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Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

You know what? This 'Floridian' guy had gotten Yazhu's interest more earnestly. This was all-but the only soul to treat her as the scion of nobility that she technically was in...I dunno, this millennium? His method of touching her hand was scandalous in her time, but hey, it's the modern day. People touch all sorts of things, and in all likelihood, they were liable to meet hand-to-face next time.

She did seem a little put-off by the idea of, once again, being a portrait in a gallery rather than a unique soul, but at least Florian's half-assed attempt to cover it up worked. It didn't seem that this girl was that difficult to sway. "If there are other masters of my craft running around here, then I'll be really surprised. Other immortals? Ha, I suppose they can call themselves that, but no worry. All of the old guys I've seen thus far busy themselves with the normal people kind of martial arts..."

And a good deal of them also knew how to fly...

Yazhu shook her head. With her speaking partner introducing himself, she bowed back at first, before realizing that she already did that earlier. Or is it okay to do it multiple times? She wasn't certain. Yazhu nodded, speaking in reverence towards this young man who had already acquired quite the list of titles. "Oh, Mr. Wessington, I bet it's some kinda good luck to have met you here. The first son of a house, and also a martial artist, and an...aristocracist, and whatever an artiste is it sounds a lot like artist!"

When he smiled, it seemed as if there was a bit of that sparkle reflected in Yazhu's eyes. That had to be some kind of magic! The...the Gold Star Teeth Sparkle Technique! If it existed it probably had a name like that. The "master" of magic was so caught up in that thought that she almost forgot to respond to his question.

"Just call me 'Yazhu' I guess, 'cause it's not like you're gonna go around introducing your family name when everyone in that family's stone cold dead. Rest In Peace them, as they say here!" With a laugh, she didn't seem concerned about this kind of thing like most immortals would be, but hey, maybe that's just a stereotype. "Ahah, oh boy. Anyway, I am a master, but I'm not gonna try coming up with a cool title because then everyone's gonna forget it."

She descended from the air just a little bit further, so that she could raise her head up and look at him with a little hint of pleading. "But...well...you have the, uh, that is, I shall not try to steal any other secret techniques from you because those are real important to hold close to your chest. However," she put both of her hands together and looked up at him like a golden idol, "can you show me how to do the tooth thing?"

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

Of the three people, the Indian master had already left this plane of existence consciously at some point, as he tends to get too fully into the zone when his feet lay off the ground and he focuses too hard on innner peace. The Khlystsi was not the sort of person to indulge in sins of the flesh such as pride, and accepting someone's praise for the act of flying wasn't going to get him any salvation.

This left Yazhu, who at first wasn't sure who this rich-looking young man was praising. She figured it was the guy who was whipping himself, as it was a very novel sight. The moment she did realize it, though, she lit up. Her face broke out in a toothy grin, and she hopped down from invisible steps so that she was only slightly above Florian.

"I see at least one person in the crowd who isn't jaded by modern life!" The hermit performed a theatrical bow. "'Yo', as they say. I'm Yazhu Kuang, a very fine practitioner of the Taoist art, and also immortal, which is pretty cool. Most people never get to be immortal, so I say that's a trick on its own."

She extended a hand downward for a shake in the Western style, and then a second hand to roll up her extraneously-long sleeve. "Are you here for the tournament as an observer, young master? Or were your parents okay with you entering as a combatant?"

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

Of the crowd of fighters, there were many who were looking to show off - whether this was to boost their egos, to intimidate the opposition, to pick up dates of appropriately athletic nature, to secure almost-literally last minute sponsorship deals, it was as good of a place to do it as any. You had an audience from the world over, plenty of fresh faces, and few of them could place everyone's faces to names. A blank slate of impressionable peers to make a good show for.

Yazhu Kuang, the unranked, unheard of, generally unimportant fighter from China was one of those looking to make an impression at such a late point.

It began earlier in the day, shortly after arriving in this city of combat, that she found herself with a conundrum. Early on, one of the locals stopped her to ask her why she was wearing such a weird hat. This was a simple answer, as she said: "Is this not the garb of a Taoist hermit?" The local simply replied, without much thought, "What the heck is a Taoist hermit?"

The meat of the issue was that she then spent the next 15 minutes trying to explain the ideals, practices, philosophy, aesthetics and belief system of the practitioners of the Tao, and no matter how detailed she got, the man simply stared at her blankly. Pointing at the symbol on her hat got a flat "I thought that was the symbol for kung fu", after which Yazhu felt a part of her soul break off and dissolve.

