(Preshow) Preshow Facility

[Link]

Link groaned quietly as he stepped down from the teleporter pad, having arrived in the staging area. Teleportation was never his preferred method of travel, not that he had had much experience with such, regardless, it did little to settle the nerves in the pit of his stomach, the opposite rather. The knot in his stomach felt as though it was twisting and churning, more and more with every passing step that took the Hylian towards the bunch of Primes mingling up ahead. 

The teen Hero grumbled quietly to himself, ducking and siddling his way through the various groups of people he did not recognise. The occasional Prime, however, caught his eye. Mickey and Proto-Man off to the side, to name a couple. He considered approaching the pair, but thought the better of it. He needed to get into the right state of mind if he was to make it anywhere in this tournament. Link sighed and hung his head for a brief moment. 

“Plenty of strong looking Primes about here, hey, Navi?” The Hylian muttered to his Fairy partner. 

“You signed up for it, Link, don’t complain.. Maybe we should head somewhere where you can get back into the swing of things, hm?” Navi chimed, fluttering around the nervous teen’s head. 

“Mh, yeah, sounds like I sho-..” Link started before being cut off by a much larger Prime, who the boy didn’t recognise, nudged into him, knocking him aside. The Hylian grunted and turned to see who had shoved him aside, only to miss him, the Prime had disappeared into the crowd again. 

Link sighed, heavily at that, before turning toward the training area and making his way through the minglers. The boy made his way into the training area and approached a dummy, off to the side of the room, in the hopes he’d not be disturbed, and set about his training with the Master sword.

Link is in the Dojo/gym

[Ricter]

Watching the stars streak across the sky seemed like something the weasel would enjoy a lot, probably because it was a favored past time of when he was back in his own world. He was told that any time a star fell or flew across the sky unlimited possibilities could happen from it, from a new race of people being formed on another planet, to even the destruction of something over all. It was a coin flip on wither it was good or bad but the visual aspect never escaped the beauty that held his attention right now, leaving his bright eyes sparkling from the reflection of dots in the sky.

Eventually though the meteor shower would start to slow down and he’d get up from his position, he didn’t know what was going on right now but it seemed like everyone was more or less going to the gym or barracks, at least that’s what foot traffic showed him. He didn’t want too head to any location with a lot of people, even if it would be helpful to maybe see some sparring, or watch some people try to show off and blow out their backs lifting weights, instead he would probably head back to the library. He had left two books on the table form before, and he wanted to get back too them, or at least write down what he could grab from them as he had some plans to learn about a location in the future.

So as he got up, dusting himself off and walking with his weapon strapped to his back he would take a few nice pictures of the sky before he’d leave, wishing to add it too his own personal photo album. Making his way down the halls he would walk towards the library again, same as before but ahead of him was someone floating in mid air, they didn’t look ‘normal’ as one would guess, instead they looked like a type of robot in some way. Or android, a mix of parts mixed with human features mixed with light constructs that made is mind go blank for a second to wonder whom or what he was looking at for a good few seconds.

Instead of just walking past them, they would try to actually make small talk as he walked over and stopped, asking, “Um hello there, are you doing alright?” She had been staring at the sign for a bit, as if it held some deeper meaning besides the words ‘library facility’ so he would simply ask this of her to ensure she wasn’t going crazy. The creatures he would see was a tan colored mustelid, with white fur covering over his mouth and a pink colored nose. He looked fluffy, and even more so just wore a brown shirt, blue jean pants and a doctors coat with the name ‘Dr. Casenger’ on one of the pockets. He didn’t wear any shoes though, opting to just walk around bare foot as if his words didn’t pull her attention he would tap her shoulder one or twice.

Walked to Library, talking to Schwi Dola in front of the entrance

[Dr. McNinja]

Dongja cleared his throat as he approached the dojo. The hallway he was in was quite beautiful, with lavish carpeted floors made of red felt that refused to be muddied by Dongja's dirty slippers. The walls similarly rejected any filth that Dongja thought he could leave behind. Dongja inexplicably felt a chandelier behind him, despite the fact that he was in a narrow hallway.

"But how am I supposed to learn a new spell in, like, seven hours?"

"Think of it this way," Yeo-Ee-Pil responded, coiled around his left arm rather comfortably, "I don't care. These are some tough sons of bitches, and you gotta pick up some new moves."

"I have picked up some new moves," Dongja said, nose subtly moving towards the sky.

The staff snorted, a sound which a sentient wiggly stick should not be able to make. "You learned how to move forward a bit."

"I learned how to manipulate time!"

The staff rolled its eyes. "And you've been reminding me every day. You may want to stop alerting everyone in the area what you can and can't do."

As the sorcerer listened to his weapon, he turned and met eyes with a man leaning on the lavish walls of the hallway. He was unfairly handsome, Dongja hated to admit, but his appearance was marked by a strange, skintight mask that stretched over his face. He looked angry as hell about something, and Dongja felt an uncanny sense of danger from him. He lowered his eyes and kept walking.

The boy scratched his chin after he had passed by the man, only a little terrified, as he entered the dojo. Many years later, Dongja would always wonder what in the name of the Three Sages he was thinking when he decided to enter a training room for a death tournament.

There was a blond man in armor clashing blades with a dark-haired man. They swung viciously at each other, to the point where Dongja wanted to remind them that this was the non-lethal part of the tournament. But they seemed... busy. Plus, the blond man was practically cackling at the notion of these near-death blows, so Dongja decided to move away.

Suddenly aware of his own weakness, Dongja drew his staff and limply poked at one of the dummies by the wall. Next to him, a man with dirty blond hair dressed in a green tunic and matching hat was swinging away at another dummy with a sword. The man seemed to be mostly ignoring Dongja as he punctuated devastating slashes with loud grunts. Dongja continued to poke limply.

"Aigo, are you trying to wake it gently from a nap?" his staff chided, "Cast Chi, like we practiced."

Dongja cleared his throat and muttered, "I thought we were trying to hide our true-"

"Kid, I'm more worried that you're gonna bite yourself by accident if you don't practice."

The sorcerer did his best to hide his injured look as he focused.

"Chi!"

Dongja's jaw unhinged as he clamped down on the dummy's sandbag torso with razor-sharp teeth. After the bite, his mouth returned to normal size. He spat out wet sand from his mouth, feeling his teeth accidentally grind against a few grains of it. He rubbed his tongue with his fingers, trying to brush off what he could.

