[center][h3]Esaka - Pools Tier[/h3]
[b]Yayama Yama[/b]
Status: Coping?
LV: 5, EXP: 32/50
Word Count:  3014 (+4)
[color=D34C25][b]Primrose[/b] - [u]Level[/u]: [b]11[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 302/110[/color][/center]

When the tournament series officially began, Primrose lingered in the shade of a stone arch to watch the first round of Nadia's match. She knew the other woman was strong, so when she and her machine partner handily won against their opponents Primrose decided to give her some space. The Orsterran walked away, intending to make a quick loop around the Mortal Kombat section so that she'd end up about back where she started soon enough. As she went she glanced at other arenas floating in the Pools: a wobbling raft where two men fought, one with a brown hat, trench coat, and metal knuckles, the other with a wide brimmed cap, mask, and bandoliers; a small dirt mound like a miniature island where a tanned skinned woman with a scar over her nose and very short shorts on waited impatiently for an opponent that had yet to arrive.

The walk gave her some time to think, too. Meeting with Nadia had only been a little awkward, as it was clear to Primrose now what had happened last night. The feral blamed herself for the bombing and had high tailed it away as fast as possible, and obviously she felt that the rest of the Seekers were going to lay the blame on her as well. It wasn't a surprise to Primrose that her friend felt that way, and given the part of the opening ceremony announcement plainly stating who the perpetrator was it did clear up the reason it had happened. Whether it was the whole truth or some cover up for a larger design were thoughts that Primrose would leave to the group's detective types. For the dancer, her mind was made up - though Nadia had drawn the ire of this 'Kazuya,' it was he who'd drawn everyone else into his retaliation. She certainly wouldn't turn her back on Nadia just for that. It was hardly the first time trouble had found Primrose's group like this, whether here or in Orsterra. Though with the bounty put on the man now, it was hard to imagine he'd keep on going after Ms. Fortune.

Speaking of bounty, Primrose toyed with the idea of joining the hunt. With an apparent assassination attempt on one of the Four Kings already carried out she assumed their security would tighten up now, killing any plans she and Therion had been formulating about getting into their towers. A pleasure lady and a large wild cat would probably have made decent offerings for some of the Kings and might have slipped through before. Now, though? She wasn't so sure. But a meeting with the mysterious 'Heavenly Principles' was intriguing. People and Yokai in Esaka spoke of them in hushed tones, and if they had the authority to enforce specific rules within battles then they must wield some type of power. 

Were the Heavenly Principles actually Esaka's elite though, including its Consuls, or were they a separate entity altogether? Were they sentient at all, even? The answers would be had by those who made good on that bounty. 

Primrose reached up and tapped the pale gold pearl in her ear, speaking not to the group as a whole but on a private line. 

[color=D34C25]"What do you think?"[/color] she asked.

For a few long moments there was no response. She figured her fellow Orsterran was still gathering his thoughts. The golden wind current that had carried the opening speeches had seemed to flow throughout the entire tier, and she could only assume that in a battle-crazed city like this it would have dispersed throughout all of Esaka - there was no way that Therion had missed the Kings' messages. However, as those moments stretched into minutes Primrose's brow furrowed and she tried again. [color=D34C25]"Therion?"[/color]

On the other end of the line the thief let out a breath. He had, of course, seen the announcements. Seen Esaka's Four Kings. Seen the Lady Consul... Consul B. She was nearly in the flesh, almost as though she'd been standing right in front of him - and it had taken him so suddenly to the memory of a dream of a memory, to lightning and blood.

Mostly though he was just a little embarrassed about startling out of the wind the carried the message in the middle of the gambling den, the few people that hadn't been watching giving him an odd look. Retreating to a private corner of the establishment, he'd taken some time to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. Finally, his voice came through the linkpearl to Primrose.

[i][color=BC8DBF]"It's her,"[/color][/i] he said. His tone was hard and inflection-less. Primrose parsed his meaning in a blink.

[color=D34C25]"It was inevitable that she'd come. It just happened to be sooner than later,"[/color] she said. Luck did not appear to be on the Seekers' sides at the moment. Primrose glanced out over the far edge of the Pools Tier, past Esaka to the fields beyond it, already determining a quick escape route in case B turned the whole city against them.

Therion was of the same mind, murmuring in her ear about safe houses and strategy. Still, she recalled how he'd confided in her about his past life memory, and so after a moment she interrupted him with a softer voice. [color=D34C25]"Are you alright?"[/color]

He scoffed. [i][color=BC8DBF]"Of course. It's not the first time I've run into someone that's tried to kill me before."[/color][/i]

Primrose couldn't see his face, but she remembered how he'd looked in the caves outside of Wellspring. The shock and hurt that shone in his eyes before he'd shut it down completely and told her, Ophilia, and the others to let him handle his old partner alone until Alfyn had convinced him otherwise. Primrose didn't expect Therion to be as troubled as that day, but there was no way that seeing B so 'close' hadn't affected him; she had done more than just [i]try[/i] after all. The dancer played along for now, though. She could always corner him in person later.

