West Port

The Grand Hall

The Grand Hall is the first sight that new arrivals to the Ark will see upon disembarking. The ferry docks are located on the western side of the island inside of what could easily be called a cave. Disembarking takes place 'underground' within the belly of the steel behemoth and from there either a straight ramp can be taken that heads to the Grand Hall on the surface or a lift that operates between the docks and the helipad above them. Regardless of which means is used, when the surface is reached the view is the same...

To the west is the sea, and beyond that the town of Latent sitting on the far shore. To the east stands the nearest structure; a domed building with lavish banners and flags adorned across it to praise the glory of the Heaven or Hell tournament and welcome its participants. To the distance in the north there is a tower that sparkles like crystal, surrounded by rolling green hills as if this island were not a beast of iron and steel. And to the south is a paved expanse of smaller buildings and storehouses; a small airport is visible not too far off and just barely beside where the ferry ramp reaches the surface there is a heliport set up as well to ferry visitors to the mainland and back again.

The interior of the Grand Hall seems oddly familiar... Statues of past tournament participants line the walls and elaborate paintings depicting scenes from years past fill in the spaces between them. The checkered marble floor seems to stretch on forever... and perhaps it does-- After entering through the main doors the eastern end of the building cannot even be seen. Though the hall itself is only about fifty yards wide, it stretches into the distance; there is even a moving walkway against the wall on either side like would be found in an airport terminal.

A few hundred feet from the entrance the hall splits off to the north and south as well, descending into identical open plazas bordering railway tracks that run through the sub-level of the building. Tram Station A is located here, and services transportation to nearly all other areas of the Ark along the railway circuit.

Pylons Wrote:

Standing before you is one of the strange, crystalline monoliths that seem to be placed all over the Ark. The cyclopean pylons have been chiseled in such a way that it is impossible to garner a solid look at them – the seemingly-perfect angles are not right to the eye, causing momentary lapses of vertigo or even hallucinations. The objects thrum with power of a wholly unknowable sort, possessing a prismatic glow that is both spectacular and disturbing to behold. If one is able to inspect them more closely, they will be able to see things carved into them – runes and glyphs that writhe and morph, never constant. Of course, it would be rather difficult to obtain such proximity, given the security that continually guards and monitors each outcropping.

Pylon Alpha hovers a few inches above the ground in the center of a moving walkway with complete impunity; blocking travel for that particular segment of the walkway unless one wishes to collide with it-- something not recommended considering the level of security surrounding the immediate vicinity of the pylon.

A lingering scent of death claimed attention as it slithered through the air. It swooned with a dark beguiling notion, like a temptress in the night- It called to your attention... Smoke- It came billowing forward through the Tram. It would crawl from under the seats and slowly weave back into shape the man it hid with such grace. It moved and roiled over itself in ethereal tendrils, reconstructing his perfect body; a dark mind and the corrupt soul. Bound like a beast unto his prey he watched over the psionic warrior with much intrigue; much contempt. His unfinished hand motioned forward and placed itself atop of the seat in front of him and with it he would rise as his prey did... A stalking thought crept through the annex of his mind as he swirled forward like a gust of wind- Following in haste behind.

A step behind...

"A wondrous place... The many things tangible wealth can get you... Yet I am not impressed, unlike you child."

Ertai scoffed towards Tres. Looming forward he would place a hand on his shoulder much like a father would do. He was well aware of who he was, perhaps it was fate that they would meet. The offspring of the only mortal who could stand to a God; a God who rewrites the multiverse to only say his story.

The scenario was much different this time around. Ertai had learned from the mistakes of the past and aimed to play this world in a much different tune. Corruption... It lingered on nearly every inch of Ertai- Like a razors edge, it sliced and minced away at even the most sturdy minds. This time he would push the heroes of this world into play, only guiding until it was time to take the reigns and take what is rightfully his... Gaia.

"You're impressed with the delusions of grandeur... Such a vain justification. It almost presents itself as comedy. Yet you're too ignorant to understand-"

Ertai brushed his hand aside as if to swat filth from Tres- A simple gesture with such a backhanded gesture.

He walked forward and almost cut off Tres in stride... Turning he would face the man.

"You'll never surpass your father."

Motioning forward he would move his left hand behind his back and posture up. Inhaling slowly he would move his pale blue optics to stare down Tres- Knowing this would be nothing in the arrogant mans eyes.

Smoke came billowing forward from between his pearly white grin. The right hand moved with cigar in hand- Biting down he spoke.

"You'll never beat me- Unlike you boy... I have scoured the multiverse; destroyed worlds with a notion and rebuilt them in my likeness. Nothing you can ever do will make you the king of anywhere but that little mind of yours."

Ertai glanced over at the girl Tres had spoken to.

"Will you be remembered?"

His cold voice lingered with disgust as he scanned over her body; features and appeal. Blowing that wicked black smoke towards her face-

Tres caught the site of someone familiar as he walked up the ramp towards the Grand Hall. Raien had a beautiful set of legs that Tres admired as an artist would a painting.

She was clearly older than Tres despite not being taller, but the young warrior was not one to be perturbed by something like age. He believed without a doubt that everyone should hold his appreciation in high regards. However he wasn't so delusional to think that he didn't need to approach a situation with at least a small amount of tact. He didn't say anything for the moment he found himself looking her over, but as they both entered the Grand hall he spoke up.

"Hey I've seen you around. Your competing right?", She looked uncomfortable but she didn't seem to be in a hurry to move. Tres looked right at home despite the vast size of his surroundings as he seemed more focused on Raien to be discombobulated. Tres stepped forward in front of her while looking her in the eye.

Tres knew that smell, he knew that presence. It was not anything that he would soon forget after his meeting with the devil in Sigil. Tres's family had a lot of history and due to his father, they had a lot of enemies. In all actuality this was another point of pride in Tres because the Ecstuffuan's seemed to antagonize the worst of what this world had to offer. His father who some say is Gaia's greatest hero left a long list of people who would love to get at his family, and for that Tres was greatful.

The first time he met Ertai Vexic in person was in Sigil. In truth he was somewhat perturbed by the stories of his strength, but he had long since gotten over it.

He had been told as a child of his father's exploits. An evil god from outer space descended upon Gaia from another world and made his presence known by wiping the Fighters Guild from existence and Sieg was left standing alone against this unimaginable force. Some how, Athena says 'through sheer willpower' his father survived and went on to challenge the elder god. It was with that story Tres knew that it was within him to stand up to a god, if the situation called for it.

So when Ertai spoke as he first caught site of the woman with the beautiful legs. He responded without even facing the diety. "You should get out of my head, You risk losing yourself in my dream Ertai.", Ertai had felt his feelings and such a thing was in no way beyond the entity's power Tres reminded himself to be mindful with his thoughts and to quiet his mind. Tres pulled away by turning by the waist as Ertai put his hand on his shoulder, not even a god was worthy to lay a hand on Tres if he did not permit it first. "And keep your hand off me elder thing, because even you will pull back a stump!", the confident dread headed warrior threatened as he walked away.

Tres then began to walk faster to get away from Ertai, he didn't have anything he wished to discuss with him. This was when he began to further admire Raien's legs and speak to her after finally entering The Grand Hall. After speaking to Raien Ertai motioned forward and cut Tres off and blocking him from speaking to Raien.

Tres made an aggravated sigh as he began to listen to the Elder God's jeers. He looked Ertai in the eye, staring unwaveringly through the billow of black smoke unleashed by his cigar. Tres did not cough and he seemed unbothered by the pollution of the air. Tres scowled at first but after Ertai finished speaking suddenly his grimace evolved into a grin. Tres and Ertai had the same body shape, perfect and they were about the same size with Ertai being maybe two inches taller.

"Heh...thats all you got. 'I'll never be better than dad'. pff ~ I've been told that by people since I was three. You'd think someone who has seen the cosmos would be a bit more creative.

So you've broken worlds. Doesn't mean s**t to me right now Ertai. I am looking for the man who is the master of all ways of contending to test my power against, on all tiers of power...not just one.

And despite your delusions that is not you...", Tres then stepped aside of Ertai and began to walk forward. He then turned dramatically to face both Ertai and Raien. He spoke to both of them now...

"What interest me about this place is not just the art that was put into it, not just its beauty, but its purpose. Noah wants what I want. He wants to call down the god of fighting.

I intend to win this tournament so that I may test myself against it.

What are you both here for?"

Ertai. That was the lighter skinned fellow's name and it became plainly obvious that the two combatants were familiar with one another, and some some sort of pre-existing rivalry - or something to that effect. This Ertai gentleman was very antagonistic, both in his general presence (how he carried himself) but his spoken word. Whatever the relationship between them, didn't matter much at all to Raien. She held her tongue during the verbal lashing, only frowning with obvious distaste.

The other male, possibly younger but no less eager to aspire for greatness - as made obvious both by his manner and by the things he said - at least was a touch more humble, if only because of his youth. Though, she supposed there was no room for humble in an environment like this. If you wanted to win, you had to fight for it tooth and nail, and you had to desire it. They both desired it, very much.

Raien? Not likely. To each their own however.

Quote:** Wrote:

"What are you both here for?"

Right before speaking up she realized he had been staring, and her tan cheeks reddened just a hair. It shouldn't have been a big surprise, considering how she always ran around in skirts and boots but she didn't comment. "Honestly, I'm just supporting some close friends of mine, who're here to prove a point I guess. Don't think I'm terribly cut out for competitive play." Raien was exceptionally confident in her abilities, her magic, where concerning every day life, but not so much in this sort of setting. Fortunately, she wasn't looking to score a win and was happy to bow out the moment things got too hairy for her.

Ertai wouldn't be cast aside, even in the eyes of such a narcissist Ertai would demand attention- In this case the young psion thought he could merely sway Ertai with lifeless rhetoric; an a lax demeanor to the severity of the situation. He wanted to see more, he wants to see what lies beneath the dreadhead warrior.

Almost as if he was probing with his statements- Ertai would wait for a tell, a point of interest to attempt to sneak into the psions mind, only as a shade or a whisper- Scanning for the surface thoughts- As if to direct the intrigue back to him, changing the gear to a more subtle mode- Coercion needed to be indirect-

"Very well- I'm glad I have the permission of the greatest Gaia has to offer..."

Ertai planted the seed in his statement- Filling the phrase with a heavy hand of gasoline to fuel Tres's burning fire. The devil was looming in his attempt for him to take the bait and let him in.

"I was once a man- I still am a man if I wish it... I am mechanical, I am biological, I am an idea, I am senescence and quintessence. I am everything I wish to be when I will it. A collective of entire civilizations, former kings and generals; Gods and demi-gods. I am always growing- We are always growing..."

His voice slithered out as if to inspire the wonders of the mind...

"I can offer you this... Only if you can defeat me on your stage... Only if you can see what it requires to become the king of the mind... A God? In your own right..."

He would step back slightly and take a long drag from his cigar and he would glance once again at the girl. A look of disgust lingered over a moment before he directed another slight towards her.

