2017-07-27: Loser Bracket Finals: Alisha vs. Garan, Round Two!

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<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha Diphda can't quite believe that she came this far. She didn't expect, really, to get to the second-to-last fight of the tournament. She thought she was good -- there are ways she lacks for confidence, but her skill in a fight is not one.

But this fight is different, too.

For one thing, it is a battle for Hyland's pride. As much as Alisha wants peace, she cares for her nation's pride. This is a way to express it without taking lives; without bringing ruin to her people or to Rolance's. And, for another, this is the one opponent that she has lost to in the tournament.

The chance to change that means something to her.

She steps onto the sands -- and the crowd is already cheering, their enthusiasm at a fever pitch. Alisha smiles, before she hefts up her weapon of choice -- and draws a few murmurs. Her spear is nowhere to be seen. She has, instead, a broadsword in one hand. A dagger is sheathed at her side. A crescent-shaped one-handed axe is over her back.

She learned, it seems. 

<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.

Alas, while he hadn't been able to make any of the previous bouts, Sorey did want to be here for Alisha's last bout at least. He looks up as Alisha comes onto the field and... applauds? Well he doesn't want to show too much favoritism, and this isn't like some huge, for the honor of the nation sort of fight (that he knows of, as he doesn't exactly know who Alisha's opponent is).

Instead it's a chance for his friend to show what she's made of, and he's willing to cheer her on.

The fact that there are four seats to Sorey's left that are empty means he's expecting some friends, although if people can see them at this point is more or less a coin toss. 

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

If there's -still- something of a mismatch between seat and seatee, it's Lunata's ridiculous 'finalist' booth which appears to have been blinged up even further by Master Torque to include, in no particular order of importance: Fake pleather upholstery, a ridiculously sized double big gulp cup holder for her armrest, a fat white cat that's currently plopped on her lap ('it's villainous,' they said, perhaps owing to how they're kinda selling her image in this tournament), royal red carpeting, and gold spinning rims at the edges of the booth.

The little cup of coffee that Lunata brews is hilariously invisible, disappeared into the oversized holder. Also ridiculous: The fact that Lunata's seat is about twice her size.

"G-good luck, both of you!" she exclaims. She's not sure whether she should, but... it only seemed sporting. 

<Pose Tracker> Thessaly has posed.

She is, as always, perched on her usual seat in the box set aside for members of Althena's Guard. Straight-backed and clad in her black silks, Thessaly's violet eyes watch the ring below from over the veil that shrouds the lower half of her face from view, expression quiet, but intense in its scrutiny.

She has a bag of popcorn in her lap - someone in their usual retinue had convinced her to try it, but she seems to have forgotten its existence entirely, black-lacquered nails gripping the edge of the bag a little more tightly than usual. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

Second chances weren't something that came along very often, and yet here were two at once.

It was a second chance for a battle between the Imperial Knight of Rolance, and the princess knight of Hyland; it was a second chance at victory in the tournament, though of course whichever one of them got past the other today, there was the small hurdle of Lunata Croze and her possibly insidious power to overcome before they could call themselves champion.

But there was no point in focusing on a potential future battle when there was one right in front of them: Nobody ever won with their mind anywhere else but in the moment.

"A curious kind of reunion, Princess Diphada," the red-haired knight says as he approaches from the opposite entrance, his shield braced against his left forearm, his longsword held in his right hand. His armor, white-enameled plate over red leather, is quite intact despite the intensity of his last match... A new set, maybe, or perhaps he has some other means of seeing important items quickly repaired. "I hadn't expected to see you again so soon... I had hoped, if anything, that this would be the final matchup for both of us."

It would be for one or the other of them, in the end.

And neither of them was particularly inclined to just step back and let the other pass, so...

"Rolance versus Hyland, one more time," Garan says, lifting his sword in a salute before settling into a ready stance, shield leading. "And you've come geared for war. Maybe it was inevitable." 

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

The Lacour Tournament of Arms is almost at a climax! Each and every one of Yarobeleedt's attempts to ruin the proceedings has been foiled by circumstance, short-sightedness, or Riesenlied (rightfully) intervening.

This is his last chance to ruin the proceedings!

"Ticks it! Ticks it!" Yarobeleedt crawls and trolls about the steps and aisles, still in the barely-convincing cloak. But now he has an employee's cap on, so he is totally an employee here, trust him! "Cheque the ticks it!"

"Fufufu. I will ruin the fie null." He asides. "If take ticks it," he means tickets, "can't watch! Can not tell time? Can not fund! Can not pie? Can not bring competes. Can not competes? No sailing weapons. No sail weapons? Kill kill die easy!"

That's a reasonably competent assessment of how the economy would fall apart if no one could watch the matches, sure. Let's give Yarobeleedt that.

"Confess gate ticks it, then sell next year?" Yarobeleedt rubs his nubby half-melted forearms together with nasty scraping sounds. "Pear fact!!" That's also not how tickets work, but so it goes.

"Inns pact your ticks it!!" And so, he embarks on his last, worst-thought idea - confiscating tickets of seated patrons to ruin the final matches and take Lacour's livelihood with it! 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha has concerns about that power -- concerns she has to see with her own eyes, now. She stands across the field, and her eyes light up a little at that all too familiar white armor. She knows it well. It was only a week ago that she tried, and failed, to break through it. She takes a deep breath, and then she exhales slowly, and nods once.

"I prefer to think of it as an alternative," she says. "Something with more rules -- with less death -- than our two kingdoms continuing the sad dance of centuries. But..."

She frowns.

"...Perhaps it is inevitable, too," she allows. She raises her sword, to salute the imperial knight. "We shall see." 

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia is... actually here? In the stands? To watch a match? That's never happened before. She carries a large brown paper bag, from which she produces one unidentifiable snack after another. These may actually parts of different snacks that she just tossed into the bag and got all mixed together.

Yes, it's literally a mixed bag.

Xantia is not complaining. "Mmm, this is all so good. If I'd known that, I'd have come here earlier!" So that's it. Of course. She's just here for the food. It's unclear whether she even has a seat at all, she's just sort of wandering the aisles.

Not respecting any kind of special seating arrangements, she ends up wandering straight up to the special finalist booth, just because it's attention-grabbing, and cheerfully greets the occupant. "Oh hey, it's the Death Waitress! Too bad I didn't get to fight you, I had no idea you were that strong!" Lunata sure didn't appear that strong, back when she was facing a certain Ticket Collector going through the stands right now. 

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Lunata's finalist box, already ridiculous, is only made moreso by the way it appears to have a golem chaperone. Twelve-feet high in a shape veering between rounded and conical, the metal figure just seems to stand there contentedly, almost in accompaniment to the waitress' position.

You could be forgiven for thinking it's a statue were it not for the way it slowly moves every so often, glancing first at the winner's box to regard it silently and then directing its attention towards Lunata herself, as if concerned.

There's... no sign of Shalune, at least for the moment, and yet Big Shal apparently chose to follow her over to the arena. The question of whether the golem can actually think for itself - or whether it just piggybacks off the mechanic's synchronization to the white pot set in the golem's bodywork - is still very much up in the air, but one thing is somehow certain:

It doesn't seem to approve of the cat?? 

<Pose Tracker> June Lim Ze has posed.

June walks down the arena stairs towards the sponsor boxes. Yes: walks; her gait is kind of slow but she's back on her feet. Apparently, anyway. The leg, now high enough to occlude the thigh, is a matte gray; the forearm is the same instrument-varnish black as the hand alone used to be.

She is also passing by the finalist's box on the way. She raises her black hand in greeting, saying, "Hey, Lunata!"

June pauses at the sight of the massive golem.

This seems to have thrown off her plans for saying hi. 

