Magical Lotus - Episode 1 (Complete)

[DracoOmega]

>Does the hairstyle seem correct, aside from being braided on the wrong side of the head?

[Oldmansour]

>Does the hairstyle seem correct, aside from being braided on the wrong side of the head?

>Marissa very rarely wears a ponytail of any sort, let alone one on the side of her head. Since she started growing her hair long some years back, she's almost always had some kind of braid in it. She says it's a good way to 'wake her fingers up in the morning.'
>That and ponytails are much more common than braids, and Marissa's the type to always do a little something different than the crowd.

[DracoOmega]

>"It's... not quite the same, no."
>"And you never did answer my first question."

[Oldmansour]

>"It's... not quite the same, no."

>"You might suggest it later. I think it suits her, if I do say so myself." She giggles rather girlishly, a sound that seems very incongrouous with the Marissa you know.

>"And you never did answer my first question."

>Marisa nods at your observation. "Very good. In point of fact, I can't. You'd probably figure out why, as well, but I'll save you the trouble. If my own face is denied me, wouldn't it make sense if my name was denied me as well?" She pauses for a moment, looking you up and down. "But that's fine, really. We don't really need names in this place. But if you want to call me something, you can always call me Marisa, at least for now. I can even try to talk like her, if that would make you happy."

[DracoOmega]

>"I... think I would rather you didn't, if it's all the same to you."
>"And there is more to a person than just their name. Perhaps your name and your face are denied you here, but there is still something of you beyond those. Your mind and soul are here; those are clearly not something borrowed from my friend."

[Oldmansour]

>"I... think I would rather you didn't, if it's all the same to you."

>"As you wish."

>"And there is more to a person than just their name. Perhaps your name and your face are denied you here, but there is still something of you beyond those. Your mind and soul are here; those are clearly not something borrowed from my friend."

>Her smile changes subtlely then, becoming almost an expression of pride. "You are every bit as insightful as you were when first I met you. Maybe even moreso. It's such a shame that you're not quite right, either. I'll explain, if I can, but even I'm a little fuzzy on how things work. I haven't been here in aeons."
>"What you're seeing isn't truly an extension of myself. All that I am is bound in another place. I have enemies, child, and their powers are beyond your comprehension. I think, if I were to call this myself anything, it would be... a memory. A memory of freedom. Some part of myself that even I have forgotten, that was able to find a single gap in the will of my enemies. A gap that led me here, to this place, where who should I find but you."
>"Oh, I have to ask. Would you prefer I use another another face? If you're uncomfortable seeing Marissa in this capacity."

[DracoOmega]

>"If you have no face that you would call your own more than hers, I suppose that is alright. But please, do continue."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Or would coming up with a new face for you work?"

[Oldmansour]

>"If you have no face that you would call your own more than hers, I suppose that is alright. But please, do continue."

>She rests her elbow on her leg, and places her chin upon her palm. "I didn't think it would be quite this easy to reach you, I admit. It's as though you were waiting for me. Ha, and perhaps that's true, now that I think on it." She pauses then, her eyes fixed on you. Even though they are Marissa's own pale gold eyes, you see something much older behind them. Older, and yet... sad. "It makes sense she would find you first. You were strange among your kin."

>"Or would coming up with a new face for you work?"

>The question seems to take her aback. "A new face? You mean a face uniquely mine?" She smiles sweetly at you. "That's a very thoughtful idea, but I'm afraid it won't work here. You see, you're the only one of us who's actually here. In order to be visible to you, I had to borrow a body from your heart. There are many faces I could have borrowed, though. You are very loved in this world."

[DracoOmega]

>Smile just a little
>"I am very blessed to be surrounded by so many kind people."
>"But you said 'she would find me first'? There is someone else looking for me, then? ...does this have something to do with that vision I had earlier today?"

[Oldmansour]

>Smile just a little
>"I am very blessed to be surrounded by so many kind people."
>"But you said 'she would find me first'? There is someone else looking for me, then? ...does this have something to do with that vision I had earlier today?"

>"I don't have the freedom to speak of either of their actions, at least not in this place. I'm sorry, I know this must be frustrating for you. Bizzare things seem to be happening around you, and I am powerless to give you the answers you seek. But there may be answers out there, if you seek them. I don't know know if we are remembered. And if you cannot find the answers, then rest assured, they will find you. Much sooner than you think."
>She pauses again, and her expression becomes somewhat quizzical. "Tell me, have you ever wondered just why you are surrounded by, as you put it, so many kind people?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Kindness begets kindness."

[Oldmansour]

>"Kindness begets kindness."

