Yankee

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

_{Thursday Evening}
Word Count: 1396 (+3 exp)
Level: 11 - Total EXP: 318/110
Location: Esaka's High Tier, the Forbidden Kingdom
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●

Primrose had been to the High Tier already during her initial look through Esaka. She's spent that entire first day with Therion trying to get the lay of the city, but it was a large place. Even in the tiers she'd been spending more time in she still noticed new things. So the High Tier, while not a completely new experience, still had a lot of surprises in store for those who went looking for them.

However, Primrose was not looking for them. Not really. She passed the evidence of a few scenes of excitement in the tier that she suspected might have a few fellow Seekers involved (buzz of activity around an opera house, a crowd's chatter about a coffee challenge gone wrong), but she did not linger around these places for long. She wasn't avoiding her comrades, but if they were doing some kind of investigation into G-Corp then she wouldn't want to get in their way. She hadn't been privy to whatever they'd all discussed at that lunch meeting after all.

So the dancer made her way through the upper echelon of the city until she was at its center, where yet another wall stood tall. Above them, the Top Tier, and the quartet of sky scrapers that made up the whole of that level. She'd seen it the day before, looking up from the same perspective, along with the lift fit into the wall that separated it from the tier below. Today that lift seemed to have extra security around it, but not as much as Primrose expected. The city's tyrants must have just been that confident in themselves.

In the shade of a nearby awning, Primrose gazed up at Esaka's tallest buildings. If the Four Kings were that sure in their own strength, then she wondered if an infiltration plan like she and Therion had tossed around before might actually still work. She had no illusions of giving it a shot then, but she had wanted to get a look at those towers again for herself after the morning's announcement. She wasn't truly lost in thought, always with one eye or ear on her surroundings, but she must have appeared that way to others.

"Thinking about getting up to trouble?"

Primrose smoothly turned towards the voice to find a woman in uniform not far away. She stood with one hand on her hip and one eyebrow raised high, genuinely curious to know the answer.

Primrose took a moment before replying to look the woman up and down (though it covered her from neck to toe, that combat suit left little to the imagination) before she plastered a thin, cordial smile onto her face.

"Not at all, officer..." she said. Even if she was not familiar with the uniform itself, she'd spent long enough in the world to pick up context clues and put them together. "Just a fan wanting to get a look at the final stages before the week's end."

The blonde gave a short nod. "I get it, the wall can get pretty packed during championships even though you can watch it on every screen in the city."

Then, her face cracked into a small, somewhat impish grin.

"Not that I'd care much if you were planning something. I'm not the only one that'd like to see those dickwads taken down a peg or three."

Primrose tipped her slightly to one side, a little show of confusion to which the uniformed woman waved away with her free hand.

"I'm not part of their security detail, just killing time keeping some peace up here while the bounty's still live. Also, I'm a commander - special forces, not a cop."

"Pardon me then," Primrose replied. She got the gist. The commander shrugged to imply it wasn't a big deal, but Primrose's sharp eyes could tell that for her, it most certainly was. She probably wouldn't have brought it up otherwise.

Primrose considered giving the woman a friendly goodbye and then making her way elsewhere, but it wasn't like she had anywhere to be. She was effectively doing the same thing that the stranger was, killing some time. So instead Primrose turned entirely towards the blonde, made some space under the awning, and struck up a little conversation with her latest acquaintance who was happy to chat up anyone.

"Well, commander..." she started, and the woman swiftly offered, "Cage."

"Commander Cage. It's been a slow day for you then? I can only imagine what sort of trouble you'd normally be handling."

"Oh you don't know the half of it," Cage said with a grin, joining Primrose in the shade. "Let's see, what's not confidential... Oh, man, lately there's been a guy making chimeras to fight with. Nasty stuff, been looking into him for a couple weeks now. It's not technically not tourney legal to have a proxy fight in your place, but it doesn't usually fly. So we figure he's gotta be using the chimeras for something else, right? Some kinda underground monster fight club I'd guess, since he's been selling these freaks of nature. Found some evidence for something like that around the Low Tier and yeesh, whatever he's got going on has definitely got to be illegal somewhere."

"Chimeras? How would one even make them?" Primrose asked, brows raised in light surprise. She hadn't thought that Esaka leaned far into either the technical or the magical, but perhaps with bring one huge melting pot of fighting backgrounds there were bound to be people that could set up a workshop like that. Then again... If someone was combining monsters together with a method as simple as spirit fusion, that was another thing entirely. Was there someone already destoried in the city before the Seekers had arrived, or someone who'd just happened to stumble upon the fusion method without a full grasp of what they were doing?

Cassie Cage didn't seem overly concerned with these details, though. "Not sure yet. Wouldn't be surprised if he had some kind of lab on the outskirts though, he wouldn't be the first one."

She shuffled closer to Primrose and pulled a smartphone from her pocket, along with a packet of pink gum. She pulled a stick out of the latter, unwrapped it and tossed the piece into her mouth before offering one to Primrose, who took one but did not mimic the commander. The two woman leaned in to peer at the phone screen as Cassie brought up a grainy video. In it, a robed and hooded man stood in front of a hunched over dragonoid. It was apparently a sale, but it was cut before any conclusion, stopped on a still image of the chimera-maker. It was difficult to make out any details.

"I know, hashtag suuuuspicious, but keep an eye out," Cassie commented following the pop of her gum bubble bursting. She sucked it back in, pulled her phone back towards her and started scrolling. "What other weird stuff have we got..."

She spoke with a casual cadence, but with body language that made it clear she was entirely the professional she was dressed like. A young woman who took her job seriously but liked to talk and have fun. Primrose listened to a few stories that Cassie made seem outlandish, but that the dancer thought might be more common than one might first expect. Still, it was interesting to learn about all the strange things that Cassie had encountered in just Esaka alone. Primrose was content just to listen and ask a few questions, offer a few comments just to keep her latest acquaintance assured that she was enjoying the stories, and after some time one of the communicators Cassie carried started to emit a soft but constant beeping.

The special forces commander raised her head and spit her chewed gum in an arc that landed in the nearest trash bin before she pocketed her phone and gave Primrose a smile and a mock salute.

"Sounds like duty calls," she said.

"I look forward to future stories~"

It was unlikely she'd run into the blonde again, but you never knew. She watched Cassie jog off somewhere then cast her gaze back up to the towers above. Not long after, she heard the chime of a call of her own in her ear, saving her from pondering what she was going to do next.