He met the eyes of the green-clad warrior, and the small ball of light orbiting him.

Dongja grinned awkwardly, tongue still sticking out.

"Hebbo."

Dongja is next to Link in the Dojo.

[Retane]

Retane nodded trying to follow everything, "Seems you've been busy."

The namekian looked off into the crowd, "Well, I'm back. I can't control what has happened, but rest assured, I'm back and they will know not to fuck with The Horsemen before it's all said and done."

Mar offered a grin, sounds like a plan.

"Sorry to break up the reunion, but the teams are about to be drawn. I think we should get going yeah?" it was Inirtias that had come back with the oter two.

Retane gave a nod in agreement.

[Marisa Kirisame]

As the black and white witch walked towards the park she could hear voices talking she pushed past them. Her thinking had muddied a bit with the alcohol consumption and her mind wandered back to Ricter. He was something else alright, she couldn't place her finger on it, but something was just inherently interesting about the weasel and it made her want to come back to find out what it was. She sighed at the thought of it and shook her head face still flush.

Once she had reached the park she could see the sun halfway out of sight as it was turning into night with a gentle breeze touching her face.  She took off her pointed hat and let the hair gently move as she wandered over to an empty hill with little cover, and started to sit on the itchy grass watching the sunset.

Soon the comet shower started and Marisa sighed as the stars took the hopes and dreams of youkai and humans alike with it. She smiled as she gave a slight nod to her friends and allies before drinking from the sake bottle. Soon it would be time for the fight but she wasn't scared, and she would face the opponent while adjusting and adapting to there strategies with her own flashy non murderous style.

[Dane Regan]

Dane fell out of the teleporter, almost landing on his face before masking it with a spin by taking a long low awkward step and pivoting. He gave the officials an awkward wave and walked backwards through the hallway, not paying any attention to where he was heading. 

Ace'd.

Fumbling, he reluctantly spun around again, head aching for the day's activities. When did he last sleep, again?

Right... well... if he wanted to function correctly, he should probably do that. 'Should', being the key word in that sentence. With 'wanted' and 'function' sitting there as close seconds.

As he sauntered aimlessly through the halls, a recognisable voice rang out, reading names, pairings.

He had to fight with someone else? Well, that sucked. Or it didn't. If he was paired with the robo-arm dude from last year and everyone else had shit teams, things could be great. Eh. This was just something to do. Admittedly, he'd rather kill himself than get a shit partner - not that that mattered in the OV - but with his head swimming so much he could barely hear the audio.

It was just fuzz. Static. White noise playing over the rhythm of his shield rocking against his back.

As he approached the ever-distant bar, his hands relaxed and his back straightened. The posture lasted for a moment before he slouched, puffing his hair out of his eyes with a long breath. It fell back down in the same place.

Dane's eyes widened, one hand brushing against his thigh.

"Fuck. I forgot my swords."

Dane is heading from the Teleporter to the Bar.

[Victor Wolfe]

Despite the demonesses starting position by the end of their time together she had found herself being pounded from behind in what Victor would name the Violet special as he "grabbed the bulls by the horns" so to speak. Leaving the room filled with the thick musk of their lewd and lascivious deeds. Victor had decided about halfway through introducing her face to the mattress that, yes indeed, this woman would be perfect for the moody captain of the guards. He needed a woman's touch, a lot of it preferably, all over him. And with how much the exorcist loved punishing evil, demons, and spirits, with a little training and perhaps some mind alteration and trickery Victor could perhaps one day turn the love-hate relationship that those two seemed to have built into something far more, sadist to masochist. 

The pair now satisfied if only for a moment in their blissful afterglows took a moment to breathe, looking at the time the assassin's face froze, they had spent far longer indulging in their little test run than he had realised, this woman was no Gabriella but she certainly was way better than the exorcist deserved for his first time. With a giggle Victor pictured the demoness stripping off like she had when they entered this room, causing the exorcists head to turn red and jets of blood to launch from his nose. Putting aside the ridiculous notion the assassin wondered if maybe he should find a woman more Kanda's quality for him, maybe the redhead he had talked to. Perhaps Victor should keep the demoness for himself?

A chill ran down the lord's spine as a haunting laugh, gnashing teeth, axes and bullets flew at the image of himself in his mind, of course, he could not keep her, his current flame would most likely roast him for dinner if he even gave a hint of unfaithfulness especially around their kid.  Shaking his head Wolfe realised that if he wanted his genitals to remain attached to his body but still keep the beauty lying next to him around then his current plan was probably the greatest way to do that whilst having the most fun, after all messing with the captain of the guards was one of his many refined hobbies. 

Wondering if any more information about the format had been released in the time that he had been figuring out and pushing Ash's buttons Victor rolled out of the bed grabbing at his pants he felt something wrap around him as the demonesses tail lightly pulled at his muscles a seductive smile plastered across her face. 

"Next round of your testing?" She teased almost causing the lord to strip off again and get right back to finding new things to test and try, although for once even he with his gutter of a mind was running out of ideas. Regaining his composure Victor turned and gave Ash one last kiss, their tongues intertwining before with a light push Victor separated himself from the succubi. 

"Sorry love, but if I don't leave now we might miss the entire tournament, and then the host that gave us this nice room to redecorate might get a little upset with us, still my dear I do think that from now on, we have a contract!" The assassin grinned as he continued to step towards the door.

"I swear as a Lord of Nippur I will do everything in my power to make sure that you get to fulfil that little fantasy of yours with Sir Pain in my ass! After all, the longer he spends on you, the less time he can spend on me!" Victor chuckled as he blew a kiss towards Ash and stepped out of the door, only to spot a red-headed kid? Man? A person who seemed to be almost content standing just outside the door to their little sex den almost like he was waiting his turn or something. It would have been adorable if it also wasn't entirely pathetic. 

This obvious puppy love almost made the black-hearted assassin vomit on the spot, was someone so innocent even allowed to take part in this sort of event? Didn't he have a dataverse message board to manage where he and his friends could call all women derogatory terms and then boast about how if women where conversion machines for niceness to sex that he would be some kind of harem king, but because they all liked assholes they couldn't get any pussy if they dealt catnip in an alley. 

Looking the ginger up and down Victor then swore he would always be proud of Valarie so long as she never followed someone around like a bitch in heat just for the chance that they might give them a little bit of attention. Victor almost ignored the prime not feeling that he was worth his lordly time or attention but a thought crossed his mind, if this cuckold ended up with a powerful weapon or good positioning in DA, then he could be a problem for their companions. 

