Arrivals at the Front Desk

The dull weariness of boredom had clearly settled in for the young secretary, sitting at the front desk of the Role Play Gateway corporation's western headquarters. It was well into the mid-morning cool-down and it was highly unlikely any more new arrivals would check in any time soon which left the young lady with absolutely nothing to do but to play with her hair or sketch rude drawings into the pad of paper in front of her. Neither she, nor the stoic doorman guarding the front entrance noticed the slip of a young boy slipping in through the front door. The doorman nearly caught a glimpse as the boy pushed the door open, but he decided it must have been his imagination when there was nothing to be seen.

The boy resisted the urge to sigh with relief and chuckle as he watched the doorman's confused expression in great amusement. He had been afraid of getting caught right at the door, he had planned this stunt for hours and knew that the door would prove to be his biggest challenge. Still, none, to his knowledge, were as good at he was at blending into the shadows. At the last second he tapped into the latent magic coursing through his strange body and stepped further into the shadows, letting his body shift out of the visible spectrum and into the shade itself.

The boy was ecstatic at this point. He was nearing the end of his self-set mission, a job that would bring him closer to a real chance at life, at grasping his own fate with his own hands. He knew this was important and that, though the hardest part had passed, he still needed to do this right. Still, as he crept through the shadows of the lobby, making his way towards the front desk, he could not help but catch the incredibly bored look on the secretary's face as she doodled. The doorman, on the other hand, was also being pretty observant. He, however, simply decided it was time to stop drinking tequila with his coffee in the morning and to go ahead and see that psychiatrist tomorrow. Shadows are not suppose to grin, the cheshire cat is not real, and a look that mischievous just is not right. With a shiver the doorman turned away and focused his attention back on the door.

As was said, the young boy, all but invisible in the shadows was grinning ear to ear as he watched the bored girl. He figured that it was time to give her some excitement, his way. His tail swished lazily behind him and he began to lean back, letting his body fall backwards into the loving embrace of his own, almost indiscernible shadow. And like a stone tossed into a lake, the boy disappeared completely, sinking deep into his own shadow until he was gone, only to rise without a sound, slowly and carefully from the secretary's own, deeper shadow. The boy's grin grew impossibly wide.

The girl was none the wiser as he crept upon her from behind, carefully keeping the claws of his hands and feet from ticking against the tile flooring. His tail swayed behind him in eager anticipation as he leaned in, his face so close to hers, his lips right next to her ear...

"Meow."

Wow...definitely one of the most creative introductions I've seen in over two years! Welcome to Gateway!

There's no doubt that you already have a firmly handle on the written language and telling a story with our words, so I know that you'll be a valuable asset here with no trouble finding people that you want in their games! One little housekeeping note -- In order to be able to send Private Messages, you need ten forum posts. It's something that can confuse a lot of new users.

If there is anything we can do to help you learn your way around and get started, contact a member of the Staff and thanks for joining!

"Impressive!"

The voice rang out bright and clear from the other side of the main lobby; its one word twisted up in the middle by a stout Midwestern accent.

"Yeesh. And here I was, thinking I'd seen it all."

She was just over five feet tall with shoulder-length black hair, light orange eyes, and a wry grin that would have made even the most acerbic of observers a bit wary -- and she was now striding across the flagstone tile to meet the boy, and the irritated receptionist.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Sato. Or, well, ViceVersus. Depends how formal you want to be about it. I'm on staff 'round these parts, but don't let that worry you."

Sato, for that was the girl's name, tilted her head to the side, taking in the shadowy form.

"So. What do they call you, then?"

The boy flashed a wide grin at the new girl, stepping out from behind the receptionist and into the light. The boy was small, couldn't have been more than fourteen by looking. He was dressed in the most wretched of rags, covered in filth. His bright green eyes looked the woman, Sato, up and down and his grin broadened as he pulled back his hood and dipped a theatrical bow, his feline ears twitching, listening to the faintest of sounds around him.

