[center][h3]Tora & Poppi[/h3]
[b]Level 8[/b] Tora (47/80) and [b]Level 8[/b] Poppi (25/80)
[b]Location:[/b] Sandswept Sky – Crown of Sand
Primrose's [@Yankee], Fox's [@Dawnrider], Sectonia's [@Archmage MC] Midna's [@DracoLunaris], Heavy's [@ONL], Medic's [@Dr Lovecraft], Yoshitsune's [@Rockin Strings]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 397[/center]

As negotiations went down, Tora and Poppi maintained both a respectable distance and silence, but the Nopon paid close attention. Something that Fox said reminded him of an unhappy memory from a short while ago—the time he approached Courier 6 with a favor. Like Fox did for Joker, Tora had assumed the gunslinger's friendship, but found it thrown back in his face. Friendship wasn't something that sprang into being the moment you worked alongside someone. It took cultivation, commitment, and a serious amount of getting to know someone. And deep down, Tora understood that, refusing to admit his mistake for the sake of his own pride. 

By habit he tried to ingratiate himself to people so he could rely on their generosity when he needed it, and 6 saw straight through it. Even now, after being forced to learn that lesson, who could he say he was really friends with? The Phantom Thieves? Primrose? Sectonia? Midna? Fox? What about his original group? Did Nia and Zeke think him a friend? Did Rex and Mythra? Or did they just tolerate him, because they were good people? Did...Poppi even like him? Or did she just follow him because he programmed him to?

Tora gulped, looking furtively around at those present. He might have warned Fox about making the same mistakes he did in assuming friendship, but no words came to his parched throat. By the time the thief and the pilot struck a deal, Tora felt a good deal more uncomfortable than just the late afternoon sun could account for. The Thieves huddled together briefly as they prepared to go ahead, while the swordsman Yoshitsune came his way.

He offered words of warning, at which Tora instinctively scoffed. “Meh, meh, meh! Swordypon not understand bond between Tora and Poppi. It good as gold!” Yet even as Yoshitsune left to pursue Joker and his gang, the Nopon didn't know who he was trying to convince. He watched Poppi join Sectonia to fly back down the wall one more time, the Queen to fetch the Medic and his companion best suited to hall the hefty Heavy. For a moment longer his eyes lingered on the spot where Poppi disappeared. Then Tora went to find some shade, his unease writ large on his face.

[hr]

Up ahead, Yoshitsune signaled his presence to the Phantom Thieves. Skull, bringing up the rear of the team as the vanguard, crossed his arms as he gave a devil-may-care grin. “Nah! We work better as a smaller team.”

Mona nodded, seizing the chance to offer sage advice. “Exactly! Four is the perfect number for an advance team. Any less and options are lacking, as well as strength. Any more and the team starts to collapse under its own weight, becoming too conspicuous and difficult to manage. Inefficient!”

“For real!” Skull confirmed. “We'll just clear the way for everyone else.” He furrowed his brows. “Uh, by the way, not to pry or anything, but why are you here? You've still got red eyes, so you're new.”

After using a hanging pipe to swing over a sand trap, Mona turned to Yoshitsune. “Allow me to explain! We're on a mission. To defeat the evil lording over this land and set things right. To do that, we're hunting down the rulers of each region.” He pointed his paw back toward where Yellow Team resided. “The others want all the help they can get, so you're welcome to join us. Adventure, glory, and treasure await!”

Together, the Phantom Thieves advanced through the Crown of Sand. The ruined, junk-littered, thorn-pierced streets offered many an up and down, with stone pillars rising and falling from the sand, or quickly breaking once stepped on only to reform a moment later. With Necronomicon's help the already-agile team made short work of the various obstacles, the only really trouble coming in the form of [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/3/34/NSMBU_Thwomp_Artwork.png/1200px-NSMBU_Thwomp_Artwork.png]invincible block monsters[/url] that tried to crush them and [url=https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/1/13/Conkdor_Artwork_-_Super_Mario_3D_World.png/1200px-Conkdor_Artwork_-_Super_Mario_3D_World.png]hard-billed birds[/url] taking swings at them as they passed. With Mona healing up any pecks they received, however, they made good progress, and cleared out the offending Conkdors in the way. They ran into a couple other creatures on the way, including [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/ninokuni/images/1/15/118_turburn.png]hat-wearing Turburns[/url] and far more aggressive [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/darksporegame/images/c/cf/Minion_kineticmines_var1.png]three-legged things[/url] that dropped biological mines on death. Rather than leave the mines for the others to deal with, the Thieves dutifully set them all off with thrown rubble, leading to a serious of small explosions the heroes could hear even from far behind. Soon enough the group reached the end of the Crown of Sand, a veritable wall of ruined buildings. They selected the most inviting [url=https://guidesmedia.ign.com/guides/15972/images/Egyptian_Wonder.JPG]temple[/url], and after scouting out the perimeter, took shelter within.

