ooc: application
PLAYER
✧ NAME: Mhairi
✧ LJ USERNAME: uglytidings
✧ CONTACT (EMAIL, AIM, MSN, PLURK, ETC.): email: eyelinerkisses@hotmail.com||AIM/plurk: deathwailart
✧ CURRENT MUSE LIST:
Shirley McAllister||truailligh ||Original
Tony Stark||coolexec ||Iron Man (movies)
Portgas D. Ace||daienkai ||One Piece
CHARACTER
✧ NAME: Wakahisa Isamu
✧ SERIES: Phoenixes and Foxes
✧ HISTORY:
Isamu was born 300 years ago in Japan to an old mage family, the youngest son and the first of his generation to be imbued with magic. Due to this, he was separated from his family young to be trained in how to fight with both weapons and magic to fight in the war against the lower demons. One battle took him past his home village, the first time he had returned in a decade and he found his family slain, nothing more than smoking corpses. Horrified and distraught, he returned to the barracks and the war, throwing himself into the battle with absolutely no regard for his own safety. His friends and superiors - unbeknownst to Isamu his great-great grandfather numbered among them - worried for him and their worries provided correct when he was stabbed through the heart by a weapon known as a demon blade, forged from demons blood that killed instantly. None of his healing magic was able to work and he died, his distant relative and commander ordering that he be cremated and with heavy hearts, the men agreed. And then a curious thing happened - Isamu walked out of the dying embers without a mark upon him. His commander's hunch was proven correct as not only did he have powerful magic, he had been marked by the phoenix just as the older man had.
After this, Isamu was taken aside by his relative, the family history explained to him, the ancient story of the phoenix warriors, unrelated men and women blessed to restore balance and rid the world of the lower demons to restore the peace. Isamu embraced the philosophies and was gifted with the demon blade that killed him, a weapon that took him years to master as the sword was meant to end the lives of the phoenix warriors and eventually he stabbed himself with it, to prove he held no fear. The sword obeyed him and began to channel his magic the way it was meant to. Isamu rose through the ranks, not aging, fighting battles, dying and being reborn until his grandfather was slain in battle by a demon commander with a weapon that cleaved the soul from the body, preventing him from being reborn. Their chief commander gone, the company disbanded after defeating the demons and Isamu wandered, trying to track down the demon commander or the weapon or any information on either of them. He found little though and eventually joined up with a safehouse where he worked to earn his keep and trained the children present there. He abstained from battle unless the need was great and travelled from safehouse to safehouse.
It was to one of these houses that Chiyo travelled, under the guise of claiming sanctuary. Isamu could tell that something was different about her and when she bested him in sparring matches he could tell that she was more than just another phoenix warrior or fighter. Chiyo was a kitsune. The neutral party in the conflict, sowing discord on both sides but she swore that she needed help from the phoenix warriors; she had stolen an artifact that the demons wanted at any cost. Isamu eventually pried the truth from her and found that she possessed the blade that killed his grandfather. Unfortunately, neither he or Chiyo knew how to wield it and Chiyo begged him to ask no further questions on the matter. He relented and set off once more, this time much further afield. Chiyo joined him, wishing to put distance between herself and Japan and over time she and Isamu became lovers.
Eventually though, searching Germany together, the demons she had stolen from tracked them down, besting Isamu in combat and taking Chiyo along with the soul blade. Devastated, Isamu shut himself away and became a scholar, ending up in London where he joined with archivists in one of the permanent safehouses that had been established, a huge sprawling building with protected grounds where there were crops and livestock and a hospital attached. Over the years it became more and more modern and Isamu became the main teacher to the young people in magic, history and combat as well as being a guardian to the next field members he trained as their parents were away more often than not.
During the training of one group of students, demon activity began to spike, rumours spreading that the Overlord and unravelled the mysteries of the phoenix warriors and how to create more soul blades. He was said to wear the form of a slain phoenix warrior which greatly troubled the older staff members and it was agreed that it would be best to keep it from the students although Isamu told his own group, swearing them to secrecy so as to avoid any discipline charges - he personally believed it would make his students more wary, if they knew that a demon could take over their bodies if a soul blade pierced them. Another fact though reached Isamu's ears alone and he kept it to himself due to how personal it was; the Overlord travelled with a chained fox with nine tails and from their last meeting more than a century ago, he believed it to be Chiyo held hostage. Life though continued as normal for the students although they were forbidden to leave the safehouse grounds due to concerns over their safety and to apologise, a new year party was held.
