[center][h1][B][COLOR=#4876FF]N[COLOR=#A9ACB6]oelle[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#4876FF]N[COLOR=#A9ACB6]ichi[/COLOR][/COLOR][/B][/h1]
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[@moonberry][@DoubleChecker]
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Noelle was slowly moving towards the location of the next round when the projection suddenly showed a new variable for the round to come. The round will be between pairs. Noelle was not looking forward to teaming up with any of these prideful snobs. Cooperation was necessary for working in pairs. But she doubts that that would be in the dictionary of many of the remaining contestants. At least that means the opponents will also be a bunch of selfish idiots. 
 Noelle looked with anticipation to see who was going to be her partner this round. A certain Edwin Stormcrest was going to be her partner. That already sounded like this one was going to be a handful. But it was not like she had much of a choice. 

 Noelle headed towards the lane indicated by her name. Meanwhile, she kept her eyes and ears perked, hoping she could catch a glimpse of the blond girl with the coloured tips. But no luck there. The girl remained nowhere to be seen. Noelle now really started to get worried that something had happened to the girl. 

 When she arrived at the entrance to the lane, that was when she met her “partner”. His piercing gaze let a cold shiver run down the mermaid's spine. The guy was intimidating. But Noelle was not going to let him look down on her like that. She met his glare with one of her own. The man then started talking about knowing the owner of the mana beast. Again, bringing up the name Aedrianna Belmote. And wanting to know why she had the beast with her. Noelle was suspicious of the guy. Did he just think he could claim the mana beast for his own? [COLOR=#4876FF][B]"No!"[/B][/COLOR] She turned the beast away from Edwin while keeping her glare fixed at him [COLOR=#4876FF][B]"I’m not going to let you have him"[/B][/COLOR]
 When the staredown was over, Noelle let out a soft sigh and softly scratched the mana pup's head. What a way to start this temporary alliance. Noelle put the mana pup down as it was time for her to enter the ring. [COLOR=#4876FF][B]"Stay here. This won't take long, and then we will look for 'her'. She did advance to this round, if I remember correctly, so she must be in one of the rings at this moment. So it must be easy to find her… right…"[/B][/COLOR] She said to the mana beast before straightening up and entering the ring.

Their opponents were already there. A spell-fist fighter and a flute-playing cantor. Noelle got her lyre in hand and pondered what she would do. The goal of the round was to outperform the other performer. Hindering them was permitted, as why else would the fighters have been permitted to use “protective engagement”? Fortunately for her, Noelle’s music was her weapon. But she can’t reveal that too quickly. Or at least not to the extent of her capabilities.
 [COLOR=#4876FF][B]<"Calling someone uncouth for its style of fighting. Can’t say I’m surprised from a churlish man like you,">[/B][/COLOR] she said blandly as she looked at Edwin with an unimpressed glare when he taunted the fist fighter. [COLOR=#4876FF][B]"Let’s not waste time. You just focus on keeping me safe and don’t disappoint me!"[/B][/COLOR] Noelle spoke, getting in place and and started [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtPDLZyRL3o]playing[/url] in her harp.

 Her music was calm and ethereal. A sound of mystery and the sea. With the start of the song, Noelle let the magic flow through her music and snuck in an [b][Empowering melody][/b], raising both her and Edwin's combat ability. With that in place, Noelle opened her eyes. She noticed that the flautist caused the wind to blow around the arena. She could work with that. Noelle adjusted her tone, and [b][Misty bubbles][/b] started to appear around the girl. Unlike her earlier performance, where the bubbles were translucent, these bubbles looked cloudy. As the bubbles drifted, they were picked up by the wind current of the flautist's circulating wind and spread around the arena. As the bubbles drifted around, one by one they started to pop, releasing the mist inside them. At the same time, Noelle triggered [b][spreading mist][/b]. A light blanket of mist appeared around the mermaid’s feet, obscuring the view of the ground beneath it. With this, the stage was set. Although her performance so far was coordinated and executed with elegance. Keen eyes could tell that she was still holding back for something. What could the girl be planning?



[center]--------------------[b]Actions[/b]--------------------[/center]

1: Cast [b][Empowering melody][/b] - [i]Performance E ~ Magic E ~ Energized E ~ Element[Sound] ~ Magic range F ~ Magic targets f ~ Bolster STR F ~ Bolster INT F | Raising Noele and Edwin's attack stats by 1 level|[/i] Grade E - 0 post cooldown (energized)
2: Cast [b][Misty bubbles][/b] - [i]Performance F ~ Magic F ~ Energized F ~ element [Water] - Control environment F | create mist-filled bubbles that spread their contained mist when they pop |[/i] F grade - 0 post-cooldown
3: Cast [b][Spreading mist][/b] - [i]Performance F ~ Magic F ~ Energized F ~ element [Water] - Control environment F | conjure a mist around the caster |[/i] F grade - 0 post-cooldown