No Such Thing As Home

Trader sat behind her desk in the Magnus University's library. Her feet were propped up on a stack of empty boxes behind the counter, and a book was resting on her knees. She had been reading this one for quite some time; in between the zillion other books she was reading and the newest CDs she was waiting for and ordering, she hadn't had the time.

But it had vacummed her in again, and she remembered why it was her favorite in the first place. Because it was written by some one she had boxed and trained with in High School. Because they had a mind like no other. Because... They mattered.

Trader sighed and repositioned herself in the chair, sitting cross-legged and hunched over the book in her lap, chin held by a hand, arm propped up on one knee. It was a regular day in the Library. Quiet, not many people. Perfect for reading, studying, doing whatever. On a busier day, such as a day with a new recruit in the University, she would be helping some one find a book, order one, or recomend one. She was asked almost every time some one new came in, "What do you recomend?"

Well, well. Lets see. I've only read all the books in here.

Trader chewed her lip as she read the book she had been given after graduation. It was really good, for some one who had had their face smashed in as many times as they had. As all of them had. She still had plenty of scars. All over. But they didn't matter now. What mattered was that the books were kept in order, that a torn page was fixed, and every one was happy.

Well, maybe not everyone.

*THe bell o nthe headmaster's stand rang just before the man in a white coat appeared. He looked about, the glare on his glasses hiding his eyes at first. He glanced back at the desk and noticed the lady shift. He smiled and turned on his heel, his shoes squeaking as the slid across the freshly mopped floor. He walked up to the desk and looked rather quizically. When she didn't respond at first he smiled and spoke.

"Hmmm... Lets see, slacked posture, eyes averted downward, obviously at a book... Slow day Trader?"

*His eyes showed now, they were normal hazel eyes, as they always were to everyone else he didnt fight against. They showed caring and interest. He was not asking her how her day was directly, but he ment to if she respoinded at all. Unlike a few headmasters he had known, he made it a point to always make his rounds and and have freindly discussion with the staff at the university ,as well as everyone else he met at the university. It made the staff happier to see he was interested in the university and its people, or so he thought it did. Then again, one can only speak for one's self as others are their own ppl... he thought in the back of his mind. he stood there, with his hands behind his back, giving her a friendly smile.*

"Mmhmm..." She mumbled, then marked her spot with a finger, closed the book on it, then looked up.

She smiled. "Nothing new on this end. How 'bout yours?" She sat foreward, scooting her chair towards the computer on the desk. "Need anything?" She rubbed sleepiness out of her eyes, stretched and yawned, then shook the mouse to change it from the screen saver to a desktop wallpaper of her and what used to be her and her friends' band, together with instaments and attidtude, right before the gig that nearly put them in the spotlight.

"I heard that we should be getting those new books that I ordered... Some time soon. Even though it has been almost an entire year. But I'm not complaining." She laughed a little, just a small, friendly, semi-sarcastic laugh, then set her book down, opened on the page she was on beside the stack of papers that never did themselves. She looked up as she crossed her arms on the edge of the desk, let her legs slip from under her and cross beneith the chair, and swish her hair from her eyes.

*He smiled again, and drew a new looking book from his pocket, placed it on the desk and then slid his hand back into his pocket.*

"Harlem Grander newest murder mystery/romance novel. He is an old aquantince of mine and sent me this advanced copy, asking for my opionon before its release... I however am not much for this genre, and was hoping you might enjoy it."

*He had a bit of a guilty look on his face as he continued*

"He also had requested i write a critical summary of my thoughts, however i am not very good at such things. I was wondering if you might be able to do so in a much more knowledgable report."

*He stood waiting for a reply.*

Trader slowly slid the book off the top of her desk and held it lightly in her hands. She examined it closely, the binding, the pages, the covers. She leafed through it gentley, making sure none of the pages were torn or stained.

"I suppose. Harlem Grander, you say? Mystery and romance...." Trader thought aloud to herself.

