[center][color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 11: 51/110[/color] 
Location: Retrocade - > Charge Partitioning back streets
Word Count: 3,762
Points Gained: 4
New EXP Balance--- [color=f49ac2]Level 11: 55/110 [/color]
ft. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]Pit[/b] - [u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 377/80[/color]
[/center]


At the request of her friends and allies, Sakura was to find out more. Manipulating Ei-san into giving her more information was starting to feel bad. She had no problem lying to bad guys, but friends? Not so much. But Pit was right. This could be valuable information. 

After the last exciting game, Sakura used some of her money to buy the two of them mysterious arcade sugary beverages. 

[color=f49ac2]”Hey! Um. Ei-san.”[/color] Sakura began casually. [color=f49ac2]”Would you rather be enveloped in a comfortable ignorance? Or, like, uh, be confronted by a harsh reality?”[/color] Sakura asked, making slow, deliberating gestures with her hands.  

[color=f49ac2]”Just, like. Hypothetically in general. I have a secret that I’m not sure if I should tell someone.”[/color]

Ei accepted the soda and took a liking to it straight away, her facing practically lighting up as the refreshing, saccharine drink graced her tongue. The question that Sakura chased it with did not net such an immediate positive reaction, but Ei chose to roll with it, presuming that this rather random style of conversation was simply a social norm she had yet to experience.

“Hm. That’s rather simple,” Ei replied off-handedly. “No matter how pleasant it might be, a lie is a lie. Ultimately, the act of deception necessitates a victim, and I do not intend to be anyone’s victim.” She paused a brief moment for another sweet, carbonated sip. “Reality, meanwhile, is something we must all come to terms with, however harsh and painful. Overcoming reality’s cruelty is the wellspring of all strength.”

Sakura nodded mutely. [color=f49ac2]”...Okay! Wow, good answer. Follow up question.”[/color] Sakura offered her a sip of her own drink. [color=f49ac2]”Between the two, what’s your favorite flavor, red or blue?”[/color] 

Although never one to turn down a sweet drink, Ei took a much more delicate, reserved taste of Sakura’s drink compared to her own. She smacked her lips lightly and narrowed her eyes while staring off into space, as if engaged in an extravagant wine-tasting. “Both are intriguing. They don’t remind me of any fruit or natural flavor in particular. Were I to choose one, however, I think blue is my preference.”

[color=f49ac2]”They’re supposed to be cherry and raspberry.”[/color] Sakura said. [color=f49ac2]”Buuut, you’re probably still right about no natural flavoring.”[/color] 

[color=f49ac2]”Well, Ei-san. Have anything else planned for the afternoon? Or can I borrow you for one last thing?”[/color] Sakura asked. 

The lady smiled pleasantly. “Nothing more than wandering around the Pools to view more matches. If you have something else in mind, I’d be happy to accompany you.”

Sakura stifled her instinct to take a deep, preparatory breath. [color=f49ac2]”Great! In which case, we should meet up with another friend of mine. We like, uh, sparring.”[/color] Sakura began. She stood up and began to lead the way, tapping her Link Pearl. 

[color=f49ac2]”Hey. Pit-san. It’s me, Sakura. You remember that [i]thing[/i] we talked about at Frame Advantage? That activity? Well, I have someone who might want to be involved in that thing we were gonna do. Do you think we could meet up somewhere?”[/color] Sakura asked. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, her heart rate ticking up. Sakura cleared her throat, surprised at the extent of her anxiety. 

It took a minute or two for the angel to reply, simply because he wasn't on his own this time. He could have been chattering with other Seekers, or... gathering his thoughts in order to realize what it was that Sakura was hinting at. When his response did come, it was with a tone that was not quite eager, not quite serious, but certainly willing to help.