Sadly, the celebration to welcome in 2011 turned into a disaster. The safehouse was breached and attacked, something that hadn't happened in five hundred years since it had first been built and many were killed. Isamu escaped with his students and they managed to make it safely to Japan via teleportation spells although they arrived dazed and exhausted, spending weeks recovering. Isamu had brought them to Japan as that had been the home of the phoenix originally and he was sure that even if they couldn't find their enemies there, they would find answers.
One of his students felt differently. Lachlan, well on his way to becoming a fully fledged warrior rebelled against Isamu's rules and plans to meet with other teams in Japan to try to regroup and insisted that they hunt down any demons they could in revenge and he took his fellow six students (Kara, Jason, Oscar, Felix, Cecelia and Blaise) with him on these missions. The group became arrogant and self-assured with their successes and at how easily they cut the demons down, little knowing that Isamu always followed behind to step in. Sadly, they were lead into a trap and Isamu didn't manage to save Lachlan, struck down by a soul blade and killed; the rest of the group barely made it out alive.
The loss of Lachlan shook the surviving six and they began to work harder than they had before on their skills and with research, promoting Kara to team lader. Isamu became the mentor once more but knew that their paths would split and so took them to a small group of warriors who frequently travelled to wherever they were needed, the safehouse little more than a barracks. In actuality, it was a rebuilt version of the barracks Isamu had spent much of his early life in. Unable to stay due to the memories, Isamu volunteered to work in the archives, keeping in touch and co-ordinating background support even as he was pressured into picking up his sword and joining the fight again. He still refused, saying he would defend a place but couldn't trust himself in the heat of a battle anymore. At the temples, ancient holy places, children were housed and he picked up where he left off, teaching them to survive.
✧ TIMELINE: After the attack on the London safehouse; flight to Japan
✧ PERSONALITY:
After living and travelling for 300 or so years, Isamu is laidback, hard to shock and very accepting of lifestyle choices. He has a good rapport with young people due to his years as a teacher and knows plenty about pop culture as a result. Typically, he can be somewhat of a troll to his students because he treats them like lower ranked comrades and well, what's life without a few jokes that might be a little close to the line? However, when crossed, he's not a man to be trifled with; Isamu knows how to fight and if drawn into battle, he'll fight to win as unless a soul blade wielder is present, the phoenix flame will ignite and he'll return again. If someone he cares for is threatened or an innocent or any vulnerable person, he'll defend them as this is the sworn task of a phoenix warrior.
He detests demons as they are his sworn enemy, the enemy of all phoenix warriors and he has lost family, friends and comrades to them as well as his lover Chiyo, now an imprisoned slave of the Demon Overlord. He is likely to seek out the demon alone (once he has confirmed that yes, that is a demon) to cut them down quickly and mercifully as he dislikes causing pain to anything, even to demons but there are some exceptions to this rule. Torturers deserve a taste of their own medicine and in dire circumstances, an application of force is necesary to gain vital information, especially if lives are at stake.
Overall though, it's very difficult to provoke Isamu's anger. He prefers to sit back, research and see how a situation develops before barging in and doing something. This is the most common cause of him butting heads with his students at home; hot-blooded idiots who go bulldozing in tend to be yelled at, then they receive an eyeroll and heands being thrown in the air. If he's worried, he'll likely follow along in the shadows to see if they need assistance and if they do, he will deliver an 'I told you so' speech whilst helping them out of whatever mess they've gotten themselves into. He really does prefer to stay out of conflict though unless it's needed as he feels ashamed at how long the war against the lower demons has lasted and of the times he's failed to protect those he felt he was to protect: his family, his great great grandfather, Chiyo and any of his fallen comrades. Isamu did a great deal of fighting, near constantly, for the better part of a century and he likes being with his books or teaching. He now fights to protect, not to simply kill and the Overlord is the only exception.
Isamu also likes kicking back and relaxing at the end of a day with a beer, watching TV (do not disturb him when he watches sport, ever). And woe betide anyone who disturbs his sleep unless the world is ending because they'll be put out the nearest window. It's an old people thing. Or so he says.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
Isamu's magic is channelled through his sword, a demon blade he was killed by as a young man. While he can use spells by hand, the blade is used to focus it better.