"I'll see what I can do. Thanks." She smiled at him, wondering how old he acctually was, if his friend the author was an 'old aquantince'.

"How soon do you need it done? I can have it done tonight if need be, or, like, 10 years from now..." She laughed quietly. It had never been in her strictest of rules for the library to be quiet. The people that came in just naturally were. If some one got too loud, Trader wasn't the one to tell them to shut up. It was normally some one else. But on a slow day, like today, you could speak without whispering, listen to some music (as long as it wasn't so loud they could hear it outside the walls of the library), and you could sing along if you wanted to, too. Not enough people were there to care. Unless it was something like death metal. Then you got either a book to the head and a smashed CD or a boot up the rump, along with a smashed CD.

None of which anyone had recieved in the time she had been there. Such nice people...

Elrith looked at her thankfully, and placed the book on the desk.

"Thank you, and just whenever u get the chance. Oh, and those books u ordered last year are finally here, they are at th epost building. I ll have isic bring them in. thanks again"

He turned on his heel and headed back twords his bell to his office, stopping just a few feet away from hi, then looking back at her over his shoulder.

"Oh, one more thing Ms. Trader... Take the rest of the day off."

He smiled and rang the bell, vanishing in a cloud of blue cubes back up to his office.

Trader stared at the spot where he had stood a moment before.

Bowing her head, she whispered "Thank you." Staying at her desk for a while longer, not doing anything, Trader turned the book over to read the back.

Sliding the book into her messenger bag under the desk, she started wrapping things up. Shut down her computer, stacked papers, put books on the right shelves, checked in those that had been returned. Scribbling a quick note to leave on the desk, Trader gathered the rest of the things she would need. The book, some paper, pens, pencils, and a letter she needed to reply back to.

Taken the day off. Need to check out a book? Leave a note. Checking one in? Leave it on my desk.

[/i] Thomas walked into the library with the hood of his white sandy robe down as he walked through. Long raven locks of hair moving down to his lower back moved along with him. He was curious to know if this ancient library had anything about the item he was researching. He would wear black baggy trousers tied up with a leather belt and a black long sleeve tunnic. On his feet were simple wooden sandals one might think them to be. He carried an ivory colored crescent staff but held it behind him meaning no harm to the patrons of the library.

He would walk around until he found someone of importance around here someone who could point him to the right direction. He came across Elrith and looked at him figuring him to be the Headmaster perhaps.

" Excuse me sir, but I am in need of an ancient book, describing an item called " The Sanctium Cube" would you have any books fitting the reference on such an item?"

Although it was a well asked question he was actually ignorant of which an actual book was written on it. But to him he figured that if there was no such book he might have to do more Plane hopping. Which really didn't bother him that much. He was a curious one, always trying to find references to such things. But the smell of the library made him feel relaxed and at home for some reason. He closed his eyes and smelled the scent of old books. Exhaling slowly and looking to Elrith to see if there was a book. He was quiet but that was only if no one spoke to him. He rarely spoke of out turn, prefering to speak when spoken to.

*Elrith had just exited his study to go on his rounds about the university. Summer classes were almost complete and he had to collect the exams within the next hour or so. As he walked theough the libary he met the man with the white staff. He almost pointed him twords the desk to see Ms. Trader... then remembered he had given her the day off, after all she deserved it.*

"An ancient book you say... Hmmm... Exactly how ancient?"

*Elrith's eyes narrowed a bit, but no one would be able to tell, as his eyes where hidden behind the glare of the sunlight on his glasses. He had heard of this "Sanctium Cube" But had never thought of it actively, just ran across it in a few old tome and a few sages mentioned it here and there. After a few moments of thought, he had placed a few tomes in his mind that might help the man, but he still needed the info on how old of a book the man was looking for. If the item was a certain age, Elrith may be able to find the perfect book for him.*

P.S. WRITE MEOW! P.P.S. Please send cookies.


