(Preshow) Preshow Facility

[Marisa Kirisame]

As the magician looked at the menu she rubbed her chin before pointing to the tempura. "I will have this thank you." The 

Marisa nodded at the story before clarifying a few things on her part. "Well it isn't true slavery like what you said, but rather for like say two farmers were arguing over a few crops on the middle of both of there property lines. They could duel to see who wins the crops. And the spell cards are mostly just a equalizer so one person doesn't have an inherent way to easily win. Plus I can use magic normally." She held out her hand as a small flame formed in the air from her palm.

She perked up at the smell of food and saw it looked good before bowing and thanking for the food before digging in. While gensokyo didn't have much in the ways of standing large bodies of water it did have the misty lake mostly which sometimes had the luck of having a good haul of fish. Marisa was a suckered for fish alright as she smiled at the flavor in her mouth.

"Well I must say I have enjoyed talking to you and learning about yourself." She smiled as she had a idea and started to dig through her apron. "I know it's in here somewhere . . . AH here we go!" She pulled out a expensive bottle of sake  before handing it to the weasel. "A small gift from me to you should we not meet again." 

Ricter looked interested at the somehow cool bottle of rice alcohol, before uncorking it and and taking a sniff of the fruity smell. Shrugging he took a sip of the sake and felt it burn slightly causing him to cough a little. "It's really good. What is it called?" Ricter looked at the magician of love sign as she pulled out a wooden cup for him to drink out of and an extra for her own sake.

"It's called sake and it's a rice based alcohol that I usually drink with myself or others. And let me help you pour another cup." Marisa took the bottle from Ricter with little resistance and started to pour some more into his cup due to remembering that it's drinking edicate to fill someone's cup, then placed it back near the weasel and letting him fill up hers.

She sniffed the sake smelling the somewhat rough smell coming from it and smirking. She started to drink from it letting it do its work. After a few good few minutes of drinking she finally spoke once more. "Ricter?"

"Hmm?" Ricter hummed interested in what the witch had to say.

"I hope you survive, nobody really has the right to be murdered in this sort of way for the entertainment of others." She nodded before continuing to drink on that somber point. Once she finished she got up and set down the price for the food in money. Before giving a smirk to the soft looking animal. 

"Well I'll be heading over to the park since I hear there is going to be a meteor shower in a while it was jice talking to you Ricter." The witch smiled and waved to the weasel as her case was flushed from the effects of alcohol; and with Ricter waving back as she walked to the park to stargaze.

Marisa is heading to the park from the restaurant to stargaze leaving Ricter to there thoughts if they so wish

[Ricter]

“Ah, that makes sense.” He’d say in contrast to what she mentioned about the farmers having a dispute, it was a nice rule in that regard. Granted those with a bit of skill would probably be better but of course those rules could be changed a bit to ensure that it was fair for both parties involved, It almost sounded like a video game or sorts but he would leave those thoughts to himself. Getting his own food he would eat it with a fork, which was provided for him, not used to chop sticks at all and honestly he thought they were just wooden pokers till he noticed how Marisa was using them. He liked it, the food was good and well cooked, and very diff rent from just the grilled stuff he was used to eating on a regular basis, and mushrooms which he had a lot of while he was living with his two friends.

“Like wise, I enjoyed talking to you as well Marisa.” He’d say nicely, the animal person seemingly finishing his food a bit quicker than the magician, but as he began looking through he pockets for something, or around her dress he would perk up as she pulled out a bottle for him to partake in. He’d take it, sniffing it a few times as his little pink nose, rearing back as it smelt spice but he would take a sip from it and cough a bit as well. “It…tastes like burning..” He’d say, but not in a bad way, instead he would try it again but soon let her take it back so they could share it.

Sharing the bottle with her he would take some and drink again, smiling, “Its made from rice? That’s odd, I never thought rice would make something like this. Thank you so much!” Grinning he’d start to feel a bit war inside, his face flustered but only really sowing up over the white sections of his fur, which was around his cheeks, still as she mentioned his name his eared perked up and he nodded back to her.

“Same to you, I hopped those you face wont wish to go to those kinds of extreme’s, but your right. Good luck though, I’d know if we had to fight I’d never try to hurt you in that way.” Which was mostly true given he was never a strait forward fighter, his job was to heal and protect people, only fighting if necessarily. So if it came too it and he some how won, which he doubt he’d win anything, he’d spare everyone, no matter whom they were even if there was no way to ‘respawn’.

When she got up he was a little buzzed, just from a cup in a half, waving to her he would stay at the table for now, “Alrighty, maybe I’ll got see it too, but um bye bye Marisa, see you later.~” His tone seemed to half slurr but keep composure too as he watched her leave the building. However as he looked at the sake bottle he would take it with him, licking his lips as he placed it away for now, downing the rest that was in his cup but as he picked up his weapon, grabbing it by the handle he felt a tinge and shake his head quickly.

“Whoa, this alcohol stuff made me feel really weird…” He’d say to himself, still a tad flustered but he would at least think somewhat clearly for the time being. Surely it wouldn’t last forever, this odd sensation of warm, right? Either way as he would get up and walk around mostly after paying his part of the bill. Feeling really nice as he didn’t do anything about being intoxicated, plus he rather not take out his sword and cut himself or something around people here just to cure it so he’d enjoy the warm glow in his stomach and chest while walking, thinking about how awesome it would be to have more later on.

[qoute]Ricter is simply walking around between buildings, a little inebriated.[/qoute]

[Shantotto]

“Ohohoho it sure is quite the party, Still I am glad to find you all hale and hearty” The tiny mage said with a small grin upon her face. Victor getting interrupted by whom she presumed correctly to be his offspring.. Not far beyond was yet another who had been in the palace, the short time ago she had found her way into a run down palace full of people and things of not importance to her, and now the small mage almost seemed to care about them. Was this the true value of this band of merry men? The mage didn't know just yet, however she intended to make damn sure she did what should could for those around her, as well as the people who lived within the walls of Nippur.

The words victor had said rang true to the tarutaru’s ears as she simply shook her head in agreement, secretly she wanted peace and quiet still nowhere near rested from ther all nighter she had pulled with Serraph, helping the people, running from them and using spell after spell had taken a toll on her, the library, a place of refuge for those who took comfort within the book lined walls. Instead she found herself caught in a storm of people, Kanda had taken a small leave already walking off with some girl who had been following the lot of New Babylonians. Victor now caught up with his daughter, a little child with oddly strange looking teeth the mage swore was surely there for no other reason than to tear flesh from bone. Even the one who had accompanied the girl seemed to have his mind on other things. Behind the group a small animalistic male walked towards another small girl brewing a potion in traditional with garb, the effect was comical save for the fact Shantotto lacked the energy to keep up the charade of caring.

Serraph had snuck in, avoiding the press, and keeping to himself mostly. Shantotto didn't miss it, in fact the swordsman looked less than happy that the library had been turned into a loud bustling trove of people who wanted no more than to talk.

His eyes met the small mage from a distance, and words unspoken were exchanged.It did not take the arrancar long to join the rest of the group, his hand brushed along her shoulder, seemingly knowing the small woman was well past the point of exhaustion. Sitting down in one of the chairs beside her. “Erm.. Hi there” He said, The jumble of new babylonians each looked at the arrancar, Victor giving the swordsman a tip of his head in acknowledgement, the small girl squirming in his arms paying little more than a passing glance.

A weary smile found its way to Shantotto’s face, of all of the people around her now the only presence that brought her comfort was the Arrancar that now sat next to her.

“It brings me joy that you've decided to join us.” She started one of her usual rhymes only to get cut off by a loud yawn leaving her chest. “If you will all excuse me I must get some rest, please do not fuss.”

She slid herself off of the chair she was on, her boots making barely a sound as they hit the wooden flooring.

Victor looked up from his handfull of a daughter, his reddish eyes barely catching the small mage slide off the chair that kept her in sight but not offering more than a cursory glance.

Serraph’s face showed concern as the mage began to waddle off opening the doorway and beginning to leave the library. He quickly found himself rising to his own feet and catching up to the mage as she walked down the hallway in the direction of the barracks.

Shantotto and Serraph heading to Barracks

[Ash]

I am sorry...
I blame Yu Kanda. =P

One minute she was enjoying a solid meal with Jak, Daxter, and the cameras. The next Ash’s table was destroyed.

Since she had only been half-way through her meal and wasn’t paying any attention to much of anything outside of petting Daxter while some girl spoke to her, Ash wasn’t sure exactly what she did to piss off the women. First, she was slapped, which was fine. Not like that was the first time or the last. It was insulting, sure, secondary slapping the Underverse’s champion like that. Still, it hardly registered on the emotional scale for Ash.

The Storm Demon was then confronted by some woman she didn’t even know the name of, for a reason she didn’t quite understand either. She went to open her mouth to argue that none of this made any sense, but she was cut off promptly by the other female harshly telling her to ‘shut the fuck up’ and announce they were leaving. Behind the Bandit, Ash pulled the ottsel closer to her chest and strokes her bruised colored hands across the back of his bright orange furred back with the most bored expression.

Daxter was more than happy to be pinned between her chest and stroked. He wasn’t even aware of the sexual innuendo in that whole thought process. He was just as confused, just as Jak, and turned around to see what the woman would do next. “Well that’s not fair, she slapped you fir-” He stopped as he glanced up and saw a woman with long ears and short twintails on either side of her head being pushed by none other than Victor fucking Wolfe. (If enough people use that as his middle name it will make it true.)

Daxter’s love for Ash’s breast was immediately drowned out by his rage for Victor. He growled, reverting to the animal that he appeared to be without much effort. His fur stood on end and he bore his teeth despite how brief the glimpse would be.

Because of this sudden change in personality Ash glanced from the weasel-like creature on her chest and up at the blonde handsome rogue. Very quickly followed by Kanda himself. Then she caught the second male’s nickname for her current interest. ‘Candy’. Whoever the shirtless man was, she thanked him internally for that kind of ammo. Also for the impressive shot of muscles. “Who’s that?” She asked, not hiding the grin at all from her friends. Quickly forgetting Caret.

“Victor Wolfe.” Jak growled himself beside her.

“What’s your beef with him?” Ash asked, looking straight still.

“He threatened to turn Daxter here into a pair of gloves.” Jak Mar responded.

Ash looked down at Daxter, putting her hand on his back and petting him into being calmer, but also measuring his ability to become gloves. “That’s clearly just a threat.” She said, scratching the Ottsel chin. “You aren’t big enough for a pair of full gloves.” She teased, smiling a wicked grin.

