Chapter 01: THE START OF A BEGINNING

[Sandwich]

}===---------------------------Chapter One----------------------------==={

The Start of A Beginning

"SWAN POINT GRAVEYARD"

The words were engraved upon a large, stone emblem, which loomed over the gated entrance of the graveyard. It was quiet--the location was away from the road and the rest of the city—save for the hum of the wind and rustle of fallen leaves. Ahead, behind the iron gating, was the cemetery, enveloped in fog. In front of the gate were people, all looking confused, shy, and even intimidated and scared. They chatted quietly as they looked about anxiously. They knew things were different--more than half of them were.

Their talk halted and they jumped suddenly as, behind the gate, a man seemed to materialize out of the fog. He was short and pale, face as blank as death, and wore a tuxedo that dated, in style, back to the Victorian era. He retrieved a key from his breast pocket and, with shaking hands, unlocked the gate.

The group slowly entered, unsure of anything. However, to them, this man knew all. He was their sole understanding in this new world that they were now beginning to tread on. The man, after waiting for them to all enter, and then shutting and locking the creaking gate, turned and headed deeper into the cemetery. The group followed.

After what seemed ages, the man stopped at an unmarked grave, with a worn red button sitting at its base. He picked up a shovel, which was leaning against the headstone, and began to dig. After ten minutes or so, he had dug a relatively large hole. Stepping out of it, he stood, hands clasped in front of him, and stared ahead, unspeaking.

The group looked at each other, then stared at him, then looked at each other again. After questioning if this man was actually telling them to step into an open, though a bit small, grave, they sighed and entered the dirty hole.

A few gasped as they were greeted by the grinning white of a skull. Then, as they recovered from the skull, they gasped as they felt the ground rumble. The blank face of the tuxedo-man grew smaller as they all lowered into the ground, and the top of the lift closed, all light snuffed out of existence.

~==--}|{--==~

It was dark for five minutes or so, and then came light from below. They appeared in an open, lit area, and on the nearest wall was the golden symbol of a spade and a sword crossed. Their descent stopped and the doors of the lift opened.

"Salutations and good tidings." Came a voice as they exited the lift. A man walked toward them. He was a shadow at first, then appeared in the light. He was tall and had a pipe hanging loosely from his mouth. "I take it Hans brought you here safely?" His voice was deep and soft.

Glances were exchanged between the group.

It was then that the group noticed their surroundings. They suddenly felt as if they had traveled back in time—the place was quite Victorian in design. It was covered in gold, brass, and intricate designs. Many people scurried about the place; and people was a loose word. For there were humans as well as many other creatures. Those of the group who hadn't had much or any contact with these creatures were taken completely off guard and stared, open mouthed, at the scene.

Then their gaze returned to the tall man in front of them. He removed the pipe from his mouth and stretched his arms out wide, eyes glowing gently beneath his spectacles.

"I am George Petrov, and welcome to the Agency of Otherworldly Affairs."

[Sandwich]

~==--}|{--==~

The man introduced himself as the chief of the agency, and then handed them off to a...dead man. As they looked at the second man, they could not help but notice George’s sudden and mysterious vanishing act.

"So, ay bet ye think this is all butterflies n' sweeties n' petunias n' puppies. No, not bay eh long fecking shot." The Scottish man was grey, bald, save for a ponytail at the back of his head, had a scar running down the side of his face, and his eyes seemed to bore into the group as he bit down on his cigar. "Ay'm Macky. An’ ye can call me Macky. Ay keep watch over the zombies.” He did not go deeper into the subject, relishing the startled looks upon their faces.

Macky gave the group a tour of the underground headquarters. Their first stop was the front desk (where Miss Lively greeted them with a bored, unenthusiastic glance)—the location where they were identified whenever entering.

Their next stop was the Med Bay, where Macky could not help but share gruesome stories. There were a couple in the group who smiled at the place, since this was where a lot of their time would be spent.

