Town of Latent

Syd was around, stalking the alleys of Latent. Was it because he liked alleys? Well not really, he just had to purchase some nice china white, but now got himself completely lost in the maze of side streets. At least he had a friend with him, a lovely cigarette. Taking a drag the lazy eyed Syd spotted light at the end of the tunnel! Hastily he walked towards it, his heavy Leather Doc Martens stomping through the alley as he did so. Being a leather lover, Syd also wore a leather jacket which was unzipped revealing a red over shirt beneath. To finish off the dark look he also wore a pair of torn up black jeans. How original right?

Reaching the light Syd found himself at the docks. People were scrambling around everywhere. Heaven or Hell '10 had brought so many spectators and a lucky sixteen teams full of contestants to the place. Many people from around the place were arriving by boat, and so many supplies needed for the tournament were also being brought in by boats also.

"So much noise...Ughhh."

Syd muttered under his breath as he found the closest bench to sit down on and rest his legs.

After leaving the Crimson Hawk's bar to get away from the shiny morons, the cloaked man moved along the shadowed streets of Latent. Perhaps he'd have better luck here than in the hotel. At least he could avoid more goodie goodies that way.

My, the moon certainly did look beautiful on the water tonight. It was perfect, really. Back where he came from, the waters were always rushing with violence and speed, with only one direction to really go. Here, by the great blue ocean, it was as if all had been serene on a constant basis. Yasuo admired the waters beauty, knowing full well that such a sight can be changed within an instant at the gods will. He respected the water for what she was, and what beauty and strength it truly carried within. Yasuo had planted himself down upon the same dock as Canaan, but a few feet away from him, playing with the water with his chakra technique, Water Cannon Replica.

Canaan Noble Wrote:

"Do you think this tournament is going to be worth it, Yasuo?"

"Honestly?" He replied. The shinobi felt this subject to be deep, very deep. "I think that it's worth it, if you wish it to be." The shinobi chuckled into his mask. "I mean, I'm here on a missions, literally. I'm here to represent my village and show them what we're truly made of. It's what I strive to do, to prove myself." His words seemed powerful in tone, righteous to his own will and cause. It could be heard that he took his village as more than just a serious subject, but a fanatical one as well.

Canaan Noble Wrote:

"You think ripping others apart, being ripped apart, for peoples enjoyment is a noble sport?"

"That... I'm not so sure of, however my friend. Back where I come from, you had to do that and more to get to my rank. Here though... I find it to be both exciting, and almost stupid." Yasuo tossed the water back and forth, sloshing it below his feet with his chakra. The water sparkled with the reflections of moon and star light, giving it an ominous glow. "Why did you join this, Canaan?" It didn't hurt to ask, since he had just spilled his guts and all.

Family... close ties, and a story that hit really close to his heart. Yasuo had total sympathy for his Captain, and understood - at least from a more minor degree - what it was like to be without ones family. The "murders", and the background details were something that did not matter when it came to the subject of family. That took him back to one of his B-Ranked mission memories.

"The Red Dragon, I am not familiar with. I will tell you what I am familiar with, though..." Yasuo put on some serious stuff now.

"I remember a time where I, too, was without my family." Yasuo went on. "I had been sent on a capture mission with a team of my own. I was a lower rank at the time... but what ended happening was our team had been capture." He leaned forward over the docks edge, gazing into the water and into his own reflection. "They killed two of my friends that day, and the other three were rescued later on. Because I was younger, the guys wanted to get me out of there for my own safety. They succeeded in that regard, in exchange for their own freedom."

Yasuo let off a sigh of sadness. They were his friends, his teachers some of them. They were apart of his family, the village family. And then came his real family,

"During the time I had escaped, I had very little idea as to where I was. I had no contact with my family, nor anybody for that matter. It had been days before I reached the village." He began to tear up, for in that time he had lost those two friends of his to execution. This wasn't something he liked to remember, because the emotional repercussions were immense upon him. He was able to regain his composure to continue, however. "My father was a part of the rescue mission set up. He personally volunteered himself to go, and had apparently veered from the course several times to look for me." He took a breath once more, and looked into the water again. The shinobi's tears fell into the ocean, leaving him with the reflection of not but a simple man, and nothing else. "My father was apparently killed in the rescue attempt, just after I had been discovered by the other jounin. There was no trace of him, just his headband hanging on a branch."

The shinobi stopped himself for one more second, caught himself, and started his finish. "There has not been a day where I still believe my father is out there somewhere, Canaan." He turned to his Captain, "I find your cause more noble than anything I could ever dream of... and for that I'll watch out for you, and this team. I will help you achieve your goal."

A smile crossed his face under the tears. There was nothing greater that he could offer the dragon warrior, and no greater honor that he could have been bestowed with.

"To Shattered Steel," he echoed. "And... to family." he wiped away the tears and smiled again, letting the water down into the ocean now.

Yasuo felt it was time to head back to the hotel for a good nights rest, and suggested he and Canaan do so. With that, the pair headed off to the Crimson Hawk, knowing more about each other than they did but a few hours ago.

"Can't believe how different the climate is around these parts."

Having been living on a tropical island for the past year, Canaan still hadn't gotten as used to the colder climate as he'd thought he had. It had actually gotten to the point where he had to go into latent and buy him some new clothes, a jacket and a thicker pair of pants. He was certainly glad he'd remembered to bring his wallet with him.

Walking down the street, a bag with his new clothes slung over his shoulder, he caught sight of a figure coming from the opposite direction. Dark hair, a rather stern look about him, and a mean looking weapon attached to his back. Why was it that people were so paranoid these days that they had to be armed whenever they walked about? Maybe Canaan had just come to feel safe regardless, seeing as he didn't need a weapon to defend himself.

As he passed by the figure, he didn't even bother a nod. Not to be rude, but the man didn't seem to be the friendly type, nor paying attention to anything but whatever thoughts were in his head. Plus he was headed toward the pier, probably to watch the water or boats.

As Canaan continued on, he caught the faint smell of food in the air. It was coming from the direction of a small all-night diner. At first he debated on whether or not he should stop or continue on to the hotel and put his things away. His stomach growled. Whelp, seemed he was stopping at the diner. Walking in, he found a small empty booth at the end, set his things down in the seat and sat down next to them.

Food, then putting his clothes up.

The tinkling of a bell as the door was opened pulled Canaan's eyes up from his hamburger and fries. At first the image of the woman didn't really hit home, but as she moved a little closer to his booth, his eyes bugged out and his whole body went hot. Why had she followed him all the way out here?

Wiping his mouth of crumbs and ketchup, Canaan looked up and called out to her in a loud voice. "MERCIE!" He wanted to add in 'what are you doing here', but he felt that his facial expression conveyed that message effectively enough. So many questions all of a sudden.

Most of them being some form of, or branching off from, what in the hell are you doing here? He was going to have to ask her that. When he left the island, he hadn't expected anybody but Ross to follow him. Maybe a few patrons, but not Merdice. Fighting tournaments didn't seem to be her style, and she had made it pretty clear to him one time that she didn't want to watch him fight.

An interesting conversation was soon to be had, no doubt.

Rather than asking why Merdice had followed him, Canaan got straight to the point. As was his nature. "I thought you didn't want to see me fight in the tournament?" Just a week earlier when he had gotten his head split open from a headbutt she had said almost those exact words.

It was a little confusing for her to have followed him so far from home in her state just to watch him possibly get dismembered in a fight. Or do it to somebody else.

As heartwarming as the their reunion was, Canaan couldn't help but feel a little off-center about it. He at a french fry, letting his previous words soak into her head.

"But I can't help but feel happy to see your face. It fills me with confidence."

Despite his concerns about the things that were going to be going down in the next several weeks, Canaan felt that an additional boost of strength would help him through his fights. After all, having the eyes of somebody like your lover upon you while you're engaged in a fight can give you untold courage. He didn't wouldn't want to let her down.

"So, I went and bout some new clothes for the climate here. I hadn't expected it to be so...nippy."

Turning away from his food, Canaan grabbed his bag and set it on the tabletop, pushing it over to Merdice. Inside she'd find a pair of thicker pants, a blue shirt and a dark blue jacket with a piece of armor sewn to the shoulder for aesthetic purposes. It was a far-cry from Canaan's usual style of either going shirtless or wearing summer clothes.

"The fit me well, and I liked the way they looked."

"I don't want to see you get hurt," she admitted, stealing another fry and quickly gobbling it down. "But I figured you could use a friendly face in the crowd. I know I can't stop you from fighting, so I'd rather be here to cheer you on and patch you up if need be."

Merdice was no stranger to bloodshed. It didn't unsettle her to see people getting hurt or killed, only to watch others protract pain and inflict torture. The reason she feared for Canaan was that she didn't want to have to usher a new life into the world, only to introduce it to a cold headstone instead of a father. It would be nothing short of cruel to the both of them. Although it wasn't obvious in the loose tunic, the woman was a little over five months pregnant.

At the mention of clothes, she smirked a little and raised an eyebrow, silently asking 'Oh, really?' Her judgment of his mental processes had been correct, thankfully. Gentle fingers went about pulling the garments from the bag one at a time, looking them all over with a weathered eye.

"They feel warm enough," Merdice noted once she'd finished assessing them. "What are your plans for the rest of today?"

While she waited for a response, the woman folded the clothes again and replaced them in the bag.

For a moment, the woman's face hardened and she refused to look at his face.

"If you think I'm going to let you run off alone to fight some of the most dangerous people in the world, you must think me stupid and uncaring." Her tone was serious, and more than a little upset. It was apparent that she'd reacted badly to his leaving without a word. "Even if you're sure of your abilities, something could go wrong."

The conversation about the weather was less than important at this point, considering. It was a challenge for Merdice to keep her anger in check; from her point of view, Canaan had all but abandoned his fiance for a few weeks of reckless endangerment of his own well-being without giving her any idea of where she could find him in an emergency. When she finally looked up at him again, the anger was gone, but the hurt was clear in her eyes.

"You were so worried about something going wrong with the baby. Why aren't you worried about something going wrong with you? And what if the baby had come early while you were gone?" With only a hint of blame in her voice, it was more plaintive than accusatory; Merdice pulled her elbows off the table and folded her hands in her lap, head tilted slightly to one side and eyebrows knit with worry. She didn't ask much of Canaan, honestly. Only for him to be supportive and take an equal part in the life they'd built together.

Syd had moved past his previous location. His wandering had taken him to a little cafe near the port. Finding himself, dazed eyes looking around absently. The off world experience came to an end as a voice spoke out, asking what he'd like. She mighta said it twice. Who knows? Whilst on his little journey of his mind he had forgotten what he wanted or what he needed. Looking across the menu he stopped at a chocolate cake. That was what he wanted and needed.

"Uhh...Just a slice of chocolate cake?"

His slow words slowly crawled out of his mouth and between his lips, falling into the quiet place. Following this, his hand dipped into his pocket and pulled out some change, giving it to the gal. Soon enough he would be sinking his teeth into a good piece of chocolate cake. The suspension was just killing him. But his little day dream of what he was about to engulf was soon cut short as he heard the door behind him open.

Bloodshot eyes slowly turned to see a guy with a hoody on enter the place with some kinda weapon poking out of his bag. The gaze was held for second before he got close. Returning eyes to the waitress he heard as the guy ordered a coffee in such a great way. Always great throwing a few swear words into it. But that weapon was a bit of a tease for Syd, with his slight addiction to fighting you could say? He could tell this guy was some kinda fighter, maybe for the heaven or hell. Syd was curious. Syd was dying to know...

"So, nice lookin' weapon you got in that bag of yours."

As he spoke he turned his head to face the man, a near sadistic grin on his face as he watched.

"I wish you had just told me," she sighed, suddenly feeling like the bad guy. "I'm sorry for overreacting."

Under the table, Merdice wrung her hands, uncrossing and recrossing her legs on occasion. Looking him in the eye became difficult again, so she focused on the edge of the table before her. What else was there to say? She'd been mistaken.

"Please, forgive me."

Tenkai head down the path leading from the Crimson Hawk into the larger expanse of Latent. For the moment, the monk couldn't think of anywhere in particular he wanted to explore first. Odds were likely the only way he was going to safely find information is if he ran into people of interest while exploring. With no specific target location in mind, he decided to walk along the road nearby the docks, not too far from the hotel itself.

"I sure hope Kuroshiro isn't getting into any trouble back at the hotel..."

It was the way they communicated that kept them together. There were no blind rages or shed tears or shouting matches, just emotions expressed in the most calm and direct manner possible.

With a slightly sheepish look, Merdice looked up at Canaan, softly smiling.

"I think I'd like that."

At that, she slid sideways out of the booth and leaned over to grab her pack, preparing to leave.

The man didn't seem to notice the monk. If he did, he didn't change his pace or heading. He reached the building and looked at the sign for a minute. 'Raven's Head Tavern' was what was written on the sign, and after another quick glance, the man ducked inside the building, vanishing from sight.

Theory-Of-Xerosis Wrote:

Syd had moved past his previous location. His wandering had taken him to a little cafe near the port. Finding himself, dazed eyes looking around absently. The off world experience came to an end as a voice spoke out, asking what he'd like. She mighta said it twice. Who knows? Whilst on his little journey of his mind he had forgotten what he wanted or what he needed. Looking across the menu he stopped at a chocolate cake. That was what he wanted and needed.

"Uhh...Just a slice of chocolate cake?"

His slow words slowly crawled out of his mouth and between his lips, falling into the quiet place. Following this, his hand dipped into his pocket and pulled out some change, giving it to the gal. Soon enough he would be sinking his teeth into a good piece of chocolate cake. The suspension was just killing him. But his little day dream of what he was about to engulf was soon cut short as he heard the door behind him open.

Bloodshot eyes slowly turned to see a guy with a hoody on enter the place with some kinda weapon poking out of his bag. The gaze was held for second before he got close. Returning eyes to the waitress he heard as the guy ordered a coffee in such a great way. Always great throwing a few swear words into it. But that weapon was a bit of a tease for Syd, with his slight addiction to fighting you could say? He could tell this guy was some kinda fighter, maybe for the heaven or hell. Syd was curious. Syd was dying to know...

"So, nice lookin' weapon you got in that bag of yours."

As he spoke he turned his head to face the man, a near sadistic grin on his face as he watched. +++Bronze eyes would fall upon the man that talked to him. Eyes that marked him as the Chosen of Khorne upon Gaia Primus. He'd merely shrug. He was far too gone within the drugs and his true sanity to care any more. It seemed the man wanted to fight, but he wouldn't get that. No, the Cyberpunk was going to stay sane for the evening.

+++"So?" It was an easy response as he took a nice long drink from the coffee. The bitter taste warming him up. Though, inwardly Dzan was smiling. Why? The fragger didn't recognize him as a past champion of Heaven or Hell which was always a plus. With that simple response Khornate warrior merely walked back onto the boardwalk and walked on. It was as simple as that.

