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[color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 10: 86/100[/color] 
Location: Fields of Gold 
Word Count: 861
Points Gained: 2 (+3 +5
New EXP Balance--- [color=f49ac2]Level 10: 96/100 [/color]
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	With Ammy and Pit, and now herself all settled, Sakura took a walk around town. Collect her thoughts and get her bearings with some alone time. She had never spent too much time in the Low Tier. Sakura offered a friendly wave to anyone who recognized her. Sakura had never done well around big crowds and groups of people, so not having to battle off a horde of adoring fans was a blessing. Even if it did mean her career around Esaka didn’t go as well as it could have at the time.

	Sakura was no spy master, so when she noticed she was being followed she turned around openly and without suspicion. When she saw it was Asuka and Lili, she smiled genuinely, though her eyes narrowed and her brow lowered like she was already sizing up her Dojo counterparts for a fight. Asuka and Lili were powerful challengers. Whenever they ended up fighting each other, either for fun or in some kind of crossover tournament, they usually ended up going even.  

	
	[color=f49ac2]”Yep, I’m Sakura! And of course, there’s no way I could forget you.”[/color] Sakura said. Her smile faded a bit awkwardly when Asuka mentioned amnesia. 

[color=f49ac2]”Oh, uh, I mean- I’m not offended you forgot me or anything. I guess if you take as many hits to the head as we did something like that is bound to happen eventually…huh…”[/color] Sakura mused aloud. [color=f49ac2]”But uh, yeah no!”[/color] Sakura pushed herself closer to Asuka. [color=f49ac2]”Let’s be friends again! Now I can tell you jokes all over again, it’ll be like the first time you heard them.”[/color] 

	When Lili ‘complimented’ Sakura, the brunette grabbed her colorful jacket and opened it up slightly to look down at it and her cropped shirt with her name on it. She supposed street fashion wasn’t Lili’s brand. But Sakura was pretty sure that her new outfit meant she was dressed to the nines. [color=f49ac2]”Oh, I would have, but Karin is real busy.”[/color] Sakura said.

[color=f49ac2]”She’s kind of running a new town to the north east of here.” [/color] Sakura said. About then, it clicked. Karin had…left, right? Not long before Sakura had. Asuka, too. But then she was in Limsa, like she’d always been there. Memory was a funny thing.

	Asuka and Karin had both died, hadn’t they? Here, in Esaka. And nobody cared. Or…nobody noticed? Not even Sakura. Talk about a spiritual gut punch! Yikes! Sakura’s face had fallen as she made this revelation, blinking back into the present moment when Lili made a comment about Critical Art.

	[color=f49ac2]”Oh, uh…a museum?”[/color] Sakura said. There might be some useful intel there. About art. How does culture even form in this terrible World of Light? 

[color=f49ac2]”Um, sure! I might have to dip out early though, I’m travelling with a group and we’re all meeting up at the Pao Pao.”[/color]  Sakura jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

	Asuka asked for stories, and Sakura wasn’t entirely sure on how to answer her. [color=f49ac2]”Uhh…”[/color] She floundered.

	Would she even have to lie? [color=f49ac2]”Oh, I’ve been all over. I’ve been to Lumbridge and Limsa and Midgar. Been all sorts of places. There’s lots of crazy stuff out there.”[/color] Sakura said as she walked along. 

	[color=f49ac2]”It’s not as big as you’d think. I mean it’s huge and full of all sorts of crap but this place we’re in you can just walk across it if you try hard enough. It’s pretty fun actually. I’ve fought all sorts of people- monsters, even. Some of them…pretty scary actually! I’m just glad I wasn’t alone, haha.”[/color]  Sakura said. 

—

After getting back from her brief visit to Critical Art, Sakura jogged in through the door of Pao Pao Cafe. It was weird seeing another place that existed on her world- so far it had just been Karin’s beach estate. It was familiar in some ways, different in others.

Sakura waved over and sat down at the table, quietly looking over the menu as she considered her order. In the end, she went with an order of a few Brazillian steak skewers. Meat and vegetables, stacked ontop each other on a wooden stick. Kebabs like this were Jimmy-san’s favorite food.
	
Sakura laughed at Fortune’s antics. [color=f49ac2]”That’s really smart, Nadia-san! I bet you’ll really annoy all those grumpy, edgy goobers over there in the Dojo and in the crowds, too. So that’s a plus.”[/color] Sakura said. 

Sakura waved over at Terry- she had been to distracted by Yokai to introduce herself properly the last time they met. [color=f49ac2]”Hi Terry-san! Have you joined the Seekers already? Wow, that was fast!”[/color] She said. Terry seemed like the heroic, wandering fighter type from what she had gathered of him.  [color=f49ac2]”Did you, uh, find that third member yet?”[/color] She asked. [color=f49ac2]”I guess it coulda been me, I was a little too eager to meet up with the World Warrior dojo again. My bad.”[/color] She said.

When Harry and Kim mentioned they were fighting, Sakura looked concerned on their behalf. To be honest, they looked a little too…normal? When Harry name dropped someone, Sakura nearly choked on her skewer.

[color=f49ac2]”Dan Sensei? Like Hibiki Dan Sensei? Saikyo Style?”[/color] Sakura asked. 

[color=f49ac2]”L-listen, uh, I don’t wanna be rude, but I feel like you guys should be careful entering your first tournaments. I’m sure Hibiki-san told you his Saikyo Style would make you invincible but- it- it’s- um…it’s harder than it looks to win with it?”[/color] She managed sheepishly. [color=f49ac2]”I was his student back in the day.”[/color] Sakura explained.

[color=f49ac2]”His, uh…his [i]only[/i] student.”[/color] She added with reluctant emphasis, trying to gently hint about the true nature of Hibiki Dan’s martial prowess. And unfortunately having to imply her own naivete when she first started out.