Hayle Chapter 3: The Item Workshop

[Arcran]

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She's been travelling with her brother, but even if she didn't have backup she'd have no problems. Just a heads up though, Cavern has turned a bit ... testy since you last saw him, Tiny trilled happily.

Jean meanwhile, the real Jean, not the cryptid Jean, cocked her head. I was rather hoping I could see the Ground Prime. Nice guy, big muscles, carries a hammer. A bit righteous, but it's cute in a savior sort of way. Jeff meanwhile, seemed to be having trouble processing the whole experience.

You expecting anyone else to show up? Puck asked. Rumor had it that there were a few Bishops hanging around, so I'm a bit surprised to not see Water and Psychic here.

Brother? Marcus asks in confusion. As far as he knew, Katie was an only child. His confusion evident, Marcus decides to quickly change the topic, something that Puck made rather easy.

Not as far as I know. I'd hope Anistacia will make it up. We can always use more Stars, right Jeff? Marcus says with a grin, trying to bring some semblance of normalcy to Jeff's current situation, before turning to Puck. Psychic is probably happy to stay put for now; I don't see him moving until there's something concrete. And Water... Marcus says, trailing off slightly. I have no idea where he is. He does like to show up unannounced, so don't count him out, Marcus says, some of his annoyance slipping through.

[Prehysterical]

Angus looks over at Dominic with some judgment after Katie walks away. "For one bears the Crest of Bravery, that final blow against a surrendering opponent wasn't seems very out of place. I have no idea how much trouble Jamba has caused you, but we must be wary of becoming just like them."

[CosmicOccurence]

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Brother? Marcus asks in confusion. As far as he knew, Katie was an only child. His confusion evident, Marcus decides to quickly change the topic, something that Puck made rather easy.

Not as far as I know. I'd hope Anistacia will make it up. We can always use more Stars, right Jeff? Marcus says with a grin, trying to bring some semblance of normalcy to Jeff's current situation, before turning to Puck. Psychic is probably happy to stay put for now; I don't see him moving until there's something concrete. And Water... Marcus says, trailing off slightly. I have no idea where he is. He does like to show up unannounced, so don't count him out, Marcus says, some of his annoyance slipping through.

I'm sure she'll make it, Jeff said. If I was able to, she can for sure. Tiny meanwhile, was waxing eloquent about how cute Katie's twin brother was. Apparently guys who died their hair was his thing.

Anyways, thanks for the heads up about Teller, Jean said. Don't think I'll be going back to Central anytime soon ... not that I cared for it much to begin with. Too much metal and too little magic. It stinks of death and lack of souls.

I'm just wondering if Varro went the way of his disciple you know? she said. I came to get some weapons to defend myself, but if Varro is part of Jamba then we're in a whole heap of trouble. If he can teleport us here, he can probably keep us from leaving.

[Jacior]

Dominic quirks an eyebrow at Angus. "You mistake Bravery for Victory, uh... Sir Knight?" He'd never come across someone so... out of time, was the right phrase. "But I've less than no love for Jamba. If I remove a couple here, it's all the better. For what she's done alone I'd be within my rights at this fight. And if they've taken your sister, then you should have more reason than me. I can tell you as of a few months ago, Senga Barsavii was alive..." He looks at his feet trying to decide if he should say it. "If they've really captured her, she'll be here at the workshop battle. They wanted you and her to be delivered to Queen. This battle... it's very important to Her."

[Arcran]

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I'm sure she'll make it, Jeff said. If I was able to, she can for sure. Tiny meanwhile, was waxing eloquent about how cute Katie's twin brother was. Apparently guys who died their hair was his thing.

Anyways, thanks for the heads up about Teller, Jean said. Don't think I'll be going back to Central anytime soon ... not that I cared for it much to begin with. Too much metal and too little magic. It stinks of death and lack of souls.

I'm just wondering if Varro went the way of his disciple you know? she said. I came to get some weapons to defend myself, but if Varro is part of Jamba then we're in a whole heap of trouble. If he can teleport us here, he can probably keep us from leaving.

