First Day for an Old Man (Open)

[Erin]

At a slow pace, Erin, now wearing the Warai-jyo form, had back hunched over. He moved with a steady pace, but only really to be expected from such an old man. After all, even a twenty-four-year-old body had to succumb to a spirit's old age. Even if one would prefer not to.

The man continued through the halls, getting many strange looks. One would prefer to think of it as just the mask, however, he knew it was for a number of reasons. A biggie would probably be the get-up. Not many academy students were walking around in a black men's kimono, white hakama pants, and frickin' sandals. Of course, with all the students and so much diversity, one would like to think there would be another in a similar dress, but as the saying went, never get your hopes up. God knew that wasn't the only thing not getting up.

"Curse my old age."

Spoke Erin in a soft, somewhat misplaced-sounding tone.

"All these pretty girls and I can't even..."

You are a disgrace, old man!

"Oh hush now, I'm not that bad am I?"

The next few steps were silence between Warai-jyo and Erin's voice in his head. Of course, Erin knew that he could just return the mask to Doji form and get his body back, but he figured that Warai-jyo didn't commonly get any time to stretch. But why did he choose the first day?

Don't make me regret letting you take form, old man.

"Don't worry. I haven't had that down there for-"

Just think what you're going to say, idiot!

Fine, fine.

Erin's body and Warai-jyo's spirit continued on-ward to the main office, the secretary sitting their looking somewhat bored. As it seemed, little action was given during her job.

"Hello, miss."

The secretary stood up quickly, a somewhat stunned look on her face. It quickly turned into embaressment.

"Sorry."

"That's quite alright miss."

Erin's rested in the back of what was now Warai-jyo's mind, seeing everything that went on. He didn't like what he saw. The secretary, as that may be what she was called, had quite a large bust, as well as hips. A true hourglass figure, and something one knew Warai-jyo could not resist. Especially in THOSE clothes. Mini-skirt, leather boots, black tank-top, she definitely looked like she had business after school.

If you try something...

"Hush now! Have more faith!"

You're talking again...

The secretary's expression seemed to quickly turn from embaressed to worried. After all, she was looking at a young adult, hunched over, wearing a samurai outfit and an old-man mask, and talking to himself.

"Uhh-uh..."

Erin/Warai-jyo coughed quickly, regaining himself behind the mask.

"I'm sorry miss. I am here to pick up my class schedule and student ID. Name is Erin Kumo."

The secretary regained herself, flipping through the papers next to herself without a word of speech given. She seemed to find both of the items swiftly, handing them to what she thought as the "derranged old boy", something she would come to tell her other staff members of.

"Thank you, miss."

The Warai-jyo form bowed, qucikly returning to his place and leaving the office. As he hobbled down the halls, Erin rang in his mind again.

I know what you were thinking about.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I don't wonder."

[Corsair]

As the caster grows more and more powerful so will the runes he or she holds at the time. It will also allow the holder of said runes to use even more powers per rune. Figuring the out will not be hard. for once a certain power level is reached the next time the runes are used their new power will come forth first no matter what spell cast.
"Amazing." Corsair muttered to himself as he walked through the Academy halls with his nose practically stuck in his book which of course was about his most interesting study. Runes.

As he walked he bumped into a man and dropped his book.
"Sorry about that. Wasn't watching where I was going." He said turning to the man to see if he had fallen or anything.

[Erin]

As the single-bodied pair continued through the halls, it found itself quick to come by one qho was apparently very interested in his book, and not so interested in the others around him. Easily found, that would be the cause of the bump. Well, a bump for one.

The old man fell backwards from the small yet still satisfactory collision, planting himself suddenly on his butt and looking up through that Warai-jyo mask. Althoguh the mask was still smiling, the body seemed to be somewhat offended.

"You should watch where you're going! You could have broken my back! How obvious! You youth carry no respect for your elders!"

As it seemed, Warai-jyo was much more forgiving to those with big boobs and a mini-skirt, as opposed to the male youth.

[Corsair]

Corsair reached down offering the olderman a hand up.
"Well as I said I was sorry. Here let megive you a hand." he said not at all flusterd by the words aimed at him.
"I had jsut found somthing interesting pertaining directly to my magical uses." He said and then went to grab his book after helping the man up.

He then took off his shades and put them in his shirt pocket.
"My Name is Corsair. What is yours?" He asked.

[Erin]

That's it, you're giving me my body back!

C'mon! Can't an old man have five more minutes?

He got his answer fairly quickly. The Warai-jyo mask returned to it's previous state of the Doji form, Erin now back in control. He took the stranger's hand and pulled himself up, the previous hunch in his back now gone. He was starting to dislike that old man, but even so, he couldn't help but love him. Warai-jyo was just so... plushie.

"Well, I thank you Corsair. My title is Erin Kumo, however, one may simply call me Erin."

He stood next to Corsair, deciding to ask him on what he had said earlier.

"What would in-fact be distracted-sir's pertaining direct magic, if I may ask?"