"You better hope you don't see me in that arena... I'll ravage you, brutalize you in front of the masses- Like a whore you'll beg for death as I rip you apart- Leaving you alive enough to see myself to the next round..."

His lip would snarl slightly as he exhaled another plume of smoke towards her face- A phantom insult.

Tres chose to not to respond to Ertai's last comments nor did he refute Raien's. Tres knew that Ertai believed without a doubt that he was superior to everyone and everything. Tres funny enough, thought the same thing about himself. Tres began to focus again to block Ertai out of his mind once the King of Evil found the question of Ertai's abilities.

Tres's pride typically was not so great as to prevent him from learning from others, but something about learning directly from Ertai seemed like a sort of betrayal of the Ecstuffuan name. However, Ertai's statement produced a strong revelation about what it took to have so much power.

Simply talking about how bad they were going to defeat one another was futile. He knew that at some point in this tournament he would have to fight Ertai, his father's most powerful enemy but he was not afraid. He knew he was capable of doing anything Sieg could do and more. "Yes my entire family consist of warriors, but I will be the greatest fighter in the world and bring honor to the Ecstuffuan Name.

You can call me Tres, Raien. Its nice to meet you.", Tres said uncharacteristically. It was not unheard of for Tres to put aside his natural pompousness to harbor the attentions of someone who had something he wanted. She did not challenge him and she seemed to know her place, something that Tres both respected and somewhat disliked.

The young dread headed warrior liked to be challenged which was evident based on who he gathered for his team. However, he knew that not everyone was capable of challenging him, how could they be? Something about Raien interested Tres, more so than her legs. It was the calm way she responded to Ertai's threats. This girl had been through something and despite her protest against her own strength she had some noteworthy experience.

"My father and my mother both competed in the Heaven or Hell. I will outdo them both and actually win. Then when Noah call's whatever it is he intends to call down to this world, I will be the first to challenge it to prove once and for all the superiority of the Ecstuffuan Family Fist and that of Gaia's psionic community.

Within me is the knowledge of the greatest fighting style and the most potent power. I will be victorious. It is my destiny."

Ertai was growing rather bored of the flat ego that the young Ecstuffuan had, and decided to change the angle of the turmoil brewing between them to something much larger. His right hand crackled and pulsed outwards with energy- A faint pale blue light erupted from his grasp as he began to step backwards. Images begun to flash before the Ecstuffuan and the mortal girl- Like phantom screens they projected people and places they knew... Burning and freezing over- Huddled masses just being slaughtered, the grand cities in ruins and hoards of Vexa's mechanical monstrosities ravaged the land.

They didn't end just there- It continued into the harrowing of every last soul the world had to offer. Stifling out life entirely, just leaving an empty husk of a world; burning within his eyes it would all become clear- He was here for far more than a feeble tournament and it's soon to be forgotten history-

"I don't think you understand the totality of what is going on here-"

Ertai clenched his fist together and the energy like screens shattered and dissipated into nothing but black smoke- With that in mind Ertai vanished and was swept with the mass of smoke, appearing behind the girl fighter.

"Well- The most interesting part in all of this is hearing you say no to me..."

His grasp wretched itself across her shoulders in a firm yet relaxed manner, giving her a chance to break away- He loomed over her and continued to speak into her ears while staring at the dark skinned psion.

"When the time comes you'll see that divide... and... with it you'll live forever-"

Moving back away from her he would launch his hand forward towards Tres and point. His pale face came flush with life as he riddled out another grim revelation.

"Here is the game child- You need to figure out what it was your father had inside that lead to my demise... But keep in mind I have the luxury of longevity in life where as your father deteriorates each tick and toc. Even he cannot survive the culling to come, when I send my right hand to collect the heroes of the past... Your mother should be warned as well, she might prove to be quite tasty when I suck the life from her..."

Almost in a comical mocking gesture that he had observed of humans. He would open his palm and relax his eyes and shrug.

"But hey you're the only Ecstuffuan worth naming right? With them gone you'll be remembered forever... So King of the Mind... What is your next move? I am not only a step ahead, I am playing multiple games at once."

His mind would rip forward, insisting upon itself.

"I hope to send you home in this tournament- I'll let you make your preparations and warn whoever, that is if anyone will come to your aid... Gloria? Is that the young psion on your team? I think she would make a most useful tool. Let's see how smart you really are son of Ecstuffuan."

His sharp eyes glanced over and his grin shined through once again.

"What the hell is it?"

A man in a plain white tee, brown work pants and a canvas fisherman hat stood at shore's edge in Latent outside the Crimson Hawk Hotel, right hand folded against flank, left hand holding a pair of binoculars through which he inspected the Ark. A silent woman stood beside him.

A shadow cascaded over the man and his wife, extending out to sea.

Waves.

Astyanax set foot on the helipad and examined the structure nearest to him. A domed building with flapping flags and banners welcoming competitors in. In his disconnected, depersonalized haze, the colors and messages seemed lackluster. Perhaps the advent of the Ark simply had yet to have its full impact on him.

Unsteadily, and with some paralysis of initiative, he entered the Grand Hall, walked around, scanned the lavish paintings of battles past on the walls. He was especially sensitive to the mural depicting Vahn Fah's bout with a summoned creature. His left ear rang as some of Clash's memories of Heaven or Hells past intruded on his perceptions.

Even as he inspected the Grand Hall's decor, in other departments of his mind, he was tracking the patterns of the security guards shifting about the hall. After an indiscernible amount of time passed and the guards acclimated to his presence, or their divided attention was somehow coaxed away from Astyanax, he found himself as close to one of the pylons as he could get.

THRUM, THRUM, THRUM~

Knowing he could not linger too long, lids drooping over eyes to protect retinas against the light, with some apprehensiveness he stood before the construct, investigating before he had to move again. Behind the light, he glimpsed the runes and glyphs shifting and morphing upon the pylon's surface. Storing the information away for whatever it was worth, he moved on, turning.

Ertai. So this is where you are.

Eeeeeeeeeee--

Life.

Death.

Perforations in the realm.

Body committed to the void.

A quick and painless demise.

When he came back to awareness, he found himself leaning forward with both hands on the sides of his helmeted head, as if he had just lapsed into unconsciousness from a skull-splitting migraine. He rose, peered through the suit's biclops sensscope at the others in the room with him. Phantom whispers of the conversation at hand echoed in the recesses of his mind. Elia Noah. The god of fighting.

"I hope to send you home in this tournament- I'll let you make your preparations and warn whoever, that is if anyone will come to your aid... Gloria? Is that the young psion on your team? I think she would make a most useful tool. Let's see how smart you really are son of Ecstuffuan."

Sigil, burning. He saw himself kneeling, somewhere on the rooftops, overlord of the city, watching, simply watching, and waiting for the right time to act.

Although he would not vocalize it to his teammate, he could not let Ertai follow through with his plans. First, to win this tournament. One thing at a time.

He glanced at Tenkai before the monk disappeared into the caverns of the Ark, then turned his red eyes back on Ertai, scowling behind the suit's opaque black visor.

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"Oh, hello, Raien," he said amiably as always, as if their discussion the previous night had never occurred.

After sprinting a short ways through the main hall, dumping out in another set of corridors she finally caught up just in time to catch the monk's curt but friendly greeting. Her smile was weary, not any fault of his, but the scene from which she had just escaped. The two men were both very bold, and very large not necessarily in size but in presence and being amongst them for even a short time like that had been rather exhausting. Rai figured that each by themselves wouldn't be quite so overbearing but together - they were draining. That was no fault of theirs either, but even with as much patience as she held, it was a bit much.

On the other hand, she was a little worried about how Tenkai might receiver her after their last conversation. She hadn't meant to be so cold and shut him out so suddenly but it had been a necessary evil on her part.

"Good morning...sorry about that. I just needed a change of scenery. You don't happen to know either of those men do you?" Technically, it was a rhetorical question, one not requiring an answer but if he did, it wouldn't be terrible.

Quote:** Wrote:

"I figured I'd run into you here sooner or later."

She laughed, nervously, before taking a long look around. "I guess I had to come see what all the fuss was about. If Noah spoke about it after the banquet, or made any statements elsewhere I certainly didn't catch it."

Rai felt enormously guilty for what transpired both that evening after she so kindly invited the monk into their party for celebrations, and their conversation days afterward. Tenkai was very kind, and a comforting presence amongst all the aggression and looming madness, and to drive away people like that, friends, or simply allies, in dark times - was no good.

"Oh look at this... The mighty Tresondros Ecstuffuan fighting for his name in the history books. What the mighty Tresondros Ecstuffuan doesn't understand that with out this world he is nothing but a mere forgotten memory."

Ertai was unphased by the sudden face to face encounter with the young psion. He was never going to be intimidated by any of the preconceived cockroaches of this world, the psion of interest was one of them. His face contorted with almost a sadistic glimpse, yet stern in his deliverance of his message- His decree. Motioning to the side he turned away as Tres continued to speak. Ertai crossed his hands behind his back and stared off at the large establishment- This Ark... The statue of Sieg.

"You also fail to understand that your ignorance will lead to your demise- Let it be known child that your father could never match me in power, I merely underestimated his will to survive... As for you, I will feast upon your mind. I will show you the only way to gain what it is you wish to attain is through my eyes... I will enjoy peeling back the layers of your reality once this tournament is over..."

He would spit at the statue of Sieg and look over at Tres.

"If you defeat me in this tournament it is because I allow it. Understand that-"

Taking a drag from his cigar he would roll the black smoke over his tongue and up his face, sliding back up into his nostrils.

"Your friends should be weary as well. You wouldn't want your words to lead to the demise of the ones they love. Unless this is a common thing with the new generation- A lack of love for what loves them?"

Ertai faced Tres-

"They're coming-"

Ertai turned and started to walk away from Tres-

"My army will be invading the Sigil soon enough- The great thing about being me is well... Being me. I will rip a hole into your plane and slowly merge it with Vexa- Pouring my entire army into the ethereal shores of your world... My monstrosities and children will turn the people you love into worshiping husks of what once was-"

Ertai laughed at what Tres had to say about becoming as strong as he-

"You can never surpass me until you become me... That is what you don't understand young psion. My power is a gift and all you need to do is ask me for it- I can let you into the secrets of the multiverse and why I can rip you apart at a molecular level and erase you from the annex of time itself…”

Ertai turned back and faced Tres and threw his arms up.

”You don’t have what it takes- You don’t have the sacrifice in you to wield such a power- One mind cannot grant you the wishes you desire. I am infinite, I am constant yet contained. Unlike your fathers notion of a God I am not everywhere at once. I am only where I wish to be-“

Crossing his arms he would stare across the room at him.

”I was born. I was killed. I was designed. I was built.”

”I evolve-“

”I fear nothing because there is nothing to fear- You are just a man, a young one at that. You won’t have the luxury of what your father had. I have come to take this world and every soul, this includes yours. When the time comes Tres, you’ll join me and with it gain everything you desire or you’ll burn and be forever trapped inside- Peering out behind my eyes. Trapped in the Hell with in.