Isamu's sword - a nodachi (野太刀:のだち). The weapon was originally forged by demons and it negates the use of healing magic until after death when the phoenix flame reignites itself although in some cases, the flame will not reignite due to the severity of injuries or if the heart has been removed, a common tactic of the lower demons.
Isamu's magic can be split into three categories: sword, palm and fingersnap. Some techniques are limited to only one avenue ie they are sword, palm or fingersnap but never more than one.
Technique: sword||palm||fingersnap
Fire: the blade turns to flame||he produces a ball of flame
Lightning: lightning wraps around the blade||shoots a burst of lightning||creates small sparks
Light: snapping his fingers allows him to create a blinding light; this is a distraction technique
Shadow: drawing his blade around himself once, Isamu can cloak himself in shadow to avoid detection. Alternately, he can surround an enemy in shadow, allowing himself or others time to escape.
Earth: plunging his blade into the earth he can cause small earthquakes to upset the footing of opponents. He can also summon vines to constrict them.
Water: slashing through the air creates waves of water that can hit an opponent||he produces a blast of water||creates a light mist of rain
Phoenix fire: by summoning the phoenix fire, he can either heal himself or others by lying his hand or the demon blade on the skin to seal the wound. On others, this is limited to external wounds but on himself, he can heal massive internal injuries unless he chooses to die first so he can be reborn without going through the healing process.
Isamu can do what phoenix warriors term as mundane tricks - illusion creation - by manipulating light and shadow. These are only really used to help disguise phoenix warrior activity around normal people. They're also done for training exercises and for the amusement of children.
Vortex spots are also created using earth, light and shadow, the magic energy enough that when a sword is slashed through it, the user is transferred to the next vortex spot in the chain or the next one they voice.
All phoenix warriors also possess an unnamed sense that allows them to know if demons are close by; the phoenix flame is what feels this and most commonly the warriors describe it as a sudden burst of heat followed by shivers.
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Day
✧ MASK DESIGN:
Isamu is a phoenix warrior and as such, there is a flame in his heart which allows him to heal himself and others. Luckily, he is never able to turn into a fire turkey so this mask is as close as he gets.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE: The study/library of the London safehouse:
Part of the library itself
The attached study area
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON:
[The high cry of circling gulls, the crash of waves on the shore and the wind whipping his hair fill his senses as he awkwardl makes his way down the sandy shore.]
Finally. Took me long enough. [He murmurs the words to himself, feeling more than a little foolish but this is a big moment. After all, he's never been to a beach before and it's breathtaking after all these landlocked years.]
I didn't... [he pauses, because it's so vast, clear blue sky and the stretch of white topped blue below and for the first time in years he feels like the child he was never able to be, rolling up his trousers, plucking at the laces of his boots. Once the're off, he's running into the spray, swearing and laughing.]
Fuck! It's freezing!
[But that's not going to stop him; he's staying out in the spray, laughing and kicking.]
✧ THIRD PERSON:
Every night, before sleep, Isamu paced the modest apartment, checking on each and every one of his remaining students, the tiny group he'd managed to escape with from London, teleporting from vortex spot to vortex spot, all the way to Tokyo, the first safe place he could think of. Since arriving three days ago only Isamu had ventured out to pick up food for them and since then they had only eaten and slept, recovering physically at least although all of them remained in a state of shock. They were still too oung to truly appreciate loss on such a scale and it didn't surprise him that there had been no real tears yet. The grief would hit them soon, when the would emerge from their near catatonic states to scream and to cry.
He wasn't sure how well he'd cope. He could be strong, yes, but he wasn't a parent. He was a teacher, a field commander. He had to steer them the correct way and not down the path of vengeance.
Sighing, he slid open one door to where the girls slept, Kara and Cecelia curled against either other on the mattress, weapons within easy reach and he smiled slightly. They looked peaceful enough, loose limbed and slack with sleep and so all he did was move a half full glass of water to the windowledge, safe from any flailing limbs or early morning stumbles. Next it was the larger room (this one an actual bedroom, not a stud) where the boys slept. If it had been any other situation, he might have laughed at the mess of sprawled limbs but tonight he couldn't. These were oung men who sparred together and who fought and who liked to stomp around, acting macho and trying to be alpha male. Closer inspection revealed one body to be missing and for an ugly moment his heart surged in his chest until he heard water running in the kitchen. Oscar then because he couldn't spot the highlighter bright hairdo. Again, he padded in and adjusted the blankets so that bare feet were covered instead of being exposed to the chilly air of the apartment. Gathering himself, he ended up in the kitchen where Oscar leaned against the counter, shoulders hunched as he stared down the kettle.