“I’m big enough for you though, baby.” Daxter flirted and laid back in her arms, using her like a hammock.  Ash chuckled and then gave her biggest fan a kiss on the top of the head. Jak smiled, both unaware that Ash’s words had been honesty.

“Well, either way, best to keep you two far, far apart,” Jak said, reaching over and petting his buddy.

Daxter took this opportunity to go back to his spot on Jak’s shoulder. “That’s going to be difficult when it comes to fighting, don’t you think Jak?”

“Maybe,” Jak said, sounding deeply depressed by another thought.

Ash came to his rescue by running her fingers through his dark green chin scruff, not at all different from when she was petting Daxter. “Now would be a good time to make friends then, wouldn’t it?”

Jak’s cheeks heated up at her touch and he looked away. “Sure, but I was hoping to spend some time with you…”

“Don’t be stubborn, Jak. We will have plenty of time after Dante’s Abyss.” Ash said, then leaned onto his other shoulder so that she could run her fingers through his hair and gently speak into his elongated ear. “But if you really need help relaxing before the event, I can meet you later in the barracks. You still got my number, don’t you?” Her voice turned seductive, and that turned him on.

Jak tensed up at the implications, remembering a lot more of their history together suddenly. The Eco-Warrior blushed harder as he remembered the shower on the beach, the closest in the hotel room, and then the bed where she’d taken advantage of the handcuffs… She probably still had the key. He nodded at her question.

“For now though.” She said, standing up straight and pushing the two closer to the door. “Go out and make some new friends.”

Jak stumbled a bit as he was pushed, not sure if he remembered Ash being that passively strong. “Sure. What are you going to do?” Jak asked curiously.

The morality mirrored humanoid looked back down at the mess that the woman had made when she destroyed the table. Her food was among the splintered wood and the broken ceramic plates. Already a petite and silent woman in syntech uniform was bowing at Ash and going straight to work in cleaning up the mess. Broom and dustpan ready. Good. She wasn’t cleaning up this mess. “Guess I’m going to stay here and grab more food. Maybe I’ll go exploring in a bit.” The demoness looked back up at Jak. “Go on, don’t worry about me. I’ll message you if I need any help.”

“Just don’t go getting yourself Banished,” Daxter warned, in a serious tone rather than a funny one. When she gave him her attention, Daxter pointed towards the door that Jak was already headed for. “Victor didn’t just threaten me, he slings banishment circles around like the ice cream man trying to get rid of a mob of kids rather than make a dollar.”

That was oddly specific… “Sure, I’ll behave.” She responded, giving him a short wave.

Daxter was hunched over Jak’s shoulder and now twisted around to face forward and lift up to his hind feet. He grabbed onto the horn of Mar’s armor. He glared towards the library as the two walked past the threshold and into the main hallway. Jak’s attention went to the other end, spotting another weasel creature at the end. And some guy with glasses and an attitude. He’d go see if he could make friends among them.

Jak and Daxter move into the main hall.

Ash noted the warning but didn’t think she’d have to worry until everyone was fighting each other. She looked down and watched the syntech member using the broom to push a few things closer to the pile of rubble left by The Bandit, as that girl called her. Then with a machine that she fit in her pocket, she made the whole thing just disappear. Ash didn’t bother to ask questions, she just observed as another table was brought in to replace it.

The woman nodded, shrugged, and then turned to go get another plate. That’s when she heard a small child scream “Daddy” as she ran down the hall. Disturbed by this, on so many levels, Ash turned to watch a small child bound her way through the halls. Behind her, trailing the nobleman Erik Vrell himself. He looked stressed out, and she wondered if he was playing babysitter for the child then.

She also wondered who’d bring their child to Dante’s Abyss. They were probably unaware of how annoying it already was to have a kid running around in a public place, much less in a place where death was probably a thing that can easily happen to some frail secondary. Though she would not be one to talk about frailty.

She has survived a lot of shit. None of which was limited to only the Underverse.

Ash had to consider her options at this point. She barely got to feel up - or rather - got a feel for Erik when they had met. She knew he was a Nobleman and a hero; And that he shared her love for exotic weapons. Sand Hawk stood more out in her mind than the man in the robes. On the other hand, he was taking care of someone’s child. Someone who probably carried a wallet full of photos of that child, and she hadn’t looked all that old, to begin with. Yet, could she really pass up an opportunity to tease the boy from earlier? Especially since Kanda had been so much fun? What was her counter-argument, food? Like she said to Jak, plenty of time for all that nonsense later!

With that said Ash snatched one of the more portable options, a beautiful apple which would tempt Snow White into a bite or even Eve into her first sin - fitting for the lustful demonic woman as she tossed it up into the air and caught it without even looking. She took a large bite out of it, the crisp crunch echoing through a relatively empty space. She hadn’t expected it to be so succulent, and let out a soft moan of surprise as apple juice ran down her chin and neck. ‘How embarrassing, a sex demon that couldn’t handle fluid shooting through her mouth.’ She thought to herself with an amused grin as she wiped it away with her hand.

Ash emerged from the doorway and took another bite from her pleasantly sweet apple. She chewed with her mouth closed. Because while she was bold and rude, she had table manners. No one liked to watch you chew your food or liked the smacking of your lips as you displayed such disgusting etiquette. She looked back to see Jak already heading out to make friends, glad that he was still wrapped around her finger like before. Then she turned towards where Erik had gone and followed that direction.

She walked only a few moments when she found a sign pointing to the library. She remembered someone mentioning they were heading there, and maybe that’s where everyone went. Knowledge was a powerful incentive, after all, she knew that. Jaixe and her had purged the library in Coruscant of all its information about Diablo and such. They've spent hours in that small dust filled room with the rats nipping at the pages as they researched a great few topics. If she’d only known that was a waste of her time then, she would have made him focus more on other things… Now she could only hope to dig up something better that would better occupy the heartless’ mind.

At that moment she looked up to see several things happening at once.

A flash of bright red hair surfaced from the library, its familiar bounce and shag as he moved made Ash compress her body against the wall and with a flick of her finger become invisible to anyone who lacked the necessary power to do so. She watched as Desman glanced from one end of the hall to the other, and again towards her. He seemed to be lost in thought, wondering where to go from here. He rubbed his eyes as if the human was tired and drifted off in another direction. A quick glance in that direction said he could be going to either the gym or the barracks. The Storm Demon guessed it was to grab some sleep for the competition with the way his face looked worn down and tired.

That’s where she stayed, thoughts running through her head about how to deal with this. First was the fact that he actually managed to get out. Surely Neujmin wasn’t even a little bit soft on him, especially given how much attention the Boss Demon had given her versus him.

Another question was how did he manage to do? Did he dance for the Devil and get punted dryly out of hell like herself? Did he take his chances going another route?

Finally, and most importantly, how was she going to get laid with him around!? He was almost worse than the growing number of females in this place. Sure, they must all be interesting enough or else Omni wouldn’t have chosen them. However, between the mousy woman butting into her conversation with Kanda and the woman during her table and food into sawdust she didn’t like the company. Now she had to be conscious of Desman coming in and mucking it up with his emotions.

Actually, for the most part, Desman hasn’t objected to any of her lusty projects… If he wasn’t so fucking clingy and more assertive in the hay sack he might be a real contender. As of the moment, she just watched him leave and tried to come up with a quick excuse for leaving him to go see Diablo by herself; He will probably satisfied with the idea that she had intended to come back and tell him all the good things about her meeting with Diablo - which she had - and that if he didn’t thump her into oblivion that she would have come back - which was also true.

After her thoughts were in order she noticed another redhead in the same hall. A woman in a simple white dress. That wasn’t very interesting at all, to be honest, she was as plain and simple as her clothing. What drew her attention was the Exorcist she spoke to. Kanda was still very pissed off at something. Ash had a sixth sense for things like this, he was all kinds of tensed and wound up. The man really needed to learn how to chill. As a woman with only his best interest at heart, she silently prescribed one good fucking with his favorite demoness.

As she amused her herself with the thoughts of angry sex she listened to his conversation. Apparently, the two had plenty of things they wanted to say but didn’t want to talk about. Most likely secrets that either one was afraid the other would exploit. Or perhaps just something that embarrassed one or the other. None of that information was very clear. It ended with Kanda agreeing with the woman and excusing himself as he goes off to relax.

The Captain of the Guard worked so hard and dealt with a lot of shit, he was probably going off to do whatever it was he felt would relax him most. Kanda himself passed Ash without noticing at all that she was grinning a smirk that would make the Devil wonder what she was up to, he’d seen her coming but didn’t see where she’d gone after he said excused himself from Amber.

Ash tossed the apple in a bin that was nearby and followed Kanda’s shadow through the halls. Though there were growing crowds of non-player-characters and player-characters in this halls, it wasn’t so packed full that she couldn’t just duck and dash through two people who were talking about their own achievements to one another while Kanda had respectfully gone around them. Even if it had been packed full of people, Ash would have found a way to follow the man as he led his way past the cafeteria once again and headed into the park like area that Ash had originally seen him in. She gathered he liked nature, but just because they couldn’t agree on everything didn’t mean they wouldn’t be a perfect couple.

Behind her another figure used the same tactics to shadow either her or the same man she chased. Not willing to get distracted, she just made note that someone was watching and moved on.

-

A few moments earlier, back in the Library.

Victor Wolfe took pride in how his ploy had upset the captain of the guard so much, he watched with childish glee as the vein in Kanda’s brow bulged and bounced with his frustration. While his child-safe explanation of sexual intercourse had been in good humor and elicited laughter from his men while simultaneously pushing the exorcist's to his limits of what he is willing to deal with today, the idea that came to his mind was genuine by the end of it. If Kanda got laid, even just once out of pity, maybe he’d act less like he had a stick up his ass.

If he considered this for real though, he could see a few flaws in his plan. The biggest problem was not how to get Kanda with a girl, but how to convince a girl to go for it. The dark-haired man was handsome enough to be attractive, Lord Wolfe could even see that, but his personality? Stoic and unfamiliar with the definition of the word ‘Fun’, that required a special kind of woman. A rare type that didn’t just fall into your hands upon request. She would need to be confident, persistent, unfazed by his threats and harsh words, and very willing to keep going despite Kanda insisting he wasn’t interested.