Next, on one of the lower levels (they noticed that the lifts they used to travel between floors were powered by gears, as well as the other machinery of the place), were the Training Grounds. There were multiple designated areas for different training types—a shooting range, a marital arts and general hand-to-hand training room, an area for practicing magic, and a room filled with swords for sword fighting and fencing. Macky even showed them the company weapons they would be using—-a Smith & Wesson Model 29 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_%26_Wesson_Model_29), and a Bowie Knife (upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Bowiecofn.jpg)-—which were decorated with swirling designs reminiscent of the ever-prominent Victorian design of the Agency. Macky told them, however, that they would only get these after they finished their training, which would be assigned to them individually, based on their preferred job (either fighter, medic, or information-expert). The medics would receive their training in the Med Bay, overseen by the grinning Paulio Montria. If they had any weapons, they would be stored in a secure location until they were of the correct rank to use them.

After the Training Grounds, they stopped by the large Courtyard. This was, by far, the most beautiful of all the things the group had seen. It was quiet, and, even though beneath ground, held a variety of trees, plants, and small animals. It was even illuminated by a light at the top. The pathways that stretched about the place were cobblestone, and there were numerous benches around. Some lycanthrope children were roughhousing near a pond. Macky explained, as they walked through the Courtyard, enjoying the peacefulness, that the AOA wasn’t just for getting rid of the malevolent things haunting the world, but also was a home to the beings who could not acquire a home among the ignorant masses of the planet.

The Library was their next stop. Madame Belle greeted them happily and began to chat, but Macky shook his head and sent her back behind her desk. The Library was quite large and was a maze of rows and rows of dusty, weathered books. When questioned about the locked door in the back, Madame Belle shook her head, cautioning them to never enter there. Then she struck up a conversation with the small gnome, who was dragged away by Macky as they left.

They headed to the Dining Hall after, where a few of the members drooled over the eye-catching food. Macky wagged a grey finger and told them that they could eat when they were on their own time. The Dining Hall was quite large and was filled with tables. Near the end was a platform and a podium, currently empty. Off to the side was a window, apparently where food was taken from (people could pick up their food from there, but during dinner there were servers).

Then they came to the Meeting Hall, where a large table sat at the center. There was currently a meeting going on, and they sat and listened.

A squat and chubby, but quite animated, man with horns sticking out of his head, was pacing back and forth. His large chin—or was it neck—flapped vigorously as he spoke. “…There are 40 in total. In order to rid the Vale Library of them, there shall be a need for stealth and quiet. That means you, Simmons.” He eyed a wild-eyed, ebony-haired pale man who giggled at the comment.

The pudgy man shook his head and continued. “Well, begin. I hope to see you back by tomorrow morning.” With that, the group of people around the table stood up and headed out of the door. Some of them nodded at the newcomers, others snickered. Simmons shook hands with all of them, suppressing a mild twitch in his right eye.

Their last stop (they had seen the important locations of the headquarters, and could tour the rest of the place on their own) was the Necrarium. Macky inhaled and exhaled deeply.

“Y’smell tha’? Tha’s the smell o’ death. No’ rot, no. This place be well b’yond rot.” He smiled and inhaled again.

They were in a medium-sized room, filled with tools, machinery, and other contraptions. There was a thick slit across the far wall. Beyond it was complete black. Then the light came on as Macky flipped a switch. It was all brown and dusty and filled with vapor, but there was no movement.

“Ay wan’ one o’ ye te put yer face against tha’ window.” After a while, one of them got the courage. How bad could it be? They had forgotten what he had said earlier.

The person stood there with their face against the window. They chuckled, wondering what could be so bad ab—and suddenly a wide-eyed, yawning, decaying face collided with the wall. The person screeched and fell back, scurrying backwards on their hands.

Macky had fallen into a chair, laughing hysterically. After regaining his composure, he spoke. “Gets ‘em ev’ry time. Ay run this bit o’ the farm. ‘S mine n’ mine only. So if ay catch ye snoopin’ ‘round with no warnin’, yer arse is fed to me friends ‘ere.”

