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[Empiricist]

Shef
"I'm sure you'll master it with enough practice! Is that all?"

[Strider03]

"Believe so. Thank you."

"If I need anything else, should I assume you'll be in the food court?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Huh. That is weird." Noriko leaned closer to Yuki to mirror the white-haired girl's movement, until the two were practically a breath away from actually leaning against one another. "Or maybe not, I dunno. I've had a couple times where I just. . . did stuff." She made a vague wavy motion with one hand. "Like that one time at a hospital."

[Twinwolf]

"Oh? What happened at a hospital? I don't think I was there, hehehe," Yuki nearly hiccuped but managed to hold it in. "Heey, I'm not gonna complain about random cool powers!"

[Chevaleresse]

Noriko straightened out, scooting slightly closer to Yuki in the process but moving their heads apart - mostly so she could then lean backward. "Ugh, the hospital. So, uh, the AIs sent me there to chase an Mononoke around or something, right? My cover was supposed to be this surgeon, but I guess they did too good of a job, so they actually pulled me in to do a surgery. And then the Mononoke showed up in the middle of everything, and I had to fight it while I also fought the hospital security and stuff, WHILE I actually did heart surgery on the guy with my fuckin' spear and my wind. Because, I guess that's a thing I can do."

[Powder Miner]

Minato leaned over and silently, warmly, embraced Faith in a hug. Faith didn't exactly hate this: it felt really nice to get held by Minato, and she couldn't help but smile a little as she leaned into the hug, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulder and staying there for a few moments. Eventually though, she sighed: Minato didn't quite seem to get it, but she was actually trying to have a serious conversation here, and it would be somewhat difficult to do so if she was the only one conversing.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of Minato's hug and looked at him. "Um... okay, so, though, I did only mean that I didn't want to talk about stuff beyond the harassment. I still want to talk about this, even if I don't like it, because it's gonna be really important for our relationship. My boundaries are going to be... really difficult around sex and stuff, and I... well... are you okay with dealing with that?"

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Minato just fixes her with a look.
"....the reason I've been so quiet....is because it's a lot to take in. How can it not be, when....that's just the tip of the iceberg? Honestly, some part of me wants to go and find the people who hurt you, and make them pay, because that's what I do. I hunt bullies and make them feel what they do to other people. It's part of why I do this; because the bad Aramitama, they hurt people who can't or won't fight back.

But....you don't need me to find the people who hurt you and make them pay. I don't....know what I can do to help you feel better, and.....it scares me, just a little. This is going to be tough going, I know. But.....yes. I'll be okay dealing with whatever you need me to deal with. Of course. Anything for you, Faith."

[Twinwolf]

Yuki seemed to hang onto every word with great interest. "Woooaah. That's cool. How did they explain the magical heart surgery you think? Or fighting the security at the same time? That's cooler than what I did. I busted up a weird fraternity-cult with a few other awakened people. They were weird, had way too much beer. And spiked paddles. Ouch."

[Empiricist]

Noriko and Yuki
The spring breeze laps at the edges of your consciousness, you feel warm, snug. The heat of a warm blanket, the rays of the morning sun against your skin. Slowly your eyes flicker open. It was as if you had just awoken from a great slumber, it was as if these past fews weeks were just a dream, a dream that only now you have returned from. In that brief touch of folly, what did you feel? Relief? Sorrow? Your world was a cold one, a lonely one. Cruel, uncaring. No doubt your life is brighter now, but the brighter the light, the deeper the shadow. You've seen what lurks in the shadows, strange twisted entities, as lethal as they were whimsical, waiting to prey upon the masses. The world was indifferent sure, but it was not hostile, this one, you're not entirely sure about. Is this a better life? A life of excitement and adventure? A life of danger and conflict?

You brush the thoughts away, it matters not. Your life is your life, what you have now, is what you have, there's no changing that. You did not awaken in your bed, no, you are as you were yesterday: a Godslayer, on the coach, together, with some random third girl you don't recognize, and in a swanky hotel suite sporting a gorgeous view of Kingshaven...

wait, FU-

Kingshaven! Why the fuck are you in Kingshaven? Who's this girl? What the hell happened last night?

Noriko, you're dressed in stylish suit with a blazer jacket that seems to flow more like a liquid than a fabric. Scrambling through the pockets, you find your wallet, and a new presumably magical smartphone holding six phone numbers you don't recognize. You find your clothes draped across a nearby chair, singed by flame. Your normal phone and comms unit are nowhere to be found. Well, that's gonna complicate things. Fucking typical. One night, one night to relax, was that really too much to ask for?

Yuki, you are clad in a full-on armored dress, a perfect mix of elegance and heavy plating like something out of an anime. The last thing you can recall from last night, is that you were fighting something, something strange, something ineffable, you think it was outside the metaphysical equivalent of a McDonald's parking lot? Your clothes are also on the chair, they're in good condition though. You find your wallet inside with a fair few bills in the local currency, your phone and comms unit are missing too.

The girl stirs, letting out a yawn as she stretches. Her clothes are girlish, fancy, and expensive-looking, something that is accentuated by the miniature crown resting on her strawberry-blonde hair. She, doesn't seem to be very alarmed about what's going on.

Shef
You slept little that evening, seemed to be the norm here anyway, a mix of boons of being Awakened, and abundance of low-strength stamina potions available for sale here. You were awake as the enormous lotus rose up from the midnight sea, a spiralling mandala of glass and sandstone, that formed and unformed before your very eyes, its ever-shifting structure the subject of a few photos, only from the tourists you notice. Apparently a local buddhist monastery were so kind as to lend their facilities to your training regime.