Of course, she would have to be as gorgeous as sin or Kanda may not even look up! Victor wasn’t just looking for a pretty face, she had to be exotic and alluring. Something that Kanda couldn’t take his eyes off even for a moment. Though… Short of a succubus, the blonde haired diplomat was asking for a hugely specific list. He wasn’t even sure Omni could produce something so perfect.

Victor, smiling this whole time, frowned a bit.

All around him the Nippur lords and ladies spoke more about serious matters. “Daddy..?” Valerie asked, yanking him from his thoughts.

The new dad smiled sweetly at the half-zombie and ruffles her hair. “Sorry sweetie, I was just thinking about another project.” He explained, then smiled as another bolt of inspiration shocked him. He reached up for his pin, undid it, and then stuck it through her shirt. “Do me a favor, teach this lot a thing or two while I go get Candy back here,” Victor explained, putting his daughter in his seat as he slipped around the crowd. He pointed at Erik in particular. “Don’t let that one get too out of control, hun.” He explained like it was a joke, but it was to inform Erik that he better be good and keep an eye on Val for him.

Victor stopped at the doorway, right before he slammed into Kanda himself. Normally he wouldn’t have hesitated to interrupt, but of all things he was talking to, it was female. Wolfe pushed himself against the doorway and listened in, only distracted by a tallish red-head slipping out without a word to anyone and heading to the barracks. The man listened in on the conversation, it was idle chit-chat that only mildly surprised him because he was not aware that the exorcist was capable of actual small talk.

There was a sudden change of pace in that conversation, as to why Kanda suddenly wanted to leave the woman behind was beyond Victor if only because he couldn’t see the same demoness approaching. Not even for a moment didn’t he consider Kanda saw him ducking back behind the wall. After all, what roguish hero was worth his salt in anything if he couldn't’ even stealth properly while tailing a man with a big sword?

Victor watched as Amber was left behind. Kanda did this uncharacteristically fast and made the Lord of Nippur curious. He managed to bite his tongue long enough to follow the man to his destination, the park where he’d likely be alone.

-

Ash watched the dark haired man ritually take off his shirt with a little smile. The jacket was professional and clean and it left her thinking all kinds of things, but when he took it off and revealed his muscular arms she couldn’t help but think he was that much more attractive. She released her invisibility by the time he closed his eyes but suppressed her power still not to alert him just yet.

She circled him and the whole tree once before she felt confident that he wasn’t picking her up. She quickly picked up that they were being watched, but had no intention of doing anything worth hiding from syntech employees. In fact, if it were the cameramen that waited for her to act in the shadows, the better. She circled her prey once more before an idea formed fully into the devious mind of Ash. She very carefully and quietly pulled off the Chainsword and Hook, placing them on the opposite side of the tree, using everything she had to keep him from noticing her getting comfortable. When she didn’t have metal poking into her back or hips, she walked around the girth of the tree once more.

Victor from his corner watched as this bruised colored demoness woman - the very same one he’d spotted with that group in the cafeteria - walk around and wave her hand over Kanda’s sight, testing if he could see her.

When Kanda didn’t react, the woman moved to the same side of his sword and sat down near him. She waited, grinning up a storm. There was still no reaction to her from his Guard’s Captain, so she initiated her plan by turning her back to him, and then lowering her body to the ground until her head settled sweetly on the exorcist's lap.

Her blind looking eyes looked up at his face and she grinned despite the amazing risk she was taking. Since her head was still attached to her body she gathered her new interest was sleeping. Ash giggled softly to herself, biting her lip in excited anticipation. She crossed her thighs and took Kanda’s hand, placing it on her chest against the small bit of skin that showed over her shirt, letting her hand hold it there.

Lord Victor was at a loss for words to how ballsy the woman was, but even in his stunned silence, he was able to appreciate this moment. Omni could not make the perfect woman for Kanda, but damn it if he couldn't bring her to him. Her boldness, her twisted enjoyment - that smile said all that he needed to know - her beautifully poetically appropriate and ironic appearance! He couldn't have picked a better match!

The rogue lifted up his hands, bringing up two halves of a heart he created for a second time today to collapse around the couple in its perfection. A smile played on his lips.

It was at this point that the storm demon reached up with her free hand and touched Kanda’s face. Her fingers brush his hair out of his face gently before cupping it in her hand. She wondered if she could steal a kiss from him, and as soon as she thought about that she wanted it to come true. Her slender fingers combed through the lengths at the side of his head before her hand coming back to touch him again. It was at this point that Kanda’s sword hand flew up and caught hers.

He noted in his sleepy mind that the hand he held was as soft as could be. He had been enjoying his nap, as brief as it had been, so to feel someone messing with him already had him in an annoyed mood. What he had been expecting had been Victor Wolfe, what he saw was about as bad if not worse. His dark eyes landed on Ash’s face, her smile firmly in place. Her lids droop as her smile widens. “Sorry Baby, didn’t mean to wake you just yet. I wanted to see if true loves kiss really worked.”

Kanda frowned. He felt her hand go slack in his grip, and just to show how much he disliked her touching him, he dropped her hand’s weight. It fell in a way that was across his lap, her hand touching grass on the other side. “I hardly believe you’d know anything about true love.” He growled back at her.

“No,” Ash said, smirking. With her arm across his lap, effectively over her head, she looked even more like his girlfriend than she did with her head on his thighs. It was what cheesy couple scenes were made of. “But I do sure know a lot about kissing.” She teased.

“I bet you do.” Kanda was short with his words. That’s how you had to deal with things like this. Short, bitter, and to the point.

“I can teach you.” Ash offered, not being shy about her volume, or anything about her.

“You assume I’ve never kissed anyone before.” Kanda pointed out curtly.

Ash only grinned. “Show me what you’ve got, then.” She taunted.

“I will not stoop to your level, wo-”

“Oh no, I will come up and get it.” Ash cut him off, winking at him.

“Your games are tiresome.”

“Then stop fighting it and just fuck me already.” Her voice was sweet, her words harsh.

Kanda took in a deep breath through his nose, eyes staring down at her as he did. He held it in as another attempt to stay calm before exhaling slowly. It did very little against the building anger inside him. “Let me say this in such a blunt way that even you will understand, demon, I would rather cut off my own-”

“There you are Candy~!” Victor chose that time to make himself known, stepping in much closer to have a conversation. “I- Oh my. My apologies. I didn’t realize you were in the company of a woman. And in the midst of second base already! Candy, you surprise me!” The diplomat lied, playing up the role very well. He pointed down at the guard captain’s hand already in Ash’s shirt. “You secretive dog, you. You already have a woman. And an attractive one as well.”

The exorcist was extremely confused at this comment and only realized what the other male meant when he looked down and saw his hand inside Ash’s shirt. He could feel the soft mounds of flesh against his fingertips. There was a moment of confused hesitation before Kanda ripped his hand away from the demoness! Heat flooded his face as he pushed himself out from under her and back peddled a few yards from the lustful woman who’d tricked him into copping a feel! “Have you no decency woman!?” He yelled, his voice rivaling Gilgamesh’s from the hall.

Ash’s head fell against the soft earth before she realized he’d slipped out from her clutches once more. Her body rolled over onto her hip as she laughed, grinning by the end of it. “Don’t be so cruel, Kanda~!” She moaned softly, her arrow tipped tail flicking like a cat who was playing with her mouse before she planned to eat it. “Besides, it was your hand in my shirt, not the other way around.” She teased.

This left a horrible look on the guard captain’s face. Shadows that consumed him in his disgust and fury as he struggled to get to his feet again, he didn’t even bother to excuse himself this time, walking away to find a place he could sleep in peace. Preferably a place with a lock and some form of alarm when that lock is picked.

“Oh, Candy~!?” Ash’s voice called back, sweetly. The spreading of the dishonorable nickname forcing Kanda to stop in his tracks. Every part of him burned either from rage or embarrassment sent upon him by her trickery. He tried to talk himself out of entertaining this any further but even as he took another step he became insanely consumed with finding out what she had left to say to him. He turned with a force that sent his ponytail through the air like a whip. It smacked across his shoulder before swaying back to the center. “WHAT!?”

“You forgot your coat.” She purred the explanation. When he looked back she already had it against her nose, he could see the smirk poking out from behind the fabric.

He seethed at her relentlessness. “Keep it!” He spat out in pure rage before turning away and leaving swiftly.

Victor Wolfe let out a soft laugh as Kanda stomped away. He’d never seen a woman get so under his skin as she had, and it was glorious. When his fellow Nippur Prime is gone, he turned to the woman with the biggest grin. “I think you’ve managed to upset him, my dear.”

“Is that all?” She teased, curling her legs so they tuck under her body, giving the shirtless man all of her attention now. Her eyes shamelessly lower and linger onto his exposed skin, venturing slightly lower out of curiosity. “And you are?”

“Lord Victor Wolfe of Nippur.” He introduced himself with an elaborate bow.

Ash’s eyes flicker with even more interest. “Oh~!?”

Wolfe lifted his head to look her in the eyes and reached for her hand. She didn’t resist in the least as he pulled the hand Kanda slapped away close to his mouth and planted a kiss on the back of it. The kiss was the perfect amount of pressure and pleasure. Staring into her eyes as he did it, inviting a connection more intimately than it would be if he’d closed his bright blue eyes. “Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” He teased with a smirk of his own.

“Ash” She replied, smiling at him. “Afraid the only fancy title I have is ‘The Storm Demon’ which gives no claim to anything special.”

“Trust me, you are special enough, you gorgeous woman.” Victor sang, unable to contain his good mood. “Mind if we take a walk? I’d love to discuss Kanda with you.”

Ash flashed a greedy mischievous grin at the lord. “Oh?” He had already had her interest, but now it was completely undivided.

“Among a few other things.” Wolfe offered as he pulled her up to her feet.

“Go on.” Ash agreed, letting him take her but only if she could gather her things. Not that she couldn’t just re-summon everything. It just would be tedious.

The Nippur Diplomat allowed her to part with him long enough to rearm herself, but when she was done he wouldn’t allow her to refuse his offered arm.

Not that it crossed the woman’s thoughts, she accepted it with an exceptional amount of grace as she wrapped her fingers around his naked bicep and smiled up at him. “As you were saying?” She asked, pulling closer.

“Right.” Victor began to lead her out of this place, his steps calm and steady. “I personally love this thing you have with Candy. Marvelous. I encourage you to continue these... ‘Games’ as he puts it.” As they walked through the hallways back towards the direction they’d come, the couple caught plenty of looks by the others around them.