"You know, if you really want to win over a woman, and trust me, she is all woman," Wolfe smirked his usual shit-eating grin.

"Then standing outside her door whilst a far better man than you could ever hope to be, gives her more than you could ever give her is probably not the smartest thing. It makes you look very weak, and I get why you do it, some women really love that sort of thing, like a wounded animal. But others want to be the wounded animal themselves, they want to be hunted, and pushed down. So if you really want to pursue the lovely example of perfection in that room then I suggest that you, man up. Leave before she realises what you just did. Learn how to be confident, and most importantly." Victor got on his tip toes, his glowing red eyes staring at the stranger.

"Learn how to tell when a girl wants to be pushed down and ridden until she passes out!" dropping down from his toes Victor gave Des a light pat on the back before making to walk off, turning at the last minute with a wicked smile.

"And you do not have to long to do this good sir, because a little birdy tells me that my current plans might make your little crush obsolete" Victor once again turned to leave letting out a sigh as he remembered that rather than gloating he actually had a reason to talk to the redhead. Taking on a far more serious and malicious tone Victor once again turned.

"OH! And if you so happen to hold back any of my New Babylonian comrades during the proceedings of this event, or even worse get any of them killed, not that you could beat even our weaker members, then I might just have to castrate you in front of the entire population of Nippur!" The assassin laughed as he skipped away to see what was going on in the main entrance area. 

Moving from Barracks to Entrance area.

[Serraph Quarrere]

With tiny legs like those, it didn’t take Serraph much effort to catch up to the waddling Tarutaru as she made her way out of the library. The Arrancar would say nothing, his mind putting together what exactly happened to spur her from her seat. His glove hand clenched around the center of his umbrella, bringing the rough bone to bear against his face. He would  would caress his chin, the rough, hastily created pommel catching against his smooth paper exterior. The cracked bone in certain places would catch at his skin, tugging upon it as the pommel rolled over his features.

 “My lady I--”, he would begin, but he would be interrupted by a quiet, yet distinct noise, one carrying a light metallic ring to it. 

 Shantotto didn’t notice at first, but as the startled Arrancar turned her head to look, the Arrancar would as well. His hand paused, his eyes of grey staring deep into the cold glass lens of the spying drone. Its spherical body was small, only slightly bigger than the clenched fist that clung to the rough, paper like pommel of his Zanpakuto. Whatever questions Serraph had were immediately silenced. Another camera would make its appearance and then another. The cameras hovered about, their lenses focusing on his uneasy frame. His hand fell from his chin to clench his cloak shut as if that would hide him from all of those prying eyes. 

 This wasn’t beyond his colleague’s notice. Curious she’d stop to glance up at him, her teeny fists pressed against her hips. “Serraph, Is something amiss?”, she’d ask, her lyrical voice bringing some comfort to the Arrancar’s ears. Her line of sight would follow his own, right towards the sly drones that recorded them both. When his answer didn’t come, she’d continue on her merry way before turning to glance at at him, her gloved hand brushing her golden locks to the side, her brown ancient eyes beaming with overwhelming confidence not only in herself, but seemingly for him as well. “Focus on me, and you’ll fare well. I promise you this.”

 He’d nod, letting the umbrella in his grasp sliding down, the collision of its hardened tip against the floor marking the resume of him his passage with shantotto. He did as she suggested and focused on her and her confident stride, her hips swaying with each tiny step. He task himself with studying her physique, distracting himself even as they walked by that small swarm of camera drones. 

 Shantotto’s hair bounced and quaked with each one of her steps, her golden locks swaying  against her stride. Her steps seemed heavy as if she Her fists were still balled into tight, little balls clenching around her trademark staff. The orb sparkled with the same power and charisma he saw before. The gem clutched in the rod’s embrace was flawless without a single scratch upon its structure. It was enchanting to the arrancar. No matter how far he peered within the cloud of energies he could not find the end. If anything, it was humbling to witness.

 Before long they would find themselves in the barracks wing of this facility. He knew not because he read the signs, but when the miniscule lady stopped herself. His head would would rise, his eyes glancing to each side.  He’d find one of his comrades chastising rather maliciously a poor redhead who just stood there with a content smile upon his face. Serraph was curious on what he could have done to earn the ire of one of his Lords, but then again he’d smell the answer before the words hit him. The smell was sweet yet heavy and equally grotesque. It seemed to cling to the simple robes he wore. It made him shudder, but he didn’t expect much more from him. The vibe he gave off wasn’t subtle.

 As Vic moved on from his little playdate, Desman took it upon himself to see first hand Victor’s handy work. Afterall Victor had been careless enough to leave the door open for him. All it took was one step before yet another blocked his path. One appeared to pale lady in simple robes blocked him from the doorway, staring up into him so indifferently. turn, pulling the door shut behind here, allowing the door’s locks to auto engage. It was either Lord Wolfe’s room or that Lady’s, he’d assume. He couldn’t disengage the lock himself

 Serraph would bring the umbrella up resting its bony tip against the man’s chest. 

 “With dreams to be a king, first one should be a man.”, Serraph would say slowly for him, but the man would merely grun in annoyance, batting away the Arrancar’s tool. He’d walk away from the red haired man, returning to his place by Shanty’s side.

 The lock would appear to be just out of Shantotto’s reach. Frowning he’d look to the Tarutaru, whose grimace told him all he needed to know about how awful the smell Victor’s handiwork was for her. He’d chuckle and reached down lifting her up to the touch screen that served as the lock for her room. With a frustrated “Hmph” she’d slam her hand into the softly glowing imprint. Serraph chose to ignore the fact the outline guiding how to place one’s hand upon the screen. A soft click would sound and the door would open. Allowing the pair into enter the dim lit room. The Arrancar would turn and close the door behind him, allowing it the lock to engage securely. 

 He’d turn and lean his body against the door, letting the robe lay loose upon his body. “I do apologize for intruding. I’m just not used to… all of this quite yet”, he’d explain hesitantly, his body sitting against the door, observing his colleague at a height equal to her own

[Marisa Kirisame]

As the meteor shower reached its climax she just stood there wide eyed and with her mouth hanging. She soon brought the bottle of sake up to her lips only to realize that she had run out most likely during the opening minutes of the meteor shower and sighed at her luck. She got up leaving the bottle by her spot and started to head to the restaurant to get another bottle of the Asian alcohol.