"Keep staring and you'll make it too nervous to boil," he chided, hardly surprised that the teenager jumped as though he'd been struck.
"Sorry," the young man apologised, "Didn't think I'd wake anyone."
"I wasn't asleep; I check on all of you every night," Isamu explained as he reached into a cupboard to snag a couple of mugs and the box of chamomile tea. He needed all the help he could get to sleep these days and that wasn't even counting the lumpy couch that had a personal vendetta against his spine.
But apparently sleep would have to wait; he recognised that shoulder shaking and he gave a sad sigh, mugs and tea discarded in favour of pulling a sobbing student close for a reassuring hug.
✧ ORIGINAL CHARACTER QUESTION:
It was sad to say but Isamu had woken in much stranger places over the course of his life and often, when he'd been in the army, he'd woken in a state of undress. But then the panic kicked and he was on his feed, nodachi slung over his shoulder as he took it in. Had there been a problem with the vortex spots? It could be that in the confusion, they'd managed to separate if they hadn't all been thinking of the same place or if any of their feelings had overpowered his in getting the final say on where they jumped to. Or it had been re-routed. Another problem with all that chaos if people had been jumping to and fro.
Whatever was going on, he wasn't here and he needed to get hold of the students and make sure they could regroup so he patted himself down, relieved to find his mobile phone still in the front pocket of his jeans and without even bothering to check the reception, he punched in the first number of one of the students, holding the phone to his ear.
Nothing.
"Come on," he muttered, disconnecting and trying the next number but again there was nothing. Not a burst of static, not that annoying voice saying 'it has not been possible to connect your call', not the beep beep beep of being disconnected. "Nanda?" With another curse he shoved the phone away and raked his hands through his hair, looking around. He'd be able to sense if a demon was close by because that familiar burst of phoenix flame that sent shivers through him was unmistakable and so he forced a smile onto his face and approached the first person he could, eyebrow raising at the mask they wore. Was a festival taking place? It didn't matter much but he'd need to keep an eye out, just in case.
✧ NAME: Mhairi
✧ LJ USERNAME: uglytidings
✧ CONTACT (EMAIL, AIM, MSN, PLURK, ETC.): email: eyelinerkisses@hotmail.com||AIM/plurk: deathwailart
✧ CURRENT MUSE LIST:
Shirley McAllister||truailligh ||Original
Tony Stark||coolexec ||Iron Man (movies)
Portgas D. Ace||daienkai ||One Piece
CHARACTER
✧ NAME: Wakahisa Isamu
✧ SERIES: Phoenixes and Foxes
✧ HISTORY:
Isamu was born 300 years ago in Japan to an old mage family, the youngest son and the first of his generation to be imbued with magic. Due to this, he was separated from his family young to be trained in how to fight with both weapons and magic to fight in the war against the lower demons. One battle took him past his home village, the first time he had returned in a decade and he found his family slain, nothing more than smoking corpses. Horrified and distraught, he returned to the barracks and the war, throwing himself into the battle with absolutely no regard for his own safety. His friends and superiors - unbeknownst to Isamu his great-great grandfather numbered among them - worried for him and their worries provided correct when he was stabbed through the heart by a weapon known as a demon blade, forged from demons blood that killed instantly. None of his healing magic was able to work and he died, his distant relative and commander ordering that he be cremated and with heavy hearts, the men agreed. And then a curious thing happened - Isamu walked out of the dying embers without a mark upon him. His commander's hunch was proven correct as not only did he have powerful magic, he had been marked by the phoenix just as the older man had.
After this, Isamu was taken aside by his relative, the family history explained to him, the ancient story of the phoenix warriors, unrelated men and women blessed to restore balance and rid the world of the lower demons to restore the peace. Isamu embraced the philosophies and was gifted with the demon blade that killed him, a weapon that took him years to master as the sword was meant to end the lives of the phoenix warriors and eventually he stabbed himself with it, to prove he held no fear. The sword obeyed him and began to channel his magic the way it was meant to. Isamu rose through the ranks, not aging, fighting battles, dying and being reborn until his grandfather was slain in battle by a demon commander with a weapon that cleaved the soul from the body, preventing him from being reborn. Their chief commander gone, the company disbanded after defeating the demons and Isamu wandered, trying to track down the demon commander or the weapon or any information on either of them. He found little though and eventually joined up with a safehouse where he worked to earn his keep and trained the children present there. He abstained from battle unless the need was great and travelled from safehouse to safehouse.