As if the seams of the Omniverse were beginning to strain under the decision of what limits it was willing to put up with the air felt charged with something hot and dangerous. Each step the two took seemed to echo through the facility, through time, and space…

“However, I can’t allow just any woman into my friend’s life. So I hope you don’t think it is too forward of me to request an interview with you first. After all, I shall only accept the very best for my friend, especially with him being the captain of our guards. He can’t be with just anyone.”

“Naturally,” Ash responded, around her waist she wore the gifted jacket, the sleeves in a knot in front of her hips. “I am an open book, what would you like to know.” She spoke, fairly quick to what the Lord of Nippur was getting at.

“Well of course, what qualities do you have that entitle you to a chance with a lord of Kanda’s caliber?” Wolfe began.

“I take physical abuse very well,” Ash responded, quickly and subtly hinting it to be more than what it seemed. “As well, I am rather stubborn myself, especially when it comes to personal goals.”

“Hm… Those are both good answers.” The handsome man commented, focusing on reading between the lines. “What would you say sets you apart from other suitors?”

Ash smiled as she side glanced him. “I guarantee, I am not someone Kanda would be able to forget so easily. Also, given his obsession with demons, I think I am just his type.”

Victor’s smile slid smoothly into place at that one. “I have to admit, his hobbies indicate that you would at least be able to keep his attention firmly on you.”

“That’s not the only firm thing I want from him, mind you.” Ash didn’t feel the need to play games with Victor Wolfe.

Her quickness and bluntness were refreshing for the desert man-whore. The way she was toying with Kanda he’d expected the same treatment. This apparently wasn’t the case. “I’m not surprised, you made your other intentions very clear earlier. I am curious, though. Intercourse is not to be taken lightly, how would you rate yourself on a scale from one to ten, ten being exceptional.” He inquired.

Without a breath, without a thought, without an ounce of arrogance or even a glimmer of cockiness. “Ten out of ten.”

Victor let out a slow impressed whistle. “Is that so?”

“I wouldn’t lie about something so importantly vital to Kanda’s friend.” Ash’s response was smooth and convincing.

“I hope you do not take this the wrong way, as I would not want to offend you, but what would you say to us finding someplace to test your ability to back up that claim?” He said calmly, thinking about where a spare closet might be.

“I would have to agree to it. It’s only natural to question a claim like that.” Ash spoke with a sly affliction in her voice as if she knew exactly where this was leading. “But I would be more than willing to prove it all to be true. Do you have an office we can take this into?” She asked, taking control of this ‘interview’.

“Not here, but I’m sure we can find something in the barracks.” Victor directed them towards the brightly lit sign with a single word on it hanging over top the doorway.

As politely as he could he guided them to a room as far into the back as possible. He released her arm to try the closed door, finding it unlocked. Perfect. He twisted the knob with a surprising amount of control and then gave the door a light push. He goes to motion her inside, turning around just in time to feel her hands against his bare chest and pushing him into the door. He was surprised since they’d been so civil before this, that he fell into the room and right against the bed that sat parallel to the doorway. He caught her silhouette in the light behind her, her shadow casting its reach onto him. It wasn’t foreboding in the least, it only brought a satisfied grin to his face.

He watched her step in and drop her equipment onto the floor opposite side of the door’s swing, only when she was done did she reach back and grab the door, pushing it behind her and cutting off their only light source. He heard her laugh under her breath, the smile on his face growing about as big and fast as the bulge did in his pants.

“Great start.” He announced and waited for her next move.

It came in the form of her climbing into his lap, legs spread across his crotch. Victor’s hands waste no time wrapping around her hips to hold her up, finding nothing between his palms and her buttock.

He wasn’t allowed to say anything more as her pierced lip was already pressing down on him, kissing him hard and passionately. As his hands roamed her body, of which she’d stripped it of every last piece of clothing already, he finalized his decision. She would do perfectly for what else he had planned for Kanda. For now, however, he’d enjoy breaking her in for his Captain’s guard, after all, that’s what friends are for.

Ash and Victor are in the Barracks - Doing exactly what you imagine Ash and Victor would be doing in the Barraks.

[Proto Man]

The small red fist caught Gilgamesh by surprise, but the impact was enough to throw him against the wall of hallway.

Rage spread across the king’s visage as he glared down at the helmeted face of the machine. “Why you little bucket of scrap!” The gilded warrior lunged, his hands reaching out for the neck of the smaller prime.

Proto Man braced himself as his back hit the wall. He grabbed at the wrists before they found his throat and squeezed. “There are no kings in the Omniverse, only tyrants and dreamers.” A foot swung forward and caught the machine square in the chest, knocking him a few inches off the ground. In quick response, the barrel of a buster cannon flared to life—its simmering ordinance rapidly building to a crescendo.

Horror spread across Mickey’s already tense features. “Blues, stop!”

A look to his companion stalled Proto Man long enough for Syntech security to flood the scene and smothered the two warring primes. “He has no right to lord himself over any of us,” Proto Man barked as the workers pressed him into the wall. “He’s just angry he had to summon more stooges to do his dirty work.”

“You’re talking about people,” Mickey replied.

“If you agree with him, you can go serve the Empire,” Proto Man replied. “They have homeless shelters and soup kitchens in Coruscant, too.”

Gilgamesh, for his part, kept himself in check despite the hands and arms that sullied him. His blood boiled but lashing out at these workers would only endanger his status in the upcoming battles. “I want it back,” he muttered between clenched teeth.

Proto Man, knowing what he said, laughed as the mounds of workers started to drag the primes in opposite directions. “You’re a prime, you can make a new one. A nice and shiny one to go with that faux benevolence. Maybe next time you shouldn’t leave your stuff lying around before you go on vacation.”

At that, the gilded king shrugged off a handful of workers and lunged. For his part, Proto Man did the same, but before the two got close enough, the Syntech professionals regroup and interceded, leaving fists just inches from the faces. “Our score isn’t settled.”

“Insult my friend like that again, and there will be more to settle than trinkets and baubles.”

Gilgamesh sneered even as he was dragged out of the hallway. A beat later, a security gate slid down, and the group of Snytech workers dispersed like clockwork back to their assigned tasks, leaving Proto Man and Mickey alone.

The machine turned and saw that the Mouse was leaned against the nearby wall. His features were sagged, and his eyes were on the ground. Why would he be upset?

“I wasn’t going to let him talk to you like that, Mickey,” Proto Man replied. “You went there and you did what you could for those people left behind.”

Mickey lifted his eyes. There was some puffiness to them. “You weren’t calling them people earlier, Blues.”

“I’m not going to play that man’s games,” Proto Man shot back. “He’ll say what he can to hurt you. To find your soft spots. He wants to get in your head and make you think he’s the victim. You remember the Empire, don’t you? He’s no different from the stormtroopers.”

“But you saw the city. You saw what those people were living in.”

Proto Man frowned. “You think Karl Jak is a bad man, don’t you? What do you think happens to all the staff he employees once he’s gone? You think they’re just going to go find an unemployment line and live happily ever after? You can’t make the world a better place without being prepared for the consequences, Mickey. You think if we go and banish the Emperor that Coruscant will magically be a utopia?”

“Blues. They’re people.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Proto Man whispered as he leaned against the wall opposite his friend.

In his head, he kept replaying the Vision’s remarks about the darklings. About how the bloodthirsty monsters were ‘people’, despite the fact that they had been stripped of any former humanity by Nebula’s infestation. Those creatures had thrown themselves at him by the dozen as he had evacuated the collapsing pocket verse with Cole draped, half-alive, over his shoulder. Had he let any of those creatures go unchecked, they would have caused more devastation than they already had. How much of the Vasty Deep would Mickey and Vision have been willing to sacrifice?

“Bad people need to be stopped.” Proto Man muttered as he slumped down to the floor. There wasn’t much conviction in his voice. “Bad people will do whatever they can to make good people weak. To make them stop.”

“A hero is more than just a big gun,” Mickey replied. The machine looked up to see the mouse now down on his butt across from him. “Heroism is more than just doing the right thing, Blues. Heroism is about being the right thing… Heroes aren’t perfect. We make mistakes, we’re just…” Mickey trailed off suddenly.

Proto Man lifted his head. “Just human?” He mumbled, and the silence of his companion was truth enough. “I’m sorry I can’t be human like you and Gilgamesh, Mick,” he added softly as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small whistle. His sister had given it to him back in Coruscant to replace the one he had in the old world. “I’m just a machine. My fate should be hard-wired into this case of metal and gears.”

“If the Omniverse has taught us anything,” Mickey offered as Proto Man brought the whistle to his lips. “It’s that we can all make our own history.”

Proto Man smiled before playing a short melody from the past for the pair of disenchanted primes.

[Ricter]

Walking around it was starting to become a little late, the night time sky had rolled in while he was enjoying his time with Marisa and even having something nice to drink. Which he was still surprised that something like sake was actually a thing, or could even be made out of rice of all things. Probably opening up a bunch of things to him to try out or even make, but by no means would he aim to become some kind of brew master but he did enjoy the taste of alcohol. Still a little flustered as he would sit down in an open field, flowers being around him and what not, the sparkling of stars would begin to dot the open blank space above.

Normally by now he would want to got to bed, maybe to get some rest for when the tournament would begin, however he would also think about what he could do in the mean time, like maybe practice? Or work out? Or even just inspect his weapon. He didn’t know what he could maybe do to help his chances of not dying, he had no real plan besides be defensive and if need be attack if he was in danger or found an opening. But he’d wait to see what happened with the tournament when it would start, for now he focused on a small game plan and more so just watching streaks move across space.

This made him wonder if this realm was just more than a planet, that if they explored the stars they would go and see what was around them. Not that he had a space ship in mind, but their was plenty of people here that could probably warp to locations far from their purview, but this was just his mind still coping with being a little buzzed. Eventually though he’d begin to calm down once his mind started to feel a lot less foggy, even taking out a note pad to put down how he felt and what he was experiencing. Which oddly enough he did that for most poisons or diseases, he’d ingest it, let it take its course and before he died he’d simply heal himself so that he wouldn’t. Then finally he’d ensure that he write down everything, that way he could better cure the virus or poison in general, adding what ever the cure was to his weapon via enhancements and things of that nature.

