The White Dragon Sanctuary

Intro
The building was nothing special on the outside. Your typical half-mansion placed thoughtfully at the end of a winding driveway shaded by sprawling oak trees. The building was designed in the Elizabethan half-timber style some years ago. Nothing but a wooden sign by the roadside notified the world that this place existed. Yet something about that sign drew people in. The White Dragon Sanctuary thrived.

The Main Room
If the curious traveler should happen to walk through the front door, they would find themselves in a large tavern-like room. Along one wall, a long counter top lined with stools invited the weary to sit. Indeed, the bar was well stocked. There wasn't a single inch of shelf space behind that mahogany counter which did not hold a bottle.
The opposite wall played host to a flock of paintings, each one depicting some form of wild animal leaping or crouching or lounging. A large fireplace nestled in the wall provided an atmosphere of cozy warmth. Strewn all around it in various stands were all kinds of instruments; each in turn being a work of art. Three couches sat facing the fire at different angles, looking impossibly comfortable.
The rest of the space available was devoted to a wooden dance floor and various tables. Together, the features of the room worked to create a deep sense of comfort and security.

The Valley
The White Dragon Sanctuary sat on the east side of a mountain with it's large windows and balconies overlooking a valley. The valley, too was part of the Sanctuary. From the rear patio of the building, six paths lazily wound across the grounds. These dirt paths had signs marking their destinations: The Lake; The Caves; The Garden; The Meadow; The Labrynth; and The Ruins.
--------
Ok, guys. I expect you to know the rules of an rp like this one. REMEMBER THEM. Here, I am your God. You will obey or you will pay.
--------

Rooms
1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
7-
8- Hellboy

NO profile needed. Just be sure to describe your character in your first post and KEEP IT LITTERATE.

Ash curled up by the fireside, keeping an eye on the door in case someone should walk in at this early hour. She was quite proud of the way she had fixed up the building since she bought it from the previous owners. It had taken more time than she had expected, but it paid off. The place was almost exactly the way she had dreamed it.
The white tiger folded her giant paws over each other and rested her head on them. Her white-furred tail twitched. Nothing but the crackling of the fire filled the velvet silence of the room.

((Ah hell, may as well use Dresden))
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden

I walked into the inn. I've been told I looked everything from handsome to rugged, though I cannot say myself. I look to be in my late 20s though I am much older (Like few thousand years older.) I wore my usual brown trench coat that was laced with my magic version of Kevlar. Under the coat I had on a simple shirt and jeans to match. On my wrist was my mother's pendent that I use to conjure shields of magical force. In my right hand was my staff which had every language both Human and non etched on it.

As I entered the inn I was greeted with a warm aura of welcome. I smiled slightly and took a seat near the fireplace, where a white tiger slept. I chuckled lightly and told it, "Your just like Mouse, my Foo Dog" Foo Dogs were mystical Asian dogs of high magical power. Mouse is such a dog, though he looks more like a Caucasian Mountain Dog.
"Wonder if they got coffee here?" I asked the tiger and no one.

The tiger opened one electric blue eye then the other and blinked at the visitor for a moment before coming to life. She unfolded herself, stretching her back in a fashion which only felines can pull off with any sort of grace. The sleek line of her form stood out against the firelight, showing every powerful muscle. She nodded at him and moved out of sight through a door behind the bar.
A few minutes later, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties came out with coffee on a plate along with three types of sweetener, sugar, creamers and a spoon. She placed them next to him on the table and gave him a soft smile which somehow matched the feeling of the Sanctuary.
"Will that do?" She asked with a voice as wise and soothing as the ocean. She fixed her electric blue eyes on him with a hint of recognition, though she kept it from showing in her face. She drew her white hair back and threw it over her shoulders so it would be out of the way. If she wasn't mistaken, then in front of her was a certain wizard.

I glanced into her electric blue eye for less than a moment, making sure I did not initiate a soul gaze. I looked down at the nectar she had place in front of me. It was most likely brewed by the very gods. "That will do nicely, thank you Ms. White Tiger." I put plenty of sugar in the brew and began to drink. Ah but it was wonderful! The java gave me the energy I so needed. After the enjoyment had slowed..well not really...I looked at the young woman and gave her a nod, "Thanks a lot...Ms...?"

