Landing with a thud on the floor below, Victor lay sprawled out on the ground, taking a moment to let his anger simmer down to a slow boil. Deciding that he had waited long enough, he turned to look up the stairs and saw Alpha alone, the other man having just dissappeared. Standing and brushing himself off, the Bard climbed back up the stairs towards Alpha. He was sore, bruised and wobbily, but he made it without another fall. Shaking his fist at where the other man had once stood, Victor sighed heavily and turned to the Sheikah.

"Well, I never said that everyone here was nice. At least Selerovisk doesn't spit in my face..."

Letting out a well-deserved chuckle, Victor pointed down to the floor where he had just been.

"We might as well continue onwards. There are still some good people you might want to meet..."

Starting down the stairs again, the Bard climbed slowly and carefully, holding on to the wall in order to prevent a fall caused by his weakened legs. When they reached the floor, he hobbled over to Thespin's door and knocked...

OOC:

Alpha, don't worry, I intend to keep the good guys alive You will be allowed to kill the bad ones like these at some point.

Good...

Did I ever mention how much I love these evil smilies?

IC:
'Weak? He dares call me weak!' Alpha clenches his fists as the man babbles on, yet all signs that the man's words have affected him remain concealed beneath his cape. His face simply watches and listens, acting as though the conversation is a great waste of his time...mostly because it is.

As Victor climbs back up to join him, he softly begins speaking, his words not carrying to the bard's ears. He also raises his hood to hide his lips' movements. "If you truly are watching, then know this: I have killed before, and will kill again in order to protect my identity. If you really know who I was, as you seem to, then I suggest you avoid joining that group."

At this point, Victor is almost at the top of the stairwell. Alpha pauses for a moment, considering, then decides to go ahead. "If you want to speak to me without his interference, meet me tonight in my quarters."

Victor arrives, and Alpha stops his near-silent monolouge. He follows after the bard, stopping only when they arrive at the door Victor knocks on.

Victor's knocking can be heard echoing in Thespin's dormitory, and when no one answers the door it becomes clear that the Trinian archer has not yet returned to his quarters. There are, however, two other rooms that remain unchecked on the fifteenth floor.

If Victor remembers correctly, there had been a note on one of the doors the previous day, signed by a man (or woman?) named Kessler. The note is gone. This is also the floor where the bard had met another rude individual standing silently by the third door.

Frowning at Thespin's absence, Victor turned to Alpha and shrugged.

"I guess he's not around. We might as well check out the other dorms. I have yet to meet the people who live in them..."

Walking to the door where the note had once been, the Bard decided to find out who this 'Kessler' was. Knocking a few times, he glanced at Alpha and smiled, hoping to show the Sheikah how nice the majority of the organization's members could be...

A young, thin man opens the door instantly. His mouth possesses an awkward smile. It appears to be an intelligent smirk, twisted by a sense of surprise at having a visitor. Kessler is unique compared to the other people that Victor and Alpha have met in this castle; he is the first to be seen with spectacles. The leftmost lens is cracked, however, and one can only guess how they came to be in such a wrecked state. His messy black hair curls in every direction while maintaining a relatively flat appearance.

In his left hand, Kessler holds a thin, wooden staff, likely used for magical combat. There are many dents in the weapon, indicating that it has had far more use than most staffs would. Upon almost colliding into the two men at his doorway, the man jumps back slightly.

Oh! Erm... what can I do for you?

Returning Kessler's smile with his own, Victor outstretched his hand towards the spectacled man.

"We're the new recruits here, so we're just kinda exploring the castle and meeting everyone we can. So... you're Kessler, right? Well, my name is Victor, and he's..."

The Bard pointed to Alpha with his other hand.

"He's Alpha. I'm trying to find someone who can explain the organization a bit more in-depth than I could. Would you mind? That is, unless you're busy at the moment..."

OOC: Ack! Late posting! Sorry, guys
IC:

Kessler squints through his cracked spectacles at the strangers in front of him. His face portrays a look of confusion and disbelief, but is quickly replaced when the man realizes who Victor is.

Ah! Yes, the new bard. I-I remember you from the Alliance Gathering a few days ago. So, we finally meet. yes, I'm Kessler. Well, it's my last name. I'm not impressed by my first name, no offense. So I go by Kessler. Yes, Kessler...

