Rachmaninoff

[quote name='Sandy;810032]Well, why don't we all just shut up, then, with our poor discussion skills. That'll turn this board into a fun place. ;D[/QUOTE]I'm sure that's not the point being made. [quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium'] Arguing the semantics of what constitutes a discussion probably isn't going to further said discussion. [/font][/quote]:p No reason why a thread on the finer points or rather [I]semantics[/I] of what constitutes a discussion couldn't be started. After all, like you said, it's not advancing the discussion or rather the topic of the one in here. So going elsewhere with it would be a good idea at this point. To avoid total thread derailment and because it could be an interesting topic... maybe. XP As for the original topic, which by the way, my first stance still stands, I may have no interest in it, but I don't think it's just for war either. Part of why or rather the main reason I support the military in the first place, is because [I]I know[/I] it's a hell of a lot more than just for waging war.

I don?t usually bother with this, because without some form of information, lists are kind of boring since they tell you next to nothing about the actual artists. So? it won?t be as long, but here are some of my favorites, in no particular order. And yes, it will mostly be what?s considered classical. :p [B]Johann Sebastian Bach:[/B] A German composer and organist from the Baroque era. His works can be difficult to play, but the intellectual depth and sheer beauty of his works make it worthwhile. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_QR_FTt3E"][U]Cello Suite 1[/U][/URL] [B]François Couperin:[/B] A French oranist and harpsichordist from the Baroque era. He?s well known for his four volumes of harpsichord music, which contain over 230 pieces. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mgo3XTeEUQ"][U]La dilligente[/U][/URL] [B]Antonio Vivaldi:[/B] Another Baroque music composer as well as a virtuoso violinist. He?s most commonly know for The Four Seasons, a series of four violen concertos. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4kTei0XrCs"][U]Spring[/U][/URL] [B]George Frideric Handel:[/B] A German Baroque composer, famous for his operas. As well as the oratorio Messiah. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnHksDFHTQI"][U]Messiah[/U][/URL] [B]Domenico Scarlatti:[/B] An Italian composer who though classified as a Baroque composer, his music is considered to be influential in the development of the Classical style. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1j0nIEgQLA"][U]Sonata in A Major[/U][/URL] [B]Joseph Haydn:[/B] A central characteristic of Haydn's music is the development of larger structures out of very short, simple musical motifs. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkse1g9ibnM"][U]Piano Sonata in Eb[/U][/URL] [B]Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:[/B] You could get lost spending the time exploring all the works by Mozart with over 600 compositions. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9_3ShjqxR8"][U]Piano Concerto No. 24[/U][/URL] [B]Jean-Philippe Rameau:[/B] A French composer form the Baroque era. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyYZACaWOVI"][U]Dardanus "Prologue"[/U][/URL] [B]Henry Purcell:[/B] An English Baroque composer known for incorporating Italian and French elements into a peculiarly English style of Baroque music. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5-3clJhnTk"][U]Rondeau from Abdelazar[/U][/URL] [B]Arcangelo Corelli:[/B] An Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bFxQzOKO-0"][U]Concerto grossi No.1[/U][/URL] [B]Jean-Baptiste Lully:[/B] The influence of Lully?s music resulted in a revolution in the style of dances of the court in his day. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFNU-W5oSC8"][U]Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme[/U][/URL] [B]Claudio Monteverdi:[/B] An Italian composer who?s work is often considered the mark or rather transition from the music of the Renaissance to that of the Baroque. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEO9Zevj1rg"][U]Selva morale et spirituale[/U][/URL] [B]William Byrd:[/B] An English composer of the Renaissance known for his organ and harpsichord style. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r10B2Vy-As"][U]The Carmans Whistle[/U][/URL] And since I'll only spend so much time in here, I'll pause for now. I have far to many favorite musicians that I enjoy listening to. And that short list is merely the beginning.

Everything looks good Sabrina, I went ahead and updated the first post to include the relevant information. I also discovered something rather interesting... Nathan and Patrick... I swear, those two just refused to cooperate. It was like a staring contest of... like I'd talk to you. XP So that awkwardness kind of went into the post as well...