Taoism was a secretive practice, its history in her time characterized by the majority of its applicants being scholars with a reason to keep their teachings to themselves, or otherwise living in the mountains and only coming down every century or so to fuck with people for fun. Despite this, the idea that it had seemingly either not spread to this far off land of Brazil or simply did it so furtively that no one noticed was quite frightening to Yazhu. Her credibility as a sorcerer and a fighter was at stake...

Then, she had a brilliant idea. She walked on air like two feet upwards.

The reaction she got out of the local man was enough to bring her there and then, to the gathering hall of the world's greatest, and try the same thing. After talking to the only reporter who cared about her at all, Ben Mankiewicz of Milford, Connecticut and owner of fightinfreakznewz.org, she demonstrated her gift by again walking around the air of the hall.

"Look! This is the potential all followers of the Way can achieve," she shouted down at Mr. Mankiewicz and the few fellow fighters who bothered to look her way. "And this sort of thing is simply the easy stuff for people like me - all the cool stuff, I'll save for the actual tourney!"

"Wow," said the independent reporter with a readership of several hundred with genuine appreciation, "that's incredible! You're going to have an upper hand if you can pull this stunt off mid-fi--"

"Pish-posh," said an older man who stepped from the crowd and took a seat upon the carpet. Vasunanda was his name, and he was a Buddhist master from the distant land of India. "That is a simple trick, good sir. I learned this from my master whereabouts I was her age." Sitting cross-legged, he suddenly rose into the air and hovered with no effort at all. "She is learned, but not that learned."

"She knows nothing," said a second man. Andrei Dukhopski, of the Modern Khlystsi, was a severe-looking man who wore no clothes beyond a thin waistcloth and a crude rosary. "A simple witch can perform things imitating miracles, but does she know anything of the Lord? Watch what one of His followers can do!" He then took a leather strap out and proceeded to whip his own backside while spinning around, and in doing so also floated about the room.

Now, she was hardly upstaged by these two, but the next time that Mr. Mankiewicz turned to look at her, she could tell that something had changed. A certain spark in his eye had departed. She went from a wonder that he had only ever heard about, to one of a group of many who apparently just treated flying as something you do in front of strangers.

Yazhu crossed her arms and grumbled, remaining above the increasingly strange religious-ascetic air show.

Vigil of the Faithful (Anime-Inspired Exorcist RP)

Naturally, more reinforcements came in, but just the slightest bit late. Traffic, you can't help it~

From the ranks of the unholy, a bloated corpse shambled forward alongside the procession of the rest, its arms raised in a rigored but very stereotypical pose. The soldiers here had their hands full already, leveling their rifles to try and thin down the enemy, and they were distracted. One only noticed the approaching enemy by its nauseous stench, and turned--

He didn't even see the corpse's hollowed face, for a flying foot had already taken it down to the earth.

Ah-Rong entered in style, composed as ever, her first action being taking the dead by surprise. It reeled back from the force of the kick but had nothing to stop it from continuing, which it did, and now it aimed for the trained demon-tamer.

She smiled, and stood there for the couple of seconds it took to get to her. There was a shout of "Jesus, lady, move out of the way so I can take a shot!" from behind her.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, honey," she called back. Then, winding up, she took her left arm and violently hit the dead in the face with a suitcase.

The soldier in question was briefly confused at this choice of weapon, only to then see that the dead man had been set ablaze by the strike - more followed as she waved the case around, and in short time, the corpse was dealt with.

Aside from the all-important need to assert dominance, Ms. Park's choice to stand still was utilitarian. Her face had shimmered, and suddenly the detailed images of insects tattooed onto her skin became animate and crawled down her body, and onto the pavement.

From there they were almost invisible, being only dark lines on the asphalt of the road, and they went to town. Around them were dozens of smaller creatures, ensorcelled vermin that were only a danger en masse, but these centipedes were uniquely suited to this exact task. They scurried here and there, savaging everything they came across and subduing them in no time at all.

While that went on, Ah-Rong looked over to the Orthodox woman, Ekaterine, and gave her a hearty "Howdy!" as she beat another corpse to death (again) with her suitcase. She clearly wasn't taking this seriously yet.

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

Yazhu Kuang

鄺雅珠

"If it should please you, let this sage of a thousand years join you on your journey!"

