Anarion

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

"I don't intend to involve Naji in my rituals one way or another. She's been through quite enough. Is she not in our care?" Giri does not shout, nor does her face harden. She is simply speaking through her blush, through the touch, through the words of good girl making her heart sing. This is the strange thing about hearts, after all. They can go through a lot very quickly. A heart can pound against your chest straining with desire and yet still call for you to be better.

Naji didn't want to die. She didn't deserve either offering or guard duty. And maybe Giri had learned something. Less from Agata, who seemed to treat the whole matter of her courtesy as an option for those that pleased her. But from Piripiri and Kalaya. At any rate, her voice is firm and clear, and if the Red Wolf wishes to laugh it off, it will not be because Giri can use the girl in some way or another.

She does have a ritual to do though. She needs a clearing, no roof, so she steps out of the pavilion, looks for the best space she can between tree boughs in this forest. Closer to the barge wreck, it downed some trees and will have to do.

She looks towards the sky and draws her sword, letting the raindrops fall about her, upon it. She holds it up straight, pointing to the heavens. Her head held high, she begins to pace, drawing a circle with the toe of her boot, then crossing lines through it, a triangle, then a star, inviting for a spirit that gazes upon the heavens to come down and inspect.

Then she chants, calling out her supplications. With the rain, the wind, the wreckage she knows the spirits are busy. She offers her humble thanks for their work and asks if they would come to grant her a favor. Her collar jingles as she speaks, like a fancy cat prowling back and forth. But always her eyes are to the heavens and her sword is held high. Only when the spirit comes will she lower it across the ground before the spirit in a gesture of humility and beg her favor on behalf of the Red Wolf.

[Giri will Commune with the unseen: 6+2+2=10. She will endeavor to learn from the unseen where Han is and to change the nature of the place to easily guide the Red Wolf to Han.]

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Isabelle

"Not really"

The Unseen Goose is fast. Faster than it should be considering how heavy it is, how much it relies on its stealth systems. You get the immediate sense that Ada is pushing the limits of neural mesh here, translating her own physicality into the utmost amount of technical speed and strength that can be squeezed out of her equipment. It wouldn't be safe for a weaker pilot to do the same.

There's the briefest shriek of engines and the shimmering of air as it instantly heats behind the Unseen Goose. The hit is with her shield, already held at the ready, and it's square to the center of mass of Emberlight. Metal groans and buckles. Your metal, your structural supports. It broke right through your shields. You feel it like getting punched in the gut. Actually, more like pile-driven in the gut with a boulder. It knocks the wind out of you and it hurts like crazy.

[Take Insecure from Ada's return fight]

"You know what's dumb about that trick? You did it for nothing." She raises her sword above her head, flips it so the point is aimed downwards. "What's the point? You gave away your tech, your threw away your honor. And for what? You don't even want anything out of this competition!" She's putting energy from her core into the sword, powering it up to full capacity. It whirs and hums, the exterior glowing with white hot crystal fire energy that tinges towards blue as it grows more intense.

She'd be vulnerable now, but she knows you're recovering, that you can't get yourself moving just yet and she's using that time. "I've got people to feed! A whole godsdamn family that needs me. Someday, TC's going to be mine, and you and Adriana can fucking deal with it!"

She brings down the sword. There's a bright flash. The light reaches your eyes about one thousandth of a second ahead of the shockwave, just fast enough for you to register it before the explosion hits you and the whole building crumbles. The sound of an intense boom overwhelms your ears even within the cockpit as all the air bursts outwards in a massive pressure differential. What was once solid ground explodes in rocks and shrapnel, the world turns to a rain of dust and debris in every direction and you are falling, turning, and tumbling.

[Stagger from the destructive attack, both literally and mechanically. Also, mark your Coveted Destiny and take your XP for that. Ada's designs are close enough to your own to covet that destiny.]

***

Dolly

Have you done this with another Hybrasilian before? Jade's done a lot for you of course, she can create sensation all over your body with the neural mesh and get quite a lot of direct feedback about how you're enjoying yourself. She might argue that this isn't really all that much different. You're still in the cockpit, still wearing the neural mesh, still getting that same sort of translated sensation.

But there's a way Ksharta moves that's different. There's a raw pleasure in her body, translated directly into her mecha and sent directly to you. A Hybrasilian sort of pleasure, a sort of movement that you yourself have made before, one that Jade hasn't ever considered herself, might not even be able to do unless you got in a different mecha and let her have at you that way. It's sort of like playing with a mirror of yourself. Almost. She's a tad shorter and thicker than you are (both in height and reflective of her mecha build), but that just adds to the strength of her thighs as they press against you and she moans.

You're familiar with Hybrasilian customs of course, you've read and written so much fanfic. This isn't a one-off moment of pleasure. Not with someone young like Ksharta. Jade's pushing her to lose herself here, and she's going to expect more of out this. You and Jade are promising her that with this tactic. Expect to spend the night with her, and from there...well you'll see how things work out but this might be her first big crush.

Jade

Your plan is working. You're taking in a new follower here. Ksharta is committing herself to you. This is easier with a Hybrasilian follower because you've got a massive databank on their customs and behaviors. And their physiology. Even with just your legs free, you know where to touch, where to press. You've had so much practice with Dolly too, you can make Ksharta utterly lose herself in the moment. She wasn't expecting this at all, how could she have?

