[center][h3]Deep Blue Seaside: Mafia Town[/h3]
Level 14 Ms Fortune (58/140)
[@DracoLunaris] [@Archmage MC] [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN] [@Yankee] [@Zoey Boey] [@Double] [@DisturbedSpec]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1838[/center]

The fresh order of Fried Onion Cattlefish arrived at appreciable speed, and as the others continued to talk, Nadia got to work. With its chewy, slightly elastic flesh housed within a shell of crunchy fried batter, and surrounded by rings of sweet, caramelized fried onion, the cephalopod made for a savory feast that left Nadia thirsty for another bear. The catgirl cheerfully munched her way through the remainder of her meal, and in so doing she also ruminated on what her allies had to say. Having learned all they could during their stay in Mafia Town and shared what they found out, the team needed to figure out what came next. Of course, even if they put together some ideas and plans, Nadia’s next objective wasn’t really hers to decide. She wasn’t the Seeker’s leader, nor the brains of the operation, so the final call would be up to somebody like Sandalphon (or God forbid, Bowser) to make.

Unsurprisingly, Juri favored violence, after the reports about V and 𝙸, she seemed especially eager to off some consuls. Nadia couldn’t help but snort at some of her suggestions, and the vastly inflated ego it took to throw them out so casually. Thinking too highly of herself was nothing new for Juri, but she’d really outed herself by recommending a Consul hunt. It had taken the entire Under team, roughly half the entire roster of Seekers, to fight and take down P, himself a consul of uncommon complacence and immaturity by all accounts. From what little she’d heard of the Midgar team’s raid on the Shinra Building, their own fight against Y had been down to the wire. As much as Nadia wanted to depose more of the World of Light’s secret elite, their motley crew would need some backup first, especially going in blind.

Even if two beers had been enough to make someone like Nadia tipsy, that grim reminder from Junior would have sobered her up. As if the existence of twenty-six super-powerful despots wasn’t enough of a problem to begin with, the Koopa Kids had delivered a double-whammy to the Seekers that left them reeling: first, that their foes could simply replace any of the fallen. And second, the new Consul P was none other than Princess Peach, less than a day after Sandalphon reported her as KIA. It was a lot to handle, and really, Nadia hadn’t been handling it–just trying to forget about it. Unfortunately, with the speed that Nadia’s blood replenished, it would take a LOT more than two beers to make that revelation palatable. She could only sigh and voice her agreement with Rika. “Yeah, that consul deserves some major payback. An 𝙸 for an 𝙸.”

At that point, Blazermate crashed the party, quickly cramming herself along the bar of Bancho Sushi alongside all the others. Normally a machine would have no need to visit a restaurant, but this medabot was the sociable type. Unfortunately, if she wanted to find them well she’d come at a bad time. “Could be better,” Nadia admitted. It sounded like Blazermate caught of a glimpse of whatever Geralt saw, so the catgirl ignored the new report. “But hey, the chow’s purr-etty great,” she continued. “Bancho’s been teachin’ me a little about Asian food. Ever hear of a century egg? They’re eggs that got made a long tamago.” Even if that was a pun nobody but her could possibly get, the terrible joke left her giggling.

At that point, a marked increase in the ambient hubbub drew her attention toward the seaward end of the restaurant, prompting her ears to swivel and then her head to turn. Some of the other customers were congregating along the railing. Nadia just watched for another few seconds, chewing through the last of her rubbery fried cuttlefish. Her first guess was that someone spotted a breaching whale or dolphin pod, since the Blue Hole was famous for its variety of sea creature sightings. It did occur to her, after her run-in with that mutant hammerhead, that the critter could just as easily be a dangerous aberration. Either way, her curiosity wouldn’t let her sit still for long. With a look at her companions she pushed off her seat and sauntered over to the other side of Bancho Sushi to look out across the water. Her slitted electric-blue eyes were sharp, but by now it was dark out, and she couldn’t see anything amiss amongst the waves.