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata perks up towards the seat when Xantia appears, and -- kinda just scoots over with a dainty little wave and a bashful look on her face. "Oh, Miss Xantia! Hello, um..." A pause. "You could say things happened, I guess..." because there sure is a black matte cube that's just kind of--

--actually, it's kind of watching the proceedings with a o/~ kind of a musical note emanating from it. Fighting! Martial arts! Techniques! It's at the prime of its life.

She has to wonder where the heck Shalune went, but Big Shal is a wonderful accompaniment, and she pets the golem on the side of its kettle-like body for a moment, before waving to June. "Hi, Miss June!" 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

"Such decisions are handled well above the likes of me, Princess," Garan notes, with a wry, self-deprecating smile. "Else you would hardly find me here, so far from home."

It wasn't even him the Church had wanted to send on this particular mission, really, but he and Thessaly were something of a package deal, and orders were orders. A life of duty was what you got, when you took up the title of 'knight'. But Alisha would understand that as well as he did: The station of her birth added more fetters of its own, beyond mere knighthood.

'We shall see,' the fair haired young woman says.

"We certainly shall," Garan agrees, and then he's moving. A headlong rush in white plate, with his shield lifted to guard him against whatever she might throw against him on the way in. It's a full-force charge, as Garan aims to collide with Alisha, shoving with his shield after impact to force her off-balance, his blade flashing in a single diagonal cut, low to high. 

GS: Garan Dantear has attacked Alisha Diphda with Knight's Charge!
GS: Garan Dantear has completed his action.
GS: Alisha Diphda guards a hit from Garan Dantear's Knight's Charge for 73 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Mm. Yes, I should imagine so," Alisha answers. Though, of course, she has no idea that Thessaly even exists.

The princess knows just how fast he can move, and that rush carries him across the field and to her in a moment. The blade swings out -- and Alisha swings her sword up to parry his. The two swords meet with a terrific clang, an explosion of sparks as steel sings against steel, and then she pushes back. She reaches over her back with her off-hand.

Her off-hand is nearly as good as her main hand, however. She swings the axe off, and slams it down for the shield -- a hard smash with a hard weapon, aimed at knocking it aside. Her arm still rings with pain from the force of the parry, as she stabs with the sword in her other hand, trying to press it around his defenses.

Truth be told, she doesn't expect to land a hit yet. 

GS: Alisha Diphda has attacked Garan Dantear with Tiger Blade!
GS: Alisha Diphda has completed her action.
GS: CRITICAL! Garan Dantear takes a solid hit from Alisha Diphda's Tiger Blade for 113 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

"Ticks its!! Ticks its!!" Yarobeleedt waves around a primitive-looking hole puncher that he is holding incorrectly, by holding the actual punching end instead of the handle. "Must look! Lookie loos or boo hoos!"

"Again?" Sighs an annoyed spectator. "Okay, look, here it is, punch as many holes in it as you want, there's already like six holes in here, I guess I could use another free refres--"

Yarobeleedt takes the ticket outright and slinks off. He drools at this amazing first step of his brilliant plan going off without a hitch! 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

After the fight between Seis Thurule and Fei Fong Wong, Gwen wasn't too eager to attend another match too quickly.

Then, after dealing with the drudgery of paperwork over some items that needed to be transported to this location, agreements, records, some mixup regarding the wrong length of bottles being delivered here when they should have been delivered over there, crates being just over regulatory rules over crate sizes despite Gwen asking the merchant whether the boxes were the size needed, etc, Gwen was ready to watch some people fight. And this *wasn't* the Adlehyde refugee camp inventory. That one's going swimmingly, something Gwen attributes to being there from get-go, more or less.

Neither attendant were people Gwen knew especially, and they were fighting with melee weapons. These are both pluses, in this case. If these two were able to get so far on their expertise alone, she wants to see just what it looks like in action, as well as in spirit.

Finding a seat with a lemonade in hand, the courier sips, leaning her head on one upturned hand. What exactly would these two have thought about that speech Seis made?

Maybe it doesn't matter that much. The tournament will be over soon enough, and she better get in her dose of nicely curated bloodshed and violence while she can. 

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

"Hmm, I see, I see." Xantia nods in understanding. The concept of 'things happening', she knows that well enough, given the kinds of things that happened in her matches. It was a good way to learn more about what she can do, if rarely exactly the way she would have preferred.

"Well, I'll have to drop by again when the final match happens, then I can see for myself what you can do!" She must be one of the few people who at this point still has no idea exactly what Lunata is capable of. Her guess would be that it'd have something to do with the golem standing guard rather than the cube. Either way, she chuckles, and shakes her head. "Silly Fei, he thought you'd be in trouble, but you're doing better than anybody!"

Another random grab from her bag leads her to retrieve part of a cake with a sausage stuck in it, which she happily devours. Xantia clearly doesn't care about committing crimes against good taste. This is nothing compared to the Saucery Globe's combos, anyway. 

<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.

"It looks like Alisha's off to a decent start," Sorey observes quietly, leaning back in his seat. The fact that the other knight is apparently from Rolance adds a bit of a twist to this fight, and Sorey hopes that this doesn't lead to Alisha worrying too much about getting back home when they've not really made any forward momentum there.

"It's too early to say that either has an advantage. We'll just need to see what tricks they both have up their sleeves." Mikleo is willing to take a wait and see stance. He's seen Alisha fight, and she's good... but the other knight wouldn't be here if he wasn't just as skilled. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

Sometimes, the person we end up surprising the most is ourselves.

The axe catches Garan's shield, in a move that takes the Imperial Knight completely by surprise, leaving him vulnerable when his guard is pulled out of alignment. There's been plenty of times in the tournament where it certainly seemed like his guard was out of place, only for it to be revealed that the red-haired knight had some kind of backup plan. This time, though, Alisha's sword scores along his side, digging a rent in the red leather below his breastplate, a bloodied line along the flesh underneath.

"Well played, Princess," Garan says, genuinely. "And here I was going to comment that you should've brought a hammer to deal with my armor, rather than an axe."

Despite the throbbing pain in his side, Garan swings around, trying to keep his shield between himself and the princess' axe, more wary now than he was before: He strikes again, longsword lashing out in a short, twisting cut, meant to leave the princess with a bleeding, painful injury if he gets through her own guard. 

GS: Garan Dantear has attacked Alisha Diphda with Rending Slash!
GS: Garan Dantear has completed his action.
GS: Alisha Diphda guards a hit from Garan Dantear's Rending Slash for 75 hit points!
GS: Poison! Statuses applied to Alisha Diphda!

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Ah! I'm half-surprised--"

But, no, to say she is surprised that worked would be an insult to her opponent. She stops herself, then nods fiercely to him. She intended to do that -- she didn't think she would so early. Of course, it comes with a promise, which is that Garan will be on his guard all the more now, and playing carefully to that end. Alisha swings her blade up, trying to catch his sword.

Catch it she does, but the sword swings along the crossguard and then bites into her side -- slashing through chainmail, and drawing blood of his own. Alisha hisses softly, staggering for a moment, before she shoves forward. Her sword is swung like a club, this time, battering into his shield with such a hard blow, before she swings the axe down hard towards the white enameled armor, as if to test its defenses. 

GS: Alisha Diphda has attacked Garan Dantear with Rending Strike!
GS: Alisha Diphda takes 7 damage from Poison!
GS: Alisha Diphda has completed her action.
GS: Garan Dantear guards a hit from Alisha Diphda's Rending Strike for 58 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

For all the flashy swordplay that she postures outwards, Ge Ramda is not exactly ... something your average garden variety peanut gallery viewer can observe -- she exists on the same wavelengths of the Seraphim, so while there's a lot of talk about 'fancy Fast Draws' and 'Clear Mirror Still Water derivative??' and 'CUT HOVERCRAFTS IN HALF WITH THAT THOUSAND-FOLDED SWORD OF HERS', the talk about the lich is... admittedly much more sedate, as if lurking around the shadows.