As the Thieves took some time to relax, with Joker explaining a plan of action, Necronomicon called Fox for the first time. “Hello, is this working? Hello! We made our way through the ruined streets. It's a decent obstacle course, but should be easy enough for you guys. There's a temple with a big Sphinx on it that we're inside, surrounded by rows of much bigger buildings. We're trying to find a way through, as well as any supplies. See you soon!”

[center][h3]Edge of the Blue – Pirate's Cove[/h3]
Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Junior's [@DracoLunaris][/center]

Some sort of noise rather like voices from the interior of the Atomos sparked a curious look from Shropshire, raised eyebrow and all, but before she could launch an investigation Junior appeared to head her off. He said she couldn't board the actual ship due to ongoing repairs, which elicited a sympathetic nod. After all, when shipgirls went to the hospital to get fixed up, their treatment shouldn't be interrupted, so it must be the same for old-fashioned ships. The little reptile led her over to Shippy, where Brineybeard welcomed the two aboard, as they discussed the particulars of her visit. 

“I'm Shropshire!” she declared, looking a little hurt. “You don't remember me? North and I met you guys when you arrived earlier. Gave you the run-down of the city...? She trailed off. By now Junior's options were to concede that he forgot her or pretend to remember, so nothing good would come of it. “Um, anyway, we saw this ship out at sea during the battle. Right in the thick of it, too. It looks like it got out pretty much okay though. Ms. Heinrich asked me to check it out. Didn't know what to make of it.”

She glanced at the Atomos again, remembering Junior's friends from earlier, no doubt the source of the commotion she heard. “We didn't know it was you guys in there! You guys bought a ship and then flew out to help us? I knew you were cool! North was all..” Standing up straight, Shropshire put on a face of mock seriousness, her hands on her hips. “One cannot assume the character nor intentions of strangers.” She broke character with a laugh and relaxed again. “So, I guess I'll go tell Ms. Heinrich the good news. We've got more sorties to run today, so we don't need to be worrying any more about this.” With a skip and a jump Shropshire left Shippy, landing smoothly on the surface of the water. With a final cheery spin and wave she sped away, headed back for the Navy rendezvous point.

Aboard the Atomos, Bella breathed a sigh of relief. If she or Rika got discovered, she knew, the best she could expect was Sakura decking Shropshire and somehow convincing her to omit the Abyssals from her report. Rather than relieved, Ranger looked annoyed, displeased that such measures needed to be taken to hide her existence in the first place. “Rgh. The sooner we meet this Peach friend of yours, the better.” Of course, Peach couldn't do anything for the others, but that didn't feel like Ranger's concern. It was enough that she fought back the urge to get her vengeance on the oh-so-innocent Abyssals for the slaughter of her friends.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 1[/b] Nadia (7/10)
[b]Location:[/b] Limsa Lominscuttle Town – Drowning Wench
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser & Kamek's [@DracoLunaris], Geralt's [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 571[/center]

From where her head wound up on the boardwalk, Nadia got a good look at the results of the tippler's outburst, and [i]man[/i], did hilarity ensue. For all his bravado Bowser quickly lapsed into a slapstick routine of epic proportions, and Kamek, Blazermate, and even Peach fell like dominoes. All around, the civilians and guards caught in the splash zone bumbled around in a similarly ridiculous manner, taking such great pains to avoid falling over the edge that most ended up in a struggling heap. Of course, Nadia couldn't help but howl with laughter, tears streaming from her eyes as her body rolled around. Over it all came Bacchus' booming mirth, his enmity with the magic barrier and the miscreants beyond quite forgotten.

And then, quick as it came, the Intoxication vanished.

The haze over Nadia's mind and crippling lethargy of her body dissipated in an instant, leaving her fully conscious. She froze mid-chortle, her eyes wide. “...Nyuh!?” A stranger sensation she could not remember. But even with the drunkenness gone, she still felt loosened up, a little more relaxed and in good spirits, like she'd just got done laughing 'til it hurt at some riotous joke. Looking around, it seemed like everyone else -with the notable and very understandable exception of Bacchus himself- had sobered up as well. As best she could guess, Nadia figured that his drink had some kind of extremely finite, debilitating enchantment, and she didn't care to think about it any more than that.

Bacchus' merriment trailed off as well, noticing a number of angry looks headed his way. “Over so soon?” He hiccuped, shrugging with an easygoing smile. “Howsabout another round?” He raised his jug.

“I think we've had enough!” Nadia yowled. Her head flipped over, and using her ears like tiny legs, she sped the wine god's way and bit into his ankle. As he yelled, more in surprise than pain, her body dashed in front of him. Bending over with her hands on the ground, she extended her legs upward in a double-sidekick, their tendon-bound sections splitting apart to extend their range. “Fiber Upper!” she called, and the blow sent the jug flying into the air.