[Corsair]

Corsair watched the change of the masks with a high state of interest. He hadn't seen this sort of thing before. Not that he hadn't seen more interesting things. After all his girlfriend had wings and green hair.
"Very well. Erin it is. Much simpler. As for my magic. I am an armour mage who is learning and seeking out runestones to gain more powers." he said as his dark Armour appeared out of nowhere. On different spots of his armour there were smll stones with runes etched into them.

"So what are you proficient with? I can already see it has something to do with the mask on your face." he said

[Erin]

Erin was somewhat interested at being told of Corsair's skill as an armor mage. Another catalyst magic, or so it seemed. By the way he described it, it used the powers of another thing paired with his own. Meh! It was kind of catalyst magic.

"Heheh... well, as cliche as it sounds, I'm what one may call a mask lord. It's a little melodramatic, but easy to understand. I just use my mask in order to cast spells."

Erin was somewhat dissapointed with himself. He had made the answer maybe a little bit too blunt, sort of taken away from the artistic element of it. He sighed inside himself.

"Well, I don't suppose I should ask upon what it is inside that book about your magic that would have your attention so binded to it."

[Corsair]

"Sounds rather unique. I don't recall ever running across such a brach of magic during my studies into this aspect of the world." Corsair said with interest. He found the very idea of such a form of magic was odd yet appealing to him.

"As for what I found..." he said opening the book and quickly flipping through the pages finding his spot. he then held the book so Erin could read it.
"The basic rundown of this is that while there is a rune for every known spell and some unknown. of the elemental stones all the spells of that element are contaned within them." He said pausing to let that sink in.
"Now the interesting thing is that the level of energy the stones holders cotain are what determines how many spells can be used. In short. The more powerful I am the more acsess to magic I have from just a few stones." he said

[Erin]

Erin quickly scanned through the page, listening to Corsair's explanation as he did so. How fascinating. But truly, it was not too different from his style. As he needed good runes as well as good ability in order to cast, so did Erin need good masks and magical ability for the same reason.

"I get it. You need more power for the rune to have mroe power. Kind of like... a co-dependant relationship. Interesting."

He continued looking through the text down the page, eventually coming to a stop at the bottom. He nodded, showing that he was done.

"I can see why this caught your attention."

[Corsair]

Corsair closed the book.
"It's not exactly a co-dependance. But I guess it's a decent way to put it. The basic facts are that while the runes allow me acsess to spels it still is my own power and not anything or anyone elses. One reason i am here at the academy. I want to understand exactly how it works." he said with a shrug.
"How about yourself. In what ways do you acsess different speels and get stronger in such a field of magic.?" he asked

[Erin]

Erin was slightly thrown off at this question. He had never really thought about it, actually. However, even so, he had a fairly good idea as a way to reply.

"Well, I'd like to think of my way as similar to yours. I get stronger through understanding of the masks, but more importantly, the spirits produced by them. Of course, I also have books, and those tend to help. As you remember, the mask I was wearing at the time of our specific collision, that was the mask of Warai-jyo. He can be a bit of a pervert, but mostly he's just a bit of an old, possibly too happy guy. Of course, the mask you see now is of Doji, the base mask for my style, but, that's neither here nor there."

[Corsair]

"Odd. So you basically take on different personalitys with each mask. That must be strange. Do you keep any od our own personality. Or do you simply gain aspects from it. or is it something else entirly?" he asked wondering how such magic worked. Corsair himself had powers that were pretty strait forward in terms of their effects. Same as the others he had met. This was something different.

[Erin]

Although none could see it, Erin was becoming increasinlgy happy to be explaining the masks to someone. They were a subject he always kept upon the top of his head, and talking about them, for some reason, gave him an overwhelming joy.

"Well, for most of my masks, I can take control whenever I wish. I'm always there, seeing as the controller of my body does, however, I do not actually have the ability to do anything with my body until I cancel the spell. Until that time, however, the spirit is completely in control. As well, the spirits are only present to myself when I have their mask on. Does that clear it up a bit?"

[Corsair]

"So basically you let the personality of the different masks control your body though you can stop them when you wish. Is that about the right way to think of it?" Asked Corsair. Of all his non-magical and combat spells. Turning complex sounding things into simple descriptions was probably his best skill.

[Erin]

"That would be a good way to put it, I think. Of course, like most styles, there's always those select few branches, but I guess that's a headache nobody really needs."

Erin gave a quick smile. Even though it was unseen beneath the Doji mask, the more perseptive of folks may be able to make out the expression by the slight shape change of the jaw. However, that was relatively unlikely.

It was only about a few moments after Erin stopped talking that he realised he had nothing to do. Of course, some more of his masks were probably itching to regain a physical form for a little while, and considering one couldn't exactly let out the Hannya mask, that left only one option.

"This may seem a little lblunt, kind sir, but would you mind helping me with one of my masks? You see, although he doesn't have a physical form all the time, he was once a great warrior, and I don't think he would like me too much if I didn't at least ask for a fight."