"T-thank you, I hope... that it's a good match," Lunata nods, sipping her coffee as she watches Alisha and Garan. "I thought Miss Alisha used a spear...? I have no real practice against such a weapon... wow, she's using-- all sorts of weapons!" admits the one who's now stuck in the finals match. Hopefully Ge Ramda can advise her.

She squints and quietly scribbles out a set of notes as she's seen Shalune do:

'bring hammer?? --> too heavy! :()]' 

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Big Shal, for that is the golem's name, eventually decides to give the waitress a nod of its head and a slow, grinding thumbs up in June's direction; it wavers a bit when the cat in Lunata's lap stands up and threatens to hiss at it, though, and the sight of a twelve-foot metallic figure cowering away from an angry cat might be almost comically unusual.

Unless you're a cat owner, of course, in which case it's probably just business as usual.

A dopplering 'aaa--' heralds the arrival of a streak of pink through the audience; the Golem stood next to the box catches the noise before anyone else, hunkering down for a moment to arrange its hands - one low, one high - in a series of haphazard steps. The figure kind of streaks up them in a number of hops, finally skidding to a halt in the booth itself as it resolves itself into a pile of clothes and a bobble hat with a mechanic stuck somewhere in the middle.

Shalune doesn't even seem to notice Xantia just yet, because she's too busy looking frantically between Lunata and the arena to blurt: "Wah, I'm late! Aw, I missed it! Wah, an axe and a sword seems pretty cool-- ack!" she yelps as the cat, finally fed up, decides to take a swipe at the nearest yelling object. Cradling her hand and trying to avoid having watery blobby eyes, Shalune finally notices the state of the stand--

--and even she's speechless for once, her expression kind of horrified. "U-uwah... somehow, it kind of feels like Lunie's moving away from the path of Lunie..." 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

This time, Garan Dantear isn't caught by surprise.

The hard swing of Alisha's sword is a bit artless, but there's enough strength behind it that simply ignoring it wouldn't be adviseable either: Being caught by such a wild slash would at the very least hurt, which is of course the whole point of a distraction. It has to be something the would-be distractee can't resist, for one reason or another. So the broadsword clangs against Garan's shield, and the princess' axe comes down at him from the other side, leaving him with a limited number of options. Rather than simply taking it on the armor, the Imperial Knight swings his sword hand up, intercepting the handle of the axe on the crossguard of his longsword, the impact sending a jolt down his arm, leaving the pair of them in a close clash, though it seems clear which one of them would likely prevail in a simple test of strength on strength, given Garan's larger size, but...

Rather than try to power his way through things, Garan lunges, looking to smash his forehead into Alisha's face, banking on their current position leaving her unable to defend against or otherwise avoid it. 

GS: Garan Dantear has attacked Alisha Diphda with Rampart Collision!
GS: Garan Dantear has completed his action.
GS: You do not have any attacks from that person in queue.
GS: Alisha Diphda guards a hit from Garan Dantear's Rampart Collision for 61 hit points!
GS: Slow! Statuses applied to Alisha Diphda!

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

"Ticks its!! Ticks its!!" Yarobeleedt holds the hole puncher by the center, which is also wrong. "Lookie loos or boo hoos!"

He comes across a family with children. He freaks out.

"Give the ticket man your tickets," says the tired parent.

"Whyyyy?" Whines the child.

"He has to make sure they're real."

"...Okaaay..."

Yarobeleedt shudders as he sees the young child jump up from their seat. And another. And another. There's five of them. Yarobeleedt screeches and cowers as they try to hand out their tickets.

"Here's my ticket mister!"

"C'mon c'mon have a look!"

"Tiiiickeeeet..."

Yarobeleedt screams and runs away. The tiniest humans are the most fearsome! 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

The expertise of how he used his crossguard leaves Alisha truly impressed. She already knew Garan Dantear was a skilled swordsman, but this reinforces it. He isn't only a master of the spear. She gasps, though, not quite expecting what he does. She expected -- prepared for -- a clash of strength. She didn't expect a headbutt, and the rough blow sends heer reeling backward. Her feet stumble, before she catches herself.

A trickle of blood runs down from her scalp, over her left ear. She blows out some air, before she nods once. "Not quite the approach that I anticipated," the princess knight says.

She swings down with her axe -- but it doesn't crash into his shield, this time. Instead, she tries to hook the crescent blade over the top of the shield and yank him forward. And then, Alisha steps forward at the same time, and thrusts forward with her sword -- a blow not unlike one that she would use with a spear. 

GS: Alisha Diphda has attacked Garan Dantear with Skewering Spear!
GS: Alisha Diphda takes 7 damage from Poison!
GS: Alisha Diphda has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia spots someone else in the audience she's been meaning to speak to, so she excuses herself from Lunata with a parting wish of, "Well, good luck! I'm sure it'll be great!"

Aaaand nearly crashes right into the approaching Shalune, getting only a "Wha--" of her own off before she loses her balance. While she regains it before actually falling, her bag and its mix of random snack food goes flying in the process, prompting the only appropriate reaction: "Noooooooooo!"

It's gonna land in front of Yaro and cause him to fall victim to a mob of children, isn't it? That would follow the usual pattern of Xantia causing indirect misery for the Metal Demon while completely failing to notice he was there.

All Xantia knows is that she lost her snacks. So by the time she gets to Gwen, her greeting is oddly despondent. "Hi, Letter Lady, I mean Gwen..."

Aaaand she's missed all the action happening down in the arena, so far. Does Xantia even understand the concept of spectating? 

GS: Garan Dantear guards a hit from Alisha Diphda's Skewering Spear for 81 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata winces at the head strike to say, "I've got to watch out for that too--" and then her eyes are just a little bit blank as Shalune skids to a halt in front of her and nearly sends Xantia flying off-frame. She doesn't, fortunately, but she comes close, and that poor delicious piece of food is never going to be savoured by anyone with a sensible sense of taste. (Sorry Yaro.)

"Y-you think so? I really don't know what to think about all these fancy things. There's also a trapdoor in front of my seat, the Master said it's for if someone, um, really displeases me?" Lunata comments with worry... but it's not really a serious worry.

The fat cat, on the other hand, is utterly adorable, mewww. Send it on a mission! 

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune is late, she's stumbled up onto the platform, she's gotten horrified by the decor of the finalist box, she's accidentally slammed into poor Xantia and caused a minor apocalypse in the shape of a waterfall of sweets and treats - and to cap it off, she's now nursing the spot where the white cat on Lunata's lap tried to bap her on the head, looking distinctly satisfied in itself.

After all that, when she plonks herself down into a sitting position on the floor in front of the throne - probably right on top of the trapdoor - it's with rather swirling eyes that threaten to bead up with confused tears, needing a moment to catch up to events. "U~uu... did Ge-Ge steal my luck today or somethin'?" she grumbles. "There's a different one for that, right?"

At least she does her best to shake it away, especially when the golem slowly and creakingly reaches into the box to pat her on the head; she huffs, and pumps her fists. "I-it-- it's just kind of weird, I guess. Don't let fame get to you, Lunie!" she puffs up as she gives the warning. "The CaraKin won't be able to keep up with the superstar life of luxury!"

... it's a custom-made desert RV which is going to have air conditioning and a pet golem. They're probably fine, Shalune. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

"I'm sure in Hyland they tell stories about how the heads of Imperial Knights are good for little else," Garan jokes. "Except perhaps cracking rocks."