Boardwalk

[Docks]

The usual scene of a busy harbor came to his eyes as he walked along the area, watching as boats came in and usual sailors and other workmen of the warehouses transported boxes to and from their transports. Experience said that those boxes probably needed a little checking to make sure they were legal products, but that was easier said than done. He didn't have the clearance to do such a thing, though he didn't want to expose himself that quickly. He was technically here to do investigation, anyway, with the tournament entry being an alluby for a cop being in the area. He didn't need to stretch his stay here beyond the implicit rules or else he'll likely be given aggressive attention by the powers-that-be of the tournament and the Latent area in general.

So he was going to take the tried-and-true approach that he always used whenever he wanted to find out the dirty secrets hiding in the undercroppings of society: become one with that same society. With that, Chen whistled a slight tune to himself as he entered into one of the busy warehouses. With all the commotion and business going about, people will pay him minimal attention, probably taking him as some high up keeping surveillance over them as he walked about.

Robyn wandered the streets in the small town, just looking around, not really heading anywhere in particular. Her ears twitched, listening for anything interesting, or any incoming threats. Luckily, it was either not that kind of town, or people were put off by the fox thing, not knowing what else she might be hiding.

Blinking, she found herself at the docks. She must have zoned out a little. She did that sometimes, get lost in her thoughts. She leaned over a railing, her somewhat night-vision capable eyes allowing her to see her reflection in the water below. Looking to the side, she saw a door open in one of the warehouses. Smirking some, showing a pointed fang, she felt this might be a good opportunity to do some exploring.

She made her way inside, acting nonchalant to put off suspicion.

Robyn realized it may have been a bad idea to enter without looking at what kind of people occupied the warehouse. She stood out like a sore thumb. Luckily, nobody had really noticed yet, as far as she knew. She presumed that someone would have made a big deal about someone clearly not supposed to be there.

Ducking behind a wall of boxes, she looked around furtively, making sure no one was around. Having confirmed this, she started. Had anyone been watching her, they would have seen the fox ears and tail disappear from her body. Her fangs vanished, and her hair turned to a pale blond, rather than the pale purple it usually was. Looking at her hair to make sure the illusion was in place, she then came out from behind the stacks, looking more like a normal human.

Success. No one seemed to notice that the fox girl had changed into someone different, albeit with the same clothes and same face. Amazing how much hair and odd appendages changes ones appearance.

Robyn walked around, her hands in her denim jacket. Nothing of interest caught her eyes or ears, just the usual grunts working the usual jobs.

Wait.

Although unseeable to most people, her ears were still there, underneath the illusion. They swiveled to the side as she heard someone mention Heaven or Hell. Why would someone be looking for packages for HoH? Presumably, from a place like this, the only person who would need to know that would be delivering them. And they would know whether any items had arrived already.

This bore some investigating. Her eyes narrowed and she did a turn-about, following the direction the voice had come from.

"Pft, what a d**k."

As the guy left Syd made that little comment. Soon enough he had his cake in hand and took a seat in the little cafe. He was looking forward to this. People could probably tell cause he quickly engulfed the cake, he looked like he hadn't eaten in days! Maybe fifteen seconds and the cake was gone into his stomach.

With that Syd would be laying back in his chair, relaxing with something in his stomach at last.

[Docks - Streets]

It was funny. The woman was trailing Chen, but at the same time, he was somewhat chasing her. He gave a small glance of his head to see that she was indeed following him. Having his fingers fix his shades on his face as a way to hide this subtle act, he continued to move through, looking around at the many places that were near him. When he finally saw a shop to his left, an antique shop at that, Chen opened the door and entered into the place.

The inside was filled with aisles of stuff. The shop was small, so everything looked packed inside the wooden, stuffy place, the smell of oak and wood filling the nostrils. With that, he will start to disappear behind the shelves, attempting to make it harder for whoever was following him to keep track of him. He was going to try to corner the fox.

[Docks - Streets - Antique Shop]

The shop owner, who seemed to be an old guy, clearly was sitting there, watching the only two customers he has had so far enter. So, happy as he could be, he called out to the two, saying: "May I help you two with anything?"

Chen knew she had come in just by the sound of the door alone. It was pretty obvious that he was being followed, and a peek through a space between an old jack-in-the-box and a dusty vase showed a brown head in here instead. He moved his eyesight away, showing another raise of a brow. The girl following him was blonde. Wait, this couldn't be a coincidence.

"I'm fine. Just looking," Chen responded to the man, having a slight Chinese accent. "Do you have a bathroom?"

"Yes. It's right through there." The old man pointed his finger to a place right next to Chen, a closed door.

Chen walked himself into it, the bathroom small and being your fair, standard, gritty public bathroom. Though it smelled like bleach instead of your usual crap. Closing the door, he turned the lock and made for the window, opening it up and already climbing himself out into an alleyway.

[Docks - Climbing out of Antique Store into an Alleyway]

Well, he got rid of that problem for a while. He didn't know why he was being pursued, but he didn't like the feel of it. This investigation was already risky enough as it is. When he fixed his coat, he looked up, only to see the sudden image of that fox chick again. This caused him to take a lunge back and reach into his coat with his right hand, grasping for a firearm. Then he forgot that he left those back at the hotel for safety and tournament reasons.

"Who are you," he said in demand at her illusion, until he spotted what appeared to be the same girl from the store at the end of the alleyway looking down.

"Two of you? What do you want?"

"Well, looks like ya'll be making it into port after all mister!"

The gaped-tooth wide grin of the Captain filled the corner of his vision, before being replaced by a spray of sea water. "Mm. Good enough." Replied the hooded figure he spoken to.

The merchant vessel, the Abalone, was finally reaching port of call at Latent, after a week long journey from down the coast. Laden with goods ripe for trade, just in time for the explosion in retail that happened at the beginning of each new year.

It wasn't strange for the Abalone's Captain to take on passengers on the side as a way of earning a bit of drinking money. What was strange was the passenger in particular they were transporting.

He stood atop the deck, hands grasping the side as he stared out towards the port of Latent stretching out before the ship. Another spray of water, even as the front of his hood blew back with a gust of early morning air, and a slight smile was on his face.

The smells. The sounds. The warmth.

It was good to be back home.

Sieg found himself once again exploring the town of latent. Despite the fact that it was the city that surrounded the famous Leviathan stadium, Sieg had never really traveled here. Though this was simply out of chance and the truth was, the place did have a sort of curious charm. Other than being a tourist, Sieg was searching for something. Not a person but a particular organization with a connection to the society of light that had formed a partnership with the Heaven or Hell Organization. As Sieg walked down the street as he passed an alleyway he would hear.

"Heaven or Hell Tournament stretches in terms of influence..."

Sieg would stop and listen, though he would not hide as they would likely finish there exchange before they even noticed the warrior. Besides, he planned on confronting one of the two individuals about his inquiry.

[Docks - Alleyway]

The woman left a bad mood on Chen's mind. He didn't like the fact that people were already snooping around, watching him, though it was funny that she wasn't even who she appeared to be. He was nervous, but he didn't show it, as he was capable of masking his emotions. It came with the profession.

He watched her walk off, though he saw someone standing at the end of the alleyway, seeming to have been spectating them. The man didn't seem very familiar to Chen, especially since Chen never met Sieg after his entrance into the GPD. The fact that he hasn't done any real work yet was more of reason why he wasn't known: he wasn't even an officer yet.

Chen then turned himself around and decided to walk the opposite way. It was time to rethink his tactics for this area. Maybe he should wait until it was evening, when activity was lower, thus make it easier to move around.

Chen Ning Wrote:

[Docks - Alleyway]

The woman left a bad mood on Chen's mind. He didn't like the fact that people were already snooping around, watching him, though it was funny that she wasn't even who she appeared to be. He was nervous, but he didn't show it, as he was capable of masking his emotions. It came with the profession.

He watched her walk off, though he saw someone standing at the end of the alleyway, seeming to have been spectating them. The man didn't seem very familiar to Chen, especially since Chen never met Sieg after his entrance into the GPD. The fact that he hasn't done any real work yet was more of reason why he wasn't known: he wasn't even an officer yet.

Chen then turned himself around and decided to walk the opposite way. It was time to rethink his tactics for this area. Maybe he should wait until it was evening, when activity was lower, thus make it easier to move around.

Sieg began to walk after Chen after he had spotted him and attempted to walk away. As Sieg walked towards Chen he would say politely, "Excuse me sir. I overheard you inquire about the influence of the Heaven or Hell tournament.

Would you happen to know anything more about the Order of Illumination and they're goals."

The question could really have meant anything as it relates to Siegs intentions. Sieg could be trying to learn about perhaps joining the order, since it seemed that Lumina, its leader was rather hard to get a hold of.

Boardwalk to the dock

+++Dzan's form was still out in the open and no one was bugging him. What a surprise. The fog of blue smoke swirled around the man as he merely walked about. His feet in constant motion as he took in the sights. The drug being inhaled into his body. It surprised him how little the town had changed the past few years. Yet, it seemed to only swell with true population growth when everyone was here for Heaven or Hell tournament.

+++"Wonder which o' th' fraggers gonna win thi' year," he'd state to himself. More of a mumble around the lho-stick that protruded from his lips.

[Docks - Alleyway]

"Excuse me sir. I overheard you inquire about the influence of the Heaven or Hell tournament."

Chen came to a stop, as it seemed like his presence was becoming more and more exposed. By the way the person behind him talked, it seemed he probably wasn't part of the HoH staff like the other woman was, but you never knew. It was just irritating that his position was being jeopardized like this. He kept his back to the voice of the person, but a slight turn of his head to the left showed some acknowledgment that he was listening.

"Yes," he responded.

"Would you happen to know anything more about the Order of Illumination and they're goals."

The question wasn't hard to answer. Chen knew about the group, but he didn't know everything about them. Only that they were under a partnership with HoH in bringing about peace, which he didn't like the feeling of, since it was a campaign that held that pompous attitude of crusades.

"Why does it concern you," Chen asked back. From the sound of it, Sieg was sounding like someone who didn't know much about the Order, so that exempted him from being any type of HoH official. That only left two more possibilities: he was either a fighter of the tournament or not a fighter. And if he wasn't a fighter, then that meant he had some intentions of investigation himself, in some way or another. Maybe as grand as Chen's case or as little as simply wondering who they are for curiosity's sake.

Sol had made two loops around the docks area and its side streets in a little under and hour, the narrow side streets were almost completely empty which made his jog all the more enjoyable. In his travels he had passed several other people wearing FIGHTERs but he had left them alone and they seemed to give him a wide berth as well, which fit him just fine. He smiled a content smile despite the growing sweat across his brow and made his way to the docks proper running along the piers carefully avoiding or jumping over the obstacles along the pier itself. It was good exercise and kept his legs moving but it certainly wasn’t the kind of muscle building exercises he expected most of the competitors went through.

The docks of Latent were all of various lengths some long and thing, for passenger vessels, some shorter and wider for merchants and cargo vessels. Sol was in this for the running, but it seemed he had chosen the wrong dock if he wanted to stay moving as he quickly reached the end of the wooden dock and stopped staring out over the harbor that made Latent such a prosperous port. Obvious not all choices can be golden.

He stopped for a second catching his breath leaning slightly forward and resting his hands on his knees. The cool sea breeze combined with the substantial sweat hed built up from running half way across Latent helped quickly cool him down, his breath quickly returning to him as he stood up straight and readjusted the towel around his shoulders to wipe the sweat away from his brow.

Surrounded on both sides by the two foot wide timbers that anchored the sturdy merchants dock to the seafloor below. His wind fully returning to him Sol smirked and slid his right leg back snapping his hips towards the timber. The action snapped his right leg forward, his calf still bent slightly till the knee came to a stop snapping the foot out at high speed so as to drive the tip of the steel toed boot into his imaginary wooden opponents liver. His upper body leaning back gently to counter balance his body movement in a acceptable Fouétté Median. He obviously wasn’t doing to look cool or damage the timber, for the timber merely shrugged off the impact as if a dingy had bumped into it.

Bringing his right foot back down he turned away from the edge of the dock and continued his steady jog, he wasn’t going to for speed at this point, simply keeping moving while he tried to cool down from his multi-hour work out. He hoped he would be able to do this again tomorrow but that depended on if the boss man showed up or not… Maybe tomorrow he could drag Snoogins out of whatever drinking den he’d crawled into. Though he supposed with his augmentations he really didn’t need much exercise.

A shame really, there was little in this world that compared to getting ones blood flowing.

Sol passed the various merchants at work unloading their ships, various passengers also slowly making their way onto the docks who had just come into town to view Heaven or Hell. Luckily not one of them would know him, he wasn’t exactly well known or had he pandered to the news crews thus far. Perhaps that was a loss on his part but there would be plenty of time for such showmanship later. His water bottle now empty he decided it would be best to find someplace to have a drink, what was that one place called again?

Maidens head? Crows head?

It didn’t matter he figured, he would see something about it on his way back, surely they weren’t about to miss out on such free advertising as being associated with the tournament.

If she was aware that she was being followed by more than the imposing fellow who had backed off to look like he wasn't following her, then she didn't show it at all.

The currently-unmanned kiosk had a couple of people around it, though they were just talking to each other. Excusing herself, Lumina started picking through the brochures. Some offered hotel information, and despite pre-arranged accomodations, she thumbed through that one. However, she was obviously most interested in the ones that talked about the local flavor and things to do.

"A boat ride... that'd be nice. I should probably take a tour of the Stadium, as well..."

A crooked right index finger covered her mouth as she thought. "But which one can I do first? I need to check the schedule..."

-HoH- Lumina Wrote:

If she was aware that she was being followed by more than the imposing fellow who had backed off to look like he wasn't following her, then she didn't show it at all.

The currently-unmanned kiosk had a couple of people around it, though they were just talking to each other. Excusing herself, Lumina started picking through the brochures. Some offered hotel information, and despite pre-arranged accomodations, she thumbed through that one. However, she was obviously most interested in the ones that talked about the local flavor and things to do.

"A boat ride... that'd be nice. I should probably take a tour of the Stadium, as well..."

A crooked right index finger covered her mouth as she thought. "But which one can I do first? I need to check the schedule..." Walking by the Kiosk

+++Dzan eyes would stare at the kiosk for a few moments before a small shake of his head. He had overheard the woman talking to herself, but it didn't matter to the cyberpunk as he'd take a nice long drag from the lho-stick that still protruded from his lips. Fraggin' tourists. At least the Cyberpunk knew the basic layouts of the place. That, and he had arrived by boat when he had competed. So he didn't need anything like that nor any tour of the stadium. He had been upon the very grounds where blood was shed in the finals. A place that was spectacular by the sheer crowd that was everywhere.

+++"No way ya gonna get th' true feel o' th' stadium wit' no roarin' fans." He'd say to himself, but partly to the "tourist". At least what he thought was a tourist. He doubted he was going to get recognized. He had added more ink to his body and changed his hair style and everything, but one may never know.

Ebag The II Wrote:

Walking by the Kiosk

+++Dzan eyes would stare at the kiosk for a few moments before a small shake of his head. He had overheard the woman talking to herself, but it didn't matter to the cyberpunk as he'd take a nice long drag from the lho-stick that still protruded from his lips. Fraggin' tourists. At least the Cyberpunk knew the basic layouts of the place. That, and he had arrived by boat when he had competed. So he didn't need anything like that nor any tour of the stadium. He had been upon the very grounds where blood was shed in the finals. A place that was spectacular by the sheer crowd that was everywhere.