On her way to said meal area she heard that the bracket has been made and started to walk over to a screen where they were playing and replaying the live showing of the pairings and the first matchups. Marisa watched as she saw a few old names, like Clownpiece and Yuuka and sighed. She knew last time she faced each of them it was a nightmare in terms of danmaku but she had the potential they didn't, causing her to hope this was enough to beat them should she face them. Soon her partner was called. Someone by the name of Ok Donja it seems. At least it seemed like a Japanese name, and noted for later she would have to go and find this person to plan.

She continued onwards to the dining area and entered the bar area before setting down a few coins on the bar table. "Yea I'd like another bottle of sake." Her voice slightly slurred and her face flushed from the alcohol. When you live in Gensokyo and are friends with heavy weight drinkers you do one of two things. You either gain a tolerance for all but the strongest alcohol or you don't get asked to have drinks with again. Marisa thankfully was on the former side of the tolerance for the liquid; though an oni could literally out drink mostly anyone except for maybe a couple of people in the land of fantasy.

She nodded to the bartender as he handed her another bottle and she sat at the table drinking her hat slightly tilted to the right. Once she finished this bottle she would go looking for this partner of hers unless they found her first.

Marisa went from the park to the restaurant area and is now drinking

[Yu Kanda]

The sound of weapon’s clashing echoed through the training center. Both primes were exchanging blows with the, by syntech provided, training weapons. Kanda was holding back a bit, though it was obvious to him the king was thinking the exact same thing. Neither was going to show the outside world what they were truly capable off. Both Nippurians were highly skillful with a sword. Their dance of blades carried them through the gym designed hall. For a brief moment both warrior souls got caught in the harmonious flow of sparring, forgetting about their sources of anger. The world around them disappeared, there was only the next strike to either block or send on it’s way. It was at this moment Kanda observed first hand this King was not just a man of royal descent, it was a skilled fighter with the heart of a fighter. A single strong strike, originating from the gold armored royalty, was blocked over the exorcist’s head. The sound of the final weapons clash resonated through the hall. This final strike was more of a ceremonial finish for a sparring match both hotheats needed. Their eyes did all the talking, a smirk from Kanda and a satisfied nod from king Gilgamesh ended of their match.


“My king” An unfamiliar voice disrupted their moment of zen. The captain noticed a woman calling for Gilgamesh’s attention with a voice as soothing as a mothers hum. She was an exceptionally gorgeous specimen of god’s creatures.

“You know this woman?” Kanda asked bluntly. He never was one for formalities. Gilgamesh nodded, “Yes i do. Kanda, meet Ahana, one of my subjects in Nippur. Ahana, meet Kanda, the captain of the Nippur guards.”

The woman didn’t respond in the conventional way with words, she just stood there, almost stunned before pointing towards something behind the swordmasters. Kanda turned around and noticed a big announcement screen from Syntech. The brackets and teams were just revealed. The exorcist’s eyes widened when he noticed.. - Kanda Vs. Gilgamesh / Desman.
A jolt of both excitement and resentment was sent throughout his body. He got matched up to fight against his King? It appeared he got help from some unknown tool as well. Gilgamesh stood next to him, “Well, it seems you get to find out why i am the king,” He said ever so humble.

It wasn’t until one of the Syntech employees smacked the screen and the entire image appeared that made Gilgamesh appear overwhelmed. Another name appeared before Kanda’s. It was the king’s old rival, someone responsible for his two agonising years in hell. The atmosphere suddenly took a turn for the worse as both contestants merely stared at the words:

Mickey Mouse / Kanda Vs. Gilgamesh / Desman

“Are you alright?” Kanda finally asked.

“Alright? ALRIGHT? I am fucking excited. Finally i get my revenge on that halfbreed rodent, i couldn’t be more passionate about slicing up that filthy mongrel. Try to not get in my way, you can play with the other pest.”

Kanda looked at the others before saying words he may regret later, “ I’m not sure that works. This is Dante’s Abyss afterall. Once we are in the arena, there is no king, there is no guard. There is the honor of battle and nothing else.”
The words never seemed to reach the king’s attention, his fixated gaze had him in trance. It was unmistakable, there was nothing in the Omniverse that would keep Gilgamesh from throwing everything he has at Kanda’s new partner. The battle ahead would be a passionate one. The exorcist just hoped he would be on the right side when everything was over and done for. Without sharing another word with the King the captain headed for the exit, passing Ahana as he stepped out, “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

The bunny eared woman snapped out of her gaze towards the screen and quickly responded before Kanda was too far off, “You to, sir!”

It was time to find Mickey, he should be around the facility somewhere. The swordsman started walking around, searching for his ally during this Abyss. Around him many primes were gazing at the screens, curious whom they’d be fighting and who would be their ally. Almost as if Karl set this up himself, place the man whose duty it is to protect the King on the other side of the ring from the King. And while he was at it, grab his mortal enemy and have him fight the King together with his guard. It was almost too good to be true, Karl sure loved his drama.

After walking around the Syntech base he noticed in the distance two vertically challenged primes hugging the crap out of eachother. A lot of bromance was going on over there, but the big ears were a dead giveaway, he found the mouse. As Kanda approached the robotic figure noticed they were no longer alone and turned his gaze towards the exorcist as he came closer. It took Mickey a few seconds longer, he watched the blue haired warrior advance, “Blue, you know this guy?”

"Not a clue, but look at the symbol on his chest," the machine said with a mild scowl.  "It's Gilgamesh's lion.  He's probably one of his lackeys," he added tenselyProtoman referred to the golden lion crest embroidered into the chest of Kanda’s uniform. It was a symbol he represented New Babylon in the competition. Both primes had their guard up, unknowing of the stranger’s attention or what he was capable of.

“Gosh, he doesn’t look to friendly,must be  one of Gilgamesh’s alright, i just don’t want any trouble.” The mouse proclaimed, worried things were getting out of hand once again.

It wasn’t long before Kanda stood in front of both primes, towering over them, “I assume you are the prime known as Mickey Mouse?”

“Y-yes?” The mouse stumbled on his words with his high pitched voice. His conformation was met with an open extended hand. “My name is Kanda, exorcist of the black order and guard captain of nippur.” He proclaimed in a more deep and serious tone of voice, “It appears you and i have been selected at ‘random’ by the clown in charge to team up this years Dante’s abyss.”