"I have a sense we shall be good friends." _____________________________________________________ NAME: YAZHU KUANG _______________________________________________ EPITHET: HERMIT UNSHATTERED BY THE AGES _______________________________________________ AGE: 1179 (or 15) _______________________________________________ PRONOUNS: SHE/HER _______________________________________________ HEIGHT: 4'11" _______________________________________________ WEIGHT: 9 LBS. (NOT A TYPO) _______________________________________________ NATIONALITY: CHINESE _______________________________________________ LIKES: PRAISE, WINDY DAYS, FINDING AND EATING RARE ALCHEMICAL INGREDIENTS _______________________________________________ DISLIKES: THE CONSTANT ENCROACHING ENTROPY THAT IS MORTALITY, HARD WORK

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OVERVIEW

"Look upon me! Beauty, power, grace unyielding - this is the fruit of the study of the Tao!"
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APPEARANCE

"Yes! Yes, I am old enough to enter this competition, thank you kindly!"
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Carries a certain sense of unearthliness about her, not of the 'oooh she's so unnaturally pretty' way but the 'she doesn't look like a real person' kind of way. Looks pretty young, is kind of short, and carries herself with certainty.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

"A sterling white pearl - without flaw. And I'm pretty smart too."
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The rather paradoxical combination of someone who's high energy and arrogant, and also lazy and low effort. Quick to flaunt the power she holds as a Hermit above others, she has a tendency to proclaim herself superior to all while also being reticent to prove it - she'd talk about having mystic power beyond comprehension and then show it off by making some fire appear, for example. She can be dilligent and hard-working, but this usually requires a more material or grand reward than simply self-improvement. Likes to sleep a lot. A bit gullible, very trusting - at least she's usually very friendly past her tendency to brag, and gets along with pretty much anyone.

BACKSTORY

"There's a story I could tell you, but with your permission I'm just gonna take a nap instead."
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In the time of the Tang, under the rulership of Emperor Zhangwu, there was a girl born to a prefectural governor, despite his good judgment. Yazhu's early life was characterized by idle amusement and grooming to be married off, as she was already set aside to marry some minor minister's newborn son before she was even three. This lifestyle, and the opulence that came from living in the household of a realtively important government official, was well suited to someone with her lacksadaisical temperament. She had no complaints, to be honest. It's kind of expected for people to mope about having no control over your life, but really, she was well fed and didn't have to worry about much besides improving her calligraphy. Life was good.

This, naturally, had to be fucked up by her own hand. When she was 15, her father had someone as a guest at his estate, a strange-looking man who wore clothes far less resplendent than that of the usual folk who visited. She was curious, and apparently she was curious enough to take a random gourd from his belongings and drink its contents. Several days of pure agony later, she was given the worst news of her life: she had consumed an elixir meant for the Emperor himself, was now immortal and could live off nothing but air and dew for an eternity...and, most horrifying of all, she had unlocked powerful magical potential that could only be utilized with ceaseless training that she would begin immediately.

Needless to say, this ruined her plans for the next few years.

Her transgression was grave, the idea that some random girl had drank a potion that had taken over a century to distill and ferment just because she thought it'd be interesting was honestly worth the death penalty, but her father spared her with some quick words and bargaining. Instead, she would be taken under the wing of the strange man, who was secretly a hermit by the name of Qiao, and learn the secrets of the Tao and cultivate herself until she could rebrew that elixir on her own. It was going to be the work of centuries of mind-numbing practice and study, but the other route here was 'beheading' so her options were limited.

Her master's tutelage went well, her best efforts to shirk it notwithstanding - she had a natural talent for this that outpaced her own lack of work ethic! Yazhu had already gained a grasp of the mystic arts as used in combat and developed her martial prowess, such was the all-powerful elixir that she had taken. Still, it wasn't all the drink; her training had shaped her to become a nominally better human being. She eventually grew to take her trade somewhat seriously, and she grew prideful of her status as a hermit.

It was about twenty years into her training that tragedy struck. Her master was well overdue for actually delivering the elixir she had drank, so late that the reigning Emperor had been replaced four times, and the current Emperor Wuzong actually cared enough about immortality to make Qiao pay for being holding out so long. Soldiers raided the mountainside cave that the two dwelled in, more than either could handle alone, and before he was killed Qiao saved Yazhu's life. Using powerful magic to bind her existence into a pocket dimension hidden in a stone column, she would only be able to free herself when she had mastered her own mental state and understood how to unbind it. After mourning the loss of her master, Yazhu proceeded to somehow find a way to sleep in this immaterial existence and did so for the next 1158 years.