It was to one of these houses that Chiyo travelled, under the guise of claiming sanctuary. Isamu could tell that something was different about her and when she bested him in sparring matches he could tell that she was more than just another phoenix warrior or fighter. Chiyo was a kitsune. The neutral party in the conflict, sowing discord on both sides but she swore that she needed help from the phoenix warriors; she had stolen an artifact that the demons wanted at any cost. Isamu eventually pried the truth from her and found that she possessed the blade that killed his grandfather. Unfortunately, neither he or Chiyo knew how to wield it and Chiyo begged him to ask no further questions on the matter. He relented and set off once more, this time much further afield. Chiyo joined him, wishing to put distance between herself and Japan and over time she and Isamu became lovers.
Eventually though, searching Germany together, the demons she had stolen from tracked them down, besting Isamu in combat and taking Chiyo along with the soul blade. Devastated, Isamu shut himself away and became a scholar, ending up in London where he joined with archivists in one of the permanent safehouses that had been established, a huge sprawling building with protected grounds where there were crops and livestock and a hospital attached. Over the years it became more and more modern and Isamu became the main teacher to the young people in magic, history and combat as well as being a guardian to the next field members he trained as their parents were away more often than not.
During the training of one group of students, demon activity began to spike, rumours spreading that the Overlord and unravelled the mysteries of the phoenix warriors and how to create more soul blades. He was said to wear the form of a slain phoenix warrior which greatly troubled the older staff members and it was agreed that it would be best to keep it from the students although Isamu told his own group, swearing them to secrecy so as to avoid any discipline charges - he personally believed it would make his students more wary, if they knew that a demon could take over their bodies if a soul blade pierced them. Another fact though reached Isamu's ears alone and he kept it to himself due to how personal it was; the Overlord travelled with a chained fox with nine tails and from their last meeting more than a century ago, he believed it to be Chiyo held hostage. Life though continued as normal for the students although they were forbidden to leave the safehouse grounds due to concerns over their safety and to apologise, a new year party was held.
Sadly, the celebration to welcome in 2011 turned into a disaster. The safehouse was breached and attacked, something that hadn't happened in five hundred years since it had first been built and many were killed. Isamu escaped with his students and they managed to make it safely to Japan via teleportation spells although they arrived dazed and exhausted, spending weeks recovering. Isamu had brought them to Japan as that had been the home of the phoenix originally and he was sure that even if they couldn't find their enemies there, they would find answers.
One of his students felt differently. Lachlan, well on his way to becoming a fully fledged warrior rebelled against Isamu's rules and plans to meet with other teams in Japan to try to regroup and insisted that they hunt down any demons they could in revenge and he took his fellow six students (Kara, Jason, Oscar, Felix, Cecelia and Blaise) with him on these missions. The group became arrogant and self-assured with their successes and at how easily they cut the demons down, little knowing that Isamu always followed behind to step in. Sadly, they were lead into a trap and Isamu didn't manage to save Lachlan, struck down by a soul blade and killed; the rest of the group barely made it out alive.
The loss of Lachlan shook the surviving six and they began to work harder than they had before on their skills and with research, promoting Kara to team lader. Isamu became the mentor once more but knew that their paths would split and so took them to a small group of warriors who frequently travelled to wherever they were needed, the safehouse little more than a barracks. In actuality, it was a rebuilt version of the barracks Isamu had spent much of his early life in. Unable to stay due to the memories, Isamu volunteered to work in the archives, keeping in touch and co-ordinating background support even as he was pressured into picking up his sword and joining the fight again. He still refused, saying he would defend a place but couldn't trust himself in the heat of a battle anymore. At the temples, ancient holy places, children were housed and he picked up where he left off, teaching them to survive.
✧ TIMELINE: After the attack on the London safehouse; flight to Japan
✧ PERSONALITY:
After living and travelling for 300 or so years, Isamu is laidback, hard to shock and very accepting of lifestyle choices. He has a good rapport with young people due to his years as a teacher and knows plenty about pop culture as a result. Typically, he can be somewhat of a troll to his students because he treats them like lower ranked comrades and well, what's life without a few jokes that might be a little close to the line? However, when crossed, he's not a man to be trifled with; Isamu knows how to fight and if drawn into battle, he'll fight to win as unless a soul blade wielder is present, the phoenix flame will ignite and he'll return again. If someone he cares for is threatened or an innocent or any vulnerable person, he'll defend them as this is the sworn task of a phoenix warrior.