_{Thursday Evening}
Word Count: 2493 (+3 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 335/80
Location: Esaka's Mid Tier, the Forbidden Kingdom

The kombat partners split up with Sakura outside of the photography hobby shop, citing a few things they had to do before the day came to a close. Of course this came following a promise to hang out with the street fighter more later.

The talk with Sakura had pretty much convinced Pit that his thought to free his and Amaterasu's fellow dojo members was worth putting into plan, and then into practice - but he wanted the goddess on board, so at the very least it most likely wouldn't be tonight. He'd toured the lower tiers earlier with the royal siblings and Ashrah separately, so he had a decent idea of the food and lodging situation... sort of. He still had two gifts to give out, but he was sure he'd see the recipients later when everyone met up again. He'd invited Ashrah to said inevitable meet up, but she had politely declined.

So the last things to squeeze into the day before Pit and Ashrah went their separate ways for the night called for a return to the Order of Light dojo.

Pit once again peeked in through the outer windows as the two of them came up on the Mid Tier dojo, squinting into the dimly lit interior through slightly dusty glass that made the whole place look old.

"This is like the most dojo-y dojo I've ever seen," the angel said. He hadn't been inside, just looked in, and just like the first time he'd been interested in how stereotypical it looked. In a good way. Traditional and ancient feeling and cool.

"Most dojo-y...?"

"Mhm, with the mats and the dragons and the scrolls and everything!"

"I see. It was founded in part by a god from Earthrealm when the split from the Mortal Kombat dojo happened. It's a popular look there, I'm told."

Pit nodded, looked over at Ashrah, and then blinked in surprised to find her standing with the door held open and looking at him expectantly.

"Shall we?"

Pit beamed and dashed inside, quickly slowing to a halt in the center of the wide room. He spun in a slow circle to get a good look at everything before nodding again. Yup, the quintessential dojo look. Briefly he wished he could have joined up with the Order from the get go, but Fight of Gods had turned out to be pretty good in its own right. One thing it had over the Order of Light was the jovial atmosphere, likely helped by its roster of over the top gods. Compared to its Low Tier counterpart, the Order's dojo was a ghost town.

"Where is everyone?"

"Training on their own I suspect. We come together for meetings and sparring, but not many use the dojo as a... hang out spot."

The way the last few words awkwardly tumbled from her mouth made Pit laugh, though he suppressed it after a moment as Ashrah continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if you, Sareena, and I are the only ones present."

It was a little disappointing that he wouldn't be able to meet the rest of the Order of Light, but Pit didn't mind that much. Sareena did not keep the partners waiting either, as she'd come up from the dojo's lower levels when she heard voices above.

"Welcome back," she said. Her own voice was hard, but she seemed to have calmed down since the afternoon so that was probably how she always spoke. Her black eyes swapped from Pit, to Ashrah, and back. "Let's not waste time. While the fight is fresh in my mind, I'll drill you."

Pit was on the verge of letting out a sigh at having to get right down to business, but Ashrah held up a palm before that.

"Actually sister, we were going to spar for better synergy," she said. With a small smile that was almost teasing she added, "since we won't be able to face you in Mortal Kombat, perhaps you would like to help us out with a battle now?"

At that the angel perked up, looking at Sareena with a lot more eagerness than moments ago. Sareena let out a light snort.

"Oh, I would. And it would be more efficient to learn while we fight. Like the Earthrealm expression: two birds with one bush."

"It's with one stone. And by the way, I never liked that saying."

An unfamiliar laugh echoed up from the stairwell that Sareena had emerged from, followed by the sound of footsteps and a matching voice. "I have got to see this."

A man in battle-ready red appeared a moment later in the doorway. He made to nod in greeting, but was surprised to see just who the kombat partner Ashrah had talked about was.

"Kai," the demonness ended up greeting first, tipping her head and removing her hat as she did so.

"Kai?"

"Another member of the Order, and my kameo partner," Sareena clarified, and only a little bitterly muttered, "however briefly."

The man, Kai, strode into the room and put his fists together in front of his chest, bowing lightly to Ashrah and Pit. "That's me. Welcome back, and nice to meet you... Pit, right?"

"Yep! Nice to meet you too!" The angel somewhat clumsily copied Kai's greeting. When they both straightened up, it was apparent that the two teams stood on opposite sides of the dojo floor. Pit could tell where this was going, so he pushed the boxes he still had to one side.

Kai glanced at Sareena. "You're about to spar? How about keeping me as your kameo partner for another hour then, what do you say?"

The demon scoffed, but ultimately turned from Kai to the pair across from them.

"I suppose it's better to get as close to a real match as possible. Fine." She took a fighting stance, and at her side Kai backed up a few steps and assumed his own stance, one palm with curled fingers facing their opponents and one held up over his head, his own shaolin kung fu style. Sareena raised her chin. "Prepare yourselves, I intend to be strict in my teaching."

One their side of the dojo, Pit and Ashrah had already assumed their own positions. Ashrah's kris was in her hand, and the two halves of the Palutena Bow were in Pit's. A practical lesson was way better than just trying to remember everything that Sareena would have told him, and it really was time saving to spar at the same time. And though Pit seemed an endless font of energy, he did hope that this would be the last battle he fought today - something friendly, and maybe even fun.

On that note he didn't bother stopping himself from quipping with a playful grin, "You better not hold back, I've been told I'm not the best student."

In reply Sareena only smirked. A breath later and she'd vanished, instantly putting Pit on edge. She reappeared in a plume of flame directly above him, falling hard with a pair of sharpened kama. The steel caught on Pit's bow, the angel snapping it together and throwing his arms up to block the strike. Without a word Sareena swung her legs into an aerial crouch, stamping on the bow and leaping back up. Pit released the bow with one hand, drawing back the ethereal string in the same motion as he summoned a light arrow–

"Guh!" a pillar of fire exploded beneath him, throwing him from his feet and into the air. In his peripheral he could see Kai winding down after using the attack, but he hadn't even seen him move initially. He hadn't heard Sareena call for him either!

Pit barely had time to catch himself with his wings before Sareena was back, aggressively slicing with her kama as gravity took both of them. Sparks formed where the weapons collided, countering, parrying, and lashing out at each of the wielders. Just before they hit the ground the two kombatants broke apart, Sareena landing nimbly on one knee and rising up smoothly while Pit landed on his feet and skidded backward. The demon tossed her blades up in front of her and caught them with opposite hands before resetting her stance.

