Persona: Transcendence-Chapter 0: The Fool's Journey

[Philemonite]

Seltarin Tower is one of the largest buildings in Clearwater. It is a place of business, but you don't really know what kind of business. It is a place full of offices, and as such it is not a place you ever visited. Still, on this fated night you find yourself in front of this impressive and possibly largest building in the entire town. Something has brought you here, and even though you don't know what you feel a gentle push. Suddenly, something starts to change. At first it is only a pale green light that surrounds the building, but soon the it starts to blur and change form. For a moment you just stand there, unable to realize what is actually going on. Your first thought is that it is all just your imagination, and the lack of reaction from the people passing by supports that theory. But soon you realize that you are not the only one looking at the tower. There are others that appear to be equally fascinated by the sight in front of you. Words echo in your ear like some long forgotten dream. "One day very soon you will be faced with a choice that will determine your fate. Do you accept the call and embrace your destiny or do you refuse and continue our life as it is? Remember, not doing anything is also a choice." What will you do?

[Q'telun]

Joseph takes a tentative step towards the tower, eyes glued to it's shifting form. No way that this is normal, but what kind of terrorist attacks a town like Clearwater? He takes another step, still watching the sway and glow. Slowly he approaches the front doors in awe of the terrible sight before him.

[Amaril]

From his vantage point down on the sidewalk, Sam blinks confusedly up at the tower. He squints as hard as he can, wondering if doing so will halt the strange shifting. He pulls off his glasses, wiping off the lenses on his shirt, despite having just cleaned them thoroughly a few minutes ago.
No good. The weird light and shifting don't go away.
He shakes his head in amazement, wondering what it is that's even made him stop here. His grip loosens on the bookstore shopping bag he'd been carting home, before he'd found his feet carrying him on this unexpected detour. The voice in his ear is there but not fully audible, more like an intense memory than an actual sound--not that that's any indication he's not going insane, if his eyes are to be trusted.
His hesitation is brought to an end when he spots the other boy heading towards the entrance. For a second, he can't recall a name...Joseph, that's it. He's seen him around the halls at school, though he doesn't talk to the younger students much. Why is he...could he be seeing it too? Feeling like this must be some weird dream, Sam hurries up behind his fellow student. "Hey, Joseph!" he calls, loudly enough to get his attention. "Um...out of curiosity, you mind if I ask what you're doing out here?"

[Q'telun]

Joseph turns at the call and stares at the senior. Who the hell is he? Do I know him?

He wracks his brains for a moment trying to recall if he's ever seen the teen, but comes up blank. ""How the hell do you know my name, and what business is it of yours huh? Maybe I'm meeting someone in there, or something."

[Amaril]

Sam flinches, taken aback by Joseph's hostility. "Uh...I'm Sam. Sam Levi. You know, from school? I'm a senior, so I don't know if we've really been introduced..." He hesitates for a second, wondering how much he can safely say, but now that Joseph is being defensive, he'll have to do something to repair the situation. That means being forthright. He swallows nervously. "And the reason I was asking was...okay, this might sound crazy, but...does it look like the building is changing to you?" Even if he's wrong and makes himself sound insane, the worst that'll happen is a virtual stranger being uncomfortable around him. "'Cause it sorta does to me, and I saw you going in, so, y'know...I just wondered..."

[BlueHerring]

Jason, who had just been on his way back home, stopped as he got close to the Tower. This wasn't normal. They sky didn't just turn green and buildings didn't...

Well, buildings didn't do whatever the Tower was doing. Even in Dad's war stories, they'd just explode. Buildings were buildings, and that was pretty much all they did.

Jason shook his head, and looked back at the warping image of Seltarin Tower. It was no different, so he couldn't have just been seeing things. Then, Jason's gaze turns not towards the top of the tower, but towards the two others at the entrance.

"Hey, you two! Are... Are you seeing this?"

[Xhosant]

Dale was walking back from the airsoft fields. It had been a good day, but he still had some ways to go. He hadn't missed any reasonable shots that day, but he had missed some opportunities due to not reloading or aiming fast enough.

Gotta try harder.

That's when the Tower began to shift. This wasn't something you could miss on your most absentminded day, yet... nearly everyone seemed to miss it.

