[center][h3][color=007fff]Indigo Afina (Ash) – Doma Flau Entrance[/color][/h3] [@yipeexd][/center] The minutes crawled by. Not impressed by the idea of standing the whole time, Ash seated herself by the principle entrance to the colosseum and waited there for any other contestant to return. How boring! [color=007fff]”Wouldn't it be just grand,”[/color] she asked the sky after twenty minutes, [color=007fff]”If one of the other guild's losers came back and made my day?”[/color] She rested her head in her hands. At least this didn't amount to actual guard duty. Some time later, the pattering of footsteps caused her to look up expectantly. The person on whom her gaze fell, however, interested her not. Harry of Tough Love if she recalled—a guild lucky to get into the Games and a consistent last place ever since. Why even bother? Ash let Harry pass without a fuss. Before long an anomalous object in the sky caught her eye. She squinted to better make it out, and discovered with no small amount of annoyance that it was Phoenix Wing's number-one chump, Damian. Ash ground her teeth to see him surf overhead on a sword in a ridiculous display of lunacy, and debated whether or not to try shouting to him: [i]I order you: if you don't fall off that sword right now, faint for thirty minutes![/i] But she decided not to. She did not trust her wits to be faster or more reliable than the dark knight's reflexes, and a dictionary would not defend her from a blade. Besides, if he figured out she was a clone, he'd hold nothing back. Non-soldiers always saw the clones as freely expendable. Not too long after, another competitor appeared, this one on the ground and in definite attack range. Ash stood bolt upright, waiting for Shujin to get closer. [color=007fff]”Think again. I'm not letting you in just yet.”[/color] She requipped a hefty physics textbook and held it in the metal saucer's path at an odd angle. When the projectile collided with the book, it cut to the right and sailed harmlessly by her side, except for a severed clump of hair. [color=007fff]”I order you: pay a toll of one lacrima before you enter! If you set foot inside without paying, lose control of your feet!”[/color] She smirked as the magic took effect. How would the noble Shujin get out of this? [center]-=[@Hatakekuro]=-[/center] Oblivious to the threat, Straw carried on evaporating the pond, constantly having to blink to keep her eyes from drying out as well. By the time that Nolan arrived, the water lay at about half its usual level, and continued to drain quickly. Straw snuffled, thinking about whether or not she'd be happier after turning in the yellow lacrima, while the onlooker readied and threw his sword. The sound of Nolan's apparition behind her caused her to jolt in fear, turning about an eighth of a circle around before Ares came down on the top of her head. The blade sheared through her hair and skull like butter, though quickly losing speed. It deflected to the left slightly after encountering her spine, and ultimately lodged just beneath her ribcage, its momentum gone. Blood gushed from the gruesome wound, flowing down the blade and staining Straw's clothes, and on her split face there was frozen a look of shock and pain, eyes wide and mouth agape. Her vocal cords, still intact, managed to let out a couple of strangled sobs as Straw's muscles went slack. In a messy heap she fell forward into the mud, and a sickening [i]squelch[/i] announced her landing. A second later, the book [i]Seven Days to Die[/i] fell partially into the mud as well, still surrounded by light particles and in its active state. Though her brain had been cleaved apart, Straw's body hadn't quite caught up yet, and still twitched spasmodically every few seconds. The yellow lacrima lay under about a foot of water, Nolan's for the taking, despite it not being the one on his own map. [center]-=-=-[/center] To find the blue lacrima, Sapphire followed a small river as it wound between city buildings. Aside from some fish, she encountered no opposition, and arrived at her goal -Boulevard Bar- uneventfully. Feeling very content with herself so far, she pushed inside, and sidled up to the counter. The lady there, a stick-thin bluenette stocking new liquors, looked up for a moment. “Good morning.” [color=007fff]”Good morning! I'm one of Indigo's clones. We're competing in the Games. My map led me here; can you tell me anything about a blue lacrima that I might find?”[/color] She seated herself on a stool and leaned upon the surface, her manner practically oozing peacefulness and ease. Such a disposition made the bartender very disposed to help. “Sure. Guys came by earlier, but they asked me to cover my eyes while they hid it. I don't really know where it is, sorry. Been mostly cleaning, though I'm pretty curious.” Sapphire nodded, undisturbed by the news. With immaculate bearing she slid off of the stool and began to stroll around the bar, moving freely thanks to the total lack of customers this time of day. Standing at one end, she drank in the surroundings with her eyes. No doubt a product of the bartender's nature, this particular establishment exuded a decidedly 'homey' feel. Wood, carpet, colorful sofas, a chandelier, and even a fireplace with pictures on the mantle contributed to this look. The proprietor even stocked the table vase with real flowers, luscious orchids a brilliant shade of aquamarine. Through the windows behind her the morning sunlight streamed, throwing her shadow over the floor. Sapphire moved without saying or touching anything to the other side of the bar, where she pivoted to face the opposite way. The sun was in her eyes now, and it turned the comfortable furniture into a cityscape of silhouettes, all except those flowers which somehow remained a wondrous azure despite the direction of light. Smiling, Sapphire walked over and gently pulled the flowers from the vase, removed the lacrima, and replaced the flowers. After she gave a courteous nod to the bartender, she departed. [center]-=-=-[/center] Holding [i]A Tale of Two Sons[/i] in her supple fingers to keep it from slipping, the real Indigo walked briskly. At the consensus of the clones, the original had resigned herself to going after the most out-of-way point of interest on the map to minimize chance of contact with other competitors. After all, with her books of power distributed among her doubles, she couldn't very well call upon one without depriving its holder. Except for the less-potent abilities of a travel guide, a dictionary, and some other random books, the real Indigo had negligible power. Sure, she could swing a physics textbook with the rest of them, but against a brutal and unhesitating opposition it would avail her not. She arrived at the pawn shop without issue and quickly sorted through its stock with the owner looking on, keeping an eye sharp for the telltale fluctuating color of the prismatic lacrima. After a few minutes, she uncovered the treasure inside a lampshade. Just when she'd tucked it away, a sudden pain pierced her skull, torso, and heart, like an overly-ambitious headache. The empathetic hurt caused her to gasp, but only before anger smoldered on her flawless features. [color=007fff]”Straw is dead,”[/color] she murmured with surprising intensity, causing the pawn shop owner to flinch. [color=007fff]”If I don't hurry I won't be able to reform her, and I might lose [i]Seven Days to Die[/i] too.”[/color] Exuding an aura of rage, she departed in a full-out sprint.