Tres's brow lowered in shock when Ertai revealed to him that he intended on invading Sigil. Sigil was for now his sponsor in the tournament, they paid for everything that Noah did not and they were his guarantee that he was given monetary compensation despite whatever placement he had in the tournament. Besides that, there were many lives at stake. None of these were lives that Tres cared for but he knew that the Emerald Eye Society had its home base in Sigil. Tres had things to lose if Ertai destroyed Sigil. They were recoverable losses, but losses none the less.

Sieg Ecstuffuan Wrote:

"There are very good things in this life that you will not have to fight for. Our love for you comes free. Gods love comes free but beyond that you will have to work for anything with meaning. You will find that in life, the most precious things you have were the things you bled for."

"No.", The simple words came easily from Tres's mouth. He took another drag of the blue crystal cigarette, letting the psionic energy put into the tube revitalize his lungs. The words of Sieg rang true in his head and though his son often did things that were displeasing to his father, he always held his words with regard and respect. "I think I know what you really want Ertai...", He brought the crystal cigarette down from his lips as his arms came to cross in front of his powerful chest. He began walking slowly to the right...

"You are a being. I gather...Composed of the essence of the destruction that it has wrought. You are an old one and I take it that Gaia was not the first world you have known. A...destroyer, of countless realities and those realities now compose the entity that controls the avatar through which you speak.

Then...I assume. That there was once a man in the place of what is now a cosmic force. You were not always as you are. You...died...and you were remade. You had a beginning as you were born and I believe that you will one day have an end.

but here is the thing I know Ertai...and you won't believe it.", Tres took the last drag of the crystalline tube and then cast it aside with a dexterous flick of his fingers. He brought his arms down at his side and then stole a sharp glance at Ertai.

"My potential exceeds yours. Just like my potential exceeds my father. You kill this world. You kill me and...yeah...it will be an act of fear. Maybe I wont surpass you tomorrow. Maybe I wont surpass you in a hundred years but...what is an eon to a god and Ertai I will one day rise higher than the gods, than the conceptual forces that make up the rules that even you abide by.

I promise you a fight worth your entire existence when I reach that day.

Think of it. A challenge. Finally. How long has it been Ertai since has someone actually challenged you? How long has it been since you have felt the sweet tinge of uncertainty? Is that not worth it all?

Is that possibility not worth a few more souls to add to your existence?

Ertai I intend to walk the same path you walk. However, I intend to do it alone. Now if you wish to destroy me and render me unto oblivion, then do so. I cannot stop you but if I continue to live...You will see the dawn of something truly glorious.", Tres paused for a moment to let Ertai consider what he just said.

Tres then held out his hand. Threads of psionic force formed a simple three dimensional cube about 2 inch's in dimension. The mathematical definition of the menger sponge sparked in his mind, amongst the blue print for the data cube stolen from the mind of Nihil the Great (See Sigil: City of Doors #21). The crystalline geometric mesh took on the ectoplasmic volume of the rest of Tres's astral constructs. However, something strange began to happen as soon as this simple cube came into existence. A cube shaped hole snapped through the center of each of the cubes faces. Tres did not do this by thought, but it seemed to be an automatic function made into the cube by its creator through a mathematical formula. On a single face made by that hole, there would be 8 equal sized faces. A hole would form in the center of each of these faces in the next moment forming 8 equal faces in each of these faces. This would go on add infinitum. The shining milky white cube floated in the palm of Tres's hand...

"A while back I defeated another psion by the name of Nihil the Great. Small time. Simple minded to you...but to a mortal like myself he had some revolutionary knowledge concerning metacreation. He recorded his knowledge in a crystal much like this one. These, Crystal Sponges can contain a near infinite amount of information due to their infinitely expanding surface area within a limited space. The data cube that I studied from had the blue prints to create these cubes.

I'm sure you have a more efficient method of storing data, but...I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Here...

I don't want your power. I want your history. I want to know what you did, what you studied...I'm sure you are aching to tell your story. You must not get much of a chance to tell it since those who know it are now a part of you.

I'm sure you can figure out how to use it. You do know everything right? Just project your thoughts onto it.", Tres tossed the crystal sponge to Ertai. He then started to walk away....

"Give it back when your done with it. We will talk about Sigil in our match..."

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"Good morning...sorry about that. I just needed a change of scenery. You don't happen to know either of those men do you?" Technically, it was a rhetorical question, one not requiring an answer but if he did, it wouldn't be terrible.

"Hmmm..." he said, looking back from where she had came. There he saw two men with an obvious tension between them, conversing about some sort of matter. Of the two of them, Tenkai only recognized one.

"Isn't that Sieg Ecstuffuan's son?" he asked Raien, also rhetorically. "Yes, I believe it is. I've never seen the other man, though..."

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"I guess I had to come see what all the fuss was about. If Noah spoke about it after the banquet, or made any statements elsewhere I certainly didn't catch it."

Rai felt enormously guilty for what transpired both that evening after she so kindly invited the monk into their party for celebrations, and their conversation days afterward. Tenkai was very kind, and a comforting presence amongst all the aggression and looming madness, and to drive away people like that, friends, or simply allies, in dark times - was no good.

"I'm sure you would eventually," said Tenkai. "You're a competitor this year, so its to be expected that you'd receive an invite from Noah. It's why I've gotten an invite that has me confused..."

Paidi tou Selini Wrote:

"Excuse me. Would you fine folk perchance know what exactly this..." she began in a sweet, melodic voice that seemed to echo from beneath the mask. Her 'this' gesture seemed to imply the greater whole of their location. "...is all about? After all, it is not every day you see an island rise from the sea. Much less one so... commercialized."

Tenkai wasn't sure how to answer that question, not even sure that the Ark had emerged from the ocean to begin with. It was still a puzzle to him how the island could appear out of nowhere, causing neither wave nor wind to boot. He didn't seem to mind the mask, as there were much stranger dressed individuals around this time of year.

"I think that's what everyone here wants to find out," said Tenkai. "Only Noah knows for sure."

Noah knows for sure, indeed.

Having answered the woman's question, Tenkai turned back to Raien once more.

"By the way, where are your teammates? Shouldn't they have come with you?"

Quote:** Wrote:

"Isn't that Sieg Ecstuffuan's son?" he asked Raien, also rhetorically. "Yes, I believe it is. I've never seen the other man, though..."

Raien looked back over her shoulder one more time at the two bickering men with a distinct frown. Tenkai's correlation between father and son meant nothing to her, since she had no idea who either of them really were - having only met Tres this morning.

She turned back to the monk when the subject of conversation transitioned into tournament discussion, about Noah and about this grand Ark they were on. Hearing him mention that he too had been invited somehow left a sour taste in her mouth. "I could take a wild guess as to why..." she hinted at the answer, one that Tenkai might or might not catch onto immediately. It made sense, in a twisted sort of manner at least. Such was the trouble of letting friends and allies get involved in her affairs. For a moment, Rai hesitated, spying something from the corner of her eye, something strange, but turning her head quickly to get a better glimpse proved un-rewarding. For there was nothing there.

Puzzled, and a little put off, Rai moved to speak up about the oddity, but she paused with her mouth agape when someone interrupted.

Quote:** Wrote:

"Excuse me. Would you fine folk perchance know what exactly this..."

The footsteps had gone completely unnoticed but the new voice certainly caught Raien's attention. She turned around, ready to not only greet the new arrival but to respond to her question in kind. Instead of a lovely young woman in unusual garb, there stood a mass, of human height but inhuman qualities, a monstrous, twisted thing. Startled and notably frightened, Raien panicked and stumbled back, unconsciously grabbing at something, or in this case - Tenkai, for balance. Her heart had practically leapt out of her chest and all of her inner alarms triggered.

Stranger yet, after her dizzying stumble to the ground - once her world stopped spinning and her vision focused long enough to look forward again, there was only the woman in the decorative mask. Confused, she gaped at Selini for a few moments before attempting to pick herself up off the ground and fix her center of gravity. Even though her heart was still pounding, she had the capacity to speak calmly.

"I'm...sorry. I - you just took me by surprise. I um, I don't know anything about this place myself either..."

What had that been all about?

She became aware finally, to thrum of power that cut through the air and resonated deep within her chest, settling uncomfortably, awkwardly in the pit of her stomach in ways all too familiar. Why hadn't she noticed it earlier and what was the cause?

With Selini's sweeping motion to encompass all they saw, Rai's eyes settled uncertainly on the crystal structure just ahead - one that consisted of awkward, impossible angles. Even a momentary glance perturbed her, unsettled her and that dizzying feeling of vertigo was lingering. She had to look elsewhere, unless she find herself having another episode - or worse. The realization that it was the source of her discomfort and minor hallucinations was written all over her face, but Raien said nothing of it.

Instead, she feigned a smile and chose to turn her back to the chiseled crystal and face both Selini and Tenkai. "Well, we were just on our way to look around some more, you're welcome to joins us." Rai motioned towards the hall down which her and the monk had been traveling before she arrived, hoping to encourage them to move away from the monolith.

Joseph turned about in the Hall; his eyes seemed to glaze over for seconds at a time before he blinked.

“What insanity caused this?” he cried, his voice booming in the room.

His gaze fell from the ceiling to a group of people gathering about, one of which he had met the night before.

“Miss DeCuir, fancy meeting you here. Ahh my manners, allow me to introduce myself to your friends,

Joseph Patrick Walsh, at your service.”

Joe made an eloquent bow to the group.

“My, this brings me back. Noah’s Ark. I could only imagine what it’s propose is.”

In perfect honesty, she had expected some level of adverse response to the mask. It had been designed as a replica to certain ritual masks she had seen worn by the priests of a particularly violent cult in her home wold. Cultists who had made it their agenda to resurrect an ancient demon god, and whose face these masks were designed to emulate. However, the look of shock... no... the fear that this woman displayed upon sight of Selini was quite beyond her expectations. The mask held no magic. It was little more than a diversion (one that she thought was particularly clever, but nonetheless held no relevance to her present company).

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"I'm...sorry. I - you just took me by surprise. I um, I don't know anything about this place myself either..."

Though her look was more concerned than confused, both expressions were completely lost beneath the ornate contours of her disguise anyways. So too was her next question, stolen straight from her lips by the woman's companion. A curious looking man, yet somehow familiar in a strange "I've never met you" sort of way.

It was then that she noticed both their gazes had strayed to a rather specific point behind her. Never one to deny curiosity, she turned as well. What she found was enough to make her stagger. The unnatural obelisk that lingered ominously in the distance seemed enough to startle anyone, but what truly frightened Selini was the fact that she had only just noticed it. Something as large and well-protected as that... how could she have overlooked it when she first entered the hall? Surely it had not been there this whole time. That was why these two were so shocked... right?

Dezris Wrote:

"Alfred Churchill, at your service."

Dethgra Wrote:

"Joseph Patick Walsh, at your service."