About one year ago, she was returned to the material world after a mining company cracked open the stone pillar she resided in, freeing her after untold time. Unlike most ancient imprisoned entities she was generally agreeable! Now, armed with what she managed to learn before now, and a newfound enthusiasm for life, Yazhu is slowly adapting to modern life. Her ultimate goals: to prove the superiority of her way, to create that elixir that has given her so much trouble, and to live up to her family name and face full-life consequences!

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILIES

"Your pathetic arts need another millenium in the oven if they're going to approach mine!"
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SKILLS & ABILITIES

"You're still standing...will this remain true AFTER ANOTHER DAO BOMB?!"
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Her body has been molded by the power of the Taoist arts, and this alone grants her a few important inhuman abilities: she is considerably hardier and more resilient to damage (but far from immune), she can whip her limbs around at great speed, she needs nothing but air to survive indefinitely, her body is as light as a 9 pound sack of potatoes, and she is able to fly, sort of. This method of flight could be more described as "walking on air", which means it doesn't tend to grant her any benefit to speed, only traversal. Beyond that, her practice allows her to be a capable magician with a wide repretoire of spells at her command. None of these are useful in combat besides the ones listed below, by the way, as it requires way too much prep to work when getting hit in the face - it's just a general 'she can use magic to do random stuff when not fighting' kind of warning, you know? Subject to GM approval.

SIGNATURE MOVES

"You've managed to survive this f--BUT NOT AFTER THIS DAO BOMB!!"
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■ [A Dao Bomb!]

[Holding out one of her floppy sleeves, she uses magic to conjure a heavy orb that looks suspiciously like a taijitu. This orb rolls forward and can be kicked, ultimately exploding when it comes into contact with something besides herself or the ground - this explosion is far less lethal than you might imagine, only lighting people ablaze for about half a second and knocking them around violently. She's quite fond of spamming this move.]

■ ["Master, Guide My Foot!"]

[Flagrantly abusing her ability to walk on air, Yazhu keeps out of reach of opponents and then launches downward at them full-force with a mighty (enough considering how light she is) kick.]

■ [Mirror Sleeves]

[Yazhu holds out her sleeves to form a wall, and then enchants them to create a barrier. This barrier is able to reflect incoming projectiles back to their sender, but does nothing against being struck in melee, and only lasts for a second before dissipating - timing is key!]

■ [Fire Over Mt. Tai]

[A move that conjures fire, made by dragging her foot across the air and letting it fall were it may. As it tends to fall straight downward, it is only really useful when performed aerially.]

■ [Liao Yu Bo]

[A strange move in that it doesn't hurt, but heal - she can lay hands on another fighter and make their wounds knit back together, and give them a second wind of stamina. This wouldn't heal serious injuries and couldn't wake up someone who's been knocked out, but lesser stuff is A-OK.]

■ [Brilliant Stream Bursting Geyser]

[If she can't hit hard, she can hit a lot - this technique can be boiled down to 'lots of kicks within a short period of time'. If your opponent blocks all of these, it's over.]

SUPER MOVES

"With my body acting as the furnace, let me refine you into the purest form."
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■ [Joining of Essence]

[Combining her practices, she temporarily steels her body to become fireproof, lights herself on fire, and then tries to grapple with the opponent and drop them on their head from the air! Considering how physically overpowering her isn't that difficult, the grappling is the hardest part - but still, with enough concentration, lighting her body on fire can be used to her advantage.]

■ [20 Strike Body Point Jab Something-or-Other]

[Yazhu takes a jab at her opponent's pressure points, trying to strike 20 in short succession - if she can pull this off, her opponent's body will fall limp! The thing is, this requires her to actually remember which points she's aiming for, and then pull enough concentration to do this in the correct order and fast enough. If it doesn't succeed she's still jabbing her fingers into her opponent's body, but overall this move has a high failure rate.]

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

"None! Not a single one. I'm just about perfect, let me tell you."
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She's been kept out of the loop for the last thousand+ years and has only just started to get a grasp on the ways of modern life - she could tell you what a phone is and might be able to operate it, but she'll still assume it's a mirror enchanted with alchemical silver. Despite her talents she is kind of stupid, and her agreeable personality means she's quick to place her trust in people who don't deserve it. While nowhere near as pathologically lazy as she used to be, she still looks for the quickest path to success instead of the most reliable, and can find herself slacking without much prompting. For the matter of physical weakness, she's a capable fighter, but a pure martial artist can easily overpower her in strength, and just about anyone can throw her around like a ragdoll because of her supernatural lightness.

