Unfamiliar Surroundings (Open)

[Shin Daisuke]

“This is certainly a little overwhelming…” Shin managed to make out as he stared at the magnitude of the entrance hall. He had lived in a small mountain village all his life, so he had never seen a structure quite so intensely large before… “Beats the pants off Grandpa’s cottage” He added as the Tracers who had escorted him there finished filling out a sheet of paper.

“These are your transfer papers. Give them to the staff; we have more important things to take care of.” One of the Tracers said rather gruffly. The two of them then left without another word, giving Shin no choice but to try and find his own way around the castle.

“Great lotta help those guys were…” He mumbled as he started to walk through the castle like structure. At his waist he wore a belt. On his left, there was a deck of old looking cards with a blank square where the purpose of the cards seemed to be missing. On his right, a similar holster held 11 cards, each with a strange symbol seemingly burnt into the middle section.

“They said my room was already packed… So does that mean that the mask is there too?” He pondered aloud before stopping and looking about himself. “And more importantly… Where the hell am I?” He sighed as he realized he had been lost in thought and had no clear idea of where he should go next.

[Jason]

"You happen to be in one of the many halls containing the classrooms at this academy. This are happens to be the are for summoning." Said a friendly voice from behind Shin and to the right a bit. Jason was there leaning aginast the wall with his arms crossed. He was wearing his normal attire (Sig pic) and at his waist was a small metal cylinder roughly about six and a half inches long. It's purpose wouldn't be known unless you knew what Jason's powrs were.

When Shin would face him Jadson would give a smile and a small wave.
"Name's Jason. You look new. Well so am I but I've been here long enough to find my way around. Where are you trying to go to?" He asked

[Shin Daisuke]

A male voice broke the strange silence, explaining that Shin had stumbled into the classroom section of the grand structure. He turned to find the long haired student who was significantly shorter than him. His attire was far more casual than that of Shin, having a rather nice looking Japanese outfit on. The student introduced himself as Jason, and asked where Shin was trying to get to.

“Well… I apparently need to get this sheet to the staff… But I also want to find the student rooms…” He said, looking down perplexed at the sheet he had been handed. Shin had studied much about the academy, but the texts were rather old, and outdated it seemed. He had expected there to be a mage who would greet him and explain the ways of the school to him, and that all students would be wearing a strictly enforced dress code. But none of that seemed to apply from what he had seen.

“It’s nothing like what I expected… The school is so much bigger, and there’s so many people” He thought aloud as he looked about the hall he had been found in. It was almost too much for him to take in. “Are you here because of your family too?” He asked in a somewhat forward manner.

[Jason]

"Ahhh Yeah the basic stuff a new person needs to get done. Well I can help you with both. Just depends on what you want to do first." He said with a shrug. Though the guy was polite jason noticed there was a distinct contrast between them. not that it bothered him.

"And yeah this place is rather huge. but you learn your way around pretty fast. After all this is like my first week here or so. And as for being here because of my family. Well I don't think thats the case. I'm actually the first known person in my family with magical talent." he said not really minding the question.

[Shin Daisuke]

“Perhaps we can stop at the staff room on the way?” He asked somewhat thoughtfully. Jason seemed like a nice guy, and he was apparently the first in his family to experience magical talent. This was something that interested Shin, as he knew very little of other styles of magic, or how they revealed themselves. He knew all about Mana and the mysteries contained in it’s study, but it was still unknown to him how people who did not have magic in their blood were chosen to receive the gift.

He looked a little closer at Jason as they headed off, noticing the metallic cylinder at his waist, his curiosity piqued. “Is that your magical tool?” He asked inquisitively. “A retractable wand or something?” His eyes scrutinized the object as he pondered its use. He personally had the cards on hand, ready to summon or capture a spirit should they encounter one, and as a habit, his finger played against the deck at his side. The cards in it had been shuffled, and he knew not which card was prepared for combat, but he hoped it was not Ihriel…

[Jason]

Well it seems he can be pretty friendly as well. thought Jason. He gave a nod to Shin.
"Yeah we can stop by one of the offices on the way." he said motioning for Shin to follow him.

He gave a chuckle at the questions Shin asked. Not one of a mocking nature just one of amusment that sombody took note of the cylinder at his side and actually seemed to have a basic idea as to it's purpose.
"Yes to the first but a no to the second. This is actually the focusing point to my primary weapon." he said grabbing it and holding it out and away from anyone who might run into it. A green energy swarmed over it and then bursted out one end forming an inverted triangular blade with two of he points coming past the cylinder which was now thew handle to act as hanguards. the two bottom points made the base of the blade rough half a foot and it narrowed to a point. The length of the blade was roughly three feet long. He then let the blade vanish after a few seconds and returned the cylinder to his side.

