Yes, there is." The woman took a deep breath... before she quickly plunged her blade into Eva's back, the blade piercing through her body, impaling all the way through her chest. "How fortunate that this was your first."

"Gu-...?!" Shocked at the sudden betrayal, Eva coughed blood as it traveled down her jaw. "N-... nnngh..." Her heart ceased to beat as cold metal ripped through it. Her vision wavered in extreme pain as her body fell forward after the woman removed the blade. She died a fairly agonizing death, drowning in her own bloo. Her consciousness faded much too slowly. She realized that she didn't have the chance to really 'explore' this world as well, she realized that perhaps she didn't care...

---

A dark place, but not violent, nor miserable. It was comfortable warm, pleasant. Almost like a womb, a cocoon that kept her away from the harmful elements. The phantom pain of the blade and the bullet of undying starvation lingered but inside, she was safe. Yes, this prison cell was perfect for her. Dark, isolated, and free from choice. She could be safe behind these cold bars, she didn't need anyone else, just leave her alone and she'd be happy. Free of pain and struggles, she dissolved comfortably...

---

"Gah?!" Gasping harshly, Eva awoke in the middle of a street, the Roaring Surf Street. Her body paused, her pose looked as if she was in the middle of a jog. Was this... what just...? Cold sweats dribbled down her forehead, it happened again, didn't it? Just like back at the Hugo Memorial Library. Everything came back to her now, the one just now was not her first time, her first ended abruptly by a bullet through her skull just like the blade impaling her torso. "Kuh..." Damn it, how could she be so foolish? She figured it out now, the next time the world plunged into limbo, she'd find shelter... and trust no one! For now... she wanted to just go home and take a cold shower.
 
Alina's long internal sigh was so dry that it probably could drain oceans to nothing if it ever escaped.
Never mind though. She could stand a bit of pretentiousness. She'd grown up in the upper class, after all, and it helped she was getting educated.
That said, it was getting more and more difficult to be in here. She was beginning to feel her confidence draining, speaking to such a harsh man without anyone here on her side.
She couldn't drag this out any longer than she had to, of that much she was certain.

She'd brought a few months' worth of savings and stipends with her, but she wasn't exactly expecting an antique like this to be cheap either.
Bracing herself for a severe hit to her finances, she opened her mouth, a little tentative still.
"I think I'll get this then; see what I can do with it. It seems unique. I think I can write a lot about its particular intricacies."
 
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