[CENTER][B]Restlessness[/B][/CENTER] ?[B]So Alex,[/B]? Patrick was saying after the group had settled down in the living room to his apartment, though Isen was keeping off to herself, something that considering how Terry and Fiero were a bit too friendly at times, did not surprise him. ?[B]Let me get this straight. You?re short handed because of dealing with a vampire?[/B]? Alex started to reply but Patrick just held his hand up from where he was sitting on the other end of the sofa, facing Alex. ?[B]It?s not necessary to explain it again. The problem was dealt with and there?s nothing else to worry about.[/B]? [I]Is he actually serious?[/I] Alex just stared at him in confusion. [I]How can he say that? Did he not listen to a word I just said?[/I] Alex had spent the past hour explaining all that had happened, even how the others could move so quickly, how he had gotten hurt, and yet - Patrick seemed unconcerned by what he had just heard. Alex hadn?t even gotten to the part where he ran into Victor L?Envers, nor how he could sense other vampires throughout the city. [I]Is he unable to sense them?[/I] He shook his head a bit. [I]Why am I surprised?[/I] He sighed inwardly, this reaction was why he hadn?t planned on asking Patrick for help in the first place. He had already been pretty certain that he couldn?t help him. As well as the fact that further training wasn?t really allowed. It was something that made no sense at all, no matter how he ran it through his mind. It just seemed hard to believe that the higher ups would be unaware of the problem of vampires still being around. ?[B]Patrick, doesn?t it bother you that this Count was around and yet no one seemed to be aware of it until Aeru was kidnapped?[/B]? He insisted, trying on some level to get Patrick to take him more seriously. ?[B]I?m sure if there was a real problem the Council would have dealt with it.[/B]? A sort of scoffing noise was heard and the group turned towards Isen, but she was looking out the window, her attention elsewhere. What would have been said next was interrupted by the unmistakable feel of another Shinigami approaching, something that Alex recognized immediately as Nathan. Patrick picked up on it as well, getting up at the same time Alex did; both of them turning to face the direction it was coming from. ?[B]I wonder who that could be.[/B]? A moment later a sharp knock was heard and Patrick instantly moved to answer it. It was of course Nathan and as Alex took the time to introduce the pair, explaining why Patrick was there; he couldn?t help but groan inwardly. [I]How am I suppose to talk to Nathan with Patrick here?[/I] He looked back and forth between the two and then glanced to Nall who was sitting on his left shoulder; but all he did was give him a shrug. [I]This is going to be awkward, especially if Patrick stays at my place instead of getting his own.[/I] Plus he didn?t know why Nathan wanted to talk to him either. The two were waiting patiently on him to say something, anything, but he didn?t know where to begin. ?[B]Uh?[/B]? The moment was interrupted by Patrick getting a call, something that he took a brief moment to answer before turning to offer his apologies to the group with a smile. ?[B]I?m sure I don?t need to explain that.[/B]? He nodded politely to Nathan, ?[B]Till next time.[/B]? Moments later, he was gone. [B]?So that?s your mentor,[/B]? Nathan trailed off, still looking in the direction that Patrick had ghosted out of the apartment, looking thoughtful. ?[B]Yes,[/B]? Alex cringed inwardly a bit. [I]How am I suppose to ask him for help now?[/I] He took a deep breath, determined to do so anyway. ?[B]I have something I wish to ask you.[/B]? ?[B]Oh?[/B]? Nathan looked back to Alex. ?[B]Well? you see? I was wondering if you could show me how to move quickly like you, the Count and Adrian can.[/B]? He asked, forgetting momentarily in his nervousness that Isen had told him Nathan wished to speak to him. ?[B]So you?re looking for training.[/B]? Nathan stated. ?[B]Yes.[/B]? There was silence between the two for a moment and then Nathan took on that usual amused grin that he often had. "[B]How about we go somewhere else to discuss it?[/B]" "[B]Okay.[/B]" Nathan turned, giving Isen a brief glance and then the pair ghosted out of the apartment with Alex and Nall close behind. Alex was wondering where they were headed and then he was even more puzzled when it became apparent that their destination was one of the large open parks on the outskirts of the city.