Back home, one day, a battle between the two of them might have more rancor to it... But they are far from home, and it's a tournament, besides. A competition, not a life or death battle. Why not show a bit of sportsmanship?

Alisha, though, continues to demonstrate that a properly trained knight is an expert with more than merely one weapon, though: Her axe hooks his shield, and she uses that to draw him in, and it would immediately become clear that something isn't quite right, that the red-haired knight is moving with the pull rather than being dragged. He twists as she thrusts her sword out in the manner of her long-bladed spear, turning to the side and ducking low, and there's an arc of sparks and the squeal of metal on metal as the blade drags over one of his shoulder pauldrons, white enamel peeling off in a single curling strip.

"You're an adaptible opponent as always, Princess," Garan says, slashing with his sword upwards in a single wide crescent, the long blade humming in the air as he looks to cleave right across the young woman's torso! 

GS: Garan Dantear has attacked Alisha Diphda with Blade Flourish!
GS: Garan Dantear has completed his action.
GS: Alisha Diphda critically Guards a hit from Garan Dantear's Blade Flourish for 24 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.

"You can do it Alisha!" Sorey calls out, although his voice is probably lost amidst the crowd who are hooting and hollering over the fight. There's enough other conversations as well that it's probably quite difficult for anyone to hear him, really.

"They're still evenly matched. I wonder if Alisha has some trick up her sleeve at this point." Mikleo kicks back himself, enjoying the contest and seeing how Alisha has grown since they had first come to Filgaia. She had improved, and hopefully the fruits of her labor would pay off here. 

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

"Knock knock~" comes someone else entering the finalist's box.

It's that Linvidia woman! Sauntering in with a new and extremely fluffy white fur coat, sufficiently fluffy that the cat on Lunata's lap could vanish into it, she says, "I KNEW there was a downside to this seat, wasn't there? Ohohoho! But - hm -"

Lin glares at the golem.

"And how is our finalist doing?" Linvidia continues, walking round to cast a shadow on Lunata even as blades clash with fervency in the arena below! 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha cracks a smile. "There are, perhaps, a few jokes."

But at home, she wouldn't have had time to smile -- and she wonders if he would have given her the time to smile. She is surprised when he moves with the pull of her axe -- and then her sword slashes into the enameled pauldron, sparks flying as the blade nbites into it. She has to yank backward, but she demonstrates a knowledge of how to unhook her axe quickly. She sees the sword sweeping up for her, and her eyes widen.

She slams the axe down, the wooden haft meeting the sword and shoving it back with a blow that rings loudly across the whole of the arena.

She pivots, then, in the moment that his sword is shoved down. "And you have proven the mettle of your defenses, Sir Garan!" she compliments, as she swings her own sword in a tight, spinning arc -- and tries to slash mightily across the front of Garan's body -- and to drive him down towards the ground and stagger him. 

GS: Alisha Diphda has attacked Garan Dantear with Spinning Top!
GS: Alisha Diphda takes 6 damage from Poison!
GS: Alisha Diphda has completed her action.
GS: Garan Dantear critically Guards a hit from Alisha Diphda's Spinning Top for 19 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

"Oh hey, Xantia!" Said Letter Lady looks up at the mention of her name, smiling up at the strangely glum Xantia. "Huh, is the person you're here for not winnin'? C'mon over and take a seat! Plenty of room here."

Thankfully for Xantia, Gwen already have some snacks available. They were all bought for her own enjoyment, but, seeing the despondent look on Xantia's face, Gwen winces. She'd really like to eat them all, but...

Her hand is already reaching behind her and drawing out the fried bread (freshly sprinkled with a nicely crunchy layer of cinnamon and sugar, of course!), which she holds out in offering before the sad Xantia. "Here, uh-"

Oh wow, did that Alisha girl use her axe to hook onto that Garan guy's shield? And then! Gwen turns and watches, entranced, as her offering of fried bread is still extended to the possibly hungry Xantia. "So this is what real knights are like..." 

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

"I--I'm not, really!" Lunata insists as she very quickly draws Shalune out of the way of the trapdoor and onto the seat, in time for the cat to purr as she detects even richer vic-- er, mistresses, and ambles away from Lunata to be by Linvidia's side.

There's a suckled breath of awe as she remarks, "Both Miss Alisha and Mister Garan are better at fighting than I am... but didn't miss Alisha also command powers of light?"

She looks to Linvidia and says, "Oh-- um, I'm okay. This booth is kind of awkward, though..." There's an aquarium with exotic wildlife behind her, as if it could be used to lower some unruly Drifters veeeeery slowly down to their doom.

Given the size, though, it'd need to be a Really Tiny Drifter. 

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Linvidia glares at the golem. The golem looks back, as if appraising her. After a moment, it attempts a concilatory thumbs up, and offers over a Big Shal-Sized tub of popcorn that could probably swallow Linvidia whole. It isn't custom-made: Blastimol just take their snacks very, very seriously.

Besides, this world includes Claude C. Kenny and Cecilia Adlehyde.

At least Shalune's whining seems to cease as she has a Lunata at her side to cling to, and as the cat leaves towards James Bond Villainier pastures. "They're both really good..." she agrees, able to tell that much - though her eyebrows go up in a kind of squint as Lunata lists off the Princess' other virtues. "Um, but doesn't she seem like she might be spreadin' herself real thin? ... not that it's slowin' her down or anything, I guess," she adds uncertainly as she cranes to watch.

"Oh, um-- I think everything's good here, ma'am!" she answers blithely for Lunata... ... is she assuming that Linvidia is part of the staff? 

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

As the match goes on, Yarobeleedt slithers up to an old, balding moustachied man who holds a dubious-looking piece of paper. It is inspection time!

The parchment looks flimsy. It has a drawing of a cobra on it, in crayon. The old, balding moustachied man with a high forehead and receding hairline cheerfully goes into detail about how this ticket is pre-approved, 1, 2, 3 OK, for all matches around the globe forever, even backstage, front stage, side stage, bonus stage, and DLC stage access!

Of course Yarobeleedt takes it from him! What is he, an idiot? Such social power among humans is too powerful not to pilfer!

"Fufufu. Instant graduation~" Yarobeleedt cackles over this ill-obtained gain.

The moustachied man seems awful sporting about it, cheerfully leaving his seat and going home. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

His sword is knocked down, the worst of the damage he would've inflicted on Alisha nipped in the proverbial bud: It seems like this leaves him vulnerable, it really does, but of course in unhooking her axe to leave it available for her immediate use, the princess knight has also released Dantear's shield.

The soles of his boots scrape against the simple sand floor of the arena as the Imperial Knight takes a quick sliding backstep, bringing his shield up and turning it to intercept the spinning slash. Not a hard block, though, not merely interposing the shield and taking the impact across it: He moves the shield to redirect her spinning slash, knocking it aside and hopefully leaving her open - though there's still that axe to be considered - before he then steps in, and aims to slam his shield into her once again.

But then, Alisha would already well know that Garan uses everything, from his armor to his sword and shield both, as offense and defense alike.

After that first hit, the Imperial Knight will swing his sword in a trio of arcing slashes, looking to simply power through the fair-haired princess' defenses.

"Defense alone isn't enough," he acknowledges. "I mean to win our rematch, Princess... And then win again...!" 

GS: Garan Dantear has attacked Alisha Diphda with Siege Breaker!
GS: Garan Dantear has completed his action.

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

Linvidia blows smoke at the golem again.

She continues to stand there, expensive perfume permeating the area of the box as Linvidia looks out towards the battlefield. Lunata says something and Linvidia laughs at her with a certain conspiratorial air. "I know, right? But we have to put up with it. They're doing the best they can, given their... limited situations. And it is a little crowded..."