+++"No way ya gonna get th' true feel o' th' stadium wit' no roarin' fans." He'd say to himself, but partly to the "tourist". At least what he thought was a tourist. He doubted he was going to get recognized. He had added more ink to his body and changed his hair style and everything, but one may never know.

He wasn't recognized at first... one rough voice sounded like another, but there was something that told him apart... if he had on a shirt that allowed any viewing at all of his main tattoo on his upper chest/neck, then that would be it. The real giveaway would be his choice of carcinogen.

"Oh, I know, huh?" Lumina looked up to him and smiled brightly. "That's what I'm afraid of, getting overwhelmed. I want to at least take a quick walk of the grounds beforehand, so I know where everything is. I'll be too caught up in the battle, if I wait until the last moment. And I'll be busy, all throughout the tournament anyway... considering things, I don't even know if I'll be able to make the last fight..."

Her expression dropped, but she picked it back up.

"Oh! Sorry, Mr. Dzan... it's rather a surprise to see you here. My name is Lumina."

She offered her hand.

Almost immediately after he appeared, Darious would be visible on the city streets. He felt like killing him before getting the chance to get a drink, however this held some significance at the moment. With his hollow eyes traced onto the cloaked figure, like a predator he would discover him slowly motioning into his direction. If he viewed him as an annoyance so be it, people's opinion of him never stopped him from doing anything in the past, including his b*****d of a Father. Snickering a bit, he spoke to him with a normal tone.

" Now, Now, Now, must you leave before responding to a stranger?"

" To assume you know my demeanor this quickly proves you judge a person way too quickly. If words provided a way to mirror an individual through mere words, then I must say it's damn pathetic. None the less you haven't seen my actions, thus it makes me wonder what are you looking for?"

He said grinning ominously, obviously remaining carefree for the time. If everyone was your stereotypical drill sergeant when it involved someone being serious, then there wouldn't be anyone with a character such as his. Dislocating his shoulders, he did this to escape from his straitjacket and allow himself to slip his arms into his sleeves.

"I specialize in seeing the unseen. And you are not someone I agree with. But perhaps you can prove me wrong..."

The man finally turned to face the unsightly fellow, and continued, his face still covered in shadow.

"Why are you looking for someone opposing the idea of this 'Order?'"

"Then, what would stand in the way of you fighting for that vision of yours? What roadblocks would you remove, to what ends?"

The man waited for a reply.

"I see..."

The cloaked man turned away from the brute-like man.

"Instinct unchecked by reason is useless to me. Ruthlessness untempered by humanity has no place with me."

He began to walk off.

"You stand alone..."

Midnight in the city was never quiet, or so it seemed to Nox as she drove through stop and go traffic on the streets of Latent. Pedestrians, cars, buses and even the occasional motorcycle buzzed, zoomed, squealed brakes, honked and screamed even at the late hour. Not that she was a stealthy one this evening anyway. No, between the heavy rumble of Roen's 67 Impala's big block V8 engine and the driving rhythm of AC/DC's Thunderstruck blaring from the car's premium stereo system, Nox was assured that some few heads would turn to notice. The thought made a quirky little smile curl her lips. She had ever been fond of people ogling her equipment rather than being the focus herself. Yes, Roen's car suited her just fine.

Window down so that the rush of air might keep her wakeful, Nox drove on, long purple tinted hair whipping lightly about her face as she wove in and out of traffic with an uncanny ease. Jade green eyes firmly fixed upon the bustling streets ahead, the leggy Carpathian mused upon the fact that she and her traveling companion of the evening had made record time in reaching Latent. Largely due to her driving skills and a foot seemingly made of solid lead. Unfortunately, Nox still did not know exactly where the two were headed. As usual, Roen was being particularly tight lipped about things, but having reached Latent as instructed, she would now be in need of further directions.

Glancing over at Roen's slumbering form, Nox presently became annoyed. Why should he get to sleep while she did all the work?! Why? Because he's the boss... That's why. Damn it.

"Might as vell have just stayedt in the damn Gypsy camp..." She grumbled under the music, her booted feet applying even pressure to both clutch and break as the light ahead turned from yellow to red. "Vomen do all the vork there too..."

Ah the perfect opportunity, she thought as the car slowed to an engine rumbling stop. Reaching forward with a gloved right hand, she turned the knob on the stereo so that Brian Johnson's gravely lyrics and Angus Young's screaming guitar were but a hint of their previous volume. Then she let that same hand swing over so that leather clad fingertips could prod roughly against Roen's velvet clad shoulder.

"Roen!" Though heavily accented, her English was at least reasonably clear as she commanded his wakeful attention. "Ve have reached Latent, Mr. J. Vhere to now, eh?"

[Outer City]

The confrontation in the alleyway was a hindrance. It sort of threw off Chen's mode of thinking, making him further dislike the fact that he was being a flicking beacon to the ones searching for things like him. It annoyed him and would have to be something he'll need to tone down on in the future if he hoped to get anywhere.

Wait, why did he need to be so cautious in the first place? Chen did stuff like this all the time. The only added layer of difficulty was the fact that he wanted to catch them before they catch him, at least having enough of a jurisdiction to remove either him or them from the premises, thus the tournament. He was always in danger of suspensions or having his badge taken away every time he did risky cases like this, so you know what? He wasn't going to be so low like this. It seemed like his time away from the more active stuff has made him too relaxed. He needed to get back into the flow of things.

His eye caught a sign pointing into an alleyway, saying "Tai Ji, Xing Xu." He stopped and stared at it, never believing he would find such a place around here. He didn't see the sense of having a Tai Ji dojo around in a marketplace like this, but maybe he could get more information from the owner. Chen walked himself into the alleyway, checking around to make sure he wasn't being followed like before. The door to the business was against the left wall of the corridor, the sign showing age and wear to its decoration of a wooden board with black paint writing the letters. His fist knocked on the metal frame that covered the second door behind it, and awaited an answer.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door opened, and a woman stood there, obviously of Asian origin. She was young, looked to be around in her early twenties, black hair nicely falling down her head. She wore a white loose shirt and some black gung pants that stopped at the calves, a normal attire for someone of her nationality, mostly adapted from her Chinese heritage. Chen removed his shades to reveal that he was around the same ethnic, which seemed to bring relief to the woman's face.

"Come in," she said, opening the door and letting the cop walk in. They wouldn't know he was a cop just yet.

"Thanks," he responded. The saying that "the inside can easily be bigger than what the outside entails" applied to the interior. There was a moderately sized room he entered into, having a mat centered on the wooden floor. The walls were white, bordered with dark brown wood, and pictures of kanji and what seemed to be various important people hung themselves on the wall.

"You can put your coat right here," the girl said, pointing toward a rack near the doorway. Chen removed the coat and scarf, revealing that he was wearing a short sleeve dark red shirt that fit pretty well to his toned torso. The belt around his pants was the typical officer belt, having a few pouches that house miscellaneous things, such as his palm pilot; but it lacked the more important item, which was the gun. But what stood out the most would be his police badge on the right breast of his shirt and the two tonfa sheathed on the back of his pants in a criss-crossed manner.

The girl spotted these details and could tell right away that he was here for something important.

"Wait here," she said, as she disappeared through a door.

Chen decided to stand there and look at the pictures for the time being, all of them giving him the nostalgia of training at his grandparent's dojo when he was younger. But his attention was taken away as he heard the door open from where the girl had went.

There stood an old Asian man, sporting a long white beard with some strands of black in it, wearing a dark blue Tangzhuang suit, a silk shirt that was one of the trademark symbols of knowing when someone was wearing something Chinese. The top of his head was bare of hair, a few sunspots textured his scalp.

"I am Xing Xu. May I help you?" His speech was steady and calm, holding an aged conservation of energy and tone. It wasn't too slow or two fast in tempo.

Chen walked forward to get up closer. Xing's eyes quickly became something to marvel. Chen had seen eyes like this back in his childhood, the eyes of the old who still had this look as if they were still at their prime. The twinkle in those orbs of this man made Chen acknowledge that this man before him was no fake. He could clearly tell that Tai Ji existed within him from his posture alone. You didn't see any bend in this old man's back.

"Yes. I was just walking around and I happen to find your dojo here. And well...I haven't done Tai Ji since I was a little boy, so I was hoping I could get a little training in for the next few days."

The old man's eyes narrowed as he walked up even closer to Chen. He was smaller than the cop, but that expression alone showed an exaltation that surpassed height. He brought his right hand up to his chin, stroking the beard as he seemed to be examining Chen's body, up and down.

"For a cop, you sure are pretty fit." The old man started to cackle in his old voice, a twisted grin coming to his face. "Hehe, many cops I see act like they are building muscle with their stomach. But I wonder how fit you really are. Muscles alone do not show health."

Chen knew that philosophy well, cause his grandfather never got tired of beating the same old teachings into his head every day of his youth. "All power does not come from muscle," "Your opponent's force is your own," etc etc. To hear it after all these years was a bit annoying, but suiting at the same time, cause he needed to hear that regardless of how many times he has heard it. It couldn't be stressed enough.

"You are not here just to get a little training in Latent. Why are you really here?"

Chen could have told him that he was here for the Heaven or Hell tournament, but sometimes the truth was better left untold. Instead, he would halfway tell the truth because he didn't want to unease them that he was just here for fighting reasons. He was mainly here to get some meditation back into his system to help him concentrate better both on the tournament and the case he was currently on.

"I came to get rid of my distractions," was his only answer.

"Hm."

The old man turned around, both hands behind his back as he seemed to be walking steadily away with thoughts running through his mind. The girl remained where she was, keeping watch between the situation as a quiet spectator.

"Very well," he said, turning around to Chen. "What is your name, young man?"

Chen gave a slight bow. "I am Chen Ning."

Chen Ning Wrote:

"Very well," he said, turning around to Chen. "What is your name, young man?"

Chen gave a slight bow. "I am Chen Ning."

Just then...

Code: beep

Whatever tone Chen set for Tenkai's gPhone ringer would set off.

Ebag The II Wrote:

+++Dzan would stop in his tracks as the woman would actually respond to him. His head swiveled and would look straight at her for a moment while he adjusted the backpack that he carried and the chainaxe atop of it before moving closer to hear her even better. It was a surprise a woman actually heard what he had to say. Most of them ignored his tattooed and pierced self.

+++"Busy? Ya competin' or ya part o' Noah's company?" He'd ask right before she said his name. His eyes widened slightly and he'd hold out his own hand. His right one. As she'd grip it it'd feel slightly different and didn't emit any heat, but at sight it looked just like a normal arm. "Sorry. Do I know ya from somethin'?" He was still speaking in his Underhive.

"Not competing, no..."

She shook hands with him. The grip's uniqueness was noted, but it really wasn't her place to prod... it may have been a problem he was private about.

"I represent the Order of Illumination. We're working with Noah's Foundation this year, behind the scenes. While I may not know the Stadium for having never been there, I'm well aware of past fighters and victors of Heaven or Hell."

She took her hand back, tilting her head slightly. "Tell me, what brings you here?"

Chen Ning Wrote:

[Outer City - Alleyway Tai Ji Dojo]

"Huh?"

Hearing the ringing sound of his communication device, Chen reached into his back pocket, removing his gPhone, the Gaia equivalent of an iPhone. Seeing Tenkai's name on it, he raised his hand.

"Please excuse me," he said to the two, who gave a nod. Chen walked himself to the door, turning himself around as he placed the phone up to his right ear.

"Yeah, this is Chen. What is it, Tenkai?"

Ah, good. The phone was working fine. Looks like Tenkai wasn't as out of the technological loop after all.

Code: Sorry if I'm being a bit sudden. I wanted to try out this little device you gave me to make sure everything's in working order. Besides, I think I'm onto something.

Tell me...have you seen a suspicious-looking cloaked figure wandering around the city lately?

Savoki Sanoci Wrote:

"Guess that's a real shame then. I presume you wanted a warrior who had the willing to be a weapon to break the foundation that was the Order. If I stand alone so be it. Just know checked or unchecked, I will be lurking in the shadows to crush. If you yearn for that, seek me out at the Tavern."

Saying that he began to redirect himself to the Tavern. He was unreasonable inititally, but with no tournament hindering his movements this year, Darious Kaiq was going to aim for the order to fail their ultimate goal.

And as Darious started towards the tavern, Sieg started out of it. The old man walked tall and proud today, growing ever more excited at the coming of the annual heaven or hell tournament. His cane was sheathed on his back and he chose to simply show himself for what he was, a powerful fighter rather than an old man. His white monks garment shimmered in the bright sun of this holy day and as he exited the dank bar he would take in a breath of salty air, thankful for the divine mercy that allowed him to draw it.

Suddenly though his sanctimonious attitude was disrupted by the sight of Darious Kaiq.

"Thats the thing about the Heaven or hell, you will always be around your fair share of heathens. "

"The team that your probrably thinking of...Not on it. Actually the team I ended up on I think you would like. Roen Jaeger...A devil that I never vanquished but I must leave him alone for now he is the only reason I was able to get into the Heaven or Hell on such short notice.

So I wonder...", Sieg began to walk around Darious but stopped as he neared his side. He was a bit closer now so that he could be more comfortably heard.

"The new look. Did you join kiss?...or perhaps you've stumbled on to a new level of wickedness speaking of which you perhaps wouldn't have any particular knowledge of the order of illumination or perhaps those who oppose it?"

Sieg would cross his arms and give a thoughtful expression, bringing his chin down. "Well then me and you agree on something. Gaia is full of magic and look at what it hath wrought. It is a plane of chaos and disorder, full of heathens like yourself. Magic is not what Gaia needs, nor technology...but needs the worship of God at its fore-front."

Sieg then uncrossed his arms and would begin to walk away.

"Well see you in the ring devil worshipper."

KB strolled by the surrounding area of Latent.

[Outer City - Tai Ji Dojo]

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

Ah, good. The phone was working fine. Looks like Tenkai wasn't as out of the technological loop after all.

Code: Sorry if I'm being a bit sudden. I wanted to try out this little device you gave me to make sure everything's in working order. Besides, I think I'm onto something.

Tell me...have you seen a suspicious-looking cloaked figure wandering around the city lately?

"Isn't there always people walking around like that," he retorted as a joke.

"No, I haven't. If anything, it's either someone important or just someone acting like they're important. If you want to pursue them, that's your choice. Just don't waste any time following dead ends. Time is a valuable asset at the moment. Another thing, Tenkai, try not to make yourself so obvious. This operation depends on keeping you and a few others out of the attention of the suspects."

Ebag The II Wrote:

+++"Order o' wha'?"

+++To Dzan it sounded like some Inquisitor group. Though, as she began to speak once more he'd pay attention. Victors? Past fighters? Why would someone study the Heaven or Hell tournament to that degree? It didn't make any fraggin' sense to Dzan, but then again not a lot did these days. Yet, when she asked him the next part he'd end up telling the woman.