He detests demons as they are his sworn enemy, the enemy of all phoenix warriors and he has lost family, friends and comrades to them as well as his lover Chiyo, now an imprisoned slave of the Demon Overlord. He is likely to seek out the demon alone (once he has confirmed that yes, that is a demon) to cut them down quickly and mercifully as he dislikes causing pain to anything, even to demons but there are some exceptions to this rule. Torturers deserve a taste of their own medicine and in dire circumstances, an application of force is necesary to gain vital information, especially if lives are at stake.
Overall though, it's very difficult to provoke Isamu's anger. He prefers to sit back, research and see how a situation develops before barging in and doing something. This is the most common cause of him butting heads with his students at home; hot-blooded idiots who go bulldozing in tend to be yelled at, then they receive an eyeroll and heands being thrown in the air. If he's worried, he'll likely follow along in the shadows to see if they need assistance and if they do, he will deliver an 'I told you so' speech whilst helping them out of whatever mess they've gotten themselves into. He really does prefer to stay out of conflict though unless it's needed as he feels ashamed at how long the war against the lower demons has lasted and of the times he's failed to protect those he felt he was to protect: his family, his great great grandfather, Chiyo and any of his fallen comrades. Isamu did a great deal of fighting, near constantly, for the better part of a century and he likes being with his books or teaching. He now fights to protect, not to simply kill and the Overlord is the only exception.
Isamu also likes kicking back and relaxing at the end of a day with a beer, watching TV (do not disturb him when he watches sport, ever). And woe betide anyone who disturbs his sleep unless the world is ending because they'll be put out the nearest window. It's an old people thing. Or so he says.
✧ ABILITIES/POWERS:
Isamu's magic is channelled through his sword, a demon blade he was killed by as a young man. While he can use spells by hand, the blade is used to focus it better.
Isamu's sword - a nodachi (野太刀:のだち). The weapon was originally forged by demons and it negates the use of healing magic until after death when the phoenix flame reignites itself although in some cases, the flame will not reignite due to the severity of injuries or if the heart has been removed, a common tactic of the lower demons.
Isamu's magic can be split into three categories: sword, palm and fingersnap. Some techniques are limited to only one avenue ie they are sword, palm or fingersnap but never more than one.
Technique: sword||palm||fingersnap
Fire: the blade turns to flame||he produces a ball of flame
Lightning: lightning wraps around the blade||shoots a burst of lightning||creates small sparks
Light: snapping his fingers allows him to create a blinding light; this is a distraction technique
Shadow: drawing his blade around himself once, Isamu can cloak himself in shadow to avoid detection. Alternately, he can surround an enemy in shadow, allowing himself or others time to escape.
Earth: plunging his blade into the earth he can cause small earthquakes to upset the footing of opponents. He can also summon vines to constrict them.
Water: slashing through the air creates waves of water that can hit an opponent||he produces a blast of water||creates a light mist of rain
Phoenix fire: by summoning the phoenix fire, he can either heal himself or others by lying his hand or the demon blade on the skin to seal the wound. On others, this is limited to external wounds but on himself, he can heal massive internal injuries unless he chooses to die first so he can be reborn without going through the healing process.
Isamu can do what phoenix warriors term as mundane tricks - illusion creation - by manipulating light and shadow. These are only really used to help disguise phoenix warrior activity around normal people. They're also done for training exercises and for the amusement of children.
Vortex spots are also created using earth, light and shadow, the magic energy enough that when a sword is slashed through it, the user is transferred to the next vortex spot in the chain or the next one they voice.
All phoenix warriors also possess an unnamed sense that allows them to know if demons are close by; the phoenix flame is what feels this and most commonly the warriors describe it as a sudden burst of heat followed by shivers.
✧ TIME OF ARRIVAL: Day
✧ MASK DESIGN:
Isamu is a phoenix warrior and as such, there is a flame in his heart which allows him to heal himself and others. Luckily, he is never able to turn into a fire turkey so this mask is as close as he gets.
✧ PLACE OF SOLACE: The study/library of the London safehouse:
Part of the library itself
The attached study area
SAMPLES
✧ FIRST PERSON:
[The high cry of circling gulls, the crash of waves on the shore and the wind whipping his hair fill his senses as he awkwardl makes his way down the sandy shore.]