You know that the way Ksharta is moving and moaning, this is intense pleasure for her. You had to make it that intense or she wouldn't have lost focus, but that plays into Hybrasilian custom as well. You understand that if you abandon her after this, she will be extremely hurt. You've really committed yourself and Dolly here, but you've basically disabled her in the process. She can't position to fire her autocannon, isn't even thinking about it in this moment, and that gives you a chance to try and do something even pinned by the net as you are.

You have an opportunity to turn the fight around, she won't even be mad.

[Whatever you do next, roll to entice]

***

Solarel

The crowds are going nuts. The Bezorel is falling apart, it's a miracle you can move in the thing at all with the way the legs were stabbed out. The announcers are trying to bet how long that's going to last before you lock up completely.

But there's actually one downside to the last move you pulled, in a sense. Well, many downsides considering that Mirror is gonna be pissed and your underworld contacts are going to be calling in a lot of favors for all this. But one immediate downside is that the cancellation of Mirror's big attack has every camera on her. Everybody wants to know what happened and that means the attention is off you, close as you are. Even the flamethrowers are uninteresting, it's the Gods-Smiting Whip that everybody wants to pay attention to now.

Mirror

Every camera is on you. Well no, that's not right. Every single camera is trying to figure out what went wrong. Did one of your tails give out? Did Solarel deploy a secret weapon that everybody missed? It's happened before, maybe a missile came around or there was a laser weapon outside the spectrum of visible light that the crews didn't think to look for. Everyone wanted to see that final attack, and now they want to know why it didn't happen. There's going to be a lot of guessing, speculation, and conspiracy theories. Some of those conspiracy theories are going to be right too.

Of course, that's probably the last thing on your mind now, but you might think about it later.

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Isabelle

“Oh I got it backwards, didn’t I sweetheart?” Adriana hasn’t taken the bait yet. You’re still bantering, you’re moving up, she’s somewhere, comms still open.

“I thought, y’know, girl like this, she wants to be a queen, I better get in on the ground floor of that. But you’re not in for that, huh?”

The cameras are on you, but this part of the match is a little boring, some of the feeds are cutting to different fights, just a couple are hanging on the banter. A downside of a slow approach, nobody setting up anything decisive or aggressive out of the gate. How were you supposed to know that Solarel was going to set up a bunch of hellfire missiles in spectacular fireworks.

“Adriana’s not who you think she is. I’ve fought her. Listen girl, I’ll teach you something for your trouble here. If you want to be a lackey, you play the game other people set for you. You play it well, you could be Adriana’s right-hand girl, or go dance through the great wheel on her strings. Or somebody else’s. Your house, some other patron, some grand faction or other. Hells, if you just want the thrill of flying, come find me and I’ll give you work!”

She snorts, laughing to herself about some image she’s got in her head over that. She’s stopped using your name, too. Something about your answer, lost some respect for you. There’s a pause while she gathers herself and you finish your climb.

“Adriana herself isn’t like that. She’s fire, girl. She’s passion. She’ll cut straight through your heart, no hesitation. She wants you to try and stop her, just so she can show you how dumb that is. You gotta have that. You can’t climb to the top on skill. You can’t break through all the crap people set just because you want to be rich and powerful and bring honor to your house. That stuff is horseshit, and if that’s all you got, I’m gonna crush you before she does!”

You feel it before you see it. There’s a rush of wind, like a sudden vacuum, and then the flicker of air as the stealth system cuts out. This isn’t a long-range fight, this isn’t her taking a free shot. She’s on the roof, right there in front of you, the Unseen Goose bulkier and heavier than the Emberlight. Her shield is held low in her left hand, blade’s in her right. That blade feels like it’s inches from your face, so close you felt the air sucked away as it sailed past you and through the decoy. This little trick saved you from an embarrassing one hit loss. Made her blow the opening move that would have taken your head off.

She grunts in surprise, and this is your opening. Give it your best.

[You may, if you wish, also ask your playbook question for reading a person when crossing swords with them.]

***

Dolly and Jade

Ksharta stabs with a triumphant shout, full of glee. Her plan worked! But then she’s tugging, trying to get her spear free. All that momentum, you’re all falling together, you’ve pulled it from her.

“Eep!” You can tell she’s blushing. “Oh I, um, I’m sorry, I mean, I’m not, I didn’t mean!” But her hands are on you, and the way she’s moving her leg, the metal sliding between you, this is good, this is special, she likes this. It feels good. To you too, the pain in your leg, and her weight pressing on it, it’s full of heat and sensation! Dolly, it makes you want to bite your tongue and moan. Has Jade ever pushed this hard, has she ever made it hurt like this?

“Get your head in the game, Ksharta!” whoops, she left her comms on, the silly girl. “You got this, you got this, they’re just throwing you, you know, like literally.” Don’t worry about it, she’s giving herself a pep talk that you and the cameras get to hear. But she’s also got her net ready, she’s still the one on top, and that shoulder-mounted cannon of hers is untouched.

She’s fast too. The speed and reflexes of youth, always the biggest advantage of a new combatant on the scene. One you might have had too if you weren’t at odds about how to move. So fast, the net’s already out. You’re snared, Jade. You can feel it on you, the electricity coursing through it, pinning your arms, pressing on your chest. On Dolly’s chest. It’s not big enough to completely enwrap you, your legs can move, your head, the top of your shoulders. But your center of mass is pinned down, and Ksharta’s pulling up to bring that cannon of hers to bear properly. This is gonna be really bad really fast if you don’t do something. But honestly, would losing the match here even be so bad?