As she searched, she felt something nudge her elbow. When she looked down, the feral was delighted to see Chucho, her beloved polterpup. Not taking to the water like his owner, Chucho tended to wander the town while Nadia plumbed the depths of the Blue Hole, but her ghostly companion always turned up sooner or later. “Hey buddy, you’re late today!” she laughed, grabbing him in her arms to hug. He gave her a big ghostly lick, then glanced out to sea, ears perked up. Nadia followed his gaze, and a moment later she saw it: a massive black block on the water. A cargo ship.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Wait a second…” She suddenly remembered seeing -and absentmindedly forgetting about- that ship right after hunting that tuna. Silhouetted against the setting sun, it had just faded into the background. Now, though, it crept through the night, its presence unannounced and inexplicable. Closer and closer to Mafia Town. And as it grew closer, Nadia’s eyes could focus and better make out its details, like the [url=https://i.imgur.com/8nrmPla.png]absurdly big circus cannon[/url] sitting on its upper deck, and the enormous device embedded in its tower just below the bridge, an [url=https://i.imgur.com/V5sRaYS.png]ornate gauge[/url] just over halfway full of brilliant purple fire.

“A Flame Clock!” Nadia blurted out, startled by the sight. While she’d never seen Mafia Town’s, she knew the island city must have one, like every ‘colony’ scattered throughout the World of Light. When the flames burned out, so too would the lives of those it sustained. That one immutable fact doomed the people of this world to unending war, fighting to fuel the clocks with the lives of others just to live another day. And with the added context of what had been happening to Limsa Lominscuttle Town…!

At that moment, a terrifically loud ringing noise originated from the cargo ship, the harsh audio feedback of a microphone too close to its speaker. Then a voice, electronically amplified to many times its original volume, resounded across the water like that of a sports announcer across a jam-packed stadium.

“GOOOOOD evening, ladies and gentlemen of Mafia Town! I’m your host, Skip Leggerday, and I’m here with a special, one-night-only, all-inclusive event that you literally can’t miss! So buckle your seatbelts and strap yourselves in, ‘cause it’s time for a Battle. Royal. RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

As the unknown man spoke, music swelled from the cargo ship’s loudspeakers, but when he finished the tunes were drowned out by the tremendous blast of the ship’s cannon. From its yawning dark maw flew no less than one hundred flaming projectiles like comets through the night. They arced through the air, blazing trails in their wake, and sailed down toward Mafia Town as its stunned populace looked on. But while as shocked as anyone else, Nadia didn’t freeze. She turned tail and took off on all fours, sprinting back toward her allies through the restaurant with Chucho hovering at her heels. “Incomiiiiiing!”

The bombardment began to fall over Mafia Town’s southern side, breaking the boards, cracking the pavement, and cratering the sand where each payload fell. One landed on top of Bancho Sushi, but instead of breaking through it rolled right off and onto the dock, revealing himself to be a portly man with a high-visibility vest, a black afro, and cartoonish proportions. These weren’t cannonballs–they were people! These people were of all shapes and sizes, and many wore bizarre and/or mismatched outfits, but they had one thing in common: the moment they picked themselves up from where they landed, none the worse for wear, they began to attack.

For a moment Nadia watched, astonished, as the maniacs gleefully went after civilians and Mafia goons alike. They lashed out with big, telegraphed slaps, punches, and kicks, then unleashed all kinds of [url=https://rumbleverse.fandom.com/wiki/Special_Moves]special moves[/url] from grabs and mists to tackles and lariats. This, she realized, was the fate that had befallen Limsa, and now its perpetrators had come to Mafia Town. She couldn’t afford to wonder why, though. The people needed her help, and Nadia Fortune wasn’t one to disappoint.

“Let’s go, Chucho!” Nadia leaped out of the restaurant and onto the wharf, then made a beeline for the unknown assailant as he hurled a hapless mafioso into the water with a whirlwind swing. She leaped into the air and fell on him with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/6v8mJKU.png]divekick[/url] that led into a handful of claw slashes and culminated in an Unchain series, starting with a Tornado high thrust kick. From there she launched forward with a Sobat high kick as the Unchain Circle, then floored her foe with a wound-up straight punch as the Unchain Finisher. When she darted in to apply pressure, however, the wrestler popped up with a sucker punch to the stomach that shrugged off her attack, staggering her long enough that he could reach out and snatch her in another whirlwind swing. “Whoa-oa-oa-oa-!”