I'm just glad the message got passed along. The other side with Veil would, well, be rather problematic, Marcus says, adjusting his glasses as he tries to ignore Tiny's long, detailed description about the wonders of Katie's twin. Fortunately, between all of us, I doubt even Varro could hold us against our will. A teleporting ring is one thing, but teleporting somebody against their will is another, Marcus says, drawing from his rather vast knowledge about magic before the things Tiny was saying slowly start to plant an idea in Marcus' mind.

Wait, Marcus says, putting a hand on Tiny's shoulder to interrupt him. It made absolutely zero sense, but what had made sense in the past few months? Marcus had stopped believing in coincidence quite some time ago.

What is her twin's name?

There was a slightly panicked note in Marcus' voice, as if he already knew the answer but was terrified to hear it aloud.

[Prehysterical]

"Just Angus will do," the young knight tells him.

Before Angus can tell Dom about the lessons he learned about his own family's history, however, he is stopped short by the flow of information. He narrows his eyes suspiciously at Dom, his expression mirrored by Gladia. "And how is it that a man that I have never met or even heard can know not only my lineage, but my sister's as well?"

[Jacior]

"Jamba's been keeping eyes on us for months. And I've made it a mission to a thorn in their side since they tried to steal my Cryptid 3 days into having my licence!" Dominic kicks Glass in the shin. "I found a base, her's I'm guessing. There was a book with info on a lot of us. Some were removed. I'm guessing those were the ones that were on their side. But I have no idea. I'm very, very good at memorizing things. So I memorized a bunch of pages before she burned the book and attacked me." He glares down at Glass, fury beyond fury written on his face. "They almost destroyed one of the Old Ones and kept me from healing my father. They wanted a war and now I will wipe Jamba off the face of Hayle if I have to do it with my bare hands."

[Prehysterical]

Angus knows all too well the hurt of being hunted. "Believe me when I say that I understand how you feel. I've lost count of the number of times that Jamba has tried to kill me. Pluto nearly killed my mother when he took my sister and Skull tried to seal us both into a tomb. But the most difficult part of learning the sword is not when to use it, but when not to." Angus releases Gladia, leaving her to float beside him.

"I've seen entire cities consigned to the grave in the south because of the wars this Cycle brings. I fear that we will have another mountain of corpses if we do not temper our power with restraint. My own family's bloodline was nearly snuffed out due to the obsession with killing and avenging wrongs." He mentions this sadly, remembering the empty halls of the Sandrunner estate.

"With that said, I won't rest, either, until the board is cleared and the pieces have been unmasked. Nice to see that I am not alone in this."

[CosmicOccurence]

Dominic and Angus

As Angus, Katie, and Dominic placed the rings on their fingers, your gut twists as it feels like you're being forced through a very, very thin straw. You struggle to draw breath in before suddenly the pressure lightens and you find yourself inside the Leviathan. Inside the Item Workshop.

The ground in this vast hanger is made out of some strange lightweight steel alloy, for there was no way Leviathan could stay aloft if this were any sort of traditional metal. What appeared to be a hanger door in the floor was closed, and there were large columns and scaffolding in the edges of the room to support the Wailord's internal structure. The ceiling appeared to be the bottom of the wailord's lungs, expanding and contracting in massive waves that caused the air to pulse in this room as the pressure intensified and loosened with the movement of the lungs.

Clear glass tubes snaked their way overhead, some with openings in the hanger but many simply passing into the membranes that formed the walls of this chamber. As a canister whizzed overhead through one of the tubes, you caught sight of a man clad in an electric yellow uniform with a simple mask on inside. Apparently the tubes were sort of like elevators in this Wailord.

You were approached by two more figures in the yellow outfits. You noticed the official Varro logo on their shirts. No other contestants seemed to be in this room, though there were several large doors built into the walls to your left, and an apartment building rose out in the corner of the room, half built of blood vessels and half of steel.

Congratulations Dominic Katie and Angus, and welcome to the Leviathan. One said to you. I should warn you that from here forward, please stay to the areas marked for contestant use, and that initiating attacks against any creature will disqualify you from the tournament unless in a sanctioned event. Please be careful or we will teleport you to the ground.

The other continued speaking smoothly, obviously having done this several times already. Please keep your ring on you at all times. It allows Leviathan to know who is inside it more accurately and also has special functions that will be revealed and enhance your combat ability.