Nearly everyone. After a few months of sighting enemies walking into ambushes, he'd gained an eye for the jittery movements of people knowing something is amiss, and unless there was another reason, he could see 3, maybe more, acting that way near the tower's entrance. It would be a smarter guess to say he wasn't hallucinating along with a coincidence, weird as the alternative of something happening was. Not that he was one to second-guess himself.

With the calm of someone who's not letting himself be fazed (rather than one who has no reason to), he approached the duo that seemed to be quarreling. Opening his mouth, a cold, passionless voice comes out.

"Weird sight, isn't it?"

[Q'telun]

"What? No, I'm just, yknow, look I don't even know what you three are talking about!" Joseph manages to fake a look of incredulity, but just barely. "Next you're probably gonna ask me about some weird dream, right? Because I didn't have one of those, and I sure as hell aint connected to the Tower in a weird way, all right?"

[Amaril]

At Joseph's protest, Sam's eyes suddenly widen, the words bringing back a memory.
The Sun, in the upright position...
"Hang on..." He looks around at the others, his certainty growing as he takes in their faces. "You guys...I remember...you were there, weren't you? In the--" The words catch in his throat; he shakes his head in disbelief. Am I going crazy? What the hell is going on here?

[oblivion6]

Sophia been walking back to the small apartment she called home after one of her nightly strolls when she noticed the shimmering building - syanide? Saltine? No, Seltarin. Yes, that was it. Seltarin Tower.

"Sheesh. What am I looking at? Something out of one of Brianna's silly fantasy books?" she said to herself when it became obvious she wasn't seeing things. "Buildings don't glow like that and people definitely wouldn't just ignore it."

Odd she thought when she saw the group of teenagers gawking at the tower as well. One or two them she could've sworn she recognized. Probably from school. "Sorry to interrupt your bickering but anyone know what's going on? I only got a D in Earth Science but I'm pretty sure this isn't normal? "

[dethkruzer]

Christopher casually strode down the road, munching on some cherries he had bought earlier, spitting out a seed every once in a while. He was humming to the tune of Bon Jovi's Livin on a Prayer, when his gaze wandered onto a building he happened to have been passing by.

He blinked, first once, then again. His mind not quite comprehending, what he was seeing. He stopped monetarily, lifting his free hand in front of him and moving it across his field of vision. The green glow surrounding the building was not going away. He spat out another cherry seed, along with the half eaten cherry, as he continued to stare at the tower.

To anyone watching, sign of panic started becoming evident as he slowly began to back away from the building, mouth agape.

[Xhosant]

"That's not how mass hysteria works. We're sane, somehow."

With that, Dale steps forward and tries to open the tower's gate... to no avail. It won't budge.

Stepping back and looking for another way in, he asks,

"Nobody curious?"

[Q'telun]

"No. Its a tower. Whats there to be curious about. I've never met any of you, real life or otherwise."

Joseph looks around, silently daring anyone to say differently.

[Amaril]

Dale's question and Joseph's response snap Sam out of his funk somewhat, and he glances over as the younger boy tries the door. "Well I definitely think the glowing and shifting is a thing to be curious about...but what are we supposed to do? If the front door is locked, doesn't that mean they're closed? 'Cause that'd make it trespassing to go in another way."

[BlueHerring]

Jason nods slowly, and looks around. He didn't look particularly nervous, but he was somewhat weirded out by that other teenager's words. Especially about the dream. "Well, it's an office building, right? Why don't we look around? It's weird, but I'd rather not leave this on my mind.

[Xhosant]

Dale pays no mind to the panicking kid. He wouldn't buy into his insistence on knowing nothing, but even if he did, there was nothing they could explain. Let him feel he's been pranked.

"Office buildings are open that time of day. It's not trespassing if it's a legitimate entrance either. If the back door is open and has no 'staff only' sign, nobody could care less."

Saying that, Dale walks some 10 steps away from the building and looks back at it, thinking of what other entrances might exist.

[Q'telun]

Joseph puts his hand on his face. "Your first thought for the Seltarin Tower is really back entrance? You've never done this B&E stuff before have you. Just go through the garage, there're like, 12 different ways in." He sighs and looks at the tower. "And I was having such a good day too."

[oblivion6]

Sophia shrugged and rolled her eyes. She was going in anyways. "It's just trespassing. No big deal. Small price to pay to satisfy your curiosity, I think."