+++"Remembrance." It was as simple as that. It all was part of his finality to a degree. To be able to look at his past at a different angle before he traveled back off-planet to Sarlona.

"Illumination."

She looked back to a brochure she had, then put it back on a rack.

"What it is it that you're in danger of forgetting? Yourself?"

"Well, looks like ya'll be making it into port after all mister!"

The gaped-tooth wide grin of the Captain filled the corner of his vision, before being replaced by a spray of sea water. "Mm. Good enough." Replied the hooded figure he spoken to.

The merchant vessel, the Abalone, was finally reaching port of call at Latent, after a week long journey from down the coast. Laden with goods ripe for trade, just in time for the explosion in retail that happened at the beginning of each new year.

It wasn't strange for the Abalone's Captain to take on passengers on the side as a way of earning a bit of drinking money. What was strange was the passenger in particular they were transporting.

He stood atop the deck, hands grasping the side as he stared out towards the port of Latent stretching out before the ship. Another spray of water, even as the front of his hood blew back with a gust of early morning air, and a slight smile was on his face.

The smells. The sounds. The warmth.

It was good to be back home.

He had long since paid out the remainder of his fee to the ship's Captain, remembering the bemused expression on the man's face as he felt out the amount of gold and silver in the small leather pouch he had handed over.

As the ship's crew scurried out over the deck and got to unloading cargo and what not, he had already been crossing the walkway on down to the dock. Garbed in southern Guldor clothing that didn't do much to conceal his upper torso, he moved down the dockside, deftly slipping through the crowds.

Here, he seemed to just be another body, nobody paying him any particular mind or special attention-- there was more than enough exotic looking people and races about to not really focus any kind of special attention to even a man like this.

Unless of course, one was extremely religious about their devotion to the Gaia-wide annual fighting tournament known as Heaven or Hell.

Which, of course, was the reason why he had shown up.

Disappearing from the world at large, especially at the climax of when things seemed at their darkest, and not having so much as even shown up at last year's tournament-- one had to wonder.

Why now?

Only time would tell, and as he made his way down the dockside and towards one of the nearer taverns, he didn't seem to be in any hurry to be letting anyone know either.

"....."

Valentine released a sigh as he roamed around the docks of Latent. It seemed that his mission to finally meet Shouyin had ended in failure as after having found him, he was far too scared to actually speak. It was pretty calm out here, there didn't seem to be too much going on. The King found it odd how quiet the city was even with Heaven or Hell quickly approaching. One would assume with such a large event coming around there would be parties, people trying to 'prove' themselves worthy in the streets and performing a vast assortment of other activities to disturb the peace.

"Well, I wonder where to head to next? Hmm, maybe the hotel...Nah, that'll be too crowded with the paparazzi. I guess the Raven's Head was pretty nice, but it was gettin' too full. Guess, I'll just have to walk around until I find somethin'."

With that, Valentine would continue his aimless walk around the city of Latent.

Chen Ning Wrote:

"Well, if you think it's something to look into, then do what you have to do. Anything else?"

Code: Well, I'm in a rather nifty little tavern right now.

[pause]

Places like these are perfect for finding interesting people and fun stories. You should check it out sometime.

Somethin' like tha.'

Lumina thought for a few seconds, her mind going through the current possible ways this conversation could flow. Dzan didn't seem much a talker, indeed... but he had things to say, and thoughts on his mind. Though, he had a bit of a reputation for more than those lho sticks.

And speaking of lho sticks, what were they made of, anyway?

"The Order's message is two-fold. On the one side, we support and encourage the advancement of the Gaian's evolution through magical, and technological means. The world grows stagnant with its purely medical advancements... the body isn't so much forced to adapt to anything, so there won't be evolution. I'm afraid that humans and demi-humans, those without significant gains to their race-- may be doomed to simply be.

"However, we understand that it's a rather big decision and hard choice. Not all will embrace the idea immediately. For those, we offer our heartfelt understanding, and encourage all others to the same condition."

She put down another brochure, leaving her with one. "Vampires are the most readily accessible example. The more malicious of them see other races, especially the relatively defenseless-by-blood humans, as cattle. The very least we could do is allow humans to better defend themselves, as well as insist to those less benevolent vampires to treat humans with more respect."

She raised her hand to his offer. "I don't smoke, but I don't mind much if you do." As long as he didn't blatantly blow it into her face, there was no problem.

"Ahh, the main thing is that Mr. Noah supports us in our endeavors." She folded the brochure and placed it into her pocket. "I may be explaining things badly right now, and I apologize. I've just been so... active for the past few days. This place is a lot bigger than I thought!"

Lumina watched him smoke for a bit. It was obvious that she was interested.

"But if you're worried about the tournament or anything like that, don't worry. It's not like we'll stop anything from happening... that'd be quite inconsiderate."

She touched her chin. "Are you... fighting this year, Dzan?"

He certainly was a lot easier to understand now. More than the lho, piercings, and tattoos, Dzan seemed a very interesting fellow.

"It's an end to a means, just the way circumstance is. Doesn't everyone enjoy a good bit of sport, anyway?"

And there it was, the hinted reputation. She sighed softly, but smiled... it was an understanding one, one that showed that she expected this and wasn't disturbed as she should have been.

"You dislike them simply for their race? Not all demons are evil, you know."

"Ah... perhaps the off-worlders and demons where you come from are more harsh than those here. All the same, I'm sorry to hear you say that. I had hope that your wishes weren't along those lines."

After a moment of frowning, she seemed to cheer up. "But you're honest... and if nothing else, I can respect and accept that. Maybe one day, you'll accept a faith more open to others, regardless of their race or species, and judge them on an individual basis."

She held out her hand.

"I should go, the day is yet long. But no matter the result, it's been a pleasure talking to you. May I... have one of those lhos to take with me?"

Lumina made sure to shake his hand while he gave her the lho stick, since that was the real reason she was holding her hand out, and it'd be rude of her to leave any other way. Still, the stick was handed over, and she nodded to his words.

"I'll pass the suggestion to Noah. Have a wonderful trip home, Dzan."

Carefully placing the lho stick into a 5th pocket to minimize damage (she wasn't carrying a purse or anything), she watched Dzan leave before turning to the sea. The boat ride.. she could have it any day, and she didn't want to be too tired for her meeting tonight. For now, she would continue walking about, simply taking in the new sights and atmosphere.

As a side note, Dzan could clearly see that a man was watching their interaction, the same man who she was talking to earlier. But if they met eyes, there'd be nothing but a nod and they'd pass without incident.

Ships were landing and unloading, people quickly coming and going to get cargo on and off the vessel. The passengers were a bit slower, most not having the need for speed the sailors did. Someone crossed quickly in front of her, almost bumping into her with his large burlap sack, and she stopped. The man grunted apology, and she held up a hand in forgiveness.

"Ever so lively..."

Robyn, not passing anyone in the halls or lobby that wasn't occupied with something or other, stormed out the door of the Crimson Hawk, and out onto the streets of Latent, still looking for a fight.

Lumina stopped at a vendor's stand. There were a few interesting snacks displayed, but she was more interested in the light blue popsicle on a stick.

"Sea salt flavor...?"

Well, she was here to experiment, right? She asked for one from the green shirt wearing duck. For some reason, she was able to ignore the fact that she'd just bought food from a large duck, more interested in the snack she just bought.

It was... well, salty. There was a notable sweetness about it, but she certainly tasted its saltiness. Comparing this and the stew, she'd rather have the Sagahain chowder again. Nothing to detract from this treat... it was good, but she didn't see herself actually buying it for herself unless she wanted to remind herself of the taste. It seemed to be an acquired taste, a bit like licorice sticks.

She wasn't so enthralled by the ice cream that she didn't see the... rather large... wolf coming their way. Lumina was more than prepared to keep out of its way, edging closer to the stand as the vendor quacked quite loudly and took to hiding behind his booth. However, when it continued to come directly at her, she dropped the stick.

"Oh... oh dear." She'd heard that there was quite a wild one around this year, but she thought it metaphor. The FIGHTER attached to his body revealed that he was a tournament participant. That's the only reason she didn't join the duck.

"Hello, is... is there anything I can do for you?" Her hands gripped the stand behind her, as she was clearly scared. Lumina briefly looked up... a bit of movement some ten feet past them (and conveniently behind Terir) revealed that her primary bodyguard had his hand on whatever weapon was hidden beneath his coat, and he was waiting for a reason to draw and attack.

"You're... in the tournament, right? My name is Lumina."

[Inner City - Entertainment District]

Having a place to train established, Chen was back on the town, walking around the Inner City of Latent this time with his hands in the pockets of his leather coat, that white scarf of his still giving him that look of a man well composed and well dressed. Shades off his face this time, he looked around at the night scene as people walked about, the lights of the entertainment district shining as bright as the streets of Hong Kong during the same time. Casinos, bars, night clubs, you name it, they were there. The place sort of blended in with the Red Light District of Latent, but Chen just wasn't that type of person. He normally went to those places to scope out information, not to flirt away with temporary pleasures.

He believed that the next place he could try to get some information from would be the more "underground" workings of Latent. If he couldn't find any information on the surface, he certainly could get something on the workings of Heaven or Hell through more corrupt people that lived about at this time of the night. So he decided he'll go into a night club, one calling itself "The Chasity."

The bouncer at the door was built and huge, sunglasses worn on his face probably to just make himself look cool. When he saw Chen walk up, he started to pat the guy down, checking for any weapons that might be on him. That was when he felt something a bit solid near Chen's rear, having the bouncer gesture his hand.

"Let me see 'em."

Chen hunched his shoulders and pulled his coat back, both arms going around to his back, having his hands grip the ends of the sheathed weapons and drawing them out for the man to see. Two ebony genuine non-wooden tonfa was shown to his face, having the man raise a brow.

"Nightsticks? What are you, a cop," the bouncer asked.

Chen twirled the tonfas several times, performing various tricks with it that surely showed that he knew his stuff. A whip of the tonfa in the front, over a shoulder, and circling them around as if they were the chained-cousin nunchaku, before he returned them to the original grip by their handles.

"Can a cop do that," he responded back with his own witty question.

The bouncer stared for a few more seconds then moved aside. "Just keep your little karate tricks to yourself."

Chen re-sheathed his weapons and walked into the nightclub. Bright multi-colored lights, a good crowd of hyped dancers, and loud music followed his way in. The cop found that he would rather hang closer to more non-active territories, moving himself over to a table near a wall and sitting down at it, deciding to just let himself blend into the scene for the time being.

A single finger was tapping at the table, as the music was offering a beat that, while quite annoying in bass, was sort of giving him something to immerse himself in as he looked about, trying to see where he should start. That is, until a single voice spoke out, clearly separating itself from the loud audio.

"Word has it that you've been inquiring into The Order, Mr. Chen..."

His eyes quickly looked over to the cloaked man sitting at the table adjacent to his. This caused him slightly to worry because one) he knew who Chen was, and two) he knew what Chen was after. Once more, the question of just who was on to Chen was up in the air, but at this point, the cop didn't care. If he had to get his hands a little dirty, he might as well start here.

So he gave a small smirk and waved his hand a bit in the direction of the cloaked man. He kept his cool as he answered: "Maybe. What's it to you?"

Everybody seemed to be asking about the order. It looked like he wasn't the only one suspicious of them.

Night clubs. Always the best place to find queers and the current roster for the upcoming Heaven and Hell tournament. He didn't know which category he fit in himself. Renaming himself after the guy who could only defeat Ash in the beginning of the first Pokemon game and having his hair redone to make him look less like a typical Gaian brawler with his naturally spiked hair to a long, shaggy style that halfway covered his ears making it possible for himself to impersonate the lead singer of Green Day. It was that or go bald and he was no Hitman or wasn't cranking anything up. All he was ******** doing was sitting at a booth while the loud techno music blasted his ear drums.

Taking out his trusty glass bowl from his pocket and a baggy of weed he prepared his next hit. If there was still some goodness left in living it was the simple fact that getting high never got old. Shrooms, acid, pot, heroin, paint thinner. It all was game in his book. Made being a former terrorist and a father easier, and it defiantly made his task at hand much more relaxing than it actually was.

He lit it up and inhaled.

"You are a smart man, Mr. Chen."

The cloaked man leaned back in his seat, his hood revealing nothing.

"But what would you do if I told you that The Order is, in every way, as truthful in their message as they claim? That they seek enlightenment, not through dieties or beliefs, but through magic and technology to allow all of humankind to reach the epitome of evolution and knowledge?"

The man's voice surrendured no hint as to his opinions on the matter.

The cloaked man was quiet for a moment as Chen spoke. Then, when he'd finished...

"I agree with you completely, Mr. Chen."

Sitting at the table behind him were two jackasses, while he had been toting it up listening to bad music and watching even worse people dance he could hear these two guys talk about this big order straight from pages of a bad sci fi novel. Slipping his bowl and lighter back into his pocket he got up from his seat. He was going to butt in the conversation. Chances were these two nut sacks were in the tournament anyways. The big thinking, philosophical fighters were his favorite.

Gary turned to the two at the booth and immediately recognized one of them. The Asian fellow was the big shot cop. Last year the two of them had crossed paths in Barton Town when the WMD's and Amalgamation were having their war. Chen must had been responding to a call from one of the neighbors when he dropped by, but to save his guys from having to fight a third party who supposedly had great psychic abilities that rivaled Mewtwo and martial art skills to boot he pulled one of his greatest acting scenes by convincing him that Allan and his friends were the enemy and that he was just a nobody citizen scared out of his mind. That was obviously all behind them, and he was a bit put off by the fact that his current rugged disguise could be picked a part by this guy's mind powers, but all he had to do was play his cards right.

"I haven't heard this much bullshit since the last time I turned on Fox News." He said scratching his beard and laughing.

Chen watched as he removed a white card from his coat then slid it across the table, the officer catching it and picking up, turning it around to see the symbol that was upon it. He stared at it for a moment, the symbol almost looking...like a bird? It almost looked devious, which made him now more curious as to the fact what this symbol meant. Still, the words of the man before him were mutual.

Just when he was about to ask what this was, he turned his head to another voice that spoke. A man had walked up to the table. The man's appearance was hardly recognizable, and even during the Barton Town gun fight, he still didn't put the man's image into his memory bank. He was too focused on avoiding gunshots during that time. In addition, unlike before, Chen was no psychic this time around. Just a man who knew how to carry his own using his body alone.

"Who are you suppose to be," Chen asked to Gary. The party was just getting bigger by the night.

"Gary." He said. Looking down and pointing at what Chen's hand was holding he jeered. "What is that; a Yugioh card? You all going to save the world one duelist at a time? "

Continuing to remain standing at the head of the table he glanced over at the other guy. He had mumbled something about foolish masses, but Gary was just going to ignore that comment and pretend he didn't mean for that to be a jab at his sudden appearance. The guy was typical Gaian "badass" material. Scary to earthlings and Twilight fan girls, this guy probably held no real weight when forced out of his bubble. He could spend all ******** day talking about the stupidity of the multiverse, but when he was actually forced into it he would just be another dead body on the side of the road. That was all just an assumption from a first impression however.