To...Haley...Who...Hiccups.... Oh god, she's gonna hate me. Trader giggled to herself as she finished addressing the letter and putting it in the Out Box. She was wandering around campus for the day, no real direction set. She waved at people she knew, held doors open, and was being generally nice. Strolling around for a day was nice, no worries, just some good ol' Hakuna Matata. Bear Neccesities.

With her messenger bag bouncing against her hip on each step, she finally started to head to her apartment above the library around mid-day for some power-napping. Turning on her stereo, some mellow tunes began to play. Tossing her bag into one corner, she stretched, yawned, and flopped onto the matress that lived on the floor, fully clothed, shoes still on.

*Elrith stopped at a locked ghate chained shute, he waved his hand and the lock fell to the floor. Walking down he picked out 4 books, each very thick. And one was bound with animal twine, it was an old book that he looked at for a few moments, then placed back on the shelf.*

"Well, i have heard of it only a few times, only 4 Sages that i know of even mention the thing in their lectures. I personally remembe finding an old tome dipicting an cube of power hidden between two plains of existence..."

*He turned about and handed the four books to the man, leaving the fifth on the shelf.*

"THere we are, if you need any other assistence, just ring the bell that is under my office... You ring it, and you will be in my office, but dont touch the suits of armor. THey have the worst tempers if you touch them and dont pollish them imidiately... that unfortunate freshman. *he said shaking his head, then looking up again.* Well, good luck!"

*Elrith left the area and headed bac kto his office, he had alot to do. He looked back, and moved on after a quick glance. If the man were to look at the fifth book, he would see that the cover was blank. But if he looked at the other page, he would see that the author was none other then Elrith Eldwend... The man he had just met.*

"C'mon, Tre, just try it on me. Just beat the hell out of my face. Come one. Trader, I know you-

She opened her eyes with a gasp. She lay there for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Day off. Went for a walk. Crashed. She wiggled her toes, still in their shoes. She turned away from the wall she was facing to look at the alarm clock on the floor. "Five minutes. I was asleep for five minutes." She cursed, lying back down. She stretched, already feeling less tired. funny how that works... She yawned, then got up. she stood facing her open door for a moment, letting the fluids drain from her head and continue their normal flow. She ruffled her hair into some sort of order, hoping her breath didn't smell too bad. She had some gum in her desk downstairs. Heading down slowly, she hopped the last step and strolled over to her desk. Leaning across it, Trader jumped up a little bit, feet now off the floor. Stretching out an arm, she opened the top drawer on the right, ruffling through the cluttered mess before she found the pack of wintergreen gum. Hopping off the desk, satisfied, she turned around as she unwrapped a stick and popped it in her mouth.

[i]Thomas would sit at the desk looking contently into the materials reading through it rather quickly. He understood that there was a cube of power hidden between Planes. But which one's he was not sure of, idily he raised an eye to the book that Eldrith had placed back onto the shelf. He read through those books selected and took out his Planar Map to try and come up with an estimate. Between Dimmensional, borders to try and put a focal point upon which this anomalous cube would exist. But would it be more then that? He layed down the book he was reading from already at it for many hours.

He stood up and walked over to the bookshelf and would take it out, inspecting it was written by Eldrith. It was curious to him how the book was entirely blank, perhaps putting instill energy into it would reveal words. He would tap latent energy in his own mind and try to manifest lettering in it. Maybe it was something that one could not seek openly. But try as he would those words had echoed in his mind.
He knew not what they meant until a short explanation was given. But the Planes themselves would hide such a thing incredibly well. He rubbed his eyes from over exertion, the words had not revealed themselves. Idily he shifted through the pages and stared at them hoping at some point words would appear.

He was quite patient, waiting long enough for the Sanctium Cube to reveal itself might be valid. Logicially he was prepaired to wait for the design to come to him. But what did Eldrith know, that he didn't had he been somehow affiliated with the four sages that knew about it? He remembered patience was a virtue and at all costs to be maintained when awaiting greatness. He folded up the animal hide book and held it walking to the bell he rang it.