[Ksharta uses her fight to take a string, and sets up an opportunity from the stagger. Also, she’ll offer a spend of that string right away. If you let her take this shot because you want to feel it, even though it will cost you the match, take an XP]

***

Mirror and Solarel

You’re busy, but it might be notable to you either now or later that you’re on the main screen for a minute. Ada Smith vs. Isabelle Lozano was supposed to be the feature match, but they opened slowly with stealth and chatter, so the cameras cut away.

You, on the other hand, are putting on a show for the ages. People are going wild over the missile barrage out of nowhere, and they’re flipping out over how the Gods-Smiting whip responded. There’s already fan art! A bunch of the feeds have cut over to you for the moment, especially on the Zaldarian Akar II outpost and from all the Hybrasilian bars (though a few still have Dolly and Jade against Ksharta on too because of the home interest).

Welcome to primetime!

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Solarel

The missiles deploy like a charm. Everything works like they said it would. The Boatmen of Styx that is.

The thing with TC is that it’s filled with mechanics. Everybody and their mother learned how to fix things growing up on a small station somewhere. And if they didn’t, they watched it on TV and decided that they were going to be the heroic mechanic instead and started tinkering. But when you’ve got that many, it’s not hard to get into a variety of work. Most people do it through family. Your old uncle has a job he needs doing and he expects you to hop to it. Your auntie, she’s got some friends she knows and they’re nice people that a young girl should help out without asking any questions. Besides, who’s going to miss a couple crates on a container ship that measures its hold size in cubic kilometers?

On Styx, they’re all in the middle already, prepared to work for whoever has the money ready to spend. Right on the border between the Zaldarians and TC space. Past a dead system and far from TC prime. They picked their own name, the border between life and the afterlife, and they think it’s funny to imagine that they’re all rowing along it. They’re a mere one jump from Akar too, for easy shipping. The creation of the Arena is the best thing that ever happened to the Styx system, and their legitimate businesses and less legitimate businesses rushed to get representatives there.

So, everything’s available for a price from the Boatmen of Styx. For you, Solarel, that price came in two parts. The first part was a caress. Your negotiator, Mene Tosa, was a big woman, strong arms, thick chest like a barrel, hair long and tied back for work. She liked you, and when you asked for what you wanted, she told you the price was first that she could hold you and run a hand along your arm. She wanted to know what it felt like to hold a Zaldarian and carry their weight. Her arms were strong and firm.

The second part, that’s going to be a favor. These missiles cost a lot. Maybe you do well enough down the road to simply repay their kindness with money. More likely, they’re going to call in a debt and if you don’t live up to your word, they’ll spread theirs around far and wide. That Solarel can’t be trusted, don’t do business with her. It’s a special kind of afterlife when nobody will offer you trust. That too is the currency of the Boatmen of Styx.

[The Boatmen of Styx take a string on Solarel]

You’ve got the missiles though, all in working order delivered and installed exactly as requested. How are you going to use them?

***

Mirror

You’re really playing the long game. An opening like this is the kind of thing that wins you a match by making those pre-game briefings untrustworthy. Pull the same opening three times in a row in your debut matches and people will still think it’s your “tendency” even if you don’t do it four matches straight after that. You won’t have any need to retool your kit between matches if nobody knows what you’ve really got in the first place.

The real question is will it work here? The Bezorel has shown a lot of missiles. More than Solarel should have been able to afford based on the available data about her. She’s got no income for this, not as far as anyone can tell. This fight has got to be paid in favors. If it is, it’s utterly unsustainable too, but that’s hardly the point. With something like this, the missiles themselves are the real opponent. The Bezorel can create one moment of absolute fury where you’ll be under assault, or it can create an extended stream of attacks designed to distract you and catch you maneuvering unawares. Once it’s done either way, it will be spent and at that point calling it shooting fish in a barrel would really be an insult to the noble fish. That’s the risk with a loadout like this: finite physical ammo and no backup plan. This is actually about as close as you’ll see a mecha like this get to a real combat scenario. An old mech like the Bezorel would already be plotting an exit route, unloading its payload and trying to flee before retribution could reach it. That’s one of the ways that hunks of junk can remain in service when modern models could tear them apart at close quarters.

It’s likely you will need to Defy Disaster to maneuver in response to it.

***

Dolly

Did you ever go hunting with jackals when you were younger? You might have, though probably not often if you were living in a city studying and working on romance novels. The living ones are probably a bit smarter than the drones actually. They’ve got all those eons of biological development to handle simple things like maneuvering around obstacles, distinguishing their target from the terrain, and signaling that they’re on the hunt. Drones need all that programmed. It’s easier in games because even if the player might see a tangled and camouflaged jungle, the computer can easily distinguish between gameplay objects flagged for interaction as opposed to terrain boundaries and so forth. The real world is not so simple, which is why somebody refining drone AIs would eventually get themselves to something like Jade, even by accident.

Ksharta might not know how to deal with Jade herself, but it’s about to become clear that she has hunted with jackals, and the same techniques work on the real ones and the drones. You might remember that she was popular on the Hybrasil homeworld, actually. She was a great chef on top of being an ace pilot, so they kept her planetside for two whole years, giving her ample opportunity to run with the huntress lodges in old and new sports. She was around when you were first testing out Jade, in fact.

