Shadow of Amala: The First Step

[NyarlyThotep]

Contrary to it's external appearance of a typical frat house, after passing through the wide open doors of Beta Mu Pi you receive quite a different welcome. The great hall, that appears to be the center of the entire house, is a rather impressive collection of pretty much everything that you could find interesting. As if to prove that point, five rather distinct figures were spread out through the room, each one doing their own thing. The figure closest to the door, a dark haired boy dressed in black and blue, sat at the table under the window. With his headphones on and notebook in front of him Jarod was too busy to even notice the newcomers. On the other side of the door, partially hidden behind a large easel, stood a blond boy completely absorbed by his work. The cloth that he wore, that was once probably green, was now a collection of various stains his vigorous brush strokes were making sure that there will be always be more. Sitting at the desk located next to a small bookcase, the red haired girl was rather busy pouring over large stack of books in front of her. Built like the proverbial linebacker, the brown haired boy in the middle of the room was the only stereotypical jock in the room. However, in spite of his imposing physique, the couple of large and quite scary books, and not to mention the a set of figurine on the table, made his current engagement a rather cerebral one. Last person in the room, the girl sitting by the computer, was the only one to acknowledge your presence. As she got up to greet you, you manage to get a good look at her rather provocative dress, that showed surprisingly limited amount of flesh. Her hair, dress and shoes were in stark contrast to the rest of her companions.
"Welcome to our humble abode. I hope it matches your expectations."

[Hazuki]

Evangelista is distinctly unimpressed with the interior of the frat house, though it's at least better than her reaction to the exterior, which was the kind of unsettled feeling a cow would get in the cheese aisle. Its inhabitants...exist, but she's grateful that she's being greeted by somebody with some manners.

"Hello." She decides not to answer anything about her expectations, instead offering a hand to the much smaller woman. "Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm Evangelista Vito." She flashes a polite smile.

[NyarlyThotep]

"Alexandra Summers. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you choose to join our club, it would be nice to have a fresh face. I believe you already met Jarod." She points towards to the guy with the headphones. "Over there we have Benjamin." She points towards the painter. "He gets a little carried away sometimes, like all artists do. Over there we have Jessica." She points towards the red haired girl. "If you ever need a tutor she is the one to call. And last but not least, we have Alexander. Our resident jock and pretty awesome guy who also happens to be my brother." Alexander is the only one who acknowledges Evangelista's presence with a simple nod, before returning to his task. "We are the central team, so we deal with a little bit of everything. I assume you have a lot of questions, I'll try to answer them as best as I can."

[Hazuki]

Evangelista internally shrugs at the neglecting of her offered handshake and lets it fall to her side. "Glad to hear it. My first question is...what's with the kidnapping?" She asks the apparent greeter of the suspiciously Anglo-Saxon gang. "I'm grateful that you went for chloroform or whatever, rather than a pipe to the back of the head," Probably because she could smash any of them into the ground if they tried. "But...it's not very neighborly."

[NyarlyThotep]

"That part really sucks, doesn't it?" She looks somewhere behind you and slightly tilts her head. "Wish I could change that, but it's really hard to detect someone's potential until they jump into a mirror. And the fact that you lose the memory of the first jump kinda screws everything up. Wish I knew who made that happen, I have a few chosen words for them."

[Hazuki]

Evangelista raises an eyebrow. "Forgive me, but I don't buy that. I was hanging around, somehow ended up going through a mirror, and into another world, where your boy just happened to be to recruit me? I doubt you noticed I ended up there and shot over - getting out of there was enough of a pain that I don't think you can travel so reliably."

[NyarlyThotep]

Alexandra lets out chuckle, amused by Evangelista's answer. "That's the spirit, honey. After all, this is Urania Academy, and our motto is Omnia In Dubium Voca. But I'm afraid you won't get a better answer from us." She frowns slightly before continuing. "As far as traveling is concerned, it's actually pretty reliable, at least when you are getting back. Just jump into the nearest mirror, and you will be beck where you started. The problem is when you are jumping from this side, you can't always control where you end up. But I didn't really expect Jarod to explain that."