"You'll have to contend with much stronger aerials than this. You'd better improve your air game by tomorrow."

She suddenly thrust her hand out, and reflexively Pit summoned an Orbitar in preparation for a projectile. It never came - instead a smoldering ring formed at his feet and began to drain his energy, not to mention heat up the room. Meter drain?! Is that legal? Pit thought. There was nothing but his stamina to drain, but even so he wasn't about to let that happen. When he moved to hop out of the ring he was stopped by another appearance from Kai as the martial artist darted in, striking with a fist cloaked in his own flame to shove the angel back into the burning circle. Anticipating that Pit would try and exit from the opposite away from her kameo, Sareena dropped power to the spell and rushed in while it was petering out. She swung both kama in a powerful horizontal slash, though this time she met only crackling air.

Pit stood facing her, now a few feet away. "That's just mean," he said, though it was through a toothy smile.

Sareena did not dignify that with a response. She shot towards him, though this time Pit called out for his kameo. "Ashrah!" The demon leapt in between them, meeting her sister's blades with her own. At the same time Pit leapt too, planning to go over Ashrah's head and come down on Sareena with a double chop of his own. Airborne, he had a good view of a suspicious flicker of fire at Sareena's shoulder, and a moment later there was a flash of heat as Kai jumped in with a flaming kick to intercept Pit. Both kameos retreated, leaving the main kombatants to stare each other down.

"Alternate ways of signalling your partner - you'll see more tomorrow. People that have fought together often may even know just when to jump in without any kind of tell."

If the demon sisters were usually each other's partners, then Pit had to wonder how much practice Sareena and Kai had put in before now. Their fire signals seemed seamless to him. He readied himself for the next lesson, swatting away a fireball that Sareena had shot at him.

"How many fire moves have you guys got?!"

A wicked smile came to Sareena's face, and the source of her little flames became apparent as a flaming spaded tail unfolded from her back. "Don't worry, you haven't even begun to sweat!"

---

"Bwah!" Pit gasped as he yanked his head out of the basin of water that the Order of Light members had provided for him after the sparring was done. Half of it had been swallowed, and the rest just used to cool down. "She was right! It's like a sauna in here now!"

He felt sticky and uncomfortably warm, which had worrying implications for future visits to hot springs, but he hoped that the combo of hell fire and kung fu fire was just that much hotter and he wouldn't have to give up one of his favorite pastimes.

Ashrah had taken a seat on the ground nearby using her hat to fan both herself and the angel, although she was holding up much better than he was. "I've never faced both of them at the same time before. A formidable kombination. Though I believe they were venting some of their frustration about dropping into the Losers' Bracket out on us."

That Pit definitely agreed with. He nodded and curled around the cool water vessel until perking up again when Ashrah turned to him with a question.

"But it was enlightening for you, I hope?"

"Definitely. We should come up with some secret signals too!"

Ashrah smiled. Perhaps they should, though it wouldn't be something they could develop and memorize easily within a night. Pit had gotten to his feet and offered her a hand up which she took. "It will have to be something you can do swiftly, but that's easy to remember. If you think of something let me know as soon as possible."

"Sure, I will," Pit said. He glanced out the window, just barely able to see the sunset sky from between the neighboring buildings outside. Sareena and Kai had retired after more sparring than expected, and Ashrah was soon to join them. Which left Pit, pleasantly sore but already recovering, who should be getting on his way. "For now I'll call everyone else and meet up. Are you sure you don't want to come?"

She was, though she saw him to the door and reminded him of their meeting point for tomorrow's Pools matches before disappearing inside of the dojo.

Just as Pit raised a hand to his ear to activate the linkpearl, the device buzzed with Big Band's voice coming through. It was a nice surprise, and Pit grinned into the open air as he replied.

"You beat me to it! Yeah, Gold Team meeting! I think I know a place, I'll let you all know where it is once I find it again. Attendance mandatory!"

He ran off to try and locate some of the places he'd passed earlier in the day. Was it in the Low Tier? He wasn't entirely sure, but it wouldn't be that bad to pick somewhere else, would it? The former detective might want to keep things low key, but eventually all of the Seekers fighting would be celebrities anyway so long as they kept on winning.

Eventually Pit's search bore fruit. Honestly he didn't even recall if this was the place he'd been thinking of, but it was kind of close. And it didn't stand out too much, given it had been a little bit of a pain to find. The restaurant was unassuming from outside, a Japanese styled eatery with painted cloth to conceal part of the interior. It was apparently owned by a bigshot, but either the owner wasn't there at the moment or it was part of a small chain, as there wasn't a line to get in or anything. The actual interior was cozy and rich in the culture of sumo wrestling, decorated with all sorts of memorabilia of the sport. There was even a sumo ring front and center which guests were seated around. Alongside tatami mats and tables built into the flooring, the restaurant seemed to fit Esaka perfectly.

And their specialty? Hot pot, which interested Pit a great deal.

The doorwoman was polite enough to let the angel wait outside for the rest of his party after he spoke some directions into the link, assuring him that they would find the space for such a large expected number and would get seating started once a few more showed up. Large parties meant large tips after all, she thought privately.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Man-bat Paowow

Snowy Thursday Night
Level 7 Heismay (38/70) & Level 9 Ace Cadet (490/90)
Word Count: 3065 (+4 exp)

Once the Seekers reached the cave, Heismay climbed out of the stagecoach and just stood there for a few moments before beginning to help the others. The simple fact that he hadn’t been perched atop the vehicle as it traveled like normal, silently standing sentry, said a good deal about the battle he’d been through at Oblivion’s Ingress. Even if Blazermate healed the wounds, the scars still ached, and the mental damage inflicted on him by those nightmarish monsters doggedly refused to relinquish its hold on his brain.

This physical and mental soreness, combined with the eugief’s small size and meager strength, meant that he wasn’t much use when it came to carrying things around or setting up tents. Still, work needed to be done to make this cave habitable. Even without the biting wind chill outside, it was terribly cold in here, and very inhospitable. In fact, it offered Heismay an extra dimension of discomfort with how the noise echoed off the cave walls in here. Usually, he found (or made) himself an enclosed space he could cover with cloth in order to soundproof his sleeping area and find peace, but that wouldn’t be possible here, even if he commandeered the stagecoach’s interior for himself. The best solution he could think of was to swaddle himself in as many layers as possible like a newborn; it would be stuffy in there and hard to breath, but it would be warm and quiet. Regardless, with that eldritch buzzing in the back of his mind, Heismay didn’t expect to sleep very well tonight even if he managed to get comfortable.