[i][color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oh, yeah, yup! That thing! Wink!"[/color][/i] Which he must have said to make sure Sakura knew he was winking on the other end of the connection. [i][color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Where are you now? We could meet in Low Tier, or just outside the city?"[/color][/i]

[color=f49ac2]”Uhh, Low Tier.”[/color] Sakura said. [color=f49ac2]”The power company, Charge Partitioning? There’s some quiet infrastructural type areas around there we can meet up at.”[/color] Sakura said.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]"Charge Partitioning, got it. I'll find my way there now! See you there!"[/i][/color]

[color=f49ac2]”Great, okay. See you there.”[/color] 

By the time Sakura and her new acquaintance arrived, they'd find that Pit had gotten there first. The power company itself would not be their arena, but it was a good place to meet up first due to the hollow metal tower that stretched up from one end of the building. It was not even tall enough to reach the lip of the wall that separated the Low Tier from the Pools, but it was more than good enough to use for a better vantage point than the structure-crowded streets. Pit was perched on one of the beams, one wing curled over his head to shade his face from budding sunshine and the last few raindrops as he spied the area. Once he spotted Sakura and the stranger, he waved from his spot before hopping down and gliding over to them.

[color=f49ac2]”Pit-san!”[/color] Sakura waved and jogged over. [color=f49ac2]”Pit, this is Ei. Ei-san, this is Pit.”[/color] She introduced them to each other, then tried to casually wipe her hands off on her jacket. 


Not nearly as nervous as Sakura, Pit smiled and stuck out his hand for a greeting. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Nice to meet you!"[/color] he chirped. 

“Good afternoon,” Ei replied with an affable bow of her head.

He gave Ei a once over to see if he could spot what Sakura saw in the woman that made her want to free Ei. She was probably really strong, since looks could be deceiving. Or maybe she was just really friendly and had some other cool power. Speaking of looks, though Ei seemed to be really pretty, the dark glasses she wore obscured her face - on top of being an odd choice for a rainy day. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What's up with the glasses?"[/color] he asked directly with a tilt of his head. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"It's not that sunny yet... oh! Are you like incognito?"[/color]

Ei tittered, one hand held to her mouth. “Although they are called [i]sun[/i]glasses, it’s not the sun they guard against specifically; it is brightness. The clouds veil the sun today, but they were still quite bright, practically white in color. So, as counter-intuitive as it might seem, it is not so strange to wear shades on a cloudy day.” She pursed her lips in an apologetic smile. “Of course, it doesn’t help that I tend to spend most of my time in dim lighting inside. I’m something of a shut-in, in fact, so l’m seldom out and about. Sakura has been kind enough to show me around Esaka.”

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Huh. I guess that makes sense,"[/color] Pit said. He really had no reason to refute it anyway, though it was a much more boring explanation than having a secret identity. He switched gears quickly, shooting a grin at Sakura. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yeah, she's a great tour guide isn't she!"[/color] 

Her rundown on the city's culture, the tournament structure, the yokai, and everything else had been pretty invaluable, plus she'd been nice enough to show some newbies around the dojos that first day, Pit himself among them. But, gassing the street fighter up for her guide skills was not the point of the three of them getting together right now. Sakura herself looked more like the sooner they got their plan over with the better, and Pit didn't disagree. 

He turned slightly glancing over towards another road a block away, headed towards a quieter area where shops and houses gave way to chain gates and industrial buildings. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I think I found a good spot for... um, our activity!"[/color] the angel said. This time he did not wink, visible or otherwise, but he did look from Sakura to Ei as the awkwardness of their roundabout way of alluding to beating someone up started to sink in. Pit had freed three people in Esaka so far, if he remembered right. One had already been in battle, but the other two he'd challenged himself. If Sakura wasn't being forthcoming, maybe Ei wasn't a fighter after all? [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"...do you like fighting, Ei? Like sparring and stuff?"[/color]

The lady clasped her hands behind her back as she considered the question, her long indigo braid waving in the light breeze as she walked alongside the others. “I don’t necessarily enjoy fighting myself, and prefer to watch others compete, but I do have extensive military training. Even if I tend to take a more passive administrative role, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to keep my skills sharp.” She tilted her head slightly. “Is that the ‘activity’ you have in mind?”

Her answer seemed to dispel any hesitation in the angel, and in reply he nodded animatedly. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yeah! Glad you're up for it! That'll make things so much smoother, right, Sakura?"[/color]

[color=f49ac2]”Yeah- yeah it will. Haha.”[/color] Sakura said. [color=f49ac2]”I really have no idea how strong Ei-san is.”[/color] Sakura said, and while her back was turned to Ei, as they all walked, she widened her eyes at Pit to impress the statement upon him. One way or the other, she really had no idea. Pit seemed to pick up Sakura's silent message, but as he wasn't worried he only gave her a shrug back. 