[quote name='SunfallE'][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]In the mean time, if it helps any, unlike the other ships which can't detect the explosives... there is a reason for this that Rachmaninoff will be covering in his post. Anyway, the point is that the Catalyst, being a messenger ship would be able to tell which ships are rigged where the others cannot. So I imagine for now William is going to need her help in pinpointing the dangerous ships. [/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]And finally done. I do want to clarify one point in regards to messenger ships being able to detect the explosives, since I didn't see a way for that to really work in the post... But the idea is that unlike most ships, messenger ships do not interface with regular systems at all unless the Elite Specialist chooses to do so. They operate separately or rather in a battle situation, it would consider it's own scans to be accurate and ignore the data from the protocols. Resolving the data conflict doesn't take long, probably no more than 10-30 seconds at most, but it was enough for the ships to hit their targets. It wasn't detected because it isn't standard procedure to scan ships. So when they did, unless they chose to ignore the protocols, it would still come back as nothing being wrong. The plants used to make the explosives are also used to make medicines and other materials, so the protocols were telling the fleet in sector nine that it was a harmless shipment of the base material before it's made into something else. And since that is very similar to the explosives, the system accepted the protocol data as being accurate as it is designed to do. Anyway, if that made no sense, let me know and I'll try to clear it up.

It wasn’t going as quickly as Darren would have liked, but being allowed to use a small hand held computer did help quite a bit. It was a shame that he didn’t have the same equipment or access that he had on the [I]Conqueror[/I] though. He hadn’t really thought about the difference until he no longer had it. It was still coming along but he wondered why he even cared about getting finished, he had nothing to look forward to once he was done. They weren’t going to release him and just let him go back to what he had been doing. No, they’d stuff him back into some cell and there was no telling how long he’d be stuck there. He hadn’t been at it for long when Darren was surprised by the door opening to the bay where the equipment was set up; a security squad coming in to get him. [I]What the?[/I] The group of four didn’t even bother to explain where they were taking him, their expressions grim. As they took him through the ship there was an unmistakable aura of anger and something he couldn’t quite place. The glances sent in his direction were hard to miss though and he wondered what had happened for them to be giving him such odd looks. A moment later he forgot about the stares as he realized where they were taking him and he instinctively pulled up short, a shiver running down his spine. [I]Why would they…[/I] His thought was interrupted by the security simply grabbing his arms and forcibly getting him started again, taking him through the doors and into the interrogation room. Unlike when he had been brought there before, this time they were not gentle as he was forced to sit in the chair. His heart began to race as a feeling of fear came over him, even though he had not been strapped in. [I]What the hell is going on here? [/I] The thought had barely crossed Darren's mind when the doors opened again to admit the blond Versilan that he still did not have a name for. Like the others his expression was almost grim, but not quite. It was more impassive, a mask of almost indifference that Darren found unsettling. And though he wasn't positive if he was seeing things or not, it seemed as if there was a hint of real anger in his gaze. Darren was considering speaking when he beat him to it. "[B]I'll get straight to the point Darren,[/B]" His voice and expression became cold and Darren couldn't help but wince a bit. "[B]This morning we were attacked by suicidal ships carrying explosives instead of shipping supplies. Now considering the safeguards built into the protocols, how do you suppose something like that could happen? They should not have been able to slip past the security checks.[/B]" Darren stiffened in a combination of both surprise and recognition, something that the other picked up on immediately. "[B]I thought so,[/B]" He stated flatly. "[B]You do know what's going on.[/B]" He moved over until he was no more than a few feet away, looking down at Darren who was speechless. "[B]I don't know what game you're playing, but I do want to know why the hell you kept that to yourself.[/B]" His expression broke into one of cold fury. "[B]Those little traps targeted civilian ships, killing a lot of innocent people. Make no mistake Darren, if didn't need you to get the data sorted, I'd execute you in a heartbeat for that cowardly stunt.[/B]" [I]But... [/I]He didn't know what to say, because even if he hadn't been the one to make the preparations and send the ships into New Alliance territory. He had altered the protocols at Stevens request. Darren had known just what that could mean and yet he had done it anyway.[I] I should have never done it.[/I] He looked down, unable to meet the man's gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. "[B]I altered the protocols as ordered. Specifically for explosives made from the plants that are grown in sector seven.[/B]" He continued to look down. "[B]All systems when scanning a freighter or exchanging data use the protocols to tell them what's onboard. In this case it was altered to something similar to the explosives.[/B]" "[B]So our systems were told it was something else, even when directly scanned, creating a window of verification requests and thus enough time for the ships to attack.[/B]" The man shook his head in disgust. "[B]Unless there is a serious conflict, if it's within acceptable parameters, the shipping feed is considered accurate.[/B]" Darren finally looked back up and nodded. "[B]Yes.[/B]" "[B]Why? Why did you say nothing?[/B]" "[B]That was done months ago,[/B]" He did not try to excuse it but he was surprised that Stevens had waited so long to actually use it. "[B]I was not allowed outside contact or news about the war's progress.[/B]" Darren doubted he'd believe him, but there was nothing he could do about that. "[B]I didn't tell you because it's been so long since I made the modification, I thought it had already been used against the New Alliance.[/B]"