As he went about preparations, the hermit couldn’t help but notice someone being a lot more useful than he was. Somehow, the Ace Cadet seemed to command endless strength, energy, and optimism. With a weary smile, Heismay shook his head in bemusement. “Even after climbing the mountain, covered in heavy gear, you’ve still got the energy to move like that? Even in my youth such feats were beyond me, and I’ve left those years well behind. How do you do it, lad?”

In the middle of transporting the next set of camping supplies -tents, stakes, bed rolls, ground pads, all bundled and tucked under his arms- to a clear space in the growing circle of them, Ace perked up when he realized Heismay was addressing him. He turned to the shorter man with a pleasant grin.

"You say that, but you're still out here adventuring with the rest of us," he chuckled. Ace had already figured that Heismay was on the older side, but there was no way the little swordsman was elderly. Well, at least he didn't think so. He gave a one armed shrug. "My slinger-" he vaguely wiggled his right arm where the device was worn. "-did most of the work climbing anyway. Really, it just feels like all I did today was walk around and eat."

The Cadet bent to let his cargo drop to the cold ground, then stretched a little when he straightened back up before giving his attention back to Heismay. "Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty cool day, but the way icy it... since I didn't do much earlier, better help out now when I can."

His tone was still on the chipper side, not self pitying but merely stating a fact. Of course he certainly didn't mind a short break in getting the chance to talk with the man, as he'd been a little curious about the eugief since first meeting back on the Avenger, however briefly.

"Besides, not like I was fighting like you guys," Ace said. When he'd gotten to the top of the cliff the dark structure was completely gone with only the odd remains left. It wasn't a stretch to assume the flying team had run into some trouble. "What happened anyway? No one really talked about it when we all regrouped."

Heismay pursed his lips as one hand reflexively closed around the arm that had taken a grievous injury. “There was some sort of dark structure. It resembled a small cathedral, though in truth it may have been a gateway. Not between here and there, I mean, but between worlds. Some rather horrific monsters crawled out of it, as well as the limbs of something even bigger. But once we dealt with them, and the tentacles drew back, the whole thing disappeared.” He smiled ruefully as he shook his head. “We’ve tangled with some nasty creatures on this trip so far, to be certain, but none messed with my mind like those did. They were no mere animals, or victims of some terrible disease. I felt their lethal intent and intelligence. Let us hope we see no more of their like.”

To show Ace a little better, Heismay reached into a pocket and withdrew the spirit of the Exemplar, which he lifted up to show to the monster hunter. “Take a good look, lad. Twould be best to dispose of it right away, I think.”

Ace squinted in distaste when peering into the spirit displayed a fleshy monstrosity split open only to give rise to another disturbingly human-like fiend missing its head. The flicker of flame that floated over its cut neck melted into the spirit's own wisps, so the Cadet almost didn't notice it, but when he did his expression changed to one of surprise.

"Is that the same fire we passed through before?" he wondered. If these gruesome monsters were connected to it he hoped that they were its source, rather than a product of exposure to the flame itself. Just briefly moving through it had felt awful enough... he didn't want to think about it potentially turning them into these freakish zombie things.

The red head pulled back with a grimace. "Yeesh. Yeah, it really is gnarlycuga though. I'm with you in getting rid of it. Crushing it's the way to go here, right?" He paused for just a moment before adding with a small, awkward, nearly nervous laugh, "do you think it'll spit out something cursed?"

Ace’s response elicited a chuckle. “I’d not be surprised,” Heismay told him. His keen ears detected the slight edge of unease in the hunter’s voice, and he reconsidered his options. “Hm…although, come to think of it, perhaps we could turn its horrific strength toward our own ends. I have yet to experiment with the ‘spiritbinding’ aspect of Spirits. Tis rather unclear on how to do so, but I can try to connect with it.”

Summoning that thing as a battle partner would not have even crossed the Cadet's mind. Of course he was normally item-minded regardless of the spirit, but even so. Still, if it was that strong that Heismay thought it was a good idea, then far be it from Ace to say otherwise.

"I haven't either, so I can't give you any pointers," he confessed. To his knowledge he'd never seen it fail or backfire for anyone else trying it though, so he did at least offer Hesimay a thumbs up.

The eugief held the spirit at eye level, narrowing his ruby-red peepers at the gruesome image within. It possessed no discernible head when it lived, and now it seemed even less likely that it could hear him in spirit form, but Heismay chose to trust the process and address the Exemplar as if it could. “You sought entry into our world, and you craved violence. Heed my summons, and you shall have both in ample measure.” The spirit seemed to react, its wispy prismatic energy flowing toward him, and the pact was made.

New Striker spiritbound

Exemplar
Pinnacle of the nightmarish brood, apex of the cultists who beckon otherworldly evils, a headless giant whose ghostly flame burns beneath a crown of shadow. This powerful striker is on a very long cooldown, but its token-applying abilities feed into one another across subsequent summons. It can mark an enemy with Prelude, inflicting Pull, Blight, and Combo. If an enemy has Combo, it can unleash The Fall to deal heavy damage and gain Worship. If it has two Worship, it can use Exultation to deal heavy damage to two targets, give the host Death Armor, and summon a random friendly cultist. Friendly cultists are independent entities that can use their full abilities, but don’t gain Worship themselves

Heismay blinked a couple times as the spirit faded away. “I did not expect that to work. Perhaps anything goes?” Shrugging, he ambled over to a rock and sat down, then reached for his flask. “After seeing that thing in action, I need this more than ever.” Today’s misfortune wasn’t over yet, however, as Heismay found there was scarcely enough moonshine in his flask for a single swig. His ears drooped, dejected. “Curses.”

The swordsman's reaction wasn't all that dramatic, but the gap between his expressive body language and sort of reserved personality was amusing enough that it brightened Ace's smile back up even more than the good news that Heismay hadn't ended up as some outlier and his new striker's dreadful nature wasn't somehow bleeding into him.