She took a seat on the nearest couch, crossing her legs at the ankles and placing her hands delicately in her lap. [color=blue]"Ms. Silverbook."[/blue] She supplied. "But I would much prefer you call me Natasha or Ash. My last name makes me sound like a school teacher." at this comment she relaxed, leaning back and lounging. She remembered his face now. She had last seen it next to a news article.
With the hint of playfulness in her voice which was so characteristic, she asked a simple question whose soul purpose was to measure her guest's reaction. "What brings you out to the middle of nowhere, Mr. Dresden?" She picked out a strand of hair and twirled it idly around her index finger.

"Ash it is then" I said with a small nod. I drank more of the coffee as she spoke again. I grinned at her question, catching the playfulness in her voice. "My reputation seems to have run away from me. To me, the middle of nowhere is a damn nice place to relax. I lived in Chicago for half of my adult life and now work for the White Council full time, so places like this are a welcome change." I finished off the cup of joe before saying, "This place has a good aura. Feels more like a home than an inn. Hells Bells, I could even feel the threshold as I walked in. You can only get that from a home or place that is treated more than a simple house."

The woman nodded and sat in complete silence for a moment, her smile fading at one of her various old memories. "It is my home. I love this place dearly." She tapped the dark wood floor fondly with one bare foot. "I poured my soul into it's design. It is part of me and I am part of it. You'll be hard pressed to find stronger magical protection."
Years spent studying the supernatural had guided her in making this home, as well. One couldn't tell without opening up the walls, but she had worked many different materials into the building which would dampen the effects of malicious magic. If one looked carefully, they might even notice that the grain of the wooden floor suggested the outline of a rather large circle. One last little safety measure of hers.

I smiled at her words. I had once felt the same for my crappy little apartment in Chicago with the sub-basement that made a perfect lab. Sure there was only enough electricity for a phone and no hot water, but it was my home, damn it! And anyway, Any technology past World War 2 was unusable for anyone with even a little magical talent. I looked at the floor and noticed what my Wizard mind could only attribute to a circle. Damn big one too.
"Indeed. I can count the number of similar home defenses on one hand. My home was one of them...WAS one of them" the memory of the Red Court Vampire couple that threw the Molotov cocktail into my apartment and burned it down, books, lab and all. Thankfully I was able to get the other residents out at the cost of my back. Needless to say I was healed.

An empty room greeted the eyes of Natasha as she raised her head from the arm of the sofa. Recently, she had made a bad habit out of falling asleep in the tavern. Of course, this only made sense, considering the amount of work she had been doing outside. She had taken it upon herself to create a hedge labyrinth in the Sanctuary's astoundingly large gardens. In truth, Ash owned the entire valley. It hadn't been cheap, but money is not an issue for a woman as old as Ash. She had been wealthy since the golden age of Rome.
She stood, holding her head to fight the momentary dizziness which clouded her vision. When the moment passed, she checked the time on the clock. She jumped when she realized how late she had slept. An entire day had slipped right by her. That meant another day's worth of work she missed. She sighed and made her way through a door behind the bar. Her room lay beyond.
An hour later, she reappeared in a fresh change of clothes with her now brushed hair cascading in wet strands down her back. The room was no more full than it had been when she woke up.

Hellboy took a deep breath, the end of his cigar glowing brightly as he knock of the ashes, "Jeeze, I know I put in for vacation time...where is this place?" he said with a strong Bronx accent, his large stone fight hand reaching into his leather trench coat for a map. Pulling it out, he bit down on the cigar, unfolding the map, "Okay...I have no idea where I am." he said around the cigar, looking at the map; just now realizing...it was a map of New Jersey.

"Oh, come on!" he yelled out, tossing the map on the ground, "What the hell's a place like that doing selling maps of Jersey?!" he looked around, just now noticing an Inn in the distance, "Oh, well, I guess this is my lucky day!" he said, making his way to the Inn, his prehensile tail swaying behind him. Drawing his gun, "The Good Samaritan," he walked up to the door, checking out the place a little better, "Damn...'Got Enchantments?' I've seen few spells on a Lich's underpants!" stepping back somewhat, he thought about knocking, reaching his stone hand out, pulling it back as he walked away from the door a ways.

"Can't knock...it's an Inn! Probably think I'm stupid!" he berated himself, as he paced in front of the entrance; his hand absentmindedly stroking his sideburns, "okay, then I guess I'd just enter, right? If there's anything bad, I can handle it...good talk..." he said to himself, walking back up to the door, pushing it open, "knock, knock...anyone home?" he called out, peaking his head through the opening.