[Amaril]

Sam looks taken-aback at Joseph and the unknown girl. "Wait, you guys are seriously saying we should break in? We could get arrested for that!" He sighs worriedly. "I want to know what's going on too, but if we're all doing this, can we see if this guy's right and there is a legal way in?"

[oblivion6]

Sophia grinned evilly. "Legal? How boring."

[Q'telun]

"Its not that big a deal, really. We're a bunch of dumb high schoolers, it was a dare, we're really sorry, blah blah blah blah. At worst you might get a note in a record someone isn't gonna look at." Joseph shrugs. "Sides, whatever this is probably isn't going to last long."

[BlueHerring]

Dad ain't gonna like it, but...

Jason nods at Joseph's suggestion. "Yeah, I'm with him. I'm not normally going to do this, but this looks important."

[Xhosant]

He actually liked that guy. He was quick to get results.

"If the parking lot's open, it sounds legal enough."

With that, Dale turned around, shifted his paintball sack to a more comfortable position on his shoulder, and walks towards it and down the ramp, no questions asked. If the others were gonna follow, they might as well do.

[Amaril]

Sam hesitates for a moment as the kid with the bag heads for the parking garage, then finally shrugs and goes to follow. They're right. This isn't something I can ignore. As he turns to head after the others, he notices another boy standing nearby, staring straight at the tower and apparently freaking out about it. "Hang on one sec, guys." Changing his course, he approaches the panicking teenager. "Hey, you okay? You can see it, right?"

[dethkruzer]

It took a moment for Christopher to realize he was being addressed. Taking his eyes off the tower... Or whatever the heck it was he had been staring, for a moment, to look at the boy speaking to him. He tried to reply at first, but was struggling to get anything useful said, but finally he gave a heavy nod, before managing to spit it out. "Y-yes, I... I see it."

[Amaril]

"Okay" Sam nods, trying to sound reassuring. "Well the rest of us are thinking of trying to get inside through the parking garage, maybe see if there's an easy explanation...somehow. Wanna come with us? It doesn't seem like most people can see it, so if you can, it might be good to have you along."

[Q'telun]

"Its probably not legal, no matter how we go in. But thats what makes it fun, right?" Joseph flashes Sophia a grin before heading the same way as Dale.

[dethkruzer]

"Eeeh... Ummm..." He was rather obviously hesitating. "Is that really such a good idea?"

[Xhosant]

"I told you I work here, if anyone asks."

Dale wasn't one to dilly-dally. He was certain that if there was no sign or lock, it was a free pass, and he'd take the fall for that if it were a mistake. Pointless hesitation was the one thing he wouldn't take, though.

[Philemonite]

As you make your way towards the garage entrance you are surprised by the lack of people. Not that you need more people, but the garage was too empty. There were no people leaving work, not even a guard at the entrance. The eerie silence that surrounds you makes you even more suspicious, but you have no intention of backing out now. Still, the garage is as creepy as hell, and you are far from unaffected. And the strange sounds coming from the other side of the huge room aren't really helping with that...

[Q'telun]

Joseph sighs again and slips his hands into his pockets. ""Next, someone is going to say that there is a perfectly rational explanation for all this."

[oblivion6]

Why me? Sophia thought, almost regretting this decision. At least it would be interesting.

She looked at Joseph. "You ask my friend and she'd go on and on and on explaining how this is perfectly normal and how she knew exactly what was going on and enjoy every second of it. This weirdness is right up her alley."

[BlueHerring]

Jason gulps as he follows the others into the parking garage. Once inside, he quietly looks around and shakes his head. He doesn't look affected, but that's all just an attempt to stay calm in the face of all this.

"I'm... pretty sure that we won't have a good explanation for this for quite a while..."

[Amaril]

"There has to be an explanation" Sam chimes in as he follows the others, "but something tells me it's just gonna prompt more questions than it answers."

[Xhosant]

With his usual, frigid attitude, Dale merely keeps looking for a way forward, uncaring about the queerness of the surroundings.

"Natural or not, this place is. How this happens is half irrelevant, and half something we can only learn by pushing forward."

[Q'telun]

Joseph sighs again and starts moving towards the source of the noises with his hands in his pockets. "What a pain."

[dethkruzer]

Christopher was starting to question why in the hell he had agreed to come here, and equally so on what was up with this place. Whatever it was, it was starting to affect him. Dilating eyes darted about frantically, his body trembled, shaky lips trying to desperately form words amidst breathes that became more fequesnt By the second, but in the end all that came out was a pathetic whimpering.