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]And yes, that terrified the hell out of me because just like the reporter says in the clip, when you're too close, you really can't breathe, it feels like you're being suffocated or something. We've had other bad storms, but that one was the worst.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]You're not the only one. I remember that storm. I mean it's kind of hard to forget since Utah doesn't really get tornadoes. So it was impossible to miss something like that. >_< I'd have to agree that it was one of the scariest things I've ever been in. We've had other storms that were bad, but nothing as horrible as that one was.

Alright, mine is up. So I guess that means it's open for others to give their critique and vote now. Since you indicated that voting could start once both are up. I'm going to assume that you'd like people to do more than just state a name since that seems kind of pointless. Though I have to wait for someone else to be finished with theirs before I can do that.

[CENTER][B]Forgotten[/B] It?s always the same, when watching this empty place, With lonely, solitary and endless burning sands, An uninhabited, desolate and wretched barren case, Forever untouched by meddling human hands. A tiny whisper of life that vainly tries to grow, Among bleak, parched and wind-swept eternal dunes, Bare hints of various greens that quickly died, Relinquishing a soft stricken dust in ruins. A glimmer of blue-green mist to good to be true, Forsake all hope, while in this forgotten race, Surrendering once again, to scorching skies of blue, Depleted, impoverished land of golden beauty and grace.[/CENTER]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Just to clarify, the image only has to be loaded once no matter how many times it appears on the page. But yes, quoting large images for no reason is just obnoxious.[/color][/QUOTE]Well I trimmed the quotes just the same since they were huge and like you said, it's obnoxious. Thanks for the clarification on the pictures loading though.

[quote]And in case you missed it, the skin was inspired by Gavin and the April Fools prank I pulled on the site. Everyone be sure to thank him![/quote]Thanks a lot Gavin! You've made sure that the horror will continue forever. XP You've manged to doom OtakuBoards to this madness! All joking aside, it does look nice, even if it's too pink for my tastes. Waaay too pink. But I have to admit that those new thread and edit/reply buttons are pretty sweet. I love the animation to those. And now that I've looked at those dancing girls and heard the insane music... I'm going back to OB Standard.

And lets try to cut down a little on the off topic posts while we're at it guys. No need to quote and essentially repost the same pictures so they're up three times. The ability to edit a quote is there for a reason. Especially since there are still plenty of members who don't have that faster connection for things to load.