[Hazuki]

Evangelista silently notes the refusal to actually explain how they found her, if they didn't kidnap her. "You said that you're the central team?What does that mean, exactly? Are there others who handle different roles in the field of..." She rolls her hand. "Abductions and study groups?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"It means we do a little bit of everything. I wouldn't say we are in charge, because that's not how we do things around here, but we are the most flexible." She pauses for a moment, as if she was deliberating something, but soon continues. "There are Shadow Hunters, who act as exterminators. I wouldn't recommend spending too much time with them, they can be a little aggressive. There is the Investigation Squad. They can dig up any information you can think of. Never underestimate the power of information. Guardian Force mostly do escort missions and make sure that everyone is doing OK. There are few more people we work with, but they aren't really part of our group."

[Hazuki]

"Right..." Evangelista glances to the side. "What did you want me to come here for, anyway?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"It's not really about what I want. You have the potential, therefore you get the option to join. That's tradition." She gives a warm smile before she continues. "Don't worry, it's not just about work, you get a few nice perks as a member."

[Hazuki]

"What perks? A member of what? What work?" Evangelista asks, calmly.

[NyarlyThotep]

Alex takes a deep breath before she starts to answer Evangelista's questions. "I'll start with the last one. Remember that place you and Jarod were? If we don't fix things that's going to happen right here. That's the work we do, we investigate, we fight through the horde of shadows and we fix the problem. That's what Beta Mu Pi is all about. As for the perks, we have a lot of connections and all you have to do is ask for help. Not to mention that you get to work with some rather impressive people."

[Hazuki]

"And when do they arrive?" Evangelista asks.

[NyarlyThotep]

Alex gives Evangelista a rather serious look before answering. "Never, as long as we do our job right. We solve the problem before it actually becomes a problem."

[Hazuki]

"How is working with them a perk, if they're never getting here?" Evangelista raises an eyebrow.

[NyarlyThotep]

"Oh, you meant people." She answers with clear disappointment in her voice. "They are...around. Most of them at least visit daily, some actually stay here. They also have team meetings at least once a week. If you hang around here long enough you'll get to meet them all."

[Hazuki]

"Yeah...the thing is...I don't really want to hang around here?" Evangelista says. "It's the complete opposite of my kind of place."

[NyarlyThotep]

Evangelista's comment piqued Alexandra's curiosity. "Why not? Is there something wrong with this place?"

[Hazuki]

"You know it's a frat house, right?" Evangelista asks. "The castles of drunks, thugs, and harassment in all its forms. If the kidnapping wasn't your form of hazing, I dread what it's actually going to be."

[NyarlyThotep]

"Have you ever heard of the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover"?" She flashes you a rather charming smile. "Because honey, it looks like you are judging and you didn't even ask what the book is about."

[Hazuki]

"I mean...if you didn't want to act like the rest of the frat houses, why base yourself in one? Whoever's organizing this - whatever this is - could probably have got you anywhere that isn't a frat house, if they had the money and support to get you one. You could have a nice cabin somewhere, and not call yourselves the Flabby Blue Flies or whatever. But, you don't, and you do, so it seems like something must appeal to you about joining the ranks of scumbag frats."

[NyarlyThotep]

"I guess one of the biggest reasons is tradition. Our parents used this same place as their base. Convenience also plays a part, we are nothing if not practical. However, I find it to be an amazing camouflage. Non-members aren't really going to disturb us here, and we are free to do our own thing without being disturbed. As for the drunks and thugs, we don't really allow that within this four walls."

[Hazuki]

"You'll just...gladly enjoy all the trappings of the culture." Evangelista says.

[NyarlyThotep]

"We use every advantage we can get. You make that sound like a bad thing."