“Wha? What do you mean, teamed up?” Just as the mouse asked he received a nudge from his robotic friend, “Mickey, look over there.” The keyblade hero turned around to look and his mouth dropped open when he finally learned the bitter truth of the upcoming showdown.

Mickey Mouse / Kanda Vs. Gilgamesh / Desman

Kanda allowed the information to sink in, it was a big pill to swallow.

“Blue, i’m facing Gilgamesh. Right at the start i am forced to fight that man again.” The mouse sounded slightly worried and discouraged. ”-With- one of his guards.” He added, topping the sundae off with a cherry on top.

The exorcist not deaf nor absent decided it was a good time to interject, “Look, i know of your past with the King, I am also aware you are partly responsible for sentencing that man towards damnation.” Mickey visibly gulped. “But that is irrelevant for the here and now. I fight with the exorcist code of honor, and the only way i can honor my king is to face him and give him my all. However, if you lack said honor in combat and look to either banish the King again, we -will- have a problem.” Hars yet honest words were spoken. The exorcist locked eyes with his partner and awaited his response.

[Mickey Mouse]

“Only one person is getting banished here and it’s not Gilgamesh,” Mickey assured Yu Kanda, taking, for the first time, a moment to look his teammate over.

The man stood at almost three times Mickey’s height and was dangerously slender; if Minnie had been here, she probably would have forced a three course dinner down his throat post-haste. Long, blue hair fell down his shoulders, his bangs shrouding his face just enough to be mysterious looking. Between that and the guy’s apparent allegiance to Gilgamesh, the mouse decided rather quickly that he wasn’t going to trust Yu Kanda farther than he could throw him—which, given the man’s size, probably wasn’t too awful far.

For his part, the stoic man didn’t seem too bothered about the mouse’s own cryptic statement. “Very good,” he nodded, glancing over at the board. Kanda’s eyes trained on their match-up again. “That being said… we must now plan how to defeat my king.”

Mickey glanced at the exorcist, quirking his brow a little. ‘My king’?

Okay, this dude was weird.

“Look, pal—Kanda you said?—if we’re gonna be buds, you’ve gotta quit with that ‘my king’ and ‘the king’ stuff, okey doke?” the mouse said, bouncing forward and stepping in front of his new teammate. “Dude’s got a name. Gilgamesh. GYLL-GAH-MESH, can you pronounce that?”

“Your lack of respect for the king is unsurprising, but… unsettling,” Kanda replied, crouching down to the mouse’s eye level, “I understand you’ve had your issues. But he is my king, and he is a good king—”

“I can hardly believe that,” Proto Man interjected from behind them, crossing his arms.

“Believe what you wish,” the exorcist shot over his shoulder, barely even looking in the preteen machine’s direction. He let out a small sigh.

How crazy! This dude actually seemed to think, with some degree of seriousness, that Gilgamesh wasn’t the crazy, evil monster Mickey and Blues knew him to be. The mouse didn’t recognize the guard captain’s face, so he assumed the guy hadn’t been around when the Proto Mouse accompanied LAW on their invasion of Nippur; that he hadn’t been around to see the true atrocities the gilded king could commit. What had Gilgamesh been doing since returning from the Underverse that somehow earned the loyalty of this guy, and so many others?

Could he actually be… a better… person?

Bah. No way.

“Look, pal,” Mickey broke the silence, reaching out and placing a hand on Kanda’s shoulder. The exorcist glanced down at it but didn’t swat it away. “Like I said, I don’t want any trouble. If I had my choice, I wouldn’t even been fighting in this dang competition, let alone against Gilgamesh. But I gotta. For… uh… for the greater good.”

He smiled a kind of fake smile, choosing—for the moment—not to reveal the full scope of his plans to Yu Kanda like he had with the no-named bandit. The last thing he needed was for Gilgamesh or any of his cronies to get in his way on his path to Karl Jak.

“The greater good,” Kanda nodded, hints of a smile creeping on his face, as well, but not quite coming to fruition. “It seems you and my king have more in common than you even know, Mickey Mouse.”

Mickey looked at Yu Kanda quizzically as the exorcist stood and brushed past him, heading back down the hallway towards the other domes of the preshow complex. After a few steps, he turned around and stared down at the mouse.

“Are you coming or not?”

“Oh, uh,” Mickey sputtered, “…yeah, I guess!” He turned back to the preteen machine, and his best friend’s drooping face almost brought him to tears. “See ya on the flip side, Blues!” he grinned weakly.

Blues waved good-bye, and Mickey Mouse turned to follow Yu Kanda. He bobbed up next to the exorcist and looked up. “So… where we goin’?” Mickey asked.

“Not sure,” Yu Kanda shrugged. “Fancy a drink?”

Mickey’s face scrunched up. “Like an alcoholic one? Ewwwww.”

[Schwi Dola]

Jibril flitted right into the library and giggled madly. If anyone were to look at this angel right now they would see nothing short of an insane obsession. The attendant cringed a little from the drooling angel as her sparkling eyes looked at the sides of books catching different titles. "Please, feel free to read anything you like but the books must stay in this room." Jibril noted but summarily ignored the attendant as she began to write the titles of all the books she could see to her memory. As a neigh immortal being with a permanent memory by design, she would never truly forget the information she absorbed here that she deemed important enough to remember. However, much of her memory is archived and sometimes it takes her some time to sift through such a vast memory.

Jibril began, grabbing a book with a curious title and scanning quickly through the pages. 'Ender's Game' referred to what Jibril inferred to be a fictional reality from the afterword by the author. What world did this book come from? She could guess that it was from something similar to Masters' world, but as the signage around the library indicated the collection was from many worlds there was no telling if it was, or even from any world she had acquired literature from. Fascinated, she tried to pull out some Omnilium to materialize a copy of this book for further study, but nothing happened. Puzzled she tried again but no luck.

Jibril took some moments to process this, heart sinking. The kind of power it would take to block this conceptual material's nature had to be along the lines of the creator. This place suddenly became a lot more dangerous. Her instincts screamed at getting away from this place, but Jibril calmed her nerves. Leaving would reveal nothing more about this magical rite, and she had the accursed protection of Omni that would prevent her from truly dying. Participating in this tournament now served a greater purpose than merely curiosity. Master would not have just walked into this situation with so little knowledge, perhaps she had tasted the freedom exercising her power at will after 6000 years and forgotten that this is still a game She pushed the Omnilium back into her chest and went back to her business, but before she could something was pasted on the TV in the Library. An announcement, it told her that the bracket was ready for the tournament.