The welcome ceremony will start soon, the other continued, leading you through the main door. You stopped at a healing station where you and your team were fully restored, before continuing into a platform at the top of a large set of bleachers where a large collection of people gathered, including (to Dominic's eyes) Marcus and (to Angus's eyes) Jean. When Jean saw you arrive she stood on her toes and waved excitedly at you.

'I thought you'd be here!' she mouthed at you. 'What took so long?'

-----

Marcus
People kept filtering into the room until there were a few over twenty, though there was no sign of Anastacia yet. With only a few minutes till the deadline, Katie, Dominic, and a man in armor you didn't recognize came into the room. Jean waved frantically at the man though, and Tiny let out a soft sigh at the sight of Dominic.

[Arcran]

Marcus watches as the group's attention shifts, following Jean's gaze to lock in on the large man in armor. That would have to be the Ground Prime and, if what Jean had said was to be believed, one of their allies in this fight. He grins as he spots Katie, which rapidly turns into a scowl when Dominic appears. That all but confirmed that relation, at least. After briefly enabling his Symbolsight, Marcus confirms that, as well as learning something far more interesting about the man, as well as something new about Dominic.

Regigigas and Victini. Regigigas makes sense with that attire, although why in the world the God of Victory would choose him is beyond me... Marcus muses, smiling to himself slightly. Either way, Marcus gives a wave that could almost be described as enthusiastic to Katie, before walking briskly towards her and offering a quick, awkward hug. You made it! I was a little disappointed when you didn't show up with Tiny. I'd been looking forward to battling together again, Marcus says somewhat wistfully. You'll have to tell me about how the great Katie Hawthorne carried her team to victory once we have a moment to rest, Marcus says with a slight smirk. Although, it would appear this one doesn't need to be carried, he adds quickly before turning towards the armored man.

A pleasure to meet you, Marcus says, stiffly offering a hand. Jean's told us a bit about you. I'm Marcus, he says, trying to take in the Ground Prime as much as possible, his eyes darting back and forth between his armor and various weapons. You're from Zahaard, I assume?

Throughout it all, Marcus makes a point of ignoring Dominic.

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Going to Chronicle Angus!

[Prehysterical]

The amount of creativity that went into the creation of the workshop should have impressed Angus. Instead, the young man looked with some horror at the intermingling of living flesh and intrusive metal. He wondered if the grafting caused the Wailord any significant pain.

Angus notes the rules of Varro's lackeys with interest. Will we be teleported to the ground if they come off? Or can Varro simply track us with them?

As they move on, they finally come to a room that is aglow with the symbols of the Primes, but one lass in particular catches Angus's eye. Angus feels a warmth creep through him at the sight of Jean's eyes lighting up when he enters. He simply mouths "Skull" back to her. They would have plenty of time later to... catch up.

A taller man with glasses steps forward, greeting Katie before turning his attention to Angus. Angus shoots a questioning look at Jean when her name is mentioned, wondering what sort of cheeky things she has had. When he looks back at Marcus, though, he is surprised by the look that is there. He has seen that look before, in the eyes of a blacksmith inspecting a weapon for any cracks or flaws. Angus meets his gaze unflinchingly, shaking the other Prime's hand with a firm grip. "I was. Home is carried on my back these days, though I hope some day to change that. And who are you, then, Frosttouched?"

[Arcran]

Where are my manners. Marcus Ticker, the boy states, before gesturing towards his doppleganger, who was in the middle of greeting Katie. And that is Quicksilver, my, uh, friend, he adds. We decided we may as well both try to win this. More fun that way, after all. Marcus pauses for a moment, eyes lingering above Angus' head. Primes from different generations would have no reason to attack one another beyond desire for their Cryptid, but he had no idea what the other gods expected. In any case, offering the boy a tidbit of information he would soon learn himself was valuable; of the six other Primes here, Marcus considered himself allies with three of them. If he was able to gain the favor of the Ground Prime and, apparently by extension, the Dark Prime, that would put him in a very cozy place.

Do you know about Varro's relation with your patron, Sir...? Marcus asks, trailing off to give Angus the chance to fill in his name. He wasn't sure if the man was a knight, but some idle flattery never hurt anybody.

