[center][h2]After Dinner Affairs[/h2]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]Pit[/b] - [u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 338/80[/color]
[b][color=DarkOrange]Amaterasu: level 9 (1 level up stored) [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DarkOrange]/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]///////////////// (67/90)
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 15 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color](331/150)
[b][color=Aqua]Rika: Level 12 [/color][/b] EXP:  [color=Aqua]/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color](167/110)
[sub][i]Thursday Night[/i][/sub]
Word Count: 3149 (+4 exp)
[b]Location[/b]: Esaka's Mid-Tier, the Forbidden Kingdom[/center]

The delicious, partly communal dinner was wrapping up amidst the last of the Seekers’ reports, most actually pretty mundane all things considered. Special attention was paid to Amaterasu’s tale as read by Rika, since it was an outlier among the rest; not only had the goddess seen where one of their missing members had gone, but she’d also seen -and been seen by- the Consul that presided over the city. They’d all witnessed the armored woman through the Principles’ vision broadcast that morning of course, but in the flesh was different. Therion’s ears stood tall on his head when he heard it, twitching in Rika’s direction. The fact that they were all eating peacefully here in the middle of Esaka must have meant that the Consul hadn’t recognized the newer Seekers though, right…?

If that brief meeting turned out to be a problem, it would be one for the future. There was another, a little more pressing issue, which the twin Bogard grandchildren offered to take care of right away. Band made some good points in his argument against their joining the fight directly, but the twins themselves were much more compelling with their words.

If the table wasn't chock full of small plates and large pots, Primrose might have drummed her fingers on it as she considered the two teenagers' proposal. She wasn't in a leadership position, and she wasn't even a participant in any of the four tournaments, but the little speech did resonate with her. After all, she had been younger than they were now when she’d thrown herself into a dangerous world.

[color=D34C25]"I say give them the chance,"[/color] she said, glancing from the twins to the other Seekers. Perhaps learning the truth about their unique existence had altered the group's perspective, but this kind of thing could hardly have been new to the group. How many of them had risked their lives when they'd thought that they wouldn't be reborn, or even beforehand in their original worlds when they absolutely knew that the one life was all they had?

[color=D34C25]"If they want to fight, let them fight. It'll be good to let them stretch their wings rather than stay cooped up in a bunker all their lives."[/color]

Across the table Therion agreed, though he didn't chime in more than just nodding his head. If it was Mortal Kombat or something then he probably would have been more on Band's side, but they'd have a team to work with on top of having each other to rely on. Ultimately though the decision had little to do with him.

The dancer leaned over towards the twins, giving them a small smile and tapping the side of her face near her emerald colored eyes. [color=D34C25]"Though you should consider a mask of some sort either way. Masquerade style would suit you both, and it will give you a little more protection while you're here."[/color]

The rest of the competing group should have invested in that earlier, but many already had some coverage to obscure their eyes in the first place so it was most beneficial for the Bogard siblings. It wouldn't be at all out of place in the city either.

At the end of the table Pit had stood up again after passing his credit card to the waitress. His arms were crossed and his head was dipped in thought, chin nearly touching his chest. While he listened to everyone's thoughts on the matter he nodded at times, considering all the pros and cons of letting the twins take Terry's place… and likely communing with the Goddess of Light. 

When it seemed that everyone that would say their piece about it had, he looked up at everyone first, and then Bart, Marg, and the remaining members of Seekers of Fight themselves. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I think… it's not a bad idea,"[/color] he said, tentative but growing more confident as he continued. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I don't wanna abandon Terry, but if we can't find him by the start of the next match then you guys are gonna need a new teammate anyway. And this way you two can stick close to the rest of us. Once we make it to the Kings and the Consul you'll go back to the Avenger, but until then I don't see why you can't help us get there!"[/color] 

The angel was smiling, his own non-metaphorical wings wide at his back, though he did look to Amaterasu and Captain Falcon. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I mean, as long as you don't mind it! It's your team."[/color]

And so the Gold Team leader had spoken. He was unwilling to budge on sending the twins back before the final confrontation, as unfair as it might have seemed to the two of them given that Pit looked to be their age if not younger. It was anticlimactic for them sure, but that was his compromise if the Seekers of Fight consented to allowing them on the team.

Once everyone had eaten, paid (or mooched), and started to get a move on, exiting the warm restaurant and feeling the cooling air hit their skin, as usual they all made to split up. Only, before some could get very far, Pit flitted towards the front of the group. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"You, you, and you!"[/color] he said, pointing at the other pair of siblings and the sun goddess in turn. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"One sec, I gotta talk to you guys."[/color]

Amaterasu paused her padding out the door and turned her snout to Pit, before tilting it to one side. She’d intended to try and get to know her new teammates a bit (having quashed any objections she might have with that due to how hypocritical they were when there were already children on the team), but she was happy to spare a moment or seven for whatever it was Pit wanted.

What in the heavens it could be that it needed her and the problem children was beyond her however.