So his main goal here was research, to see if he could find things he couldn’t cure normally, well…’normally’ shouldn’t be the word for it, more so what he couldn’t cure with his special magic sword. “Sake seems to have an odd sensation on the body, leading to an intoxicated feeling of warmth that makes the brain work a bit slower. Or at least that's what I felt, over all the sensation is a deep warmth, its enjoyable but more research should be made before I make more definitive judgement on the substance. This shall be something I’ll look into later on after this tournament is over, for the time being ingesting too much should be avoided as I worry it might leave me in a constant state of indulgence. Which doesn’t sound bad but if it is toxic I’d rather not be poisoned by it or gain an addiction.”

With his writing done he would look over to his weapon, slinging off his sword from his back as he placed it in front of himself he would thumb over the handle. He would unsheathe it for a moment, the blade looked fairly normal, nothing different about it at all besides it looked like a typical broad sword. The hilt was wrapped in leather and had a stainless steel appearance over all, as he thumbed his finger along the face of the blade he caused small ‘sigils’ to pop up, similar to runes. They were numerous but over all they seemed to be collected in front of him as they pulled off the sword and floated a few feet from his face.

Using his own magic from where he was from he could see them, they showed what was basically implanted in his own sword, showing the effects but only if you could read the language. After cutting his finger he began feeling a lot less joy filled and warm. Which sucked, but shaking off the prospect of drinking more he’d simply begin streaking his finger along the sword now, writing a new rune to add too it. Surely the weapon was still a sword, made to kill people, but it was so focused on repairing damage and healing others that it was starting to become less of a weapon and more like a clerics staff, which for what he was writing was the first thing that would at least be semi-offensive ever.

But it wasn’t for himself, or at least he didn’t plan on making it for himself, his plan was to make it for the soul use of aiding his companions, which he had no combat oriented companions yet but given how the omniverse worked that wouldn’t be very long before it would eventually happen. Minutes would pass and eventually he would be done, surely he’d need to test it out now, which would be as simple as meditating and letting it rest in his lap. Feeling energy channel into the weapon before vanishing soon after, at least this part worked, for the next part he’d need to entrust that he wrote his spell correctly, so when he had a partner he would figure out if it was.

Eventually he’d place it away, not needing to draw it again till he would be in the proceeding fights, looking up at the sky and enjoying the star shower while sitting in a field.

Sitting in a field, watching the sky, relaxing

[Jak Mar]

Jak and Daxter didn’t step out as much as being pushed toward the hallways very long before a fight broke out between three of the primes ready to fight in DA. One golden man, one with rounded ears and one machine man.

Jak’s own brownish bronze armor reflected off light, stepping back as Daxter casually pointed out that the golden locked man was a king.

This sure brought back flashbacks.

It almost seemed like Jak was thinking of something when it was a mish mash of his sides colliding all at once with his memories

“Prince Jak, heir to the house of Mar.”

“I don’t want to be a king. I just want to explore”

“King of what?”

“A home that doesn’t exist?”

The ottsel sighed as he shook Jak a bit.

The wastelander looked back “Hey Dax, who is he?”

Daxter blinked “It’s been ages since I’ve visited Nippur, I think he’s Gilgamesh...King of Nippur” or some title like that?”

Jak frowned “Dax, just be careful, ok? I already don’t want to start a fight with Nippur before it even began.

The ottsel ignored the others leaving the hallways but saw a red shirted man with short blonde hair and sunglasses.

“Hey Jak, over there. That guy seems alright, after all he’s kept to himself since we got here.”

Jak eyed the ottsel and nodded. After all, it’s better to make a friend than to stand here staring at each other.

The Wastelander prince nodded “Hey there, stranger?” almost expecting him to lash out at the eco warrior and his friend.

However, the man didn’t seem like he was listening, he had headphones jamming to the latest in Omniverse hits.
Daxter hopped off of Jak’s shoulder and climbed up the man “Hey pal! We are talking’ to YOU!”

Jak and Daxter are in the hallway

[Desman Black]

Desman looked up at the ceiling, motionless save for when he would rub any loose tears from his eyes. The motion felt foreign, alluding to how long it had actually been since he had been human.
Now it’s like the world had reset.

But was that a miracle, should it be a change to start over, or was it a curse, knowing that all you did meant nothing, all little effect that there is not even something to remind you of it. If Desman had a choice, would he have chosen to turn back into a human?

“Aaaahhhh~” A long drawn out moan interrupted Desman’s thinking. Partly because it sounded familiar, mostly because of how loud it was. The 2nd one solidified what he was hearing, Ash was in the next room.

[Dave Strider]

As Dave sat against the side of the hall listening to some fat omniverse beats, a small creature came and climbed up to his shoulder, trying to grab his attention. Dave pulled off his earbuds and let them rest around his neck.

“Sup, you guys competing in the whole tournament thing too?”

“Nice to see you actually can hear us. Yeah, we’re gonna go and kick some ass. You a Prime too?”

“Yup. Already died like five times. Figured one more time bathing in the fountain would be good for my skin.”

“Ha, that’s a good one.”

By this time, Jak had arrived to greet the Knight of Time.

“Hey there, name’s Jak, and I see you’ve met my partner, Dax. Hope we didn’t disturb you, we were just looking around to see who wanted to talk.” Jak rubbed the back of his head and gave a friendly smile.

“It’s chill.” Dave shrugged. “ My first time here so I’m just seeing what everyone else is doing. You guys done this before?”

“A few times,” Jak replied, just before Dax cut in.

“Hell yeah, and we wrecked house! We haven’t won but we’ve managed to get far. Haven’t you heard of us?”

Dave shrugged again. “Maybe, a bunch of names and crap in the dataverse, it’s hard to remember everyone. Anyways, how the hell do you win these things anyway, it seems like all the guys with the biggest guns are gonna be the ones to win. I mean, I have some shitty sword and some time shenanigans but that’s about it.” Dave summoned Caledscratch, giving it a bit of a nonchalant flip before planting it into the ground.

The small ottsel was the first to respond, seeming to prep for a story.“Neat, and yeah, we have a bit of experience with all of this, so lemme tell you how it goes…”

Dave is chilling with Jak and Dax in the main hall

[Harley Quinn]

This place has to be this universe’s Taj Mahal because it's pretty classy.  I can't even remember being at a spot this snazy in what felt like centuries. Shortly after arriving, a short little bellhop with stinky shoes kindly asked me if I needed help finding any place I desired to go. 

"Oh Yes, I would love the help. I'm as a nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."

He blinked and said nothing before swallowing hard, "would you like to go rest or perhaps have a fresh meal to help with your---chairs?"

"That sounds wonderful, but I was thinking something a little harder," I said, pausing to take in the upscale meeting area, "is there someplace a girl like me can get a drink around here?"

I swear if this place did not have any liquor, I was going to turn around and go right back to Big Daddy's Club. Thankfully, the cute little slave told me where the bar was, and I headed there right away. There are not too many people in the lobby currently, and I wondered how late I was for the tournament.

The voice of someone of distressed and angry broke my trance, and it was coming from somewhere up ahead. Down the hallway, an adorable mouse, a spaceman, and a golden boy stood confrontationally around each other.  The aggression came once the flashy one  bellowed "now which one of you is the ‘good person’ who stole from me?” 

Rocketman responded with a crushing blow from a sucker punch. The power from the assault was enough to send goldilocks to the wall behind him.  I did not expect to see any action so soon, so this altercation was truly exciting. I let out a psychotic chuckle and cheered "Get him!" while hopping up and down in excitement. My fun was short-lived though because security broke it up before it even started, how disappointing. Hopefully, the drinks here won't be as anti-climatic.

Swuav patterned printed carpet lead the way to a cantina, like the yellow brick road to booze.  In a matter of moments, I made my way through the sanctuary, and found the room where they kept the good stuff. Jazzy tunes crept out from the open corridor where the bar lay beyond. Perfect, now I can relax, and get a handle on this whole Duke's Invasion event.

Before I could walk through the breezeway into the saloon before me, the racket of something unexpected and familiar stopped me dead in my tracks. Is that moaning I hear? Intrigued I tried to pinpoint where the dirty deed was going on. If it's the rated R, backstage, VIP area, I wanted in. 

Before I could investigate further however, a ginger-haired fellow rushed past me with a panic-stricken look on his face. I couldn't help but to laugh out loud, “must be the boyfriend” I teased.  Sex and a show! I'm not ready to get into that kind of mischief, not without a few drinks first!

Deangelos Descent is not like anything I expected, and there was excitement at every turn. I wonder what would happen next I thought to myself as I made my way to the bar. 

The bartender smiled asked pleasantly, "what can I get you?" while polishing a shot glass. He was a decent looking gentleman, tall, with broad shoulders, and a sweet dimple smile. I wonder if employees are off the market or not?

Biting on my bottom lip, I replied, "Can I get some whiskey, sugar?" followed by a wink.  Faster than I can say sassafras, I had a beautiful ember shot sitting in front of me.  Without a second to spare and with two taps to the bottom of the shot glass on the bar, I downed it like a champ. "Can you keep them coming, sweetheart?"

[Bandit With No Name]

The barrack’s wall trembled, the smooth white walls shuddering only slightly compared to the titanic thump that echoed in the hallway outside. The woman’s dark eyes narrowed and her hands found their familiar grip of her oversized weapon’s handle. Without looking away from the doorway, she spoke to the two secondaries who had only moments ago been in the middle of a mindful exercise.  

“Stay here. I’m gonna see what it’s all about.”

With that, she made her way to the side of the doorway, peeking out into the maelstrom of flashbulbs and grabbing hands, Syntech employees and news people scrambling to both stop and stoke the growing inferno of passion that happened in the main chamber of the Dante’s Abyss superstructure.

Gilgamesh, who she knew by the softly uttered rumors of so many would-be raiders, was being dragged away from a young boy, clad in red armor who was equally being restrained by the local security. She shuddered for a moment, thinking of the fragile hands that clung to the prime’s clothing. The image of their shattering bones, their winking lives, flashed through her mind. She knew that the Golden King would think nothing of ripping them into their component organs if there wasn’t the threat of a ban looming overhead.

The young man’s physical strength was evident as well, almost six full-grown security people unable to really control him despite their strained faces and scrambling hands. These bastards were barely capable of keeping a wall of photographers from bum-rushing a celebrity, and yet here they clung to primes like ants trying to kill a rat.

With a hiss and a clang, a security door snapped down, sequestering the two from each other before the really rough stuff could start. When the young man relaxed and jerked away from the guards, still yammering something, she let out a sigh of relief. Her hammer sagged in her hands as every muscle in her body unclenched, and she cast a glance back to her friends and nodded reassuringly. “I think it’s over, whatever the hell it was.”