Having lost her initial enthusiasm anyway for the pursuit of knowledge, she decided it was more important to seek her new comrade in arms. All she could hope is that whoever this was chosen at random that they would have enough power to not get in the way on the battlefield. Jibril would have to practice the improvisation skills she invoked from her Masters when she did her best to bring salvation to the Flügel, The posted brackets also had the faces of the combatants, so Jibril started to wander out seeking the face she saw, this Harley Quinn.

[Shantotto]

Shantotto’s nose still stung, the potent scent of Victors handiwork still lingered. My word, a musk that potent is just absurd.” The mage said partially joking as the arrancar sat down leaning his back against the door. From the few words the swordsman had spoken so far, it was easy for the mage to get a feel for how he was feeling.

“Don't get inside your own head, focusing like that and you'll end up dead.” She said as she turned and sat with her back against the wall next to him. She was just about to say something when music came through the intercom of the room.

A voice followed the music talking about the rules of the event. Shantotto and Serraph both tuned it out.

Instead Shantotto leaned sideways using the paper swordsman's as support closing her eyes, not wanting to overwhelm the poor man. “It's ok to take a break, it's ok to take time to enjoy the sights and sound. You don't need to charge forward relentlessly like a rabid hound.” Her words were soft and caring even if clearly showing she was tired.

The loudspeakers announcement continued in the background finally the pair heard words that made both of them pay attention.

“Now announcing the matchups of the first round.”

Shantotto looked up from where her head now rested, as the first pair was announced.

“Taloc and Makoto Will be working together to take on…. Sarah Kerrigan and The Bandit With No Name!

A small sigh of relief left Shantotto’s lungs as she was glad to have not been called for the first match, losing the chance to collect data on other people due to being in a fight would be a bothersome thing to the small mage. Serraph on the other hand seemed to not to care about the matchup, the slow and steady rise of his chest as he took breath didn't change at all until the loudspeaker once again began to speak

“ The second match up with be….Serraph Quarrere and Sasuke Uchiha. They will have their hands full with Ahana Varna and Eternity Larvae.”

Shantotto stayed quiet for a moment. Her secret hope to be paired with her new friend was dashed. Even more noticeable to Serraph was the slight droop to her ears. The arrancar remained silent as the grave however his his hand found its way to the top of Shantotto’s head giving it a pat of reassurance, causing the mage to look up at the paper man. A smile had put small creases on his papery face. “I will be fine, my partner is the hand of our king after all.” Serraph said keeping the grin. Shantotto had not know such a person had existed, in fact she had a feeling there were still many people from nippur she had still yet to meet.

The names continued to be called out, even the king Gilgamesh had been listed, having been paired with someone named Desmon.

“Zedd and Violet vs Pennywise the dancing clown and Lady Belle Shantotto!”

A small chuckle escaped her tired throat as she thought about the karma she had just heard. She was getting paired up with that strange clown she had seen fighting in the nexus the first day she had been in the Omniverse. Strangely enough she had felt compelled to help the creature before, and now the strange creature was going to be helping her.

The names concluded being mentioned over the speaker followed by the same intro music playing now as the outro.

The small woman kept her eyes open just for a few more seconds taking in the sights of the room truly for the first time, the large bed looked like it would serve well for her to put her head to rest, but she was already so comfortable….

Shantotto and Serraph are in Shantotto's room

[Desman Black]

Desman glared a hole through the blond haired man as he left. Who did he think he was talking like that? If it wasn’t for the fact that he could take care of them during the actual competition, and that he had something slightly more important, he would of hit the guy then and there, speaking of which…

Turning around Desman only just realised the man had shut the door, and when going to check the handle locked as well. Just as he was about to leave a gorgeous figure he had come to recognize instantly, bruised colored skin with clear hints of what's she'd done splattered all over her body, opened the door. “Next?” she smirked at him playfully, leaning against the doorframe to go with her current impression.

“Ash!” Desman attention was immediately focused on her, immediately picking her up in a bear hug while spinning her around and placing her back down where she greeted him.

Ash laughed at the simple action of this man spinning her around like they had been long lost friends that hadn’t seen each other in ages. "It's only been a couple days, at most, Desman."

“A couple of days?” It was clear Des was shocked by this info by the loosening of the grip he had on Ash. “B-but, It’s been a month. Unless…” As Desman was about to go on a tangent about the possibility of a time distortion in this universe, his phone beeping saved Ash from having to listen to the incredibly long and probably pretty boring speech.

Fishing into his pockets, Desman picked up the newly lit up device as he read what had come in. It was an email from the sytech company that the pairings had just been announced, sending a nice friendly link to a website with the list written down. “Apparently the pairings are up. I’m with… a guy named ‘Gilgamesh’. Well… I guess I should probably look for my partner now…” Desman said half-defeatedly, putting his away and turning around to head to the main area as a starting point.

“Hey, what about little ‘ol me?” Ash questioned, in an incredibly fake yet playful hurt voice.

“Shouldn’t you go meet your partner?”

“I just thought we could have some… time together.” As she said this, her hand reached around to lightly tease his undercarriage, her boobs also lightly teasing him as they squished up against his back with the close proximity, whether intentional or not.

His face turned as red as his robot body used to be as he tried to respond back. “O-of course. Should we go then… M-m’lady?”

Desman and Ash move from barracks to main hall

[Dr. McNinja]

Dongja scratched his head as he watched the screen.

"Why did I watch the rest of it?" the boy murmured, "I don't really know who the others are."

"Whatever," Yeo-Ee-Pil snapped, "Just find this... Marisa character."

The sorcerer continued to scratch his head.

"Yeah, but," Dongja sighed, "Who the hell is Marisa?"

The boy approached a nearby Syntech employee, who was watching the dummy Dongja bit. The sand around it was floating up and gathering into the sandbag, the leather around it resealing.

"Hi, ma'am?" Dongja smiled, "I'm looking for a... a Marisa Kirisame?"

The woman smiled back and said, "Let me check."

After a few moments of the attendant poking her clipboard, a strange picture hovered above it. She nodded, her hair seeming to sashay lightly as her eyes twinkled. She was... unrealistically ttractive.

"Yes, it appears that she has made her way to our restaurant. Would you like to meet her?"

Dongja nodded shyly. The woman smiled again, eyebrows bent, in an expression that seemed to flirtatiously say, "Oh, you."