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"Well, we were just on our way to look around some more, you're welcome to joins us."

The sudden burst of attention quickly broke her attention from the pylon. Good thing, too, because looking at it was starting to make her feel ill on top of ill-at-ease. Not that the topic of introductions made her much more comfortable, but seeing as everyone had been polite enough to offer one (or in the woman's case, having one offered for her), she wasn't about to display an attitude befitting any lower class than she rightly was.

"You may call me Selini." she responded hesitantly, not sure what name her master had registered her under. She was rather happy to move the conversation on to the topic of travel, "Thank you for the invitation. I think I shall. A station, you say? It will be interesting to see what manner of locations this place has to offer."

She gave a final glance back to the pylon and the security surrounding it before commenting reflectively (and mostly to herself), "..and how much of it is open to us."

HonoRaven Wrote:

Rae gingerly stepped onto the fairy platform with a disgusted look, even the slight rocking of the stupid boat was making her stomach lurch already... but the monstrosity out there was far more important than the bird's sea sickness

"I can feel my property value falling by the minute the longer that thing is out there... What the frell does Noah plan to do with it after the tournament?" Her hand clutched at the rail as orange eyes glared across the water.

Raven had a very bad feeling about that thing. It just didn't appear to be cost effective to build something so huge for a tournament... would they turn it into an amusement park the rest of the year to try and bring in more money?

"Oh come on, i think its cool!" John said with an easy grin as he stepped on after her, the entire platform seeming to sag where he stood. "Its all so big and shiny - like something out of a fantasy novel or something. Or maybe Superman's hideout."

He walked up to stand beside her, clutching the rails in his metal and meat hands, looking over the monstrosity in all it's glory. The central tower itself was facinating - amazing what the specatcle of a few people beating the snot out each other could acheive. "Uh...are there going to be fights in here?" He asked uncertainly - he was always up for a scuffle, but this place seemed a little too prim and proper for a fighting tournament - whatever happened to having a big ring surrounded by people?

Ah, that must come later! Of course, silly John.

Tomorrow Wrote:

"Oh come on, i think its cool!" John said with an easy grin as he stepped on after her, the entire platform seeming to sag where he stood. "Its all so big and shiny - like something out of a fantasy novel or something. Or maybe Superman's hideout."

"I don't know... I think Superman was way cooler than Noah will ever be." She wrapped her free arm around the big man's arm and clung to him, feeling a lot less unstable clinging to him than the stupid boat as it left the dock.

Tomorrow Wrote:

He walked up to stand beside her, clutching the rails in his metal and meat hands, looking over the monstrosity in all it's glory. The central tower itself was facinating - amazing what the specatcle of a few people beating the snot out each other could acheive. "Uh...are there going to be fights in here?" He asked uncertainly - he was always up for a scuffle, but this place seemed a little too prim and proper for a fighting tournament - whatever happened to having a big ring surrounded by people?

Ah, that must come later! Of course, silly John.

"I think that is the plan... at least that is what the paper said. I hope that thing doesn't rock like a boat." She had to lean her head against John as her true weakness presented itself . "I hate boats!"

Tomorrow Wrote:

"Noah? Who the hell is Noah?"

"The guy who runs the tournament... or at least he is the official face of the tournament." She shrugged and didn't bother to go into how she suspected the fellow to be into some serious s**t.

Tomorrow Wrote:

He chuckled and slipped his arm out from where she'd been hanging on to put it over her shoulders, pulling her close into him to press her shoulder against his side, his hand keeping her safe and firm against him. "Its only for a little while Hono'o, it'll be okay..." He reassured her soothingly.

"Well you aren't the one who has an almost total lack of immunities to water!" Luckily the trip wouldn't be too much longer.

((D'oh! Ah well, maybe next time. Editting ))

HonoRaven Wrote:

"The guy who runs the tournament... or at least he is the official face of the tournament." She shrugged and didn't bother to go into how she suspected the fellow to be into some serious s**t.

"Huh..." Was all he got out. It had never occured to him that there was someone behind the tournaments, although it made sense - someone had to pay for all the advertising, all the glitz and glamour. The event had obviously been puffed up a lot since he'd seen it last - like an expensive hooker, all prim and proper, lace and velvet when she first sucks you in, before knocking your teeth out and leaving you unconcious on the floor of your hotel room with an STD and an empty wallet.

Why people felt the need to glorify these events was lost on John - it all boiled down to men and women bleeding for money. Why put so much celebration into it?

HonoRaven Wrote:

"Well you aren't the one who has an almost total lack of immunities to water!" Luckily the trip wouldn't be too much longer.

"Well, I told you to bounce us there, but nooooo, little miss magic pants decided to take the boat!" He said with a chuckle, rubbing her shoulder as he lowered his voice, trying and failing to imitate her. "John Tomorrow, you're too big, I shouldn't use my magic like that, ra ra ra..."

It was a blatant lie, of course, she had never said such things, but he liked to give her a little dig every now and then - magic users never were as durable as the rest of the knuckle draggers like John

(( XD No worries, I should have quoted who I was talking to! But I'm always happy to RP with anyone~ So if we run into one another then I'll be happy to chat you all up.))

Tomorrow Wrote:

((Ha! If there's one thing i like, its being chatted up ))

John shivered involuntarily when she mentioned Shadow Walking - if he remembered correctly, it involved walking through shadows to get places, and with his phobia of dark places, it was the last thing he'd ever wanna do.

"Dont joke about that, Rae..." He said nervously, looking about him surreptitiously to make sure there were no danger around them, the mere thought of being in such a place making his skin crawl. He alighted from the boat to stand next to her, having to rush to follow her - she moved fast when she wanted to, the little pocket rocket!

"Okay, where to first?" He asked, looking about himself with wide eyes - he always enjoyed exploring new places, and this place looked like a doozey.

Yet another point for Rae... She had no intention of taking anyone besides perhaps Maximos himself on her first attempt at that spell. It was something she really needed to learn to do before they went to Lunoc... but it could wait, since she was more than half afraid of it herself

"Lets just follow the rest of the peon's... I'm sure something more entertaining will show up along the way." The rest of the people were filing off the boat like the tourists they were and heading towards the great hall, oohing and awwing all the way.

Tomorrow Wrote:

The great banners and marvelous statues were quite breathtaking....even if he had to stop and chuckle, shaking his head at the sight of Vahn, Sunstrike, Enki, even Maximos tucked somewhere in there!

"Gods...do they even know this has happened?" John asked, looking up to the statue of Vahn as they walked past it. "I would've thought Kasuga would have kittens seeing that gaudy thing up there..."

Rave stopped in front of the statue of Vahn Fah.. scowling at the towering edifice before she looked over both shoulders... checking that security wasn't looking specifically at her, before she raised her free hand drawing on the air....

Inky black lines appeared on the statues face, changing that towering figure's face into a corny smiley face. "Did you know, I think you and I are the only people who ever refer to him as Kas... everyone else only see's Vahn. I don't think they remember who he used to be at all... and I know Sunny would be embarrassed as all hell to know that they did that!"

She waved at the statue of the fire elemental and then grinned at the one of Silver Alexander. "Although I bet that one would jump for joy!"

HonoRaven Wrote:

Rave stopped in front of the statue of Vahn Fah.. scowling at the towering edifice before she looked over both shoulders... checking that security wasn't looking specifically at her, before she raised her free hand drawing on the air....

Inky black lines appeared on the statues face, changing that towering figure's face into a corny smiley face. "Did you know, I think you and I are the only people who ever refer to him as Kas... everyone else only see's Vahn. I don't think they remember who he used to be at all... and I know Sunny would be embarrassed as all hell to know that they did that!"

She waved at the statue of the fire elemental and then grinned at the one of Silver Alexander. "Although I bet that one would jump for joy!"

John bit his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing out loud as Vahn's scowling face changed to something more....befitting.

"i've always known him as Kasuga...I cant remember why..." He said with a frown, scratching his head with his metal hand, his tortured brain running through the ruined filofax that was his memory to come up blank. Honestly, it had been years since they'd seen each other, and they had never really been friends...perhaps that was why nothing else came to memory.

He frowned at the statue of Silver, confused. "Who'se that one again?" He asked, needing a bit of a jolt to kick his buggered brain into gear...did he even know the man?

He followed obidiantly, still holding onto her hand as she guided him further down the rows and rows of stautes...a lot of the people he saw he didn't even recognise, which saddned him a little - he felt like he should.

"What do you mean?" John asked her. "Who else isn't here?"

He hadn't really been paying much attention to the tournament this year, primarily because Rae was competeing in it...and as much as he supported her fighting, he didn't like the idea of her being left broken after a battle, even with her skill...it made him angry just to think about it, so he pushed it away, thiking instead of all the new talent that had appeared since his arrival back - there was a lot of promising new faces he hoped to meet...

HonoRaven Wrote:

"Kas, Sun, Silver, Shou, Lazenca, Athan.. although I think he is around just not competing, Seig... Unsane and Maximos..." She counted off past winners and fighters alike. Men who didn't even know her name let alone had ever bothered to notice her. It was funny how she knew them, but she had likely never crossed their minds.

Raven had been around the stadium for a very long time, she had known quite a few of the past competitors very well. "The new kids are all nice I suppose, but I still miss the people I thought of as friends."

Barely any of those names twigged anything in John's mind, aside from Maxi's of course...but then, Maxi didn't really see the need to perform in a tournament. No need for the glory, although more likely - at least in John's mind - it would be too easy for the shadow-man...

John squeezed Raven's hand and smiled down to her. "Things change Rae...people move on and stuff. I guess they all have better things to do then ruin themselves in a fight for money." He looked around himself, looking overthe crowds as they neared the end of the hall. "What are the new talent like? Anybody interesting?"

Which was Tomorrow-Talk for 'any of them a decent challenge?'

"Hmph..." He grumbled, not quite so sure he enjoyed that last piece of information...he was a jealous b*****d when it came to his lovers.

He muttered as he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the bright glare of the lights above. "If I die make sure they burn my corpse so i can go to Valhalla..."

Of course, in that situation, they'd probably cannablise him first. There were a lot of chops and steaks in John Tomorrow's body...

HonoRaven Wrote:

She patted his hand, smiling and ignoring the slight spike of jealousy that ran through him as she widely skirted a group of noisy children. "of course dear.. If I feel like letting you die that is."

The big man had best find a way to hide from the healer if he ever decided to throw his life away.. otherwise he should look forwards to living for a very long time!

"Careful sweety..." John said to a little girl he almost stepped on, the tyke looking up at him with big green eyes for a second before her mother grabbed her hand and led her away, John frowning as he watched the little girl move...she reminded him of someone, for the briefest of moments...

...Before he shook the thought away as they finally reached the exit, the door flung open wide to allow them access to the inner sanctum of this glorious palace, the paths dividing to give the tourists access to the different parts of the area.

John looked around - the sign Tram Station A blinked down at him on one of the paths, and he looked down to Rae. "Shall we ride the tram? It'll be quicker, if you have someplace to go..."

