Prodigal Son

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya let out an utterance of a laugh, that may of sounded a bit more like a scoff than a genuine expression of mirth, at the trading of sarcasm.

"Y'know, your reason for liking white is not far off from my reason for liking red," Raiya explained, "Canvas being a theme and all... I like to think of the ground as my canvas and the blood of my enemies as the paint. The more of it there is, the bigger the picture I can craft. Of course, the same could be said about my living victims. I like to see them come back to face me, to see their scars that I have carved into their bodies for them." Raiya smiled wryly with content. "So, I would say blood crimson is my favorite color. I am also partial to electric blue. There's nothing quite like feeling the rush of electricity surge through you before releasing a massive destruction spell. The blue flash that occurs after the completed circuit of a discharge is very beautiful." Raiya continued, "And I suppose you and I share the same taste in the color black. It serves its purpose keeping me shrouded in the darkness of night, and serves as a warning to those who dare seek to defy my gang, that the eternal blackness of death is ready to greet them in retaliation..." Raiya used her hand to fan the hair behind her outwards dramatically "And c'mon, every girl knows that everything matches with black." She smiled.

Raiya let out a exaggerated shocked exasperation, "Weapons besides the Sword? This is blasphemy!" She exclaimed. "I mean, in all seriousness," Raiya dropped her chair down to level and flicked her hand out, materializing her Beretta 70. "If we are talking about concealed carry, you can't go wrong with the 32 caliber ACP Beretta 70. It's small and light enough that swinging it out at a moments notice is no problem." Raiya explained. She placed the gun down on the table beside the pub mix. "Though if we are talking about a covert mission and the mission needs some stopping power..." Raiya flicked her hand outwards materializing another, larger pistol. This one had a suppressor attached to it and looked a bit heavier than the small Beretta 70. "My favorite choice is the Heckler and Koch USP-45 ACP... Raiya placed the larger metal handgun next to the Beretta. "Though, I really do prefer my sword when it comes to fighting my enemies." She explained.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya rolled her eyes at the "Looks like you'll be stuck with me." statement. Raiya was a bit irritated that Nemo came right out and said what she was actually planning, but she figured that Nemo knowing her plan wouldn't stop random happenstance from taking Nemo off her hands. She was not about to change her plan, but maybe, just maybe it was time to change her approach.

"A brighter subject? Okay, what's your favorite color? Let me take a guess first..." Raiya looked Nemo up and down. "Is it white?"

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya chased down the pub mix with her umeshu, clearing her throat before speaking.

"That's a fair point, and I don't see any reason to lie to you. I do want to leave. I think this entire team, all these paragons, getting involved with the Arcanocracy, it's all a huge waste of time. I have better things to do, other tasks that require my full attention. And I have to admit, your meddling has cost me dearly. The only thing I can say is that my personal honor system prevents me from leaving at the moment. I'm looking for any way I can to get out of this, though. Every moment wasted here is a moment I could spend looking for my parents' killer. At the moment, though, there is no way for me to legitimately leave. So, until then, I'll be waiting to find an opening." Raiya explained.

---

Felix was happy that Zuri was enthusiastic.

"Well, if there isn't anything else you'd like to ask me, I do believe we should get you all to your mission." Felix said.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya sighed, "But you are already out of the prison, right? I understand a few things about honor, and keeping your word. But, you're Nemo. Since Felix did the hard part of breaking you out of the prison, that means you are free. Why isn't it that you just leave now that Felix broke you out? Do you think he'd be able to track you down and throw you back into the jail cell of his enemies? He wouldn't really have an option but to let you go at this point right? So why stay? I'm wracking my brain on this but every aspect of it doesn't quite make sense. The person who threw you to rot in a magic prison is, what? Your friend now? Your commander? Your superior? Why would you let yourself be chained down to a group like this?" Raiya asked.

After she finished her diatribe, she grabbed a few more handfuls of the pub mix and began munching again.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Felix was happy to see Zuri complete the spell with relative ease.

"Good, now think about the staff, feel your aura, imagine yourself 'reaching' into your aura with your hand to grab the staff, and call out, 'vocāre'" Felix instructed.

---

Raiya raised an eyebrow at the notion that Nemo would donate to orphanages. While she didn't exactly fully doubt the notion, she wasn't quite ready to accept the idea either. Something inside her screamed at her that Nemo was her enemy, her roadblock. And in order for this to be true, she needed to believe he was truly evil. She just kept silent while explained it, her facial reactions the only indicator of what she was thinking.

"While it is true that we did find the paragon, and yes, the paragon has immense power, and yes the arcanocracy wants it, what does it benefit you to help capture them for Felix? Shouldn't you of all people desire them for yourselves? Surely one of a kind relics of power like these do not just fall in your lap as easily as this one has. What's stopping you from taking them for yourself and running? Even Felix isn't omniscient, I'm sure you could get away with it, leaving no trace of where you went after." Raiya suggested.

All this drinking was making her hungry, so she drew a canister of Utz pub mix from her mana inventory, and levitated it to the middle of the table. She took a couple of handfuls of the assorted munchies and began to pop a few pieces in her mouth at a time, crunching the flavorful snackfood with a bit of a ravenous appetite.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Felix tapped his forehead looking for the answer to Zuri's question. Through years of teaching at the Vatican, he had learned to be patient with new students. So, he took his time explaining.

"Well, you see, the pocket dimension is a part of your aura, once you have stored something inside of it, you can feel its presence just as you feel your aura's presence when you are using magic. It's not a constant feeling, but when you go to retrieve an item from your mana inventory, you have to 'feel' around for the item. When you are 'feeling' around for the item you are able to 'feel' all the other items in your mana inventory as well." Felix explained. "Try the spell with your staff right now. Bring your aura forth and form your aura around your staff, and then say, 'serere' the feeling is much easier to understand through actual practice. We can sit here and talk all day, but I can't fully explain to you a feeling you have never felt before. You have to feel it for yourself."