"Then I'll take you to the restaurant. This way, please."

Dongja gulped loudly as he followed the woman, admiring her beauty despite his better judgment. There were elements of her that seemed to be artistically perfect. Suddenly, Dongja looked to his right and saw an equally attractive man pass by. Bewildered, Dongja lowered his eyes.

"This place is amazing," Yeo-Ee-Pil sighed.

When they finally arrived at the restaurant, the woman flashed another dazzling, teasing grin.

"Ms. Kirisame is inside," she cooed.

"Th-thank you," Dongja mumbled.

He walked in and saw the girl at the bar. Dongja approached her and cleared his throat.

"Um... hi. I'm Dongja."

Dongja's in the restaurant with Marisa.

[Violet]

It was the familiarity of it all that caught her attention once she was whisked through the doors and into what she was told was the Syntech Station 17. Although it differed in ways from her previous experiences, it was all still so…the same. In one direction, she saw the concourse that went towards the barracks, in another she spotted what looked to be a gym complete with equipment, and large swathes of land dedicated to practice for the more dedicated players. Off in yet another direction was a giant monitor that read SHOPS AND FOOD. In that moment, she was suddenly famished, and padded off in that direction.

Weaving her way through people and fake trees and a myriad of other obstacles, Violet dismissed one after the other of the different kinds of cuisine. She wanted something comforting, something she hadn’t had in years. That something eked its way out from the plethora of bars and diners and high scale restaurants, so simple in its decoration that it could have been easily overlooked. MOES RAMEN AND SUSHI BAR was inscribed artfully on a large wooden sign, and she knew she had to poke her head in.

The decoration was very much like any restaurant you would find in the more suburban areas of South City: a pair of short double curtains hung in the doorway, hiding a set of larger wooden doors that were shoved open and against the wall inside. The floral print was beautiful, the texture silken and soft against her hand as she pulled them back and ducked inside.

Wood paneling surrounded a simple dining room and bar area. The restaurant itself wasn’t made for large throngs of people, but for a few to take a seat around the U shaped dining table, where an elderly man dressed in his traditional garb stood, waiting to take her order.

His face lit up with a smile as he greeted her, beaconing for her to take a seat at his table. She gave the briefest of nods and took his invitation. “What shall it be today, ma’am?”

“Let me start with the Phoenix roll and for my main, I will take uh…” she looked over the hand scrawled menu that was posted on the wall behind him. “Tonkatsu ramen, extra noodles, please.”

“Got it,” he nodded. While he prepared her meal, Violet took the opportunity to check the smaller monitor that hung above the menu. She frowned slightly, noticing unhappily that she missed the live draw. She was a little late to the signup, but she wasn’t expecting the matchups to happen so quickly.

Several moments later, her first course was served, and she ate hungrily, dipping each piece of her Phoenix roll into the soy sauce and then straight into her mouth, grunting happily after each bite. She was even more pleased when her soup arrived. Watching him prepare it whet her appetite greatly, but the way she consumed the noodles and broth would have made even a Saiyan recoil in horror.

When all was said and done, she thanked the man and took her leave, intent on heading towards the main bar area and grabbing a few drinks. She didn’t know who this partner of hers was other than a name, and she was none too happy that she would be paired up with such an unknown. The last time she paired up with someone she didn’t know, she ended up spending several years in Hell, something she did not intend to repeat anytime soon.

Rules were rules, however much she disliked them, so Violet bit the bullet and resigned herself to this fate. She found an appropriate bar and took a seat, the light of a hundred monitors lit the domed area while she consumed shot after shot of the finest whiskey they had, and slowly, she gave herself over to that seductive heat that coursed through her stomach and into her veins.

Violet smiled into an empty glass. She was free…or at least as free as she’ll ever be.

[Skeletor]

Teleportation Hub to hallway outside dojo

“You tin-headed dolts! Unhand me this instant!”

Skeletor shook his fists in frustration as he was escorted out of the teleportation hub by Syntech security. Karl Jak’s machinery was utterly foreign, and he had barely even begun to make sense of it before Karl’s mooks had shown up. All that time wasted. The irritated villain looked up at the display board to note that the first round had been announced.

“A small boy and pixie? HAH! They won’t last a minute. Clearly I’ve underestimated Karl’s appetite for sending lambs to the slaughter!” Skeletor was almost impressed despite himself, though something about the sword the boy carried grated at the back of Skeletor’s mind. It gave him the shivers but he couldn’t explain why. Lots of people carried swords around. It was a perfectly normal weapon to use…

Skeletor stalked through the hallway looking for the cocky man who was going to be assisting him in the coming battle. He didn’t look to be all that impressive, though rumor claimed him as a leader for the mercenary hit-squad known as the ashen blades. It certainly implied a level of battle-readiness…

Where once the hallway had been thronged with activity, now it was nearly empty. Most of the primes had either retired or made their way to the mess hall, and the media was still happily chewing on Karl’s announcements, and various exclusive interviews with the man before the event. Skeletor considered searching for Kuzuru in the cafeteria, it made a certain sense to him that someone who was accustomed to battle would want to go in with a hearty pit of energy. The Warlock started to head in that direction, when he heard sounds of practice from the dojo. A single warrior, practicing forms perhaps?

“Hyaat!” there was an audible thud from the Dojo, though Skeletor couldn’t be sure of its origin, “It still doesn’t feel quite right, Navi…” the voice spoke and a grating bell like voice responded. Skeletor missed what it said, having clamped his hands over his non-existent ears.

“What in Eternia is making that infernal racket?” Skeletor complained. Now his curiosity was too much indeed. With the inconspicuousness you would expect from a muscular, blue-skinned skeleton man, the warlock peered into the dojo.

Not gonna lie, Skeletor is spying on the competition. Feel free to call him out on it if you feel so inclined

[Retane]

Retane glanced at Jak Mar as they looked at the screen. Dax seemed even more exicted and actually gripped the Namekian's flesh. As the pairings appeard many people cheered, some growned, but very little did. Retane seemed confused for a moment as he barel got a glance at the affiliation of his partner and his profile. He knew had heard the name, "Victor Wolfe" before, but couldn't remeber where. The man being a member of New Babylon, made a bit more sense, but the Namek, had to wonder what had happened why he was asleep "Speak of the Devil, and it will appear."