So, she knows some tricks. The first one is simply a distraction. She makes the first bit of noise, slips away, pulls the drones to her. That gives you a direction to head towards. The second is to double back and ensure the drones are chasing her as she moves towards where she’s guessing you’ll be heading. Then she simply inserts the third dimension into a system that had been working two-dimensionally. Her burst out is above the canopy, but she’s jumping over Jade, twisting herself as her opponent comes out of the underbrush, using the open river to maneuver and turning everything into a chaotic mess. She stabs the closest drone behind her, impaling it on her spear, and flings it back at you, and suddenly you’ve got your opponent coming around behind you as you’re tangled in one thrown hunting drone and a handful of others that all want to rush through your current position, limiting your own ability to maneuver.

To top it all off, Ksharta is talking rapidly. “Hi Dolly, hi Jade! I heard about you, oh my gosh, the girls were going on about it for days when you first appeared! I’m so excited! This is just like the time back home when we went on the iguanodon hunt and they tried to slip the jackals, except I’m the iguanodon and you’re the mighty huntress! Oh I love this. My turn though, here I come!”

She’s thrusting with her spear and your only options are to try and meet it head on without your own spear (likely painful!) or impact at the last second with your drones (sacrificing them) to pull off a dodge.

***

Isabelle

You’re the bait. You have to be, she’s coming for you, there’s nobody else in the fight, so it has to be you. The drones aren’t magic and you don’t have a stealth system, but you could make yourself appear just a little bit off from your actual location, like those tailed cats in the role-playing games that you’ve probably been too busy to read since you were younger. It would give you a last second opportunity. Pretend like you got impatient, go out in the open, a rooftop maybe, and let her take a shot at you, then use that instant where she’s just a few feet off her aim to try and turn it around.

Risky, of course, but it’s a good shot, it really should work. Plus it’s exciting, daring even. It will put the ball in your court. Asil will love it too, she’s really excited to see the drones do something special and a legitimate displacement would qualify. She didn’t stay up all those hours getting them tweaked just so for this match for you not to use them either.

Here’s the question that Ada’s looking for in return though. What do you hope to get from this tournament? Sure, sure everybody knows you want to be Adriana’s new chosen one. But Ada Smith is a deeper person than that. She’s reading your movements, your voice, your tells and trying to get a sense of what makes you tick. So when you tell us what you hope to get from the tournament, what she really means is what you want to feel, what would make your heart thrill and your soul soar?

[Don't roll when you describe how you pull off your trap, at least not yet. You might be able to just do it from this move result]

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Giri blushes. It's hard not to in Agata's presence. The heat of her touch, the strength in it, yet the gentleness with which she takes up Giri's own. There are a thousand pleasures to imagine from that touch, some of which Giri has already felt. So she blushes, and she tries to swallow and finds herself wishing that there was still more tea to be had.

She has just enough mind left not to simply nod and smile. She wants to, wouldn't it be nice to simply agree with Agata, to give her exactly what she wants? But that's not right either. She manages to swallow, nods but opens her mouth to speak too, pausing briefly to blush again as her collar, of course unharmed despite her swinging from the side of the ship and the crash, lets out a a jingle reminding them both of her position.

"I can, but there may be a price. The little gods here will all be unsettled, the Rakshasa and the..." Giri makes a small hand gesture with one of her hands, reluctantly removing it from Agata's, not willing to say the word "barge" out loud just this moment after the argument she had heard from afar. "...well, at any rate, they can help, they can ride the wind and the clouds and find Han and her little girlfriend, but they may ask for quite a lot to step away from their duties in the area right now. If that's acceptable, then I'll begin a ritual right away."

Huntresses of Hybrasil

-------
The Second Match
-------

Mirror

The clock is ticking down. The cameras are already taking photos. The God-Smiting Whip is the subject of much speculation, as well as the damage inflicted after the last battle. Camera drones are zooming in on the repairs and commentators back on the Akarian planets on stream three are questioning whether there’s a weak point to be targeted in their pre-match banter.

There are potentially lots of other things to have on your mind. If you were checking the local network for gambling, the bets are primarily on the odds of Solarel’s tactics (see below for that). If you are interested in Valentina, her match today starts after yours so you don’t know how she’s done or what she’s doing with her time at the moment. Possibly watching you. She’s facing one of the Jacinta Niares proxies and Valentina is expected to win. If it’s Mayze, there’s a lot of chatter, plenty of orders, maybe a few gems if you want to go digging through her messages but nothing that stands out on first pass.

When you come out, you’re on the hill in your arena looking over the terrain. It’s a stepped terrace, each step about the height of your mecha. There are thick clouds drifting over the upper parts, barely ten meters over your head. The clouds are drizzling lightly, the drops pattering off the surface of your mecha in an even, soft pitter pat.

Solarel is exiting the hangar at the same time as you are. Unlike with Valentina’s small and well-camouflaged mech (not up to Hybrasil cloaking, but nevertheless impressive for its quality) the Bezorel is easy to detect. Your instruments indicate that she’s due south and entering via coming up from a platform raising her into a river delta surrounded by jungle. That said, it’s too rainy to see her with visuals at this distance.

Also, you could broadcast to her safely if you want to talk.

Solarel

The clock is ticking down. Camera drones in your hangar have been scrambled with several different levels of zoom lenses so they don’t have to be placed at risk should you exit your mecha again. Possible perhaps, but do they really think you’re going to pull the same trick twice? Currently, they’re trying to get their money’s worth and get a look at you inside the Bezorel. The early match commentary on your end is that on paper, the match looks pretty hopeless, the Bezorel is simply not a piece of equipment up to its task.

