Old Friends (Jor/Open)

[Caius]

Caius took the walk up to the school where he'd last seen his friend. His past few years had been a journey of self-discovery; the realization that he was an entity, a ruthless dictator, this had instilled in him knowledge of why he'd flocked so easily to Touketsuki. He knew inside him the hunger for power was still there. He could still feel it. He regretted the senseless loss of life. He didn't regret the fair battles he'd engaged in. There was nothing he'd have redone about the assault on Vegeta. He only wished he was stronger; he was sure that everyone else had continued training while he was out, and by now Jorlaxl, whom he had competed with so strongly, their friendly rivalry driving both to excel, had far outstripped him. But now, he was back. He wondered how everyone had been doing.

He'd learned much about how to control his abilities from Ice Cream. Or, Asmodeus, as the true name went. He was much more resilient to damage, but outside of that, he had spent much of his time meditating, as opposed to training his strength. He approached the door to the Crane School. It looked much cleaner, much more well kept than the first time he'd visited. The circumstances now were similar. He had a guitar on his back, his tunic tied at the middle to hug his waist. His hair was even longer, but tied back in a bun, reminiscent of the Chinese warriors of old. His skin was a light, pale color, one might even assume a flashlight would sunburn him. His eyes were a claret red, deep as an ocean of blood. His hand reached up, and knocked on the door.

"HEY, ASSHOLE, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR."

[Deleted]

Night had fallen on the school and it's inhabitants retired to their cells for a hard day's end. The lit lanterns cooed a gentle, orange glow on the school grounds. The shadowed beast emerging from the treeline looked up fondly at the full moon. It was quiet night. Ike had always been fond of the night. Perhaps it was because Ike did not have to worry about being seen by any of the new students. He felt the heartbeats of a group of students performing a meditative kata on the upper courtyard. Their slow, prolonged breaths made Ike knew which form they were practicing. These were students that had been in the school long enough to learn of Ike. He casually passed them on his stroll. After descending down the stone steps, the fox walked by his reflection pond and glanced at the newly installed gravity chamber the Protector installed the day before. Ike wondered if Master was going to be in the mood for a late night session. Just then, his ears pricked up.

An unknown scent...

Ike tracked down the foreign smell to the front of the school were a lone man was making his way up the ancient steps of the school. He appeared to be taking his time. Ike sat on his haunches and watched vigilantly as the man with the instrument on his back made his way to the school doors.

HEY ASSHOLE, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR.

Ike tilted his head in interest as the man shouted the rude command. Never had anyone showed up at the school like such. The guardian beast prowled through the bushes keeping his nose pointed at the man. Ike focused on the memory of Master and weaved a telepathic link.

Master, there is a man in front of the school. I believe he is looking for an 'asshole'. Shall I eat him?

[Jorlaxl]

Ghosts of the past, figments of memories long since lost to the sands of time. Old enemies, troubling plots, all of this was the result of his time away from the world, locked within his school for five long and painful years. Although students came, and now he is back in the swing of things, Jorlaxl still can't help but feel a sense of impending change in the wind, from a source that he can't begin to even fathom. When Serori left, she left as the lover of Suki, the mastermind behind his own failure as both a Trader and a Fighter. When Caius left, he was a dear friend, wandering, searching for a purpose.

Jorlaxl was teaching a class of young students during the twilight hours of the day, when the sun was hung low in the sky, with wisps of precipitating hanging on the precipice of overflowing, washing their heavenly showers down upon the forest. Yes, it was quiet. Not a student spoke, they were focused in their meditation. Jorlaxl was sat at the head of the room, in a relaxed form, head between the fingers of each hand. When he was properly attuned like this, everything was so simple... so easy. Like it used to be, before they left.

In this calm state of Zen he stayed, peaceful as a mountain breeze. The whole school was quiet, and-

"HEY, ASSHOLE, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR."

The voice of a familiar origin combined with the knock at the front door struck Jorlaxl immediately out of his reverie. Opening one eye impatiently, he thought to himself, That voice... is it him?

Using his powers of ki-dousing, Jorlaxl closed his eyes again, and visualized the front door, with shadows taking the place of physical structures. The aqua glow of Caius' aura was behind the door.