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]You other two should be on more at night; [COLOR="indigo"]Indi[/COLOR] and I have been doing massive brainstorming without you. =P Impending finals aside, of course. This time of year gets nastie.[/FONT][/QUOTE]Crystia's been filling me in a little on some of it so I'm not completely lost, but... School has been beyond busy lately. XP Finals may still be a little ways off, but some of the preparations I'm required to do are not. The past week has been brutal. I will have more time this upcoming weekend though so perhaps we should look to do a massive IM session, all things considered. Oh and I agree with the concept of werecats having that ability, makes perfect sense to me. That and Adrian's dumbfounded response was fun. :p

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Fixed that for you. It's true, though. The epic tale of Desbreko has simply been too great for anyone to tell. I've heard that a couple people tried but were so humbled by the undertaking that they secluded themselves from the world and became monks.[/color][/QUOTE]Oh hell... XP How in the world did I think five when it was six? I think I'll just slink off into seclusion now. And while I'm here, I'd kind of like to point out how when placing something in a list via alphabetically... [I]The[/I] does not count. So an article like The Daily Otaku would go in the D section, not the T. I find that kind of confusing that those articles are placed like that. I could be wrong, but that's what I always understood.

[quote name='Allamorph;809353][FONT=Arial]Especially considering it completely blew [COLOR="DarkRed"]Rach[/COLOR]'s train of thought for his post in Almagest, and how [I]he[/I] spent two hours banging his head on his desk.[/FONT][/QUOTE]That's putting it mildly. I couldn't do anything for over three hours. Post, school work...[I] nothing[/I]. Also, I should have realized that Crystia was only interested in the logs to hand over to Aaryanna. Evil daughter of Des indeed. XP[QUOTE=Aceburner']I just now realized that the glorious overlord and Hero of Time IRL has no article. Whut? Seriously, how did this get overlooked?[/QUOTE]I'm working on one for Des actually, but... the guy has close to 5,000 posts. It's taking time to look through his stuff. XP I'm about two thirds done gathering info though. So I hope to have that up in the next month.

[quote name='Aceburner']Ever consider buying used? My friend is perfectly content with his original DS and used they probably run somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-80 bucks. A Lite would probably not be much more than that. Also, once you finish Ace Attorney, I highly recommend the rest of the series (which includes Apollo Justice.) I own all 4 and I've replayed at least 1 case of each.[/QUOTE]Sadly, even used that's out of my price range at the moment. >_> Though that's probably because I'm saving up for possibly going on vacation in May. So that makes me less inclined to spend my money on anything right now. As for the rest of the games, I know my friend has them, it's just a matter of whether or not he wants me to have his DS Lite long enough to play them. It was kind of a swap, he has a couple of my games to play with while I have his stuff.

[quote name='MistressRoxie'][color=#9933ff]Was it fun, or not to your taste? Good/bad stories? [/color][/QUOTE]I went once with friends to a club. And to be honest, I found it unbelievably boring. I imagine the choice of music did that more than anything. That and I don't drink either. So as a result, I never went back. That and my idea of dancing... isn't what I ran into at that place. And yes that's my way of saying I'm a geek in that I'm more into ballroom dancing. Even to the point that I've competed in the past in competitions.

Six lines Beth. *poke* But nice poem just the same... even if it was sad. [CENTER]Golden Bright; Beautiful Swaying in the wind Petals so soft and soothing Sunflower[/CENTER]

[quote name='sbsp13668;809559][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Navy"] Worlds aren't as interesting as sites. [/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]I'm going to take most of what you said as personal opinion, because other than a few points, that's what your post is about really. Like this point I quoted, I actually find Worlds more interesting because of the potential of what one can do with them. From multiple worlds to guest posting and so forth. And I see that becoming even more fun further down the road since it has so many possibilities in my mind. What makes a blogging system interesting to me isn't how one can dress it up with pictures or code, but rather the level of interaction one can have with one's friends. [quote name='sbsp13668'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Navy"]I'm saying that introducing a different blogging system was a screw up (and it can't be helped now), but there are more improvements needed on MyOtaku as well as on TheOtaku in order to satisfy all members. [/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote]In my opinion, the real screw up would have been to hang on to the older site instead of building a new one that has far more potential to grow. I honestly think part of the problem is that people are assuming that what they got is all they are going to get. That they are forgetting that any new site takes time to get use to. Just as they are assuming that Adam won't add more features when he's already been doing that from day one. I think patience is in order really, for not only giving it time, but as Adam said, to think about what you've gained and what you will gain as time goes by. That's just my opinion though. But I am satisfied with the change since I know that Adam will keep working to improve it. His actions thus far already prove that. Anyway, since the other concerns were already addressed, I'll leave those be.

