One eldest brother nods. "Yes, we were told you had arrived. You will have to excuse us. The death of our elder has shaken us some, many are praying for his spirits safety others just trying to cope and recover. He was a good man and the circumstances of his death are worrisome... his essence drained from him we worry of his passage along the wheel." He sighs some "If you are not bothered buy such a task, if an outsider like yourself would mind packing his belongings so we can send them to his family, it would be appreciated. We have heard word we might have to evacuate the station, and not many feel comfortable with disturbing his belongings so soon.... oh, and there is are some messages for you I believe."

Jita nodded, knowing that, for the mean time anyway, she would be given tasks that were considered less-than-holy, even some that may be seen as dishonorable. She cared little for the political of the Temple, though, and this task seemed fairly simple in order to gain access to the Temple.

"It would be my profound honor to tend to the fallen Master's affairs. I shall do my best to revere his memory and bring comfort to the grieving." Jita deepened her bow, while taking in this monk's measure. She listened for the cadence of his breath, and for any subtle inflection of his words that might offer her insight.

"Messages? For me? Here?" she wondered aloud"I cannot imagine who could be leaving me messages here....".

Jita let the sentence trail off, waiting for the Brother to respond.

"I don't know the messages where sent here and we didn't look at them." He nods to one of the younger students and he brings you a data pad handing it over.


You have a few messages.

Most of them seam to ether be from your family, they seam worried you ran off. There is one from U4 governmental security, it is a warrant of sorts accusing you of all sorts of war crimes you didn't (well most didn't) commit and demanding you turn yourself in and saying if you don't they will hire bounty hunters. The last message seams to just be a flyer of sorts:


Dear Valued Customer,

   We received word from one of our many freelancers that you are from India, this is quite interesting to us and could make both of us money. If you would be willing to submit memory scans of any unusual creatures, lifeforms, monsters, items, artifacts, locations, or the like you have encountered we would be willing to give you a fair compensation for anything that we use. As well as being paid any time we use one of your scans for making avatars, items, or to formatting a sector. We are looking for anything are designers haven't seen before and are willing to pay for information on the behavior and visuals of anything out of the ordinary. If your submission is used as inspiration you will receive modest credit and credits. Should your submission be used as a base then you will be credited in the products description and you will receive a much higher commission. If you are interested or would like more information please contact me.


                                                                         WYSIWYG,
                                                                         Savy Spice
                                                                         Astounding Avatars & Ect.

The brother smiles some. "I am glad you came, I would hate to leave anything of his behind or make anyone here more upset than they already are."

She was mildly concerned about all the U4 business--her mentor had been something of a throwback to the old Ascension Wars. While Jita hadn't directly participated in Saubhika's personal war against the U4, she hadn't exactly not participated, either. Saubhika continued to hang over her, and it was just a matter of time before she would have to deal with the U4.

Jita was unsure what to think about the message from Savy Spice. She originally thought it was junk mail--the way the words fell, and the carefully chosen, detached phrasing suggested as much. There was something a bit peculiar about the offer, though, so she closed the message without deleting it.

Jita met the monk's eye, and offered a subdued smile. "I am glad to be of service, Brother. I would be happy to begin now, unless there is a better time?"

He nods some. "Now is fine, just leave the bed and writing desk as they are. Huoshui or the security may still need to gather information from them."

Jita nodded without speaking, then started towards where the Brother had directed. It seemed that the Master's quarters were simple enough to find. She would make quick work of it, and then Jita would be free for a time to start exploring her options in the Station.

The chamber is modest as you might expect, he don't have many belongs besides a few artifacts and a good deal of scrolls and books. Many of the scrolls in the same hand writing... likely his own. As for the bed and table, the bed is a mess, and on the table are several scrolls full of sutras related to the Akashic Record, he must have been reading from it. Also there is a bowl full of ashes of some burnt papers, and a paper laid out in some one else's hand writing with the following:  link to a message in this game

Sweets of Ganesha, what madness is this?

Jita wondered as her eyes danced quickly across the page. Duality and rage, written with a melodramatic, almost paranoid tone. Though there were two 'voices' in the writing, Jita found it interesting that the same hand wrote them both. It was as if the speaker were profoundly narcissistic, and anyone else reading it was insignificant.