He headed to the door that led into the rest of the Necrarium. “Ye wan’ me te introduce ye? They’re friendly enough. Ye’ll jus’ turn into one o’ ‘em ‘s all. No human thought, gazin’ ahead waitin’ fer anybody wit’ functionin’ bodies to come ‘round.” He began to undo the lock, then laughed as the group shied away from the door. “Aye, am’ jus’ messin’ ‘round.”

He laughed more, then pulled out a cigar (he had finished the first one), lit it, and stuffed it haphazardly into his mouth. “Righ’. Time for ye to feck off, eh? Any questions an’ ye can come te me. Dorms ar’ on Floor 3. After ye get settled in, visit yar preferred training location n’ talk te th’ ‘ead. They’ll get ye set up on a trainin’ schedule.” He proceeded to give them keys, with numbers on them. “Off ye go then. Off ye go.”

The group was sent through the door, which slammed. Despite his harshness, Macky had a bit of a homely warmth to him, which kept their agitation with him brief.

~==--}|{--==~

They headed to their dorms—some with dorm mates, others alone—and unpacked. Their rooms were nice and spotless and each had a fireplace, one restroom, and two smaller rooms. There was a television in the front room and another in one of the smaller rooms. They found that, like the rest of the headquarters, flipping a switch ignited a bright light (not electric, but a flame). It was quite comfortable. Afterwards, they headed off to the Training Grounds and dispersed.

Their training would be tough. But at the end of the two weeks, they would be able to head out on their first mission.

And thus their story began, and the AOA’s story continued.

((Alright, friends. Have at it. Keep in mind: There can be no tampering with story elements. You are only to post the goings on with your characters and their interactions with the headquarters. I’ll be posting a bit as well, since this doesn’t require GMing really, so know that I will be watching some of the things happening. If you want to interact with one of the main NPCs, PM me and I’ll roleplay them. Also, I realize that you all would like to have your own NPCs. That’s fine, but they’ll need to get approved first. I need to think on this a bit, so you’ll have to wait a tad before introducing your NPCs to the RP. I think that’s all…Any questions, PM me. ))

[Sandwich]

Sebastian Crowley flung himself upon his bed. Sighing, he stared up at the ceiling, the decorated walls, the flickering light of the fireplace. For a place that hunted the darkness, it was quite comfy.

"I would agree, Sebastian." Came a ghostly voice in his head.

"I just feel right here, you know? I've only been here for...four hours? And it feels like I've been here for years." Sebastian couldn't help but grin.

"Awww." The girl giggled.

"Don't laugh at me! It's not funny." But he couldn't help but laugh either.

He had already been down to the Training Grounds. He was focused on hand-to-hand combat, so he had to meet a Mr. Ayato Nagimuro. The man seemed older than time, but was kind and gentle (until he displayed extraordinary speed and strength when breaking a series of 4 stacks of brick.

"I wonder if I could ever get that strong..." Sebastian wondered.

"Only if I help out, eh?" The ghost-girl said.

"Yeah." Sebastian sat up and took another sweep of his dorm before throwing on his coat and heading out the door. "Time to see what they've got to eat..."

[Dusty]

Kay Dwyre quietly showed herself into a room away from everyone else. She was used to discrimination and stares at this point, and thus preferred to remove herself from the situation before it arose.

She put her bag on the bed, looking around as she shed her travelling cloak. Her long white hair was pulled back neatly into a ponytail, emphasizing her twisted horns and bright eyes.

Not bad, she thought. I could actually see myself living here.

The medbay was a dream come true to her. She could practice her healing arts without being told she was red every day of her life; there were so many other people here that looked even more different and strange than herself that she didn't feel out of place for a change. She smiled to herself.

Yeah, she thought, tugging her chest into her room. The wooden box was a deep mahogany, carved with religious Wiccan and Druidic designs. This'll be nice.

She pushed the locked chest into the back of her closet and closed the door.

[sonnywalker]

003 dangled from a branch like a bat. He loved the smell of this place. Even if he hadn't remembered the path they'd taken to get here, he could have followed it scent with ease. And it was better than the last one, the one in the city. The one where the men found him and took him to meet Paw-lee-oh. He had had so much more hair than the lab-men who 003 had grown up with. He seemed nice, but his smile looked strange, maybe even stranger than his own. Today he had taken him up to meet a big group of people Up Top. 003 hadn't found the experience very pleasant; so many new odors - not all bad, though.