The awkward man stares at the ground for a few seconds before noticing Alpha. He jumps a little, remembering that he has company.

Oh! And your name is Alpha, is it? Well, i-it was nice to meet you guys. But... I really have to get going, so I can't help describe things to you, Alpha. So sorry.

Kessler nods slightly, and walks towards the stairwell. As he reaches it, he turns back to the new acquaintances and gestures to the remaining dormitory.

Don't bother trying that room. Fassix is never in there, and he's a real jerk anyways. Whenever he is in his dormitory, all I can hear is odd ramblings about the Bright Dark and Wraiths, whatever they might be. I don't much care for him, so I try to stay out of his business. But still... what could he be doing in there?

Leaving the bard and mage with that thought to ponder on, Kessler walks into the stairwell and disappears into the lower levels, leaving Alpha and Victor alone on the fifteenth floor.

Alpha silently listens as Kessler talks about the other man, Fassix, becoming momentarily anxious at the mention of 'Wraiths'. 'The Bright Dark? Interesting name, to say the least. No idea what that is, but a wraith is something I know about...ghosts, apparitions, and the like. Wonder what this Fassix would be doing thinking about them...' A smile forms on his lips as Kessler finally disappears. 'This could merit some investigation.'

Though Alpha could simply just use the Void to enter Fassix's room, he decides against it, - for now. Instead he chooses to get Victor's opinion. He turns to the bard. "This Fassix interests me. Care to see if he's nearby?"

Waving good bye to Kessler, Victor's smile grew wider.

"Nice guy. See? It's like I said, most of the people here are really nice."

But when Alpha voices his question, the Bard's smile diminished. Kessler had spoken of Wraiths, which he also knew were similar to ghosts. However, Alpha wanted to explore, and the Sheikah was more-or-less his guest. Victor nodded slowly.

"Well... if you really want to, I guess we could look around for him. You lead the way, then..."

"Me?" Alpha asks, somewhat surprised by the suggestion. 'I don't even know this place...' And so he simply shrugs, pulling his hood over his head as he approaches the door of Fassix's room. Remembering Kessler's warnings as to the man's unfriendly behavior, he prepares himself for the worst as he slowly reaches up and knocks on the door.

Although Kessler had mentioned that Fassix is never around, the door swings open and reveals a dazed looking figure. Fassix has deep red hair and a pale face. A gold earring hangs from his ear. There are a few rips and tears in his attire, either from an assault, clumsiness or experiments gone awry. As Kessler had warned, Fassix is not particularly friendly.

An outsider? What in blazes do you want!?

Alpha glares at the man for a moment, unaffected by his harsh tone and annoyed words. He stands at the doorway, and his eyes quickly flicker back to Victor, silently hoping that he doesn't try to use his normal, good-natured tactics of introduction on Fassix - it's obvious that this man will need a...harsher approach.

Alpha's tone is calm, yet with a little bit of force added in the background, an unspoken message telling Fassix that he is not one to cross. "I've heard that you're interested in wraiths, as I am. Tell me, what do you know about them."

Fassix's eyes grow wide as Alpha reveals his curiosity in the researches of wraiths. He looks around the corridors of the fifteenth floor cautiously, making sure that no one but Alpha and Victor are listening. The ravaged man steps aside and gestures to his room.

So, you know of it... Come, you two, step into my dormitory. There are things that need to be discussed.

Also realizing that Fassix wasn't exactly the nicest person, Victor stood silently as Alpha spoke, not wanting to ruin the Sheikah's message. When the other man told them to come in his dorm, the Bard glanced an unsure look at Alpha, but entered anyways. He was sure that the Sheikah knew what he was doing...

Fassix's room is set up much like Victor's, with a few odd exceptions. There are a few more lanterns decorating the room, providing more light. Along the walls in the man's dormitory are several long tables, each one cluttered by odd devices and hundreds of documents. A basket sits in each corner of the room, each overflowing with parchments and worn down writing utensils. The walls in Victor's room are bare and unadorned, but this man's walls are plastered with posters, blueprints, research and other literature. A small table stands in the center of Fassix's dormitory, which he gestures to.

Take a seat. But for the love all things divine, don't touch any of my research.