She cocked her head to the hallway, “I’m gonna go ask around, see what was up. You guys cool to hang here for a second?” When her companions, seemingly keen to stay away from the bustle, confirmed that they would be fine, she strode into the eerie quiet that followed in the wake of the commotion.

The young boy and his armor were now slumped against the wall across from a large, cartoonishly anthropomorphized mouse. It wasn’t the biggest giant rodent she’d ever seen, but it certainly looked the friendliest. He wore giant yellow shoes that she might expect to see on a clown, a black shirt with yellow buttons and white trim, and red trousers with some kind of blue strap keeping them anime-style fresh. Neither of them looked particularly emboldened by the exchange with Gilgamesh, both wearing dour faces and despondent postures slumped up against the wall.

When the crowd had mostly dispersed out of either fear or boredom, she walked over to the big mouse slowly. Despite being relatively large for a mouse, it was still only about a third of her size, and so when knelt down beside it and offered a weak smile. “Yo, I heard the commotion. You all good?”

The mouse looked up and responded with a chipper, high-pitched voice that belied his somber mood. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” he followed it up with a short but peppy laugh. “There’s just a lot of history between us and that guy, that’s all.”

The woman pivoted and joined the mouse, plopping down beside it on the wall. Her metal armor scraped and whined as she settled in, and Sledge’s Hammer hit the ground with a clang. She propped her arms on her knees and looked up to the ceiling with distant focus. “Yeah, I know that feeling, dude.” She offered her rugged hand to the rodent, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Mickey Mouse!” he replied enthusiastically, taking up her hand in a giant white glove. There hadn’t been too many cartoon style people in the Dunes, and this was the first time she had ever made any contact with their more disproportionate features. The glove was soft and yielding, as if it was made of stuffing and cloth, and yet it had the firmness of something much more real. “What’s your name?”

She offered a smirk and returned her attention to the oversized ceiling panels. “Don’t have one. Dude that created me never gave me one.”

Mickey’s eyes opened a little wider than their already massive frames. “Oh, you’re a secondary?” he asked innocently.

A rough chuckle echoed from her throat. “Not anymore.” She shook her head, her dreads tumbling about as she did so. “It’s complicated, but I’m a prime now.” She gestured to the still-closed security gate. “So what was the fight over?”

Mickey’s scowl returned, but with new conviction. “I thought we got rid of Gilgamesh a long time ago. He’s a no-good guy, that’s for sure!”

She nodded knowingly, “Yeah, most of the big names are pretty shitty. But, ya know,” her hand bobbed back and forth in front of her, teetering on the edge of indecision, “not as bad as a lot of the other dudes in charge things out there. His folks get fed. Relatively few are killed in raids by people like the old me.” She shrugged limply. “So, not really awful by Omniverse standards.”

A fire alit within the mouse, and his relatively mirthful tone shifted towards something darker. “He uses people for his own gain!”

The bandit’s lips curled down into a “meh” pose and she lifted her palms up apathetically. “Eh. Seems like everyone does that. Palpatine built the entire Empire on that concept. Same goes for all the dudes in Camelot. People in power only want power because they get something out of it.” She gestured widely to the sprawling structure before them. “Hell, even Karl is probably rolling in the omnilium by creating something this big with so many eyes on it.”

“Karl Jak is another one I’d like to get my hands on,” Mickey brooded, his eyebrows curled in anger.

“Whaaaaat?” the nameless woman laughed, “Karl is fuckin’ great!”

Mickey scrambled up to his feet and held his bafflingly large fist up. “This whole thing is built on violence! It’s built on hate! It uses these people just so they can get ground up in his machine!”

The desert warrior laughed again with a hint of bitterness. She looked up at him from her relaxed position with a lingering smile. “They’re primes, Mickey. We’re all primes here. Violence literally doesn’t matter to us. I can fight and die, and trust me I gave that whirl already, and I’ll come out the other side a little woozy with a brand new body.” She looked into his eyes with earnestness, if a bit of condescension, “We don’t face any consequences here, my dude. Nothing we do or say or break or have broken- none of it means anything to us. The only people that are hurt by death are the people that haven’t figured it out yet.” An exceptionally jacked skeleton in purple robes strode by, laughing in a high pitched cackle. “… And I guess people that want to consolidate power for themselves, but fuck those guys.”

She grunted and got up to her feet, now looming over the cartoon mouse with horrible presence. “But do you know who does have to face consequences in this god-forsaken place?” Her finger extended and thrust towards a portly, sweating hot-dog vendor who was in the middle of clumsily dropping a sausage into a bun. “Them. Secondaries. The people this verse and every other verse was built on the backs of.”

“But that’s what I mean!” Mickey retorted, his anger from his encounter with Gilgamesh still not quite out of his system. “Karl Jak and Gilgamesh and all the rest exploit these people for their own means!”

“That guy?” the heavy-metal maiden asked with a perplexed expression. “That dude is selling hot dogs. That’s probably what he was literally made to do. I’m not a huge fan of people just popping off fully realized conscious human beings just so they can pad their concessions staff, but how the hell is that guy being oppressed? He’s working. He’s getting what he needs out of his life. He might not be happiest dude ever, but it’s not like he’s working under the worst conditions or anything. He’s just… a dude. Doing his job, making a few bucks. He’s gonna get to watch the show.” She snapped her fingers crisply, “And that’s the beauty of Dante’s Abyss! The show!”

She spread her arms wide and did an almost whimsical turn in the middle of the hallway, reveling in the glory of the work of art that surrounded her. “Secondaries across all the verse get to watch some primes beat the ever-living shit out of each other! They get to see primes struggle and die. They get to see them try so hard and fail every year! That’s the glory of it all. We used to huddle up around our tiny little TV in the middle of the desert and laugh and hoot and holler because we got to see you bastards fail. We got to see you get your arms ripped off and shit, we got to see you die, just like what happens to us every goddamn day.” Her once-jovial laugh turned somewhat maniacal. “There’s not enough good I can say about this spectacle, man. It does the heart of the downtrodden so good to see their oppressors get stomped to shit.”

[Jak Mar]

Daxter eyes his half phone and half communication device and gets Jak’s attention.”I just checked registration lists and a familiar name just popped up.”

Jak raised a green fuzzy eyebrow “Who?” 

Daxter blinked, almost shocked himself. “Retane. You know from years ago?”

Jak stopped in his tracks “Holy crap, Retane is back?” That brought him back to his first year in the Omniverse. Memories of the tangled greens adventures with Torn and the others came flooding back. 

Daxter frowns, serious “That must mean the horsemen are back.”

Jak looked up with a mix of seriousness and shock “It’s been years.”

He looked over at Dave and nods “Well, Dante’s abyss starts with some sort of theme. This year is tag teams.”

Daxter nods “Last year was tag teams too, right Jak?”

The wastelander nodded “Of course.”

He just seemed to be staring. Daxter turned and looked at his buddy “Hey Jak, buddy, Hellllllo??”!

Of course the first thing on his mind was Retane, so many old faces appearing made memories come flashing back.

First off Torn dying. That hit him like a sack of bricks. How the hell was he going to tell Retane this?

Jak, without realizing, was silent for at least a few seconds “Dax, I want you to go find Retane. I need to think for a few.” 

The horseman was oddly silent for a while as he sighed. He had all but pushed Coruscant back in his mind for a long time off and yet things came rushing back now.

He can’t be weak now, This was a dog-eat-dog world and only the strong survived here. At least that would be what his estranged father Damus would say, and Sig would frown.

[Retane]

Retane walked through the portal and pushed past the the crowd, letting Arith lead the way. Inirtias stuck close to Retane feeling a bit uneasy. "It's ok, Inirtias, relax. This isn't exactly going to be a tournament about killing. It never has been. It's always been more about surviving."

"So you are saying no one is going to die?" The elf seemed intrigued.

The Leader of The Horsemen shook his head, "No, people are going to die. But that isnt't the objective here. It's to survive. It's to win."

"Yeah and to survive, you may or may to have to kill to win."Inirtias was snide, but trying to be light hearted. Still he was nervous.

"Yeah. If you don't want to be a part of it, I'll understand. I just summoned you so that you could be here with me." The Emerald Warrior looked at his elven comrade, and gave a nod.

"So random teamamates, this is new for you?" Inritias knew that Retane was questioning everything.

"In the Abyss? Not so much. Anyone can be an ally, and everyone always winds up being an enemy in the end. But it's not always that, either. Your soul is at risk. This shit eats at you., but you still keep coming back." Retane paused for a moment.

"Why?" They had stopped for a moment in a crowd, everyone pushing their way through.

Retane paused for a moment thinking about everything that had happened in his past event. "I don't know. Maybe it's to become Number One. First place. For me, honestly, there's something about the place that calls to me. It's like I am compelled to join and try to defeat it. There is only one way to defeat it, though, and that is to win."

"I actually understand. I feel sorry for you Retane, and I will do whatever you summon me to do once these event's start." The Lythian wiped an eye free of liquid.

Retane nodded and followed Arith, who was acting as his 'Hype Man', using his sabers to part ways.

The namekian took the time to think about it all. He was about to be partnered up with a random person, in a random battlefield, and they'd have to fight agaisnt two others in the same situation. This Was Dante's Abyss. He lived for this shit. Jack Frost and Tapion wouldn't be here, but there was a chance he could find another member of The Horsemen. Winding up agaisnt a Horsemen, would mean taking them to the limit to ensure they were at their peak.

Retane smiled.

The Namekian haulted after he bumped into Arith who had his head cocked. Retane noted then that he was in a hallway and literally standing behind an old friend.

“Dax, I want you to go find Retane. I need to think for a few.”

The ottsel nodded and started to run off, but stopped and was about to yell as he saw the Trio approach. Inirtias nodded and used his hand in a 'hush' manner and offered him his second to climb up on. Retane motioned for Arith and Inirtias to walk away with Dax. Sadly, it was Inirtias that had to muffle them both as he dragged them away.

"You don't need to find me. I'm right behind you."

Jax's big ears perked up and he whipped around, "Retane!"

The Leader of The Horsemen nodded, " Jak, It's been a long time."

The elvish warrior looked away, "We tried."

"Calm down boy. Focus. Look at me!" The Emerlad Fiend had his eyes wide, ignoring everyone that passed.

Jak Mar squnited for a moment but finally met eyes with the Namekian.