But yes, this place was much better than the Up Top, and his home in the big drinking glass, and even the place in the city. Instead of smelly men sleeping on benches at night, there were furry children playing.

Was I furry when I was small?

003 looked at his hairless skin and wondered. Suddenly the branch sagged, and he released his grip and fell. Looking up, he could see the children were watching him. He watched them watch him. They were watching him watch them watching - 003 shook his head.

One of the children giggled.

003 Shook his head more vigorously.

The children giggled together.

003 shook his whole body.

The children laughed.

003 scampered towards them, and most of the children scattered, screaming. The mix of voices was hard to parse; were they happy or scared? He couldn't tell. But one little girl handn't run. She pointed a finger at him and spoke.

"Puppy."

003 cocked his head. Then one of the other kids called out, "He's not a puppy, you are!"

The kids began to bicker, and 003 slinked away, then ran off to where the big people had gone.

[isacus]

Tarius dropped his leather bag on the floor of his new bedroom and eyed the comfortable place casually. He forced himself to smile; an expression he had not often used up to this point. This place could only do him good. A place to practice, to do research and most importantly, a sanctuary.

He sighed, reminding himself he needed to report at the shooting range. One thing had caught his eye on the tour tough, and that was the magic hall. He had always known about magic existing from his parents, but he never thought it was common enough to be practiced as commonly as it was. He would have a go at that, he decided.

He pushed open his door and headed toward the elevator. He pushed the button and waited for it to come to his level and entered. He ran his finger over the huge variety of buttons and selected the correct one.

The way down was swift, but not enough so to stop him from some deep thinking. He had forsaken everything he knew as a criminal by coming here, had forsaken the very evil he stood for. Dayne had been a murderer, and not a small time killer either. He had massacred hundreds, either as a job or just to sate his blood-lust-or hunger. Is all of that forgiven here? he thought. He would never submit to the law if it came to that and was confident he would be able to to make it out alive if accused. But that was behind him now. This place could only do him good. He had to believe that.

[novacain]

Alfred walked among the others in the little guided tour.

'Hmm, I'm going to like living here. Must be better than that straw and stone I use to live in.' He thought to himself.

Alfred scratched his bare chin-bone in approval. He bones rattled slightly as he walked along the paths and gave small clicking noises under his cloak. When they had reached their dorms Alfred's bony hand reached out and pulled the door open.

"Ahh, looks comfortable." He said aloud and set his bag down on his bed. He has seen another person walk in behind him. It was a woman, fairly good looking.

"Madam." He bowed. "I hope you do not mind share a dorm with the likes of me...Or what's left of me." Alfred let out a hearty laugh and his bones rattled. The sound of his laughter and voice were very raspy and airy. He hoped she wouldn't discriminate against him too much, but he was use to people always judging him and talking about him behind his back...and killing him in his sleep. He gave a soft sigh and sat down on one of the couches.

[Sandwich]

Sebastian, hands in his pockets as he stared at his shoes--or through them, for his mind was quite elsewhere--walked down the corridor of the Agent Quarters. He noticed some familiar faces from the tour entering their own dorms. He waved and gave a smile, the combination between that and his half-closed eyes making him appear in a daze. As he waved, a strand of white cloth showed itself from beneath his sleeve, and he quickly attempted to fix it. Then he was looking at his feet again as he headed toward the elevators.

"Why do you hide yourself still? You are among friends." The ghostly female voice said.

"I...I don't know..." Sebastian sighed. "I guess this place still has to grow on me."

"As you wish."

[Nihtgenga]

Otsanda Garat had looked around in awe during the tour. This place was amazing. She had never imagined that it'd be anything like this. That last room on the tour hadn't been too pleasant, but other than that, she'd liked what she'd seen. In her opinion, Argi had been a fool to decline. She checked her room number and headed to it. Just in front of her, a walking skeleton entered the dorm room. Must be my roomie, she assumed. While not too long ago, she would have been more than a little disturbed by it, she'd seen much stranger beings already today. She entered the room once it was through the doorway.