One of my friends insisted on loaning me his DS Lite along with [B]Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney[/B]. It's a rather zany and fun game to play. The only problem... it's making me wish I had a DS Lite and the game too. Though the money for something like that right now is kind of out of the question. XP It's still a great game though. I've only finished the first two cases but I imagine the next ones will be just as fun as the first two were. Now if only a DS Lite didn't run around $130.00

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]Well I'm assuming that was going on where Alecia and Alexander were located since so many ships were coming apart right above their location. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]That is what Beth and I discussed, so yes, it's referring to their location. I mean considering how many ships were destroyed it only makes sense that there would be that kind of "rain" hitting the city. >_> Things are a complete and total disaster. Anyway, great posts, I too enjoyed seeing more of Dwalish and how he thinks and such Gavin. And like the others, Beth and I are done for the day so to speak, so we are waiting for the time to do our final posts as it were.

>_> Don't get me started on that kind of poetry Gavin. It's too tempting. [CENTER]Treasure Beautiful, sweet, pure Never far from my thoughts Life would be so dark without you Sweetheart[/CENTER] And if I need to tell anyone who [I]that[/I] refers to... you need help. Heh.

[CENTER][B]Live to Tell the Tale[/B][/CENTER] Alex was wondering as he went to take care of his next assignment, why he was actually picking up on the presence of vampires in the city. Was it because they no longer felt the need to hide from a Shinigami who knew about their presence? Or from finally being close enough to actually sense the aura of one who had cheated death? That exposure to such a thing had made him more aware of it in general? He wished he knew which it was, for some reason the idea that they were no longer hiding was something he found a bit intimidating. He'd much rather it be a case of him being more in tune with sensing them. He didn't like the other thought since he knew all to well how much he needed further training. About the only good thing from it was he could at least make a point of avoiding those he could sense. A short while later, when he was finishing up with the infant he got another call. Something that he just sighed and accepted since it too was an easy assignment.[I] If they keep throwing things my way like this, I won't have time to get any training done, even if Nathan is willing to help me.[/I] He did not voice his concern to Nall, but instead immediately went to take care of the next assignment. It was still nighttime but dawn was fast approaching and by the time he was done, the sun was already starting to rise. "[B]I wonder if Nathan is back yet.[/B]" Nall mused as they headed back to Alex's apartment. "[B]Though if they keep giving you assignments, you won't have time for anything else.[/B]" "[B]I know and with Adrian still recovering, that means we're down by two for doing assignments.[/B]" Alex sighed a bit. "[B]That's going to mean extra work for everyone.[/B]" Normally he wouldn't care, but with what had happened, he really didn't want to continue without some form of training. Alex was almost back to his place when he picked up a familiar aura heading in his direction. [I]What? But... what is he doing here?[/I] He came to a halt in midair, hovering above the city a mere block from his apartment. "[B]Alex![/B]" Nall started to say and stopped when Alex responded. "[B]I know, I wonder why though?[/B]" Both of them looked to the sky and then a moment later they could see the other Shinigami approaching their position rapidly, finally coming to a halt before the pair, a grin on his face, the two sea dragons on his shoulders equally as pleased to see Alex and Nall. Like Nall they were in a smaller form not much bigger than a common house cat, only transforming into their full size at need. Though unlike other sea dragons, being paired to a Shinigami had given them the ability to move through the air as if it were water. The Shinigami they were paired with was just as Alex remembered with his dark black outfit and gauntlets, blue belt, cape and bandanna. With his brown hair and green eyes, he looked to be no more than twenty earth years old. Though seeing that Reapers were eternal, Alex wasn't sure why he was surprised that his mentor was unchanged. Perhaps it was simply due to seeing him on Earth since he knew that Patrick did not like working Earth side as it was often called. Preferring to stay on their side and teaching new Shinigami as needed. "[B]Alex! Nall![/B]" Patrick spoke up the moment he came to a halt. "[B]You're looking well. So, were you informed of my arrival?