Ayana leads the group through the community hall down to another hall. At the end, they reach a teller screen.
Teller: "Name?"
Ayana: "Ayana."
Teller: "What are you looking for today?"
Ayana: "To sell."
Teller: "Very well. Place the item in the box."
The teller pushes a box through the screen, opening it on the group's side.
Ayana: "Place the diamond in there."
Kassius pulls out the diamond. He struggles at first, but eventually places it in the box. The box closes and opens on the teller's side. The teller picks up the diamond and looks at it.
Teller: "Hmm... is this the real thing? The queen's diamond?"
Kassius: "It is."
Teller: "OK. Just give me a moment."
The group stand there for a while. After a bit, the teller comes back to them.
Teller: "OK. Judging by the carats and its cut, and of course its rarity, we've valued it at around five million Geld."
Kassius: "Five million?!"
The group shushes him.
Kaizen: "How are we sure you're not lowballing it?"
Teller: "It's stolen property. A highly valuable item at that. It's a difficult process to get it back on the market. So we deduct from the original cost."
Ayana: "Make it ten million."
Teller: "I'm afraid that's too high."
Ayana: "I'm afraid I know the value of this diamond. So ten million or no deal."
Teller: "If you're going to be a disturbance-"
Ayana: "Ok, ok, ok. At least be reasonable. Can we agree on six million?"
Teller: "Hmm... six million is fine."
Ayana: "Great!"
Teller: "What account do I store this under?"
Ayana: "Mine. Ayana."
Teller: "Verify these are your account details."
The teller shows her a screen.
Ayana: "Yes, those are mine."
Teller: "The money has been transferred. Here is verification proof."
Ayana: "Wait, could you do something else?"
Ayana turns to the group.
Ayana: "Are all you four doing it?"
Kassius: "Yep."
Kaizen: "Yes."
Arnold: "Yes."
Bonnie: "Mhm."
Ayana: "Can I withdraw eighty thousand from my account?"
The teller goes to the back. He comes back and brings a plastic bag with the money inside and puts it in the box.
Teller: "Your money and both receipts. Have a good day."
Ayana: "Wait."
The teller gets visibly more frustrated as Ayana turns back to the group.
Ayana: "You guys would like accounts, right? So you can have your money?"
Kassius: "Yeah, that'd be nice."
Ayana: "Sorry. Last thing, I promise. Can we register for four new accounts?"
Teller: "Very well... give me a moment."
The teller heads back again and comes back with papers, putting them in the box.
Teller: "Fill in the papers and come back into the line. Next!"
The group exit the line and fill in the papers. They get back in line and wait. After a long while, they finally get back to the front.
Teller: "Place the documents in the box."
Ayana places all the papers in. The teller takes them. One by one, the teller calls them and hands them a paper through the box.
Teller: "On each paper is your account name listed with your account number, transfer number and security pin. If there is nothing else..."
Ayana: "Well..."
The teller's head drops down in fatigue.
Ayana: "Truly the last thing. Can I transfer some money?"
Teller: "May I have the name and transfer number of the recipient?"
Ayana gives the names and numbers to the teller.
Teller: "The money has been sent. In the box is your receipt. If there is nothing else, have a good day."
Ayana: "Thanks, you too."
The group take everything and walk away.
Ayana: "Now everything is settled."
Kaizen: "Can I ask something? You said it was worth ten million, so isn't this a loss?"
Ayana: "Oh, I lied."
Kaizen: "What?"
Ayana: "I just bluffed to squeeze extra money out of them. I don't know how to value diamonds on my own. For all I know, we still got cut short. But hey, an extra million, right?"
Kassius and the group head back to the hall. The night falls and passes in a blink. As the day begins, the group cleans up and head back to the community hall. Dor'al arrives and walks over to the group, holding a book in hand.
Dor'al: "Are you all participating?"
Ayana: "No, only those four."
Dor'al: "I said twenty, right? So eighty thousand."
Kassius hands the bag to Dor'al.
Dor'al: "Excellent. Follow me."
Dor'al leads the four of the group out of the community hall, leaving Ayana and Feela behind. They continue out and up the stairs right back to the exit. Just as they reach the door,
Dor'al: "Wait a moment."
Dor'al traces the outline of the door.
Dor'al: "May I have access to Magna village?"
Dor'al knocks on the door three times.
Dor'al: "OK. Remember like last time, small time frame."
Dor'al opens the door and everybody rushes in.
Kassius: "Where are we?"
Bonnie: "Another bathroom. This is so weird."
Dor'al: "Let's step out, shall we?"
The group walk out the bathroom area and are met with a field of grass ahead of them.
Dor'al: "Currently, we are at the outer coast of Maldone. A small village called Magna is nearby."
The group look to the side to a cliff, with the sea below, bashing against the rocks.
Dor'al: "We will be here for three days. I'll explain all the basics of Presence to you, and what you want to know about the Unique technique. Any questions?"
Bonnie: "What will we eat? I didn't bring any food."
Dor'al: "Don't worry, I'm familiar with some of the locals. I can manage to get food whilst you guys grasp the concepts. Good?... Ok. Excellent. Let's go over there."
Dor'al leads the group nearer to the cliffside away from the bathroom area.