The kids were in the same boat, confusion wise, but given it was Pit, they were willing to give him the time of day on whatever it was, with Jr replying [color=SpringGreen]”What’s up?”[/color]

It would soon become apparent that it was not one thing he needed all of them for, but two separate things to sort out - and that Pit just hadn't wanted to go tracking down any extra people once the Seekers had separated for the night. First he fished two small, identically wrapped boxes out from somewhere and handed them to Rika and Junior at the same time. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Here you go. One of the members of me and Amaterasu's dojo said he got these from the White Team somehow? Anyway, they're for you guys!"[/color]

[color=Aqua]”Huh? What are these?”[/color] Rika began to ask as she accepted the box, only for Jr to answer with a delighted cheer of [color=SpringGreen]”Presents!”[/color] as he snatched his own from Pit’s hands

She gave an [color=Aqua]”Ohhhhh”[/color] in response to this, followed by a [color=Aqua]”neat”[/color]. Then as she held the gift in one hand and did her best to undo the ribbon with her gauntlet’s oversized fingers asked [color=Aqua]”But why though?”[/color]

Amaterasu had to admit she was a little curious too as she sat down to observe the scene.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Uhh..."[/color] Pit himself still wasn't sure why. Had the other team sent them just for fun? And why only a small handful and not enough for the whole of Gold Team? The only reason he knew it was from the Seekers across the continent was because of the "from" labels on the gifts themselves. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"When I gave Sakura hers, she said something about Santa Claus. It kinda seemed like she knew what it was? I thought you guys would know too, 'cause there were only four of them."[/color]

So basically, he had no idea. They'd probably have to ask someone else if they wanted the answer. Pit himself was unconcerned, and after having swiftly gotten over his disappointment about not receiving a gift early now he just leaned close to the two royal siblings to see what was in their presents. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What'd you get?"[/color]

Jr opened his gift first, having practically ripped the thing apart, before lifting the contents up in the air and into the light to examine it. In response to this jossling, the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b80593ffb723.png]mini shyguy[/url] whirred to life, feet stepping and arms swaying from side to side.

The prince declared this [color=SpringGreen]”Coooool!”[/color] before crouching down and setting the little clockwork minion down onto the ground in order to watch it saunter along.

Rika meanwhile had more carefully opened her gift, and was left holding a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ad5af57681a4.png]Lil Smile[/url] that had been squeezed inside. She turned it this way and that, before giving it a squeeze with her metal hands (which revealed the thing to be a plushie of all things) looking rather confused as she did so, as if she didn’t know what to do with it.

Seeing what was in the last two boxes -simple toys- wiped away any lingering disappointment Pit might have felt about being left out. He was, after all, much too mature for things like that... even if his eyes did trail Junior's wind-up shyguy with childlike interest. After a moment he caught himself staring and coughed lightly into his fist. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Sakura got a stuffed animal too, maybe the other team found a giant toy store or something?"[/color] he said, turning to Rika. Noticing her confusion he chuckled and added, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"it's for cuddling! 'Cause it's soft and feels nice to hug. People sleep with them too!"[/color]

Which he knew from watching humans only and not because he used to have any!

The ship girl tilted her head to the other side, and then proceeded to cuddle the plush against herself, touching it now with her upper arms and chest rather that her feelingless metal gauntlets. She binked, confirmed [color=Aqua]”Oh. It isss soft”[/color], and then pressed her face into Lil Smile’s own as she cuddled it tighter 

She was going to treasure it forever.

It was quite the cute scene which left Pit smiling as if he'd picked it out himself, but it would not last forever. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"That's all I had for you two, just the delivery. You're dismissed!"[/color] A beat later he added, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I mean unless you wanna stick around, but now we gotta talk about like, secret Seeker plans and stuff."[/color]

Then he looked towards Amaterasu, opened his mouth to ask her something, then promptly closed it and glanced up into the sky for a moment. A nod later and he looked back again. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Okay Amaterasu, Lady Palutena said she'll translate for you for now! So... what do you think about beating up all of our dojo-mates?"[/color]

The question, as out of nowhere as it was, seemed completely sincere. 

It was the divine wolf’s turn to tilt her head in confusion, before glancing over at the pair of children who were staring at Pit in confusion. They had not, after all, been given time to leave before the secret plan started to be discussed.

A beat later Jr did a panic scramble for his mini shyguy that had been about to wander into the street due to his initiation.

[color=Aqua]”That seems silly”[/color] Rika commented, before telling the angel [color=Aqua]”Try not to die doing whatever that is Pit, because I think you are pretty neat”[/color] 

It was the first time in recent memory that he'd been directly complimented like that, so Pit was at a momentary loss, only replying, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"oh. Thanks. You too."[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”Yeah, uh, you have fun with that I guess?”[/color] Jr added, after he’d snatched up his toy.

The two then moved to go, only for Rika to pause and add [color=Aqua]”Oh and say thank you to the gift giving guy before you beat him up please”[/color] before they headed over to join the rest of the group.