There’s been quite a bit of gambling-backed speculation on what you might try to win the match, with a focus being more on your tactics than their efficacy. Since you probably checked the local network, the current best odds are on some kind of brilliant jungle ambush with complex traps. They’re giving that one 1:2 if you do it. Self-destructing your own mecha while repeating the pilot jettison trick from last time is 2.5:1. Someone did predict the missiles, but they’re at 6:1 because nobody thinks you have the money for them, and sabotaging your opponent’s mecha is at a whopping 25:1. If the sabotage actually becomes known rather than appearing accidental, you stand to make the very astute, the very well informed, and the very lucky bettors quite a bit of money.

You are raised up to your arena via an elevator platform. You come out through the water into a river delta that marks the south end of your battle area. The river meanders north with jungle terrain around it, not too heavy. It’s cloudy and drizzling as well, the rain smudging the upward facing parts of the Bezorel’s old-fashioned cockpit. That’s unfortunate for you because with your neural link, that also means the rain is sort of like getting water in your eyes fogging your vision. Unlike in your previous match where your opponent challenged you to an honorable duel, you are Mirror are supposed to be deploying at the same time. You know broadly that she should be north of you because you deployed in the far south of your available battlespace, but between the Bezorel’s weak instruments and the visual interference, you don’t have a pinpoint on her exact location yet.

Also don’t forget you can broadcast wide-frequency open comms if you want to talk to her even though you don’t know her location yet.

***

Isabelle

Congrats, you’re the number one show today. Ada is, really, but you’re no slouch either. This is the feature match, they think you can at least give her a good run and draw things out. This will be tough though, Ada Smith is a legend among pirates and TC crews alike. Camera drones are snapping everywhere and a lot of this match will be monitored closely.

You step Emberlight out of what seems like the overgrown garage of a five story building. You have to brush aside some hanging vines and moss to exit. You’re in a ruined urban zone. Most of the buildings are covered with plants, some are knocked down, several have chunks missing causing their interior floors to be open. Most aren’t much taller than four or five stories though: bigger than Emberlight a couple times over, but you could hop onto a roof no problem if you don’t mind exposing yourself.

It’s hot and the sky above you is cloudy, blanketing everything in a generic whitish gray coloring. Scan is very limited in this type of setting: anything using sound or light waves is going to bounce around the buildings and give you no real distinction between crumbling bits of masonry and your opponent. Higher frequency radiation won’t penetrate through the layers of stone and concrete. Eyes and ears are your best friends, and if you’re lucky and your mecha AI is good, you could have it dedicate cycles to looking for tremors or building vibrations to try and triangulate. That does present the risk of having most systems running calculations at the exact moment you get punched in the face though. But then again, there’s nothing about this that would make you any easier to find for Ada. Try to keep it that way, big bursts of heat or noise are risky because they’ll give away your position.

Of course, Ada has a stealth system and you don’t, so perhaps you’d like to simply get that pain out of the way first, hope you can take the hit, and start fighting back.

Her dark face and strong, heavyset shoulders pop up over your comms, background replaced by a soothing dark blue for the transmission so you can’t use any details to try to figure out where she is. “Lonzano, you’re new right? Pleasure to meet you, really, I’ve heard great things. My company, the Snow Geese, would be happy to take work from your family if any presents itself. I don’t think any of my girls have worked with you before, though they don’t tell me all their side jobs. Now, I know everyone says that we’re pirates,” she gives a solemn nod here. “But personally I think that’s just an unfortunate description of having to manage an independent company in this trying universe. We’re happy to take legitimate work when it presents itself, and I hope today’s match gives you a show of our skill.”

***

Dolly and Jade

This match is being eagerly watched by the Hybrasilian contingent. Two different rookies from an overall smaller pool of combatants, and a match like this has hunting lodge status implications. Some people are worried the draw was unfair, that one of you has to hurt the other’s odds of advancing. In terms of overall billing, it’s lacking a big name draw like Solarel and Ada though, so you’re around middle billing, it’s being broadcast on stream 6 at the moment on the Akarian planets. The announcers for this one are both Hybrasilians who are themselves a little green at the commentary business.

You’re deploying directly into dense forest. You literally walk out of a humongous tree whose bottom was structured by the planet nanobots to allow for a hangar entrance. Sunlight trickles down through the layers of canopy: clear sky if you want to maneuver at that height.

You’ve got no signs of movement in your immediate vicinity. Many of these matches are asymmetric deployments to ensure some variety in the flow of the fight, and in your case you have the opportunity to take a position and get in the first word when Ksharta deploys. What do you have to say for yourselves?

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

"I have never seen a person more consumed by their desire" said Giriel Bruinstead. And it is at once both a judgment and a measure of blessing never before expected because she has called this demon a person and addressed her honorably, even as she is critical of her. Naji is a person. Whatever else she may be, whatever desperation she might feel, she is in the world now, denying the corrupting part of her nature in the name of love. Was this the power of Venus in the flower kingdoms? It offered such a world of ideas.

Giriel put on a formal expression. This was not a divination, but it was a pronouncement, a lesson. "I cannot give you someone else's heart. No magic in the world or out of it can do it. Not even the Rakshasa, not your mother, not the gods. You may think, perhaps, given the places you have been and the beings you know, that you could own someone, control them utterly, and play with them as you will. But that is not their heart that you have taken, only their body. You cannot make someone love you, and if you try despite the warning, you will break the both of you in the act."