Jak looked at him after all the pairings and first matches were posted.. There were emotions all etched on his face, and the pointed-eared Horesmen seemed unsure. Retane clasped his hand on Mar's shoulder and tried his best to offer a smile, "I get it, I do. I don't know everythng, and i can see there are issues, and I will get to the bottom of it after all, but for now, you need to focus. Use everthing you are feeling and channel it into being you. Fight the Abyss and make it your own."

The Elvish warrior nodded quietly, "I wish you luck. Don't trust him."

The Namekian made sure he locked eyes with his comrade. Luck? The Abyss was already eating at him, and the Malefactor on his shoulder that tried it's best to look smooth was also wanting more war. It screamed at him, wanting to battle. Wanting to take blood. The Namekian shrugged it off, "Not my call this time. I'd do it in an instant if it made it happen. But this, this is Dante's Abyss. You should know by now that not everything is as it should be. You need to be careful, calm your wits. Do not let the Abyss get to you."

The Namekian spoke from experience. He took the 'shaken' smile and 'half-look' of encouragement knowing that his friend understood. There were things Jak wanted to say, but the Namekian shook his head. "Not now. I get it. Just not now. Use it on your enemies. Even if you wind up agasint me, don't hold back. I sure don't."

Jak nodded and was gonna speak before Arith busted out laughing...

[Dane Regan]

Well, there's no fixing that. At least I've still got these bad boys.

Dane glanced at his lanky arms.

... At least I've got my speed.

Dane stepped forward, stumbling. His shoulder bumped into a random bystander, sending him into a spin. Instinctively, he caught himself quickly, landing acrobatically on one foot and drawing many stares from people who probably assumed he was already drunk.

Whatever, I've still got my... health?

His vision swirled for a moment, bobbling from the inertia. 

Skill. I've got my skill - or something.

Shrugging, his eyes lazily flickered about the room. Mind fuzzy from sleep deprivation with the teleportation sickness only adding to it, Dane skirted around the bar and through another door. No one looked particularly interesting enough to catch his eye, not that he was paying much attention. Regardless, the small journey was without further issues - any bystanders simply moved out of his way.

Hey, at least people will underestimate me now.

Brain throbbing against his skull, Dane rubbed his forehead with one hand while trailing the fingers on the other over the wall. His fingernails dug in, riding over the little bumps in the smooth pain but not quite chipping them off and only serving to release the dull grating sound of friction.

Where to go... Where to go...

Sleep, idiot.

No u.

I wanna fight someone.

The gym it is, then.

You'll regret this later, mate.

No u.

Groaning and yawning at the same time, Dane slid his hand off the wall and stretched both arms up high enough to make his back click.

Footsteps.

Various senses tingled in Dane's head, warning him exactly what would happen if he continued to take another step. But he'd already lifted up his leg to move, it would be a shame to make that energy go to waste. Out of an irrational burst of uncaring recklessness, perhaps with slight curious and experimental tendencies mixed in, he jerked his body forward into the T-junction ahead. Arms and shoulders smacked into his torso in an almost perfectly random mess of limbs before their bodies settled. With momentum backing up his rushed movement, Dane had collided with the blueish-purple girl on the right. A meaty thwack echoed down the hall as he shunted her up against the wall, leaving her held up and pinned by his own body. Miraculously, the red-head on Dane's left was the only one who fell, landing in a gangling heap.

Before either of the two had but a moment to react - besides the blue demon-girl with horns letting out something mixed between a moan and a gasp, almost letting her arms fall around the back of his neck, Dane pulled back and roughly grabbed the woman's arm. "You'll do." Fingers flailing awkwardly, they brushed down the whole length of the appendage in his quest to simultaneously grip her hand, untangle their bodies, and wire enough mana down his arm to keep his hold.

"Let's spar," Dane smirked nonchalantly, unphased by both his impromptu introduction and sudden proximity to Ash. Dismissively, he looked down at the stunned boy on the ground who was clearly in the midst of providing Dane with either a somewhat deserved complaint or an exasperated sigh. "See ya nerd," Dane nodded courteously, but didn't make eye contact - he was already swivelling back towards Ash, his legs loose and bent a tad.

As a finishing touch, he promptly ducked, sweeping one arm under his new partner's legs and picking her up bridal-style.

Flawless.

And with that, the sword-less swordsman zoomed off, carrying The Storm Demon along with him through the halls without so much as an explanation. His growing Fabio-esque hair trailed behind him, seeming almost like a blur.

Dane leaves the bar, snags Ash as she's heading through the hallways, and heads over to the Gym. Desman is left behind.
(Not that it matters since they look the same, but Dane's switched to his alt form: 5/0/6/1)

[Ricter]

The woman he was trying to talk too seemed to all but ignore him completely, making him just stand there a little dumfounded as to how he could be given the cold shoulder. Not to say that he was appealing to talk too or anything but he did poke her once or twice to check if she was okay, but in this case he would just let her go, which he was heading to the library too but perked up as an announcement was made. The matches were given out, already? They must be ready to start soon, so he'd make his way there, looking around for what could be his partner and whom he was facing over all.

What he would find is just some pictures and names as he made his way to the main hall, a lot of people stopping by to see what was here while also examining the matches to maybe place bets or things of that nature. The weasel though would wonder who this 'Cell' person was, making him scratch his head as he didn't notice them come in, and nor did he notice them when he was going about his business everywhere else so maybe they haven't came in yet? Either way when he looked over to who he was facing it seemed a bit jaded, Jak Mar and Ash, which given he saw them mingling together when he first walked into this hall he could only guess they were friends already, which only made this feel like a massive disadvantage over all.

Sighing he wouldn't think too much of it, after all if they won then cool, if not then that was fine too, now if he died then he'd have a reason to not come back here again because dying seemed like a very unfun activity to put it lightly. He didn't enjoy fighting for the sake of combat when someone could just kill the other party afterwards, sparing was fine, heck even honor bound duels were fine if their was no other option available. But this? Seems like a blood sport which again, he wished someone told him this ahead of time, but at last he'd experience it once in his life time here in the omniverse and from there just go back to his daily life again.

Once he was done with the board though he would simply wait around the halls now, if his partner showed up then great, if not then well he'd have to just communicate with him about his own skills and abilities on the fly. Should be a simple explanation, but always a funny one when showing someone else what his 'skill' in fact is, leading to a questionable expression before he'd stab them with his sword but finding they weren't hurt at all. He too some pleasure in that, so hopefully he showed up, but for now he just left himself to waiting around and hoping that something would come from all this, if anything that is.