With an angry bark, Chucho intervened. He saved Nadia’s bacon with Thus Spoke Pickles, the starlight blast of mental energy interrupting the wrestler’s swing. Nadia’ momentum still sent her tumbling off the dock, but thanks to her rigging she salvaged her fall with a tech off the water’s surface. She shakily rose to her feet, then skated back toward the dock, peppering her target with blood rounds from her cannon batteries. When she got close enough, the feral threw herself into the wrestler’s guard with a double slash, her chip damage amplified by 30% thanks to Thus Spoke Pickles. In a flash she drew her Athame daggers, reducing his defense with each rapid slash to his guard, until she went for a throw. Extruding her own muscle fiber, she ensnared the wrestler in a bar of bloody yarn, then playfully hurled him into the water. To her surprise, however, her enemy sank straight to the bottom without so much as a stream of air bubbles.

Though confused for a moment, Nadia couldn’t sit still in this target-rich environment. “One down…now for the ‘wrest’ of them,” she muttered, turning her attention toward Mafia Town.

Immediately a [url=https://i.imgur.com/vjHvVEL.png]big man[/url] in a black showy outfit consisting of a studded longcoat and pants dropped down from the roof of Seaside Spaghetti. “Come on, let’s do this!” Bass Armstrong challenged her, arms outstretched. Nadia stowed her knives and sharpened her claws, ready to take him on.

Stirred into action by the sudden attack, the inhabitants of Mafia Town rallied to fight back against the onslaught. Surly sailors, sea creatures, and Mafia leg-breakers alike all rolled out to repel the invaders. Even tommy gun-toting elites like Chrom and Rosanna joined the fray. But while the defenders were occupied, Mabuchi led his well-armed band toward the Mafia headquarters. The arrival of the infamous raiders, exactly as planned, had created a perfect storm. In the middle of all the chaos, the merciless edge of his Guan Dao would part the Mafia of Cooks from its head, allowing him to seize power at last. When his team reached the plate in the sky, they found only a token force guarding the front doors. With an ugly smile, Mabuchi went to work.

[center][h3]Sandswept Sky: Skyworld[/h3]
[@DracoLunaris] [@Archmage MC] [@Yankee] [@Double] [@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN][/center]

Following the destruction of the Ivory Citadel’s towers, Palutena’s forces seized the advantage to push through into the heart of the corrupted fortress. The fighting was fierce, at times a brutal slog slowed to a crawl by wave after wave of dangerous fodder, or a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse as angels hunted down sycophant assassins and ayfid snipers that threatened to pick them off one by one. False angels appeared with a variety of tricks up their loathsome sleeves, demanding the focus of Featherbows to ensure that their most dangerous attacks missed the mark. With every corruption node eliminated, however, the army of light gained ground. By now, every soldier knew how the Corruption worked; its growths could bear their vile fruit no matter how many were cut down, but if the angels pulled out its roots, its branches would wither. Enterprising Featherswords could use Accelerate to dash past enemy gangs, or in and out of windows, in order to go straight for the plague’s black hearts and deprive their foes of their power. Slowly but surely, the army of light was driving back the darkness.

While the soldiers scoured the citadel, the Seekers racked up a series of important victories. As the strongest amongst the Laguna monsters stationed here, both Belief and Beloved presented major challenges, but when Midna, Pit, Edelgard, and Roxas managed to take them down, their underlings faltered soon after. Sectonia’s victory over Edward and the eldritch throne of whispers deprived the Corruption of the last of the strategic power it had managed to accrue, leaving its pawns little more than a directionless mob. Soon, the various squadrons of Palutena’s forces reunited in the great hall, the final holdout of the Corruption in the Ivory Citadel. Here, the many branches of the fortress’s infestation coalesced, becoming aged masses of putrefaction that joined together at a single source: the distended head of a long-dead corpse, [url=https://i.imgur.com/FsEv2zL.png]Legion[/url], seated atop the throne.

Having finally reached this place after what felt like years of interminable stalemate against their hated foe, the angels had picked up momentum. With Fodoquia at the forefront they stormed the hall, propelled by the beat of their cloud-white wings over the roiling gloom that carpeted the marbled floor, and began to wipe out the last of the benighted horde. As its annihilation drew near, however, the Corruption played its final card. From the gnarled disk, a foul yellow light blazed, a sickly, odious, and unwholesome foil to the nourishing, sacred light of the erdtrees. Just being within its line of sight was enough to cause dizziness and nausea, while looking at it directly filled the eyes and brain with toxic, searing brilliance. The angels returned fire as best they could, but the eye beat down on them like the desert sun, hampering their efforts so much that they scrambled for shelter against the noisome glare. As the tables turned, the knotted disk somehow detached from the corpse’s neck and began to float across the room, bathing all in its vomitous glow and ear-piercing noise. 