As they moved Raven became certain that the figure in the monks robes was who she thought it was, pulling John towards the group as she felt the need to say hello to that fellow.

"Konnichiwa Mr Tenkai! Long time no see..." Rae said as she grinned at the monk and his companions.

((Lemme see if I can carry this RP a little further along now.))

Paidi tou Selini Wrote:

"You may call me Selini." she responded hesitantly, not sure what name her master had registered her under. She was rather happy to move the conversation on to the topic of travel, "Thank you for the invitation. I think I shall. A station, you say? It will be interesting to see what manner of locations this place has to offer."

She gave a final glance back to the pylon and the security surrounding it before commenting reflectively (and mostly to herself), "..and how much of it is open to us."

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

With most of the introductions out of the way, Selini as she stated herself to be, fortunately did not appear to be offended (at least not that Rai could tell) by the unexpected reaction to her presence and even she too seemed to be afflicted by the unusual structure, though on a much lesser scale at least. Not wanting to be rude, she made her own introduction for those who were still in the dark. "M'Raien. Raien DeCuir. This, Ark thing, is pretty big. I'm not sure where we were headed next but the tram station is just down this way I think..." She spoke with some level of hesitation. They could very well be the nicest folks on the face of the planet, harmless even but that didn't do much to assuage her always present fears about giving personal information to too many people, even if it was just her name.

"I'm willing to bet a few places are off limits..." said Tenkai, looking back at the security surrounding the pylon. Noah was a very careful man, of that much he was certain. You could tell a lot about a man by the things he surrounded himself with, and Tenkai expected to learn a lot more as he explored the Ark. Being Noah's masterwork, he no doubt put a lot of himself into its conception.

"I'm sure that once we reach the station, there should be some sort of map we can follow," he continued to say as he walked with the group. It was best that he kept the group moving, as something rubbed him the wrong way about that pylon back there. Whatever it was, it had a much worse effect on Raien, so keeping the group moving would probably help her come to her senses.

Although it was a moving walkway, Tenkai walked with it in order to make his way to the station faster. The group of people following and conversing with him would undoubtedly do the same.

While they were walking, another familiar face had spotted him along the way.

HonoRaven Wrote:

As they moved Raven became certain that the figure in the monks robes was who she thought it was, pulling John towards the group as she felt the need to say hello to that fellow.

"Konnichiwa Mr Tenkai! Long time no see..." Rae said as she grinned at the monk and his companions.

"Oh, hello there, Ms. Raven," he said with a wave. "It certainly has been a while."

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've seen Maximos as well, he thought. It was usual for him to see Maximos when Raven was around, or vice versa. However, Tenkai had never met the man that was currently accompanying her.

"And I don't believe I've met you, sir," Tenkai said to Raven's friend. "My name is Tenkai."

Between introductions and other exchanges, Tenkai continued towards the station, although it was hard for him to concentrate on the two actions at the same time. "We're just on our way to the station so we can figure out where we--...oh, wait a moment. We're here."

In the midst of his conversations, Tenkai had arrived at Station A. The surroundings had a similar decoration to them as the hall before them, yet the peripherals and working parts of the station itself stuck out from amidst all of the classical artwork. This probably made it easier to identify the tram from amongst all of the aesthetics of the Hall, like a subway station connected to a museum.

"I'm sure there's a map around here som--"

WHAP!

Tenkai took a step to the left too soon, walking right into a large, flat surface. Luckily for him, it wasn't the wall.

"I think this is the map," he said in a flat tone of voice, before taking a step back. Just as he figured, it was one of those "You Are Here" maps on some sort of standing bulletin board. It was solidly planted into the floor, which kept Tenkai from knocking it over but wasn't exactly pleasant to bump his nose into.

Tenkai rubbed his nose a bit, no real harm done to it. He was fortunate, as a bloody nose would be quite awkward right now. Looking over the map for a moment, their position on the Ark became rather clear.

"It says we're here," he said, pointing out the obvious. He even pointed at the "You Are Here" mark.

"The 'Grand Hall'...I guess that's an apt choice of words for this place."

Amidst the simplistic observation he was giving out loud, Tenkai made a closer analysis inside his head.

It seems we've arrived at the western port, he thought. According to the map, there are five stations along the tram line, A through E. They all seem to be located near major points of interest on the Ark. I guess that would be the point of having a tram in the first place, anyway. The northern section of the Ark seems to be where those gigantic towers are. Wait a minute...

Tenkai noticed a few color coded areas on the map, specifically between the southeastern/eastern areas and the rest of the island. He also saw that there were a few pamphlets at the side of the map post, most likely for people to take with them. He took one himself and opened it up so that he could take a closer look, since pamphlets usually had more information about the specific sites.

This is odd. Tram Station D is clearly listed on the map, but the color chart lists the area as restricted. Why would they have a station on the public tram lead to a restricted area? Could there be a separate tram for staff and security personnel? The Noah Dome is off limits as well. I guess that's to be expected...the big stadiums usually don't come into play until the final rounds. Come to think of it, along with the dome, the entire southeast quadrant of the Ark is marked as off limits. Maybe it has something to do with this year's fighting stages, or administration centers for the staff.

Tenkai would have to take a ride down to Station D when he had the time in order to see what was going down, if it even stopped there to begin with. Of course, being so silent and pensive was bound to get some odd stares from the people that were following him.

"Oh...eheh...sorry about that...," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I seem to have been lost in thought."

He took a look at the map again. "It says here that guest quarters are all in the Spire of Heaven to the northwest. I guess that's where we should head next to get ourselves situated."

EDIT - Cleaned up a little

The big Aesir held his steel hand out for the smaller man to shake. "Tomorrow, John Tomorrow." He said warmly, smiling down at the group.

This must be the gaggle of new talent Hono'o had been taking about just seconds ago, and John couldn't help but eye them with his teal-colored eyes like a wolf eyeing a flock of sheep, trying to spot the sick from the strong, the determined from the money-makers...

EDIT Cleaned up my post a bit

HonoRaven Wrote:

> Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote: > "Oh...eheh...sorry about that...," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I seem to have been lost in thought." > > > He took a look at the map again. "It says here that guest quarters are all in the Spire of Heaven to the northwest. I guess that's where we should head next to get ourselves situated."

"We have to stay here?" There was more than a hint of dismay to Hono'o voice as she clutched a bit harder at John's arm.

Something about this place worried her, Noah's motives were just too much in the dark for her to blindly trust anything here. Sure it would be a bit of work to come and go from the ark.. but at least she would never worry over being trapped

"Oh...eheh...sorry about that...," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I seem to have been lost in thought."

He took a look at the map again. "It says here that guest quarters are all in the Spire of Heaven to the northwest. I guess that's where we should head next to get ourselves situated."

John squeezed her hand gently, frowning down to her. "Come now Rae, this place isn't so bad...a bit gaudy, i'll admit, but it's certainly pretty swanky!"

Of course, John's typical resting place was outside ay a campsite next to his bike...any place with a roof and running water was the ritz to him! However, Raven had been spoiling him, letting him stay at her place while he was in Latent...

"Lost in the crowd" seemed like such an impossible term for the little red-eyed mage. Yet here she was, casually walking alongside a growing group of perfectly normal individuals (...by comparison? Yeah, I couldn't keep a straight face either), accepted at first glance, no questions asked. Not that she was naive enough to think that she had been accepted OR unquestioned; heck, one of them had practically fainted at the sight of her; but as first impressions went they were certainly... outstanding. Even if only so far as they stood out. It made her curious; excited, even, to see what other 'outstanding' individuals she might meet in this tournament. Perhaps that was one thing she could thank her master for, because the gods knew she needed any reason she could find.

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"I'm sure there's a map around here som--"

WHAP!

At least they had comic relief. She couldn't help but observe the man with a small part amusement and greater parts curiosity. Those that stand out the most and the least, as the saying goes. Still, two more had come to occupy his attention, and suddenly the crowd was starting to become claustrophobic. Strangely enough the feeling was more akin to the nausea she had felt from that pylon than actual claustrophobia (especially since that was a particular condition she had never suffered from), and it was more than enough to convince her that she needed to relocate. For now she simply stood and listened. Present, but politely aloof. In the back of her mind she knew she was supposed to be playing the role of a high-class fighter, but some habits were harder to break than others. In this case it was "Don't speak unless spoken to."

They would all enter the tram, apparently headed towards the Spire of Heaven to examine the living quarters, but when the time came she would politely dismiss herself from the group, electing to stay on the tram and go... somewhere... anywhere else. They were all fighters, so she was certain she'd have a chance to meet each one eventually, but for now she was more interested in a breath of fresh air.

Tomorrow Wrote:

The big Aesir held his steel hand out for the smaller man to shake. "Tomorrow, John Tomorrow." He said warmly, smiling down at the group.

Tenkai accepted the large Nordic-looking man's handshake, taking hold of his large steel hand with his ironically-armored right hand. It was probably an odd sight for a monk to be wearing a steel-plated gauntlet with his Buddhist robes, but the tournament brought many strange sights.

The monk gave a surprised face as he shook John's hand, almost as if to say "My, what large hands you have". He wasn't sure about the look he was giving him, though. It looked like he wanted to eat him or something. Tenkai would have been uncomfortable if he wasn't smart enough to determine he was more than likely eyeing the competition. Perhaps he was one of this year's competitors?

Alas, the monk would hate to disappoint him or anyone else by pointing out that he wasn't a competitor. Of course, most of the new blood didn't think much of a holy man as a fighter to begin with, so it probably wasn't a big deal.

Dezris Wrote:

“Do try not to hurt yourself, sir”

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"Oh my goodness. You sure you're okay?"

"Not to worry, not to worry," said the monk. "Just a bump on the nose."

I've had worse, he thought to himself as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Dezris Wrote:

Alfred nodded. “Sounds reasonable enough, I have no objections. Shall we get going, then?”

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

Raien made a face, one of uncertainty no less. "Guest quarters? Does that mean, we're going to be staying here now? As opposed to the Crimson Hawk?" Somehow, that thought greatly perturbed her, and a shudder traveled down her spine. The very idea of having to be anywhere near that crystal monolith, on this unsettling island, made her stomach churn and fuel a growing desire to just run. Run as far away as she could.

"That sounds like the plan," said Tenkai. "This Ark seems like where the tournament is going to take place this year." There was no reason for Noah to unveil such a marvelous feat of technological achievement if he wasn't even going to use it. Perhaps all the years of terrible occurrences focused around Latent and Leviathan Stadium in the aftermath of previous tournaments had led Noah to hold the competition away from the mainland. It was certainly a good idea, albeit somewhat foreboding.

Even more foreboding was the way Raien reacted. She spoke with a sort of disbelief, as if she didn't like the idea of having to stay on the island while she competed. Tenkai didn't know whether or not she had brought her son with her or left her in the care of some friend back on the mainland. She had things she needed to protect, and being so far away from them probably made her scared to death.