He instantly appeared in his office stopping in his tracks and not moving with the book tucked under his arm. He looked to Eldrith and asked calmly, " I've read all their is but this book was written by you, are the words locked out to stop people from understanding?" His emerald hues looked contently to the man, he wondered if he could be a Master Sage himself in some degree. " I understand it's between two planes, but which two? I theorize maybe it's between the Astral Plane of Consciousness perhaps." He stood remarkably still something he must have learned in battle perhaps.

He took out the book and looked to the page where Eldrith had written his name. He pointed to it and calmly said, " What is your book about Eldrin, I'll keep it a secret as long as I breathe. Are you a Sage like the others?"

*Elrith smiled and took the book, laying it on a pedistal in the center of his office. He took out a pair of red glasses and handed them to the man.*

"Use these, they allow people who are not my race to read our writing... but be careful, they are fragile. And only look on pages 1-500, past that is information no one should know."

*He went back to his desk and his pipe, bolwing a smoke ring that morphed into a draon and flew around th eroom, he was reading through his paperwork. And there was a mountain of the stuff.*

Trader chewed the gum for a moment, thinking.

She had the rest of the day. Even part of the night if she wanted to. What was she going to do?

She could always go into town. There had to be something going on there. Maybe a concert or party she could hang out at. There wasn't anything really going on around the university today. And she didn't want to just sit around.

Hesitating for a moment more, she turned and dashed up the stairs to her apartment.

The room was more attic than apartment. Big enough for a small party (perhaps ten people) and dancing, but small enough that it wasn't a house. The ceiling hung low, random unwanted objects covered and pushed up against the walls. Her bed lay under a thick-paned window, a few inches away from the wall in a cleared space. Towards the back was a closet, clothes lining the narrow walls, through which was a bathroom, complete with sink, toilet, shower/bathtub, and only one way in. Through the closet Trader now swung, closing the door behind her. Grabbing a random cd off a stack, she twirled into the bathrom, stuck the cd in it's player, then began peeling off her clothing and jewelery as she started to run a steaming shower.

[i]He babied the glasses and put them on walking over to the pedastel sure to avoid any nearby armor. He nodded to Eldrith " Thank you sir, you're help has been most valuable." He would glance down at the book from the point of his name and then flip the page. Silently he inacted a light power reaction as he would be standing rigid gravity wouldn't have as much pull only on him alone. He turned the pages 1500 at a time and looked down at the book.

He didn't know the language at first, then it was as if he heard a whisper. He mindlinked carefully with Eldrith, " Your race...are you Ryuujin?" He looked at the language and kept a careful glance at the book. This man was superb, perhaps legendary in a battle. Perhaps with his help he could escape the bondage from the Astral Summoner, and the Nexus to grow strong with his native world of Wrathaenhope.

He smiled and read the pages standing his full stature, he lowered the hood to his white robe. Allowing his Ivory Crescent Staff to suspend itself midair near him. He had black hair and emerald hues his face was as white as snow. And the red glasses certainly did him some wonders by giving him an air of wisdom perhaps beyond his years. But he seemed young no older then his early twenties, an anomaly in itself why his age was so pre-determined.

But he still carried an air of youth established, however his knowledge came at sacrifice. He lost against the Astral Messiah only to be made his lapdog to do as he pleased. It didn't seem he loathed it, but the guide he had passed onto him was valuable to him non the less. The Planes Walker Guide to the Omniverse. As much as it gives a sense of mediocrity, he found it equally useful to scribe new techniques into it.

He was quite versed in all types of skills, but chose to create a school upon which elemental attacks were useless. He called his self taught discipline Unelemental Arcana, using dark forces and light forces. He was able to create a grey arsenal of techniques and psionic powers through this rigid training. But that wasn't his only interest, he wanted to create a school of Zodiac based attacks. With powers marked at defeating un aligned zodiac with complex techniques.