Suddenly, Palutena’s voice rang out over the awful din. [color=springgreen]”Angels in the great hall, clear the center!”[/color]

The next moment a thunderous impact shook the building, and the roof of the great hall began to buckle. With a tremendous racket, great slabs of masonry fell, smashing against the disk and the corrupted monsters on the ground. Legion’s light dimmed, and the gentle night poured in from above, but in that darkness the angels spotted radiant halos and splendid golden armor.

“Open fire!” Nathaniel bellowed.

To either side of him, Storm Wardens unleashed their cannons, raining down destruction on the dregs of Corruption. In the middle of their barrage, both Nathaniel and Uriel dove down, blades at the ready. “May the Father guide our hands!” they called, eyes screwed shut. With a roar Nathaniel struck first, using the flat of his blade to send the twisted disk flying back toward the corrupted throne. Then Uriel crashed into Legion, unleashing lightspeed slashes with her Dawnbreaker until the light of day cut through the blighted luster in a climactic explosion, and after that, all was silent.

A moment later, cheers broke through the stunned quiet, and together the heavenly host ascended through the hole in the roof to regroup atop the reclaimed Ivory Citadel. As Uriel and Nathaniel composed herself, panting from their efforts, Celia swooped down atop Ortho. “Good work, everyone!” she congratulated them. “But I’m afraid our battle is far from over. Look!”

Next in the corrupted archipelago, the sky island that was once Citronpool Harbor had more than stirred–it had awakened. From its gloom-slathered ports embarked angelic vessels of such golden grandiosity that they could only be Laguna monstrosities themselves. Half a dozen [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZdToNdR.png]Kinships[/url] now sailed through the sky like unholy funeral barges, manned by corrupted archers, while Citronpool’s central shipyard launched a much larger weapon of war: the stunning rocket-shaped [url=https://i.imgur.com/rOX2HPB.png]Worship[/url]. Already the Kinships were spitting out missiles with cherubic faces, forcing an engagement with Nathaniel and Uriel’s airborne units while their leaders were away.

With that realization, morale among the soldiers dropped. Fighting through the claustrophobic, enemy-rich environment of the citadel had exhausted the angels, claiming many lives and leaving many more wounded. At this point the army of light would normally fall back to heal up and decontaminate, lest traces of corruption take route inside them, but there was no backing out now. To make matters worse, night had well and truly fallen. The Feathers’ skills were strong normally, but the extra effects gained during the daytime gave them a serious upper hand. Now the darkly-colored enemies had the advantage.

Once again, Palutena’s voice rang out.  [color=springgreen]”Do not fear, angels of skyworld! Lift your heads and rejoice, for though I am not your Father, I remain your goddess of light!”[/color]

Straightening up from her scrying pool in her temple, Palutena reached over and lifted a splendid flower from its cushion, holding it in her hand. The flower, with layered shades of yellow, orange, red, blue, and purple like the sunset sky, began to glow, and when she held it up, the Dream Blossom shot into the sky. It burst in a wave of pure radiance, pushing back the dark as daylight filled the vaults of heaven over Skyworld once more. Seeing this miraculous feat, the angels cheered, their spirits and abilities renewed. All of a sudden the Laguna ships didn’t seem all that fearsome, especially now that the ballistae operators could see again. The verminous bog called Citronpool Harbor, with no proper defenses to speak of, looked like easy pickings, so really those ships were all that stood between the army of light and the final corrupted sky island. Celia was right: this battle wasn’t over just yet.