[Hazuki]

"Being part of a frat is a bad thing, and it's not something I'm going to join, especially not with that sales pitch." Evangelista tucks her hands into her pockets. "I'm not seeing a reason I should stick around to join you guys, because it's been one bad thing after another, and a pretty girl smiling doesn't actually change that. I am curious about some of the weird stuff, but I think I'd rather take my chances with one of the other groups you mentioned."

[NyarlyThotep]

"That is...surprising, but perfectly fine. After all, participation is not obligatory."

[Hazuki]

"So...can you get me the contact details of these other people?" Evangelista asks.

[NyarlyThotep]

"Well, I can get you in touch with a few people who do their own thing, but there aren't really any organised groups."

[Hazuki]

"So the Shadow Hunters, Guardian Force, so on. They're part of your frat?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"Of course they are. Do you think that the five of us can carry out the entire operation?"

[Hazuki]

"I don't really know. I don't know how many players there are in hockey, or are needed to staff a Big Bang Burger, or lots of other things." Evangelista says. "Anyway, if you could get me in touch with those people, I'd greatly appreciate it."

[NyarlyThotep]

"Sure thing, do you have any preference? By the way, you do realize that they also use this place as their base of operations, right?"

[Hazuki]

"No." Evangelista sighs. "Surely this can't be the only base of operations for weird stuff on the whole island?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"I can't speak for the entire island, but we are the only ones in Detonia." She gives you a rather inquisitive look before continuing. "Do you mind if I ask what is your problem with our base? Is it the location? The structure itself? Or, is there something else?"

[Hazuki]

"I'm not joining a frat. Not even a pretend one. I don't want to support their existence, even if I know it's fake." Evangelista answers. "Nobody else does. They just see me as part of a frat and they're like Oh, how cool, I should join one of those. It's especially not something I want for when I become a wrestler - then kids will like me, find out I was in a frat, and want to join one, too. Or, worse, dismiss all the real problems with real frats and their victims."

[NyarlyThotep]

"That sure is a problem. It's too bad we force you wear a sign that identifies you as a part of our frat at all times. Honestly, do you thing that a group like ours doesn't know the meaning of the word discretion?"

[Hazuki]

"Considering most frats have official gear, have to register themselves and their members, and the fact that I'd have to walk into the frat building and out of the frat building...yeah, I think it's easy to notice." Evangelista says."Or can you do a teleport? That would be impressive."

[NyarlyThotep]

"Fine, I'll give up on the sales pitch, you obviously have no intention of joining us." She pulls out her phone and starts typing frantically for a few moments. "There. I sent a message to a friend of mine, she knows a few people who are pretty new to all this. You can meet them in the park tomorrow at 3. Maybe you will have better luck with them."

[Hazuki]

"Thank you. Give me a call if you ever move somewhere less sleazy." Evangelista smiles. "Goodbye." She says, turning to leave the building.

[NyarlyThotep]

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 Terestra Park

Located in the center of the city, quite close to the Urania Academy, Terestra Park is known as one of the most beautiful sights of the island. Named after a local legend it is said that the nymph still protects the region to this day. Whether this is true or not you can't say, but that doesn't detract from the park's beauty at all.

As you sit on the bench waiting for your potential companions you are approached by a girl in her early twenties whose's appearance and demeanor can only be described as perky. She was dressed in a rather plain looking green skirt and blue shirt, but her two long braids and her childish smile projected some kind of positivity and innocence. "You must be Evangelista. My name is Rebecca. Rebecca Charon. I believe you were waiting for me."

[Hazuki]

"That's me, and I believe so. Nice to meet you." Evangelista smiles at the older girl, then stands and offers her a handshake. "Do you want to walk while we talk, or...?"

[NyarlyThotep]

After shaking Evangelista's hand the girl points towards a nearby gazebo. "We should head over there, that's where everyone else will be soon. It's pretty nice place for a meeting."