OTHER

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
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I dunno.

Vigil of the Faithful (Anime-Inspired Exorcist RP)

There was something at the airport’s rental lot that caught Ah-Rong’s eye.

It was large, far more than a car had any right to be. It was a brilliant opalescent red, and it only had two seats, but its form extended far beyond them - like a sunset, it stretched out across the sky. Its seats were tan leather and it only got 10 miles to the gallon. It had a great top speed, and terrible acceleration as it had to push its entire bulky mass along.

All of these conflicting properties collided in strange fashion, and Ms. Park only saw the good in it. There was something unique about this land yacht, something quintessentially…American. It’s not like she had to pay for its rental fee.

And now she was blasting 100mph down the US-91.

It had been a rough ride, if only because Ah-Rong insisted that every stretch of clear desert highway must be taken with an appropriate level of disregard for traffic laws. They’d stopped at multiple points along the way, eating at whatever roadside diner was first along the way, barging into gun shops and haggling with the owners on the price per bullet, and at one point stopping just so she could get Jin to take a photo of her with some mountain in the background.

“I’ve got friends who don’t even know what a ‘Yutah’ is,” she insisted, “I need this. Come on, Jin-hubae, it’ll only take five minutes…”

Which led to their current placement. Still going as fast as Ah-Rong’s warped sense of safety woud allow her, the top of their convertible down as the night sky was becoming blemished by the bright lights of Las Vegas in the distance, they didn’t have much longer on this very strange road trip.

“Jin-hubae, when we get there, you think we’re going to have time to see the rest of the town?” she half-shouted over the roar of the wind. She was always insistent on referring to him as her junior, it seemed. “Last time I went international, the Church was insistent that I get out of the country the minute things were done! Couldn’t spare a moment to calm down a little after the excitement!”

Jin Dak-Ho’s expression remained as immutable and friendly as always. Although internally he was holding on for dear life. His senior’s driving was as… ‘rough’ as always. The first time nearly gave him a heart attack. Nonetheless, he acquiesced to her requests as always, as despite her eccentricity, Ah-Rong was a dependable exorcist and a decent person, despite affiliations with the seedier parts of the underworld.

“It depends on the grace of our hosts.” Jin replied finally. He didn’t give much stock to the seniority prevalent in their culture. “The scale of the request was alarming, so perhaps they may give you leeway to explore, Ah-Rong-ssi”

“You underestimate the Church and--hold on, this one’s being slow,” she said as she narrowly dodged a camper van by overtaking it, never once in danger of driving off the highway…one would hope. “And their frugality! They’re of the mind that God will provide up to the day that we finish our assignment. Not an hour later!”

Her hand clattered as she turned the wheel to the right, following the curve of the road - that briefcase was already handcuffed to her arm from the moment you met up with her in Korea, and it hadn’t left that position once. Makes for an awkward drive, but she seems to be good enough to make up for it.

Thankfully, no, blessedly, the lowering of the speed limit as they start to pass by habitations in the desert. Good sense draws Ah-Rong’s foot off the pedal a little. They’re now only slightly above the speed limit, and it seems they’ll make it to the operational zone without suffering any casualties.

“Ahhhh…how do you boys handle it over there,” she asked, calmed down a bit, “over on the Protestant side of things? Just a little bit more generous?”

Ah-Rong would find Jin gripping the interior car handle tightly if she had looked back. “It would do no good to have the church deprive its devout warriors of basic necessities, especially if we are to win this and upcoming battles.” He didn’t mention how much the church seemingly made from their congregation.

“The Protestant Church… well, even after years we’re still a smaller presence within South Korea.” He says, “Despite being a smaller constituent, they seem intent on establishing a presence and incentivizing us priests to stay in South Korea… And well, I usually get most requests approved within reason.” Jin didn’t realize she was talking about free time and not requests for ordinance or similar.

Ah-Rong did look, and after a moment’s consideration, took just a bit more pressure of the pedal again. Now they were, amazingly, at near normal speeds, and what more could you ask for at that point?

“Within reason, huh?” She rolled her eyes, but soon after, her tone became much more professional. This change wasn’t unknown to Jin after their last encounter; she seemed quite good at switching between personae at the drop of a hat, even when there wasn’t anything to lose from it. “It’s only natural. Our superiors, there’s only so much they can spend for us, the humble servants of God, with a great need and little ability. You’re entirely right, Jin-hubae.”