"Madam." It bowed. "I hope you do not mind share a dorm with the likes of me...Or what's left of me." It laughed, then sat down.

"Of course not!" Otsanda smiled, showing a set of pearly white, rather pointy, teeth. "Beats being in here alone, I tink. Me llamo Otsanda Garat. What are you called?" She spoke with a Hispanic accent.

[Sandwich]

((Sonny is posing a few questions, if you're interested in seeing the answers))

Briinng.

Sebastian jumped slightly at the sound. He had been caught in thought. Then he noticed the light on the elevator and saw that the doors were opening.

He walked into the elevator and looked around. "Jeez...it's even decorated in here too."

"It is quite nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah. These folks sure know how to live." After a few minutes, the doors opened again and he walked into the corridor, heading for the Dining Hall. If he could remember where it was...

[Nihtgenga]

((MSNed this with Nova. If it's confusing who's saying/doing what, let me know and I'll edit.))

"My name is Alfred Symphony. That's an interesting accent you've got there. It's nothing I've ever heard. Are you from the islands?"

"Islands? Er, no, I'm from el Pais Vasco. Been living in America for the past couple of years, though."

"America? Where is that? You sure you aren't from Southern Wales or around there? I really have not heard of thiese places you speak of."
Alfred stood up and looked at the woman. His skull looked up and down on the poor woman. "Interesting..."

"You... haven't heard of America?" Otsanda frowned. "We're in America right now."

"Ah blast..." Alfred wrung his hands. "As you can see I am a skeleton but the thing is I died a long time ago. The dark ages as we called them. You know kings and castles and the such?"
Alfred paced back and forth now. "Have I been dead that long? Cursed traitors." The skeleton spat.

Otsanda wasn't familiar with the term 'Dark Ages', but she got the message from the mention of castles etc. "Wow. How long ago did you..." she hesitated, not sure of the best phrase to use. "Come back?"

"Recently...I don't know though. Time has passed so slow and I've been dead for so long...I really don't know."
Alfred sat down on the couch again. "I've never thought about these things. I've only been back for a short time or what I think was a short time."

"Oh." Otsanda was a little creeped out by the sheer ancientness of her roommate.

There was a gap in the conversation for a while, then Otsanda said "Well, I guess I better get my stuff unpacked. Oh, and which bunk d'you want? Er... do you even need a bunk?"

"I'd prefer one thank you. I don't care I guess I'll take the top one." Alfred grabbed his stuff and tossed it up on the top bunk. "I guess I'll wait for you to unpack. I don't have much so I don't really need to."

Otsanda grinned and slipped her backpack off her shoulders. "Neither do I. Papa always said travel light."
She slung the backpack on the lower bunk and unzipped it, taking out a change of clothes, which she put in a drawer. She then shoved the backpack itself under the bed, which she sat on. "Done!"

"Hey you wanna go grab something to eat?" Alfred buttoned his cotton shirt over his ribs and pulled his cloak back on. "I'm starving, its like the hunger is knawing at my bones." He chuckled again at the lame pun.

Otsanda shrugged. She wasn't particularly hungry, but it'd be useful to see what food was served. Plus, she never was one to deny herself treats, and the idea of a nice bit of meat made her mouth water. "Sure."

Alfred got up and opened the door for the lady. "Ladies first of course."
The thought of food was just a luxury to Alfred and he wondered if the lady cared how he ate or how it was even possible. "So do you have a special power or talent?"

"Gracias." Otsanda went through the doorway.
"Si, I suppose. Compared to de average human anyway. I'm a werewolf."

Alfred almost jumped back from the woman. "Wait...don't werewolfs or wolves like to chew on bones?"
The skeleton just stared at the woman in shock. "You won't try to eat me right?"