Ash looked up from her favorite seat by the fireplace, startled by this sudden visitor. He was quite out of the ordinary, but who wasn't? She smiled warmly at him as she stood. "Welcome to the White Dragon Sanctuary." She said in tones as warm inviting as the fire behind her. "What can I get you?"

The third thing a person noticed about Ash was the exotic aura which emanated from her with every feline movement. The second thing to come to their attention was her long white hair, which fell unbound down her back. But the first impression was that of electric blue eyes which looked straight into the soul. It was a brief experience, but the memory tended to stay.

"Well, what have we here?" said Hellboy, taking in the young woman's appearance, "Well, I'd guess...you're not a vampire." he said, the cigar returning to his mouth as he inhaled. Before he spoke again, the smoke rolled out of his mouth as he looked around, "Uhhh, yeah, sure I guess I'll just have a beer, if you have it."

Hellboy noticed that she also swayed her hips, moving as though she were feline, and as he looked at her face, his bright yellow eyes met her electric blue ones. "Uhhhh," was all he could manage before her sent caught his nose, "Do you have a cat?"

"Not a vampire. No." A playful smile crossed Ash's lips as she fetched a beer bottle from a refrigerator disguised as a cabinet. The label revealed it to be a local variety made by some small business on the other side of the mountain. She passed the bottle to the stranger with that same smile.
The moment the bottle left her hands, she began to change. Her entire body shifted smoothly from the shape of a human to that of a small, white kitten. She fixed her electric blue eyes on the red-skinned man who now towered over her and mewed softly. As a final touch, the kitten stepped out of the pile of clothing she had only recently been wearing and brushed up against the man's ankles.

I still sat in the chair, waking up as...Stars and Stones! Hellboy, THE Hellboy walked in. I had heard a whole lot about the guy, yeah. What member of the magical community didn't know about the Demon protector of New York? I let out a yawn that as a little louder than I anticipated and stood up to stretched my tired limbs. "Been awhile since I slept in a chair!" IU said to no one. I gave Ash a smile, "Can I get a coffee?"
I heard Hellboy ask if Ash had a cat and I could not help but grin. "In a way, she does, yeah. Name's Harry Dresden, Nice to meet you at last, Hellboy."

"yeah, sorry pal, never heard of ya," he said, reaching down to pick up the girl...or kitten, "Aww, hey there sweety!" het said, stroking the kitten, vaguely remembering that it was a woman a minute ago. He look up at the guy that had announced himself, "Don't take it personally, but do; I don't know how you know of me, and right now..." he stroked the kitten gently under her chin with a stone finger, "...I really don't care how you know. What I do know, is ...wow, she's got a lovely coat, don't you!"

At this point it would be difficult to concentrate, as he carried the kitten over to a chair and sat down; using his thumb to pop the lid off of the beer, he took a swig, placing the kitten...or woman, screw it, on his lap, "Alright, so this is an Inn, right? So how do I get a room?"

The kitten purred soothingly, but lept out of Hellboy's lap as soon as she could. She had to get Mr. Dresden a coffee, after all. In an aerobatic display, the little ball of fluff bounded clear over a table, dove under a chair, somersaulted, and streaked behind the counter top. Half a minute later, Natasha was pulling a small white cat hair off of a black and white dress which hugged her body in all the right ways. The woman knew her clientèle.
She disappeared into the kitchen, emerging with a freshly brewed pot of coffee along with all the fixings to go with it and an ornate key on a tray. The room soon filled with the smell of coffee as she poured out a mug for the wizard.
"I assume you want a room with a view." she addressed Hellboy as she poured. "Oh. I do believe I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Natasha Silverbook. Call me Ash."

Holy crap was she beautiful. I must have been too tired to notice last night. That and her new outfit, which fit her very nicely by the way,made he look like a Goddess..or one of the Fae. I quickly took my seat as she brought me the coffee, I smiled at her and said thanks. I drank the Heaven Brew and sighed in relief as my senses awakened. I then turned my attention to Hellboy and grinned. "Well that is good to hear. Too many people know me by reputation both good and bad. It is nice to meet people who don't know or care that you exist."
I took another sip before continuing. "Honestly, though I would not mind chatting with you. I am a Wizard of the gr...White Council, apart of the Senior Council, which really just makes me sound old." Opps. Almost said the Grey COuncil. It was a secret Middle Council that I belonged with many like minded people. I spoke my...title....ugg I HATE having a title other than 'Wizard for Hire', but well I had to be honest with the guy. My feelings for my title were expressed in my voice.