"You look a bit shaken. Calm down. Focus. We are The Horsemen. Win or Lose. We are who we are. Even if we die, we keep going." The namekian paused and looked down as a tea fell from his eye. He looked back up with anger. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I promised I would be. I am so sory about Torn."

Tears of rage started to fill The Leader of The Horsemen's eyes and his upper lip started to curl in anger as he finally gave way to his emotions. Jak offered a hand on the Namek's shoulder and nodded, "I'm glad you are back. Torn died doing his job."

Retane calmed himself a bit and shook his head, "If I was there..."

"It's not your fault!" Jak seemed to feel guilty about it as well.

The Namek nodded, shaking his head, 'We will get him back. I promise you."

Jak nodded, looking insecure. "You've been asleep for a while.."

The Horsemen nodded, "I know. Catch me up."

[Jak Mar]

Jak nodded and said “Where to start?”

After Coruscant, trying to rescue Torn, I got blacklisted from Coruscant along with some friends. Desman and Ash helped me when my dark side took over me for the first time.

The eco warrior nodded “It’s hard… to explain about that.”

“But in the meantime, my father came back and I drunkenly summoned my old girlfriend, Ashelin. She was Torn’s friend.”

“Afterwards, a hotel Desman owned. Ash went back to Coruscant and got banished, Desman followed.

They only returned from the Underverse not too long ago.

Last Year’s DA made Jak blink and sigh “I got paired with Deadpool, we made a good team that year.”

The eco warrior looked over at Retane “There’s a lot of new primes that have come and went over time. There’s also factions that are growing such as Westside, the Avengers and Nippur.

“Me and Dax did some searching for Nippur only to make a enemy named Victor Wolfe. Careful, he and other Nippur folk are around. I only recently ran across him with Daxter.

Daxter’s got his own gutsy move and took on NB himself with a friend.

[Gilgamesh]

Hands were pressed against Gilgamesh’s back as he was escorted out of the room. Two other Syntech Agents were pulling at Gilgamesh’s arms until they had left the room, with a door quickly shutting behind them. With a sneer, Gil tore his arms from the agent’s grasp and bared his teeth. Transfering all of his fury onto the Agents, Gilgamesh screamed at them.

“That is enough! I will not be manhandled!” His breathing was heavy and his blood felt as if it were boiling over. He took an aggressive step towards the trio of agents, expecting some sort of fear from them. However, they like machinery and were completely unphased by his aggressive demeanor. Their faces looked more bored than frightened and each of them had a glazed look in their eye. Their indifference unsettled Gilgamesh, mixing his absolute hatred with confusion.

“Please refrain from fighting with other competitors. We hope you avoid future conflicts and enjoy the rest of your stay.” Giving the King a forced smile, the trio swiftly turned around with no interaction. Goosebumps rose on his skin as he scoffed at them. Though he brushed off the interaction, the whole Danteverse disturbed him. It seemed so ...fake.

Swiftly turning away, Gilgamesh walked aimlessly down the rest of the hall with a scowl on his face and his fists clenched. Brushing past many competitors as he walked by, Gilgamesh looked for something to take his mind of the two villains. The idea that either of them call themselves heroes disgusted Gilgamesh but even more so infuriated him. Their idealistic visions will do nothing but bring misery. He prayed for the moment that he could teach them this lesson. He smirked, maybe this competition will bring them on the wrong side of his sword.

Blinking rapidly, Gil for a moment had no idea where he was. Being lost in thought, his idle walking had brought him into an unfamiliar situation. The practice swords on the wall and the plethora of dummies, however, gave the King a good guess of what this place was to be used for. A resounding *thwack* echoed through the room with a loud grunt accompanying it. A few seconds passed until another *thwack*. Intrigued, Gilgamesh took a few steps forward in the empty gym passing by empty hall after empty hall, with the fierce sounds growing ever louder.

As Gil reached the end of the hallway, he noticed Yu Kanda mercilessly battling a wooden dummy with a Shinai. Sweat dripped down the excorsist’s forehead, his face battle-hardened and stoic. His breathing was heavier than normal and his aggressive stand made him seem as angry as the King was. He swung the Shinai once more, knocking the dummy forcefully of its ‘feet’ and onto the floor.

Inspiring Gilgamesh to take his own frustrations out on the helpless dummies, the King took one of the Shinai on the wall. He examined the bamboo sword casually before leaping forward and striking a different dummy than Kanda. Kanda, slightly startled, brought up his sword in a defensive stand against Gil before realizing who it was. While he brought down his sword, the frown on his face lingered. Without speaking, Kanda turned back to the target and delivered another quick strike.


Raising an eyebrow at the swordsman, Gilgamesh leaned against the wall and probed him a bit. “What can bother the almighty exorcist I wonder?” Gilgamesh questioned sarcastically, his joking demeanor alleviating some of his anger. Kanda returned the banter with a deadly glare, smacking the dummy with another strike. The Swordsman raised his shinai up for a strike, but was intercepted by Gilgamesh’s. Kanda’s faced jerked and gave him another dirty look. Gil returned with a mixture of seriousness and empathy.

“What’s wrong?” Gil’s almost magical voice was indescribably smooth and wrapped itself around Kanda, lifting a bit of weight off of his chest. Lowering his sword, the exorcist’s face softened a bit. Eventually letting his sword rest upon the floor, Kanda let out a frustrated sigh.

“A horrible succubus has been taunting me and your Lord has been doing nothing but provoking him. Why is he one of your lords anyways?” Kanda cast his eyes down in shame as he spoke, a bit embarrassed by the fact he has been helpless about the fact. The surprise of Gilgamesh’s soft hand on his shoulder startled Kanda, looking up into Gilgamesh’s charismatic eyes.

Taking the time to collect his thoughts, Gilgamesh spoke. “Loyalty is hard to come by in the Dunes. I was gone for two entire years and he still serves me? So many mongrels rebel against me, loyalty needs to be rewarded.”

Kanda nodded, but Gilgamesh returned with a sly smirk. “Although if you’re lucky you might be able to kick both their asses in this event.” Kanda returned the King’s smile and his entire demeanor brightened. Gil walked in front of Kanda and rose his sword to challenge his.

“Now why don’t you try hitting a moving target?”

Kanda and Gil are in the Gym sparring each other

[Handsome Jack]

Nausea washed over Handsome Jack as he stepped from the fading light of the teleporter. He’d always hated travelling that way. The whole process of getting disintegrated then 3D printed somewhere else just kinda unnerved the man. Like, when it was all said and done, could you even be sure you were still YOU anymore?

After taking a few, good, deep breaths to settle his stomach, and his nerves, Jack stood up a little straighter and took in his surroundings. Honestly? There wasn’t much to see. Just a long hallway, kind of plain for HJ’s tastes, but functional, he supposed. Peoples milled back and forth between the doorways set evenly along each side, some of which were Syntech employees like the one who had helped him through the registration process.

The others, Jack had to assume were contestants like himself. Some of them seemed the fighting type, even if they looked pretty weird, but HJ was pretty sure he’d spotted one or two apparent children moving about as well. What the hell was going on here? Like, were they just visiting, or did they just have shit parents who let them enter death tournaments? Jack motioned over a young woman with a Syntech logo on her shirt to ask.

“Uh, hi. Handsome Jack,” he began, motioning to himself. “Listen, pudding. What’s up with the kids? And the… aliens? I guess? I don’t know what to call the green guy. Maybe he just likes cosplaying… anyway, what the hell is going on? You let kids enter your murder fights? That’s some fucked up shit.”

“Well, sir,” the lady said with a sigh of long patience, “Everyone in this tournament is a Prime. Even if they die, they’ll just come back after a few days like nothing happened. And, they signed the appropriate waivers and the like, just the same as you. If you have a problem with Syntech’s policies, you may direct your complaints to Customer Serv-”

“Alright, fine. Whatever. Just… just go,” Jack grumbled sullenly, fighting down the sudden urge to just put a bullet between her condescending eyebrows. He couldn’t afford to be disqualified before he even had a chance to win anything.

And see, that was the whole reason he’d even decided to go along with this whole thing. The rewards. He was, what the dead man had called, Fountain Fresh. Jack understood enough about how these things worked to know that meant he was at the bottom of the totem pole. Without some kind of leg-up, he’d be stuck being someone else’s bitch, instead of calling the shots like he should be. Little slaughterfests like these always had a few goodies waiting at the end, something Jack could use to make his own life a little easier.

All he had to do was murder everyone else and it’d be his for the taking. And if there was one thing Handsome Jack was good at… it was killing people for his own personal gain.

Jack is in the Hallway

[Ahana Varma]

I stare at the empty table for a moment, then sigh and get to my feet, shaking my head slightly. These New Babylonian Primes are certainly an odd bunch. First Marisa took off with that Ricter guy, then Shantotto had left with a seemingly timid woman in a plain robe… that girl hadn’t given her name, so it could be that she wasn’t a contender herself, but simply a Secondary? The doctor’s apprentice, perhaps?

Next, Victor headed away, seemingly not even having noticed that half the group was already gone by this point, so distracted he had been by something or other. He instructed his daughter to keep the group under control, then left. Valerie had managed to stay calm for all of five seconds or so… just long enough for Erik to begin to relax, then she darted off.

I admit, I that got a grin out of me. The nobleman lunged up out of his seat and darted after her without a backwards glance, calling out her name and practically begging her to stop, as the little girl disappeared into a heaving crowd which happened to be passing by just outside the library’s door at that moment. Cursing, the noble shoved his way into the press as best he could. It wasn’t hard to imagine that he was worried that his boss would be pissed at him if he allowed one of the event’s… less morally upstanding participants, to get their hands on her.

In the highly likely event that the girl was just a Secondary whom he had summoned himself, she wouldn’t even be coming back from the dead if anything happened. So yeah, Erik would probably be totally fucked if he let her get hurt on his watch… I suppose one of the perks of being a low-ranking member of the club is that I’m not trusted with anything as important (yet still exceedingly dull) as minding other people’s children.

That said, after a few moments of sitting alone it occurs to me that I have literally nothing else to do anyway… hence why I get up with a sigh. Leaving the library, the throng has lessened somewhat, so I’m able to slip through the crowd with relative ease. It also doesn’t prove that great a challenge to locate the noble and his charge, since it isn’t long before I hear the little girl’s voice as she calls out for her father.

Following the sound, I quickly locate and approach the hyperactive girl and her harried-looking minder, “How’s childcare duty suiting you, nobleman?”