A short huff, a sigh of concession perhaps, was had. Ah-Rong pulled off the main highway and toward a more central road. If lead foot had given them anything, it’d ensure they had already made up for lost time - the traffic around here wasn’t nearly as kind…

“Ah.” She coasted to a stop behind a long line of cars at an intersection. “That’s a shame. Let us hope that the situation hasn’t deteriorated too much by the time this clears up…”
---------------------
Their car was left a good distance away from the operational zone, if only because collateral damage was a given when vampires and their executioners were involved…let alone so many! It was hard to believe there’d be this many agents of the Church, and other groups yet, all converging on one spot. When there’s a lull in the fighting, maybe it’ll be a good time to get some networking done…

After a quick check, guns loaded, hair checked in mirror, shoes tied on firmly, the pair left the convertible and walked down the sidewalk with purpose. The sound of violence could already be heard in the distance, so it was probably going to be a mission without much downtime…

—-------------------

Meanwhile, a kilometer or so away, a company helicopter was just about to take off from the top of a building. Next to it, a shinto maiden smiled and waved to the hired pilots, who were in turn, visibly puzzled, but opted to wave back before flying away. Nobody would expect anyone to be in such a pleasant mood for the operation to come, but she had been mentally prepared and had no issues showing a little gratitude for the safe and successful travel. It was a blessing, after all.

Landing quite a ways away from the ongoing battle, the miko peered down at the streets from her vantage point. There were a good number of places to enter the scene from, and thankfully, her building was not too high up to make rappelling difficult. In no time at all, she landed in an alleyway, swiftly disconnected her pull cords, and observed her surroundings. Immediately, one thing stood out to her– even though she was still a fair distance from her destination, the familiar scent of copper flooded her senses. Of course, it had to be blood. And with the aroma’s strength… quite a lot of it. She was supposed to worry– but she was unable to. Instead, the thought of an insane number of casualties put a spring to her step. It encouraged her. Grew a smile on her face. There was clearly much to do, and she was there to do them all! Nothing was impossible.

After bounding off and exiting the alleyway, there stood across the sidewalk from her two familiar faces– a woman with stylish glasses and a wonderful tattooed side profile, and a handsome man with an eyepatch. A warmth swelled in her heart, what a favorable day indeed!

“Ah-rong san! Jin-san!” Hikari waved at the pair from the opposite side of the street.

Near instantly, Ah-rong’s demeanor changed from one of quiet preparation to a pleasant, bubbly smile as she heard a familiar voice. And what a fine voice to hear! Of everyone from her past who could’ve shown up today, few were good, and fewer were as good as this girl’s. Ah-Rong stopped her advance for a moment, and held out her arms. A hug was expected - not professional or fitting, but to hell with it. “Hikari! Over here, girl!”

The shrine maiden nearly sprang across the street right into the woman’s arms. “Thank goodness– It’s like nobody enjoys giving hugs in the company!” She groaned into the woman’s chest, savoring the feeling wholly. As former colleagues, it was needless to say that Ah-rong’s rain during drought-esque personality was dearly missed. “Especially none like yours! I’m so glad to see you, onee-san– oop, unnie!”

Jin simply shot Hikari a kind, albeit weary, smile. The weariness was not something he would’ve disclosed. “It’s good to be working together again, Hikari-sama.” He said simply. It truly was, the two exorcists in-front of him were amongst some of the most competent and reliable he’s worked with, them and those whom he worked with in the Mexican operation.

“Heheh.” Hikari beamed back with full appreciation of his use of Japanese honorifics. After their last exorcism together, she was only filled with respect for the man and his compassion. And of course, it seemed he was still as polite as ever, such a breath of fresh air from what she’s normally used to. “Oppa, I’m so excited that you two are here. Thank the gods! I already feel that this mission will come with a lot of success.”

“You do? You know, that really does mean something.” Ah-Rong continued with her all-too cloying speech, letting her junior free from her grasp and stepping back. “It was a bit ago, that time that you specifically called out ‘I’ve got a terrible feeling about this’ before we embarked…and then it turned out to be not just one, but an entire infestation of Penanggalan! Ohhh, shame we had to burn that church down, a shame, a shame.”

This story is remarkably familiar to you, besides having lived it, because she tended to fall back upon retelling it constantly. Probably the most open she ever got when it came to her work, prior to joining the Church.

“Malaysia was fun, though. The gamb--oh, right!” She immediately started to walk forward, holding up her head and staring back into the distance toward the sound of sirens. Her playful face gave way to the more calm, collected look she was famous for, and she said, “Forgive me. We’ve time to reminisce later, after we all get out, yes? I’ll owe you some kindness then.”