"Forgot to get a refill at the village? It totally slipped my mind too. They gave us a bunch of food to take but didn't pack any drink, not even water." Ace remained standing as he spoke, but in casual posture with his hands resting at his sides. He glanced out of the cave's mouth for one thoughtful moment, where snowflakes were still falling. "Not that water's gonna be an issue in this area, heh."

Ace's gaze passed over the coach where part of said care package remained before settling back on Heismay. He recalled that he'd heard mention of the eugief helping out in the kitchen ahead of the feast preparing at least some of the food himself, so perhaps Heismay liked cooking (even if the night prior he'd left the hunter, Edward, and Geralt to themselves in the lodge's kitchen, which in hind sight was probably a wise decision to distance himself from the mess).

"Ever tried making it yourself before? I think there's a few extra fruits; if we're gonna be in the Highlands for a few more days, there might be time to try fermenting them?"

His question seemed to intrigue Heismay, who tilted his head ever-so-slightly as a thoughtful expression crossed his face. He scratched his furry chin with one talon. “Tis an enticing prospect, and one I have not attempted. But…do we really have the equipment for that? Or the time, for that matter? I was under the impression that fermentation took years, not days.”

"Was hoping you'd tell me," Ace admitted. He figured equipment wouldn't be much of an issue unless the process was a lot more sophisticated than he assumed, but did it really take so long to make? Maybe it depended on the type or the ingredients? Or maybe it just affected the quality?

Heismay shrugged and moved to help stoke the soon-to-be campfire, almost ready for Blazermate’s tinderbox or Mokou’s pinions. “No matter. With or without alcohol, I’ll survive.”

A few moments after he finished his task, the bonfire was lit. After scooting a little closer to the much-needed warmth, Heismay sat for a few moments, then drew his longsaber. He examined its blade in the flickering glow of the flame, and came away less than pleased. “Twould seem that battle dulled my sword’s edge. Whatever that thing was made of, it was no ordinary flesh.”

The Ace Cadet had not gone far, since the row of tents were going to be surrounding the source of warmth. They were distinctly more modern than what he was used to, just like a lot of things they'd run into, but it was easy enough to get them standing. Poles were pulled up, tarps draped, and metal pins were hammered into the frozen ground with only a little difficulty.

"Now that I can help with," he said, adding a 'one sec' to finish securing the last of the stakes. With the latest tent built he shifted to rummaging through the smaller pack he had with him that had served him well through traveling his own world and this one. He produced a block of some dense material that was easy enough to identify as a whetstone and turned to Heismay. The hunter could have just tossed it over the short distance, but instead he sidled close to the eugief to hand it to him personally - and to get an up close look at the man's weapon.

“Thank you!” Heismay accepted the item with a grateful bow of his head. “You’re much better prepared than I.”

Ace just waved a hand to dismiss the compliment. Now he hadn't seen too much of the eugief in battle so far, too far away or in separate parties entirely, so he was glad to see his chosen arms now. It was very similar in make to the common long swords he was familiar with, but it had some glimmer to it that was no doubt a product of the material it'd been forged with.

"Made from a sandworm shell, I think you said?" Ace asked, that brief moment aboard the Avenger having stuck out in the hunter's mind. Even then he'd been a little too far for a good look, but when he'd heard Nadia talking with Heismay about the weapon he'd made sure to tune in. The Cadet's interest was as plain on his face now as it was then, too. "What's it called?"

Heismay chuckled as he shook his head. “Oh no, tis not the same sword. I replaced the shell blade early on, back when we passed that shipwreck. Before we even reached that plagued menagerie.” He held up the reinforced longsaber. “Though I am no bladesmith, I could tell that this was leagues better. And I’d no sentimental attachment to its predecessor.” He laid the saber across his lap, peered at the whetstone for a brief moment, then adjusted his grip and began to scrape.

“In this line of work, we must always seek better equipment,” he reasoned, raising his voice over the scrapes. “With how this performed against that monster, I could stand to find a replacement. It is a quality blade, to be sure, but it is no more than that, and I’ve seen many a weapon with special properties among our ranks.” He nodded at Ace. “I imagine you’re no exception.”

The hunter gave a hum of agreement. "Mhm. I've been swapping out when I can, but..." he held up a hand and twisted it in a so-so motion, implying that it'd been a while but he would rather not get into the details. He had just recently added two new weapons to his arsenal, but they were currently increasing his carry load rather than replacing his old ones.

"Actually most of my weapons are elementless right now, but back home we'd use ones that could inflict statuses or shock or burn. Guess it's about time for an upgrade." Ace finally sat down properly, turning thoughtful for a moment. "Do you only stick with swords, Heismay? They are pretty radalos, but if you wanted to get into archery I do have a spare bow I haven't been able to figure out the trick with."

Although he gave it some thought, Heismay wasn’t too attached to the idea. “Swords, specifically single-edges sabers, are simply what I was trained for, drilled into me during my time with the Shadowguard, and I’ve never used aught else. Even a standard straight sword would be a departure for me now.” He tried to imagine himself shooting a bow, assuming a shortbow that suited his stature could even be procured. From what little he knew, drawing a bow took surprising strength.

“Trying out something else might be an interesting change of pace, but I wouldn’t trust myself with anything but a curved sword in real combat.” By now, Ace was probably getting tired of comparisons and compliments…still, Heismay couldn’t help but marvel at how proficient the hunter was with different weapon types. Was there anything the kid couldn’t do?

The hunter just nodded though. Options were good, and he in particular had no lack of them, but he couldn't fault anyone for sticking with what they knew - especially if they'd been formally trained, which it sounded like Heismay might be. The 'Shadowguard' definitely sounded like it was some sort of fighting unit.

"You were a military man, then?" the Cadet asked. It made sense if so, thinking about it.

Heismay slouched down wearily. “In a sense. I originally joined the night watch in the city of Grand Trad, serving well enough that I was eventually eyed for the royal guard. But there was no room for a mere eugief among the public’s most celebrated defenders. Instead, they found a spot for me in a lesser-known, more unsavory cohort, offering warriors of ‘lesser tribes’ a chance to serve their country through dirty deeds and necessary evils. A far cry from knighthood.” He did not disguise the bitterness in his voice. “I tried to serve with pride, but in the end I wound up disgraced and exiled.”

Unintentionally touching on a sensitive subject, Ace couldn't help but grimace. "Sorry, didn't mean to bring up any sore memories."