After about five seconds, Linvidia says to Shalune, "Did you say something?"

"Oh! Lunie - can I call you Lunie? You can call me Lin, if you like," says Linvidia to Lunata. "You know what's really fun to do with this fishtank? You need a meat skewer to do it, though." 

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia just looks confused at Gwen's read of the situation. There's a person she's here for? What person would that be? Definitely in need of a Spectating 101 manual.

One thing's always a safe bet, though: that Xantia is still hungry. There's only one known instance of Xantia not being hungry anymore - it took the Saucery Globe for that to happen. So naturally, that fried bread is accepted with all due haste, though she at least says "Oh, thank you!" before wolfing it down.

If nothing else, this greatly improves her mood, getting her past the loss of the other food in no time flat. Her bright smile returns, she also accepts the offer of a seat, and looks towards the arena for the first time when Gwen draws attention to it. "Hmm... I don't know much about knights." And that's... all she has to say about that, apparently.

Instead of going into that matter further, she turns to Gwen, just going ahead and asking the thing that's on her mind straight out. "I was just wondering... your ARM... arm. ARM-arm?" She shakes her head. "You know. How do you make it... do things?"

To explain, Xantia holds up her right arm, bearing her metal bracer. Fairly unassuming, though of unusual make, and she now knows its true nature: "I also have an ARM. But I can't make it do anything." 

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata lets out just a little cough, though she's rather used to tobacco-smoking guests from the Saloon. You can't really have that chic wild west ambience without, sometimes, having the thick veneer of cigarette and tobacco smoke being lazily stirred by the slow-rotating fan overhead. "O-oh, sure, Miss Lin!" Well, that's a start. She tilts her head. "A meat skewer...? Huh..." A pause. "Do you have one of those malai seekh kebabs Aunt Hilda made earlier, Lunie?"

Two Lunies!

"I don't have armor... it feels like I don't -- 'use everything' like how they both do..." Lunata muses. "And I know where those moves of Ge Ramda's stopped, I was vulnerable... what should I do, I wonder?" 

GS: Alisha Diphda takes a solid hit from Garan Dantear's Siege Breaker for 161 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Garan cries out his intent, and he proves he has what he needs to carry through it. Alisha shouts in surprise -- as he bats back her defenses so completely, and then he swings his blade down with three mighty strikes. Her sword and axe are batted aside -- and the final slash cuts deep into her side, through her defenses. Blood splashes back on the sand and the princess staggers backward, once. She nods.

"You just might," she manages, her breath ragged. "You're... you're quite good. But... I owe it to Lady Maltran and to Rose to see this through! Don't think that I will fail to give it everything I have!"

The princess of Hyland kicks off the ground. The axe swings twice, hard blows meant to slam into his shield and knock it backward. Then, she jumps into the air, and throws the axe down. It flies ahead of her, before grabs her sword in both hands. Light ignites up the blade--

"LIGHT BLAST!"

--and she comes crashing down with an overhead strike, then another, and another -- and each is joined by an after image of sword-swings, and each after-image proves more than illusory, as she tries to overwhelm his defenses. 

GS: Alisha Diphda has activated a Force Action!
GS: You have activated the Force Action Lock On!
GS: Alisha Diphda has attacked Garan Dantear with Light Blast!
GS: Alisha Diphda has completed her action.

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Big Shal doesn't recoil from some cigarette smoke, of course - golems don't breathe - but the way is sags in place and looks down at the ground is almost heartbreaking. A-aww...

Shalune's superpower is to instantly be able to figure out mechanical contraptions at a glance, you see, so perhaps that explains her discomfort around the booth as a whole - and the way in which she clamps her mouth comically shut at the concept of a 'neat trick' involving the crocodile gaze beneath the trapdoor and some meat to bait them out. "U-um," she blurts, then puffs up at the cold shoulder from the fancy lady, and even more when she uses the Lunie name in vain!!

"--I don't think that'd be appropriate!" she whines instead to try to cut through it, folding her arms before she pouts and considers Lunata's words, watching the pair fight below them.

Something seems to tug at her mind, though, and whatever it is leaves her curious. "Um. It kinda feels like armor would weigh you down too much, y'know? You're already getting sore after a fight already. But-- well, it kinda seems like they both like to get up close and stay there, right? It's all elbows and shoves and stuff. Maybe it's all about gettin' far away from them?" 

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

"Once you have the meat, just wipe off most of the sauce so it won't pollute the tank," says Linvidia, who seems to have no opinion on the question of battle tactics. 

GS: Garan Dantear guards a hit from Alisha Diphda's Light Blast for 94 hit points!
GS: Alisha Diphda takes Cover! She gains 50 temporary hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Yarobeleedt has posed.

Say, whatever did happen to that dropped snack food that looked like it was going to collide with Yarobeleedt? Glad someone asked.

It bounces and bobs and weaves across the crowds and across an improbable number of surfaces. Off of someone's rock-hard afro. Off a railing. Off a sign. Off of one of the cards of the specialized Symbologists on duty. It flips, it flies, it goes everywhere!

"Fufufu. Got best more than zero, less than two north east way!" Yarobeleedt eyes the crayon-marked parchment. "Usenone trash!!" With this, he throws away the... lower-class, six-times-validated ticket into narrative oblivion. His tongue lulls out and drools at the possibilities...!

The snack bounces off the hat that marks him as a legitimate employee of the establishment, which goes unnoticed as Yarobeleedt continues his warpath to steal any and all tickets he can get his hands on - tickets of class and calibur such as this!

"Tickets, please." Asks a short man with a squint.

"What?? But I ask--"

"Tickets, please." The short man repeats, his droopy unintimidating visage repeating the question patiently.

"That! That is the ^Skeleton Confetti^." Yarobeleedt sneers as he hands the crayon-scribbled parchment.

SOME TIME LATER

"AND NOOOOWWWW, FOR THE LAST TIME THIS YEEEAAAAAR, FOLLLKS, IT'S THE FREAKIN' SWEET DEADBEAT DETONATION DISPLAAAAAAY~!" Screams Mister Torque. "REMEMBER VIEWERS!! PARTICIPATION IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE CRAZY COOL CATS WHO GOT IN WITHOUT PAYING OR TRYING TO USE A FAKE TICKET, VOID WHERE PROHIBITED!!"

Yarobeleedt squirms as he's set inside of a cannon. "not canon not canon not canon not canon" That's why we said cannon, Yarobeleedt.

"YOUR BLADDER IS ALWAYS VOIDED HERE!! AND WITH THAT, THREE, TWO, ONE..."

"mother"

b - e - w - m - ! - ! - !

Yarobeleedt is sent rocketing off into the atmosphere with a horrible ear-piercing screech and a whole lot of accompanying fireworks to please the eyes.

"A WHOLE LOAD OF FIREWORKS, FREE FOR FREELOADERS!! AIN'T THAT A DEAL!! BLASTEMOL!(R)" 

<Pose Tracker> Thessaly has posed.

She is nibbling on her popcorn nervously by the time the knights clash once more down below.

Garan's stance changes; recognition shifts in her eyes. The popcorn spills from her lap, having forgotten it entirely as she finds herself standing up suddenly, moving towards the guardrails that prevent her from falling dozens of feet towards the ground and her (inevitable?) demise. Long fingers curl over the bars, her breath held.

As always, Thessaly is silent as she watches; there is no cheer or applause from her even while the crowd roars its approval for the two combatants. But those eyes gleam from the top of her translucent veil's hem, tight in the corners. With most of her face covered as it is, it is difficult to tell whether it's from excitement or worry. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

It would be foolish to assume that he was the only one who came to this fight with resolve in their heart.