Giri softens her tone, offers Naji a smile, puts an arm around her, and offers her a sip of tea. "That doesn't mean it's wrong for you to want. The ascetics say that we're supposed to purge ourselves of all desire, but I'd call them fools for rejecting everything of value (and besides, they want to better themselves, but desire is motivation even for the hypocrites!). Look, this will be hard for you, but try to be good to her." She points at Piripiri. "Try to think about what she wants and what will please her. Not as a slave! But as a friend, a confidant, a lover. You might find she wants much of what you want, and besides, people with the dragon's blood are pretty strong to endure the advances of a demonic person such as yourself. If you want her love so badly, show her that you care about her as a person. And perhaps, just perhaps, she will offer you her heart freely. The only way they can be given."

Giri shrugs. "Oh, and take a break for a minute. Drink some tea with me. They're busy yelling about the Rakshasa crashing the big barge and we're going to have at least one hunt on our hands before any of us get home. So, pace yourself a bit."

Huntresses of Hybrasil

When the show is done, drinks are finished, the guests departed, there is then a time for rest and perhaps a little preparation. The information about the next match is released at the same time for everyone. The brackets are revealed publicly (usually in a live show for the interested at home) and each pilot receives a transmission with a new dossier for their fight. With the battlefield revealed now, there is also some information about the expected terrain to give each pilot a chance to think through their preparations.

***

Solarel

Where are you staying for the evening, when the party is done and it’s time to take your things off and prepare? Are you keeping a small room in the hangar near your mecha as the modifications are finished, or do your new connections offer you a more comfortable room at a price?

There’s also the question of what you do with Crescent’s information. You can keep it for later, she didn’t say it would go stale and you may not want to create even more potential debt for yourself. At least not at the moment.

Regardless, you are informed that you will be facing Mirror in your next match. You know a great deal more about her than any dossier can offer, but here’s what’s sent to you.

Opponent: Mira “Mirror” Fisher
Mecha: Gods-Smiting Whip (they left out her other titles, though you’ve heard some of them)

Known statistics:
Power: *****
Speed: ****
Defense: **

Pilot profile:
Mirror has served on mercenary duty on several missions across a large area of space. She is known to deliver results exactly as promised consistently and to remain calm under pressure. Recent match data indicates that she was experimenting and may have extended her fight to obtain data about her opponent and her mecha. Statistical ratings should be considered unreliable.

Terrain information:
Your battlefield expects rainy weather and cloud cover, reducing visibility.
Light underbrush and open waterways should allow maneuverability
One section will have hilly and uneven terrain

***

Mirror

What a show! People were cheering wildly. Will you find Valentina after that? What kind of night will you offer her? What’s the comedown like after a show like that?

Oh, also there are bids being sent into Mayze’s accounts. People are interested in custom work like you showed off. Lavishly so, though how they will use their new clothing may be a point of question for them. As might be whether they’ll really understand what they’re buying.

You receive the following briefing
Opponent: Solarel
Mecha: The Bezorel

Known statistics:
Power: *
Speed: *
Defense: ***

Pilot profile:
Solarel was previously known as a fearsome pilot during the Zaldarian war. Her previous mecha had world-class statistics in all categories and was a pinnacle of Zaldarian technology. Her previous fight was unorthodox in method, and her mecha demonstrated only low power weaponry as well as being an old model with low maneuverability and an outdated crystal fire drive. Analysts believe her method, while flashy, likely indicates the weakness of her equipment.

Terrain information:
Your battlefield expects rainy weather and cloud cover, reducing visibility.
Light underbrush and open waterways should allow maneuverability
One section will have hilly and uneven terrain

***

Dolly

Angela isn’t a jerk, so once the show ends if you feel like departing, she’ll let you. But then again, if you wanted to be carried back to her room, wanted to be paraded through the streets like a trophy, and were willing to let Jade be by herself for the evening, you could. Angela would take you, have her way with you and enjoy it, perhaps have words for Jade too. She’s gotten the gist of what’s going on here after all and isn’t afraid to experiment a little. She’s going to make it very clear she’s in charge though and there will be some rumors. She might get some leverage over you out of this.

Whatever you do there, tell us how you spend the night.

During it, you receive the following dossier

Opponent: Ksharta “Talon” Talonna
Mecha: Pulsar Cat

Known statistics:
Power: ***
Speed: *****
Defense: ***

Pilot profile:
Talon is a new pilot, her previous match was the first recorded appearance of the Pulsar Cat in intergalactic combat. Profiles indicate that Talon is an uncertain pilot and easily intimidated, but has above average reflexes, even for recorded Hybrasilians. Her first match relied on high speed movement to maintain careful spacing to take best advantage of her weaponry. Her autocannon was used primarily for defense.

Terrain information:
Your battlefield will be in dense forest with high trees
There will be a small number of more maneuverable lanes, which may present opportunities for ambush
Weather is expected to be clear, permitting high altitude flight

Jade

Your night depends in large part on Dolly of course. But we do need to ask about that data drive from Marik. Are you willing to risk looking right away? Plan to have your engineers review it? Do you want to wait for Dolly on something like this?