Hearing the exultations of her forces filled Palutena with joy.  [color=springgreen]”All troops…move out!”[/color]

[center][h3]Forbidden Kingdom: Meridi-at-Han[/h3]
Level 8 Goldlewis (87/80) Level 1 Grimm (6/10)
[@Yankee] [@Archmage MC] [@Drifting Pollen]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1640[/center]

When the trio hit the ground, they split up, with Roland disappearing right away to challenge George while Primrose stood her ground for a moment, preparing a magical dance. Even if they weren’t at his heels, though, Goldlewis stayed the course toward Ralph, and not just because he wanted to make sure Primrose got her chance to use her support skills. The giant wolf had snatched a panicked Meridi-at-han citizen with a hungry leer, licking his chops. Like a kid with a piece of popcorn Ralph then tossed the poor old man high into the air, turning his head upward as he opened his mouthful of fangs wide.

Goldlewis scowled, dropping his coffin. He knew he had just one shot at this, but it wasn’t his military training that would save the day right now. To pull this off, he’d need to rely on even older experience. “Thunderbird!” His coffin cracked open, and the UMA inside let fly a [url=https://i.imgur.com/CxyVfhY.png]spiked bomb[/url]. Rather than let it hover toward the monster on its own, though, Goldlewis opted for the faster option: seizing it in his hand and hurling it like a football. The explosive hurtled through the air, propelled by almost inhuman strength, and detonated against Ralph’s ear. The giant yelped, flinching, and the old man meant for his gullet instead bounced off his furry shoulder. Quickly back to his fight against Mudrock in Quarantine Valley, Goldlewis placed his boot against his coffin and kicked it to send it sliding along the ground toward. From within the casket the UMA extended three arms to catch the citizen before he could slam into the ground.

Seeing the man safe, Goldlewis wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he could do no such thing. Ralph recovered from the grenade quickly, and after turning to fix a furious glare on his disarmed attacker, the wolf charged. His massive stride closed the distance in an instant, and his enormous hand descended with ferocious speed. Goldlewis barely threw himself out of the way in time, but Ralph easily raked his claws across the ground to catch the veteran in the back and knock him down. Another second and the monster brought a footpaw down on him, gleefully crushing him against the earth. “Guh! Need a…hand!”

Luckily, Primrose had worked her magic by then, bolstering her comrade’s defense with a Mole Dance spread far and wide by Sealticge's Seduction. The big man trapped beneath Ralph’s heel turned out to be an unexpectedly tough nut to crack, and Kayna didn’t give him the time to break through. She and Avmar leaped to the veteran’s aid, getting his attention with the Velocidrome’s cruel talons. As Goldlewis picked himself up, Primrose herself followed up with her uncanny black flames. Suddenly Ralph found himself beset by a whole crowd of enemies, a mixture of Seekers, Sun Guards, and adventurers armed with might or magic. With that old man safe, Goldlewis the chance to grab his coffin, yanking it into his grasp by the chain just in time to block a wide sweep from the giant. When Ralph noticed just who it was that his claws bounced off of, he reached back down for another grab, but the veteran batted his mitt away. At that point the Grimmkin joined in from above, pelting Ralph with scarlet fireballs that left burning patches in his fur, others who wielded flames joined in. When Primrose pitched her next pyromancy at him, the beast went up in flames.

Ignited and burning, the giant went berserk. He flailed around in a wild tantrum, stomping his footpaws and slicing at anyone and everyone he could. His constant and unpredictable movement made it difficult for his attackers to keep themselves in one piece, let alone get a piece of him, but his reckless abandon meant that he’d be wide open if someone got past his offense. The Secretary of Absolute Defense rose to the occasion, fearlessly chasing Ralph down. He dashed, blocked using Faultless Defense, then dashed again until his patience reward him with the opportunity to bring his coffin crashing down on Ralph’s foot in a stupendous [url=https://i.imgur.com/orEUw3J.png]Behemoth Typhoon[/url].

He heard something break, and the burning wolf howled, agonized. With a snarl Ralph turned and limped to the nearest buildings, then began to climb in an attempt to get away. Goldlewis snorted and cracked open his coffin again. Normally anything under Galeem’s influence couldn’t flee from a battle  -maybe he intended to return to the fight after quenching the flames in a nearby river?- but it didn’t matter, because this beast wasn’t getting away. Helpful as ever, the UMA provided him with his newest weapon: the [url=https://i.imgur.com/TiOIjzV.png]giant harpoon gun[/url] he’d named Yowie, gained from the spirit of Rosa. Goldlewis planted his feet, took aim at Ralph’s back, and fired. A howl shook Meridi-at-han as the giant harpoon lodged between the monster’s ribs, but he only paused for a moment. Immediately he began to drag Goldlewis forward, though the big man fought for every inch. It was up to the others to bring him down.