Vigil of the Faithful (Anime-Inspired Exorcist RP)

Park Ah-Rong

동부 기독교 형제회 엑소시즘 지부

주니어 선교사 - 특별 문제 사무실

(Eastern Brothers of Christ, Exorcism Branch Office/Junior Missionary Group - Office of Special Cases)

	NAME: PARK AH-RONG ______________ AGE: 41 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: January 4th - 1931 ______________ FAITH: CATHOLIC ______________ NATIONALITY: JAPANESE-KOREAN ______________

PERSONALITY
^{______________}

Park Ah-Rong is given to a calm demeanor in most scenarios, giving off an impression of being a bit smug about everything. Doesn't shy away from violence, whether against the unholy or humans, but isn't as zealous as some in that field. Sometimes she may come across as flippant towards her peers and (slightly more rarely) her superiors, but is quick to dismiss whatever jabs she might bring as jokes. Tends to act very cordially with others she might be working with and is quick to accept new faces, though with how taciturn the average exorcist can be, and how quickly she can come onto people, she can be slightly overbearing.

She tends to come off as untrustworthy, even when she's doing her best to actually be such. Her demeanor simply seems a little too slimy for her own good, and this only reinforces the stigma of how she came into the profession. Given assured privacy and enough time to spare, she may indulge in a bit of the more wild nature she was previously known for. Despite this, she claims piety and certainly does her best to portray herself as such. This often is met with suspicion, given what she stands to lose if she was believed to be in danger of returning to apostasy, but she's either convincing enough or truthful in her proclaimed conversion. After 7 years, you'd hope she's a believer.

An unabashed tobacco addict. Has a soft spot for dogs. Dislikes riding in cars when she could be driving. Apparently a good cook. Claims to be skilled at gambling but refuses to demonstrate as gambling is sinful.

EQUIPMENT
^{______________}

Relic of an Unknown Saint - a briefcase, handcuffed to her wrist with the key to be given to the person in charge of any given operation, containing a Tier 3 holy relic. The identity of the Saint it is associated with, as well as what exactly is contained inside, are kept confidential to maintain their security. The holy nature of the relic allows for the briefcase to function as a capable bludgeoning implement against the unholy, burning and repelling them upon contact. In addition, when overt magic of a satanic nature is performed within a distance of a few meters, it reacts violently and immediately lights the offending implements or persons on fire.

And Assorted Sundries - As not every enemy one faces might be that affected by taking a holy briefcase to the face, she carries a semi-automatic pistol and keeps an extendable knife hidden in her right shoe. Both are mundane, but are either good enough for the living or are effective enough for her needs against worse enemies.

CAPACITY
^{______________}

Befitting of her background, Ah-Rong tends to excel in operations against criminal enterprise (in the rare instances that crime organizations become entangled in the supernatural). This especially applies to certain eastern groups, though much of it is able to be transferred to international affairs. She has a proven record in anti-smuggling, anti-human trafficking and anti-magical weapons proliferation that allow her to be considered an expert in this field.

Physically and mentally capable even as she's grown older. Not some kind of superhuman athlete, and there would definitely be plenty of others who could overpower her, but she's well able to keep her own in combat with the unholy. Practices martial arts that emphasize kicking, which is what she tends to default to when not beating things over the head with a briefcase. Her mind's sharper than her body is and she spends a good deal of time studying, which has left her fluent in Korean, Japanese, Latin and, lately, English.

Demonology and Bound Minor Demons "Jinee Seon" - Her expertise lies in her detailed knowledge of witchcraft and how one may go about summoning demons that tends to make her a go-to special advisor when such things are expected to crop up. Identifying specific demons and their kinds are her specialty, as well as being able to provide conclusive evidence regarding whether suspected Satanist activity is real or simply some sort of short-sighted moral panic. She once was a full witch herself, though given that she's over a decade out of practice with her full repertoire and incapable of safely reproducing it, she's probably a shadow of her former power. The magic she is sanctioned to perform in her role as an exorcist is limited. Mainly, she controls two demons bound to her in the form of animate tattoos, both being oversized centipedes that possess a painful and acidic bite. Both are fully bound into two-dimensional form, and can travel along surfaces in this shape as they please while interacting in limited ways with the three-dimensional world, but they are capable of being banished if whatever surface they remain on is fully destroyed. The only other magic she practices is very rudimentary: she can use her finger as a lighter.