[Jacior]

Dominic watches Marcus with a look of pure agitation as he was ignored by the prick of a trainer. "Wow, you're not gonna even try to pretend to be civil huh? I guess I can be the mature one then. Sorry how everything went down in the ruins. Not that I'm alone in that blame. I didn't know what size shoe you wore, so I had to get a voucher. Should be good in any place that really sells shoes." He slipped his backpack off while he was talking and drew out a slightly wrinkly voucher and receipt.

Dominic blinks on his symbolsight to take in the surroundings, eyeing the other Primes in the room. The biggest guy in the room was Fairy. Huh. The world likes its jokes. He absently smiles at Tiny at the thought as he looks around. "I didn't know Quicksilver did illusions now."

[Arcran]

I'm sorry, did I say something to offend you? Marcus says, looking at Dominic in mock confusion. Still, I appreciate the voucher, Marcus says, taking the piece of paper, while silently musing to himself. Not that I'm alone in that blame? On what planet?

Regardless, Marcus does his best to keep his face emotionless as he speaks to Dominic. For a minute he thinks of correcting the other boy, until a thought crosses his mind. Yes, illusions. Refracting light and all that. Rather effective, if I do say so myself, Marcus says, grinning. I don't suppose you'll tell me what Deadshot's new toys do?

Spoiler

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Since we're lying about Quicksilver's powers...
Guile for Dominic: (2d6+3)[9]
Guile for Angus: (2d6+1)[7]
Guile for Katie: (2d6+3)[12]

[Jacior]

Dominic just shakes his head at Marcus, sighing. "You're the one being a jerk right now, not me. I'm not playing the game this time, ya smug prick." He quirks an eyebrow at Marcus when he talks about the 'illusions' that Quicksilver could do. "Sure, when you stop thinking I'm an idiot that can't tell you're a bad liar. So who's your big friend over there?"

[Arcran]

His name's Tiny, Marcus replies with a smug smirk, assuming that Dominic will think he's lying again. And Dominic, I've been nothing but polite to you, as always. I'd appreciate it if you waited at least five minutes before accusing me of things this time around, Marcus adds, before pointedly looking at Dominic's chest. I like your new vest, by the way. Red is a nice color on you. Although...

Marcus slides his hands into the front pocket of his sweatshirt, a wide grin on his face.

It's a bit of a funny choice though, don't you think?

[Prehysterical]

"Angus. Just Angus," he says for the second time that day... by the gods, that same hour. "And aye, I know all too well about Varro's position as Smith..." His tone grows disapproving.

Before he can say more, however, it becomes clear that Dominic has some prior history with Marcus and, from the sounds of it, it is not genial. Angus notes with interest the crack in Marcus's smile as he tries to brush off Dom's comment. More to this "Quicksilver" than it seems... Another Guardian, perhaps? It wasn't so Farfetch'd; Veil was living proof of such trickery.

Finally tiring of the squabbling, Angus interjects between them sarcastically, "Nice to know that Varro doesn't even need to try to have us at each other's throats!" Blowing through his nose to regain control of his temper, Angus continues, "Everyone here is aware that there are larger stakes than the championship, yes?" He looks pointedly at Dom before his eyes shift toward Jean.

He doesn't know any of these others. Who's to say that one of them isn't an agent of Jamba wearing a friendly face?

[CosmicOccurence]

Katie raised her eyebrows at the two of you. Arceus help me, I'd forgotten how bad of a relationship you two had. You're both wonderful around everyone else. Marcus, stop being so passive aggressive. You know what I'm talking about. Dominic, cool your jets. She rolled her eyes as if to say 'boys' before opening her mouth to say something.

She was interrupted by Tiny barreling into her giving her a massive hug. Jean and Puck followed a bit more sedately, though Angus was acutely aware that Jean was on edge as she glanced at the two men beside you.

KATTTIIIEEEEE Tiny squealed! I haven't seen you in ages he said, even more over-the-top than normal. Oh, and you must be Dominic, Tiny said, as if he'd just seen you. He extended one ham sized hand to you, eyes glittering.

Nice to see we're all friends here, Puck said with unusual sarcasm. He seemed more irked by the others at the squabble between Marcus and Dominic. He usually didn't delve into this particular brand of speaking.