Finally. Took me long enough. [He murmurs the words to himself, feeling more than a little foolish but this is a big moment. After all, he's never been to a beach before and it's breathtaking after all these landlocked years.]
I didn't... [he pauses, because it's so vast, clear blue sky and the stretch of white topped blue below and for the first time in years he feels like the child he was never able to be, rolling up his trousers, plucking at the laces of his boots. Once the're off, he's running into the spray, swearing and laughing.]
Fuck! It's freezing!
[But that's not going to stop him; he's staying out in the spray, laughing and kicking.]
✧ THIRD PERSON:
Every night, before sleep, Isamu paced the modest apartment, checking on each and every one of his remaining students, the tiny group he'd managed to escape with from London, teleporting from vortex spot to vortex spot, all the way to Tokyo, the first safe place he could think of. Since arriving three days ago only Isamu had ventured out to pick up food for them and since then they had only eaten and slept, recovering physically at least although all of them remained in a state of shock. They were still too oung to truly appreciate loss on such a scale and it didn't surprise him that there had been no real tears yet. The grief would hit them soon, when the would emerge from their near catatonic states to scream and to cry.
He wasn't sure how well he'd cope. He could be strong, yes, but he wasn't a parent. He was a teacher, a field commander. He had to steer them the correct way and not down the path of vengeance.
Sighing, he slid open one door to where the girls slept, Kara and Cecelia curled against either other on the mattress, weapons within easy reach and he smiled slightly. They looked peaceful enough, loose limbed and slack with sleep and so all he did was move a half full glass of water to the windowledge, safe from any flailing limbs or early morning stumbles. Next it was the larger room (this one an actual bedroom, not a stud) where the boys slept. If it had been any other situation, he might have laughed at the mess of sprawled limbs but tonight he couldn't. These were oung men who sparred together and who fought and who liked to stomp around, acting macho and trying to be alpha male. Closer inspection revealed one body to be missing and for an ugly moment his heart surged in his chest until he heard water running in the kitchen. Oscar then because he couldn't spot the highlighter bright hairdo. Again, he padded in and adjusted the blankets so that bare feet were covered instead of being exposed to the chilly air of the apartment. Gathering himself, he ended up in the kitchen where Oscar leaned against the counter, shoulders hunched as he stared down the kettle.
"Keep staring and you'll make it too nervous to boil," he chided, hardly surprised that the teenager jumped as though he'd been struck.
"Sorry," the young man apologised, "Didn't think I'd wake anyone."
"I wasn't asleep; I check on all of you every night," Isamu explained as he reached into a cupboard to snag a couple of mugs and the box of chamomile tea. He needed all the help he could get to sleep these days and that wasn't even counting the lumpy couch that had a personal vendetta against his spine.
But apparently sleep would have to wait; he recognised that shoulder shaking and he gave a sad sigh, mugs and tea discarded in favour of pulling a sobbing student close for a reassuring hug.
✧ ORIGINAL CHARACTER QUESTION:
It was sad to say but Isamu had woken in much stranger places over the course of his life and often, when he'd been in the army, he'd woken in a state of undress. But then the panic kicked and he was on his feed, nodachi slung over his shoulder as he took it in. Had there been a problem with the vortex spots? It could be that in the confusion, they'd managed to separate if they hadn't all been thinking of the same place or if any of their feelings had overpowered his in getting the final say on where they jumped to. Or it had been re-routed. Another problem with all that chaos if people had been jumping to and fro.
Whatever was going on, he wasn't here and he needed to get hold of the students and make sure they could regroup so he patted himself down, relieved to find his mobile phone still in the front pocket of his jeans and without even bothering to check the reception, he punched in the first number of one of the students, holding the phone to his ear.
Nothing.
"Come on," he muttered, disconnecting and trying the next number but again there was nothing. Not a burst of static, not that annoying voice saying 'it has not been possible to connect your call', not the beep beep beep of being disconnected. "Nanda?" With another curse he shoved the phone away and raked his hands through his hair, looking around. He'd be able to sense if a demon was close by because that familiar burst of phoenix flame that sent shivers through him was unmistakable and so he forced a smile onto his face and approached the first person he could, eyebrow raising at the mask they wore. Was a festival taking place? It didn't matter much but he'd need to keep an eye out, just in case.