Otsanda threw back her head and laughed. When she stopped, she reassured Alfred, still grinning. "No, don't worry. We're smarter than a normal wolf, and besides, I don't smell any meat on you. What's de point chewing on a bone if you're not gonna get anyting from it?"

'Whew...If I could sweat I would be drenched in it."
Alfred sighed and laughed a bit. He then started walking down the hall to the elevator.

Otsanda had a thought. "Hey, you mind if I see if dere's anyone else who wants to come? Might as well get to know dem better."

"Sure the more the merrier." Alfred drew his cloak around him. "I hope there is someone that could explain what happened to me."

Otsanda smiled and looked for an open door. Seeing none, she knocked on the closest one.

[Ralion]

Phoenix closed the door to an empty dorm behind him. He took off his coat and hung it on one of the hooks. He hadn't stayed in a room this nice since... well, he didn't really want to think about that right now. He was going to start a new life here and try to put the past behind him. After all, he might have to do the same thing to other vampires as what happened to his master. He assured himself that they wouldn't go after someone like that. No, the things they went after would be real criminals.

But enough about that. Phoenix decided he should go down to shooting range, he had a lot of experience with swords and using knives was fundamentally the same, but he had no idea how to use a gun, he never had a reason to use one. He took his sword and hilt from his belt and put it on the top bunk with the rest of his belongings. It wasn't much since he was used to having to move on short notice. Phoenix then exited the dorm room and shut the door behind him.

[sonnywalker]

The Dorm area was abuzz with activity. People were moving about, heading into different rooms, talking, making noise. 003 decided that he must be expected to just pick a place here to live. He guessed that meant no more staying in Paw-lee-oh's lab. There were so many different scents, it was almost overwhelming. He could barely breath. One scent stood out a bit from the rest, so he just focused on that one. In this way he was able to ignore the rest.

He followed the scent to an open door, so he simply walked into the room. Looking around, the room had a dirty hole in the wall, a box, and to comfy-looking chairs. He flopped into the first one, testing it out. There were three doors here; the first was closed, but the next was open. Peeking in, he saw it, too was empty. The room was bare but for a bed and small dresser. He made for the bed but was tripped up as the lab coat he was wearing snagged on the door.

He braced one hand on the dooras he pulled at the tail of the coat - and as it came free, the door swung shut. 003 pawed up at the door to open it, but it didn't have the same horizontal handles the rest of the building had. Instead it had a little round nub of a thing. He grabbed for it, but his claws were too big to get a good handle. He tried pulling his claws back and using just his palm to turn the handle, first from the front, and then the side, but it kept slipping. As panic set in, he began scrabbling at the handle, scraping up the door with his claws.

There was no other way out of the room. What could he do? He began pounding on the door, hoping someone would hear him.

[Dusty]

Kay jumped, hearing a sudden thumping coming from the direction of her door. She opened it cautiously, peering into the sitting room. The door across the room was buckling, and she thought she heard claws scratching at it. She carefully stepped across the short distance, and braced herself, opening the door.

A curious creature came tumbling out, draped in a lab coat. She couldn't help staring. This was a good example of things stranger than herself; he was completely hairless, with large blue eyes - she assumed they were eyes, they couldn't be anything else - and long black claws. Half of her wanted to run away, but common sense told her that she wasn't getting any violent signals from him. She put out her hand tentatively.

'I'm Kay,'

[TZ]

Well, I suppose it's a step up from the mausoleum...

Vincent looked over his room, a bit unimpressed. Of course, when one used to live in an extravagant manor, most anything would be a little unimpressive. The tall vampire placed his luggage on the bed in the corner and began to unpack. Everything smelled musky and damp, a result of spending months in an old mausoleum in mourning. Vincent made a mental note to take his clothing to the wash soon. After all else was put in it's proper place, the vampire tore open a large, flat box and pulled out an exquisite frame. He looked at the image within with an expression of sadness as he hung it up on the wall above his chest of drawers. He placed a small candle beneath it and lit it, illuminating the image of a pale, beautiful young woman.

"I miss you, darling..."

Vincent bowed his head for a moment, then turned to exit the dorm, locking the door behind him as he stepped into the hall.