Tin-man here is right, Jean said with a smile at the Knight. I think most of us can agree that something fishy is going on here. The fact that Bishops were allowed into the prelims at all says loads about Varro's character.
She idly twirlled one of her knives in her left hand.

Spoiler: Angus only

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Words appear above Jean's head, obviously made by Veil's illusions. However, nobody else seemed to be able to see them, meaning that he could now select who was affected by his illusions and who couldn't see them at all.

They're friends. I've met most at one point or another and I can vouch for them. Nice to see you. If you need to get a message to me without the others noticing, Veil and I read lips.

Any news I should know?

[Arcran]

Sorry Katie, Marcus says, seeming genuinely embarrassed for a moment. But Katie is right, the past is in the past. Let's try to be friends, Marcus says with a forced grin, extending a hand clad in a thick purple glove to Dominic.

When Jean mentions Jamba Bishops being present, however, Marcus' demeanor changes rapidly. Jamba was here? Where? Marcus asks, looking between the other Trainers. Did any make it up here? he adds a moment later, looking around at the other Primes, far more serious than he had been a moment before. If that's the case, we need to be on guard. We should talk about this somewhere more private though, Marcus says, idly tapping his head as he looks around, focusing on Jean and Katie. They were by far the biggest group here, which would draw suspicion no matter what.

Marcus focuses his mind for a second, before going to Q's chat room. My apologies, but it's time to put my paranoia to rest: Can we trust Angus and Dominic? Have either of you told Dominic or Angus my Teller theory? And do they know about what I did at the power plant? he asks, hoping that the two would have picked up on his clue to enter the chatroom. While he had no reason to not trust the two, by the same token he had absolutely not reason to trust them either.

[Prehysterical]

Fortunately, everyone else seems to want the spectacle to end just as quickly. Angus isn't sure if Marcus's worry is just another act, but the surprising ability of Jean and Veil helps him relax. It takes him a few seconds to wrap his head around the idea, but his lips move silently in greeting.

Nice to see you too, he mouthed with a wink. His manner becomes grim again as he also states, Dom thinks that my sister is on the airship.

[Jacior]

Dominic takes Tiny's hand hardily, a little miffed at the size difference but mentally shrugging. He seemed like an ok guy. "Hi, yeah, I'm Dominic. Or... Dom I guess if you want. But not Nick." That was a nickname he didn't care for. Blegh. To Puck he gives a slight eyeroll. "Come on, Puck, it's a little... raw antagonism and rivalry, nothing to get worked up over. " He hadn't gotten to meet Puck at the academy, so it was a little... offputting maybe. "Sorry..." To Jean, who Dominic did not know the name of or anything he shrugs. "Yeah no, Varro w- Uh... Yeah he's not a cool dude. Leave it at that in mixed company."

When Marcus puts out his hand, Dominic looks at it like he'd rather be touching a muk. "I... guess. If because my sister asked." He shook the hand with probably too much force and then pulling him in for a bro half-hug. "Me and Katie took out a couple Bishops before we came up here. I doubt naming them means anything really." He looks over at Katie hoping he wasn't sharing too much. "We uh... should really check everyone here's hands."

[Arcran]

When Dominic takes Marcus' hand, he might notice that the glove he was wearing felt a bit like a water balloon. However, when he squeezed down with more force than was strictly necessary, that water balloon became rather solid, and didn't yield an inch. Marcus stumbled awkwardly into the bro hug, the expression on his face saying everything.

At Dominic's remark, Marcus looks slightly confused. Check our hands? Care to elaborate?

[Jacior]

"Anyone here really. For rings. And not the ones that we got for the Workshop." Dominic tries to express it's important without revealing why. Who knew if anyone had any like super hearing or something.

[CosmicOccurence]

Oooooh, and you like jewelry too? Tiny trilled at Dominic. Earrings are more my style, but I'm more than willing to start wearing rings.

Katie rolled her eyes. Tiny. Stop. Her voice was exacerbated. Dominic. I'm sorry for him. He's a little bit over the top in case you hadn't noticed. She rolled her eyes and shoved Tiny away, who sighed forlornly but acquiesced.

As for rings ... is there any particular reason? I hope you don't mind, but I rather enjoy being in the know. One of the perks of being a prime really. Important people seem a lot more willing to trust us. I suppose I've gotten used to it. Am I spoiled? He wondered in his normal happy-go-lucky stream-of-consciousness style.