“Noooooo!” Bacchus cried, slapping his hands against his head. He ran to the edge, reaching out to try and grab the great urn. When it became clear he wouldn't reach, however, he simply belly-flopped over the railing. “My wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!” His voice grew fainter as he plummeted toward the water below.

Another grimace on her face, Nadia approached and leaned over the edge. “Oof...”

“He'll be back,” one of the [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/dishonoredvideogame/images/2/26/D-CWGuard_Render.png]guards[/url] grumbled. “It ain't a bloody Tuesday if that oaf ain't makin' a fool of 'imself, and 'e sure don't take much downtime.”

Taking his word for it, Nadia backed away and made for her team. However bizarre the circumstances, it hadn't been her first time under the influence, so she recovered reasonably quickly. She couldn't say the same for the others, who looked like they'd collectively gone off the deep end. Thinking better than to test her weight against Bowser's, and a little wary of putting her hand too close to Blazermate's mouth-shield she offered a hand apiece to Peach and Kamek. “Nyahaha, c'mon, up you get! Buncha lightweights, huh? Well, no need for hiss-terics! We've got a fur-iend to save!” [i]Not that I know how to breach the wall, but hey, one thing at a time.[/i]

[center][h3]Frozen Highlands – Snowdin - Grillby's[/h3]
[@Gentlemanvaultboy][@darkred][/center]

As Aloy took stock of the various patrons of the bar after entering, her Focus helpfully produced a bit of information for each, offering the huntress details such as species, vitals, equipment, and prospective danger.

[hider=Focus Readout]
[list][*]Human, Male – Alive – Equipped with Straight Sword – Probable Researcher – Unknown energy signature detected - Low Threat
[*]Corgi, Female – Sleeping – No equipment – Animal – No Threat
[*]4x Bunny Man, Super – Alive – No equipment – Profession Unknown – No Threat
[*]4x Wizard, Male – Inebriated – Equipped with Staves – Probable Adventurers – Unknown energy signatures detected - Moderate Threat
[*]Human, Male – Inebriated – No equipment – Profession Unknown – No Threat
[*]Human Male – Inebriated – Equipped with Long Sword, Reflective Shield, Plate Armor – Probable Warrior – Moderate Threat
[*]Human, Female – Alive – Equipped with axe – Probable Adventurer – Low Threat
[*]Flame Elemental, Male – Alive – No equipment – Probable Bartender – No Threat
[*]Hylian, Female – Deceased – Equipped with crossbows, bombs, Beetle, Heavy Boots, Spiral Charm – Unknown energy signature detected – Extreme Threat!!![/list][/hider]

For the moment, the bartender focused on the long-eared girl. He did not balk as she cheerily approached, unperturbed by the striking light in her eyes. Without any face to speak of he could only convey his attention to her through polite silence, though he did give a bemused look in the direction the Skullgirl indicated when she mentioned a mountain. When she held up her loot box, however, he gave a crackling chuckle. He spoke with an intriguing voice, crafted from the guttural undulation of flame. “A charming sentiment. The tree and its gifts are but a local custom, one of goodwill and community. Leave a present beneath it if you like—the general store across the way prices its wrapping-paper very reasonably. And take a gift, if you're so inclined. We can all use a little kindness now and again, no...?”

He finished cleaning his current mug and set it aside before leaning on the counter. “Now, a black coat isn't uncommon apparel, but I believe I know who you mean. A man head-to-toe in black comes by once in a while and sits alone. Hides his face, but doesn't seem to care about my flames shedding some light on it when he gets a drink. Interesting fella.”

During the conversation, he paid no mind to the other stranger staring at him, only shifting his gaze her way when she approached. She went to lay a mound of metal on the counter, but he held up a hand. “Ah, ah. Careful, or it'll scratch,” he cautioned, placing down his cleaning cloth so that she might rest the scrap on it for appraisal. “Hmph. Not exactly a common denomination. But for a little information, I'll take it.” Grillby held up one hand, gesturing widely, then crossed his arms. “This here's our humble town of Snowdin. A place of modest ambitions. If you're lost I can give you directions, inside town or out, but I can't tell you anything about your past.”

As he spoke, the newcomers might become aware of a growing noise, a difficult-to-place rumble. A few moments later, it suddenly darkened outside, then returned to normal the next second. By now some of the patrons took notice too, a couple curious, but a couple remarkably incurious. For his part, Grillby remained still and quiet. Then there came a loud crash on the roof, the sound of a whole body's impact, followed by a quieter but still very much audible series of footfalls leading toward the front of the building. They paused before the occupants heard the a single instance of crunching snow. After that came the knocking, loud, insistent. And with it came the voice, brash and unmeasured, almost drunken-sounding.

“Come on out!” The man demanded, specifying nobody in particular—yet the timing could not have been a coincidence. Another round of knocking shook the door. “I know who you are...” he told his unnamed quarry. “More importantly, I know [i]what[/i] you are!” With a final pound on the door, the uninvited guest seemed to calm down. “Just tell me what I want to know. No need for this to get bloody,” he urged.