Private How Long Has This Been Here!?

Beyond his chest still hurting from yesterday Vlad looked at the new day as fresh as ever. His class had finished early so he found himself with some spare time to drop by the monastery. He'd offered to help assist some classes over the week so getting a head start on that was always a good thing.

Dressed in his practice attire he was ready to spend the day sparring and instructing the newcomers on what it meant to free oneself from the shackles of their own creation. The monks had shown him how to do this and it had helped him through the toughest of times. Just getting the chance of enlightening others as well felt like one of the best things he could do for a person in his current situation.

As he grew closer and closer to the temple he ran into other members coming and going at varying paces. He'd come to know most of them by name simply because he saw so much of them in his time here. They greeted him with sored waves and he would return them in kind. As the monastery came into a clear view it wasn't hard to notice the unfamiliar face just standing there...It was expected of most newcomers. Not a lot of architecture graced the forest so a sizeable temple being so casually placed was awe-inspiring.

Vlad smiled as the person spoke to the Illudind around them. The masked individuals seemed to nod in the boy's direction before simply going about their business. It was about that time of the day that some of them went home. As they passed him by he gave a strangely precise hand signal to all of them which they returned before moving on.

Noticing the potential to help the newcomer out Vlad jogged up to them. "Hey there! You here for a class or did you just happen to pass by?"

@Saber

Vlad's smile flattened a bit as he looked over the monastery's outside appearance. " This is the Ovanessa monastery. " He gestured to the landscape around him. "You might've seen us at some of the island events since we try to sponsor and interact with the city the best we can. Though when placed against the hustle and bustle of the city our little group gets drowned out."

A sad fact was that when it came to the city the barrier for entry was a lot harder than in the farmlands. To the east, they were far more understood and accepted as a serious group with serious goals in their function.

Vlad dropped his bag off his shoulders and placed it on the ground gingerly. " The monks here have been spreading physical and mental enlightenment on the island for a pretty long time actually. People have come from all over the island to study here."

@Saber

"Well...people reach enlightenment in different ways within different branches. Our branch focuses on the balance of both the physical and mental through martial practice and deep meditation. We focus on our very existence and how every part of our being is only a tiny fragment in something much greater and beyond total control. By nurturing that thought we attain power and take one step closer to becoming something greater ourselves."

Vlad would point to one of the Illudind "They are one of the higher ranking monks at our monastery. They've reached such an elevated place in their existence that they have taken on a mask as a symbol of their status. The mask itself means different things to different monks and from what I've been told you'll only understand fully the weight it holds once you have one....You'll notice most of them don't talk as much." He chuckled a bit as he was sure how much all of this was. He had gone through it and whenever he did recruit work he had to witness the same reaction of being overwhelmed.

@Saber

Vlad was hoping that the boy was understanding what he was saying. He wasn't the best communicator but he was always trying to improve the skill. He nodded his head as the boy mentioned fragments of a greater whole as it was somewhat aligned to his beliefs. As for the masks..."Well, the answer is both yes and no. Within their ranking, many of them are not allowed to remove the mask off the grounds of the farm or monastery. Though the higher-ups of their rank are allowed to take the mask on and off as they please. Most of the masters, for example, don't wear their masks when teaching or speaking in public."

It seemed a small thing to worry about in his opinion. He hoped that'd when he received his mask he was out of school and could fully focus his time on the farm and monastery. If that were the case he could wear the mask as he pleased as well. The only things the city offered that e would deeply want to see were the arcades and his family. "You can enter you know? It's not like you have to join the monastery to be taught. Meditation is just as important as the martial pursuits. A strong body controlled by a weak mind is limiting."


@Saber

"No problem, the number of people who stumble upon us rises and lowers every year it feels like. Whenever we get the chance we try to offer people a chance to walk around the monastery. From the outside, it is an unassuming and imposing building but the inside is the work of countless craftsmen and monks. If you ever do want to visit inside I can leave you a brochure and it will tell you how to get here."

Was he doing the salesperson thing right? He thought to himself. It would've been better had one of the teachers or higher rank members had scooped up the not but here he was stuck with him. Maybe this was some sort of test...Maybe his mentor was watching him right now, failing to promote the Monastery.

Vlad's eyes looked left and right curiously as he scanned for any sign of someone spying on him.

@Saber