[h2][center]Jason Liu[/center][/h2]
Quietly following after Hakuno and her Servant, Jason stepped into the Buddhist temple. As small as it was, the temple felt surprisingly open, and though the young man did not care much for the smell of incense, he had to admit that, some way or another, it wasn't any more overpowering closer to the urn where it was burnt than it had been when they had entered.

Kiara promptly led the three of them into a side room, making sure to hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door before closing it behind her. The room itself was fairly sparse, though there were a few couches seated around a table for guests, it seemed. Once the three had each taken their seats, the nun, too, sat down before beginning to speak.

"I apologize for calling you on such prompt notice, but something has been weighing on my mind recently," she said, shaking her head in response to Hakuno's question. "It has to do with the girl who I went to visit yesterday—Saikawa Mary."

At the mention of his friend's name, Jason involuntarily tensed up, his hands half-digging into the couch as Kiara continued.

"Hm... I guess I should explain myself a bit more, then. I work as a counselor to a few of the people who come here. Be they Buddhist, Christian, or whatever else, I listen to their worries and help them as best I can. Mary, too, was someone who came to me for help. I cannot exactly disclose specifics, but... One day, she simply stopped coming.

After four days, I began to worry about her; after six, I attempted to call her home, only to find out that her number had been disconnected entirely.

Of course, after catching wind of that injury that she had received, I hurried over to the hospital to meet her, which was when I met you," the nun said, gesturing towards Hakuno and Benienma. "After you had left, I went in to speak with her, only to be treated like a stranger..."

At this, Jason quietly glanced away, averting his eyes from the nun as she continued on.

"I... Heard more about the incident after doing some looking into on my own," Kiara said, looking at Jason in particular. "I don't mean to blame you for anything, but... Could I ask what happened before that summoning?"

"A-ah... Well, um..." Jason began, nervously trailing off before sighing. "...I got a call from Mary the day before... [i]That[/i] happened. She sounded really excited about finding something out about the summoning ritual, and asked if I could come over in a few hours once she had finished preparing. I, er... I've always been looked down on for not having any capabilities where I go, so I took her up on that offer..."

"...Hm? She called you... On her cell phone? No, rather, [i]excited[/i]? She had always been fairly downtrodden when we met..."

"I'm serious about that, though," Jason responded, pulling out his cell phone and opening up the call log to show that he had received a call from Mary in the first place. "No matter what I might have caused, I'm not enough of a liar to accuse my friend of anything."

"That is... Odd..." Kiara responded, placing her own phone onto the table, with a call failed soon after Jason had finished his own. "What could possibly...?"

[@VitaVitaAR][@RolePlayerRoxas]

[h3]The Arena[/h3]
When Guan had entered the arena, Gareth hastily waved her over and introduced the Berserker to Chiron. There was a brief pause on part of the latter before quietly nodding in approval.

"Very well," the Archer said, waving his arm in the air as the boundaries were promptly rearranged. "Gareth, you'll have your section of there. I wish both of you the best of luck."

As Gareth nodded and walked over to where she had been directed, Fionn had already moved into position on his section of the battlefield, his own spear at the ready as he faced Artoria in turn.

"Hm! That knight is certainly excited about this, isn't she?" he called out, readying his weapon for combat. "Well, it is not as if I do not anticipate this match myself. Whenever you are prepared, we shall have them time our first strike. Let us show these spectators the glory that they so desire, hm?"

Similarly, Munenori had walked over to his area of the battlefield, weapon still sheathed as he bowed towards Tristan.

"Please, do not hold back. Even if I am an old man, I would still like to be able to see the skills of your famed peerage myself," he stated before calmly placing a hand on his katana's hilt. "Whenever you are ready, then."

[@KoL]