On the other hand, perhaps having her son away from the tournament was the best possible scenario. With Damnatus being involved in Heaven or Hell, keeping all of the business here instead of there meant that her son would be far away from the dangers that the tournament brought.

Regardless of the reason, be it fear for her child or fear for her own safety, it was well within her right to do so. Tenkai had come to learn how much all of these dealings with Chaos had scarred Raien, and in spite of what she had told him earlier, he wanted to do what he could to protect the innocent as all holy men did.

"Fear not," he said, raising his hand in the Buddhist mudra of the same name. "I'm sure they've provided us with good accommodations."

Although he was simply referring to the idea of staying on the Ark, his initial "fear not" would somehow sound to Raien as if he had intentionally directed it at her. It was enough to drown out the rest of his statement in its poignant simplicity. Tenkai was indirectly telling her to have no fear, to not let her heart be troubled by what awaited her here.

He wasn't aware that she felt safe with him, but it was certainly what any holy man would want someone to feel in this sort of situation. If her fears held strong to her heart, Raien wouldn't be able to make it through whatever plans the various forces behind the tournament had intended. Even if she didn't want anything to do with it, Tenkai still needed Raien and others like her if he was to succeed.

"Let's get on the tram before it leaves without us," he said as he hurried along to one of the cars waiting in the station. It wouldn't be too long before they reached the Spire of Heaven.

HonoRaven Wrote:

Rae ran a hand through her bangs, wondering if she really was the only one who didn't like this place. Oh well, perhaps it was just that the shadow priestess wasn't too fond of bright shiny new places that had no real magic to them.

She shook her head and put the polite fake smile on, becoming the pretty little lady on the arm of the big blond man as the group all headed towards the tram.

Tomorrow watched the people all interact and started to feel...well, accepted again. The Monk's hand had been inviting, his smile sincere, if not a little overwhelmed by John's size. None of the other has attempted to introduce themselves, so he deicded to keep to himself.

Looking down to Raven, noticing (with a practise from years of Hono'o experience) that she was withdrawing a little, he gave her hand a squeeze and leaned his head down to whisper into her ear. "...Talk to me, Hono'o." He said quietly so the others couldn't hear, smiling warmly at her, hopefully comfortingly. "Whats wrong?"

HonoRaven Wrote:

> Tomorrow Wrote: > Tomorrow watched the people all interact and started to feel...well, accepted again. The Monk's hand had been inviting, his smile sincere, if not a little overwhelmed by John's size. None of the other has attempted to introduce themselves, so he decided to keep to himself. > > > > > Looking down to Raven, noticing (with a practice from years of Hono'o experience) that she was withdrawing a little, he gave her hand a squeeze and leaned his head down to whisper into her ear. "...Talk to me, Hono'o." He said quietly so the others couldn't hear, smiling warmly at her, hopefully comfortingly. "Whats wrong?"

"Lets chalk it up to me not liking boats, and as far as I am concerned this is just one big boat!" Rae didn't look up at him, but she id pat his hand with hers as she kept her public face in place. "I just hope we find the concession soon, I want curly-fries!"

Tomorrow watched the people all interact and started to feel...well, accepted again. The Monk's hand had been inviting, his smile sincere, if not a little overwhelmed by John's size. None of the other has attempted to introduce themselves, so he decided to keep to himself.

Looking down to Raven, noticing (with a practice from years of Hono'o experience) that she was withdrawing a little, he gave her hand a squeeze and leaned his head down to whisper into her ear. "...Talk to me, Hono'o." He said quietly so the others couldn't hear, smiling warmly at her, hopefully comfortingly. "Whats wrong?"

He nodded to her before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and standing back upright. She was a fire elemental first and a shadow priestess second...right? That meant she would always be scared around water...right?

His face lit up at the menton of curley fries, his stomach growling at the thought - it sounded like a monster's moan, and he placed his hand on his stomach, laughing nervously down to Raven. "Eheh, I second that! And maybe a burger, some hot dogs, and a big soda!"

Speaking of soda, Tomorrow was thirsty, and as they walked they went by a soda machine. He reached into his pocket to find a coin, but found he had none - he'd been chewing on some on the ride here, but he must've chewed on his whole damn stash! All he had were big notes. "You got some change for twenty dollars?" He asked Rae. "I wanna get a drink..."

HonoRaven Wrote:

"Sure I do..." Since it was unlikely that she even had pockets in her slinky green silk dress, he would likely notice that she grinned a bit wider as she reached over for the soda machine.

He would likely even notice the tiny spark that flashed from her finger to the metal coin slot, the little digital counter flashing to $0.00 needed for a selection. "What would you like?"

His eyes were wide as she used a bit of electrical power to reset the machine, his hand gripping hers tightly as he spoke excitedly. "For you to show me how you did that!"

Due to his powers being reset after a...calamatous incident, he had no fine electrical skills anymore. He used to be ablet to manipulate a persons brain and shut down their autonomous systems one at a time, or render them blind and dumb with a touch, or search their memories....not anymore. He could barely use a computer without it blowing up in his face - he'd been practising using small pocket calculators, but he still managed to destroy the TV remote on occasion.

He leant in low, whispering to Raven. "Wait, is this because of....you know, that time that I tried to find you the 'alternative power source'...?"

HonoRaven Wrote:

"Hum, I think so... it doesn't hurt as much to use that power anymore. It just sucks that we didn't find that alternative until after my official HoH application had been submitted!" She smiled and selected a cola for him, the bottle dropping out of the machine into the catch bin at the bottom. If he didn't want it, she would be happy to try again now that she thought she had just the right amount of power calculated.

"That is actually the first time I have managed to get that trick to work to be honest... hence why we need a new toaster and a can opener when we get home." Luckily the microwave had a grounded plug or it would have joined the other two appliances in the trash bin.

John looked down at her indignantly. "You scolded me for that damn toaster!" He accused, before his voice dropped slightly. "Uh, could i have something without caffine, caffine makes me spark out."

HonoRaven Wrote:

She did blush a bit about the toaster... since she had thought he did it at the time... how was she supposed to know the darn thing wasn't plugged in?

With a shrug she grabbed the Cola and tapped the coin acceptor again and then dropped a 7.Up down for John. "See a snack machine anyplace? I really like this trick..." It had been far too long since Rae really was a thief... god it felt nice to be back to her old ways again.

"Yeah, right over there..." John pointed to a candy machine on the other side of the hall, set diagonally from the wall so you'd have to move through the crowd to get to it. "C'mon!"

Slipping his 7-Up into his jacket pocket and grasping her hand, he led them across the crowd, shuffling his way through them with elbows and polite requests to move, and keeping her close behind him so she couldn't be dragged away, before they were both standing in front of the machine.

Gripping his right hand with his steel hand, he cracked the knuckles in his flesh hand, smirking down to Raven. "Lemme show you how a pro does it..." He said with a bit of bravado, looking left and right to see if anybody was watching - before reaching forward to touch the coin slot with his right index finger, a small but blindingly bright spark emitting from his fingertip -

Before there was a loud bang from wthin the machine, the electrical cord leading into the wall shorting out almost immediantly with a small fizz as the spirals holding the candy - all of them - began to move in unison, packets of chips and chocolate bars all raining down within the vending machine to pack against the recieving door as the change slot began to rain down coins, the coins flooding their feet in a shower of spare change.

"Bugger s**t piss mongrel son-of-a-whore..." John growled, showing Raven a bit of his more colorful language traits as he looked left and right before putting his left hand into the machine's receive door, the noise of the crowd muffling the metallic whump of his fist going through the metal before pulling out two of whatever he could grab and, turning quickly, stalked away, his face crimson as he tugged on Raven's hand, hoping to take her along with him so they could both melt into the crowd with their ill-gotten gains...

...Interestingly, any security cameras looking down on the two would only see Raven, a shimmering substance standing beside her clarifying breifly into the shape of a huge man with long blonde hair touching the machine before dissapearing again, a hole appearing in the bottom of the machine as pandamonium took place as the crowd converged on the free food and money, before Raven was pulled away by the unseen force....

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up Chuckles..." John muttered sullenly as he elbowed his way through the crowd till they got to the tram terminal, where he finally slowed enough to turn and present her with his loot - a packet of salt and vinigar chips, and a badly crushed Mars Bar.

"Take your pick, then we'd better find this room of yours before your next round starts."

He didn't want either, but he'd eat one to tide him over till they got to some real food. Stupid powers....he was lucky nobody was hurt. He'd keep this in mind the next time he tried to show off...

HonoRaven Wrote:

Rae leaned up to kiss him on the cheek as she managed to get her giggles under control. "You are a great provider, you know exactly what a girl needs!" That said she took the chocolate bar from him, tearing open one end and biting off the end.

"Hey look.. I need some help before the next round, I have to do a little shopping."

From travesty come triumph, and John scored a kiss as well as a happy Hono'o for blindly grabbing the chocolate. Smiling happily, John tore open the packet of crisps and put a few in hiss mouth, wincing at the sour taste - he hated salt and vinegar chips, but it was food, and he didn't know when he was going to eat next.

"Shopping? Well, you know how I love to critique your fashion..." He said dryly, a grin growing on his face - he didn't need an excuse for Raven to do a little modelling for him.

Suddenly, the realisation of what he'd agreed to hit him, and visions of throughly difficult to carry bags filling his hands as Raven dragged him from one boutique to the next like her own personal pack-mule flashed over his eyes as they were bundled into the tram finally. "Odin save me..." he murmured as he put his arms around her, shielding her with his body from the ready of the crowd as the doors closed and they were whisked away to the Commons.

The feeling of dread passed quickly, though. She tried on the most outlandish gear for him in compensation...

His name was Norman Voss, but that was not the name by which he went by as he arrived at the Ark. Everything he wore was in some way shape or form dusty, well-worn and quite obviously had seen some years. A dark blue duster over a brown shirt, faded jeans and square-toed leather boots. Completing the outfit were a pair of lightly tinted glasses and a leather belt and holster, arranged so that his guns would sit crossed over his crotch rather than at his hips. That is, if he had any guns. Oddly enough, the gunbelt was empty save for four or five shells slipped into loops in the leather. With hair the color of steel and crow's feet at the corner of his eyes, the old man looked to be in his fifties, perhaps older. Who can tell, these days?

His first step upon the Ark was met by a frowning customs official. Frowning not at him but at the rather large birdcage nestled on top of his luggage. The cage was easily half the size of a man, perhaps a touch smaller, but you get the gist without excessive description. It was big.

"I don't know how you got the thing on the ferry, but you can't bring that thing through here, sir. Now, we can arrange for special transportation if you li--"

"No. He stays with me."

"Really sir, it isn't that bad. Our facilities are quite safe and our drivers responsible. No harm will come to your...bird." Hesitantly, for there was a cover over the cage, hiding whatever slept inside.

"I said no. He won't leave the cage. He won't cause a ruckus. He stays with me. Now get out of my way, if my papers are all in order." The old man, eyes a blue so dark they were almost black, shot the uniformed official a look that said he knew his papers were adequate. The man had barely looked at them, merely rifling through. He was giving him a hard time for the sake of giving him a hard time. His shift must have just begun.

