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[h3]Rumble in Old Londo[/h3]
Wordcount: 869 (+2)
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At the opposite end of the stages from the item shop Jr and Yayama found themselves in a lovely town square, complete with bubbling fountain at its center.

[center][img]https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ab1f278f2a0e.png[/img][/center]

There they were greeted by an older [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/45d0625e88c7.png]Pilot[/url] standing next to a roulette wheel of all things, one labeled with the names of numerous items that were presumably held in a crate the man had one foot stepped up on.

“What ho folks. Welcome to Londo! Or at least a lovely little recreation of it.” the man said with a smile, wave, and chipper tone. 

“Pride Falcon’s my name, and if you fine folks are interested in tying your luck, I can help set you up with a bit of starting gear for this coming dustup! Just a handful of gil for a chance to win big!” he explained, before adding “but if you want better odds, we’re always happy to take more!” with a wink.

While Jr hunted through his duffelbag for funds (because of course he was giving this a spin!) there was the sound of wooden feet on cobles approaching from behind. It was a sound that came to a sudden end, followed by a splash, as Pete, who had been seeking a rematch vs junior, was unceremoniously ejected from the stage by a pair who’d been stalking the seekers.

Upon turning to see the cause of this disturbance, its source was found to be a stern looking [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/c570502b9213.png]kickboxer[/url] who was escorting a much more bubbly [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/1676d55158e7.png]catgirl idol[/url].

“Hi hi! Lucky Chloe’s the name, and dancing ‘til you drop is the game!” the idol declared, looking over at a nearby camera crew instead of them as she said this, her cheerful smile not quite reaching her eyes as she skipped over to them.

Yayama squinted at the newcomer and her bodyguard, ignoring the shopkeep for the moment. “Well, if you’re here for a good time, we’re glad to have you.” She pointedly side-eyed the displaced Pete. “So we’ll have a good, clean bit of fun here, right?” the lalafell asked, looking at the taciturn man escorting the catgirl.

Jr, at least, seemed to see nothing wrong and was indeed laughing at Pete’s fate. That got a frown out of the kick boxer who’d thrown him, before his expression shifted back to neutrality and he replied “Of course. I was just securing our spot“

“This is a lovely stage after all, I just had to share it with you” Lucky explained, as she leapt up onto the rim of the fountain and masterfully balancing atop it as she posed for the cameras.

“Cheers love. We worked very hard on recreating this slice of gold Londo town for you all to enjoy” Pride replied to this praise, beaming up at her lofty position.

There was a tiny flick of annoyance at this interruption to her theatrics before she took it all in stride saying “I’m just so happy to be here and to be a part of these fun games” to the camera crew, before pointing down at the roulette wheel and declaring “so let’s get this party started by spinning. That. wheel!”

Then, after a slight pause, she clapped her ‘paws’ and said “Bruce, pay the nice man please” to her kickboxing and puppet tossing companion. Bruce, whose outfit had actual pockets unlike the popstar’s, strode over and, after a bit of quiet negotiation, offered up a hefty sum for two wheel spins.

“You’ll get good odds for that!” Pride told him, before glancing over at the two seekers to see if they also wanted in before the game began. Jr certainly did, though he was way more thrifty with his pay in, with his excuse being that [color=SpringGreen]”It’s more fun that way!”[/color]

Yayama shook her head in response. “I’d rather see how far I can get on my own, but thank you.” She watched the two newcomers like a hawk. “Although I’m still not used to having spectators. Most people aren’t quite so. . . excited, to face off with me, either.”

“Pah” Lucky replied, waving this concern off, before insisting that “It’s always exciting to throw down!” as the roulette wheel started to be spun for those who’d opted in to playing. Lucky’s came first, and resulted in a genuine cry of “Sugoi! So cute!” when she was presented with a cat themed [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/7e0179e74317.png]Meowmere[/url] as a result of the arrow landing on a very thin band of the wheel.

Bruce did very well too, gaining a capsule with a shadowy figure inside that Jr identified as an [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/92b9f5d4f0a6.png]assist trophy[/url], while the prince himself ended up with a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/d889859bbc2b.png]vending machine cannon[/url] loaded with cans of carbonated coffee.

His job done, Pride packed up and vacated the arena while the fighters spread out, awaiting the call of: [i]"Three, two, one... action!"[/i]