>'Marisa' nods. "In so many words. Like is drawn to like as much as to opposite. It is the light in your heart that draws those around you, and that light is brighter than even you know. That's actually one of the things that makes you special  -  you would never consider yourself a special person. At least no more so than anyone else around you. You believe that everyone around you can be special, no matter who they are."
>"Remember that sentiment." Her voice, up until now gentle and light, become suddenly sharper, and very serious. "Never forget the brightness of your soul, or lose the light in your heart."
>She stands then, and walks to the window in the wall. The warm, gentle light seems almost to wrap around her, almost as though it could not touch her.
>"A great darkness is on the horizon, my child. Your world has many old wounds, and some of them refuse to stay closed."

[DracoOmega]

>Frown just a little
>"And why have you sought me to tell me this?"

[Oldmansour]

>Frown just a little
>"And why have you sought me to tell me this?"

>'Marisa' shakes her head slightly. "Because she found you first. And in a sense, it's good she did. I don't think think I could have reached the others. They're too bound to both of us. Although to be completely honest, I didn't come here to tell anyone anything. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I'm afraid my reasons are... somewhat more selfish than that."

[DracoOmega]

>"What is it?"

[Oldmansour]

>"What is it?"

>The woman with Marissa's face smiles a bit sheepishly. "I wanted to see your world."
>She waves her arm in front of her, and the wall of the room simply vanishes. Her wings rustle in the sudden wind as she spreads them wide.
>"Come along. I fear our time is limited." she says, glancing sideways at you.

[DracoOmega]

>Were we on the ground floor to start with?
>What's outside the very large and sudden 'window', anyway?
>"Is... are we really still in the infirmary, or just a place that looks very much like it?"

[Oldmansour]

>Were we on the ground floor to start with?

>The nurse's office is located on the ground floor, yes. Now, however, you appear to be on the second floor, as there is a substantial drop to the ground.

>What's outside the very large and sudden 'window', anyway?

>The east side of the city of Mayoiga, in all it's glory, bathed in the light of a strange sun. It is a kind of white, but you find that you can look straight at it without hurting your eyes. Rather than bleach the color from the city, you find things instead to be more vibrant. The greens of the trees are brighter, the paint of the houses in the distances seem newer, even the drag office buildings and syscreapers seem to pulse with a kind of light they don't have normally. And the light is so warm...

>"Is... are we really still in the infirmary, or just a place that looks very much like it?"

>"I would prefer to explain that when we're airborne. Come, please."

[E-Nazrin]

>Can we fly?

[Oldmansour]

>Can we fly?

>Under normal circumstances, certainly not.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Is there anyone who can, and if so, how common an ability is it? And who all can fly?
>"How am I to get airborn?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"And, as much as I hate to disappoint you, this is only tangentially like the world I know."

[Oldmansour]

>Is there anyone who can, and if so, how common an ability is it? And who all can fly?

>All tengu can naturally fly, for obvious reasons, as can fairys. Winged youkai, such as your teacher Tokiko, can fly as well. Given the broad range that magic seems to cover, you're fairly certain some magicians can fly as well, but you know of no magician personally who have that power.

>"How am I to get airborn?"

>"And, as much as I hate to disappoint you, this is only tangentially like the world I know."

>"I think you'll be surprised how much of this place is akin to your home. And at the very least, it's close enough for me. And as for flying, well," she points over your shoulders with a light laugh. "Isn't that what those are for?"

[DracoOmega]

>Look back over our shoulder

[E-Nazrin]

>What kind of wings have we grown? If there's space, give them a small test flap?

[Oldmansour]

>Look back over our shoulder

>What kind of wings have we grown? If there's space, give them a small test flap?

>A pair of large white wings extend from your shoulder blades, and each feather is tipped with one of six colors: red, black, green, blue, yellow, and turquoise, producing a very odd visual effect. You test them out briefly, setting the curtains near the beds across the roon fluttering in the sudden crossbreeze.

[DracoOmega]

>Could we sense nothing of their physical presence earlier? Logic says that we should have been lying on them if they were here all along.

[Hello Purvis]

>Are they also weightless?
>"...I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

[Oldmansour]

>Could we sense nothing of their physical presence earlier? Logic says that we should have been lying on them if they were here all along.

>Logic, you suspect, may have little bearing on this place. It's much cooler than boring-ass logic. But 'not sensing theor physical presence' isn't quite accurate either. It's more like, you took them for granted, that they had slipped your mind. Like how people take their own breathing for granted sometimes. You find yourself a little surprised at being surprised to see your wings.

>Are they also weightless?

>As near as you can tell, each wing weighs a bit less than one of your arms.

>"...I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

>"Oh, no. Nothing so simple. If this I was merely a dream, I wouldn't feel so bad about not being able to tell you as much as I want to. Of course, I wouldn't have any answers, either. But you're right in that you're not in your world now, either. At least not entirely there."