After all, without such a thing, how would either of them have gotten this far?

The princess knight's axe slams into Garan's shield again and again, the slab of metal wrenched out of position. A lesser swordsman would be left vulnerable, surely - even Garan would be, if he'd let his focus slip even a little bit - as the princess of Hyland strikes again and again, her sword held in a two-handed grip... But Dantear's gleaming steel blade meets her stroke for stroke each impact thunderously loud in the arena, the backwash of brilliant energy searing at the Imperial Knight despite his defense, ensuring that he comes out of this anything but unscathed.

"It seems a shame that Hyland is deprived of your drive and determination, Princess," the red-haired knight remarks, drawing a ragged breath. "But now... Let me remind you of the might of the Imperial Knights of Rolance!"

His sword flashes again, another upwards diagonal, as he tries to force Alisha back - to keep her away from her axe, to keep her reliant on her single weapon for her defense against his assault. He attacks the princess with sword and shield both, swinging the latter to lash out with the narrower rim of the metal, his longsword cutting through the air again and again and again as the knight seeks to simply overwhelm Alisha, to drive her back, and carve the fight out of her. 

GS: Garan Dantear has attacked Alisha Diphda with Breaking the Unbreakable!
GS: Garan Dantear has completed his action.
GS: Alisha Diphda used Mystic on Alisha Diphda! 100 Temporary HP gained! All statuses cleared!
GS: Alisha Diphda has activated a Force Action!
GS: Alisha Diphda has activated a Force Action!
GS: You have activated the Force Action Guard!
GS: Alisha Diphda takes a solid hit from Garan Dantear's Breaking the Unbreakable for 280 hit points!
GS: Alisha Diphda has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

The look of confusion on Xantia's face clarifies the context for Gwen: Xantia must be here to just see blood and violence, just like Gwen! "Ah, so you're here just to watch how people fight, eh? That's what I'm doin'!" As the fried bread is taken and consumed in front of her, Gwen says, "That's always a good choice! Experience is one thing, and being taught is another, but there's nothin' like watching it for yourself! Entertaining, too. Like watching... two crows... go at it over the same piece of corn cob..." She trails off at her own mention of crows, suddenly looking queasy. "Aha, anyway."

Gwen's gaze trails instead to the veiled lady that goes to the railing. "Oh, I wonder if she's a big fan of one of them! Maybe she's a local celebrity or somethin', she looks dressed to the nines." At least, from Gwen's view of Thessaly's back. "Dunno about knights either, but I've heard of tales where they sometimes fight for a lady's blessing! Or something like that, don't quote me on it. Maybe she's like that?"

The courier's right hand is reaching over to where the fried bread was, then draws away when Gwen realizes that Xantia has fully absorbed it all. Her smile dims for a split second before she reaches for a bag of kettle corn, instantly perking back up. "Mm?" She swallows her handful of kettle corn, turning back to look at Xantia. "My arm-? Oh! My arm-arm! Yeah, yeah, it's..."

... a question that requires a more direct answer than Gwen's able to give, if ever. "Um, well? It took a while, y'know? Synchronization. I had been tryin' to see what I could get it to do for a few years before it really did anything, and, well, that was because it was attached to me, then." Setting the corn to the side, Gwen holds out her hands, looking to Xantia's face before, if allowed, gently clasp around the right arm and its brace. "Maybe y'need to live with it for a while. Give it a chance to know you and for you to know it. I mean, even if y'can't do anything with it, y'still have a bracer, right?" She tilts her head. "There's a guy I know named Morgan Newkirk. Y'may've met him before. Tell 'im about your bracer. I don't know if he knows anything that can hel-"

... Oh my. "Oh wow... that's really somethin'..." 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen happens to now be looking down towards the fight. 

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata's attention is overtaken at the apex of the fight -- sure enough, she commented about Alisha using the light, and the light was what she got. But at the climactic finish, it was Garan who overwhelmed Alisha with that deft, intentional manuever that sped ahead and seemed to be too much for the Princess of Hyland.

There's a pause.

"So it'll be Mister Garan again..." she looks down towards the arena. "Can I overcome him this time?"

A pause. "Oh-- um, well, I--I guess that isn't appropriate..." Lunie is wont to listen to Lunie, it seems. Alas, the neat meat skewer in the aquarium trick will have to wait until someone who's a bigger schmuck to fall for it comes along.

(Sadly, Yaro has already blasted off into space.) 

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune's attention is robbed from everything around her as well; she lights up at the sight of Alisha's powers, and blurts out a surprised and wordless noise at how quickly the match ends in the wake of it. "W-wah..." she stumbles, breathless and amazed, to the point where she barely even seems to remember to clap, stumbling out a surprised pat-pat of her hands instead.

But when one Lunie falters, the other will be there, especially when the woman nearby seems invested enough in Lunata's skills to offer a kind(?) word or two as well. "Y-you can do it! You already beat him once, right? So you know what he can do, an' watch out for his big stuff!"

The fact that this applies to Lunata too doesn't seem to cross her mind. 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

They wouldn't have. Alisha is surprised by the compliment. Her eyes widen, leaf green meeting his for a moment, and then they widen further. She tries to cry out -- but then his sword sweeps up in a diagonal. He blows her sword backward, and he knocks her away from her axe. In that moment, Garan shows his mastery -- he controls the battlefield neatly.

And he forces her backward, as the sowrd and shield beat down. She parries, two-handed, at first. She manages to beat both of them back... at first.

But the relentless assault cannot make it forever. Finally, he slams her blade away -- and the shield slams into her gut, before the blade comes down, and draws blood again.

The princess slams down into the ground hard. Some blood splashes down -- but the wind driven from her, and so many blows taken, she finally collapses forward in a heap.

The arena goes silent.

And then the shouts come: "DAN-TEAR! DAN-TEAR! DAN-TEAR!" 

<Pose Tracker> K.K. has posed.

As the knights of Hyland and Rolance meet for that final exchange of blows, as the crowds lift up off their seats to cheer and jeer, there is at least one silent amongst their ranks. Lifting up off their feet, the figure cloaked in little else but plain tan robes, face covered in the overcast shade of their hood, does not join the revelry of the masses. Nondescript and of little importance enough to simply be lost in the crowds, they do not shout, or applaud.

They simply watch, as Alisha Diphda falls, and Garan Dantear is announced victorious.

"..."

A soft sound escapes that hood as it tilts to look from the Imperial knight of Rolance to the princess of Hyland in turn, and then towards the sight of Thessaly in the distance... and Sorey further beyond. A second passes in their contemplative quiet.

And, with the subtlest of spasmodic tremors in their fingers, they simply turn to make their way out of the crowds, as silently and unobtrusively as they had entered, the quiet weight of their presence disappearing like it had never been. 

<Pose Tracker> Thessaly has posed.

She knows what is coming before it even hits Alisha.

A stunning departure from their earlier bout, this round finishes in a speed that surprises even her. But that was always Garan's way, she knows, as she watches the goings-on below her. Even back in Lunar, he has always been prodigious in studying and learning the capabilities of his opponents with just one clash. The more he fights, the faster he learns.

To someone like her, that would be reassuring. It should have been enough to calm her nerves, but her heart pounds against her ribs and renders her somewhat lightheaded, the eldritch bond she shares with him a circuitous loop of impulses that affects her as well, when he's in the middle of a stressful situation.

But with his victory at hand, Thessaly forces herself to relax. Her grip on the railing slackens, but only a little.

Instead, the black-clad oracle turns, those deep violet eyes suddenly falling on Gwen somewhere at the stands. There is nothing hostile about her stare, face rendered inscrutible by its covering, but from the distance she quietly scrutinizes the courier from where she stands; skirts pooled on the ground, rippling movements against fabric as liquid as shadows.

