[b]All[/b] Not even the sudden departure of the Aeteline can fully end the party aboard the spiraling crystal shell space station. But it does take the energy out of the room. The Zaldarians, nearly all dazed and enervated after the brawl and the rush, slowly filter out of the hangar, not knowing what to do, none able to properly give chase. Other guests eat and dance, they spread, the Terenians and the Hybrasilians discuss trade and piracy and all the myriad matters of bureaucracy and delicacy that ultimately boil down to how many fish everyone will wind up getting. Still, even among five such grand festivities so far, this will be one to remember. The grand theft of what is debatably the greatest mecha known to exist. Though "known" and "debatably" carry much weight in that description. Kimri Blessed daughter of Grandmother Night may, perhaps, have offered the best observation. Watching from just outside the hanger, she commented to the delegation: "Hunger is with that one." *** Even so, time passes. Food and drink run thin, the music stops, and the guests depart in their turns. And after that there is rest, training, tune-ups, and all the myriad ways that one might prepare for the finals. For now, every match counts. No more round robin, no more friendly competition and wondering at the cutoffs. The elimination stage is prepared and the fights will be coming so very soon. In the first round: Match 1: Ada Smith will face Angela Victoria Miera Antonius Match 2: Jacinta Niares will face Dala Hunters Match 3: Isabelle Lozano will face Kiriala of Maeahu Match 4: Solarel will face Akaithon, Knight of Zaldaria In the second round: Marcina Villajero will face the winner of match 1 Mira Fisher will face the winner of match 2 Marna Kerne will face the winner of match 3 Maelia Dala will face the winner of match 4 *** [b]Dolly and Jade and entourage[/b] Ksharta chose cooking first. It's not what she wanted. You could feel her heart rise when you offered her a knighthood in the house. And she said as much, she's not so utterly blind to her own feelings. But then she had said "I can't see how that looks yet. It sounds right, but...I can't see it. So I'll cook first, and get you all prepared for the matches and then we'll find out what it means to be a knight." And, well, it may not have made her heart soar, but she was honest and it was stable and that made her happy in a different way. It's good to see this, Jade. Happiness can be big and small. It's not always fulfilling someone's fantasies. Sometimes happiness is feeling safe, and the happy little twitch of a girl's tail when she tastes her curry and she got the spice mix just right. That's what she's cooking now. Angela needs it after a grueling tiebreaker that she barely scraped out, and you all need it to cheer for her. She still plans to play the villain in a sense, but for now with everyone else involved, there's something of a united front and everyone cheered for her in her final matches to qualify. [Ksharta chose to accept emotional support in her way.] As for Valynia... "You think I hate her, but you're wrong. I [i]see[/i] her." She had smiled then. "Just be extra loud when she's seen me back and I'll come find you, little Dolly." And then she had glided out of the room, leaving behind the scent of spice before you could stand under your own power. And now, you've got one more pirate to face before you can go up against Mirror (Mirror!!!). The boss (maybe) of the whole Red Band (question mark) and one of the most feared lionesses in the galaxy. Jacinta Niares. This one is probably real, but after everything you've been through with Valynia, what sort of power do you think her boss wields? What you know about her mecha, [b]The Roar[/b] is fairly limited. Statistics are listed as Power: **** Speed: *** Defense: ***** And it's known for its overwhelming medium-range weaponry. There have been a lot of imitations though, so if it's the real Roar and the real Jacinta, expect surprises. *** [b]Isabelle[/b] It is a funny thing, but after the party, you find that your schedule isn't quite so booked. This is not to say that Almira Lozano didn't hear everything. It is not to say that she isn't plotting something. She has certainly not disappeared, and her advice is available whenever you wish to seek it, with the same skill and judgment as always accompanies it. No, it's just that your training schedule is a bit more open and sleep might just exist in small quantities. Perhaps it's simply that you danced with Adriana and met all the superficial goals your family had set? Perhaps it's the unusual business deal you struck. Perhaps it's the deal you struck with the Fisher cat and the fact that for the first time your mother might view you differently than the daughter she so often cowed. Though, this is not to say that you shouldn't be very busy. Kiriala won every match she fought except for her match against Mirror. Her mecha sports the latest in Hybrasilian technology: perhaps not the match of the most esoteric mechas out there (again, Mirror herself seems to deliver the unusual) but at least the equal of anything the Terenius Consortium can manage to field at the moment. Meanwhile, Kiriala's skill and focus have been top-notch. A steady hand and a calm mind are her hallmarks, the exception of Mirror yet again notwithstanding. The Ginger Tiger's ratings are slightly upgraded from before as well (or perhaps merely updated based on the range displayed in the fight with Mirror) Power: **** Speed: **** Defense: **** You'll need to do a lot to prepare for her. But then, competing with that are other things. You still have a Zaldarian nanobot connection and they have been positively shrieking warnings at you (insofar as a vague mental sense of unease can shriek) since the end of that party and the reactivation of the Aeteline. You still have Quar as a prisoner in some sense. And Asil is still there and she's going to call for you as many free evenings as your stamina is prepared for. And you did promise to come when she called, didn't you? Tell us what your life is like as you build up to your match. *** [b]Mirror[/b] Congratulations! You had the best record in the round robin (officially at any rate, and notwithstanding your own description of the matches). You thus received the one bye extended from the tournament, putting you in the illustrious ranks of the three prior faction champions. You're even slated to face Marcina in the semifinals, which as it turns out was the soonest you could get unless she had decided to forego her own bye (perhaps possible if she's seen the bracket keeping you apart, but she seems content for you to face one opponent at the least). On top of that, if you're lucky, you'll face Dolly first, and of course Jade as well. Assuming they don't both melt in embarrassment the second they see you. In the meantime, you, along with the other three will be commenting the first set of matches. You even get to pick your co-caster. Marcina, you've met: keen intellect, analytical, thoughtful and caring, but absolutely a sub in conversation. Maelia is also known for being analytical, being a keen scientists, but with more of a humorous and passionate streak and of course her own Hybrasilian deep space background. Or Marna, who is loud and teasing, with a keen ability to read people quickly and focus on the emotional heart of matches. *** [b]Solarel[/b] Travel in the Aeteline is a unique feast for the senses. It presses against the universe, it warps the space around it with its vicious furnace. A small part of you may realize that the Kathresis would find the Aetline offensive, perhaps even filled with irrational and vicious hatred for it in its active state. Its Trak'tho masters would have believed such a thing to be an abomination. That said, the one thing you will not hear news of in the intervening time is the location of the Kathresis, which was taken by someone else from the crystal hangar and is either not known to the cult it had attracted or they will not say. But what matters is that now that there is a host of new tactics available to you? Tiers of strength, speed, and energy control that you haven't touched in a long time. You don't need to land in the days before your scheduled tournament match if you don't want to. And even if you land, you hardly need to leave the mecha or its dock. If you look for news about your match, you'll find you're facing Akaithon again, though apparently she has unregistered the Makhaira and the briefing has no details of what mecha she plans to pilot the face the Aeteline. Her own statement about the plan you two executed together, in its way. What will your tactics be to face Akai again so soon?