She suppressed an awkward shudder in the dead Master's room. Jita had already wrapped up a good bit of the personal effects--what few there were--and had been wondering what to do about the Master's writing.

Surely this Temple could benefit from their fallen leader's teachings. And though it was right thinking to give the original copies to his next of kin, there was nothing unethical with maintaining a copy for the records for the good of the Temple.

Jita fired up her tablet and swipe scanner. She started a file folder marked VS Temple Files, and began systematically scanning the documents. Each one became a file with a title--often the based on the first sentence, as the Master had not really written much with a formal Western structure. Jita did what she could to arrive at a date of the writing--hoping to tag them for the Temple's archivist--though she admitted that most of that relied on guesswork.

Jita thought against scanning the strange dualistic rant. It did not seem to speak well of the Master if it was by his hand. On the other hand, she knew that sometimes insight may be hidden by madness. Jita scanned it, but moved the file to a hidden folder on her tablet. She erased any history of the scan and of the document's move to the hidden folder.

Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable in the Master's Room, as though it suddenly became very suffocating. Jita could offer herself no rational reason why she felt the need to hide her activity--covering her tracks like this seemed counter-intuitive, and yet there she was.

Jita was thankful that she had finished wrapping up the scrolls and books, except for that one angry piece of paper. Something about it stuck in her craw--the way it seemed so very out of place, the disregard for life and Right Thinking. She suddenly decided against sending it along to the Master's family, folding it quickly and shoving it into a small pocket hidden behind the back of the tablet's case.

After she finished, Jita left the room and sought out the Temple's senior monk.

(You didn't give her any computer/technology/security.... she wouldn't know how to hide the file)

The elder student had come to check on you after a few hours and shook his head sighing, seeing you forgot about leaving the table be, but didn't say anything. He was revealed you had only disturbed the papers and not the desk or ashes. "You seam unsettled, the primordial lust and demonic energies that resonates from that foul woman's taint is disturbing.... thankfully I am told that she has taken her path along the wheel. We have a bath if you wish to cleanse yourself."

"Yes, Brother, I would rather appreciate that. The energy here is...stifling."

Jita nodded politely. She waited for further directions to the baths.

___________________________________________________________________
OOC-

Yup, you're right, she doesn't really have the chops to hide a file. So that means that nearly anyone with any of the skills you listed--even one dot of them--could probably find her awkward attempt.

He leads you to the entrance to a small communal bath. The kind where one washes then bathes to relax. "If there is something else don't hesitate to ask some one"

Jita took a quick bath. While others around her were leisurely soaking, Jita had work to do. Her cleansing ritual was much like bathing in the Almighty River--starting at her crown, and working down her chakras to alleviate the stresses against them. Jita found her breath, and through it, Right Thinking.

Jita was drying off and getting dressed, changing into fresh undergarments and another sari. This one was a deep red that drew the eye, making her own brown skin seem almost pale for its depth. She slung her bag across her shoulder and made her way through the Temple, hoping to stumble into its library or archives.

The temple was rather small, so it's collection of books and scrolls was small, however they did have some computers and data pads laying around that could be used to access a larger brotherhood archive or search the infosphere.

Jita connected her tablet to one of the datapads, then transferred the late Master's writings into the Temple's official record. After the upload was complete, she slid her tablet back into her daytripper bag.

She marked the files with the current date, and left them tagged with her name. She then wandered through the small library, hoping to find the resident archivist.

The only other person there seamed to be a student mailing home.

Jita began to wonder if this Temple even had an archivist. Perhaps if she stayed here in Victoria Station, it might be a role she could fulfill.

She left the library without a word, and began wandering the halls to find her assigned quarters.

Another Akashic monk walks into the temple.

This one wearing much the same style of Do robe as many of the other monks, all that noticeably separates him is his white staff and three swords strapped to his bag which he has over his shoulder.

He seems kind of out of it. He takes a seat, taking out some scrolls from his bag and looks through them. His attention is caught by a deep red in the corner of his eye, causing his attention to be drawn from his scrolls to an unfamiliar woman.