"I'm an energy manipulator. Channeling is one of my skills. So how about you? what magic are you skilled with?" he asked as they resumed walking.

[Shin Daisuke]

Shin watched as Jason pulled the cylinder from his belt and held it into the open air. He was a little excited, wondering just what would happen when he activated it. ‘Is it gonna shoot? Will it make a fireball?’ He thought to himself as he watched closely, and then suddenly, a green blade shot out of the object, creating what he could only construe as a sword of sorts. “Whoa… I’ve never seen anything like that… A physical weapon manifested from just the users mana?” His mind filled with analasys of what he had just seen, taking in everything he could before breaking his train of thought as he was asked a question.

“What magic?” He repeated as though coming out of a daze. “Oh! Right! Umm… I use card’s to summon and capture wandering spirits, be they human, natural or demon.” He said with a smile as he pointed to the two decks at his sides. One significantly larger than the other. “Here, I’ll show you!” His hand thrust down to the deck and his forefinger and middle finger grabbed hold of the top card, it wasn’t until this point that he froze. “Ummm… I don’t actually know what card this will be… So you might want to stand back… Just in case…” He said with a slight look of worry on his face.

‘Don’t be Ihriel, don’t be Ihriel, don’t be Ihriel…’ He chanted in his head, knowing full well that once drawn singularly, he would have to use that spirit before he could put it away. He pulled the card out completely and thrust his hand in front of him, instinctively calling out the name of the card. “Ban'ang!” He shouted, and was suddenly consumed by flames. A moment later, he stood there, still Shin, but with flaming red hair that stood up, and eyes that seemed on fire. “Whew…” He breathed. “It was just the fire spirit Ban'ang.” His voice was different, as though each word was being echoed a split second later in a much deeper and graveled voice. He held out the hand that was holding the card, which had now vanished, and a ball of fire appeared in it. “Ban'ang is a flame spirit” He explained. “He let’s me use and control fire to a degree, though he’s not powerful enough to, say control a flame that consumed an entire building”

The flame then slowly burnt away, and Shin held his hand as he had before, and again he was consumed by fire, though this time it was the reverse of what had happened before. It was seemingly sucked into the card. He then showed the symbol on the card to Jason. “That’s Ban'ang’s symbol. They appear on the blank cards when I successfully capture a spirit.” He said with a smile, slotting the card somewhere in the middle of the deck to his right. He then continued walking, as though nothing had happened. “Hey… How far is this office you mentioned?” He asked nonchalantly.

[Jason]

Jason couldn't help but grin. Shin seemed to be the first person actually impressed by his powers. Jason never though of his powers as weak but he didn't feel they stood out much from the reactions of most people. He wasn't counting Hadrian's reaction as the guy just didn't like humans period. but seeing someone who found his magic new to them was always nice.
"Exactly. I channel my mana through any object that doesn't not have wards against it and can manifest it to my whims at least to an extend. I also have energy blasts and shields at my disposal." he said with another grin.

He decided to step back like suggested and watched with an almost child-like curiosity and intensity while Shin showed his magic. Jason understood the basics principles very quickly which he was realizing he had a knack for. he knew some magic wouldn't be types he could use but he was glad he could easily tell what types where being used.
"Thats an interesting power to say the very least. I've heard of similar things done with cards. But to actually have it manifest in the user is a new one on me. That must be highly useful since it would give you a broad variety of powers." he said wondering what other uses could be made.

they continued walking and Jason chuckled at the question.
"Funny you should ask. It's actually this door right here." he said as they came to a door and he opened it. He went in and leaned against a wall.
"Go ahead and get your papers in. I'll show you the dorms after that." he said

[Shin Daisuke]

Shin grinned sheepishly; realizing that they were not only standing right outside the room in question, but it was also clearly marked above the doorway. He slipped inside and saw a kind looking woman reading through a book with a smile adorned upon her face. Approaching her, he held out the sheet with a similar smile painted upon his face. “I just transferred here miss. I was told to bring these papers to someone on the staff?” The woman reached up and grasped the sheet from him, barely looking up from her book.

“Yes, yes, all good now. You should go and see your dorm room now, make sure everything’s there” She said with a vague wave, more interested in reading than really conversing with him. He simply bowed and turned heel to leave the room. He stepped out into the hallway and looked at Jason.

“Awfully dismissive” He said with a slight shrug. “So about these… Dorms I think she called them?” He asked looking back briefly as he mentioned the woman. Shin was a rather easy going fellow, not really one to get bogged down by anything, and regardless of the few adults who had dismissed him as just another faceless member of the masses, he seemed rather cheery.