But still his thirst for knowledge was what put him at a precarious situation. He felt after he understood what the Sanctium Cube was, he would be able to finnally end his charade of empowerment. Silently he read the book memmorizing everything that came to him able to form micrcosms in his mind. This of course to store the invaluable information in his sub concious. In order to retain every bit of information visualizing how such reactions would look.

*Elrith chuckled abit as this man tried to guess his race. He had only ever had one person successfuly do so, and that person was his predisesor. He glaced up from his work and decided he would correct the man in a attempt to strike up a comversation.*

"No...Actually, i am not. my race is one few have heard of and fewer still know of it. Then again..."

*He glanced down at his pipe, then looked at his guest. His eyes were reading the arcane magic around him like a thermal scope read heat signatures. He realized at that moment who the man was and what he had been up to over the past few months.*

"Perhaps for one who travels the planes of the Omniverse the knowlegde of my race will be more common..."

*He leaned foward and looked the man in the eye, convaying how he was not lying.*

"I am a Lor Nomina..."

*He spoke with layered tones, a signature trait of his race. His voice was like a chorus speaking in time, with the bass section resounding as the melody. He leaned back in his chair and returned to his work, waiting for the man to either continue the conversation of let it ly. Then he suddently realized how rude he was being.*

"And what race are you? if i may ask."

*He added, as well as offering the man a drink.*

Finishing her shower, she hummed to herself, bobbing her head to the beat of her music, drying off. Walking from her bathroom into her closet, she picked out a pair of black, tightish, torn-in-a-stylish way jeans, underwear, a semi-low-cut t-shirt, and a plaid blazer jacket. shaking her hair out, she took a pair of Converse high tops from a shelf, and a pair of red and black knee-high socks with skulls and crossbones on them. Throwing them out of ther closet, she took her car keys off a hook in the wall before following them out the door and into her room.

He calmly walked over and sat down in front of him taking the drink. He was never tired and would state so quickly the red glasses seemed to give him a minor sagely look.

" Saddly I don't know, I was manifested into this plane that spoke to me. It said it was a mobius plane called Wrathaenhope. It said a name to me it called me Ae`creed Ahrenesperzion Hikari, but I don't know who they are or who they served..it said I was the last pure blood of people who were enslaved. By Kishin, Majin, and Megami, but I don't know who they are."

His staff would still levitate near the desk with the ancient book he discovered the cube of power.
He looked over to Elrith and calmly asked " What is a Lor Nomina, and which Plane do they come from?"

He was a tad bit curious he would take a swig of the drink and hand it back to Elrith, then eyed his pipe. " What is that you are smoking?"

He had never smoked an herb before and it seemed slightly interesting to him . He took in a long whiff of the exotic fumes the herb exhuded. But had never seen a maryjuana plant or whatever he was smoking.

" I heard of a race called the Ryuujin, they use a power called the Aegis Emporium. Thus I became a little interested in it. There have been multiple cubes named and given but what is the truer faith? My plane is much like any of these microcosmic realities.

He would nottice his pattern was in a constant state of transitioning from blues to reds. But it was well hidden behind layers of aura that seemed latent. [i]

*Elrith gazed at the man softly, his amber eyes where analyzing him. namely his aura. then his eyes shifted, the pupils grew abit as he exaplianed the flow of magic aroun the being. remarkable, he seemed to have a direct conection to the weave, something that defelopes by traveling the planes, but only in a few speicies. He was not sure why, but this beingseemed to have the mark of every race he had every met. As long as he has lived, he has never met such a creature, and he was curious.*

"To be honest, im not sure where my race came from, to be true, i dont think anyone does. The Lor Nomina were the first race in this plane to my knowledge, then again i suppose the Interplanur Temple is our original home. if you look at section 4 chapter 6 it will explain my race (or you could check my Chara Sheet )"

*He took another puff of his pipe, the smoke was sweet smelling and lingured in the shape of a ring as he exhaled."