That was probably putting it mildly, but he wasn't quite sure how else to put it. Or how to move on without avoiding the topic entirely, which he thought might be rude. Ace turned his head to face the campfire, and after a moment's hesitation he relied on his optimistic outlook and spoke up again.

"It always sucks to hear when any of us have gone through things like that. I haven't known you long but I can tell you came out the other side of it a good guy, at least, and... if anything, you're putting the experience to good use." He finished with a more sheepish smile, unsure if Heismay was even receptive to such idealistic speech. "Fighting to save the world and everything."

Heismay gave him a grateful smile. Even after all this time in the World of Light, it still felt surreal that people of other tribes would be so readily sympathetic, much less offer him comfort and praise. Though it was shaping up to be a fairly miserable night in this icy cave, having real comrades by his side helped warm Heismay’s weary heart. “My thanks, lad. Sleep well tonight.”

Though pleased with the positive reaction, Ace dared not go overboard in saying much else other than, "You too! Kecha ya in the morning."

He stood up, letting Heismay have a few moments peace before the eugief found his way to wherever he planned to spend the night. Ace had learned a little about a companion, and gained a couple of things to think about while putting in the last little bit more work to make sure the makeshift camp site was as complete as possible, so all in all it wasn't a bad way to have spent the evening.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Word Count: 1016 (+2 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 486/90
_{Thursday Evening}
Location: Alpine Foothills, the Frozen Highlands

Aim, shoot, secure, reel in, climb up, wait out the wind, and repeat.

It was steady going for Ace so far. The frigid temperature was no more than brisk for him, and his spiked footwear made it easier to keep from slipping on icy patches on the rock. A wealth of stamina, especially after the fulfilling detour at the village, made scrambling up outcrops with his limbs rather than his slinger a simple feat. It was just a matter of time before he reached the top, though as for how long that time would take he wasn't sure. He was maybe halfway up now, by his own rough estimation.

At one point he stopped in a natural alcove as the cold wind roared by, looking out over the path they'd come from. He thought that with the higher vantage point he might be able to see the colorful lights of the village behind them, but the weather prevented that. The fading light and the falling snow made visibility that far out pretty low.

"Nothing to do but keep on climbing I guess," he said to himself. It was either that or go back down to wait with the coach, but he'd already come this far. Besides, it'd take too long to climb down, and though he was sure he'd be fine enough even if he leapt he didn't want to risk being dashed against the rocks by the wind.

Case in point, when next he attached the slinger's hook to the next decent hold above him, the winter gale returned much sooner than he'd expected. Wind resistance was all well and good at helping when his feet were on the ground, but when he was holding onto a chain in the middle of being reeled in and it was a different story. He was blown off of his course and hit the rock face, releasing the grappling hook and tumbling through the snow a little ways but thankfully not plummeting too far down.

Ace sat up after the rough landing and shook the snow off of him. He was still in good shape, the only thing really bruised being his ego. Hopefully no one else had been witness to that.

He stood and looked around to see if there were any good spots he could start climbing from again when a plume of smoke caught his eye. Or... maybe not smoke? It looked more like steam. There was a faint sulfur-y smell too, so maybe there was a geyser around. He headed towards it more out of curiosity than anything, hopping and climbing over a few icy boulders until in front of him lay a small natural hot spring! Plus three large but squat rodents relaxing in the warm water. Ace hadn't seen this kind of animal before, but he quickly identified them as herbivores - and pretty docile ones too, since they hardly moved at all when the hunter approached the spring. That suggested they weren't common prey animals, which in turn implied there were probably weren't a lot of predators around the area. That was great news, because now that he thought about it, if there had turned out to be anything like a Barioth prowling around the cliff it would have been able to make quick work of any of the Seekers caught separated from the others.

Since the only real threat on the climb remained the wind and risk of falling, Ace didn't feel any need to speed up getting to the top. He was making decent progress before the little setback, and as for the rest of the crew... well, the snow muffled distant noises even when the wind wasn't howling, and he could no longer see those that had flown ahead or the building at the top of the cliff, nor the coach at the bottom or those that had stayed with it. Needless to say, it was hard to tell what exactly everyone's status was. But the Cadet doubted he was lagging behind, so he could afford to get a closer look at the capybaras to make the most of getting off course.

He knelt by the edge of the water, and when the closest creature didn't react he reached out pat its head. Then its snout. Then scratch under its chin. The capybara seemed all too happy to let itself be pet, not even flinching away when Ace pinched a couple of its hairs to throw into the impossible creature database later.

"You guys got a whole different type of chilling going on here huh?" Ace said as a second capybara waded over to get its share of petting too.

A soak in a hot spring sounded great (there were even jumbofruit, or something similar floating in the water and balanced on one of the rodents' heads) but it was neither the time nor place for that. Still, just the pleasant scene was plenty to reinvigorate the Cadet for continuing the climb. He waited for the next gust of wind to die down, letting the warm steam from the spring get rid of any clinging frost, then grabbed a few orange and yellow winterberries from a tree nearby before getting back to it.

It turned out that Tenna's path wasn't far from where Ace was now, so he could use the ropes that he'd had the shadow guys set up to quickly make up distance. Along the way he saw the empty, discarded luggage, and yet again ended up taking a different route up when he spotted the same kind of bag but unopened higher up on the cliff. It was back to aim, shoot, secure, reel in, climb up, wait out the wind, and repeat after that, with a small bounty of a few flares and a portable stove in the suitcase he'd found to show for it.

Soon enough the slinger stuck onto the lip of the cliff making up the mountain's foothills, and the shadow of the dark cathedral was visible. How were the fliers faring, Ace wondered, as he pulled himself up to the top.

Cold Pizza!?

@Pizza Box Welcome to RPG!

Monster Hunter Highlands

I'm also really busy lately and likely will be for a while, but I have been sort of wanting to do an RP like this, so I can see if I can potentially make some time... I know you mentioned improvisation but I do have some questions too.

Would you be fine with people (or one person) playing palicoes/felynes or other races like wyverians?

Timeline wise, where would you put this? Like would the expedition in Wilds have already taken place? Asking this one because I think a character that is or was a scrivener might be fun, or maybe a character from the new world, so I am curious what in-character knowledge of various games would fly.

Are characters meant to be part of the First Expedition and contributing to the development of Lhasana, or freshly arrived with the Second?