The divine wolf watched them go for a few moments, and then only once they were gone inquired as to why they would do such a thing, and why it was some sort of secret.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Not a secret from the team, just like in general,"[/color] Pit clarified. Still, now that it was just the two of them he crouched down to Amaterasu's eye level so that he could lower his voice slightly. They weren't in the middle of the street, but they were still technically in public after all. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I wanna free all of the members of Fight of Gods and really get them on our side! 'Cause there's so many tough fighters in the city, we can de-story a bunch and fight together with them if things go off the rails! I know a lot would help out if they only knew what was really going on. Plus if we run into trouble in the tournaments, we could free some of the people still fighting in it to make sure we get up to the Top Tier no matter what![/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I freed my kameo partner -and some other guy- already, and then she freed the rest of [i]her[/i] dojo, then we were talking with Sakura and... well that's how I came up with the plan. I thought that we could start with our dojo tomorrow... if you think it's a good idea?"[/color] He did want the goddess' input, both as someone involved with the same dojo and as a wise deity with boots (or paws as it were) on the ground. 

The divine wolf thought about this for a bit, and then pointed out that this went a bit against the idea of them keeping a low profile. She would admit that in some ways the moment had passed, the local Consul did know there were ‘unstoried’ here now after all, but there might be more of a reaction if there were large amounts of them. After all, hadn’t something happened to the last city of free fighters that the seekers had been aligned with?

The mention of Smash City Alcamoth did put a damper on Pit's enthusiasm. He frowned, drawing his wings up close against his sides and shifting his gaze to the cobblestone below them. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yeah... there were a lot of strong fighters there too, but it still got wiped out by Moebius. There weren't as many people there though, and nobody knew something like that could happen."[/color]

It sounded a little like he was making excuses, so Pit sucked it up and looked back at Amaterasu. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Now we know what to look out for though! I mean Terry was one of the people at Alcamoth and now he's back here, so it's kind of like a sign to try again, right? And- and it doesn't have to be a whole lot freed at once! Just the ones we know we can trust. Once we beat the Kings everyone will be free anyway, so its gonna end up the same whether we start freeing people early or not."[/color]

And now it sounded like the angel had already made up his mind about it - or at least mostly, as he still must have been hung up on something to seek the goddess' opinion. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"If you still think it's not a good idea and don't wanna help, we can leave the other gods out of it for now,"[/color] he said, scratching his cheek. They all seemed kind of nice to Pit, and so he'd wanted to free them if given the chance, but it was Amaterasu's dojo too even if they'd only joined in order to take part in the tournaments. There was no way to tell what would happen, and he wasn't going to go through with it if his fellow Fight of Gods member wasn't on board. At least with the freeing of these specific fighters - other friends that the Seekers already knew were definitely still on the table. 

The divine wolf tilted her head to the other side. Righted it. Got up. Walked in a circle. Sat back down again.

Only then did she acquiesce that he had a point regarding the inevitability of the freeing, and how it would, indeed, be good to get a headstart on that. If nothing else, having people spread around the city who knew what was going down when the moment came would be quite valuable. There was, after all, the issue of the yokai to consider. In her home they were malevolent spirits, and she suspected that in others it would be much the same. The amount of chaos these beings regaining their original natures would, she predicted, be quite devastating.

That was also a point that Pit had not at all considered, though he nodded vigorously in agreement when Amaterasu brought it up. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"You're right! Wow, this might be a better plan than I thought...!"[/color]

Since it seemed that the goddess was in agreement, Pit sprung up to standing and smiled at her. Just as he'd said, they didn't have to go on a friend heart spree or anything - just having a few people in their corner in case they wound up in a pinch, or to help keep order once Esaka as a whole was freed would be good. The Seekers did have a track record of showing up to a populated area, turning it on its head and then bailing immediately once the bad guys had been dealt with... but maybe with some groundwork already in place, Esaka would be a little more stable after the group left. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Then when you have some free time tomorrow, let's take Fight of Gods on for real! You can bring Cap and whichever Bogards you end up with too- oh! That's right!"[/color]

Pit snapped his fingers as he was reminded of the next item on his agenda. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"since I'm gonna be looking for Terry and the others if they don't show up tomorrow morning, you'll have to tell me where you saw 'em last - unless you don't mind lending your nose to track them down?"[/color]

The divine wolf wasn’t quite sure how much aid her nose could really lend, it hadn’t achieved much when Terry disappeared, but she owed it to the man to try. She owed slightly less to Harry, but could only hope that having Pit on her side might mean they’d be able to handle the inevitable altercation with his new Yokai buddies better than she could have done alone. As such, she generously offered him her aid in that quest.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Awesome."[/color] That would, hopefully, make things a lot easier. Of course Pit hoped that the no-shows from tonight ended up becoming... uh, shows, tomorrow, he still wanted to prepare in case he had to go looking for them. With the goddess of the sun's help secured on two fronts, Pit was left feeling pretty good. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Thanks for hearing me out, Amaterasu!"[/color]

The divine wolf told him he was more than welcome. She could only hope things would turn out as he intended.