For a moment the two men just looked at each other, neither backing down. Finally the official, seeing this was going nowhere, handed the old man's documents back to him and waved him on without a sound.

Tap tap tap went the iron-tipped cane as Norman Voss limped away, pulling the bag and cage behind him. A few moments later he heard the official getting into a heated argument with another disembarking passenger. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

He ascended via elevator. After struggling to get his baggage out of the elevator, he was in the Great Hall proper. A few minutes later, on the moving walkway and traveling the length of the Hall.

Now to figure out where he was headed. Finding a room would be nice. Perhaps this young lady would help? Voss called out gruffly to Raien even as he stepped off the moving sidewalk. "Miss? Excuse me, but I'm looking for a hotel, or housing. Something. As you can see I've got a bit much with me to be dragging it around all day. Would you happen to know where I might find a place to stay? I've come directly from Aekea you see."

Perhaps there was no housing here in this island. That would be unfortunate indeed.

Aduven Kroww Wrote:

"I don't know how you got the thing on the ferry, but you can't bring that thing through here, sir. Now, we can arrange for special transportation if you li--"

"No. He stays with me."

"Really sir, it isn't that bad. Our facilities are quite safe and our drivers responsible. No harm will come to your...bird." Hesitantly, for there was a cover over the cage, hiding whatever slept inside.

"I said no. He won't leave the cage. He won't cause a ruckus. He stays with me. Now get out of my way, if my papers are all in order."

Her train of thought was abruptly disturbed and forcibly re-routed when the sounds of commotion from just outside her current location filtered in and echoed inside the hall, if only a little. It was enough, however, to get her attention and Raien pulled her eyes away from the many paintings and statues to turn herself half-way around to see if she could get a glimpse of what the noise was about. The voices offered no sense of recognition, didn't ring any bells but her curiosity got the best of her anyway.

When she realized there was little to be seen from her vantage point, Rai dismissed the argument, brushing it off as a silly quip between a visitor and the security. She certainly had not expected to be disturbed yet again after she resigned herself back to staring at statues and lavishly painted artwork...

Quote:** Wrote:

"Miss? Excuse me, but I'm looking for a hotel, or housing. Something. As you can see I've got a bit much with me to be dragging it around all day. Would you happen to know where I might find a place to stay? I've come directly from Aekea you see."

Recognizing the voice from the stint outside, though still not from any place else, Raien cautiously turned around to acknowledge her gentleman caller. Who, as she came to see once facing forward, was much older than his voice had let on. Polite as ever, or as much she could afford, the mage smile pleasantly, but carefully. He was clearly new to the area, given away well before he mentioned being from another Gaian town. She wasn't familiar with many places outside Barton, Durem and of course Latent. Still, one thing she did know, was the answer to his question.

Before she went about responding to him though, her eyes wandered slowly to the cage he carted behind him, taking in it's notable size. It gave her pause, "Oh, well, you're in one - actually. Ah, this...establishment...functions as a hotel." Her attention wavered in and out briefly during parts of her response, taken by the cage and her sense of unease that came with it.

She didn't want to know what lie beneath the cover, and no sound came from within just yet that might indicate what sort of creature the man was toting but just the very size of it was enough to put her off.

Birds

Ones of the larger variety gave her suitable jitters, and played on her paranoia, though she tried not to frown and give the man any indication that she might be uncomfortable...

"Not bad at all for a rich guy". Ory'hara thought as he looked down the Grand Hall of the Ark.

"I wonder where my statue is".

Playing true to his established nature, the masked assassin never uttered a single world, or the slightest sound as he looked around the enclosure of the Grand Hall. He doubted the agents of the Scarlet Sun would be anywhere here, they were more likely to stay in Latent, but he couldn't be too cautious. Ory'hara came to the Ark unarmed but for his clothes and his knife however, and although he wasn't expecting to be attacked, something about the artificial island rubbed him the wrong way kept him on edge from the moment he stepped onto it. Ory'hara couldn't exactly place what it was, and his senses didn't detect any immediate danger, so the Ark was definately atleast worth a look.

”Thought I might find you here.”

Robyn’s cheerful voice sounded behind Celas, a brief hug encircling him a moment later, whether he turned around or not. She smelled faintly of sweat, but it was light. After she pulled back, Celas would be free to turn around, if he hadn’t already, although she still stood quite close. The fox looked slightly out of place for the grand hall, although considering the types of people that usually hung around, it wasn’t too bad. She had obviously just been working out, wearing shorts and a workout top, her light purple hair braided behind her, and her arms wrapped from knuckle to mid forearm. Getting the wrap through her fighter had been fun, for sure.

”Don’ know what you find so interestin’ about this place..” Robyn teased lightly, looking around the hall as though to discover the reason for his fascination.

"Is it really okay James?" came the voice over the phone.

The masked fighter known as Ory'hara was engaging in a conversation with an unknown woman on his cellphone, while watching live coverage of the fights on a handheld device in his other hand.

"Its fine Risa." he replied. "Getting eliminated from the tournament early suits my goals. I won't be as visible to the ones I seek. Its harder to move about undetected when the spotlight of Heaven or Hell is upon you".

The voice was silent for a while before it responded again.

"Are you sure this is the route you want to take?"

"Yes"

"James Eredas, I have been your friend for so many years. I know you're upset with the loss of-"

The masked assassin cut her off quite abruptly, hitting the "end call" button. He was in no mood to be lectured to.

The loss of so many, she was going to say their names. There was no need for him to be reminded. The channel was currently switched to that of Unbreakable Resolve versus the Unstoppable Bureau of Badass. If he was right, they would show up to spectate that match...

Robyn found the hall interesting, but not to the point that Celas seemed to. She didn’t like dealing with things of the past....after all, the past, her family’s past, was what had her in this predicament in the first place. Aside from explaining her curse, the fox rarely even talked about her past. Ok, maybe a few of her hobbies, and where she had grown up, but even that was reserved only for Celas. Heck, Rylen, her closest comrade, didn’t even know she wasn’t from Gaia. ....That was also partly because he never asked. Comrade didn’t mean friend, after all. Shaking her head, the vixen decided to focus on the latter half of what her white-haired friend said.

”What, I can’t just want to see my boyfriend?” Robyn teased, flashing him a playful pout. She couldn’t hold back her laughter for long, though, chuckling scarcely a second later. ”Nah, I was just bored. And frustrated.” Her expression slipped to one of annoyance as she held up the hand with her FIGHTER on it (conveniently not the one Celas was holding). ”I wish they didn’t take so damn long before letting us know we won.”

A bit arrogant, sure, but the fox thought they had done pretty well. Aside from the fact Rylen was still in the infirmary, his healing abilities a bit slower than hers, it seemed they had come out on top. Brendyn hadn’t looked to good by the end of their fight, even if he could keep up his flirting. And she had heard about Rosalyn’s barbeque. If they didn’t pass, something was seriously up.

Celas smiled and brought her hand to his lips. His surprisingly cold lips. It was something only Robyn would have picked up on, considering how much time they spent together - there was a distinct aura of coldness that occasionally followed him around, sometimes felt in the touch of his hand, or in a brief kiss, or even in the air around him. The chill wasn't a constant thing - it came and went, and when it was present it didn't remain so for very long - but it had become more frequent since their entrance in the tournament.

"Patience. They'll tell us how we did soon enough, I'm sure." He gently tugged on her hand to prompt her into walking beside him. "Until then, we should enjoy our surroundings. It isn't often that we get to explore a place like this." He gestured with his other hand, still holding the nodachi, and the gesture took in both the great hall and the entirety of the Ark beyond.

Walking away from the pylon in the direction of the tram station, Alfred’s path happened to lead him towards Tenkai. Still distracted with considering what the pylon could be and what purpose it served, he didn’t notice him at first. It was only when he walked past the monk that Alfred looked up, recognised Tenkai, and stopped.

“Oh. Hello, Tenkai” he said, raising his voice slightly to get the monk’s attention. “Good to see you again. How are you?”

He paused, considering what to say next. His mind flickered back to the pylon. He closed his eyes for a second, considering whether Tenkai would be likely to know anything about the strange object. Alfred hadn’t seen the monk in any of the fights he had watched, and from that assumed that he was just a spectator, so maybe he had had time to find out more? It was a long shot, yes, but there was no harm in asking. “I don’t suppose you know anything about that... Floating pylon thing? The one further down the hall. I’ve been wondering about it, you see, but I don’t really know where to start looking. Know anything?”

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"I've seen them all around the Ark in pretty random places. There seems to be one in the middle of one of Round 2's stages."

Alfred frowned. The stages here weren’t exactly plain, he had seen that firsthand, but to send people to fight around one of the pylons? Surely, if they were as important as the guards posted around the one he had seen implied, it was foolish to risk the damage that could easily happen to it with the types of fighters this event attracted. Still, it was interesting news. He made a mental note to watch the fight later, to see if there was anything to be learned from it.

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"All I do know is that I have a hard time looking at them," he said. "I'd suggest you don't stare at them for very long. Something feels...wrong about these things. Whatever it is, I don't think the tournament staff wants us to figure it out." The monk was, of course, referring to how heavily guarded the pylons were. Staring at the pylons for too long wasn't just bad for their eyesight, but it'd also get unwanted attention from security.

Hearing this, Alfred nodded. “Yes, I’ve noticed. The problems looking at the thing and the security are the main things stopping me investigating properly, to be honest.”

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"What makes you so curious about them, if I may ask?" said the monk. Perhaps gaining better insight on Alfred's intentions would be beneficial. If he had the right reasons, Tenkai would probably feel more at ease about the subject.

Alfred shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure myself, to be honest. I suppose it basically boils down to boredom, as petty as that sounds. Being knocked out of the tournament after only one round has left me with very little to do. At first I tried passing the time by admiring the art here, but something that strange, surrounded by guards? Much more interesting.” Pausing for a moment, he smiled, amused at himself. “I suppose that’s rather shallow, isn’t it? Ah, well. The point is, I don’t really have any deep reason to be interested, I’m simply curious, and with nothing else to focus on I can’t very well ignore something as strange as that. Why did you ask, anyway? Is it important?”

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"I guess it's more concern than curiosity in my case," Tenkai said with a sigh. "Something so distressing on the mind just to look at can't be anything good."

“So you’re worried that someone might get hurt or something?” Alfred asked. “Certainly a more noble motive than mine. Although I suppose that’s to be expected of a monk, isn’t it?” Tenkai’s apparent altruism came as a pleasant surprise. The more Alfred spoke to the monk, the more his respect for him grew. After several years spent working for a criminal organisation, it was rare that he met someone who seemed so genuinely good, and, to be honest, he was starting to miss it.