The cloaked man stood. The arrival of the irritating man had effectively cut this meeting short. It was unfortunate, but he was sure he'd meet the inspector again...

"If you'll excuse me, Mr. Chen. I can see that you are a...popular man."

He then moved out of the booth, passing next to the imbecile. So simple it would have been. One quick strike. He'd never see it coming... But, Mr. Chen was a man of the law, and no matter how logical removing of vermin like the man next to him was, he doubted the law would be on his side.

He knocked into the man's shoulder as he passed, whispering something.

"Count your blessings well..."

"Bye," he responded to the man, pocketing away the card. It seemed like he got something out of his stay here, after all. He stood to his feet, adjusting his coat before walking past Gary.

"Goodnight," he said to the man before walking to the door to leave out himself. He didn't have time to dilly-wally with the stoned, but would show some courtesy.

Walking back outside out onto the nightly streets of Latent, Chen returned to walking through the district once more, moving on to the next place. His night wasn't over just yet. There was still more to see, and more to uncover beneath all the pretty lights and pretentious displays.

"You going to let the Chinese Barney Fife stop you from 'killing me'? Love that classic excuse. You're nothing but an emo f***t who buys his clothes at Hot Topic and wears bracelets with razor blades. I don't even have to ask what Hoh team you're on. You're rocking a Team Edward shirt under that cloak, you cowardly piece of st."

Gary said loudly as the man left.

+++The scraping of metal on stone would be heard between the two guys. If their attention was pulled away from the faggottony that was going down they'd notice the man that was approaching them. His appearance alone could give away who he really was, but if they didn't know his features or the tattoos that were openly displayed from his wifebeater than the chainaxe would be able to do it.

The cloaked man didn't care that some other guy had just arrived. He wasn't important. He spoke again.

"What are you waiting for? All talk? No conviction? You're wating my time. I said do something about it. Otherwise...sit down, and shut up. I've more important matters to deal with."

A Cloaked Man Wrote:

The cloaked man didn't care that some other guy had just arrived. He wasn't important. He spoke again.

"What are you waiting for? All talk? No conviction? You're wating my time...."

He was "wating" his time. The guy had a speech impediment. Funny.

Since the two were very close to each other there were only a few thing he could do. So pulling a Mel Gibson Gary would lunge his forehead forward aiming a headbutt for the man's nose.

Anyone on the streets of town would noticed a man leaving the hotel and looked liked that he was on a mission. He didn't really pay attention to the pople in the streets as he pulled a little map out of his pocket and looked at it then shruged and stuck it back into his pocket and started down the street whistling to himself.

Anyone who noticed him didn't really have time to interact cause he made his way through the streets with all due speed. He didn't stop till he found the building he was looking for and entered the establishment.

See post below.

"Ahem."

A man in a suit just cleared his throat a few yards from the scuffle. Calm, but the sound carried with a heavy authority that demanded attention. Clasping his hands before him, he'd precede a pair of large men in suits with Deity logo's emblazoned on the breast.

The forward man was short with cropped blond hair and blue eyes. Clipped to his lapel was a small laminated card with a picture identical to the man next to the words DEITY INC - Security Lead.

This wasn't a good group of people to find anywhere. That fight was going to stop when Gary took a slash to the side. There was no one left to tell what happened when you started nonsense on a Deity watch.

Competitors, however, had little to fear from security. Regardless of the stupid s**t they tried to do outside their matches. The Judges saw to those issues.

Anybody that wanted to keep fighting would want to be somewhere very far away as soon as possible.

-HoH- Lumina Wrote:

It was... well, salty. There was a notable sweetness about it, but she certainly tasted its saltiness. Comparing this and the stew, she'd rather have the Sagahain chowder again. Nothing to detract from this treat... it was good, but she didn't see herself actually buying it for herself unless she wanted to remind herself of the taste. It seemed to be an acquired taste, a bit like licorice sticks.

She wasn't so enthralled by the ice cream that she didn't see the... rather large... wolf coming their way. Lumina was more than prepared to keep out of its way, edging closer to the stand as the vendor quacked quite loudly and took to hiding behind his booth. However, when it continued to come directly at her, she dropped the stick.

"Oh... oh dear." She'd heard that there was quite a wild one around this year, but she thought it metaphor. The FIGHTER attached to his body revealed that he was a tournament participant. That's the only reason she didn't join the duck.

"Hello, is... is there anything I can do for you?" Her hands gripped the stand behind her, as she was clearly scared. Lumina briefly looked up... a bit of movement some ten feet past them (and conveniently behind Terir) revealed that her primary bodyguard had his hand on whatever weapon was hidden beneath his coat, and he was waiting for a reason to draw and attack.

"You're... in the tournament, right? My name is Lumina."

((OOC: Lame work is lame, but I'm back around for now.))

It would have been better for the both of them if she had simply joined the cowardly duck behind the counter. In fact, that was just the kind of reaction he had been going for, to maybe make her think twice about a privileged life of luxury and sweets sold by happy-go-lucky enslaved animals that tasted really good as prey. Terir really had to fight his urges that day, one of them primarily being to chase down the duck and kill it. He could just go for the kill right then and there, but he also took a great deal of pleasure out of the hunt itself. He loved letting his prey have a false hope of survival. He could be a real b*****d.

Now, Terir had heard a thing or two about this Order of Illumination. It was one of the reasons he had decided to enter the tournament. Let it suffice that if Terir knew Lumina had anything to do with the organization, he might have just forgotten about the tournament entirely and tried to kill her right then and there. Well, even if he did, he would keep his rage in check. But he planned to do everything in his power to thwart this organization for his own reasons. Since they had something to do with the tournament, he figured he could kill two birds in one bite--take out the organization, and satiate his blood lust in an environment that encouraged it for once.

Terir stopped when she posed her question, uncomfortably close to her. Fortunately, he had not heard the name Lumina in association with this organization, so he had no reason to really despise her yet. But he did still despise her quite a bit.

"Why the hell do you care?" He growled back at her. He was in no mood for yet another friendly little conversation. For that matter, he did not like the fact that it was any of her business, even if she happened to be a tournament official or simply a fan of HoH. He rose on his hind legs to his full, modest height of seven feet and glared down at her with seething contempt. He answered her earlier question next. Was there anything she could do for him? Well... "Leave. Now. With your life."

It was a warm, friendly warning that took all of his restraint to muster. But even as he gave her the choice, his ear twitched from an odd sound coming a short distance behind him. His head whirled to the side and his sharp yellow eyes snapped to the sight of what appeared a half-human, half-fox girl with an extending bo staff standing next to an armed man reaching for his weapon. Bodyguards, huh? The sheep made a terrible mistake in sicking her dogs on a wolf.

Terir's body swayed out into the street and away from the ice cream stand while he pivoted around to face his would-be assailants. It took another measure of self-restraint to keep Terir from immediately going in for the attack, but depending on how the two armed persons reacted, it looked like the warg would get to blow off some steam after all. He held his arms at his sides, his claws nearly clenching with his padded palms facing towards the two presumed to be bodyguards. Strangely, it looked like his fanged maw was twisted in a gruff smile.

"You want to die in her place?"

"Gary got himself into a fight."

Tsuki took a second to look over and see who it was who spoke to her, realizing it must have been someone she knew in the past because his voice sounded familiar. She was surprised when she noticed it was Valentine but decided it wasn't unlike him to be in a place like this. He must have been in the tournament, too.

The pyromancer offered Valentine a very small smile and turned her attention away from the brawl that seemed to have just come to an end, thanks to security. Tsuki didn't say anything to Gary yet, but she would approach him after the man she guessed was head of security finished speaking with him.

"Valentine? I haven't seen you in a long time." It was nice to see an old face, especially one she had no fueds with. "How have you been?"

Presuming the armed bodyguard next to Robyn would not make the first attack so long as Terir made no move to harm anyone around, Terir lowered his hands back to his sides as the fox girl started to display some signs of submission. Much could be said for the demonic, wrathful spirit in Terir, but the warg still had some esoteric shred of honor. There would be no use in attacking the girl if she did not indeed have the conviction to fight. Her submission also helped quell his ire just enough to make him realize that if he started a brawl then and there, he would be disqualified from the tournament entirely. He'd had enough trouble getting in, being a warg and all. As much as he loved to fight, he made it this far for a reason. He had to continue forward.

"Pathetic," He sneered as he turned his body and lurched to the side. He brought his forepaws back to the ground, the bones in his body locking into place in a more wolf-like structure better suited to four-legged locomotion. It was interesting that he had run into another half-canine creature like the one before, but it was beginning to color Terir's opinion against them. He was starting to think that this whole half-humanoid business was robbing them of the dignity of their true species. He began to trot away, his tail curled up and his chest puffing out pridefully.

"Get back on your leash, fox." He added in a snarl as he walked away, never bothering to look back. To him, the leash signified a tool of enforced obedience and captivity, and he felt it was one of the most demeaning insults he could level at one of her kind.

Robyn sighed in relief as the wolf seemed to calm down some. She really hadn't wanted anyone else to get hurt, and in that busy street, someone would have.

The fox-girl nearly leaped up again and did, in fact, growl at the creature's comment. She was no one's pet. But she managed to keep her cool. If one thing could be said about Robyn, it was that she had control. She smirked. Who knew? Maybe she'd meet this guy in a more private setting later, and they could...chat.

Pressing the button on her staff once more to return it to its diminished size, she clipped it back into her belt, before walking over to the woman who the wolf had been snarling at. "Are you ok, ma'am?"

Robyn grinned at the woman. "Well, neither do I. But I could tell, that guy had his dander up about something, so sometimes, backing off a little is a smart idea. Canines and the like will usually be ok if you don't seem like you're threatening them." Kind of contradictory on her part, considering she had also pulled out her weapon at first. Indeed, her fingers still itched to grab her daggers and run off after the creature. No one insulted her and got away with it that easily. But that could wait. For now.

Hands on her hips, she cocked her head to the side. "So, you got any idea what that was all about? Oh!" The fox-girl stuck her right hand out, flashing another fanged smile. "Name's Robyn, by the way. Robyn Isedan. You with the tournament?"

Not being in the competition, Robyn had not seen the opening conference for Heaven or Hell, so she really had no idea, nor had even heard of, about the Order of Illumination.

"Huh?" Robyn followed Lumina's gaze downward, then looked up again and rubbed the back of her head with her other hand. "Oh, nah. Tried to get in, but they were already full by the time I sent my team's registration in. But definitely plan to see me next year! She grinned again. She seemed to do that a lot.

The fox-girl watched the man who was apparently a bodyguard of some sort, and not just some random person passing by with the ability to fight like she had been. Hmm. Seemed this lady was either smart, important, or both. Pulling her hands back again, she crossed her arms in front of her, not because of anger, or being defensive, just because she liked standing that way. The rest of her body language was very open and friendly, including that large, almost cocky, grin.

"Order of Illumination? I'm guessing that's not some group who's working to set up street lamps. So you're not a fighter then?" Her bright green eyes narrowed some, her grin changing to a thoughtful frown. "Makes me wonder even more what that wolf dude was so upset about. Sometimes you get skirmishes between fighters looking to test each other before the actual matches, but that obviously wasn't the case here.

She shrugged again, her tail moving back and forth lazily behind her. The situation was done with for now, so she wait till she needed to worry about that again before expending any more time and energy on it.

Robyn glanced up, and seemed to notice for the first time, the woman's rather..interesting..hair. She grinned again. "I'll say." Her own light purple tresses swayed lightly in the breeze, reaching down to her waist. Nothing really unusual about the style, just straight, fine, normal hair. Aside from the colour, of course. "Nothin' wrong with that, though. I like unique. It's interesting. And fun!

The fox-girl thought about what Lumina had said. "An organization for advancement and equality? Don't see too many of those nowadays." Her face took on a thoughtful look, for beneath all the brashness, cockiness, and sillyness, Robyn was actually quite smart. She liked fighting, sure, but more for the challenge, the chance to learn something new. That's why she didn't really mind losing, whenever she did. Which happened sometimes. But it gave her the chance to improve herself, to do better, to be better. And then kick that person's butt the next time they went at it.

So someone who claimed to be working somewhat towards that view, was definitely alright in her book. And she could definitely get behind the acceptance part as well. She could escape a lot of it now, because she was in a place crawling with others like her, but back home, before she'd learned how to control her illusions, she had nearly been run out of town. Twice. The fox-girl frowned again, pushing away the bad memories. That was in the past, over half a decade ago, and she always looked to the present. Sometimes even the future, if she thought it important enough. And this seemed important.

A more serious look on her features, she considered the girl in front of her. "So ya'll are serious about that? I've seen too many groups that are all talk, and no action. Me, I'm an action kinda girl. But if you're truly what you claim to be, sign me up." She said all this in a lower volume than what she had previously been speaking in, not a whisper, just a quieter tone of voice.

Another glorious day, it was.

Yasuo wasted no time in his days attending Latent. The Crimson Hawk had lost its gusto, as the captivating images of the town and natural beauty its extremities held far surpassed anything back there. There was the overwhelming loneliness that had come over the shinobi though, and the fact that his teammates were off doing their own things that put him into this sort of funk. Each had their own agenda, something that the mission going ninja did not have. The mission specs only covered the basis of what he needed to do - to represent - but there was nothing on taking notes of participants, or behavioral patterns or the like, just to have fun while he was here. Yasuo found that to be a dreadfully hard task.

Along the water line, by the ocean he was at, Yasuo peered out into the opened sea. He already missed home, but knew why he needed to be here, and it was something he wasn't going to toss aside.

"I wonder where everyone is today," He wondrously asked himself. "Maybe the tavern ought to be a good place to start." Social gathering places, definitely a must. He was only there once in the hype of the moment, nothing like the adrenaline filled times to get a man going and sunk. He headed there...

What time was it?

Alphonse knew. It was...It was...

EXERCISE TIME

That was right. This find morning found or resident and intrepid old man out and about, jogging up a storm. Up and down streets he went at a brisk pace, keeping surprisingly steady for a teetering old man who wasn't exactly in his prime anymore. But that never stopped him from going out and jogging. Oh man, he loved jogging. So much in fact it hurt, but that might have also been his organs failing due to old age. He wasn't sure, as he never questioned these sort of things. Clad in a short pair of blue basketball trunks that showed off his manly and wrinkled legs that made people want to vomit due to all the HAIR and a generic enough looking wife beater, which showed off his bony arms, Alphonse could be currently found jogging around the perimeter of the city. The -entire- city.

Things had calmed down... Robyn parted with good will, the wolf was long gone (she hoped), and the vendor even gave her another ice cream to replace the one that had been dropped in surprise. The half-melted desert had been thrown away, warm, soapy water thrown on the stain so the flavored sugar didn't attract ants.

She thanked the duck and walked on, eventually sitting on a bench. The day had certainly been interesting. She'd met people worth keeping clear of, and they made her wonder if such casual wandering was wise. Her bodyguard, some thirty feet away and under an awning, didn't seem to mind the tailing. Nobody had suggested that she have someone else arrange her touring schedule.