---

Raiya smirked and scoffed, "'Charitable?' That's not exactly the first word that comes to my mind when I think about Nemo Smiley, the devourer, the destroyer, the white demon. That's like asking me if I think a Great Dragon is charitable. Charitable in leaving destruction in its wake, sure, but does the Great Dragon donate some if its shiny hoard it has stuck up in its roost to orphanages? Don't be ridiculous. No..." Raiya tapped her glass with her forefinger. "There has to be something else, some other motive." Raiya suggested, her eyes narrowing as she spoke.

She listened to his explanation about compensation and how arming Zoey increases the team's effectiveness.

"Now, that former part makes a bit of sense. I too used the same business model when moving some of my gang's, 'merchandise', but increasing the team's effectiveness? You actually expect me to believe you want our team to succeed? And for what to keep, 'the world from ending?' Give me a break. Felix is insane and his little night time delusions are exactly that, delusions. He has used too much magic, the mana has gone to his head and is making him delirious. I can't be the only one who sees it." Raiya commented.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

@Accurian

I need you to post soon.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya watched the exchange, and she found it interesting. Mostly what interested her was the fact that Nemo obliged to the request. He certainly didn't have any incentive to help other than Zoey being a teammate. But even that wasn't truly an incentive. It wouldn't have been totally out of the question for Nemo to flat out refuse on the basis of physical payment. But not only did Nemo help, he did not ask for any compensation in return which had Raiya scratching her head both figuratively and literally. Could it be that Nemo actually cares for the team? Or is he playing a long con? Is he trying to make a good name for himself to get people to drop their guards? That must be it..., Raiya thought as she drank.

Instead of just thinking, though. Raiya decided she'd ask him straight out,"What are you playing at, Nemo? Just giving people things out of the goodness of your heart? Somehow that doesn't seem like you..." Raiya said skeptically.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya kept her chair tilted back, her glass empty, she used magic to lazily levitate her glass and refill it and bring it back to her.

"Oh, I'm fully prepared to fight the talent that killed my parents. The magic waves I detected from their belongings? It was powerful, they were in a fight for their lives, no disciples could kill a few talents while also leaving a magic residue like that." Raiya commented. As Raiya listened she grew a bit irritated, "This fight is mine and mine alone, I will not rely on others to see this task through. I will be the winner in this battle, and I won't be relying others to win it. Relying on others is a weakness that I won't be falling prey to."

Raiya downed the full glass before refilling it again. It felt like to her that Nemo was patronizing her, and she wasn't amused. She was about to say something about it before Zoey interrupted.

"Don't worry about the interruption, the conversation was beginning to make me irritated." Raiya replied.

Paragon's End [Modern/Fantasy/Anime/Adventure]

Raiya clinked her glass with Nemo's glass and knocked back the soft amber liquid. The sweet taste of the liquid was quickly replaced with the familiar burn of alcohol. Certainly it was sweet, but it still definitely was alcohol.

"I'm not frightened. I am quite confident in my own abilities, even with what I have seen you display so far, I believe that if I wanted to I could fight you and live, perhaps even win. You're more of a minor annoyance than the nightmare monster many of the underworld would have me believe." Raiya replied, "Although, you did surprise me with the power you have displayed. You are powerful, there is no doubt about that. Unstoppable? Immortal? Death incarnate? I find those claims hard to believe."

Raiya refilled her glass, filling it to the brim this time, and kicked her feet up on the table, leaning her chair back to a balance point. She placed her left hand behind her head, scratching an itch she had, while sipping on her drink with her right hand. She kept her left arm stretched up behind her head while talking.

"I told them expressly not to. You may call it a matter of pride or honor or what have you but I want to be a part of every process involved in finding the killer. This is my work and I will see it completed if it is the last thing I do in this life." Raiya explained

---

Felix leaned back on the lab table once more. He waved his hand, a book appeared in his hands in a flurry of blue flames. He dropped the same book a second later, it vanished into another flurry of blue flames.

"That is the mana inventory." Felix commented, "It is a pocket dimension within your aura where physical items can be stored and recalled at a moments notice. Think if it like an invisible backpack, or closet. The size of your mana inventory depends on the size of your two mana wells which incidentally effects the overall size of your aura. I am constantly suppressing my aura otherwise the resulting mana waves would create a physical vibration everywhere I go that would shake everything around me, and you could see why that would be a problem. But because of the size of my mana wells I can store much more inside my mana inventory than most people." Felix explained.

He took off his glasses and wiped them down with a cloth he materialized from his mana inventory. Then he dropped both his glasses and the cloth, both of them disappearing in a puff of blue flame.

"Because of the fact that I am so accustomed to using this simple recall and dismiss spell, I never have to say the incantations. It's one of the first spells most Talents learn to use second nature, without incantations. Once a person uses a spell enough, they start to get a feel for how the spell is shaped and operates, and can therefore use it without incantations. Although, there are spells that are more powerful when used with an incantation, so it is something you have to learn for yourself. In order to cast the spell to place an item into your mana inventory, you have to feel your aura, bring forth the aura and shape it around the item you are holding and then say this word, 'serere.' In order to bring it back from your mana inventory, you think of the item you placed in the inventory, the feel of the item in your aura, force that feeling to the area you want to make it appear, so in this case your hands, and say 'vocāre.'" Felix explained.

"Does that make any sense?" Felix finished.