Or well, as you learned this morning, with 'your' referring to members of the team other than you. No, this monastery will just be your ride back to Kingshaven for your training exercises. Minato and Faith on the other hand, they'll be training inside this.

"So as I was saying, you gotta help Noriko and Yuki extract without them y'know 'dying'."
Air quotes, are they involved in some training drill over there too?
"We'll be limiting your intel for this, so I can't say much except that there's a someone out there tasked with stopping you."
He produces an amorphous band of black crystal.
"Combat pass, lets you fight in Kingshaven against your target without y'know, getting arrested. It'll turn red when you engage them so you'll know you've got the right guy."
He tosses you five healing potions.
"Use them to heal up between fights, not during. Don't worry about losing a fight, it's all a learning experience, mission goes on no matter how many times either of you win or lose til the girls get out or til they lose."

"Oh and one last thing, neither of you are allowed to make contact with the girls or interfere with their fights. Aim to stay outta their sight."

[Strider03]

Shef considered the information. An extraction routine with limited contact, that was a very good way of making an unpredictable scenario, and still allowing both parties to do their respective training. This might actually be rather fun.

"A few questions. The fail condition, 'death', do I get to know what clock I'm up against?"

"Secondly, am I to assume no contact should be made with my other teammates, and or the AI?" It made sense that he'd be restricted there, but always good to check.

"Finally, can you clarify the limits on contact?
I presume convincing hotel staff to recommend a specific lunch destination is allowed, but what might be just on the border of not allowed regarding contact." His interpretation was that anything that would not make Noriko and Yuki suspicious of someone attempting to manipulate them would be fine, but he needed to check.

[Empiricist]

Shef
"You won't know the clock, but I'm sure you'll figure it out quickly enough. Contact the AI and your teammates all you want, just don't expect much help, as for the limits, as long as they don't know that you specifically are there and you don't touch their fights, it's fine."

"For the hostiles, you're free to delay or distract that, but attacking them or fighting them is out of the question, capiche?"

[Strider03]

"Got it. Anything else?"

After the briefing was over, Shef checked the departure time for the floating lotus conveyance. If there was time before hand, he'd head over to whatever served as an information desk at this resort, in search of a map and tourist information about Kingshaven, if that was available.

[Empiricist]

Shef
"Nah, that should be it."

Heading over the information desk you find, basically fuck all about Kingshaven. The only maps and brochures are about the Guantanamo Bay Resort- oh, right, Aethertide. All islands are effectively equidistant from one another, so they wouldn't have brochures about nearby cities, because that would be every single coastal city. You whip out your phone and run a search on the local search engine.

Okay, that, that was easier, you get map data and tourist information on Kingshaven. Apparently the place was named as such for when King Maximilian III took shelter there from Queen Sigrun's besieging army, the city holding strong for three whole years of ceaseless onslaughts, which sounds impressive on paper, but apparently every single engagement fought was absurdly low stakes, pretty cordial between the soldiers of each side, and was apparently used by the generals as a way to try and get the two young monarchs at admit their feelings for each other. Something which again, took those three entire years to achieve.

Nowadays it's a bustling port city that's home to the prestigious Kingshaven Military Academy which... huh, is holding a Festival of Arms over the next three days. It's like a regular festival, except there's also some sparring and tournaments happening, attracting soldiers and adventurers alike. Apparently anyone with one of those combat passes is allowed to fight in, really most public areas, with their specific contract dictating who they're allowed to engage and how they're allowed to engage. So a lot of excitement and chaos generally. Apparently these festivals were originally just practical exams for the students, but they started drawing in more and more of a crowd until it became the city-wide festival it is today.

[Strider03]

"Ha, of course." Shef mumbled after noting the information regarding the historical monarchs.

Now the arms tournament was suspiciously convenient, he wouldn't bet against that being incorporated into this mission. Following that hunch, Shef turned his attention to significant local figures, especially those who might be involved in the running of the tournament or affiliated with it. Maybe, there'd even be a list of participants somewhere, or indication of how to get one.

And, about those combat passes. What would happen if one was misplaced, or given to someone else?

Finally he'd turn his attention to some local shops, and any tourist footage or images he could find of the locations. He'd want to blend in as best as possible, and the man wasn't sure if that would involve looking excessively mundane, or needlessly elaborate. So he'd check whether it seemed like he'd need anything to blend in, and then find the locations of a wig shop, or whatever passed for that once magic entered the picture.

[Chevaleresse]

Noriko blinked blearily. She felt rested, much better rested than she had in a while. She yawned, looking to her right - and froze. This wasn't her bed. This wasn't her room. Which wouldn't have been an issue, except it was also not her bungalow. The blue-haired girl scrambled and flopped rather gracelessly off the couch, noting both Yuki and the blonde's presence. Around this time she also noticed her own clothing; she was in a suit again. At least she wasn't naked, but. . .

<"What the FUCK.">. The view out the window told her she was in Kingshaven. Why was she in Kingshaven? Why were her actual clothes draped over a chair, and where was her phone? "Damnit, damnit, damnit. . ." she muttered as she rifled through her own pockets; no sign of the device in either set of garments, though she apparently had a new one with numbers she didn't recognize. Why didn't she remember anything about last night? Yuki had said those things weren't alcoholic.

Noriko sighed loudly, an anxious, strained exhalation. After pacing back and forth a couple times, she decided to turn her attention to the one most likely to know what was going on - the redheaded girl. "Hey, so, uh, no offense, but who are you?"