Caius has returned.

Jorlaxl, using his telekinesis, opened the front door. Using his telepathy, he established a link with the Makaio that has evaded him for so long.

"Come on in, my old friend. I'm in the main chamber, surely you remember the way."

No later than he sent that message did he receive another, from his friend and companion Ike. Master, there is a man in front of the school. I believe he is looking for an 'asshole'. Shall I eat him?

Smirking beneath his concentration, he replied to him. Caius, if his concentration was attuned, would be able to hear both Ike's response and Jorlaxl's reply. "No, Ike. He's just a friend of mine, who should be more punctual with his comings and goings. I'm in the main meditation room if you want to meet him."

[Caius]

The door opened of its own accord, or so it seemed. Telepathic whisperings floated through the atmosphere, and it appeared as if one of the beings, one of Jorlaxl's new students, thought Caius couldn't hear him. Luckily for them, Caius had no bone to pick with relative strangers, and hopefully they would be friends. New friends are equally as valuable as old ones. He stretched his arms, and walked through the school.

Since the last time he'd been here, Jorlaxl had renovated. The school was beautiful. He wondered if Amaranth was still around; he didn't sense her nearby. Perhaps she'd left, as she'd implied she wanted to. Caius ignored the whispers of the other students, and linked directly with Jorlaxl, approaching the bio-android as he sat in the main meditation room, the hums of quiet consciousnesses filling his atmosphere like a harmony of souls. Jorlaxl had cultivated so many more powers of mentalism, he could feel the mental presence envelop him, and he knew he had much to learn from him. Caius slid his belongings off his back, and laid them on the floor.

"Duuude, what the FUCK IS UP?"

[Jorlaxl]

Caius hasn't changed a bit in the five years that he's been gone. Standing up to face his old friend, he enveloped him in a hug that was 5 years too late. He had truly missed his ally, his friend, and his companion. Almost subconsciously, Jorlaxl could smell the ether on his demonic friend. This was the smell of sulfur and a few other scents that used to permeate the area wherever Caius used his infamously random power of taking items from a gate into the nether.

Grinning genuinely at this outburst from the demon, Jorlaxl had no choice but to raise his voice, something the other students would be quite new to. Already they were exchanging glances at each other, wondering just what this demon was here for. "NOT MUCH, MAN! MEDITATING, YOU KNOW?" Smirking a sideshot towards both Ike and the rest of his students, he lowered his voice to normal levels and continued. "Where have you been, my man? Hold on, we can speak more privately in my chamber." Looking towards his students whose meditations were completely interrupted, he spoke. "I apologize for this, but I have urgent matters to attend to. I trust you all can continue without me?"

The students of the Crane school opened their eyes, cut off from the hivemind that Jorlaxl has opened their subconscious to. Some of them shook their head groggily, where others simply kept their eyes closed, still meditating in complete peace. Turning his gaze to Caius and Ike, Jorlaxl motioned with his hands down a hallway, and began to walk towards his own room. A comfy sofa was against the wall, and he sat on the left side, reclining his feet up on the table.

Motioning towards a mini-fridge against the west wall of his chamber, Jorlaxl said, "Go ahead, and take anything you like. Take a seat, sit a while." Conjuring up three marbles of dark purple ki, he began to let them float in the air, using his index finger to wave them around the air.

"Ike, this is my dearest friend, Caius. He, like you, is a demon. However, he was born into his title. Where have you been for 5 years?"

[Deleted]

Ike's ears pricked up immediately.

A demon? Ike had never seen one so, so, so, so...controlled. Ike stared at Caius curiously while the demon-man talked. He had never seen or heard of a demon such as this one.

Ike had not forgotten his formalities towards Master's trusted guests so he shot out his long demon tongue and lapped up the front of Caius's face in a sign of welcome.

The demonic vulpine lay down beside Master's feet, carefully watching the suspicious stranger.

Ike, like a frog, extended his tongue out towards Caius. If it landed, it would snatch the beer can out of Caius's hand.

[Rensou Hiruen]

665 PL for Jorlaxl. This is a pregrade. Feel free to continue this thread.