[color=D34C25]"Of course,"[/color] she echoed. By now her trek had taken her by another stage where a victorious pair of diminutive ladies, one more familiar to her than the other, were making their way back to the main walkway.

The one in purple raised one hand in greeting before glancing back to the blonde. “I’ll catch up to you at the next arena,” she said. “Looking forward to the next match.” The becrowned one said her own farewell before charging off, leaving the Seekers as alone with one another as they could be in a place like that. “Hey there. I recognize you from the Flats, but I was a little distracted during introductions yesterday.” She shoved the thought of why to the back of her mind as the dark knight looked more closely. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is something wrong?”

Since she'd waved, Primrose's attention had lingered on the lalafell. Primrose stopped her wandering, letting the shorter woman approach, her body language becoming more friendly even if she was a bit too late to shift her expression.

[color=D34C25]"When isn't there?"[/color] she replied with a wry little smile.

She caught herself then, dropping her hand from the pearl and resting it on her hip. 'Distracted' was certainly a word to describe the state the other woman had been in, but it was easy to forgive considering just what it was that she'd learned yesterday. [color=D34C25]"No need to overwhelm you, I'm sure you have your hands full with your tournament bouts. Congratulations, by the way."[/color]

After a moment the dancer inclined her head towards Yayama for a more proper greeting.

[color=D34C25]"I'm not sure that I introduced myself last night anyway. You can call me Primrose."[/color]

“Good to meet you properly, Primrose. I’m Yayama Yama, if you missed it. I won’t bother rattling off the titles again.” The lalafell shrugged. “It’s an adventurer's life to juggle multiple tasks at once, regardless of how exhausted she might be, so try not to worry too much about sharing. Speaking of sharing, however, are you in any of the tournaments? I didn’t have time to check the brackets for everyone.”

Primrose's smile, which had faded into a cordial expression, quirked up at the edges in genuine amusement. Yayama's forthright attitude when it came to her profession and taking on all kinds of problems made the dancer think that she would fit right in to their ragtag crew. 

[color=D34C25]"Well then, I'll be sure to tell you all about the Consuls of this world if you haven't heard it already,"[/color] she said. [color=D34C25]"I'm not participating in the tournaments, so I'm sure I'll have time to look into this area's while you all forge us a path. I'm not particularly built for these kinds of fights."[/color]

Though she'd said that, her physique suggested she did have some measure of physical strength even if it wasn't to the level of a true warrior... and there was also the polearm on her back. She went on, stating, [color=D34C25]"I'm a dancer by trade, so I'll leave all of the one on ones to you all. I only caught the tail end of your match, but I saw your strength last night too, though from outside."[/color]

“Well, maybe it means something a bit different where I’m from, but I know better than to ignore the potential of a dancer in a fight. The style does work best with a partner, though.” She shrugged. “Not that I think you should stop, by any means. I haven’t been caught up on these Consuls, either. Just got the basics of what’s happening. Hopefully the distraction won’t be enough to stop me from performing in this tournament; it’s even more important than I realized when I came to Esaka in the first place.”

[color=D34C25]"A partner... you're not wrong. Hm~ if I didn't know better I'd take that flirtatiously,"[/color] Primrose replied, a teasing lilt to her voice as though she were testing Yayama a bit. And she was, as a way of getting to know the woman's personality a little better. The reaction to this type of teasing told Primrose a lot about a person.

But there were more important things to discuss, so she didn't linger on her test long. She glanced around the sparsely populated area, then gestured toward a fountain not far away. [color=D34C25]"Why don't we get a small change of scenery and then I'll fill you in?"[/color]

“I have a wife,” she said, rather flatly. A moment later, her expression fell. “Or. . . Well, you know.” [i]Very smooth. If you break down now though, it will only get in the way of our revenge. So keep it together, although we already know you're not exactly doing that.[i] Yayama abruptly seemed to glare to the side at nobody in particular before replying. “Yes, a change in scenery would be welcome.”

A married adventurer was certainly a surprise, but it wasn't something that Primrose was planning to poke fun at - especially after noting how the lalafell's face had shifted sadly. Though she couldn't imagine that kind of life for herself, it was easy to feel for the woman in front of her. Sympathy flickered over Primrose's features, but she didn't offer platitudes about how they would fix the world and reunite Yayama with her spouse. Perhaps they would find her wife somewhere along their adventures (it had apparently happened before for others after all), but if not... then when everything was over, their true selves would wake up from this endless dream regardless.

Primrose's eyes tracked the glare, but of this she said nothing as well; merely cataloging it with a raised brow before giving Yayama a short nod. She then led the way over to a two-tiered stone fountain gushing water, wide enough that they could sit on the edge without being in danger of getting soaked by the spray. It was far from that ornate fixtures one might find on the grounds of a mansion, but as a public installment in the city's water-filled tier, it was a pretty enough spot to watch a few matches from. There were even single zenny coins scattered at the bottom of the fountain, most likely from fighters wishing for luck in the Pools.