If she did, then she'd not meet new people, and allow them to actually see her. Tempting as it was, she would keep on as she was. The Order's views wouldn't be forced on others, but a conversation should help people understand just what was at stake.

"Hmm..."

Lumina bit a corner of the ice cream.

"This really is... salty."

Latent was bitterly cold, the winter season had rolled through the port city with a ferocity that would make anyone shy away and take permanent shelter indoors somewhere. However, Raien DeCuir was not one of those people - the woman relished in the cold and frankly beautiful season. It was her favorite time of year and always put her in the best of spirits.

Now that she had managed to pull away from the scene at the Crimson Hawk, spending some quality alone time by herself and away from all the madness, the strange and nonsensical - Rai could breathe easy - and she exhaled in a puff of white.

Her tanned cheeks were flushed with pink from the cold wind nipping at her bare skin but the temperature didn't affect her as much as most folks but it was enough that she hugged her purple fleece lined jacket closer to her. Raien was a fairly petite framed female, so even though her racial genetics gifted her with a higher tolerance for extreme temperatures - her physical biology wasn't much different than a normal human woman of her size.

Latent was a rather nice place, and she briefly wondered why she'd never been out and around this corner of Gaia before today.

She kept her eyes peeled for any interesting shops and interesting people at that...

Was this a convention of the elderly or something? Perhaps it was bingo night, or maybe someone had left the door open at the local care home. Why? Well, because not -that- far behind Seig was yet another venerable old man. He didn't shine with the power of LAW AND ORDER, but he was still plenty old. That in and of itself was a rare sight in Gaia these days, perhaps, or maybe they all died young because everyone could live to be a million years old, or maybe it was because everyone enjoyed beating the snot out of each other so much. Regardless Alphonse could attest that the latter was in fact why he was here, so he really had no room to talk.

"Man alive!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together as he raised them to his mouth and blew into them in hopes of trying to warm them up. It was a wholly futile effort but it provided a small bit of warmth. Alphonse wasn't a huge fan of the cold anymore, but that didn't mean he was going to stop his wandering. So these he was, about ten feet behind Seig, hands shoved into the pockets of the bomber jacket he wore. Was it coincidence? Yeah, because Alphonse just wasn't smart enough a guy to have it any other way.

Sea salt Ice cre--

Oh.

Ohhh.

Raien spotted the cart from across the road after turning away from a window displaying some eye catching and fairly unique jewelry, she had an eye for shiny things and especially anything that was different.

The woman could honestly say that while the idea of such a thing might have been foreign and rather peculiar to some, she knew of the delicious treat and had almost resigned herself to going without after hearing of no place near Durem that offered the ice cream - until today.

Slate eyes practically glazed over in a childish sort of glee - it was hard to resist something yummy and of course Rai had to trot over and snatch some up.

Unfortunately though, she had a tendency to be just the slightest bit clumsy when she wasn't paying attention to where she was going - especially so when her attention was wholly centered around something other than, well, walking. It didn't even register that she'd misjudged her footing, the heel of her boots catching on the pavement and causing her to stumble into a passerby.

That passerby happened to be Lumina.

Exceptionally polite as she was sometimes, Raien made a very hurried scramble to regain her footing and just as quickly spun around to dole out numerous apologies.

"Oh gosh, I'm really really sorry! My fault!" She felt a little bit of embarrassment, considering near falling on your face in public wasn't exactly very graceful...

-HoH- Lumina Wrote:

"Oh!" Her hands went up and she managed to half-catch Raien, helping keep the lady from completely falling and taking her down as well. "Goodness, are you okay?"

Raien was fortunate that the woman she had nearly barreled into didn't seem too bothered or even upset at the accidental collision and exhaled a sigh of relief, affording herself a little bit of nervous laughter.

"Yeah, I'm all right, I'm really sorry about that. I should probably look where I'm going, you never know who you might run ... in ... to?" The young femme trailed off and let her words sort of hang in the air with a gradual realization, her eyes just widening every so slightly in moderate surprise.

She recognized the white hair and colorful image of a koi fish decorating the woman's torso, she possessed very distinct physical features that Rai vividly recalled from the television announcement some time ago that the big man of Heaven or Hell, Elia Noah had made it clear that this year's tournament would in fact happen. Her memory was a little fuzzy on some things, but Raien was able to recall him introducing the woman standing in front of her -

"OH! Oh wow, You're Lumina? Right? With The Order?" She gave Lumina a mega-watt smile and it seemed that this tournament spectator was in fact awestruck by meeting what was essentially - a celebrity.

After overcoming her initial shock over running into Lumina like she had, all klutzy and what-not, Raien was no longer reduced to embarrassed chuckles and successfully pulled herself together.

She graciously took the offered hand for support and found steady footing again long enough to lift her right boot.

The heel had given out, hence why it had caught on the otherwise smooth pavement and Rai frowned briefly at the realization. Fortunately, there were enough shops around in a walking distance that could potentially offer a solution. If even temporary.

She wouldn't let it distract her from the conversation though and found her smile again with Lumina's complimentary words.

"Oh, my name's Raien DeCuir - I own a small rustic tavern on the outskirts of Durem. I'm uh, here with some friends of mine who happen to be cometing in the tournament." Rai used to term friend in the loosest sense possible. It was particularly funny word to describe the group of misfits Damnatus headed. If any of them could even be remotely considered in any way shape or form a friend then it was Rasilyn, but even then, the girl's mental state made the relationship more like that of an adopted parent x child.

"Anyway - I remembered your face from the announcement Mr. Noah made a little bit before invitations were sent out. I was a little intrigued about The Order, and hoping to hear a little more about it but unfortunately I wasn't able to catch all of the conference." Work that day had been busy, but it was other events that had kept her from watching any further.

"Man, so many different colored lights," said a man wearing a hat and some casual clothing, working to set up a stage that was set up in one of the streets of Latent.

"Yeah," came another person who was helping him in constructing it, along with a few others working around them. "You would think you won't need this many for such a small stage."

"Well, this is what she asked for, and we're getting paid well, so I'm not complaining."

"Though I will admit, this is a lot of lights..."

_____________________________

Somewhere in your stereotypical dressing room with mirrors, lightbulbs framing it, and other Hollywood-esque things, a woman was sitting there looking into the mirror. For the moment, who she was will not be revealed for dramatic reasons. Only the cut out image of a towel over someone's shoulders was the only scene displayed for the readers.

"This is going to be great."

The voice of this mystery woman had a good Hispanic accent.

"Can you tell me why you are doing this again?"

The second voice was that of a male.

"Because my fans need me."

"But how do you know you have fans in Latent?"

The chair fumbled onto the floor quite loudly as the woman got up quickly out of her seat, as if she was insulted by that remark. Her right foot, a red boot strapped to it, stomped itself onto the top-side chair as she pointed her right finger at him accusingly.

"Do you doubt my fame?! If fans are not in Latent, then they will be soon enough! I will transform everyone in this town into my fan! And then, everyone will know the name of..."

_____________________________

And for dramatic reasons once more, the name was even cut out.

Various people walking through the streets of Latent would be confused, seeing a stage set up in the middle of a wide open shopping area, black and red curtains currently hiding whatever it was that awaited there. People were gathering out of curiosity, seeing many different lights not yet turned on hooked to building next to the stage and even hanging from the light poles.

"Are we ready?"

"I'm always ready."

"Me, too."

"Let's do this."

Then the instruments started up, the speakers settled on the top and sides of the stage blaring them out as the curtains started to slowly open. Colors of red, yellow, blue, light blue, purple, if it was on the rainbow, it was there, the colors flashing simultaneously to convey the energetic atmosphere that was about to follow.

The stage first revealed the drummer, then came a guitarist. Then the next guitarist was revealed, then finally a woman standing at a keyboard. The crowd was perplexed for the time being, having no idea what this was and why it was here. And then...

"HELLLOOOOOO, LATEEEENT!"

The star of the show walked out onto the stage, holding a mic firmly in her right hand. She was wearing her wrestling outfit, colors of red marking her mask, upper top, and the flames painted across her black boots. A golden belt was strapped to her waist, and elbow pads marked her athletic arms. Red wild hair came from the back of her mask.

"YOU MAY CALL ME LA CABALLERO ROJA! ARE YOU READY TO PARTY?"

She pointed defiantly toward the crowd, though they didn't seem to be getting into the rhythm yet. But she was going to change that very quickly. That was her specialty.

"One, two, three..."

And the music began as she began to sing her Hispanic lyrics, a very upbeat pop song that she doubted no one by Hispanics to even be able to understand.

Amar sin ser Amada

"Todo este tiempo he tenido que escucharte

Que comprenderte, que consolarte

Sé que la vida no te ha sido tan sencilla

Pero ya es tiempo para olvidarse

Sé que es difícil arrancar todo de nuevo

Que tus heridas te han marcado para siempre

Pero no pienses que sufrir no te ha servido

Es una forma de aprender a no volver a cometer el mismo error

The mini concert had begun.

Raven put her palm against her forehead as she closed her eyes with a slight wince... the face-palm reaction was the alternative that sprung to mind instead of pointing back at Damion and laughing ... one can either be slightly embarrassed, or one can come up with a snooty remark to explain how a suggestion is far more difficult that the person who thought it up had intended

"Um, if I had a clue where Noah's office was then we wouldn't have to look for Lumina."

"It should be just over that-" He didn't need to finish his sentence, their eyes would do it for him. As they walked up to the top of the hill, the walls of Latent spread out before them. Roran Leveret, a tall, muscular man of six and a half feet and two hundred and eighty pounds of honed muscle, stopped himself at the top of the hill and took a deep breath of the seaside air. Beyond Latent was the ocean, and even from where he was, almost a mile away, the salty freshness of the air was powerful enough to be invigorating.

It wasn't likely he was the first one to smell it. Carlotta Marchesi, his minuscule teammate and traveling companion, had been running circles around him since they'd left Durem. Before they'd left, he'd told the unaware circus girl that where they were going was a place to conduct an unorthodox field test, a place near Latent called the Leviathan tournament, where they would participate in the Heaven or Hell tournament.

He'd explained most of the rules and functions of the tournament to her on the way, though she'd been at a constant level of excitement the entire way which gave Roran the distinct impression that she wasn't quite absorbing all of what he said.

Still, it had whittled away the time well enough, and now they had arrived.

"Welcome to Latent, Lottie." He said, grinning calmly.

Roran closed his eyes, as though he were trying to keep track of something. Precisely what he was trying to keep track of...well...

"Yes-yes-that's nice-me too-nine hours-you shouldn't-I agree-that makes sense-did you?-I believe you-yes they are." He said, well after each of her statements had past. He couldn't have imagines ever being that energetic. Maybe he was getting too old after all...

"We can get Leomund something to eat wherever we go. Lots of people here have animal companions, so a few restaurants serve raw meat. Anyway..." He said, and stepped down, jogging down the hill at the same pace he'd used to clear most of their trip so far, just a light jog.

Soon enough, the pair were at the front gates and, without much hassle, they found themselves in Latent. Normally well populated, the place seemed to be bursting out of the seams with the HoH crowds. Business owners couldn't have seemed happier as they paced behind their stands of goods out in front of their stores, and gaggles of tourists crossed the streets with their fun hats sporting emblems of the new popular teams, ignoring the glares from the pockets of fans with worn out Team Glacier hats from years previous.

But more boisterous and present than anything were the press. Attractive young newscasters were zipping between crowds looking for actual competitors, hot new trends, or really anything they could send back to the overcrowded waves of programming on Gaian TV. It was to ward against these that Roran had slipped his competitor's registration tag nder his shirt, and turned around to Lottie, mimicking for her to do the same. Some of the newscasters had super-human senses, or sixth senses, which allowed them to pick up on small sounds, or intense emotions. Lottie's base excitement would blend right in with the crowd, but Roran had to keep his feelings in lock-down, lest they be targeted.

Roran plucked her back up between his fingers and threw it over his shoulder.

"Not sure yet-It's a whole city, after all-Only twice-I do-Here, I've got it." He said, stringing answers together far after the fast talking ringleader finished her barrage of questions and comments. His voice wasn't slow, per-se but it was deliberate, for the most part. There was a side, which only came out at certain times, of Mr. Leveret when he was a lot more like Lottie than she probably realized, but she'd not seen it yet.

"Hm. I wonder if we should go to his or his...?" He mumbled, obviously weighing restaurants in his head, "Or maybe we should..."

"Hm. I think we should find Chen or Tenkai first." He concluded. Lottie would have been told quite a bit about her new team-mates by the time they had gotten to Latent. The professional officer and the dedicated swordsman were two old friends of Roran's, men he was eager to see again.

Soon after stepping out of the Raven's Head Tavern, Tenkai gave a good look-around. He figured Sakura would have little problem taking care of her crew members, so he wouldn't need to waste much time making sure the coast was clear. Once that was confirmed, the monk proceeded down to the side of the tavern and made a sharp turn into the alley. He wouldn't be hard for Vahn and company to follow considering how close they were, so Tenkai had little reservations about picking up speed.

At first glance, it looked like Tenkai was going the predictable route of hiding in a dark alleyway to avoid being spied on...but such was not so. In fact, Tenkai wanted to avoid the alleyways since they were often full of the kind of people he didn't want listening in on them. However, it was more important to mask their movements past the buildings, so the alley was fine insofar as moving around.

No...talking about such important things in the middle of a dark alley would be foolish. Tenkai had something else in mind.

After passing by a few buildings through the alleyways, the monk did a sudden leap...

...and took hold of the side of a fire escape, bracing his foot against the rail.

Soon enough Tenkai's intention would become clear. He was heading to the rooftops. It wasn't the most original of ideas, but the rooftops of random tall buildings in Latent were probably a lot safer than the rooftops of the Crimson Hawk. The Crimson Hawk roof was a favored relaxing place of many HoH combatants, so there was no telling who would be listening in if they tried anything there.

Using short leaps, Tenkai bounded from fire escape to fire escape on the sides of the two buildings surrounding the alley. Every now and then he'd take a moment to jump up a single platform on one building's side. The monk had no doubts that his acquaintances would be able to follow him. He knew enough that both Vahn and Silver were trained in the Kyonusuke's ninjutsu, so there probably wouldn't be any difficulty.

And Sakura? Well...Tenkai had the strangest feeling she was capable of a lot of things.

It only took a few moments before he ascended about six stories, reaching the rooftops of a random building. Once settled, he'd wait for the other three to join him up top. Then again, for all he knew one of them would be up there waiting for him by now.

It was shortly after the rest had left that a young woman in her mid twenties exited the bar, nearly all of her hair stuck up under a bandanna. Though trying to blend in the best she could, she was wearing an oversized button-down shirt that looked like it would have showed a bit too much if not for the form-fitting sleeveless top she wore underneath. Hands were in the pockets of her loose jeans as she took a quick stroll down the street, turning sideways or pressing against walls to keep in line with Tenkai and the rest of the unstable alliance.