I ask the question as innocently I can, doing an admirable job—if I do say so myself—of not laughing or smirking at how stressed-out he seems, as we follow along behind Valerie, more focused on looking out for anyone who might do her harm than on where exactly it is that we’re going. He glares at me and speaks sarcastically, apparently having no trouble seeing through my facade, “I’m just dandy.”

This time I do smirk. Before I can reply, though, Valerie has headed through a doorway which a quick glance to the side at a sign on the wall tells me is the ‘Barracks’. We start to head through after her and immediately draw up short at the sound of a loud, feminine moan from behind one of the doors.

“Huh? What was-?” the child begins, but the noble—his face ashen—doesn’t even give her time to finish her question.

“No!” he barks, hauling her roughly back out and slamming the door the door shut. The last thing I see before the entrance is closed in a glum-looking red-headed man, sitting on the floor outside the room from which the all-too-audible noise originated. Odd, that.

Back home, where I lived, group intercourse was hardly uncommon… that’s just what happens when the vast majority of a population are both polygamous and pansexual, I guess… but I have seen plenty of other places and cultures during the wars in which I fought, so I know that not everyone shares our enlightened outlook. If I had to guess then I’d say their little group must have decided to take turns and he’s moody because he drew the short straw and so had to wait a bit.

“Forget you heard that!” the noble barks, dragging Valerie away so she can’t try and get back inside, “Don’t even think about it!”

“But-!”

“No buts!” there’s a surprising harshness in his tone, and it seems to get through to her. Pouting sullenly, she stops complaining, and when he releases her, she makes no attempt to head back into the forbidden zone. He speaks again, more gently this time, “Let’s go somewhere else, Valerie. You can always see your father again when he’s done.”

“Done?” she asks, looking at him in confusion.

“Ah, uh,” he stammers slightly. I look across at him as well, then grin after a second as I realise what he means. After hearing someone loudly having sex in a public sleeping area, he has automatically assumed it to be his boss. Oh yeah, I was certainly correct earlier, these Nippurians are a weird bunch to be sure, “I mean, when he’s done roaming around the facility here… I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.”

“Right...” she says uncertainty, then waves towards another door, “let’s try this one!”

Together, Erik and I look over at the plaque bearing the room’s name… this one is the Dojo & Gym. Plenty of ways for a young kid to get hurt in here, of course, but at least the noble won’t have to worry about mentally scarring her by letting her watch some horny couple going at it.

We follow her in quickly, and realise she’s stopped just beyond the entrance and is staring up at two men sparring with swords in a square-shaped fighting ring. One of them wears a uniform similar to that of the Nippurian Guards, minus the overcoat, in place of which he has on a sleeveless shirt. Given his presence here in the tournament, I'd imagine that this can be no average guard, but must be their captain—Kanda—whom Gilgamesh had mentioned in passing to me once before. The other is clad in gorgeous, golden platemail.

Both men wear expressions of intense focus as their blades clash against one another. Their swings, parries and thrusts almost two fast for my eyes to follow… there’s no question that these two are far better combattants than I could ever hope to be. Their fight is like a dance. A form of art. My heart sings as I gaze upon the God-King of Nippur in rapturous awe. I clasp my hands before my chest, as if in prayer, muttering softly, almost to myself, “My king...”

[Cell]

Cell blinked into the hallway. He looked at his hand and flexed his fingers. The teleportation felt a lot like Instant Transmission, though it didn’t require a source of energy to lock onto, nor did he consciously direct the movement. As far as he knew, no such technology existed in his universe; only the teleportation technique he and Goku knew. What else did this dimension hold?
 
His surroundings were quite plain. A long hallway stretched out in front of him with an assortment of doors heading off in different directions on its sides. A lot of people milled about, going through the doors while others hung around chatting. Cell narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd. He almost expected to see an orange and blue gi or the black spiky hair so characteristic of the saiyans. His jaw set when he considered that the little half-breed runt might be nearby. No, he wouldn’t fight for the fun of it. That was Goku, not his son.
 
Cell frowned. He tried to size up his potential competitors in front of him, but for some reason, his ki sense was malfunctioning. He focused harder but still nothing came to him. So many of them looked like weaklings, but how could he be sure without sensing their energy?
 
One member in particular caught his eye, though. A tall, muscular man, his long golden hair spiked, stood with another woman, his turquoise eyes sharp. It might just be a stylistic coincidence, but was that contestant a Super Saiyan? How could Cell be unaware of a saiyan, especially one with such power? He had only known of four, and yet here stood this mysterious figure.
 
Cell approached. His blue eyes flicked to the woman for a moment but settled back on his original target. “Hello. My name is Cell. You wouldn’t happen to be a saiyan now, would you?”

[Schwi Dola]

With a flash of light, an Angel clad in little whose beauty could be no less described than as divine appeared over the teleportor pad. She smiled and surveyed the area before her. Called Jibril, her eyes sparkled as she observed the many new and unusual species before her. Even just in front of her, a creature of all green skin with black spots and odd greet parts like a low class Demonia. It appeared to Jibril that its body was constructed in such a way that its skin was thickened and armor-like as what the Dwarves might wear to protect themselves. It was a small detail that surely the god that created it had designed it to fight. Of course, a powerful god would create their race in any form they pleased without the need to resort to petty things such as physics to protect them but such efforts were endlessly amusing to Jibril. If its god were going to go this route, why wouldn't he design something similar to Dragonia to sport massive size and power?

Jibrl floated slowly through the corridor looking intently and memorizing the faces and attributes of everyone nearby. A majority of them were immanity or at least to appeared to be. Since arriving to Omniverse Jibril had learned that even some Humans in this world were created by gods instead of the god-less immanity she knew, and could even use magic or technology akin to the dwarves. It was the standard intelligent life design so it was only natural when so many planets mixed that many similar to humans would be here. Jibril had to actively remind herself not to think too lightly of humans or these other unknown races. Her masters had shown her that even immanities can have strength. At least when they were in a world where violence was against the laws set forth by the One True God. Given enough time immanity may well have won the war had it continued, a race that can infinitely grow through repeated failure. But yet, it wasn't like the raw magical strength that any other race contained and this wasn't a time or place where just wit and cunning will achieve victory.

She flitted down the main hallway. Food and a place to sleep. These were things Jibril did not need, the most she would ever need is rest should she become injured or use all of her magical power. How many days exactly did they plan on taking to complete this tournament? The more time, the more she could observe and gather knowledge about the strange races in this place. Even over there was a being that looked like an Ex Machina variant. It was more primitive, did it also work in a cluster or was it a solo operating unit? Jibril wondered what kind of powers it might have when something caught her eye. A library? Whatever knowledge was contained here, she had to have it. Her eyes sparkled and mouth started to drool as she stared for a few moments at the sign next to the entrance to the library.

[Mickey Mouse]

“How can you say that guy isn’t being oppressed and then turn around call us the oppressors?” Mickey snapped back, standing up and getting a tad heated. “Just because we made them doesn’t mean we get to play Gosh with them. They may be weaker than us, but they deserve a more fair shake than being forced into living the life we decided they should live.” The Bandit looked at Mickey quizzically, confused by the mouse’s relentless optimism.

To be honest, it confused the mouse, as well. What had he seen in this Omniverse that led him to believe it was at all possible to bring senseless violence to an end? When had any of these people—primes and secondaries alike—given him reason to trust they could live in his ideal world? Could he even live in an ideal world? Was violence for the sake of destroying evil something he would just have to get used to? Even Blues had lashed out at Gilgamesh just now, in an attempt to shut down the false king of Heroes. And here he was, putting himself through this competition and potentially hurting tons of people, all for the sliver of a chance he could take down Karl Jak.

A thought crossed Mickey’s mind that he didn’t like very much. Maybe... they were right. About some things, at least. The Bandit’s attitude about secondaries wasn’t something Mickey would ever agree with, but maybe he spent so much time working for peace that he scorned one of the main avenues toward it.

The Bandit stood. “You’re a naive little mouse,” she frowned. “And things like that get you killed by people like Gilgamesh.” Mickey growled a little bit, and stepped toward the woman but was stopped by Proto Man’s metallic arm. He looked to his best friend, who’d remained mostly silent for the duration of the conversation with this stranger.

“Mick,” Blues muttered.

“You talk about how there’s no consequences for us,” Mickey turned back to the former secondary, “but there are. And they’re worse than death, No-Name McGee.”

The Bandit scowled. “Maybe, little mouse.”

“Mickey,” Proto Man interjected, “Let’s get outta here.”

Mickey Mouse looked over at Blues. The preteen machine silently urged the mouse to leave it be, and for the moment, Mickey decided that was best. They’d both gone too far today—Proto Man in trying to fight Gilgamesh, and now Mickey in arguing with this person he didn’t even know.

Mickey looked up to the Bandit, so much taller than he or his best friend, and adopted the warmest smile he could muster. He stuck out a gloved hand. “Agree to disagree, pal?”

The Bandit tentatively shook the mouse king’s hand. “See you on the battlefield, little guy.” And with that she swept away into the crowd. Mickey’s eyes followed her until she disappeared, and then he returned to Blues.

“So... Gilgamesh,” the mouse sighed, “Somehow back from banishment, eh?”

Proto Man frowned. “Yea,” he replied, “I didn’t even know that was possible. And I won’t be in there to help you if you get matched  up with him.” Mickey’s face bunched up as he thought about that for a moment.

He certainly liked to think he could handle Gilgamesh on his own. The gilded king was brash and arrogant and too full of himself to really seem a viable threat, but Mickey hadn’t really been feeling as strong as normal recently. And what types of things had happened to Gilgamesh in the Underverse? Had they made him more powerful? Mickey couldn’t imagine—he’d already squared off pretty competently against the Proto Mouse.

Mickey’s gloved fingers reached into his pocket and found the Potara Earrings, sitting next to the banishment circle. Tentatively, he pulled them out and looked at them. “Well,” he sighed, “I guess there’s no reason I need these in there, then.”

The mouse held out the earrings to Blues. “You take ‘em, buddy,” he smiled. “You’ll keep ‘em safe.”

Blues glanced from the earrings to his best friend’s face, and then reached out, taking the artefact. “I will,” he said, grabbing on to Mickey’s now empty hand and pulling his best friend in for a big hug.

The two pint-sized primes squeezed each other hard.

“Don’t die in there, okay?” Blues asked.

Mickey smiled. “I don’t plan on it, pal.”

Mickey Mouse has given the Potara Earrings to Proto Man.