Slowly, an idea grew in Alfred’s mind. It had been so long since he had the chance to do anything good, certainly not anything important enough to be at all meaningful. Now, here he was, faced with an excellent example of such a chance. The monk’s point did, after all, make sense; it was undeniable that the pylon’s effects on the observer were at least somewhat worrying. A chance to do some good and to satisfy his curiosity in the process? Alfred was hardly going to ignore the opportunity.

“So, um... Do you want any help with that?” he asked, a slight awkwardness to his tone making it clear that he really wasn’t used to offering assistance. “I mean, I doubt I can really help you much as far as investigation goes, but if the pylons really are dangerous and you run into trouble I could probably be of some use. Besides...” His smile widened. “I do need something to do with my time, after all.”

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

“I appreciate your courtesy," said Tenkai, pacing around Alfred so that his back was towards the security. He didn't want to risk any lip-reading. "But I must ask, what sort of assistance do you intend to provide? I'm afraid I don't know much about you."

“That’s... Hmm.” Alfred closed his eyes for a few seconds, thinking. He really should have thought about this before offering assistance. He was eager to help, if only to satisfy his curiosity, but he didn’t really have any experience with this sort of thing, and that sort of limited the help he could offer.

“Well, mostly I’m good at fighting, but that’s not really any use here, is it? I mean, I’m not too useless at investigating, if I have something a bit more solid to go on, but I probably wouldn’t be able to find much that you don’t already know, so...” He sighed, shaking his head. “Basically, I’m just asking if there’s anything you could use any help with. If there’s nothing I can do right now, that’s fine, just remember that I’ll be available if something comes up.”

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"Keep your eyes open and your mind clear."

"That's very wise advice if I do say so..." Came a modest voice that the monk was sure to recognize.

Raien hated to interrupt his conversation and had no pressing concerns that would lead her to do so, but she always enjoyed speaking with Tenkai and had - though just barely - recognized the gentleman with whom he was conversing from before Round 1 when the Ark was unveiled.

There was really nothing she had to be doing at this hour, no place for her to urgently be, so the Grand Hall - despite her extreme dislike of the Ark - seemed like the least constricting place for her to idle about. She wanted to ask about the investigation but didn't know how involved Alfred happened to be.

Politely, she greeted both of them. "Sorry, I hope I wasn't barging in on anything important. I just heard Tenkai here talking and couldn't help but wander on over." With a careful smile, Raien offered her hand to the monk's conversation partner, to shake. "Alfred right? It's nice to see you again, I think we met here once already If I'm not mistaken?"

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"Possessing the strength to fight is no meager trait to have," said Tenkai. "It's because of strong men that many people can live peacefully and become strong themselves. It's the responsibility of those who are strong to protect those who are not. If this situation is as bad as I feel, people could be in danger. It'll be up to people like you to protect them."

"You mentioned before that you could be of some use if I ran into trouble," he continued. "But you shouldn't worry about me. If something like that were to happen, you should be more concerned with protecting those I've failed to protect. It's the responsibility all good men share with one another." Even though his words were somewhat open, Tenkai was referring to all of the innocent spectators and bystanders both on the Ark and in Latent.

With that, Tenkai gave Alfred a single pat on the shoulder.

"Keep your eyes open and your mind clear."

One specific part of this little speech, barely important to the discussion at hand, stood out in Alfred’s mind, almost drowning out the rest of it. Good men, eh? Yes, he supposed that he probably was giving that impression right now. God, how he wished that he really deserved such praise. Still, he wasn’t about to correct the monk. At least now Alfred was trying to do some good, and that wouldn’t exactly be easy if he gave Tenkai a reason not to trust him.

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"That's very wise advice if I do say so..." Came a modest voice that the monk was sure to recognize.

Alfred frowned, interrupted before he could even begin to reply to the monk. His smile returned, however, as he turned to face the newcomer and recognised her from his last visit to the hall.

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"Sorry, I hope I wasn't barging in on anything important. I just heard Tenkai here talking and couldn't help but wander on over." With a careful smile, Raien offered her hand to the monk's conversation partner, to shake. "Alfred right? It's nice to see you again, I think we met here once already If I'm not mistaken?"

Alfred accepted the handshake, nodding at Raien as he did so. “Ah, hello again... Raien, was it? Yes, it was here that we met before, I believe. Don’t worry about interrupting us, we were just about done discussing anything important anyway. How are you?”

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"Actually, it's fortunate that you've come here," said Tenkai, now that he was face to face with Raien. "I have something to show you."

Stepping aside, Alfred didn’t bother looking at whatever the monk was about to show Raien. Whatever it was, it was no concern of his, and he saw no reason to pry into their personal business. He simply stood, listening silently.

(Sorry for taking forever too. x_x I has tummy ache.)

Sins of an Angel Wrote:

"Well, I must have good timing. I'll let you two wrap up your discussion and we can go over whatever it is after that?"

Dezris Wrote:

Stepping aside, Alfred didn’t bother looking at whatever the monk was about to show Raien. Whatever it was, it was no concern of his, and he saw no reason to pry into their personal business. He simply stood, listening silently.

Tenkai thought for a moment, but not very long. It wasn't a difficult choice for him to make, as time was of the essence. In spite of Alfred's insistence of his inability to help his investigation, Tenkai felt that the gentleman had shown him enough for him to trust him a little further.

"Actually, Mr. Churchill, this is something you should see as well," said Tenkai as he reached into his robe. He pulled out the map from before, walking in between the two of them and opening it up so that it was facing away from security. Up until now Tenkai had relied on looking like a tourist staring at his map, so now they'd have to look like a group of tourists.

"I've been looking around the Ark in all of the places that were currently available to the public," he said as he starting moving his fingers across the map. "These red X's are the locations of the pylons in each of their respective areas. Oddly enough, whenever I found one, it was always in a random place with no significant relation to its surroundings. But looking at it from above, something seems...even about their placement."

"I'm thinking that there are more pylons on the Ark, but not in any of the public areas. I'm starting to feel like their position has some sort of significance when viewed from above, but if I'm to figure that out...well...I may have to take a look in the restricted area."

Tenkai kept his voice down for that one. It was loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough that the guards wouldn't notice. The last thing he needed was a tail.

Dezris Wrote:

And, of course, as the monk had said, the positions of the pylons was also worrying. “Evenly placed... Like they’ve been put there intentionally? That... That would probably be a bad sign, wouldn’t it?” Alfred had assumed, given that the only pylon he had seen was out in the open for anyone to see, that their placement was random, but seeing the map... The more he thought about it, the worse the situation seemed.

"Intentionally placed, indeed," replied Tenkai. "I'd doubt Noah would have let them be placed on his property without any explanation. The question is...what is their purpose?"

Tenkai didn't want to think out loud too much, but it would be apparent to both him and most definitely Raien that their purpose was intended for magic. Something that felt so strange as those pylons couldn't be anything else. If it was some sort of technology, it definitely wasn't of this world.

Dezris Wrote:

This snapped Alfred out of his musing. “You... What?” He stared at Tenkai, utterly bewildered. “Seriously? That’s... Wait.” He glanced round for a second, remembering the guards by the pylon. He had begun to raise his voice, but considering what they were talking about... More quietly now, his voice barely above a whisper, he continued. “You seriously think that’s a good idea? Look around you. You think a man who could afford to build a place like this would simply let you sneak into areas that are supposed to be restricted? It doesn’t matter how stealthy you are, you’re not getting in there without Noah knowing. This is a terrible idea.”

Tenkai gave an almost wily smirk at Alfred's initial comment.

"No one ever really lets anyone sneak around restricted areas to begin with," he said, holding his finger up to dictate his point, "The trick is to not get caught sneaking around so that their 'letting' isn't an issue."

With that clever little quip out of the way, the monk sighed himself into seriousness.

"But don't misunderstand me. I've been looking into this tournament for years. I'm aware of how resourceful the Foundation is and how careful Noah can be. If there was any other way, I'd be doing that instead. It'll be difficult, but the other option is to do nothing and wait for things to happen. If history is any kind of teacher, then we all know that if we wait for disaster, people die."

Tenkai closed up his map and turned away from the two of them.

"I'm going on ahead. Remember what I told you."

With that, the monk began to walk away towards Station A.

(sorry for the delay, been kind of busy recently)

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

"I'm going on ahead. Remember what I told you."

With that, the monk began to walk away towards Station A.

“Right, I’ll keep an eye out in case anything comes up. See you around” Alfred called after the monk as he left. So it seemed that, despite how obvious the danger was, Tenkai was still going to try to get in to the restricted area. Still, Alfred had to agree that the monk had a point. If the pylons really were dangerous, sitting around waiting for something to happen would only cause problems later.

With Tenkai gone, Alfred turned to Raien. “So, given that Tenkai showed you that map, I’m assuming you’re also interested in his investigation? How’re you involved in this, if you don’t mind me asking?” Direct and to the point. He had no reason to believe that Raien was anything more than simply curious, as he was, so he saw little point in trying to be more subtle.

”Yes...” Robyn grit out, while Sabrina looked entirely too pleased about the whole situation. The red-furred fox turned more towards Celas, looking resigned. ”She’s cursed, like me. Remember I told you I trained at a martial arts school? Lacking anyone else to help me with my...”special needs”, they called her back after my first year.”

”Yes, and now the master’s come back to see how her little student is coming along.” Sabrina smirked at the pair, circling around until she was barely a foot away from Celas. Robyn dearly wanted to pull her boyfriend behind her, but it wouldn’t do much good. The last time she had tried to take on Sabrina, she’d gotten her a** kicked. She’d been fighting more now, though, maybe she could-

”Don’t. Even. Think about it.” Sabrina’s voice bit into her thoughts, her eyes flashing purple as she looked at the younger girl. ”So far, I’ve been nice, but I won’t hesitate to take your boytoy away if you don’t play by the rules.”

Robyn glowered, her claws digging into her thankfully gloved palms, but did nothing else.

Sabrina smirked. ”Good girl...” She practically purred the words, which oddly set Robyn flushing, although she looking more embarrassed than angry. Struggling to control herself, the purple-haired girl stared Sabrina in the eyes for a moment. <<I will not stay, but I respectfully ask that you leave him out of this.>> She spoke in Japanese, trying to keep Celas out of the loop.

The blue-haired fox looked surprised for a moment, before she nearly laughed, responding in English. ”Civility? From you? Seems you have changed, at least a little. Very well, I’ll respect your request.” <<I will cause him no physical->>

Robyn glared at the older girl, causing Sabrina to roll her eyes. <<Fine. I promise not to cause him any physical or emotional, or mental harm. Satisfied?>> Robyn scrutinized her for a moment before nodding. She took one last glance at Celas. ”I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here....” She started to turn before pausing. ”Be careful...” And then she was heading for the exit.

It might have seemed odd that she was leaving her boyfriend in the company of someone she apparently hated, but there was no way she could handle being around Sabrina right now after that surprise appearance. She also wasn't exactly in the greatest of moods regarding anyone else, and would likely snap at Celas if he tried to follow. She didn't want to try to drag him away from Sabrina either, on the reasoning that she didn't want him to feel she was playing guardian for him.