Then she lightened her tone again. [color=f49ac2]”And, as a fighter, I’ve been really eager to find out. I guess I was just worried that…I dunno, it would be weird to just do it with you alone, Ei-san.”[/color] Sakura said with a weak shrug. [color=f49ac2]”And if you weren’t up for it, I’d fight Pit-san here instead!”[/color] She said. That made sense! Right?! 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oh yeah, we never ended up sparring together after we said we would,"[/color] Pit said, recalling their conversation on the first day in Esaka. Sadly now still wasn't the best time for that.

Ei winced slightly as she smiled. “Well, after seeing Sakura’s combat prowess in tournament, I’m rather apprehensive. But I’ll do what I can.”

The trio made their way through the [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/8b6735b02b9e.png]street[/url], eventually ending up in a slightly wider area penned in on one side by harsh steel infrastructure. It was probably as good a place to secretly battle and do some friend hearting as they could find on short notice. 

Pit looked around before turning back to the girls. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I don't think we'll bother anyone fighting here."[/color]

“People here often fight in far more obstructive places than this,” Ei murmured.

[color=f49ac2]”Yep. This is pretty much what I had in mind.”[/color] Sakura said. She stopped and turned and folded her hands behind her back. [color=f49ac2]”Ahem. So. Ei-san.”[/color] 

[color=f49ac2]”Fighting hurts and all, but it's a lot of fun. We don’t go all out during spars, of course. Just see what we can do. If you knock the other person off their feet, that’s probably a good time to pull back. But really, we’re all pretty tough, so don’t sweat it.”[/color] Sakura said, settling into a comfortable routine. 

The lady nodded. “Of course. I’ve spent many hours in the training grounds in Inazuma City. When we spar, we seek not to hurt, but to hone one another.” Standing tall, she held out her hand, and in a slight yellow flash summoned a wooden bokken to hand and adopted a defensive stance reflexively. “My hand-to-hand is very rusty, so I hope you’ll permit me the use of a blade.”

[color=f49ac2]”I didn’t expect it, but I’m happy for it.”[/color] Sakura said with a stretch.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Fine with me!"[/color] Pit said, summoning his own weapon. He passed the grip of his bow from hand to hand, fairly casual with it. Even if Ei turned out to be a lot stronger than she implied, with both himself and Sakura taking her on he didn't think it would be an issue. Not to mention if they had to get serious fast to bring her into anti-brainwash range, one friend heart would be all it took to get the woman back up to full health. 

He spread out from the others, making a rough triangle that implied this might be a free for all even if the two Seekers would actually be teaming up. Maybe it was a little unfair, but ground rules were less important than destorying new friends and potential allies.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Everybody ready! Round one... fight!"[/color]

Sakura let out a deep breath and got into her fighting stance. Fighting Galeem’ed up people was both predictable and chaotic. The unknown factor of how Ei’s behavior might change when the Curse began to influence her was why she brought Pit along. 

[color=f49ac2]”Here we go!”[/color] Sakura made a direct beeline towards Ei, her sneakers pounding the street until she came close. Then she shifted right and zipped in. Sakura swatted at warding bokken strikes and ducked away from offensive pokes. The flesh of her forearm met the solid weapon with satisfying, echoing clashes. 

After the two exchanged hits a few times, Sakura got a feel for what was going down, the rhythm of the battle. Like always, the worries of the world melted away in a fight. Almost all of them. Sakura became a little jealous every time her angelic friend swooped in to take her place in close combat, or distracted Ei with pressure from his ranged attacks - the latter more frequent. . She began to muscle Pit out of the fight, and put herself between Ei and Pit so he wouldn’t be able to hit Ei without shooting Sakura in the back. Or at least that was her plan, but the light arrows being able to twist around her only slowed them down a little.