[Jason]

Jason gave a shrug
"They can be like that. But it's not out of dislike or intention to be jerks from what I can tell. i think they just have their hands full all the time. Anyways I'll go ahead and show you to the dorms." he said standing away from the wall and once more motioned for Shin to follow him.

"So when did you realize you had magic powers." he asked with the basic curiousity one would show in such a situation. After all everyone's introduction to magic was different from another's

[Shin Daisuke]

“Well, my family has been practitioners of this art for as far back as I’ve managed to look. My grandfather told me I was special and that not everyone could see spirits like I could when I was very young, so I guess I’ve known most of my life…” He said thoughtfully. “Learning about my lineage? That was a different story” He added with a slight sigh. Shin hated the prospect of already having his destiny preordained, and wished that he had the same freedom to choose his future as everyone else. But the fact of the matter was that he didn’t. He would, like every first born Daisuke male before him, become the head of the family, hunt spirits across Japan, and bare a male child to succeed him.

“Let’s just say I don’t like to think about the future” He said somewhat somberly. “What about you? If you’re the first in your family, it must have been a real shock to find out you could do stuff others couldn’t.” He returned Jason’s question right back at him, as thirsty for knowledge as ever. Shin wasn’t exactly a bookworm… But he loved to learn everything he could about absolutely everything. It was somehow written into his nature. The constant thirst for knowledge that almost plagued him at times. It was an insatiable hunger, one that could not be sedated with half answers or vague eludings to the truth. It was a cause for a lot of the trouble he would get into.

[Jason]

"Strong family line of magic. Interesting. You must have already known quite a bit before coming here to the Academy." he said as they rounded a cornere passing some other students. Jason wondered what it would have been like actually growing up around magic for the majority of his life. he was pretty sure it would have been very different.

"Yeah it was a shock realizing what I could do. I actually only found out about two weeks ago. I had been walking home and passed y an allyway where I heard a scream. Well being the kind of person I am I checked it out. I saw a girl about to get raped. Without really thinking I rushed the guy pinning her down. I didn't really stand a chance but I figured the girl could get away. Well I was getting creamed pretty badly and when the guy came in I just felt some surge. I had my palm face him and then this big beam of energy shoots out tossing him backa nd burning him horribly. I rushed home and thats when the personf rom the Academy met with me and offered to have me learn how to use my abilities." He said thinking back t that night. he had been rather scared to think of such powers actually being real. But even if he was new to it he had grown accustomed to magic now.

[Shin Daisuke]

Shin listened intently to Jason as he told the tale of only a few weeks ago, where he had learned about his abilities. A strange and extreme situation, this was sure… “You had a rapist in your village?” He asked somewhat shocked. “But didn’t your town elder make sure that such people could not get in? Didn’t he protect the villagers from such felons?” He asked, his simple upbringing causing him confusion once again.

He knew little of the way city’s worked, and only understood that they were large with many people. However, he assumed that most people still lived in small communities, visiting these cities for supplies and entertainment. It was things like this that he would just have to learn as he himself had moved into such a place, and the laws were much different here than in his village.

[Jason]

Jason listend to the response with a bit of curiousity. He didn't really expect that. Apparently Shin simply didn't have alot of experiance with citys.
"Well I lived ina city. Not a big one mind you but it's actually a bit different than in a village which is actually pretty sad. It's not that the people who rubn the city don't want to keep these things from happening. But there are so many people in the city that it's practically impossible to do. The police help as much as they can but it's still not enough. I really do wish it was more like a village. Sometimes I've wondered if villages and so forth should have been how things should have stayed." he said as they got to an elevator and Jason hit the button to go up and they now waited for an elevator.

[Shin Daisuke]

“You lived in the city?” He asked almost in disbelief. “I’ve only ever heard of them… I know my father works in one…” He said as he took the concept in. “That’s really cool!” He said looking up and grinning widely. Shin was pretty innocent compared to others. He hadn’t seen the same kinds of things that everyone else had, and beyond the encounter with a monster when he was younger, he hadn’t encountered any of life’s evils.

Jason told him that he believed that the world would probably be a better place if everyone still lived in villages. Not really knowing much about the criminal element of the larger cities, it perplexed Shin somewhat, but he decided he would leave it at that for the moment. “Maybe I’ll get to see a city someday” He said with a slight gleam of hope as the elevator stopped it’s decent at their floor, opening with a loud chime. Shin wondered what an elevator was doing in the castle, but he decided not to question it.