She, too, had the feeling she was being watched, though for entirely different reasons - having a camera crew pressed against you nearly 24/7 tended to make you a little paranoid. Truth be told she was getting tired of the constant attention - perhaps if there were new heroes, the pressure would be off her by just a bit...

... but there was no time for contemplating. She ducked into the alleyway just as the monk started climbing. Once she was sure of where he was going, she took a quick running start at the wall, and for just a fraction of a second seemed like she was going to run all the way up. Instead, she somehow pushed off, twisted her body in midair, and started running up the other side. It was a gravity and probably logic-defying trick she had learned to do in the Rage V: Infinite Tower movie, but then, most of the time logic didn't apply to the woman's mind.

Why should it apply to the world around her?

By the time she had reached the top, she took a few long breaths, complaining about the lack of hot water in the bar's bathroom.

The shinobi kept his walk as nonchalant as he could, spotting first Vahn heading around the bend with Sakura not to far behind. To any the competitor of Shattered Steel was simply a passerby exiting the bar after a good drink, or someone coming outside for a quick breath of air. Instead, after a few more moments of waiting, the shinobi would bound into action and peer quietly around the corner. The monk was first seen as a small little thing in the air, hopping the fire escapes of two buildings one by one. It seemed Sakura had gotten ahead of Vahn before anything else, and pulled a zero-G move of some sorts. The Silver haired one was nowhere to be seen, which Yasuo took into assumption that he had already followed close behind.

The shinobi ensured his silence by ducking into the shadows every few steps or so, quickly gaining in behind the group.

"Where could they possibly be going?" Yasuo asked himself in thought. "Something that requires so much evasion has got to be choice information, not to mention that it could definitely aid me in getting to know these guys a bit better."

Ducking into a side alleyway covered in darkness, Yasuo would observe Vahn and his struggle to get up to the spot of conversation. It was almost silly, seeing such a powerful man have trouble getting atop of a six story rooftop, but no matter, it was something that Yasuo would have to watch - or rather enjoy - before making his next move.

The final thing he would see is the warriors legs draped over the side of the rooftop.

"Poor guy can't keep up with the young'n's. It happens even to the best of us I guess." The shinobi told himself this little quip before moving along with his stalking.

Unlike the warriors above, Yasuo had a knack for doing stuff like this. Instead of having to travel between these noisy metallic contraptions, he would only need the flat wall itself.

"Hmph!" he grunted, hopping up between the inside wall of the building they stood upon. Right next to it was a building the matched it in terms of height, but was far wider. Yasuo would bound of the adjacent wall as well, repeating the process until he reached ledge of the top side. From where he was, the group could not see him, as a precarious placed rooftop entrance of moderate size would be in the way of the shinobi's view. Lifting himself up and silently panting into his face mask, Yasuo would quietly toe his way behind the thing and listen once more to the conversation at hand. Hopefully the tiring trip would be worth it all.

Vahn didn't have to feel so bad. Silver would only barely beat him.

A low rumbling would suddenly come from the rooftop entrance Yasuo was hiding behind, and the door on the far side would swing open, revealing Silver and a stairwell. With deadpan expression, he would announce firmly what his particular method of ascension had been.

"I took the stairs."

Eternal Dirge Wrote:

" well...then we have absolutely no idea where we're going do we?" Damion said, his expression falling into one of disappointment. " So...our only option is to wander about blankly until we find what we're looking for?" This was not something he looked forward to, especially given his lack of knowledge about the area. Stupid cities, why couldn't this be like his birth village? Then it'd be no issue at all.

" Well...if we have to do that, how well do you know Latent Rae? I figure we could just walk around and see if we can find someone." "Latent I knew very well, this town on the other hand... I have not spent much time... exploring." For a moment there she had trouble finding innocent words, but that sounded rather normal, if one didn't know her all that well.

"I know the area around the hotel... had to have something to do in this town. Just walking around sounds like a good idea for the moment... Perhaps this order has advertisements around the town.. like the military!" Raven wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, that was why she usually did much better at flying by the seat of her pants Planning, just wasn't her forte!

He smiled to himself now, as he stared out towards the skyline, still seated on the edge of the roof and facing away from them. "Heh...my heart just wasn't in that fight.

There really isn't anything more to it than that, I'm afraid."

He could recall his match with Dzan with crystal clarity. Anyone who had known Vahn personally could have guessed that something was wrong with the Murmillion in that match- there just was no getting around it. His thoughts had been focused entirely too much on Tiera, and the events surrounding her.

"After the tournament was over, I asked Athan Cole to come with me. I still had to track down my brother and there was someone he had to kill as well.

What we both wanted could be found in the same place, so...

It was a good idea...except we seemed to get horribly sidetracked, if not completely stonewalled in our 'quest' to reach that place..."

Eden.

"Unfortunately, me and Athan weren't exactly accomplishing anything significant together, and we decided to try our luck by separating.

I can recall a bit of what happened after we went our separate ways... but then, everything is just a bunch of disjointed memories, fractured and divided with no real symmetry to them."

No matter how hard he tried to remember, he always felt the familiar sensation of ice against his skin...like the feel of frozen armor...or cold steel...

"At some point, I found myself in Durem, or rather, I was found in Durem by some friends..." If I can even consider GUARDIAN as anything but friendly towards me these days...

"And I made my way from there back to Latent to try and retrace my steps...I lost what seemed like a whole year, and was no closer to finding my brother.

Or getting her back.

I traveled all over the damn place to try and get some answers, and I was having some downtime in Straata. That's where I was tracked down by Silver and got his letter.

I figured, coming back here... to where I first lost it all, I could somehow regain something.

Anything."

Tenkai took a moment to listen to Vahn's story, trying to glean as much information as he could from it. It certainly raised many more questions about the whole situation. What was this place he was trying to reach? Who was this person Athan Cole needed to kill, and what did he have to do with Vahn's brother? Come to think of it, what did any of it have to do with Vahn's brother? Who was his brother?

And most of all...who was Vahn trying to get back?

Indeed, there was much more to this predicament than Tenkai realized. All he had remembered reading about was some sort of pandemonium in the stadium just after the end of the 08' tournament. It was more than likely that the incident was somewhat related to whatever quest Vahn embarked on with Athan.

But what could explain all of Vahn's broken memories? He seemed to remember the events that happened two years ago, but how could someone lose an entire year's worth of memories? It seemed as if Tenkai's question would be yet to have an answer. Even Vahn himself didn't know what happened to him.

Noah...are you behind all of this?

Tenkai grasped his chin, his face pensively wrought as he pondered the Murmillion's tale. Vahn was in as much of a search for answers as Tenkai was. The monk was trying to figure out the Foundation's plan, while Vahn was trying to piece together his fragmented memory. Perhaps if they worked together, their goals would intersect and become mutual.

"I see..." said the monk, breaking his silence.

"This certainly does raise a lot of questions. Considering the circumstances, I'm almost positive it's related to the tournament. I just don't know how..."

The monk began to pace again, turning to face Silver and Sakura.

"When men and women of great strength are gathered together in one area like this city, there's always bound to be something dark behind the scenes. The promise of combat these tournaments bring draw in all manner of warriors like flies to honey...especially the unsavory types. Large, powerful gatherings such as these cast shadows like a castle or a mountain. The greater the gathering, the larger the shadow...and more powerful the beings that lurk in them."

"And what we have here is a very large shadow."

He stopped his pace, turning so that he was facing all three of them.

"I take it you're aware of the changes that have happened this year," said Tenkai. "The Foundation that runs the tournament has joined together with an organization known as the Order of Illumination. As you've probably heard on the news, they apparently have the intention of bringing about progress through technological and metaphysical means in order to create an utopia."

Tenkai turned to face the Crimson Hawk, way off in the distance. He rested his chin-stroking left arm on his right from within his robes, as if he was musing over his own words as he spoke.

"Why would a corporation known for hosting one of the most violent and well-known tournaments in these lands want to join forces with a group that wants to achieve utopia? I probably don't have to say this, but any time a tournament mentality of 'survival of the fittest' meats the 'perfect world' mindset, there's bound to be trouble. At face value the Order looks like it has good intentions, but..."

The monk turned his head back to the group.

"...you know what they say about 'good intentions'."

"What?" The thought crossed Yasuo as more than just strange, hearing the monk reveal his true identity so to speak. It seemed he was in league with the GPD and investigating the tournament for whatever was going on in this new supposed twist on it all. So much information was rushing into the mind of the shinobi that it became hard to keep track of what was what. That was just the beginning though, as Vahn had begun his story of a past untouched by all but himself,

Vahn Fah Wrote:

"After the tournament was over, I asked Athan Cole to come with me. I still had to track down my brother and there was someone he had to kill as well.

What we both wanted could be found in the same place, so...

It was a good idea...except we seemed to get horribly sidetracked, if not completely stonewalled in our 'quest' to reach that place..."

"What could he be referring to? This all sounds like it's playing a much bigger part in the overall scheme of things." Yasuo's inner monologue went on about all of the other possibilities and unstable details that this tournament had seemingly provided. A few things had already boggled his mind, one being as to who this "Athan Cole" was. Yasuo was still new, and the only familiarity that the name held was on the HoH past placers list. He remembered an "Athan" on the Team Fracture placement, but had no idea as to who he was.

As Vahn went on, Yasuo would silently peek from behind the structure for a glance as to where they all were, for a better physical understanding of the immediate enviroment as well.

Vahn Fah Wrote:

"And I made my way from there back to Latent to try and retrace my steps...I lost what seemed like a whole year, and was no closer to finding my brother.

Or getting her back.

I traveled all over the damn place to try and get some answers, and I was having some downtime in Straata. That's where I was tracked down by Silver and got his letter.

I figured, coming back here... to where I first lost it all, I could somehow regain something.

Anything."

Yasuo was no longer puzzled as to what Vahn was searching for now. A broken memory was something that no body liked picking up the pieces for, but it was necessary to find out what happened to whomever he was talking about. This "her was a point of interest to the shinobi, but one that seemed as if it would lay in the dark forever.

"I wonder if I could be of any aid to this," Yasuo asked himself. "That would require revealing myself though, so not right now." The inner monologue ended as the Monk, Tenkai, began his reply.

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"I see,"

"This certainly does raise a lot of questions. Considering the circumstances, I'm almost positive it's related to the tournament. I just don't know how..."

Indeed it does

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"When men and women of great strength are gathered together in one area like this city, there's always bound to be something dark behind the scenes. The promise of combat these tournaments bring draw in all manner of warriors like flies to honey...especially the unsavory types. Large, powerful gatherings such as these cast shadows like a castle or a mountain. The greater the gathering, the larger the shadow...and more powerful the beings that lurk in them."

"And what we have here is a very large shadow."

The logical explanation of the tournament brought Yasuo to a new immediate concept as to what this tournament may really be about. Out in front, the portrayal of dozens of warriors fighting for a spot in "Heaven" as they called it, when behind the scenes a darker variant there of lay behind the clever shroud that the officials had created.

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"The Foundation that runs the tournament has joined together with an organization known as the Order of Illumination. As you've probably heard on the news, they apparently have the intention of bringing about progress through technological and metaphysical means in order to create an utopia."

"Why would a corporation known for hosting one of the most violent and well-known tournaments in these lands want to join forces with a group that wants to achieve utopia? I probably don't have to say this, but any time a tournament mentality of 'survival of the fittest' meats the 'perfect world' mindset, there's bound to be trouble. At face value the Order looks like it has good intentions, but..."

Yasuo agree'd completely on this as well. As good the intentions are on the outside, a shady internal feeling aired around it. Such things were never meant to be joined for a harmonic combination.

"But what exactly is it that they are hiding?" Yasuo again thought. He didn't have enough details on that matter, that is until Sakura opened up her own, not-so-out there explanation.

Sakura Wrote:

"Tch... well, maybe they want to achieve utopia through battle," she offered unhelpfully and half-heartedly. "Survival of the fittest. Take the greatest that Gaia has to offer and make them gods among Gaians. Not that I believe in such things...."

Though not intended to make much sense, the girl actually provided a very plausible point. Many cultures have believed that fighting - and dying in battle - leads to something related to a paradise, or heaven, or even... a utopia.

"Heh," Yasuo gave off a low grunt, forgetting that the group didn't know he was here. He hoped that didn't give him away, but the sheer story of it all had interested him to the point of excitement within. That grunt let out was the first sign of the overwhelming emotion, and one that may very well end his listen-in on this.

Eternal Dirge Wrote:

" Then let's away!" Damion said, pointing off for amoment before starting to walk along the sidewalk, his direction chosen at random and the destination just as randomly unknown. The elemental took one of his knives out and toyed with it idly, picking at an imagined dirt spot, " So what do you think the Order does anyways? Their name is so bloody vague it could be just about anything really." He asked Raven, looking back for her.

In all honesty, he only had a few questions for...well..any of the representatives really. And this other group...if there even was an other group, what were they all about? Perhaps some mercenary work was in order? Or something, he wasn't sure yet. "Very vague... but I doubt that they do the usual.. help the homeless, or feed the hungry. They would be better known if they did those sorts of things. Hell they could exchange light bulbs for all their name implies!" That was a tad snarky, but Raven wasn't overly concerned about this order as long as they didn't start picking on her friends she didn't really care what they did.

She followed along behind Damion, shifting her sight slightly to watch the ebb and flow of the magic in the town, seeing if anyone was drawing on the ley lines or the nodes. It was idol curiosity really, hell seeing magic was usually useless unless you knew what to look for in specific.

Chen had walked into the apartment building, currently on the first floor of the very place his teammate had chose to depart on. He didn't know if he was still up there or did he have any idea that there was a meeting currently going on up there. But he was going to go look regardless. If he missed him, he'll just call him up on his gPhone. The inspector placed a foot onto the stairs leading up to the higher floors and began his walk.

The place wasn't a luxurious white-washed wall hotel, but it also was decent enough that you didn't see cockroaches crawling around on the woodwork. As he walked along, he could hear the various bustling sounds of a common apartment, from the faint sounds of a television set to the voices of people coming through the wall. Up and up he was going, getting ever closer to the top of the stairs. When he finally reached the end, he proceeded forward, as he was currently on the highest floor, which didn't have an immediate entrance to the rooftop. But having a good knowledge of buildings like these, the stairs to the roof usually lied around a custodian area. The inspector walked along the wall, looking left and right at each door he passed until he finally came to the door with the sign "To the rooftop." He gave the knob a twist, but sadly it was locked.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. He could try to kick the door down, but he didn't want to do such reckless damage to a building that didn't deserve it. Furthermore, he could sense the anger that the custodians themselves would have to have to spend more time working just by fixing the door of some a*****e who thought it was fun to knock it from its hinges. So, he took the last resort.

The side window in the hallway opened up, Chen leaping out onto the sill and taking a good hop over to the awaiting drain pipe that ran vertically down the building into the alley way. He gripped tightly to the pole, keeping himself from taking a fall, then proceeded to ascend it, years of hand strength training making this a fairly simple task. He was almost there.

"...Achieve utopia..."

He closed his eye, taking a breath as he felt his heart skip a beat. How many times have I stood underneath that promise before...?