***

Isabel

Asil grins. It’s meant to be a reassuring grin for you. She’s relieved and happy, your vote of confidence is a good one. And it is that. But is also reminds you that she’s young and her team is small and she’s not always going to know how to present professionally the way that you do. She’s got ambitions and desires that outpace her experience so far. Set her up for success or she’s going to crash and burn, possibly as a horrific blackhole for your resources if you’re not careful.

Now your performance is at an end though (if performance is the right word). The News has everything they need to write you up, and Adriana will hear of it with at least some interest (though be careful with the woman, a grand gesture like this is a risk too, she’s going to want to know what kind of game you’re playing before long and she’s not above pulling strings in the matchups).

How are you planning to spend the night? Do you pass it with family? In meditation? Do you have plans to work on, mechanical or tactical? Probably too much for Asil to hope she can come with you. Either way, you’ll be getting your pilot info during the night. By the way congrats, you’re the first of the rookie pilot crew to get matched up against one of the elites.
Opponent: Ada Smith
Mecha: Unseen Goose

Known statistics:
Power: *****
Speed: ***
Defense: ****

Pilot profile:
Smith is a veteran pilot leading the Mercenary Company known as the Snow Geese, headquarters unknown. Smith competed in Arena seasons 1 and 2, but has been absent since then and is returning to competition now unseeded. Her previous combat style was aggressive, using a heavily armored, high-power mecha with stealth systems to allow her to close effectively. The weight means that if her location is known, she can be avoided, but that is the only known weakness of her approach.

Terrain information:
Your battlefield will be in urban terrain amidst an abandoned settlement with overgrowth
Mobility will be high, but sightlines will be limited
Weather is expected to be wet and humid, with dense vertically high clouds making flight somewhat risky for both participants

TSL: The Excess of Flowers

Grateful, first and foremost. Giri has a wry smile on her face. There's something about being waited on by a demon who wants to be human that feels like the last vestige of the damned. Agata is busy losing her mind, Piripiri is busy being yelled at, everyone that Giri would consider as her friends and loved ones among the barge has been scattered. So she is left with comfort from an unexpected source. And because it was not expected, it is all the more appreciated.

Had she done the right thing? The curse had leapt readily enough to Kalaya, and even Uusha could not complain that she was denied her vengeance, only had it directed. What had come over Kalaya though? Had the Rakshasa reached her at some point? When though? There was so little time for such things, everything had happened so fast, the Rakshasa couldn't have known it would turn out like this. Had there been an enchantment across the boat, was Kalaya the victim of bad luck and proximity? If so, Giri had done her a terrible wrong, though it would hardly be the first in her list.

She sighed and huddle the blanket closer to herself, her collar jingling beneath it. She, at least, had survived most of the fall unscathed, little more than some ripped clothes and cold muck on her. Small favors from...she didn't know which gods anymore. Even the spirit of Venus had been lost somewhere in the forest, poor girl.

Giri looked back up to the demon maid. Hadn't she been in a love affair of some sort? With the waitress of all people no less, if Giri had it right by those longing gazes.

Giri takes the cup of tea from the tray and before the snake demon can depart, Giri beckons her with a hand to stay. She takes a sip of the tea, blowing on it gently. "Thank you" she says. She lets that alone hang in the air for a moment, her eyes offering her sincerity. "I believe you may have petitioned my assistance on the ship, a little while ago?" Giri offers the slightest bit of extra grin, a little upturn at the corner of her mouth before she turns back to the tea again. "Well, here we are, we've stopped, all the things trying to kill us have stopped, and for the moment we have little else to do but try and recover. How can I be of assistance to you?"

Huntresses of Hybrasil

Mirror

To Valentina

Valentina de Alcard has never felt anything like this before. She stiffens when she’s pulled down, all surprise and wide eyes. She almost resists, there’s a moment of tension in her muscles. She’s not a woman used to be treated this way, the whole evening has held that sense that she’d rather be the one in charge, but then that’s also why she was so intrigued in the first place. She had not expected to lose her match.

So she lets the tension go out of her and lets you work. Mostly. She can’t quite relax all the way. The sense of eyes on her is too strong, she cares too much, even as you work across her body, to completely relax. A part of her mind is on everyone else, everything else, trying to predict the future and the consequences of this moment.

It’s only a small part though. She wants this very much. Her body wants this. Each nip of your teeth sends a shudder running through her. Her back arches, her shoulders pull together as the waves of ecstasy run through her and she can’t stop herself from leaning into them.

When the kiss comes, it’s too much and not enough all at once. She doesn’t understand, she wants to be devoured. She doesn’t understand, she wants to recover and pose for someone else. She doesn’t understand, so she doesn’t move. She allows the chaste kiss, and for a brief moment her confusion is so intense, so complete, that she really does forget everything else. She’s just there, she’s feeling every touch of your lips, her tongue, curious, carefully touches those lips but does not press further. Just far enough to taste a bit of her own blood, and the softness of it leaves her in ecstasy.

She stands because you help her. She moves because you move her. Your words, too fast for translation, snap out and pass into her and she’s there but she’s behind reality. She’s working on a lag. Later, maybe. There will be more later. But you’ve already walked off.

To Crescent

Crescent never tries to resist. She realizes what’s happening and she is impressed all the way into awe. You’re showing her something here, about how your attention works, about how much control you have, how much space there is in your mind, and how skilled and delicately you can move your tail without even having to look at what you’re doing.