[Q'telun]

Joseph turns back towards the whimpering and regards Christopher with a neutral expression. "You don't have to come you know. If you don't think you can do this you can go back. You'll regret doing that though."

[Philemonite]

The creepy atmosphere is soon the least of your problems, as you notice something moving in the distance. This something takes the form of a black blob with a strange mask on it, and slowly, but surely starts approaching. For a moment or an eternity, you are not quite sure which one, you stand there, unable to react. Your fight or flight response fails as you remain frozen, unable to fight back or flee. Strange arms armed with rather sharp claws reach out for you and you realize that this is the end...
As you open your eyes the strange shade of blue and the huge nose in front of you look familiar, but you still don't know where you are. It takes a moment to wipe the confusion from your eyes, but you don't really have the time to think as you hear a voice addressing you.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room. We have been waiting for you."

[Amaril]

Sam's eyes snap open abruptly at the oddly familiar-sounding voice, his panicked silent praying interrupted. It takes a second to register that that...thing, whatever it was, is no longer in front of him; when he's finally able to process the sight of the long-nosed man and alarmingly blue decor, he sags and lets out a sigh of relief, his hands falling from the defensive position he'd been reflexively holding them in to hang limply at his sides. Again, the memories of his dream rise to mind, and he shakes his head in disbelief. "Okay, this has to be another dream. There's no other way all this can be happening."

[Q'telun]

Joseph appears to be caught mid-punch with a snarl of rage across his face before he registers where he is. He quickly slips his hands back into his pockets with a flash of brass, and sighs. "I doubt it. We're most likely dead. Or worse yet, we're alive and what we saw is real." He stares at the old man with his usual scowl. "What now, more warnings about the Tower? I think we figured that one out already."

[Xhosant]

Dale had reached for his cross-strap backpack in a bid to use is as cover while taking a jump backwards.

Of course, the impromptu shield was still far from a meaningful guarding position at the time the blow would come, but... it didn't.

Looking around in surprise, a curt exclamation escaped him: "What's this?"

[oblivion6]

Albeit slowed by confusion at what this thing was, as well as the certainty she'd likely just met her death, Sophia's first reaction to every situation like this was the same and her hand immediately whipped out the concealed knife she always kept with her for emergency purposes. It took a second for her to realize that neither blow struck. She hadn't hit anything but neither had she been struck down.

Sophia blinked a few times to adjuste to the sudden blue lighting. She swore when she saw the big-nosed clown from her dream. "Please tell me again why I left Seattle for this?" she grumbled. Her next words were said to the whole group. "What kind of drug did the cafeteria lace our food with? Whatever it is, the novelty is quickly fading."

[BlueHerring]

Jason breathed in quietly asthe scenery changed. He was about to say something, but the others' words came first. He looked around,and nodded slowly.

Instead of saying anything, however, he looks around silently.

[Philemonite]

Igor, whose name you already know from somewhere, chuckles before answering the first question.
"How would you define a dream? If as a fleeting path without true substance...then this is no dream. I have brought you to this place and it is real. And the consequences of your actions still apply. The same actions that have led to your...not so glorious demise. Still, you made a choice, and now you have another choice to make. But before I present you your options let me ask you a question, do you regret the choice you made, or would you like a chance to fight back?"

[Q'telun]

Joseph stares at Igor, then sighs again.. "What a pain. Do you really have to ask me that question?"

[Amaril]

Sam stares back at Igor in confusion, pulse quickening. "Wait--you're saying...I really am dead?" For the second time, his throat begins to close in panic, but a calmer part of his mind stops him, latching onto his previous train of thought. That's something a dream would tell you. There's still no way this can be real. He clings to the hope, afraid to consider the alternative, that this strange man is real and telling the truth.
He quirks an eyebrow in bemusement at the question and Joseph's reaction. "What, you mean our choice to go check out the building?" He frowns as he puzzles over it. "Um...well, really I can't say I regret going. I mean, if any of us are actually dead--and I'm not saying I believe we are, or that any of you guys are really here--but if you are, then I'm sorry for whatever part I played in influencing you to choose to come with us, but for myself, no. I think I was right to want to find out what was happening." He realizes Igor's precise wording and raises his gaze back to the old man. "Wait, what do you mean about a chance to fight back?"