Vigil of the Faithful (Anime-Inspired Exorcist RP)

Park Ah-Rong

동부 기독교 형제회 엑소시즘 지부

주니어 선교사 - 특별 문제 사무실

(Eastern Brothers of Christ, Exorcism Branch Office/Junior Missionary Group - Office of Special Cases)

	NAME: PARK AH-RONG ______________ AGE: 41 ______________ DATE OF BIRTH: January 4th - 1931 ______________ FAITH: CATHOLIC ______________ NATIONALITY: JAPANESE-KOREAN ______________

PERSONALITY
^{______________}

Park Ah-Rong is given to a calm demeanor in most scenarios, giving off an impression of being a bit smug about everything. Doesn't shy away from violence, whether against the unholy or humans, but isn't as zealous as some in that field. Sometimes she may come across as flippant towards her peers and (slightly more rarely) her superiors, but is quick to dismiss whatever jabs she might bring as jokes. Tends to act very cordially with others she might be working with and is quick to accept new faces, though with how taciturn the average exorcist can be, and how quickly she can come onto people, she can be slightly overbearing.

She tends to come off as untrustworthy, even when she's doing her best to actually be such. Her demeanor simply seems a little too slimy for her own good, and this only reinforces the stigma of how she came into the profession. Given assured privacy and enough time to spare, she may indulge in a bit of the more wild nature she was previously known for. Despite this, she claims piety and certainly does her best to portray herself as such. This often is met with suspicion, given what she stands to lose if she was believed to be in danger of returning to apostasy, but she's either convincing enough or truthful in her proclaimed conversion. After 7 years, you'd hope she's a believer.

An unabashed tobacco addict. Has a soft spot for dogs. Dislikes riding in cars when she could be driving. Apparently a good cook. Claims to be skilled at gambling but refuses to demonstrate as gambling is sinful.

EQUIPMENT
^{______________}

Relic of an Unknown Saint - a briefcase, handcuffed to her wrist with the key to be given to the person in charge of any given operation, containing a Tier 3 holy relic. The identity of the Saint it is associated with, as well as what exactly is contained inside, are kept confidential to maintain their security. The holy nature of the relic allows for the briefcase to function as a capable bludgeoning implement against the unholy, burning and repelling them upon contact. In addition, when overt magic of a satanic nature is performed within a distance of a few meters, it reacts violently and immediately lights the offending implements or persons on fire.

And Assorted Sundries - As not every enemy one faces might be that affected by taking a holy briefcase to the face, she carries a semi-automatic pistol and keeps an extendable knife hidden in her right shoe. Both are mundane, but are either good enough for the living or are effective enough for her needs against worse enemies.

CAPACITY
^{______________}

Befitting of her background, Ah-Rong tends to excel in operations against criminal enterprise (in the rare instances that crime organizations become entangled in the supernatural). This especially applies to certain eastern groups, though much of it is able to be transferred to international affairs. She has a proven record in anti-smuggling, anti-human trafficking and anti-magical weapons proliferation that allow her to be considered an expert in this field.

Physically and mentally capable even as she's grown older. Not some kind of superhuman athlete, and there would definitely be plenty of others who could overpower her, but she's well able to keep her own in combat with the unholy. Practices martial arts that emphasize kicking, which is what she tends to default to when not beating things over the head with a briefcase. Her mind's sharper than her body is and she spends a good deal of time studying, which has left her fluent in Korean, Japanese, Latin and, lately, English.

Demonology and Bound Minor Demons "Jinee Seon" - Her expertise lies in her detailed knowledge of witchcraft and how one may go about summoning demons that tends to make her a go-to special advisor when such things are expected to crop up. Identifying specific demons and their kinds are her specialty, as well as being able to provide conclusive evidence regarding whether suspected Satanist activity is real or simply some sort of short-sighted moral panic. She once was a full witch herself, though given that she's over a decade out of practice with her full repertoire and incapable of safely reproducing it, she's probably a shadow of her former power. The magic she is sanctioned to perform in her role as an exorcist is limited. Mainly, she controls two demons bound to her in the form of animate tattoos, both being oversized centipedes that possess a painful and acidic bite. Both are fully bound into two-dimensional form, and can travel along surfaces in this shape as they please while interacting in limited ways with the three-dimensional world, but they are capable of being banished if whatever surface they remain on is fully destroyed. The only other magic she practices is very rudimentary: she can use her finger as a lighter.

Vigil of the Faithful (Anime-Inspired Exorcist RP)

i also might be interested, the idea of something on the short-term sounds fun