{ ᴀ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ ᴏꜰ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ & ᴛᴇᴀʀꜱ }

Nika Surt-Kallin

---

Maeki's reassurance clearly held weight with the nobles as both of them appeared to let go of some of their tension. Though not to Brig's level, Nika was still high strung himself - and he was almost glad to ease up, relax his protective stance, and just listen to his lady say her piece. While she spoke he kept his eyes on the mercenaries, all three of them, but his stare was not as charged as it had just been. He would be the first to admit that he wasn't the kind of man that was smart enough to test these recruits with feints; his reaction to them, especially the two unexpected guests, had been genuine. So it was that if these recommendations from Maeki were to potentially join their cause, then he was at least glad that neither had shrunk away from his posturing. They would have made for poor hired blades if they had.

Nika was also not the best judge of people, but he watched them, noted their faces, their expressions, as Brig explained what had happened and why the two of them had come to Blackpebble. Though he hardly possessed any guile, empathy was something that he had in spades. He thought he could see flickers of emotion in the mercenaries, their surprise and their resolve as the tale continued.

Idly he'd wrapped one hand around the wound on his arm hidden beneath a hasty patch job. At this point Nika believed that the people gathered in the room would not turn on them (at the moment at least), but he still couldn't relax. His attention was pulled from the strangers only by the feel of his friend's dark gaze on him, and he turned to meet her stare before she went on to introduce him. He could hear the pride in Brig's voice, and he stood up taller and straighter for it.

He could also hear the imminent crash that Brig was going to have if she didn't get some actual rest soon. Mayhaps they could see if Maeki, in all his hospitality, would be willing to give them a secure room to recover in for a little while.

Nika nodded to the strangers, his first actual greeting of them. He couldn't blame them for taking their time to sort their thoughts, but the stretch of silence would have made him fidget if he'd had the energy for it. When it was finally broken the knight let out a short sigh, and one after another the mercenaries spoke up.

Well, save for the first. The woman had yet to say anything, though Nika hadn't missed the change in her body language and her nod of what he had to guess was agreement to join Brig's cause. He traced the movement of her hand in the space in front of her, recognizing a few moments late that she'd spelled out a name. Her name, he assumed. Then instead of being the strong, silent type of mercenary, perhaps she actually couldn't speak? At least we'll know she won't be tattlin' our location to any Mage Knights, he thought to himself, then suppressed a grimace at his own inner monologue. That was unbecoming - mental fatigue must really have been catching up to him.

The Southerner seemed to relate to both the story and the plan, if his easy agreement to join was anything to go by. He made sure to add that he would see it through, and if Aslan actually was as stalwart an ally as he purported, Nika hoped that he spoke true.

And finally, the mage killer. Siegfried. Nika supposed that they should be glad that the man had agreed to fight for them, but he was the person that Nika was wariest of in the room. Every dirty, withering look that the scarred man sent his way Nika tried to catch with his own stare, a spark of stubbornness in his eyes. He felt that he had nothing to prove to the stranger, but he also refused to be the wedge that drove Brig's chosen mercenary away. If he had to demonstrate his loyalty to Fenris over and over again, then he would gladly do continue to do it. Hopefully Siegfried would tolerate working with a mageblood like him in the mean time, if it would lead him to more mages to snuff out.

That zealous hatred gnawed at Nika though. Brig had spoken the truth when she'd said that he shared the Northmen's resentment for the West, but the thought of indiscriminate slaughter did not sit well with him. Only at Siegfried's last barb did Nika avert his gaze, instead looking down at the hand that slipped from his bicep. He flexed his fingers, tightening the glove into a fist before releasing it. Beneath his skin thrummed his own aura, and... something else. But he wasn't like those mages. He thought of kind, hazy Luxun faces from his early memories. He thought of his mother, gentle and beautiful, still struggling to live in the harsh climate even after all this time. They weren't the monsters that this budding group were going to hunt.

"Glad t' see you're so eager," Nika said, pulling his attention back to Siegfried. He couldn't keep the uneasy edge from his voice.

Then he glanced at the other two mercenaries, passing a hand over his heart in much the same way that Eirún had.

"Like Brig said, I'm Nika... you'll forgive me for bein' cautious, I hope. Considerin'." He waved the same hand in a vague circular motion. Considering everything. His words were softer now, weariness leeching into them, but his eyes were still alert. And he tried to offer them something that passed as a friendly smile, but wasn't quite sure if he succeeded.

What was left now was deciding their next move. Bet had mentioned traveling to the border with Haldr. Even with the extra men they hadn't expected, they would likely need more firepower... but East? To go East would take them further from Stonecrown, lengthen their journey, give the traitorous agents time to really establish their hold over the city. Every moment they left Lord Fenris in their enemies' clutches meant a greater chance that he would be killed, if he even still lived.

...but Nika knew Brig felt that even more keenly than he did. The knight considered Kurt to be more than just the lord he followed, something close to his own pa at times, but Brig was the man's blood. She was also heir to the wolf and Fenris itself, whether or not the other two clan heads claimed differently in the wake of the coup. Whatever she decided, to continue to the border or to return to the keep, he would be behind her.

"What d'you want t'do, Brig?" Nika asked as he looked at her, his expression firm but supportive. "We can regroup here, then head back the way we came or to the border when you're ready. S'your call."

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

_{Thursday Afternoon}
Word Count: 226 (+1 exp)
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 368/100
Location: Bamboo Forest, the Forbidden Kingdom
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●

The android was down thanks to the impromptu combo attack, and it did not take long at all for those fighting it to gather around and attempt to put it out of commission permanently. Even Therion was emboldened to get up close again, though that was still partly necessity. He didn't have the BP to pull off his divine skill (though he thought it might be overkill in this situation, he could have used it to destroy all of the Jacks left including the downed 8 in front of them), and the Jack-8's prone form would make further ranged attacks a hassle with Anji, Junior, and Mimi surrounding it.

He came up beside the Koopa prince with a phantom blade wrapped around his arm. He passed it through Mimi's electroball swiftly but suddenly, turning the weapon into a lightning saber - which he promptly empowered further with another single battle boost, the flowing aura surrounding the thief and his wraith blade.

He wasn't sure if these things had the same vital points as a human even if they were shaped like one, but he figured he couldn't go wrong just attacking its center mass where several lights and tubes seemed to intersect. He stabbed the sparking blade into the Jack unit following the pokemon's attack, power flaring as Junior kept it laid out on its back.

