[@payldue] [b]Selim - Hunting in the Forest[/b] Selim nodded politely in response to Axel. He had to almost not force a laugh when Axel asked where he was from, both because it was a complex question and it was often asked to avoid being racist. Selim's ethnicity was pretty clearly visible. "Most recently I was from Gadot," he replied, gesturing to his skin in a joke that it was a changing feature, "I have mixed lineage though and I've spent a lot of time in Orin and Relin, which I have in my blood as well. As for the Rites, yes, that is what brought me to Toran. It felt like the right time to begin that journey." He specifically avoided going into too much detail about the timing of his Rites. "I"m going to hazard a guess you are from Ward," Selim commented, deciding to stand up to stretch a bit. Orin drew a lot of tourists due to the 'culture' of the city, if one could call it that. Mostly Orin was a city to visit if you wanted to seem fancier than you were, or you wanted to flaunt wealthy, beauty, or some other kind of token that could be used to express your 'superiority'. Of course, that was the legacy of the city and not who it was now. However, news did not really spread fast and many of the tourists behaved as if Orin had not begun its clean up - thanks to Jantonna du Soleil. ----------------------------------------------------------- [@payldue] [b]Anastasia Radtfield - Toran Arena Challenge[/b] There was little much to say about the Toran Arena, especially when there was no challenger within building. However, everyone knew about its Arena Master - Anastasia Radtfield. She was a Searsinging prodigy and from one of the wealthiest and influential families in all of Atren to boot. It seemed like a peculiar choice for someone from that background to be an Arena Master, but it was Anastasia's dream and she had her parents wound around her finger. They had spent the money, and time, to secure her the spot she wanted. And given the education that Anastasia had been given access too, she was quite a fearsome opponent. Of course, because of the goal of the Rites being to test a person's mettle and allow them a journey of progression, she used a specific spell to inhibit both her own powers as well as those of her summons. It meant that those just starting her Rites could defeat her, but in a life or death battle, she could potentially even give the Elite Triumvirate a run for their money ----------------------------------------------------------- [@Tuujaimaa] [b]Selim - Old Man[/b] Selim laid in bed staring at the ceiling, having been up most of the night. There had been a taste in the air that had left him ill at ease. It tasted of metal. It was the same taste Ilsver's air had following the rogue Clash of Irons. The ones that were held on 'historic' principles and done like they were before the reformation of the event. Deciding that there was no point to try to get anymore sleep, Selim begrudgingly threw off his covers and readied for the day. Slinging his stuff onto his back, he exited the inn to try to find something to do with the day. Selim's lodging had been one of inns on the outskirts of the city, which had a maze of paths to take back towards the hustle and bustle of main part of Toran. With no direction in mind, Selim started back toward the city, however every time he seemed to turn away from the city center, the path seemed to end with dead ends or closed walkways. Eventually there was no choice and Selim found himself Toran's main square. Selim uttered a curseword in response to the flood of Yata-Garasu. The birds were unnerving when there were just one. Supposedly they made good companions, but Selim theorized that the relationship with the animal changed when it was bound to you. This many of them in a cluster sounded like the precursor to the apocalypse. What Selim wasn't sure about was if all of the birds belonged to the very peculiar old man in the center, or if there was just some kind of natural draw to him from the birds. Either way, it was a reason to proceed with caution. Selim approached him and just observed at a distance, waiting to see how this would play out. ----------------------------------------------------------- [@tuujaimaa] [b]Selim - Post Battle with Kiyo[/b] Selim nodded in response to Kiyo, "Yes, you surmised correctly." Selim took note of her interaction with Song Lin Tiao. It was not common that someone interacted with her, especially given her role in the Elite Triumvirate. It spoke significantly of the connections of Kiyo's family. He did not doubt Kiyo's assessment either. Everyone knew of the power she possessed. The rare few that had Telepathy found that to be the extent of their psychic powers, but Song Lin Tiao was on another level. He had heard rumors she could moved objects mentally and project force fields as if she herself had access to the wild magicks of a Ohitsuji. "I believe we have an agreement in principle then," Selim added, confirming his acknowledgement of their arrangement, "We can discuss additional details at a later time. I'd like to go get my shoulder examined if you don't mind." Despite his access to healing magic, Selim didn't always want to rely on that as a solution. It was powerful, but sometimes it was better to let things heal naturally and only guide the process. He suspected he was just a little bruised and it wasn't worth the exhausting of tapping into magic just to deal with something that minor.