Ei fought methodically, but she struggled to keep up at times, so keeping Pit in play to distract Sakura was in her best interests. The lady’s swordsmanship exhibited clear skill, with quick reflexes and disciplined techniques, but she fought like someone who spent a lot more time practicing than fighting in the field. Her attempts to create and maintain space meant that Ei ended up retreating a lot, stuck on the backfoot and unable to properly dissuade fast-paced aggression. For now, the only supernatural ability she seemed to possess was some kind of blitz strike that allowed her to momentarily disappear in a flurry of slashes, but she would always reappear at the exact spot she vanished from. Despite Ei’s efforts, Sakura and Pit definitely had the momentum advantage.

“You’re both so fast,” she found time to gasp, her elegant appearance already somewhat disheveled by all the action. “Won’t you cut me some slack?”

[color=f49ac2]”Yeah, Pit-san!”[/color] Sakura said, an edge in her voice. She sent a big fireball his way in case he wasn’t getting the message. One might argue Sakura was giving conflicting signals throughout this whole operation. 

He had been more or less oblivious to the street fighter's pushiness, so her sudden turn on him was definitely warranted. The fireball exploded in his face and he fell back with a yelp, tumbling over once before popping back onto his feet not much worse for wear save the new smudges. The forced reset had Pit blinking at Sakura, who could focus entirely on her fight with Ei now, but it still took a couple seconds for him to actually grasp what had her worked up. She was a true martial artist, so of course she'd want to face an opponent herself and test her strength in a fair fight!

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright, alright! Slack it is!"[/color] Pit called from his new place on the sideline he'd been pushed to. He flopped down into a cross legged sit, his bow still in hand but the dull side thrown back to rest on his shoulder. He also threw out a friendly jeer. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"But I'm swapping in if you start losing, Sakura!"[/color]

[color=f49ac2]”Fine!”[/color] Sakura called out.

But Ei would find that even with one opponent removed, her spar with Sakura would not be any easier given the girl's renewed focus. The blows against the elegant lady began to pile up, and soon she was within that nebulous heart-range. 

Looks like it was time to call it early. Sakura stepped in like she was going in hard, only to glide out of range. When Ei flinched, Sakura put her weight into a harsh kick to the leg to sprawl Ei onto the ground. Instead of withdrawing like she said she would, Sakura dashed forward. With an acrobatic aerial cartwheel over Ei, she produced a Friend Heart and plunged it into Ei’s back as she arced over her.

[color=f49ac2][i]”Hup!!”[/i][/color] Sakura landed on her feet, skipped a step, and turned around to watch with wide eyes if her gambit had worked. [color=f49ac2]”..!”[/color]

“Guh!” The sudden impact that smushed her against the ground forced a guttural, very unladylike grunt from Ei. It also sent her sunglasses skittering across the street. When the swordswoman gathered herself and pushed herself up with her arms, however, the eyes that shot a bewildered glance Sakura’s way were a lustrous amethyst purple, vivid in color and deep enough for a man to drown in. She blinked a few times as the afternoon sunlight hit her unshielded eyes, but after a moment she adapted and withdrew into a sitting position. “I…what? Whoa.” Her brow furrowed as her mouth hung slightly open until she swallowed. “This…”

[color=f49ac2]”Yeah.”[/color] Sakura rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. [color=f49ac2]”We’ve all been there. Welcome to ‘harsh reality,’ Ei-san.”[/color] She gave Pit a subtle, grateful nod. Then glanced towards Ei’s distant sunglasses.

[color=f49ac2]”Sorry for tricking you with this whole setup. But I couldn’t call myself a true friend if I kept you in the dark, could I?”[/color] Sakura said, sitting down next to Ei on the ground. Her brown eyes met with Ei’s. Any color was better than that horrible dull red, but purple suited Ei especially.

[color=f49ac2]”Turns out, we’ve all got a big, big problem named Galeem. That big pillar of light that zapped us all into this made-up world, and has been wiping our memories over and over again ever since, while its curse keeps us blind to reality. That creepy thing’s got us running around like dolls in a playhouse.”[/color] Sakura sighed.

 [color=f49ac2]”Me and my friends and allies are here in our plan to stop it. I- I’m not asking for your help.  I just wanted you to be yourself. Even if things are…weird now. Sorry about that, too.”[/color] Sakura looked away. 