"They call me Daen. Nice ta meet you, cutey." he said with a salacious wink. "So you're staff? Well then, maybe you could show me to my room? Or maybe to yours?"

With a laugh, Daen shook his head and shot the clearly confused doorman a grin. He walked slowly up to Sato and his mischievous grin dimmed into one more sincere.

"But seriously though, thanks for the welcome. It's nice to meet you, Sato."

Sato's grin didn't fade for a second as Daen sidled up to her.

"Yeah, enough outta you!" the girl had to laugh. "I'm one of the Global Moderators 'round these parts, as well as Design team leader. Just because I'm not wearing the Moderator green doesn't mean I'm any less fearsome!"

The Designer reached up, and tipped her orange fedora.

"Don't have to thank me for the welcome, Daen. It's sort of in my job description. I'm happy to do it, anyways! There's enough new folks staggering in those front doors day-to-day without one bloke -- " Sato stressed the word making it clear which "one bloke" she was talking about, here, " -- causing any sort of fuss."

The doorman, and the receptionist seemed to nod quietly to themselves at what appeared to be an admonishment. Sato craned her neck to see that the pair had gone back to what they were doing, before she reached out and plucked the boy's elbow, drawing him in closer.

"Actually .. between you and me?" the Designer whispered, still grinning. "You could have gone a bit more over-the-top with it. Fireworks, like. Confetti. But what's done is done! You only get one chance. Not bad, though. Not bad at all."

Sato let go of the boy's elbow for now, but nudged him in the direction of the main staircase.

"So here's how this works. You've already found the welcome desk and the main lobby, which is great -- but there's a lot more to explore. There are a lot of worlds to duck your head into here at Gateway. I don't know your preference -- fantasy, sci-fi, horror .. but we've probably got something to fit your bill."

The girl splayed her fingers out to the side, and waggled them a bit.

"It can be pretty confusing when you're first meandering around, so if you get lost just make your way back here and we'll get someone to sort you out, for sure. I guess before you get started, I should ask more questions .. learn a bit more. Or something. I don't know. They make me do stuff sometimes."

Orange eyes blinked, and narrowed.

"I don't like it when they make me do stuff."

Maybe a switch or something flipped in Sato's mind, because she was suddenly all smiles again.

"Daen, is it? Fourteen-years-old. Excellent. So, where do you come from? Where do you go, what are you looking for? That sort of thing, I guess. Also, where'd you get the ears? Can't say I've never wanted a pair .. "

Daen couldn't help but snicker at Sato a bit. All those questions, rapid fire, and he had barely gotten through the door!

"Global Moderator huh? I'll remember that. Don't think I'm gonna fear you though, Miss Sato, or respect you much for that matter. You're still open game as far as I'm concerned, but then I've always been a bit crazy." he said with a chuckle, letting her grab his elbow and tug him near. It worked out for him since it let him in close enough to try for a quick pick pocket. These rich types, you never know what you'll find on 'em. Still, he wasn't about to get careless. He sensed something from her, so as his hands moved he made sure to keep cautious and to distract her with answers.

"Like the ears hmm?" he said, his nimble fingers going to work. "I have a tail to match, too, but I can't really tell you where to get them. I was born with them you see."

He decided after the first two seconds that he wasn't about to get anything valuable off Sato, and he was playing dangerous just trying. Finally his hands made their way into his pockets and he gave her questions some real attention.

"Hmm, as for the rest of your question... I'm not entirely sure. I can't remember where I'm from, and I never really know where I'm going. As for preferences, well, I guess I like fantasy. Some place I can be me without having to worry too much about masses of people screaming for my corpse."

Daen shrugged and gave Sato one last look, his expression dimming to nothing.

"I guess I'm looking for a place to go, Miss Sato. Maybe I'll find a place here, maybe not. But for now I think I'll hang around and do some lurking in all your nice shadows."