Crescent brings herself close to Solarel, never touching, precisely as guided. From the frills of the dress, up the neck, and over the face oh so carefully. Close enough to create the feeling of phantom touch, but never ever breaking that perfect line.

She breathes hard, her eyes are intense, focused. She’s concentrating, never blinks, not even once so long as that tail is holding her. She’s taking in every bit of this, trying to sear it into her memory. She wants this for…herself? No, for someone else. The hunger isn’t there for her, but the desire, the value is.

When the words come out, Crescent mouths each one. “"Eyes. Wait. Soon. Reward. Obey. Misjudge…Dreams.” She’s going to hang on them. She’s going to puzzle over each one, almost as much as Solarel might.

When the tail finally releases, she brushes a paw on it lightly but longingly, leaving just a bit of her scent on the fur at the tip. But she says not a word, and then you walk away.

Solarel

There’s a little movement to do once Mirror walks away. Crescent checks you over delicately and carefully, ensuring that you have a clear, straight, and unobstructed view of the stage.

She’s working efficiently now. No coyness, no toying, just obeying Mirror’s instructions. Her touch is careful, delicate, and skilled. She considers smalltalk. Decides against it. Gets the job done instead, settles herself into a seat across from you now, instead of beside. When your legs recover, she won’t stop you from leaving, won’t even be in the way.

When she’s all settled, she does finally speak. “I guess we don’t have much compared to that” she says, letting out a long breath and relaxing a little. “I still have an offer for you. Here.” She slides a tiny piece of neural mesh across the table to you, enough to hold a short memory impression, little more than a still image and perhaps some location data. “If you ever decide that you need Zaldarian technology and you don’t want to deal with your new empress, take a look at this.”

Content, she leaves it on the table by your hands and turns her attention to the show. She’s not even looking at where you might put it.

***

Isabel

“Linterna?” Asil chuckles, nervously though. “What the fuck am I supposed to do about them, huh? It’s not like they reveal their lines in advance, not unless you work for them.” She tries to shrug, doesn’t quite carry it off, she’s too nervous and cares too much to really manage nonchalance. “I hope you didn’t call me over just to tell me you’ve had buyer’s remorse.”

She sighs, puts an elbow on the table, leans a hand into it, and doesn’t wait for you to answer, just launches into it leaning forward like that. “I’m being a dumbass. You want me to pitch you, right? This is a sales thing. Alright, sure. I came here to show my stuff to the best people, like you. I think it’s good enough. More than good enough! What I’m doing with the drones, Linterna doesn’t have that, they’re just doing cheap neural tech and enhancers. My tech might not have their polish, but it’s got more potential than they could dream of in their fancy high rises. And I did it with just me and a small team of techies. We don’t have four hundred people to polish it off and do all the seams, just me, one seamstress, one patterner, and two techs. You give me the kind of backing that lets me actually do polish and I’ll you show something really special.”

She turns her head then, glances at the Zaldarian designs, riveted. “Or, just think what I could do with a little of that. How about a few hundred micro-drones, mix the best of new and old. Oh yes, I could do some amazing stuff with that.”

That last one’s probably a better pitch than the actual pitch because she’s really dreaming. There’s a head full of ideas there. Creative in everything she does. Everything~

***

Dolly
Angela’s chatting now, a little with every dress. She’s impressed by the Zaldarians, especially the canine outfit. “Wonder how you’d like to be on all fours?” she asks. And “wonder how that might affect piloting, what if the neural interface could be reactive differently, shifting over the body, changing how it delivers feedback as the pilot needs it, maybe with a more complex AI directing it?” She’s a smart one, not just piloting a simple mecha with nothing going on.

She’s also getting comfortable with this arrangement. You’re stuck, she gets to hold you close in your wrap, tell you what she’s thinking, and you squirm and moan a little and have rapt attention for the show.

This would be perfect if not for the fact that Jade is still distracted somehow. And for the fact that several of the Hybrasilians at nearby tables continue to stare and hide their grins. They seem to have settled on the explanation that you’re just into this and were hitting on Angela and got what you wanted. They’re just smirking about it, you can feel it even from the ones behind you.

Mayze’s show is about to start though, and that’s going to be an exciting one for sure. Pity Jade’s still distracted, hopefully she set this up to record for her later review at least.

Jade

There’s a flurry of quick chats and hand signs again. The Zaldarian, Marik, doesn’t seem to think that he’s allowed to address you, and instead he’s trying to correct things with the engineer.

After a short burst, Nine Forests speaks again. “Marik wishes to apologize. He indicates that he was concerned that we would destroy his offering because of its suspicious nature and wished for your [blessing of protection]. He also tried to explain that Zaldarians have a different relationship to their gods, one in which they more clearly negotiate terms before making an offering. He begs forgiveness for his misstep and makes his offering freely. He says that he will remain and receive any blessing you would now willingly give.”

So there it is then. He wants to be well-received, did the best he could, followed your directions now. At least mostly. He’s waiting on your blessing, but then again he’s also waiting to watch what the engineers do with the data stick he handed them. Perhaps if they tried to destroy it, he would leap up, seize it, and flee. Awaiting your blessing is a good excuse for that, as well as perhaps sincere. Not that you necessarily know how to read a Zaldarian, but it makes some sense that when one can speak directly to a goddess, one wouldn’t assume their blessing was received until they stated it was so.

[If you want more of a read on him than this, you’ll need to roll]

***

The Fifth Fashion Line by Mayze Serpaws

Take it away, Mayze.