She turns slowly to start moving in a careful pace down the stairs - to intercept Garan.

Something stops her, though. A presence in the crowd, familiar but distinct.

But this pause is brief before her wraithlike shadow glides down the stairs. Garan will need medical attention, but perhaps Alisha will as well, if her own people aren't available to see to her. It would only be right, and courteous. Something to repay the gracious Princess of Hyland for a specific piece of correspondence she had sent to Garan. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

Though Garan can feel it in his bones, the knowledge that Alisha won't be able to keep going after this, the knight doesn't let down his guard: His intuition has been wrong before.

But the Princess of Hyland collapses on her front, that relentless assault having been too much for her to continue fighting, and slowly the Imperial Knight relaxes, straightening up and sheathing his sword. His gauntleted right fist bumps against his breastplate in a salute as he gives a shallow bow to the fallen Alisha.

"Well fought, Princess," he says, quietly. She might be able to hear. "And about your warning... I believe you were right."

The red-haired man straightens, and turns to look at the cheering crowd, and the seat from which Lunata, the as-yet undefeated frontrunner of the tournament, as been watching. His dark blue eyes watch her in turn for a long moment, before he inclines his head to the waitress-turned-warrior, and then moves...

To help Alisha off the field. It's the honorable thing to do under the circumstances, after all, and there's perhaps a certain subconscious tug along his bond with Thessaly, suggesting that the witch wants to see to the Princess as well. 

<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.

Lunata catches Garan's gaze, eyes locking for a moment. Lunata, standing up there in dark colours up on that ostentatious stand. Garan, in shining white armour, on the ground where he's honourably helping his fallen opponent.

...

"W-wait, did I turn into the heel of this match, Lunie?!"

That's what you're worried about, Lunata?! 

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

"Men will always try to make you feel guilty about crushing them beneath your heel, Lunie," Linvidia tells Lunata.

"The answer is to crush them even harder." 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

Alisha isn't unconscious, like last time. She does, however, sport a nasty gash on her side. Even with healing, she may need a day or two of rest -- but that was a richly earned victory, and it was a richly deserved wound. She blinks, as she gets helped up. She has to lean on the imperial knight as he makes his way.

She nods, once. "I knew not whether the opponent I faced spoke the truth," she says quiet. "Troubling, that she did."

She looks sideways -- peering a moment towards Garan, and considering him, even while everyone here cheers so. It may sting, a little, to hear her opponent's name cheered. Other things have stung her worse in the past.

"I'll trust you to do well, too, in that rematch," she says. "It would speak well of Glenwood if one of us carried the day." 

<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.

Sorey has started down almost immediately after Alisha had gone down - while he doesn't want to interrupt her conversation with Garan, he does offer the Guardsman a polite nod before he walks over to where Alisha is resting. And while the crowds might be cheering his name... well, Alisha isn't alone here.

"That was a great match, Alisha!" the Shepherd states, smiling broadly at her. "I'm amazed at how much stronger you've gotten since we arrived here." There might have been other people who were judging her performance, but Sorey knew the important thing: When it truly came down to it, Alisha would always pull through. He believed that with all his heart. 

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Gwen doesn't quite have it right, as is evident from Xantia's lukewarm response. "I guess so? I never thought about it that way. It didn't seem like just watching would be a lot of fun, it's kinda frustrating when I'm not allowed to join in!" What can she say, she just likes to be an active participant in a fight!

Gwen's appraisal of Thessaly's actions also gain but a clueless shrug. "I wouldn't know. I didn't even know any lady could give blessings, I thought that was just priestesses and such." It's... pretty darn easy to move beyond what Xantia will be able to easily understand. If it's not about eating or fighting, it won't take much at all for her to be out of her comfort zone. At least Xantia will not actually request more food than she was offered. You just have to be careful about specifying the offered amount.

As for Gwen's tale of the ARM... that prompts a complicated expression. "Synchronization..." Xantia repeats the word. She knows exactly what it means. Even though this is the first time she remembers hearing the word in this context, and had no real reason to attribute any special meaning to it. It's happened before, but it never feels any less weird. It's also a bit frustrating, because yes, that could take a very long time indeed. She can't wait that long, not for something that might be a key to her past!

There's no objection to Gwen touching the bracer. Despite the unusual materials used to make it, there isn't really anything out of the ordinary, and it doesn't react in any way. Which may be a good thing, since the one time it did react to something... well, Xantia doesn't realize that that's what happened, in her fight with Fargo. Only that it ended poorly.

But, she is given a name. "Morgan Newkirk..." She shakes her head. "I haven't met anyone by that name. I'll have to ask around... I really hope he can help, it's really important that I remember." Well, she assumes that it's a question of remembering, even though she can't be sure that she ever knew in the first place.

The fight ends, in the meanwhile. Xantia rises from her seat, only in time to see the results. "Huh. So I guess that's the other finalist." Really, why was she even here, she could have learned that much just from watching the standings later. 

<Pose Tracker> Thessaly has posed.

Close to the resting area, the doors part open, and Thessaly's slender, black-clad figure moves through it. She doesn't so much as step towards Garan, her movements so fluid they are almost supernatural. She stops somewhere behind and to the side of both nobles as they speak; if she hears the quiet words exchanged, she makes a convincing show of not noticing.

She instead softens her knees into a curtsey.

"Your Highness, my lord," she says in turn, starting with Alisha - just because she is far from the Imperial court doesn't mean that her adherence to certain fundamental demands of etiquette has been discarded. "Will either of you require medical assistance?"

And then, Sorey approaches.

She slowly rises from her slightly bent position, her gemlike stare falling on the youth. She says nothing to address him, but it might just be propriety that keeps her silent. He seems to be on friendly terms with the princess.

Or it could be something else entirely. 

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

"N-no! You're not the heel! You're too cute!" blurts Shalune automatically back in response - and then hesitates, as she leaaaaans back far enough from the seat to take in the rest of the booth, immediately faltering. "U-um."

"--we'll get you something super cute for the match tomorrow, so no-one can call you the bad guy!" she insists, suddenly deathly serious as she plants her hands on Lunata's shoulders with a grave frown. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

"I believe, as yet, that the girl is in control of herself," Garan tells Alisha, away from prying ears. Thessaly doesn't count, and while that might seem like it's because she's clearly his servant and therefor not someone a nobleman really notices listening to things, it's really more that he has few secrets from the witch - especially secrets that involve potential threats. "But her powers are... Dangerous, and perhaps that arrangement might not always be the case."

He gives a lopsided grin at Alisha's encouragement/admonishment to do well in the final match.

"I never do less than my best, Princess," Garan replies. "And I have no intention of starting now. As I said, I have every intention of winning in my rematch with Miss Croze."

Thessaly curtseys, and offers her healing abilities, but that's also when Sorey approaches, to encourage Alisha despite her loss.

"The princess is a strong fighter," the Imperial Knight agrees. "Had Hyland an army of her, they might almost be a match for Rolance on the field." A light jest, despite the words themselves; he turns his dark blue eyes towards Thessaly, then, with a smile for the oracle. "I'm well enough for now, Thessaly. Please, princess, let her see to your injuries. Thessaly is a talented healer... It's only thanks to her I haven't wound up a cripple in this tournament." 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Thessaly's eyes meet Gwen's own, shades of deep violet gazing upon dull light blue. It's a brief interaction, but one that leaves Gwen temporarily at a loss for words, as Xantia talks about matters of ladies and knights. "...."

Gwen feels like she's never seen eyes quite that dark, or that rich in tone. Just who is that lady?