[Xhosant]

Dale scoffed at this nonsense. Anything he had made of his life so far, he had by not looking back. Recognizing an action for a mistake, and regretting it were two completely different things, and if strolling out into a situation that seemed out of his caliber was a mistake, it still wasn't regrettable.

A chance to keep trying, you say? To not give up? Where was the question in that?

"No back-stepping. What must I do to fight on?"

[dethkruzer]

By the time he saw the claws coming, he was hyperventilating, and his body had completely seized up. He tried to lift up his arms in defense, and step away from the danger, but it was all in vain. When Christopher opened his eyes, he found that his hands were softly clutching his neck, as if trying to keep it safe.

His eyes adjusting to the blue light, he found it... strangely soothing. At least until the long-nosed man started speaking. He started looking over his body as if trying to find signs of external injury. "No... No... It can't be true." He uttered, a clear hint of despair in his voice. Internally he was a roiling mess of emotion, he was angry, he was scared, his mind wanted to refuse accepting what had happened.

Even as he concluded that all his bits were attached to all his other bits, and his insides were still on the inside, he just shook his head repeatedly, uttering "No" over and over again as his legs gave way, the youth falling to his knees. His body shuddered violently with every breath he took, as he tried to keep his emotions from breaking loose.

[Amaril]

The sound of the panicked kid collapsing is enough to draw Sam's attention. Turning away from Igor, he hastily moves over to where he kneels on the floor, crouching down to get on his eye level. He's still not convinced this isn't a dream, but even if it is, it's not like there's any harm in trying to help. "Hey" he says in what he hopes comes out as a quiet and steady tone, a comforting one. "Come on, it's okay. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, you're still here, you're still alive in every way that matters, still experiencing things. And that means they can get better. It's all okay." The actual words are less important than keeping the boy's attention, giving him something to focus on. He glances pleadingly back up at Igor, silently urging him to explain more, to say something that will help.

[Q'telun]

Joseph cracks his neck as he turns to face the boy who collapsed. He closes the distance between them in one stride, looming over Sam and Chris with a deep scowl on his face. He reaches down and grabs the panicking boy by his collar and hauls him upright, setting him on his feet before dusting his lapel off. "Sob, cry, run away, I don't care. At least have the courage to do it on your feet."

[Xhosant]

Looking back at the commotion, Dale sighs.

Yare yare.

"That person might be rough, but he's got a good point. Calm down and look at your options, you'll get nothing by standing paralyzed and still. That man claims it's not over, and if you're not gonna trust him, why believe something happened to you in the first place?"

Offering sympathy was not like Dale, but then again, not doing what needed to be done was definitely not like Dale, and if it was just ushering the weak-willed to their feet, he could survive it.

[Philemonite]

Igor chuckled after hearing Sam's answer. "Then I guess your mind is made up already, but I will still present you your choices. Your first option is to return back and undo the choice you made. After all, if you never answered the invitation you would be free to return to your mundane affairs. There would be no change in your life, and your worlds would remain as it is. Whether this is a good or bad choice depends on your interpretation. Your other option, although definitely more exciting, is also more dangerous. It entails trading innocence for power. You would be returned to the Tower, but this time you would have power to fight back and a chance of victory. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and if you do decide to uncover the Tower's secrets you will have our support."

[Amaril]

Sam raises a quizzical eyebrow at Igor. "Um, on the off-chance this isn't a dream, does the whole trading-innocence-for-power thing involve selling you my soul or anything like that?"

[Q'telun]

"Why does that matter? Its obvious that this isn't going to stop unless we do something about it." Joseph turns and faces Igor directly. "I'm in. Give me the power to fight back and take control of my own destiny once again."

[Xhosant]

"You heard me the first time, didn't you?"

[BlueHerring]

Jason had been quiet this whole time, and spent just as much time considering Igor's offer. He rubbed at his temples, and gave the nervous kid a sympathetic look.

"I'm in. There's no point in wasting the chance we have. Besides, we're the only ones here. Seems to me that figuring this out is only up to us."

[dethkruzer]

"F-f-f-fight back?" He stuttered, the idea seeing completely absurd to him. Just seconds ago he had been just about ready to throw a punch of Joseph, but now that thought was all but gone. The despair in his voice was gone, replaced by... not necessarily hope, but intrigue at the very least.

