[center][h3]Esaka’s Low Tier - Tea House Tussle[/h3]
Lvl 5 Yayama (2/50) and Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (143/150 )
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1158[/center]

When Nadia’s latest wordplay-infused one-liner failed to rile her opponent up, and Asher merely looked past her quizzically, the curious feral naturally turned to see what she was looking at. If this had been the classic what’s-that-over-there trick, Nadia would have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker, but as it happened Asher wasn’t trying to pull a fast one; she was taken aback by the irate stranger marching officiously onto the scene. After Nadia spotted the newcomer as well, Asher threw a questioning glance at her opponent as if to ask if this newbie was with her. Nadia shook her head, denying everything.

Yayama proceeded to involve herself with an indignant announcement of her intentions, eliciting an impatient groan from Nadia as she slapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh, brother,” she muttered. It looked like she’d ruffled the feathers of the wrong person. With how much the catgirl liked little dogs, she was well aware that the smallest ones tended to be the most eager to bark [i]and[/i] bite. Or did wounding one’s pride count as an attack that triggered Galeem’s influence…? Either way, she couldn’t exactly throw in the towel now, not with so much money hanging in the balance. Sure, she could just steal what she needed, but after letting Asher kick her butt she was too invested. Plus, the redhead actually couldn’t stop herself now, not with that sunset-red gleam in her eyes, and she seemed about as intimidated by Yayama’s threats as Nadia herself (i.e., not at all). Well…if neither combatant could be talked out their duel, maybe the newcomer could be convinced she was the one in the wrong?”

“Aw, no need to get rough, miss…Yayama, you said?” Nadia tried to be civil this time, though she couldn’t quite get the mocking edge out of her voice. “Maybe we got off in the wrong foot. Introductions are a great idea! They call me Ms Fortune the Pun-relenting, and hey, I get where you’re comin’ from. So just hear meowt!

She gestured around at the elegant building, inside which the other Seekers’ two-on-two tag match was still ongoing. “Maybe you weren’t aware, but Fengjian Teahouse [i]is[/i] an arena! And it’s a [i]purr-ivate[/i] establishment, to boot. You’d know if you were, well, in the know.” Nadia shrugged innocently, as if to say that Yayama’s ignorance couldn’t be helped. So far she’d kept her voice loud enough that the second-floor spectators could hear her, intending to play the crowd. Yayama had let slip a couple choice words, after all, that were bound to turn her precious ‘public’ against her. “I mean, who can blame you. After all, why would a [i]tourist[/i] know anythin’ about Esaka customs?”

Irritated whispers began to intensify among the onlookers. Luckily for her, Nadia hadn’t completely zoned out during Investigator Azuma’s introduction at the city gates. In Esaka, ‘tourist’ was something of a loaded word, referring to ignorant outsiders who barged into the city’s somewhat insular community, then try to change time-honored traditions to suit themselves instead of putting in the time and effort to become a skilled fighter. At the same time, the few Teahouse patrons who didn’t scowl at Yayama for her conspicuous self-admission probably suspected her to be a cop or something similar, here to put a stop to their unsanctioned gambling. 

Gaining momentum, Nadia treated the Lalafell to a somewhat condescending smile as she bowed, gesturing back toward the hole in the wall. Opposite her, Asher stood with her arms crossed, itching to finish the fight. “So, uh, if you don’t mind, why doncha head on your merry way and let us consentin’ adults do our business?”

“Well, I’d be happy to, if you hadn’t nearly gotten your giblets all over my freshly polished armor. Or nearly taken my head off careening through that wall.” That smug grin was already starting to annoy her. “Honestly, your puns are almost worse than the potential physical injury,” she muttered with a roll of her eyes, not particularly caring whether Nadia heard the words or not. 

The feral cracked a grin. “It’s called pun-ishment for a reason! And hey, sorry my dismembered corpse [i]almost[/i] bled on you. Promise I won’t do it again!”

Yayama turned her focus toward the redhead. “Don’t think I’m forgetting about you, either. I’m all for beating the daylights out of one another in an organized and voluntary fashion, mind you, but can you at least do so [i]without[/i] the part where you endanger random passers-by? I’ve made my annoyance quite clear, but the one thing I cannot abide is putting innocents at risk, customs or no.”

The lalafell then leaned back slightly, casting her voice upward as well. “And for those wondering, I haven’t been any sort of law enforcement for years.” Technically, enforcement had never been a strict duty of hers, but her old Grand Company may as well have been officers of the law as well as soldiers. “I’m not planning on takin’ anything but your coin in bets, don’t you worry.”

Up above, the crowd didn’t seem wholly convinced, but they weren’t on edge any more, at least. Asher stared down at Yayama for a few moments, unimpressed, before scratching her neck idly. “Yeah, yeah. Got a little carried away, I guess.” She yawned and stretched. “We’ll wrap it up nice and easy, ‘kay?”

“And if you’re just itchin’ to knock some heads yourself, you could always put dibs on the winner,” Nadia added. If this gal turned out to be a better sport than she thought, maybe she’d be willing to join in the fun.

“Well. I thought that'd be harder.” Yayama dropped her stance, settling her greatsword on one shoulder and taking a few steps back to give the two brawlers room. “I was expecting you two to resist more, maybe both turn on me.” She didn't seem fazed by the prospect.

Yayama turned and strolled over to a seat, at which point she spoiled her image somewhat by needing to climb onto the seat before she could lazily plop herself down. She gestured vaguely forward between the redhead and Nadia. “Well, go on, then.”

Snickering, Nadia tossed her a salute, then turned back toward her opponent. “Now, where were we?” Her nails hardened into claws as she [url=https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/072/576/671/original/jess-heward-ref.gif?1707723036]bounced back and forth[/url], ready to scrap.

Asher slammed her airborne shields together with a resounding clang, then span them off to her sides as she put up her dukes. “Let’s finish this.”

[i]She’s got to be hiding something. The Miqo’te is too confident, and the read I’m getting on her doesn’t feel like someone who’s just here to fight.[/i] There was a simple answer, of course, one that went along with her attitude and the shady nature of the establishment. Yayama didn’t have the context to know why, or who else might be involved, but one thing was starting to seem obvious. [i]I’ll need to mind myself.[/i]

[i]She’s holding back.[/i]