[Hazuki]

Evangelista bobs her head. "Right, let's go." She says, walking at a slower pace to make sure she doesn't leave Rebecca behind. "So, er. Had a nice day?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"First day off I had in a long time. With the big tournament coming up and working overtime, I have almost no time for myself. I'm gonna enjoy even if it's not a good one." She pauses for a second to look around and see if there is anyone she recognizes. "Nobody's here yet, they still have a few minutes before they are late. What about you, how are you getting used to all this?"

[Hazuki]

"I've been getting along." Evangelista shrugs. "It's easy to forget about it when I'm not actually in it, so it's mostly times when my body's occupied and my mind isn't. Working out, that kind of thing. It's just kind of there, and I'm here, and I don't have to deal with it until I...actually get somewhere to deal with it?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"That makes a surprising amount of sense. We all go through it, but it's interesting to see how we all deal with it. It's a lot easier if you have someone else that is going thorough the same thing." She points towards a male figure in the distance that is going towards you. "Take Ladislav as an example. Poor guy thought he was going insane before he realized there are others going through the same thing. Umm, please don't tell him I said that, it's a little too personal."

[Hazuki]

"I won't." Evangelista says. "How did you get pulled into the weird stuff?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"Pure accident, like almost everyone else. Somehow I ended up in the metaverse and that's where Kate manifested. Luckily, I didn't have to go through it alone, since Will was there with me. I later found out that my best friend, Jessica, was part of it all, but I choose not to join them, and started working with some other people." She gives you a half-smile and a shrug. "Same story most of us have, nothing special."

[Hazuki]

Evangelista nods. "So does everyone have somebody more experienced turn up the first time they...uh...transwarp?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"Not always, Will and I didn't have anyone, but we did have each other. It really depends on the power you use. Persona Users are the most common, so it's kinda hard to miss when a new one shows up. You can probably use your persona to scan for others, you just need to practice."
(If you want to use your persona to scan for other empowered people you can do a simple Wisdom check. You get a penalty for anyone who uses a different power then you, but you can still detect them).
By the time Rebecca answers the boy catches up to you. "Don't tell me I'm the first one here. And here I was, expecting to be late." He turns towards Evangelista, as if he just noticed her. "You must be a new member of out group. I'm Ladislav, but you can call me Laci. Nice to meet you." He says as he offers her a handshake.

[Hazuki]

"I'm a new looker-into, at least." Evangelista nods and shakes Laci's hand. "Hey, you aren't Roll Fizzlebeef's little brother, are you...?"

[NyarlyThotep]

"Roll Fizzwhatnow?" The boy answers with a thoroughly confused look on his face.

[Hazuki]

"Just some guy I know." Evangelista shrugs. "You kinda look like him, but I'm guessing that's a no."

[NyarlyThotep]

"OK, whatever." The guy answers with a shrug, before turning to Rebecca. "I talked to Andrea, she and Darko should be here any minute, but Nestor isn't coming, he said you know why. Are we going to get some action today, or not?"
"I wasn't really planing to oversee an expedition today, but I have some free time if you really want. What do you think?"

[Hazuki]

"...are you asking me?" Evangelista asks.

[NyarlyThotep]

"Of course. If you are going to work with this guys it's a good idea to see how you work together. And it is best to do it when there is someone little more experienced around, just in case. Besides..." Rebecca's words are interrupted by loud ringing, and with a slight apologetic nod she pulls out a phone and answers is.
"What do you need?" she answers with a smile, but her expression soon turns more serious. "Sure, I'm with them right now, we were planing to do some practice anyway." She answers to the deep male voice that you can barely make out. "I'll call you when I get there. Bye."
She puts her phone back into her pocket and gives you a slightly puzzled look. "There some kind of anomaly about 50km outside of town. They're not really sure what is causing it, and everyone is busy at the moment, so they asked us to check it out. Who's up for a recon mission?"

[Hazuki]

"Is this turns out to be some big dangerous thing, you owe me a coffee." Evangelista warns Rebecca.