Primrose crossed one of her legs over the other when she sat down, casting a glance up towards Esaka's highest tier. She didn't think anyone was listening in on the two of them, but on the off chance that there was hopefully the sound of the fountain drowned out their voices. The lalafell clambered up next to her, evidently unbothered by the need to hoist herself up into her seat.

[color=D34C25]"When we ran into each other, Therion and I were discussing the Consul that stood besides the Kings in that message,"[/color] she said after a moment. [color=D34C25]"He's the scruffy light haired fellow, half his face covered, cat ears. And she, in the red armor... is B. He'd apparently run into her in a past... [i]cycle[/i]."[/color]

Though she didn't say it aloud, it was easy enough to infer that that particular meeting hadn't gone well. 

[color=D34C25]"It wouldn't be a mistake to call the Consuls this world's ruling elite. They all seem to have powerful abilities and a separate form that they call Moebius... and they can command those still under Galeem's spell. Not to mention they are all cunning, conniving dastards."[/color] Her eyes glinted darkly with the last comment, suggesting personal experience. [color=D34C25]"A dangerous lot unbeholden to the rules everyone else is subject to that we'll need to keep an eye on."[/color]

“Sounds familiar,” Yayama said. “I remember fighting a group called the Ascians. Ancient immortals with knowledge far beyond anyone alive, plotting the reawakening of the dark god across the ages. Hard to outwit, even harder to kill. It’s a miracle we ever won.” She didn’t sound particularly happy about that, despite the context. “Wouldn’t be the first time facing a foe that can turn the populace against us, either.” Her eye flicked around the area, checking for hidden observers. 

“Is there anything I should be doing yet? Signs I should be watching for?” She pressed onward in the conversation, not giving herself enough time to dwell on her memories. “I assume it’s too early to be overt about any actions we take, as much as I’d love to start introducing these people to Shadowbringer.”

Good questions, the answers to which unfortunately Primrose herself wasn't well suited to answer. 

[color=D34C25]"Ascians, hm? I've not heard of them, but it does sound similar... as for the Consuls, I haven't seen them act remotely before. It leads me to believe they have to be nearby in order to use their power, so just keep an eye out. If you're cornered, don't trust anything they might say. Though hopefully it won't come down to that."[/color] She leaned forward slightly, touching a finger to the side of her face as she thought on what other information she could provide. Though, curiously, she asked, [color=D34C25]"...'Shadowbringer'?"[/color]

“My sword. The name’s related to why I call myself the Warrior of Darkness. It’s also a voidsent bound to my soul named Churro.” Primrose felt a distinct sense of annoyance radiating from the blade, currently resting on the side of the fountain next to Yayama. “He’s nicer than he sounds.” Another pulse of irritation. “It’s a very long story. If you’ve ever got, say, six hours to kill, I’ll tell you it sometime.” The lalafell sighed. “‘Course, It’s not exactly all a happy story, either. Seems like I’m not destined to live through any of those.”

Primrose shifted so that she could rest her chin in her hand with her elbow propped up on her knee. She tipped her head slightly, her expression somewhere between a grimace and an ironic smile. [color=D34C25]"You're not alone there. A girl can dream, though."[/color]

Her gaze drifted back over to the apparently sentient sword. She could more or less puzzle out what a 'voidsent' was just from its name, even though its actual name was rather cute. That combined with the dark imagery gave the dancer the impression that Yayama may have dabbled in some sort of dark sorcery, the kind of magics that would have been forbidden in her own world. Still, she didn't seem like a crazy mage [i]yet[/i], and if she had a handle on her demon then who was Primrose to question her? ...but she would keep it in mind all the same.

[color=D34C25]"Well, sometime I might like to hear it,"[/color] Primrose replied, a rain check for another day. Then her expression softened a little. [color=D34C25]"Of if you'd like to talk about your wife, I'd like to hear about her too."[/color]

After a beat she added, [color=D34C25]"perhaps when all of [i]this[/i] isn't so fresh, and you don't have deadly tournament bouts to concern yourself with. Shall we head back before your next match?"[/color]

“Sure.” Yayama nodded, immediately sliding out of her seat, motivated by an eagerness to escape the thoughts nipping at the edges of her mind. “Here’s hoping my next foe is about as challenging as the last. I’m not afraid of a challenge, but I’d rather face one on a full night of sleep.” She grimaced at the thought of the previous night; the events were also upsetting, but on a much less personal level. Still, she squared her jaw, propped her sword on her shoulder, and set forth as she always had.

Since they hadn't actually gone very far it took no time at all to end up back among the competitors of Mortal Kombat awaiting their turns on one of the water bound battle stages. There were plenty of bracket boards around that made finding the next locations for any given match a simple thing. Along the way Primrose was content to chat with Yayama about less serious matters, but she did not accompany the lalafell to her next bout. There was a certain cat burglar whose last round she was still hoping to catch, or at least catch the woman herself before she disappeared again.