Spoiler: Angus Only

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Jean's eyebrows flew up as you mouthed the words at her. Smoky letters quickly formed above her head as Veil continued the communication for her. It'll take me a few days to scout out which routes are less secure than others. Once I get a read on the place though, the two of us should be competent enough to get her out so long as we don't run into Varro himself. Any idea why he wants her?

And unless you let me know otherwise, I'll keep this from the others. It isn't my place, and I know that you don't know them well.

And ... I'm sorry Angus. We'll get her back.

[Arcran]

Marcus gives a curt nod at the mention of rings.

There are some items that make it possible to hide ones nature. We, in the past, saw Jamba's Primes using rings to accomplish that, Marcus states, looking around the room. However, I don't see any of them among the people here. Marcus quickly runs through the Primes he knows in his head, before looking to the rest of the group, keeping his voice low.

Assuming none posses abilities like Jean's, we are looking for Bug, Steel, Dragon, Fighting, Fire or Rock. I can confirm that none of the others are present, Marcus states, glancing around the room as he attempts to tell if anybody lacking a Symbol had prominent jewelry. Jeff, you've some experience with basic alchemy, correct? Is there an easy way to identify special items?

[Prehysterical]

Angus loses track of the rest of the room, focusing on his silent conversation with Jean and Veil.

Dom said that it's not Varro who wants her, but the Queen, for some reason.

If this introduction is anything to go by, I'd like to hold our peace until they've proven their mettle. Varro may know we're here, but he may not be aware of what we know and don't know.

He smiles back at Jean. Thank you, Jean. I swear, if you manage to get my sister free, I will personally forge a ring for that finger of yours.

[Jacior]

Dominic blushes a little it over all of Tiny's fussing over him. "I mean... Uh.. I was... that is..." Normally there wasn't a lot that could get Dominic flustered, but apparently Tiny managed to accomplish it. Why could he never be as cool as he wanted to be? "It's ok Katie. He's... uh... words fail me in a good way." Dominic's blush darkens before he clears his throat.

"I uh, can confirm that our... illustrious host may be in the business of jewelry." Dominic says awkwardly. "Yeah... I don't see Sigmund here... I'd break his mukking face in.... I can say that Fire isn't here, and... Dragon probably is... Not out in the open anyway." He glances over at Angus. "I have stats on a few of us, about 6 months old, for all it's worth. As well as a couple general insights into Jamba's plans. I'm not sure insights is the right word."

[CosmicOccurence]

Well, Alchemy is about as logical as you lot, Jeff said with a shrug. Sometimes its easy to tell at a distance if some item has special properties, but generally the makers avoid being flashy unless it suits them. However, inscriptions are pretty common in alchemy using the symbols of Unown.

Doesn't mean they can't be hidden. Despite not having any inscriptions on it, it's entirely possible that the underside of the floor is inscribed,
and that this whole place could turn out to be burning our shoes with acid or something.

As Marcus glanced around, he noticed several people with extra rings on. While he didn't know their names yet, he would soon find them out. Jeff, of course, had a few rings on his fingers, as item crafters are wont to do. Additinoally, Marissa, Pheleos, Tyre, and Ulene all have extra rings on. You were too far away to tell about Lukas, Demiere, Kiara, Peter, or Katya though.

Tiny seemed flustered at this whole encounter, including by the glares that Katie was giving him. Well, even if things do get hairy, I should be able to get us to the ground safely. I'm pretty sure Tink's walls could form a staircase, though she's never made one quite so big. Although I suppose most of you have Pokemon big enough to carry you around ... He sighed at the thought.

But baby Pokemon are just too cute to not train! he said. It's worth the loss of mobility!

Jean flushed for no seeming reason, as she obviously wasn't invested in the whole Tiny-Dominic interaction. In fact, she seemed to be staring rather intently at Angus.

Spoiler: Angus

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Come now, the words above her formed. You haven't even taken me on a date and you're already proposing? How very old fashioned Angus. He cheeks were red though, and she seemed a bit hesitant about making the joke considering the circumstances.