"Yeah? Well, I think I beat down a few wizards in my time...as well as vampires, thunder gods, giant spiders...stuff like that. And no offense, but I'm not really much of a talker." he said as he watched the acrobatic display, "Okay, look sweetheart, you can't just toy with me like that!" he said, upset that the kitten had turned back into a woman.

"Hey, sparky? Are you gonna drink that or drool in it?" he asked Harry, noticing his gaze at their hostess, "And, yes, a room with a view would be pretty nice, and you can call me..." What? Red? She's a looker for sure, but Liz would kill me! Can't have her getting too close, even if she can turn into a kitten...

"...just call me Hellboy."

I laughed. He was exactly like they said. His humor was a lot like mine as well. TWO could play the humor game, Raising my cup of joe at Red I said, "I drink my fill, Hammer Hand. " I swigged the java and emptied the cup in a matter of moments. I let out a satisfied "Ahhhhhhh" I said nothing of my previous foes. "Have you ever ridden on a Zombie T-Rex powered by Polka down the streets of Chicago to disrupt a group of Necromancers trying to become Gods? It is pretty fun" Well ok so I am not TOTALLY humble. But come on! You gotta admit the awesome that is an Undead T-Rex

"No, but you ever blow up a Chaos God from the inside with a bunch of high yield explosives after being slammed multiple times into stone walls and floor," takes a breath and a swig of his beer, "and then swallowed whole?" He raised an eyebrow when he finished. The kid was making a pretty big claim, and wasn't being humble, but he could play that game just as good.

I whistled, "Yeah I heard about that. Then again you are a Demon. I am just a Human with powers. The biggest baddie I ever killed was the Vampire King of the Red Court. It as pure luck, like most of my encounters with the bigger baddies." No I wasn't calling myself weak, I just know when I am lucky to have survived. I as considered the strongest young Wizard in the world before I found a way to keep myself the same age. You could call it Immortality, but I am just ageless, I can't heal quicker than a normal Human. I gave Hellboy a grin, "I already know I cannot one up you, Red. Your Anti-bad guy King Fu is greater than mine in most respects." I pored myself another cup of coffee and enjoyed the rich java.

Ash smiled her approval at Hellboy as she passed him the key from the tray. "Number eight has the best view, in my opinion." She said cheerily. "I often sit on the balcony railing up there and watch the stars."
The petite woman went and gathered up the pile of clothes from the floor and folded each article neatly, storing them behind the counter and carefully not showing any more skin than was already visible. There was a fine line between playful and tasteless and it was very easy to cross. She fixed herself a cup of hot chocolate and brought it over to the fireside, blowing gently on it to cool it down. Once the drink had disappeared entirely, she set the mug gently down and shifted to her tiger form while she listened to their playful banter.
A much deeper purr now filled the background of the conversation as the Sanctuary's keeper stretched and adjusted her position. She fixed her eyes on each man in turn, reading a little bit past their idle words.

"Vampire King, eh? Self-proclaimed too, I'll bet. I once had a run in with Elisabeth, the vampire of England. I never killed, that was my Dad's doing; caught her off guard and snuck some holy water into her blood bath when she wasn't looking. Classic!" He looked at harry, "You know what, kid? For a wizard...you ain't too bad."

He then laughed, "And I guess you're right; Ol' Five Finger Mary puts the baddies down good," he looked over to Ash as she handed him the key, "Thanks, kitten." he said, using the form she had taken as a pet name...suited her, as she acted like a cat well enough; he didn't notice when she had changed into a tiger though...

I grinned at Ash's tiger form, whom I met last night. "You have quite a talent, Ash. Most can only turn into one animal." I turned back to Red and could not help but smile at his compliment. "Thanks. Call me Harry." I pat my staff with a grin, "I have my own boom-stick. My main style of magic is Combat, Fire and Force mostly. Nothing like throwing fire at evil doers. Of course I keep a revolver with me too just in case I got no magic. I'm only Human after all"