Jita let one hand curl into a soft fist, resting her palm against her body directly above her navel. Her other was raised to shoulder level, her open hand facing the armed monk. Her face became a mask of open calm, and her speech was soft and melodic. Though obviously Indian, Jita's English was pristine and British.

"Hello, Brother, my name is Jita Patel. I am a guest of the Temple, though I am having some difficulty in finding my quarters. Forgive me for being in your way."

He gives a weak smile, rises from his seat. Puts his fist into open palm in a bow, his hands and wrists heavily scarred. "Welcome, I am Huóshui Zuìquán. I too am a guest of this temple. You are not in my way, it is just such a nice surprise to see someone new. I sorry to say but I believe its just a communal quarters here, if that is a problem I could help arrange something different." His English is a bit slow but of British origin.

"No problem," Jita offered to dispel any notion that he was a bother to her. "I did not expect luxurious conditions, Brother. I do not intend to impose upon anyone, either."

"Where are you from, Huóshui? I do not recognize your accent, and I am something of an authority on the topic." Jita's voice remained serene as she spoke.

"I am from an Island on Ganymede. A small village attached to one of the Akashic temples."

"Ga-Ganymede?" Jita stumbled, her eyes widening a bit. She composed herself quickly, though she was all but foaming at the mouth to ask this curious man a thousand questions. "You've never been to Earth, then? Fascinating."

"I'm from India. Or what's left of it. Earth is not a very hospitable place anymore, I'm afraid." Jita paused, then took on an almost clinical tone.

"Are all Ganymedeans tied to the Akashics? We had heard rumors on Earth of a fortified place of contemplation and Right Thinking, but most of us just presumed they were just wishful thinking. Is the trip from here to Ganymede difficult?"

"Heh, no not all of Ganymede are Akashics, the governor is one of the cult of  Ecstasy. The island I was born has a large presence of Akashic monks but that is because the temple takes up a large part of it." He seems to cheer up when talking about his home world.

"Yes I heard from the stories, India is rather close to where things hit. Is the state of things so bad, back on earth, that you would leave your home world. Even with the difficulties of returning?"

"Its rather relaxing now, our islands float around. When I was a child though it was a very different story. Travel there shouldn't be too hard, I can't imagine why you couldn't go there."

"I cannot speak for the rest of the Earth," Jita began, choosing her words cautiously. There was a thoughtfulness to her speech that suggested that she hadn't given much thought to giving a rehearsed response to such questions. "But India is all but a lost cause. Surrounded by terrible demons that come to what's still occupied by humanity almost daily, hungry for our blood. Now the U4 have made inroads, and it's a losing battle."

"It became too dangerous to stay, Brother. I had always dreamed of visiting other places as a child, and now that I'm able, the journey has been bittersweet."

There was a faraway look in her eye for a moment, as if she were remembering things, maybe people, that she missed. "But I look forward to exploring Victoria, learning what I can about the Akashics here, then moving on. The Ganymede Temple sounds like it might be my next stop, eventually."

"What brings you so far from home, Brother? And so prepared for war?" Jita glances at the monk's weaponry, then returns her gaze back to his face.

"I am sorry to hear that you had to leave your homeworld under such circumstances. If you are on a tour of the temples there is always Miranda, Aka-fū no mori - hōmu."

He looks at his weapons and then back to her. "Ah these, yes. Well strange as it may sound I am a pacifist at heart, these are what I guess I could call trophies. I have been travelling since I left my master, seeking my path and testing my way of Do. You may recall me saying one of my Akashic names is Zuìquán, Well this is from Zuì Quán. My master felt it fit to name me after the martial arts form I am best at, So I have since held the name Drunken Fist." his hand also moves to his sash as if reaching for something then realising it isn't there. "With a name like this and the style I use many Vajrapani have seen it fit to prove that this style is a joke or that their style is superior, I do not see any style as better but some still press to prove otherwise. Each of these weapons is a gift or trophy from those duels." As he talks his gaze moves along each of the weapons, he seems distant as if recalling a fond memory. "I carry each one to remind me of a lesson learnt and of another brother or sister I have grown that bit closer too."

"Ha look at me, I am going on again. But I am currently... I guess you could say on leave from my training with my mentor. Exploring to find my path and such."

"So you have not been off world long?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:15, Fri 08 June 2012.