Katie seemed about to say something, but the doors on the far side of the room opened. In walked six figures. While five seemed interesting enough, your attention was inexorably drawn to the man leading the way. He average sized, with platinum blond hair that framed his face perfectly. He wore a pale creme suit that fit him perfectly, and he walked as though the presence of everyone around him weren't anything more than caterpie on the ground he walked on. Despite the fact that he was so clearly Julius Varro, no sign hung above his head displaying the mark of water. None had to. His presence had gravity enough. Still, Jeff, the only non prime in your group of eight seemed more affected than the rest of you. His knees began shaking at the very sight of the man.

Good afternoon, Varro said when he reached the microphone. The five other figures standing behind him fanned out to form a line. As you make your way to the benches, let me be the first to invite you this year's Item Workshop celebration. He gave a wide smile as confetti seemed to appear from thin air around you. On closer inspection, it seemed to be releasing from near invisible beams of light coming from the ceiling that reminded you a lot of Pokeballs.

I do love confetti, Puck sighed, as Katie rolled her eyes and stomped off to the benches.

Spoiler

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The list of participants is in the OOC, let me know if you're planning to sit by anyone in particular.

The five figures are
- A young woman with huge bushy hair. She's wearing a pink/purple polka-dotted dress.
- An older, but still muscular man. He wore glasses and carried a cane, indicating he was blind. He had a magnificently waxed beard/moustache combo though.
- A man in his 30s with blonde hair wearing a shirt and vest that made him look an awful lot like a bartender.
- A tall man with impeccably stylish red coat who vaguely looked like a model
- A toned woman in a razor cut jet black jumpsuit. Blond hair slicked back, headphones hanging around her neck.

Spoiler: Gen Edu DC 10

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The old guy with a cane was a pretty famous adventurer before he was blinded by a Tentacruel about twenty years ago. There were news stories about it. Known as Ibael.

The style guy was a model. Still is a model really. Aster Van Peile. Comes from Sinnoh, but loves it here

Spoiler: if 16+

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The bartender is an old pseudo-gym leader from Kanto. Goes by Dale and loves drinking.

[Arcran]

Marcus frowns as he looks around the room, spotting far too many auxiliary rings. There were only a handful of Primes he didn't know, but between the wide range of rings and the distance, it was impossible to tell, who if anybody, was disguising their symbols. Still, it was rather comforting that the others seemed to be suspicious as well; at the very least, it would be a little bit more difficult for Varro to take advantage at him.

At Tink's escape plan, Marcus can't help but think that the odds of Varro letting them anywhere near an exit if they wanted to escape was next to impossible, but that seemed a bit pedantic to bring up.

When Varro appears, Marcus' eyes narrow as he tries to take in every detail about the man, anything that might crack his facade and reveal his age, some flaw, anything, but finds nothing. That fact irks Marcus to no small amount, mostly since it's a level of perfection that he'll never be able to achieve. He starts slightly as the confetti appears, before grabbing a small handful to inspect later, while mentally taking as many notes as possible on the Pokeball-looking dispensers. When Varro gestures to the bleachers, Marcus' eyes scan the room before he looks back to his companions.

We'll catch up later, Marcus says. If anything happens, you know how to reach me, Marcus says with a pointed look at Jean, Katie and Tiny. Jeff, want to come with? he adds almost as an afterthought, hoping to keep the younger Shooting Star from falling too far out of his element.

With that, Marcus makes his way to find a seat close to Lukas, Demiere, Kiara, Peter, or Katya, preferably within spitting distance of all of them, all while keeping Q's Chatroom open in the back of his mind.

[Jacior]

Dominic can't help getting excited at the announcement. Despite trying to play it cool, this was one of the most awesome events in the entirety of Hayle and he was getting to participate. So he sort of giddly hopped over to the benches, grabbing Katie's and Tiny's hands and tugging them along. "C'mon, just cause he's evil doesn't mean we can't have fun." It was the stupidest thing to possibly say, but he did honestly believe that. Plus... he still wanted to win. There was no way they could all take down the wailord, at least before the contest was over, so he wanted to try and win. Marcus was the top dog, with Katie close behind. He didn't know how anyone else fought but it was worth the effort to see.

Dominic doesn't pick a particular seat near anyone at all, except maybe Katie and Tiny.