Dor'al: "Now, let me ask. Did Remus explain Presence to you at all?"
Kassius: "Hmm... not really. He just did that thing."
Dor'al: "Oh. Well, I ask because all I will share with you comes from this small book here, written by Remus himself."
Kassius: "Remus wrote the book?!"
Dor'al: "Yes. In fact, he is the only individual who has detailed the intricate use of Presence. Most, if not all people who can use it, learnt at least the basics from something that traces back to this. Ok, let's stop here. Sit for now."
The group sit on the ground.
Dor'al: "I'll explain in simple terms for now. Presence, in essence, is your existence. Now, we are not the only things with Presence. The birds, the trees, the grass, even the stones have it."
Kaizen: "Even stones?"
Dor'al: "Indeed. The difference, is how they fluctuate. For example, the Presence of a tree fluctuates in an upwards manner, whereas for a stone, it does not fluctuate at all. And this is a key difference. What we know as "living things" have natural fluctuations, while "non-living things" do not. What's useful is that we are able to see. This takes off the necessity to analyse the fluctuations. However, it is a pretty useful skill, in regards to sensory techniques."
Arnold: "Sensory techniques?"
Dor'al: "Sensory techniques are one of the two known major applications of Presence. As the name may suggest, it is all about the senses. Before I explain it, I should explain the travel of Presence. See, humans are more complex than the regular animal. In this regard, a lot of Presence flows based on the brain's activity. For example, lifting my arm causes a bit of fluctuation towards my arm. This is important to know, because the objective here is to control how much fluctuates where. This is the key in the use of Presence."
Dor'al holds up five fingers.
Dor'al: "There are five main senses. This is your sight, your hearing, your smell, your taste, and your touch. With focus of Presence in the correct areas, you are able to enhance the activity in these areas. For the purpose of this, I'll advise on sight. The rest is applicable from this knowledge. For the first exercise, I want you guys to stare at this grass."
Kassius: "Stare at the grass?"
Dor'al: "Are you certain that it's grass?"
Kassius: "Umm... yeah?"
Dor'al: "Give me a second."
Dor'al looks around and finds four twigs. He hands each of them a twig.
Dor'al: "I want you to place your twig standing in the ground."
The group places their sticks in the ground.
Dor'al: "Now, your eyes may simply tell you that one is a twig, and all around it is grass. However, what I want you to look for, is the difference in their Presences. Someone tell me, what are you expecting to see?"
Kaizen: "Well, I assume tha-"
Dor'al: "Ah, ah, ah. Not assume. From here on, be certain in what you will see. Remus says belief is the most important thing."
Kaizen: "Ok... I will see the stick not fluctuate and the grass fluctuate."
Dor'al: "That is correct."
Arnold: "I have a question then. How are we supposed to see these fluctuations ourselves? What are we even looking for?"
Dor'al: "Excellent question. Well, the best way to picture it is you should think of the body as a boundary. The inside is more fine and fluctuations are too miniscule to notice. However, the outside is like a form of radiation from the inside. These outside Presence areas show on average the general trend of fluctuation within the body during moments. That is what you should be looking for. Focus on the out, while knowing where it comes from. As for seeing them, best to focus your Presence to your eyes. That, I'm afraid just requires focus. You'll eventually get a feel for how Presence is flowing through your body. Alright, get to it. I'll be in the village."
Dor'al walks away.
Kassius: "So we just stare at this stick? At least it's not a workout."
After a while of looking, hours pass.
Dor'al: "Any progress?"
They all stare at the ground, ignoring Dor'al.
Dor'al (in head): "They're really focused."
Kassius: "You guys see anything yet?"
Bonnie: "Mm-Mm."
Arnold: "No."
Kaizen: "Nope... wait- no. Nevermind."
Dor'al: "Don't be disheartened. It is a tricky thing to grasp at first. Food?"
Dor'al opens the bag and hands them rice containers. They all open their food and start eating.
Dor'al: "If I may ask, what sparked your interests in learning of Presence?"
Kassius: "We are signing up for the Bridgeway 11."
Dor'al: "I see."
Kassius: "Yeah, and Hassan said he'd think about joining us if we learn about how his unique technique works."
Dor'al: "Heh. Well, that's an interesting task he's given you. But I'll explain about Unique techniques later. For now, we'll stick to basics."
Bonnie: "How long does this step usually take? I think I'm going crazy just staring at the ground all day."
Dor'al: "Hmm... Well, from the people I've taught, it usually takes a few days. Even I struggled at first. But I did teach someone who grasped it quickly. It really depends on how quick you can understand the feel of it."
Arnold: "What did you do?"
Dor'al: "I tried blocking out my other senses as much as possible. Although, if I'm honest, I wouldn't advise this."
Arnold: "Why not?"
Dor'al: "You'd prefer to be able to use sensory techniques simulatenously with your other natural senses. You don't need to restrict yourself to use them, so you shouldn't practice in that manner either."
After a while, the sun begins to set. As night begins, Dor'al turns on a lamp.
Dor'al: "OK, great work today. Tomorrow, I'll cover some more content on Presence and then a short introduction to Unique techniques. For now, I'd say we should get some rest."
Dor'al hands them sleeping bags. They all get into them. Slowly, one by one, they follow Dor'al's lead and fall asleep.