After a moment, a reassuring hand descended upon Sakura’s shoulder. “No need to apologize or worry about me. I’ll be alright. I’ve lived a long time. Such firm foundations are not so easily shaken.” Ei’s expression was as serious as an earth-shattering revelation deserved, and a little conflicted, but she gave no signs of despair or depression. “I should thank you, rather, for showing me the truth. I do mean what I said earlier about truths and lies. And…I appreciate what you said about being my friend. Really.”

Ei stood, then extended a hand to help Sakura up in an unnecessary but nice gesture.

Sakura smiled up at her and met her hand with a mighty clap. She pulled up. [color=f49ac2]”That’s good to hear, Ei-san.”[/color] Sakura said. 

Pit stayed quiet and let Sakura do her thing, at least until both girls stood up. Then, seeing that things had gone well, he got to his feet himself as his face broke into a wide grin. He dismissed his bow and went towards them in a curve so he could scoop up Ei's sunglasses on his way and hand them back to her.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Another successful freeing! Nice job!"[/color] he said, holding his hand up to give Sakura a high-five. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"You too, Ei. Some people take it really hard. Glad your brain's back in the right place!"[/color]

Since she had shown she was able to handle herself, Pit considered inviting her to their current short term mission. After a moment he decided it wouldn't hurt to at least fill her in.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Most of us are on the way to meet up and fight a bad guy that's helping Galeem keep everyone stuck, if you want in,"[/color] he said. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Doesn't hurt to have more hands on deck! But we'll be fine either way! And when we get back, we can answer any questions you have. There's usually a lot of those."[/color]

Sakura was less eager. [color=f49ac2]”Like I said, you don’t have to help us. It can get pretty dangerous.”[/color] Sakura paused. [color=f49ac2]”...Right now we’re trying to defeat the Consuls who are, like, Galeem’s evil minions. I wanted to ask you more, earlier, about what you knew about this meeting coming up. A Consul coming to town?”[/color] Sakura asked.

[color=f49ac2]”But, uh, yeah, if [i]you[/i] have questions we’ll be happy to answer them, too. Obviously.”[/color] Sakura nodded emphatically. 

Ei seemed mildly taken aback by the news. “Oh, that? You guys work fast. Nothing I’ve heard about any consul endears me to them, but if they are as bad as you say, it sounds like you’re doing the right thing. Sadly, I’m not sure I’d be much help on the front lines…but I wish you the very best of luck.” The matter of the Consul led into a question about where Ei got her info, which elicited a furrowed brow as if she were trying to remember. “Um…that’s all I heard, really. I must have just heard about it in passing.” She gave a shrug of resignation, aware that her response wasn’t very useful. “Consuls are an enigma. Shady and mysterious, but brazen and authoritative. It’s only natural that the rumor mill would concern itself with their comings and goings. Right?”

Sakura nodded. [color=f49ac2]”Okay, good to know. No worries.”[/color] She let out a sigh. [color=f49ac2]”Phew. I’m glad that went okay.”[/color] Sakura set a hand on her hip. 

[color=f49ac2]”Thanks for stopping by, Pit-san.”[/color] Sakura gave him a clap on the shoulder. [color=f49ac2]”I was so nervous.”[/color] She admitted with a little laugh. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"No problem, happy to help!"[/color] he said. Though if he didn't want to be late meeting up with everyone else though, he would need to get going again soon. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Are you gonna stay in the city too, Sakura?"[/color]

 [color=f49ac2]”Esaka? Uh, yeah. I’m still fighting in the tournament, I don’t wanna miss my next match.”[/color] Sakura nodded.

That was fair enough, Pit knew the World Warrior bracket was filled to the brim. He gave Sakura a nod of his own, then waved to both her and Ei as he left the two of them to themselves. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright! Good luck! And don't worry about us - we'll see you guys later!"[/color]

 [color=f49ac2]”Um...”[/color] Sakura looked at Ei.  [color=f49ac2]”So…yeah! What’s the phrase? Walk and talk. Would you like to walk and talk, Ei-san?”[/color]