Chapter 21: A Roman Holiday

[haakon]

((Ah. Very well then. I apologize for the inconvience ^^;))

And once again, though he really should have seen it coming, time froze once more. Was he really about to use that same spell and ignore what his mentor had warned him about? What were the chances that whoever was freezing time would not eventually find him and unfreeze time again? It did not take long for whoever it was freezing time to find him. Haakon was more so curious as to why this man did not simply kill him in the first place as he boasted he could do. "My intentions should be obvious; the Manalists must be destroyed for the good of all." Haakon projected to Kaschei bitterly, pretty sure that he wouldn't have a chance to cast the time spell again... though he didn't really want to risk destroying the fabric of time and space.

"Training of the mind and body... that is how I have achieved my powers. A great many centuries granted to me by the longevity of my kind; something that no human could ever hope to match." Haakon added, not sure why he should be telling him this, but seeing as he was frozen and the chances of him surviving before completing his time spell again were very slim; besides, he was still alive and that had to mean something. "For what reason do you serve under the likes of them?" Haakon then asked, actually curious as to why someone who could bend time would wish to actually serve under anyone. Someone of such power should hold higher respect then being a servant...

[††Venice "Cephrien" Ashgrove††]

Come to think of it.. upstairs would probably work. If he stayed in the Greenhouse, it would be humid and then he would get all hot. So, instead of following Ophelia to the greenhouse entrance door, he walked directly to the stairs that would lead to the upper floor. He placed a boot on one of the steps before glancing at her again to answer her question.

"There will be a gladiator event soon. Where they take prisoners and force them to fight fearsome beasts or even against each other." He spoke this casually.

"Earlier, an ally was taken by the Invisible Hand during the chaos in Helsinki. I figure I should try and get her out of there."

He doesn't seem to have any problem telling Ophelia that he is a rebel. He figured that she already knew this. Ceph began to walk up the stairs, speaking to her, voice becoming echoed once he climbed further away from the main floor.

"-I might stay a little longer beyond that until I get my orders."

[Anya Louteius]

Anya had yet again disappeared from Jack's sights. She wandered around for the longest, just out of boredom. Her house had been destroyed and now she really had no where to go, but back to Jack. She had the new little black phone, which she used to keep in touch with him. She sighed softly as she walked past a graveyard. She bit her lip as if debating wheter or not this was right. But she had to pay her respects right and say goodbye...

She opened the squeaky iron gate and walked in. She felt so creeped out in graveyards and then she saw the freshly dug earth in a mound over his body. It was her real father's body. The man that she had grown up believing was her father wasn't, but this man was. She really didn't feel anything but sadness that she didn't really know him. It slowly turned to hatred toward her mother for keeping all this a secret. She placed the daisy in her hand on the mound of dirt and took a step back and just stared. She frowned, undure of what to say....

She felt the black phone vibrate, he was calling her, but she didn't answer. He would get angry, but he would get over it. He always did. She bit a fingernail and her mind drifted into the past memories of her life. She was a world wide known rock star, and she disappeared into an unknown and no one looked for her. She smiled as she realized she wasn't really all that famous after all. Life was so full of little things that everyone took for granted.

She looked around at her surroundings and saw the trees, felt the wind as if she was feeling it for the first time, and this time she could appreciate it. She brushed her long brown hair back and then turned back to the grave. She smiled softly and then walked away. The clicking of her stiletto boots the only thing to be heard in the silence. As she closed the iron gate, it started to rain. She stuck her hands into her Vera Wang jacket and continued to walk away.

She got out her other cellphone and decided she could call her friend Lulu Nojurny. She dialed the number and the phone started to ring. Lulu answered and Anya smiled. "Hey, how are you? I was wondering if I could stop by? If you aren't too busy." Lulu sounded over joyed to have her over and they hung up. Anya headed toward a teleport booth, and was on her way to Norway.

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

(no problem, I just wanted a chance to do some ceremonies, the gladiator fights, and a few other holy week events before any major fighting ...so the final even will be the parade, which is a better time for an attack)

"I would like to become a god myself, but, there are some...things that limit me...at this time." Kaschei replies to the elf. It is true. Kaschei knows there are other powerful individuals in the world. For now, he will lend his power to the Manalists in a career move that seemed...timely.

"I will set things back again. Maybe you will recall this conversation, perhaps not. Just know that there are people in this world who are more powerful than you but who are holding back. The Manalists will not fall easily....and they are themselves a facade for a greater network of power. If you wish to make a statement, or make yourself known to them, now is not the time..."