[/B]" "[B]No sir. We were not.[/B]" Patrick just laughed, "[B]None of that sir nonsense Alex, I'm no longer your mentor remember?[/B]" "[B]Why are you here then?[/B]" Alex couldn't think of a reason for him to have been sent there. Sure they needed help but he was an instructor, not a regular Reaper. "[B]I'll be here on a temporary basis, to fill in until they get you a replacement. You are going to be short by two Shinigami.[/B]" Patrick explained, even as he absent mindedly reached up and scratched the blue sea dragon Terry along the back of his head, the red one, Fiero, objecting a bit until he did the same for him. "[B]Two?[/B]" Alex wondered who the second was since he knew that Shaula had asked to be sent else where but who else was he talking about? Even if Adrian was recovering, it shouldn't take him long enough to need a replacement while he was healing. "[B]Yes, two. Shaula asked to be reassigned and Aeru quit.[/B]" Patrick explained. "[B]Now unless you've a thing for hanging outside, how about we go inside? Unless you object I was planning on staying with you for the time being.[/B]" "[B]Uh... That would be fine.[/B]" Alex finally answered, preoccupied with the news that Aeru had quit. He had never heard of a Shinigami quitting before. It took them little time to enter his place, Isen still waiting there patiently for his return. "[B]Isen,[/B]" Alex nodded once they were all inside. "[B]This is my mentor, Patrick and his familiars Trey and Fiero.[/B]" They had barely gotten a chance to politely say hello when with a shot Trey and Fiero were off over to hover in front of Isen. "[B]Oh! You're a werecat aren't you?[/B]" The blue one Terry was saying excitedly. "[B]Of course she is stupid.[/B]" Fiero corrected Terry. "[B]Don't go acting all superior! You've never seen one either Fiero![/B]" Alex just groaned inwardly at the pair who in a matter of moments were bombarding Isen with questions left and right even as they argued among themselves at the same time. Completely oblivious to how Isen was ignoring them. [I]Those two haven't changed at all.[/I] He thought. Alex was about to intervene when Isen fixed Patrick with a glance and spoke. "[B]Do you mind?[/B]" She said calmly. "[B]Fiero! Terry![/B]" The two instantly shot back to Patrick, looking abashed as they settled back onto his shoulders. Mumbling and apology as they did so. "[B]I'm terribly sorry Isen, they tend to get a bit excited at times.[/B]" Patrick apologized, but Isen just went back to calmly grooming herself. [I]Well this is going to get interesting,[/I] Alex thought.[I] I hope Nathan shows up soon.[/I] Though he wondered how well that would go over. Attempting to get training when his own mentor was there. Not that he didn't like Patrick, but unless he was hiding something, Alex was pretty certain he didn't know much beyond what he had taught him. Patrick had told him so himself, that he had nothing else to teach him. It was part of why Nathan's, Adrian's and the Count's speed had surprised him so much. He really hadn't known it was possible.

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial] Knowing these others, and whether we wish to incorporate them, seems only logical, and also might be great fun.[/FONT][/QUOTE]Agreed, just as I imagine that on account of the wars with the Vampires and then later on human wars, some of those species may now be gone. Or like Nall and Terry and Fiero, living in the Shinigami world since there are so few of them left. It would be interesting to determine which ones are no longer around or thought to be gone since neither side seems to have one as a familiar or living in either world.

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Right now I'm listening to [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl-HM_38YYg"][U]Rachmaninoff plays Chopin Ballade No. 3[/U][/URL] Something I blame on Rach. He posted a bit on the second piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff at his site and it had a video of the composer himself playing it. >_> Since then I've been listening to clips over at youtube with songs recorded back in the 1920's of Sergei Rachmaninoff performing different works. Even with the poor quality due to when it was recorded, it's still obvious how talented he was. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]I accept the blame for that. Willingly I might add. :D And since I'm here, I am listening to [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzx2BOMo9tY"][U]Vivaldi - Gloria - 1 - Gloria in excelsis Deo[/U][/URL] Just a nice short little piece and if you like choral work, you'd probably enjoy it.