How...

...many times...

...have I seen you say that... No matter where he went, it felt as if he was constantly overshadowed by that burden.

Victor. The burden of knowing you have to kill your own brother.

"There are no such things as good intentions. Not when it comes to meddling with other people's lives." He picked himself up off the ledge, straightening up and folding his arms across his chest. For a moment, the fatigue was gone from his face, the emotion displayed there was grim and determined...a fraction of his old self spilling through-- before he seemed to slump forward a bit, and look tired again.

"I don't really care what these new people are up to, but if they get in my way--"

And that would be when Silver interrupted.

Lumina seemed to take Rai's words and dwell on them, understood them and accepted the honesty in them.

Raien herself was of the non-human denomination, but because she could effortlessly pass for a mortal being often liked to distance herself from the others like herself, not to mention her finding many of which possessed attitudes and views that she disagreed with. Nor however, did she side with the strictly human party.

She was almost entirely neutral. Complete neutrality wasn't quite achievable in this world.

-HoH- Lumina Wrote:

"Understanding will have to come from all sides...Good conversations come from the most unexpected of people, though."

"Yeah..." Her mind drifted for a brief moment or two, almost in recollection of something, but nothing came.

There was just something about conversation that truly hit home for Rai, and the woman's right hand found it's way almost in a subconsciously natural movement to her neck. It could even be described as habitual to those who didn't know her.

-HoH- Lumina Wrote:

"Thank you, Raien. An honest word is always appreciated."

Reverie broken, almost not having realized she dazed, Rai focused on the other woman again who took her offered hand and shook.

"Ah, you're welcome. She accepted the uniquely decorated business card and returned with a smile. "It was very nice to meet you, and I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Lumina was free to go about her business, but Rai found her attention solely focused on the card, so much that she wasn't aware of anything else at the moment.

Eternal Dirge Wrote:

He snorted into laughter, swerving to avoid a man walking his dog. Changing lightbulbs, that was a good joke! " Janitors? That'd be all kinds of hilarious!" While he doubted it, anything was possible at this juncture. And the posters, flyers, and other such advertisements they kept passing weren't much help, looking way to much like military posters. He wished he had seen what Lumina looked like, he still had no idea what he was looking for.

" Hey....that building looks new." Damion said, stopping dead in the middle of a crosswalk, pointing at a building all circled in glass, the way some banks were designed. Windows encircled the outer perimeter as the tower rose up, the building wider than any other around it. The structure wasn't overly tall, but in Latent anything could be considered huge. The dog had the nerve to try and growl at her as they passed, and Raven had to take a moment to glare at the animal as it's owner tried to drag it along by the leash. Some animals were funny like that, and she wondered if it was the magic all around her that disturbed them, or the fact that they could tell she was still an animal herself, but persisted in pretending to be one of the two leggers.

Whatever it was, Raven thought it was horribly rude for the dog to growl at her just for passing by, but the human managed to drag his pet a few steps away from the girl with the strange hairdo, and the slightly menacing frown that she was directing at his pet. "Sorry miss... Bruno, come on you silly old mut!"

Raven smiled slightly and waved a hand at him, in that gaelic 'no problem' motion before she took a step back, less worried now that she had seen the man realise his mut was acting strange.

She turned slowly, still not quite willing to take her eyes off the animal...she had almost managed to lose Damion because she was distracted , noticing that he was standing in the middle of the road... and that the traffic was likely about to get annoyed with him

"Yes, nice nice...unless you wish to take up a permanent position 6 feet under the ground we should finish crossing the street!" Raven skipped to catch up to him, gently pushing at the small of his back in an effort to get him out of the street. She hadn't heard a word he said after the dog had passed them

Raven had noticed the fellow who had given them the finger, and flashed his a smile that was all fangs and menace... even as she concentrated enough to melt part of his shiny chrome bumper as he sped off with the screech of tires... she had though for a moment about slashing his tires, but knowing her luck there would be a camera about to catch her in the act if such obvious vandalism, whereas the damage to the bumper would take a while to notice

"Yes, shiny...and likely as hurricane proof as a cardboard box!" What a silly thing to build in a seaside town, even if it was spiffy, it was still silly

"I guess not... so we shall go visit your shiny building, perhaps there will be a nice mall nearby!" Wherever shopping was an option Raven was wiling to venture, she should try to find some new clothes for this year maybe even get Damion out of his skirt and back into a nice pair of pants before someone besides Mr. Sutii got the wrong idea about the tall elemental

besides, she owed him a belated wedding gift! "Well then mon'capiton... lead the way! You are taller than me after all, so you should be able to spot the shiny building over the other people!" and this way she could watch his a** as they walked, and picture him in all sorts of different materials!

Chen was almost at the top until he suddenly saw a shadow block out the light coming from above. He looked up, and suddenly saw a bodily figure coming down toward him.

"What the..."

The inspector braced himself as close to the building as possible as those boots of Vahn struck against the top of Chen's body, mainly the shoulders. The weight was just too sudden for him to hold on firm enough, causing him to lose his grip and suddenly go falling backwards off the pipe toward the ground with Vahn pressed down against him. Consequently, Vahn would have what could have been a clean fall suddenly broken into an uneven one, sending them both down in a tumbling manner, making it hard to see which one of them would hit the ground first.

"Gur!"

Because a three story building meant 30 ft off the ground, landing from such a height could end very badly for the both of them. This had Chen take last minute measures to extend his right hand out within the twirling motion of their spinning aerial stunt and fortunately had his hand catch, as painful as it was, grip onto the black iron railing of a walkway-ladder extension situated against the building. It was a common device to see in the alleyway of apartment buildings to make one ascend to floors through outside means rather than inside. It even included the typical sliding ladder just some feet down.

"Ha!"

Chen's right arm's muscles bulged as he held on tight, using his left hand to grip an arm of Vahn in the good ole "cliff-hanging position of holding one person and holding a ledge," and assist in keeping him from falling to a painful fall as well. Holding tight, Chen looked down to take a better look at the person who thought it was funny to go jumping off a building, until he realized it was the same person Tenkai was looking for prior to the tournament.

"You're Vahn," Chen managed to say in a strained voice. Deciding he'll ask the man why the hell he was leaping off buildings, Chen decided to let go of him because the rest of the fall was about a story, and he assumed the man had the capabilities of falling the rest of the way unharmed. After that, the inspector would pull himself up onto the walkway, and proceed to descend down to the alley while rubbing his right arm that grew red from the tension.

When he finally reached the bottom, he gave the man a very displeased look.

"I hope you have a good reason for what you just did. I really hope you have a good reason."

Unlike Tenkai, Chen had no reason to be friendly toward who was a notorious participant of this tournament. In addition, he had heard of a few other tales upon researching a little more on Vahn that made him a bit more of an interesting person in the files of the GPD's database.

Raien DeCuir Wrote:

Lumina was free to go about her business, but Rai found her attention solely focused on the card, so much that she wasn't aware of anything else at the moment.

"Well, well, well. I can honestly say that I hadn't expected you to beat me to the chase."

The sudden vocalization would almost assuredly startle Raien from her reverie, and if not, she would have become very aware of the presence that shifted from behind and then next to her. Damnatus robed form had seemingly stepped into the chill light from nowhere; however, no remnants or wisps of eldritch power clung to his form, which removed his abilities from the equation of the unexpected appearance. This, in a slightly disturbing note, could have suggested he had been watching the young woman for some undefined amount of time. The sorcerer made no inclination toward his potentially stalker-like activities - no, his unnatural focus was entirely devoted to the distancing form of Lumina. His already cold features were deepened by a slight frown.

"That woman has been an annoyance to seek out. I would commend you for your work, if it were not likely that..."

Damnatus' thin voice trailed off, somewhat ominously, as his brows knotted together in concentration and further contemplation at the Heaven or Hell spokeswoman.

...others forces were at work here.

The rest was only spoken aloud in the recesses of his mind, dredging up memories of prophecies and images he quickly dashed away. The fact that Raien had been scratching at her neck had unsettled him in his watchings enough - with a small concentration of effort, he was able to dismiss such things from his current thoughts. Only the initial conclusion - the one that set off the chain of recollections - remained, to haunt him and his further analyses. Once again, an all-too-familiar and all-too-bitter statement was recalled, further damning the seemingly-innocent encounter.

"There is no such thing as coincidence."

Damnatus kept his appearance in check, but inwardly, cold and consuming hate welled up for the man - no, the thing - that uttered those words, for he now understood how true they really were.

He sighed, forcing a calm upon himself. His mind was convoluted enough without such invading thoughts. He needed to remain focused and sharp - if he didn't, he wouldn't even be able to control the overt forces at work here, let alone the true ones. Damnatus finally turned his attention to Raien, his right extending toward her at the same time...

"Regardless, I must thank you for your work."

...and plucked the card right from her hands. It was just as simple as that, probably affording the woman little to no time to react to the offense. Instead of bothering with the eventual barrage of fussiness and anger, the psyker's visions were attuned to the curious piece of paper, as if breaking it down in front of him, piece by piece, to discover some sort of contrived and enigmatic nature it could have possessed. It almost assuredly wouldn't, but the sorcerer saw things as plans within plans, subterfuge within subterfuge, and he would unravel every and all secrets kept from him.

" Mall....It's been awhile since I've been in a city, the mall might be more fun." Damion replied, tapping his chin in thought as his brow furrowed, a pondering look set on his face before vanishing. His fingers snapped once in the air as he smiled, revealing gleaming white teeth, the canines pronounced, " Let's go there first, I'm alittle hungry and we can find me some more regular clothes."

He didn't really own anything normal anymore, just his guardians outfit that he was wearing and 2 pairs of jeans and a white shirt to go with each. The elemental may not venture often into normal human society but he damn well needed some new digs for the banquet and maybe walking around. Maybe then Stephen wouldn't pounce him so readily.

" Alright then!" With a dramatic finger, he began to lead on, following road signs and lights and even stopping a bum in mid rant to ask for directions. Cutting through an alley, the two of them popped out onto the sidewalk just across from their giant gleaming tower, the indented doorway leading straight into a bank, instead of the offices Damion had expected. Gaians of all sorts walked in and out, taking money out and putting it in and heading off on their lives. Infact, some of them seemed to be heading over to the exact structure they had wanted to visit, the large complex of the mall layed out in full afew blocks to their left, the sign "Latent Mall" announcing its' presence.

Well...

... that was Vahn, all right.

Sakura got up and dusted off her jeans, front and back, before staring listlessly at the sky for a moment. Silver had addressed her, but the words barely registered - something about the autograph she had promised. She got the feeling that she'd be fulfilling that promise before the end of this year's tournament, and to some degree, looked forward to it. She smiled wanly. "Tell you what, you'll get an autograph after you can prove that--"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence as the sound of crashing came from over the side of the building where Vahn had left in the most direct route possible.

"What the-? Another uninvited guest? What gives, Monk? I'm starting to believe you did set us up."

"-- you're not such a hot-headed fighter. Not that I wouldn't react the same way...." Realizing how quickly the situation could spiral out of control, she tried to keep a (relatively) calm head. "All right, let's get this out. If there's anyone else here, show yourself. Don't need more people coming out of the woodwork when we least expect it. I have absolutely no problem tracking you down and giving you several new and exciting ways to breathe." Without missing a beat, she walked over and put a hand on Silver's arm, trying her best not to glare at him. She was failing.

"Set-up or not, he'd have to be insane or plain stupid to go up against you right now." She swept her free arm towards the monk to illustrate her point. "You've successfully uncovered his plan to get himself thrown out of the tournament before it's even begun." The glare from before seemed to settle on Tenkai now, brown eyes boring into the monk. Whatever goodwill had been there before seemed to be draining quickly.

"You. Explain yourself."

Turned out those anger management courses were working.

Sort of. It was unfortunate that the monk had already made his leap off the ledge as well - why couldn't people take the stairs like normal, sane individuals Silver? Even so, she let go of Silver's arm and walked to the edge of the building, putting her hands on her hips and leaning over to look down. "I'd like some answers, please." It was her kind voice. As in, the kind of voice that she used when she was holding herself back from delivering a foot to someone's cranium.

Too bad she only learned how to use the kind voice within the last few months.

Eternal Dirge Wrote:

" Mall....It's been awhile since I've been in a city, the mall might be more fun." Damion replied, tapping his chin in thought as his brow furrowed, a pondering look set on his face before vanishing. His fingers snapped once in the air as he smiled, revealing gleaming white teeth, the canines pronounced, " Let's go there first, I'm alittle hungry and we can find me some more regular clothes."

He didn't really own anything normal anymore, just his guardians outfit that he was wearing and 2 pairs of jeans and a white shirt to go with each. The elemental may not venture often into normal human society but he damn well needed some new digs for the banquet and maybe walking around. Maybe then Stephen wouldn't pounce him so readily.

" Alright then!" With a dramatic finger, he began to lead on, following road signs and lights and even stopping a bum in mid rant to ask for directions. Cutting through an alley, the two of them popped out onto the sidewalk just across from their giant gleaming tower, the indented doorway leading straight into a bank, instead of the offices Damion had expected. Gaians of all sorts walked in and out, taking money out and putting it in and heading off on their lives. Infact, some of them seemed to be heading over to the exact structure they had wanted to visit, the large complex of the mall layed out in full afew blocks to their left, the sign "Latent Mall" announcing its' presence.

Upon the pronouncement that they were headed towards her second most favorite place in the entire world, Raven literally beamed at Damion, clapping her hands as she jumped up and down a few times "Oh goody, goody-gosh!"

Even the prospect of cutting through the slightly icky alleyway didn't manage to put much of a damper on her spirits, although she was very careful about what she stepped on. Wearing all white had some serious disadvantages if one was not careful

"Do you need to be fed first, or do you want to leave the food court as a reward for enduring the shopping?" Raven could still recal the last time she took him shopping, and the harrased look the man had in his eyes...but, she was still beaming, now with a glint of mischief in her eyes again. Perhaps it truly was fate that had let Damion catch a glimpse of the glass shrine to the gods of shopping!

Despite appearing all bright and happy there was something out there today, someone perhaps in the town that made her pull back, closing herself off behind her shields so as to not attract the wrong kind of attention, she really hoped the funny feeling wasn't from any of those order people that Damion wanted to meet.. that could be real.. awkward to say the least!

"...." That single yellowed eye stared out at the Inspector, even as he struggled to apparently hold the Murmillion up.

Well, this is unexpected. This was clearly unexpected.

While jumping off of a building was questionable in it's own right, Vahn wasn't exactly the type to commit himself to death so readily. Whatever it is he had been thinking of when he did jump, he must have had a way of safely reaching the ground.

Of course, this would be all but oblivious to someone like the Inspector, who acted with instinct-- which spoke volumes of his character.

Then again, its hard to ignore someone literally landing atop you.

"You're Vahn," The man spoke and the words sent a shiver up his spine. So much for unwanted attention.

He was let go and smoothly hit the alley floor in a crouch. Tch...not exactly what I was planning...

Picking himself up off the floor, he raised his head, watching as the man now confronted him.

"What do you want?"