*Tronmark Root, i find that combining it with a bit of Hurama leaves and a dash of Waston nut helps me clear my mind."

*He sat back thinking of the Ryuujin. he had met a few, powerful creatures as he recalled, their magic was strange, it did not flow through the Weave, unlike other races.*

"The Ryuujin use strange magic, magic not I or anyother being i know of at this university can master. the last Headmaster was part Ryuujin, i believe, so perhaps if you check his autobiography you will find more. its over there on the table."

*He gestured to a large oak table with many book stacked apon it.*

Backpeddling into her bathroom, she picked a diamond stud out of a small box, swirled it in some rubbing alcohol, then slid it gently into place. Dabbing on some eye liner to make her green eyes shiny and sharp, she half-skipped out of her bathroom and flopped onto her bed to put her socks and shoes on.

Jumping up, Trader snatched a belt off of another hook in her wall and slid it through the loops in her pants. I wonder who will be around tonight, she thought, Or if they all desided to finally get a life.

Giggling to herself, she grabbed her wallet off of a dresser filled with nothing buy cd's and covered in stickers. She hooked the checker board leather on a chain, shoved it in her back pocket, then hooked the other end of the chain to her belt.

Electric sliding out of her room, she sat on the stair railing, lifted her feet up, and slid all the way down, jumping off at the end. Laughing like a little school girl, Trader made her way over to the bell, leading to Elrith's office, a portal she had yet to figure out.

He smiled at Elrith and would nod, " Interesting substance, there is a place in my Plane where Yggdrasil roots go endlessles down it. I think because the tree is there the Plane has substance, though arbritrarily." His emerald eyes would downcast as he reached into his pouch of infinite holding. Where he would take out a bag of grinded up roots. " The tree said to me to shave a little of the bark off, and to set fire to it. I never knew what the tree meant it but I guess the tree knew all along."

A smile would thinly appear on his face as he put the bag onto Elrith's desk. He would listen to the man as he would describe the book near him. He stood up and would go an fetch it adding it to the two books he had already.

" I think I will scribe duplicates of both of them, if could never hurt to have extra's you know. By the way I like the smell of the library, old books always made me feel at home for some reason. Maybe it's because the knowledge of the Ancients is contained therein.

He would look to Elrith and would nod in a very sagely manner, then put the books back into his pouch.

" I appreciate all that you have done for me Elrith, if I could help you at anytime, just ask."

He turned a momment his mind drifted to Elrith's accidentaly and he found a single word in his mind. The word came out in a whisper. " Omega."

He turned towards Elrith a momment and blinked towards him and nodded, " I am sorry but my mind wandered, what is Omega though?"[i]

*Elrith thought... Omega... the word struck familiarity to him. Perhaps because of its closeness to the name Omaga, however why would this man think of Omaga, Omaga was in the void now, trapped due to Torm's will.*

"I have no idea... Omega, perhaps it is a place, a Plane maybe. hmmm... you are perhaps remembering something you once read about a place you have not checked."

*He stood and walked over to the case on the wall, inside were his two blades, he took them and strapped them on, then glance at him. his pipe still with him, he smiled.*

"However..."

*He turned about and smirked adventureously at the man*

"i know of only one way to find out..."

*He headed over to the man and to the wall that led out of his office, reaching up to tap the bell on the wall with his forefinger.*

Trader brushed her hand against the bell, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

She always got nervous when she was this close to Elrith's office. So much wisdom, so much magic... sighing, she was about to ring the bell when another resounded.

Brows pulling together, she turned, wondering what the sound was, if even a bell. It sounded distant, quiet, and unattached. Shuffling uncomforatably, Trader swallowed, turning back around. Perhaps this was a bad time to tell Elrith she was going out. He should know, though, if something were to happen.

Arguing with herself mentally, she hesitated to ring the bell.