Shaking her eyes and turning her attention back to Xantia, Gwen nods, her words a touch more sober. "He runs a lot of things through the Adventurer's Guild." Morgan also has a bracer, though Gwen's unsure if that may help any. "The other thing I can tell you is that... well, I know my ARM really started synchronizing at a faster pace when I began pushin' myself. Not, like, runnin' into battles and so on, but just livin' life. I remember yours did something weird way back when those Malevolence-infested animals attacked Port Timney. You just need to find that right push, and it could just come from sparrin' with people who know what to look for, or going to an ARMs meister."

It's tempting to say 'go see Kalve', but the risks are far, far too great. Xantia seems like someone on a quest for an answer, and desperation could drive a person to do a lot of dangerous things. Granted, if Gwen does it, then it's fine!

Looking out into the ring, Gwen adds, "I spent five years just as a courier. Ran into a lot of risky situations where my neck was on the line, but my ARM didn't do much at all. It wasn't until I got involved with other people and started carin' about their problems that I guess woke my ARM up. Maybe it'd be the same for you. Ah- so the lady really is with one of the knights." Gwen grins down at Thessaly, Garan, Alisha, and the rest gathering below. "I'll keep your questions in mind- if I run into anyone who I think could answer em' face to face, I'll send you a note via the memory cube. Sound good?" 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"That is for the best, then," Alisha says, with a glance sideways at Garan. She nods once to him, before she smiles. "I'll trust in you to do that, Sir Garan."

She looks at the Shepherd as he comes up, and waves her hand at him. "Thank you, Sorey," Alisha says with a smile, then a bob of her head. "Though I think Edna will be disappointed." There won't be royal crablettes. A true tragedy.

She pauses, though, at the sight of Thessaly. She hasn't seen her before, and she takes a moment to study her, before she nods. "If you would, I would appreciate it," she says, "though I imagine my own party will be along shortly to see to it." Unless Edna is very, very cross with her. She smiles, though. "Thessaly, is it?"

She smiles. "I would be in your debt." 

<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.

While Sorey can heal some, he isn't exactly dedicated to the role, and if Garan has someone who specializes in healing... well, that's a good thing.

If she is someone who is from Rolance and can help to show a greater amount of understanding between Hyland and Rolance, that is something that Sorey can also get behind. There was too much in the way of unnecessary tension between the two nations already.

"I wish some of the people from back home could be here to see this," Sorey comments absently to Alisha... and Mikleo and Lailah as well. "It might do them some good, given the fighting going on there." Understanding, and knowing that both sides could show compassion. That was a good thing.

Of course, Sorey would do what he could to make sure Alisha is alright. Rose would probably not forgive him otherwise, not to mention how he'd feel if something unexpected happened to Alisha. 

<Pose Tracker> Thessaly has posed.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am Thessaly, Sir Dantear's chamberlain."

It does not fully encapsulate the role she plays in his life, but in such environs, this will have to suffice. The veiled woman moves to rest her knees on the ground, skirts bundling underneath her as she inspects the most serious wound on the Princess of Hyland. A pale hand with its elegant fingers lift, each tipped with glossy black polish and impeccable in its manicure. For a supposed servant, everything about her gestures speaks of a lifetime's worth of refinement.

Those digits emanate a faint glow and underneath her headscarf, whispered words do the work, weaving will and magic to the task of knitting Alisha's wound. Power pulses from the witch as pain and blood recede; for all of her foreboding air, the aura of her magic is untainted in its benevolence.

She finishes after a few moments, resting that hand on her lap until Garan moves to offer his own to assist her off dirt and sand, as he often does, unwilling to let go of his knight's gallantry as much as she's unwilling to let go of certain customs and expectations. Eyes the color of amethysts lift to regard Alisha.

"It will be tender, for a couple of days. Please endeavour not to move so quickly or suddenly until it has healed in full." 

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia misses Gwen's brief moment of distraction entirely. She only pays attention to the additional information provided to her.

Which causes her to let out a soft laugh when Gwen brings up what happened at Port Timney. Not really much in the way of genuine mirth in it, it's just a bit awkward. "About that, uh... I thought my ARM did that too, but it turns out, that was all me. Just... something I can do, I guess!" It sure looked like it caused a great amount of distress at the time, but she appears to be pretty okay with it now. She's just sorta come to accept the fact that she can do lightning punches now. That's something that fighting in the tournament was helpful for.

She nods along a bit, taking in the additional information, until eventually starting to frown slightly. "I've cared about other people's problems for as far back as I can remember... what's taking so long, then?" Not really a question she meant to pose to Gwen, just speaking her thoughts out loud. She moves beyond it quickly enough, regaining her previous cheer. "Ah well, I guess if the answers were that easy I'd have figured it out by now! Thanks for telling me all this though, I can use all the information I can get!"

Being kept updated about any development in the future was more than she was expecting, but she has every reason to accept without hesitation. "Oh, if you could, that'd be great! Then, I'll let you know if I find out anything, too! Maybe we can do an ARM fight one day!" It should really be no surprise that her mind would eventually go back to food or fighting again. 

<Pose Tracker> Garan Dantear has posed.

Naturally, Garan does offer Thessaly a hand up, just as predicted: It wouldn't do to leave a lady without assistance, whatever her current social position might be.

"I'd listen to her, Princess," the red-haired knight says, in the wake of the witch's advice. "She knows what she's talking about... And I wouldn't put it past her to make sure a patient who's not taking care of themselves got the rest she felt they needed by any means necessary, rather than letting them undo all of her hard work."

But once the witch has her footing, Garan offers another short bow to the princess and her companion.

"I hope you'll be there to witness the final match," he says, before turning his attention to Thessaly, leaning close to speak quietly to her.

"We should leave the princess and her consort alone," Garan says, maybe not quietly enough. "I always get hungry after a fight anyway... There must be something good to eat around here," he adds, as he leads the darkly-clad witch away. 

<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.

"Mm. It might," Alisha says, with a glance at Sorey. "It was fun. I don't regret doing it in the slightest."

She looks back at Thessaly -- and accepts 'chamberlain' without any real question. She doesn't know enough to question. She pauses, for a moment, at the soft glow. That, she thinks, is a little strange -- as her wounds begin to knit so expertly. Her own healing spells are different. More taxing, too. This is a purer form than the litanies she struggled to learn.

She nods, once, to her. "You have my thanks, Thessaly. I will be sure to. I--" She looks at Garan, and smiles. "...Yes, I can believe that. You both have my thanks."

She glances at Sorey. And, indeed, Garan is not quiet enough. Her expression screws up. "Consort? Excuse me, but that--"

She sighs. Garan has already turned and started off. "Best of luck, Sir Dantear. I intend to watch." Though she may stay higher in the stands. She will be tender for a few days. 

<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.

For just a brief moment as Thessaly works her magic, there's something... but no, he's just on edge, especially since there were some suspicious people here in the crowd as well. Sorey wasn't willing to put it past the Trial Knight to be trying to keep an eye on them here as well. But as Thessaly finishes Alisha's healing, Sorey gives her a polite nod, in thanks for the excellent work that she has done. After all, he isn't going to be impolite when it comes to those sorts of things.

And then Garan decides that he's going to try and get a dig in on the way out, and Sorey looks at he and Thessaly as they start to walk away. He considers for a moment - he's heard of the position of consort before, but...

"I'm afraid that I don't have that honor," Sorey calls out after Garan. "If Alisha does have a consort, I'm afraid that they weren't able to make it today! But I'd be glad to introduce you two the next time she's with us!"

And he just smiles and waves to the two as they wander off.

"Mikleo and I can give you a hand getting back to the inn, if you want." The Shepherd offers to Alisha. "Once you've healed up we need to consider our next move."

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