Word Count: 777 (+2 exp)(+15 reward)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 484/90
_{Thursday Evening}
Location: Alpine Foothills, the Frozen Highlands

It was far from the first time that the Ace Cadet wondered how exactly this 'Midnight Walk' came to be. It had taken them through some really interesting areas, most abandoned to nature or unnatural inhabitants, with more than a few paths that would have been impassable for the average person. Was it a route so old and seldom trodden that no one bothered to find an alternative? The mountain must not get many visitors in that case. Or... maybe the area was prone to change like the Land of Adventure, and the walk was just one of those unchanging parts? That would explain a lot of what they'd run into so far, including this high cliff that stood like a sturdy wall blocking the path in front of them.

Following the carriage's second bathing in the ghostly fire he'd done his best to try and shake off that feeling of dread. He'd considered retreating inside of the coach, but he knew that despite how cozy it'd gotten he wouldn't actually be able to relax - he'd feel better out there, ready to jump to the group's defense at a moment's notice. So he'd stayed put on the driver's bench with one arm wrapped around himself until the worst of the jitters subsided, and when the coach parked he hopped down over the side of it into the piling snow.

As other Seekers gathered to inspect the wall and the tunnel to one side, Ace let out a low whistle while he tried gauging how tall the cliff face was. There was a dark shape up above them that stood out against the overcast sky, so at least they could see the top of it. That was good news since it meant they weren't going to be scaling blindly. Of course some of the Seekers didn't need to climb at all.

"Be careful up there!" Ace shouted after the fliers of the group as they ascended. A harsh, frigid gust of wind blew in at the same time, so the hunter had no idea if it had carried his voice to them or swallowed it up entirely.

As for himself... he could stay at the base of the cliff with the coach and wait for someone else to figure out getting that lift working, but since he'd already figured they'd be in for a climb that's what he was going to do, and honestly? Some simple physical activity would be great for wiping the rest of the embers of loathing away. Not that climbing the cliff would be simple - or safe, for that matter, as slipping and falling would be a dangerous risk. But as it turned out, the Cadet was currently perfectly adapted to the task thanks to his outfit: the snow would not impede him as he moved even if it ended up waist deep, the freezing weather conditions did not make it past his outer layer at all so he was at a comfortable temperature, and he even had a little extra wind resistance so when the gusts swept over the area they wouldn't affect him quite as much as anyone else.

There wasn't much enthusiasm for climbing among the Seekers in general, save for their TV-headed entertainer who was quick to jump right into it. Ace blinked at the sudden appearance of the shadow guys as all of the cartoonish crew went right over to the cliff and started up it. Then he found himself grinning.

"Now that's the right altitude," he commented of Tenna's eagerness. Not to be outdone, Ace jogged over to the cliff to get started on his own ascent. He chose a different spot from Tenna, a little more discerning in his starting point.

Another thing that gave Ace an edge was his trusty slinger. As part grappling hook, and a very strong one to boot, the hunter could haul himself up the rock face fairly easily. He took aim, arm extended, then launched the metal claw up at a spot that looked sturdy enough. The slinger clamped down around an outcrop and a moment later its chain retracted, growing taut before reeling Ace in towards its anchor point. He flew up past a few rocky, icy obstacles, releasing the slinger's hold when he landed on his feet on a wider boulder part way up the cliff.

There was still a long way to go, and the angle of the cliff being practically straight up and down meant it would be too tricky to completely rely on the slinger, but it was definitely doable. Now it was just a matter of how quickly he could get to the top.

Howdy I'm Yetti

Welcome! I remember the LJ days as well, fun times

Salutations!

Welcome welcome x2!

That said, if anybody actually bothers to read the introduction posts in this subforum, I'm curious how kosher it would be to "transfer" a RP from off-site to this one, in the sense of having the posts of the RP on the prior site archived and downloadable while simply continuing the RP on this site.

@darksidevoid

I don't think that would be an issue, in fact I've seen this happen a couple of times now, one pretty recently within the last few months.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

_{Thursday Afternoon}
Word Count: 523 (+1 exp)
Level: 11 - Total EXP: 315/110
Location: Esaka's Pools, the Forbidden Kingdom
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●

If she were being honest, Primrose would prefer to have her friend closer by rather than disconnected as she was - but when she imagined herself in Nadia's shoes, she found it easy to understand where the feral was coming from. Of course Primrose would have handled the aftermath differently, her pride likely to get in the way of staging a comeback like this, but entertaining hypotheticals was not why Primrose had come to talk with Nadia. She'd wanted to check in and get a sense of what Ms. Fortune was planning, and now she had. It was all too easy for the dancer to complete the picture now that she'd spoken with Nadia directly.

She still didn't blame Nadia, offering the other woman a softer smile of her own. The chat, as short and somewhat awkward as it was, put Primrose more at ease. Like she'd promised, she wouldn't tell anyone else about Nadia. They all already knew she was still alive and kicking after last night's incident, and if they had the thought they could look her up in Mortal Kombat's bracket - though she supposed that if the other Seekers were to ask after Ms. Fortune, Primrose could just placate them just enough not to try and track the feral down themselves. She'd been serious when she'd offered to leave her friend alone and take whatever time she needed.

Before she reiterated any of that aloud, strong arms closed around Primrose. She hadn't expected the hug, but it wasn't enough of a surprise attack that the dancer was caught totally off guard. She suppressed her first instinct to stiffen up at the contact, but it still took her a moment too long to reciprocate before Nadia pulled away. Instead Primrose reached out to give one of the feral's arms a squeeze, letting her hand linger until they were separated again.

"You will," she said when Nadia promised to make her team proud. Whether Ms. Fortune ended up knocked out of the tournament or went all the way, Primrose didn't doubt that she would. If nothing else, the Fortune team had one dedicated fan out there to cheer them on.

Not one to overstay her welcome, Primrose took the goodbye gracefully with a small but genuine smile on her face.

"I'll hold you to that," she said, before giving the pair a nod of her head before all three of them departed.

When she could no longer see either Fortune, Primrose paused to consider what her plans for the evening would be. She'd more or less accomplished what she'd wanted to do that day, and with no tournament standing to worry about going forward, the city was her oyster. As she made her way to the lift to change tiers, she boarded the one that would take her up to the High Tier. If she recalled what Therion had told her correctly, part of the Seekers would be up there doing reconnaissance and sabotage work. She could certainly lend them a hand... if she happened to run into them, that is. Otherwise she was sure there were other things to catch her interest.