At the same time, while Kayna and Avmar showed up to assist Zenkichi against Lizzie, another phantom appeared in the vicinity of Roland and Oscar. In the torchlit dark of night, only the flash of scarlet eyes betrayed the presence of ink-black claws that slid through the furry flesh of the giant gorilla like butter, but each time the specter struck he vanished just as quickly. By the time Roland’s unsportsmanlike strike laid George low, his hair was wet with blood, and at that opportune moment Grimm made his entrance. The bug blinked in not far from Oscar, his arrival announced by a burst of crimson embers, and he threw open his cloak to launch a salvo of screeching firebats at George’s face. Spurred to anger by the searing pain, George balled his huge fists and pounded the earth, throwing many of the makeshift militia to the ground. He then sprang to his feet and plucked a certain plain-faced parasite from his hide, then went to pop Roland in his mouth and regain his health from his crushed bones.

Before he could be devoured, both Oscar and Grimm interceded. Having few compunctions himself, the old spearman unleashed a High-speed Stabbing directly into George’s already-damaged groin, inflicting a grievous enough wound that the ape forgot all about Roland. Then, as the Fixer fell, the Troupe Master darted toward George’s ankle. With most of the militia members confined to melee range, they’d been softening up his lower legs as best they could, and now Grimm aimed his razor-sharp claws at the giant’s Achilles tendon. Bellowing, George fell to one knee, and after a quick pivot Grimm jumped straight for his enemy’s scorched face. As Grimm hung in the air, time seemed to slow down, allowing him to consider his target. His jump arc put George’s throat out of his reach, and he couldn’t be sure that his claws were long enough to pierce it anyway, so he changed targets. His fingers sliced across the ape’s right eye, forcing it shut, but when he turned his head he got a bead on Grimm before he could disengage. A massive hand closed around the Troupe Master, and without ceremony George threw the bug in his mouth and bit down.

The next second Grimm teleported back out into the night air, appearing a few dozen feet away. Unfortunately he could not launch any firebats while falling, and when he landed he hit the ground in an unusually graceless tumble. The Troupe Master hissed as he regarded his lower right leg, crushed between two of George’s teeth. To make matters worse, something felt off, but nothing to do with this fight. Grimm found his attention drawn back toward his troupe’s camp and burned-out tent.  There were no giants over there, but he could still see scarlet flames, and hear the sounds of combat. [color=ef6069]“Kindred, heed me.”[/color] A Grimmkin Nightmare descended to support him as the couple dozen scarlet flames dancing above the city turned and streaked through the darkness. With his assistant Grimm began to move, leaving the others to finish the fight against a wounded George as he ripped a palm tree from the ground to use as a weapon.

A few moments later, the shadows lengthened impromptu battlegrounds between the two remaining Shadows and the Witch’s undead cohort. From the gloom floated the ghostly Grimmkin, their scarlet braziers flaring to life to flicker and bob like so many fireflies. After gaining the upper hand in her surprise attack, the schemer, hungry for some semblance of satisfaction as she sought to defile and enslave those who resisted her, had allowed her greed to get the better of her. Now the unnatural insects gathered like the audience of a performance themselves, whispering and tittering in disembodied, inhuman voices. They held their torches like staves, more than ready to pay the Witch back for her arson. With the threat of a fiery demise from the Grimmkin more than implicit, the two remaining Shadows turned mace, sword, worm, and flame on their former brother, drawing it away as they methodically dissected the new zombie. Finally, a scathing whisper cut through the crowd, insinuating words like an assassin might his blade.

[color=ef6069]"A spark of red lights darkest dream,
Scarlet nightmares bright and wild,
Visions dance and flames do speak…”[/color]

Grimm stepped forward, unsteady on his wounded leg, and extended his clawed hand in invitation. If this human yearned for knowledge, and believed herself worthy, all that remained was to take it. To join the Troupe Master in a new kind of dance, one with just two steps.

[color=ef6069]“Burn the father, feed the child."[/color]

Grimm bowed his head to her, and the show was on.