Kaschei sends time backwards to before the attack again. He wanders over to Will and keeps an eye on anyone in a Manalist robe who does not belong in the spot. He doesn't notice the elf. Maybe he heeded the warning. Maybe he will attack later. He isn't sure what will happen now. The elf could still attack sometime this week. Kaschei wonders if it really matters. Still, he has just joined the Manalists and wouldn't want to lose out on his job before he can really apply himself at it. Anyway, if Master Scrag was killed, he supposes that Genetech would just bring him back or clone him.

[Li Violette]

I arrive in Rome just in time to witness Scrag burn three women alive. You know when you are in Rome when you see such things. I cringe and can't help but feeling angry at this. It is disgustingly sexist and cruel. However, I can't do much against this. In time, perhaps Red Infinity will change the world and rid it of this awful religion.

I stand there for a ceremony that feels like it is taking forever. Something feels vaguely wrong, but I can't put my finger on it. I feel like ...I have been in a coma or something and keep slipping in and out.

Then...I see a new figure. I know him...the head of the Russian mafia. But why is he here? He isn't a Manalist. I watch carefully but wonder what this means.

[Ariel Tal Shachar]

Ariel arrives at the ceremony as well. He takes his place by Li Violette. He too feels upset over the sacrifice of the women. It disturbs him deeply. But, this religion has its purpose. He folds his arms and stares at Master Scrag. A priest offers him a single red leaf, but he declines. The priest looks upset, but since he is the Moderator, he has a greater ability to deny the leaf.
The Manalists will end someday, but when?
When will their purpose have been served?
The world needs them now. They unify them and give people something to believe in. They teach the people what they must know and do to survive in this world and the habits that keep the economy relatively stable.
"The last quarter saw significant economic growth. Unemployment has gone down thanks to the Eyes of God and companies ramping up their security against threats like Momo and rebels. Last quarter I was worried...but I am feeling more confident." The Moderator states to Li to make small talk and a distraction from the horrors of the sacrifice.

[Master Scrag]

After the sacrifice, it is time to move on to the next part of the ceremony. It is the hour of testimony from the Blessed. It is a time to hear stories from people who were once Cursed and who managed to overcome their weakness in order to become members of the Blessed. The point is to inspire people so that they believe that anyone can accomplish anything through hard work and the ruthless pursuit of excellence.

"And now, Children of Manala, it is the hour of testimony. Many here today are Cursed. You are still cursed by your weakness. Perhaps your weakness is your gender. Perhaps it is a disease or your poverty. It is my hope that you find inspiration from the stories of the Cursed who became Blessed."

With that, he calls forth people from the audience who have stories to share about their former weakness.

(anyone who considers their character Blessed can give a testimony now...)

[Niilo Ukkonen]

“I was trying to be friendly, even comforting,” Niilo explains as he gets out a cigarette.

Niilo cupped his hands around the tip and the lighter as he lit the end and took it out of his mouth. There weren’t very many companies that now sold nicotine cigarettes, like the ones Niilo smoked. He had the feeling that even the ones of the older times were considerably better quality than these. He didn’t have a problem with the herbal, tasty cigarettes, but nicotine ones were always nice.

“Also, you’re welcome to come chill in my home. My friends are always happy to have new visitors, guests if you will, and it’s always nice to have someone who is in need over to get some help. How does that sound?”

[Dinari Dollar]

To Max

Dinari Dollar thought it was pretty terrible that those women got burned alive, since they were kind of cute and totally didn't deserve it. However, the idea of a gladiator fight sounded pretty cool. He decided to text Max to invite him to Holy week. Maybe they could talk more about the project while they were in Rome together.

So he texted them:

HEY, ITS DINARI, COME TOROME. THEY WILL HAVE AGLADIATOR FIGHT AND A PARADE.

After Dinari sent Max a text, he decided he would go up to the stage and give a speech about his family and how they became Blessed.

"Hi everyone. I have a testimony. My great great grandpa Dollar lived in the rural United States. He was a poor farm boy who didn't have a dollar to his name, except to his last name, which actually WAS Dollar. Anyway, so, when he was in school, he went to work for the local drug store stocking shelves. It's then he got this dream...he had a dream of starting his own little store, but selling groceries, drugs, and clothes...so people wouldn't have to shop at different stores. they could find it ALL at one store. So, he started saving. He saved and saved and saved...and one day, he started to rent a building and started up his own little store. That little store became Allmart..."

"I have a dream too. That dream is to restore America. Right now, it's like I'm like my grandpa working at the drug store. I have to work hard and just keep working, but someday, with hard work, I think I will restore America to its former glory."

[Annette Rosenthal]

To Bambi

Annette finishes her work for the day, then decides to check on Bambi Engel. She heads downstairs to Bambi's office to see what she is up to. She finds Bambi busy working, but, her expression seems perhaps a little...down. Annette isn't the most perceptive person, but she can sense that maybe Bambi has been assigned too much work.