I know, short, terrible. But let's just say time constraints, post-convention-fatigue, a screwed-up sleep cycle, and the need to do things don't play well together with PBP games.

[Philemonite]

"Nothing like that, I assure you. You just need to sign a contract that states that you take responsibility for your actions. And as long as you continue to do that my assistants and I can continue to support you."
As Igor mentions his assistants you realize there are more people in the room, aside from the man at the piano and singing woman. Three people stand behind Igor, dressed in strange blue uniforms, looking at you with their yellow eyes.
"Theodore will assist you with your equipment, Margaret will help you control your power and Elizabeth will provide you with an occasional request. Now, before I send you back, I assume you have more questions, and I might even answer some of them, before I hand you over to my assistants." Igor says with a chuckle.

[Xhosant]

This choice of words sounds alarmingly much like subtle extortion, but...

"Taking responsibility for my actions is a given. I'll sign right now. But, what kind of action can we even take, as it is?"

[Amaril]

"Yeah," Sam chimes in, "it sounds appealing, but I still don't really get what kind of power you're offering. Can you be more specific?"

[Q'telun]

"That one is obvious. We can fight whatever those things are. Give me the contract."

[dethkruzer]

"What kind of responsibilities are you talking about? This isn't going to come around and... S-s-stab us in the back, is it?

[BlueHerring]

"I'm with him," Jason said, gesturing to Sam. "I'm fine with accepting, but knowing more would be helpful, especially with unknown quantities."

[Philemonite]

"Taking responsibility for my actions is a given. I'll sign right now. But, what kind of action can we even take, as it is?"

"There are plenty of options, even if you don't see it. You can, with our help unlock the power you need. What you do with it will be up to you.


"Yeah," Sam chimes in, "it sounds appealing, but I still don't really get what kind of power you're offering. Can you be more specific?"

"The power I am offering is the power you already have. You simply need some assistance to unlock it. Theodore."
The man steps forward and with a slight wave of his hand a number of weapons appear in front of you. Without knowing why, you reach out and grab one, leaving all other to disappear.
"The power you will be using is called Persona. It is a manifestation of your inner strength. This power can be strengthened by creating bonds with people, and the stronger those bonds are the more power hey will grant. Margaret will explain more later, but for now you just need to start forging Social Links that will make you stronger. Now, if you would be so kind to sign the contract."
Igor points to his desk where are pen and sheet of paper is already waiting for you. You could have sworn there was noting there before, but since this is not the strangest thing to happen to you today, so you try not to think about it.


"What kind of responsibilities are you talking about? This isn't going to come around and... S-s-stab us in the back, is it?

"Every action causes a reaction. It is a natural order of things. The consequences of your actions are based on your choices, and we have no way to affect that. It is entirely up to you."

[Xhosant]

The weapon now in Dale's hands looked a lot like his paintball marker, with a few subtle differences. Apart from details being off in ways he couldn't specify, despite his familiarity with it, there were obvious differences. Like the lack of an ammo cartridge, or a slot for it. The gas tank was missing as well, but the pressure valve was just where it ought to be. An instinctive check showed a pressure value 3 times the competitive legal. This thing would pack a punch.

Finally, the iron grip was giving off a very subtle chill, as if the object itself didn't care to adapt its temperature to its environment. He liked that.

Hanging it across his shoulder, Dale's the first to sign, wordlessly, before he turned to look at Igor. That look spoke volumes, however. Will we waste much more time like this, or are you finally gonna get to the point?

[Q'telun]

Joseph's hands stray towards a pair of brass knuckles, but stop when he spies a simple wooden spear capped with iron. He holds it with wonder, running a finger across its point before he snaps out of his revery. Holding it down he crosses the room to the table and signs his name on the contract without a second thought, then starts looking for the way out.

[dethkruzer]

He hesitated at first, but after a moment, it was his will to live that prevailed, no matter the cost. "... I'll do it." He then said, a firm voice indicating that doubt had been cast away.

Reaching into the weapons, he picked out what appeared to be a sheathed dagger. Grabbing the sheathe with one hand, and the handle with the other. Drawing it slowly, he had not been expecting the wavy blade of a kris knife. He looked upon the blade, admiring the beautiful damascus pattern in the metal. He then nodded in approval, sheathing the weapon, and slipping it onto his belt, before walking over to sign the contract.