"Hello Bambi. I'm sorry that you couldn't make it to my birthday party, not that I even like birthdays or parties." Annette says with crossed arms and the same, old, bitter look.

"I was about to head to Rome for Holy Week. It will be a chance to touch bases with the branches of Global Bank there, but also to show the Manalists that Global Bank takes an interest in their affairs. If you would like to join me, I am leaving right now." Annette offers.

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

(This called to me, Jumala. Sorry! )

Putting a hand on Scrag’s shoulder, then retreated it when he felt the horrid filth. Wiping his hand on a John Sweet, Scrag’s assistant, Lon said, "I’ll speak," after a few moments of silence from the horrified crowd.

“Alright you ingrates,” he began, “Some time ago, Father Manala blessed out plane with his teachings of self-preservation and self-improvement. Since that time, the world has evolved out of it’s baby-state bullshit and into a total new type of planet with a unified culture of individualism.”

Raising his hand in a fist, Lon continued.

“I was once weak. I was flesh without purpose and a mind without thought. Since I adopted the teachings of Manalism, these weaknesses have slowly faded away into nothingness. I can only hope the same occurs in your life, my friends.”

With that, Lon stepped down from the podium. Everything he had just said was total bull, but no one would know. He needed to keep up with his work, but in order to do that, he needed to keep his true self in the closet. For now at least…

[Sidapa Amparo]

To Darian

After Lucio explains what has happened, Sidapa brings him to the nearest teleportation booth and teleports them both to Rome. He drops Lucio off at the temple of terror, but Holy week has already started. Sidapa decides that he should check up on Darian and that perhaps he should at least watch some of the events for Holy week.

Sidapa checks around to find out where Darian's quarters are. He is granted permission to visit him when he explains that he was working with Darian on a mission the other day.

When Sidapa is shown where he might find Darian, he knocks on the door of what should be his quarters and waits.

"It's me, Sidapa.." He says from behind the door.

[Kith Keitoleinen]

"It is a sort of elf that has gray or dark skin and usually white hair...they live underground and worship the goddess who is said to have created them, Loviatar. My mother was a priestess to Loviatar. Strange...since my father, Keitoleinen, is said to have killed Loviatar. Loviatar is the goddess of pain and disease." Kith explains of himself. He stops working in order to think about it. It has been a while since he has seen another dark elf. Actually, he doesn't blame them. The human world, with its own oppressive religion, is hardly any better.

"I don't know much about angels, but I do know a little about the old Finnish gods. I think...angels were created by Akka, but I don't know. I suppose that is so long ago, and myth anyway. It is better not to believe in much when it comes to the gods." Kith explains.

"I enjoy talking to you. You are very patient in listening to me. I appreciate that."

[Jack Kruschev]

TO: Momo, Li, and Ariel

Anthony was in his office doing some research in the original copy of his studies on Scientific Spirituality (by himself) when he realized something from the text.

“…as one gets closer to the specimen, he notices that, although it does not glow, it radiates all the same. Electrons and such leave the ‘angel’s wing’ and cause decay to the substances around it, unless the same substances hold similar qualities to the original specimen…”

“What the hell?!” Anthony wondered.

Getting up, he returned to his lab and found the vial with Jumala’s hair in it. Just by looking, one could see that the vial had…rusted. Glass can’t rust, so Anthony was confused.

Grabbing the phone, Anthony called Momo.

“I need your help in Dublin,” he said. “Trust me, you’ll want to see this.”

Anthony also called the Moderator and the Speaker telling them the same thing.

[Calithin Crest]

I, too, go to Rome to partake in the religious festivities. Some of the rituals leave me unsettled, but, it is what it is. I should probably hate religion just as much as I hate other things which prevent humanity's free thought and growth, however, I have always been more tolerant of it. I understand the purpose it serves.

I find the personal testimonies to be very interesting and, generally speaking, am enjoying myself. When Dr. Lonnrot finishes speaking I decide to take the podium and share my own thoughts...

"We can't all be the best. But we can all be the best versions of ourselves. There is no excuse for not actualizing ones full potential. It's naive to think that everyone will be the head of a multinational corporation, or a master researcher who creates revolutionary technology, or a great artist producing masterpieces... It's true that some will be construction workers, gardeners, store clerks. And, well, if that's what you are-- then be it. Be the best construction worker possible. The most talented gardener. The most efficient store clerk. There is nothing limiting your potential within the reality of your self. This is a lesson we all have to learn. This is a lesson I had to learn, certainly. But once that door is opened in your consciousness, there is nothing you cannot achieve. Thank you."

I step down and begin to look around for snacks. I would love a cookie right now. Motivational speaking is fueled by cookies. Most people don't realize this, but it's true.