The Twelve

[Molokidan]

"We are, indeed!" Winslow laughed again. His partner said nothing.

Saffron seemed to be paying no attention to his friend's antics, and quickly pulled him aside. "I have to talk to him about something." he said. "Adarl, why don't you chat it up with Winslow's roomate for a while?"

With that said, Saffron moved a considerable distance off into the desert with Winslow.

Adarl, confused, turned to Winslow's roommate, who was currently looking down towards the ground. After Winslow got far enough away, he turned his head upwards to look at Adarl. "Do you. . .know Winslow?" he asked.

****

Zachary made his way out of the doctor's room, moving back down the passageway.

When he came to the V-intersection, he saw some familiar faces, who called out to him.

"Hey!" one said. It was Christopher, the boy with ice-blue hair whom he had met earlier as his roommate. "That's my roommate, Zachary!"

He was speaking to a much taller man, covered in robes and wearing a turban. He nodded. "I see."

Besides the two, there was also a man with spiky red hair, with a large metal machine attached to his arm, a man with long green hair and a chain gun strapped to his back, and a pale man with a blonde afro wearing what looked like a potato sack.

"We're looking for our friend Kamome." Christopher said . "Have you seen him? We're making our way over to the food court, if you would like to join us."

[The Great Nevareh]

Zachary, though somewhat wary that these people are walking around armed in what is supposed to be a safe setting, decides that it would be better to dine in company than not.
"I don't think I've seen him, though because I'm not sure who he is, I can't say if I have or not. And I would love to join you for some food- I'm starved!"
Smiling his ever-present smile, he falls into step with Christopher and his motley band of... people.

[JoshuaDurron]

"Kupo! There's an odd person-kupo," Fwupo commented in a low tone to Riley, nodding to Theo. "He was on my team in the second round-kupo. Apparently-kupo, he can control people just by talking to them-kupo. If you want-kupo, we can spy on him a bit-kupo," he added with a mischevious grin.

[FF Fanatic 80]

"Not really, I just met him now." Adarl answers, staring down at the man, "You probably know him better than I at the moment."

[Molokidan]

Kamome and Theodarus were ushered to a 4-seater table. "Please call if you are ready to order." a young-looking waiter said, quickly walking off. Kamome looked out the window. "Are you sure you know that guy? He nodded at you, but it doesn't look like he's in any hurry to get in here."

The menu itself consisted of ramen, rice, noodles, just about any asian food you can think of. And all at reasonably cheap prices.

"This is weird, you know. . ." Kamome said. "All these nice restaurants, with all this nice-looking food. . .just for this tournament. It's like it's our last meal or something. . ." he said, not quite joking.

"I wouldn't mind it at all!" Riley said outside, snickering with Fwupo. "Let's go." They moved to enter the restaurant, when suddenly they heard the voices of a few people behind them -- one that Fwupo found familiar.

"Good to have you, Zachary." the man in the turban said. "My name is Negi. The man in the red hair next to me is Rall, followed by Ari, and then Zale is the guy with the gun." he said. "It's a pleasure to have another comrade."

The six men made their way down the hallway, coming to the same place Fwupo and Riley were standing, overlooking the restaurant.

"Hey. . ." Rall said, moving the red hair out of his eyes with his left hand. "Ain't that guy in there Kamome?"

"Where?" Negi said, looking around.

"In that chinese restaurant. . .and he's with that loudmouth from before." Rall said, snickering.

"Oh, that one that got punched by his own teammate." Negi said, then suddenly turned and stared at Zachary. "Wait, a minute, weren't you his friend. . .?"

"He is!" Christopher said matter-of-factly. "I was waiting for you to notice."

"Idiot. . ." Negi muttered. "Don't do such pointless things." he then turned to Zachary. "Well, this is interesting. Nice to see you again."

****

"He's some bastard." the man said, sitting down in the dust and wiping himself off. "He's made me his veritable slave ever since I found out he was my roommate. Man, what a bitch. I'd kill him, but he's way stronger than me, and has some freaky powers to boot. I guess I'd better just try to bear through it till the tournament starts, and hope someone else knocks him off for me." he breathed out a sigh of relaxation. "At least I'm getting some combat practice in."

He eyed Adarl up and down. "So, what's your name? You some kind of fighter? My name's Ginn Klavier. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." His head drifted to the side, looking at Saffron and Winslow, far away. "What the hell are they talking about that's so damn important, anyway?"

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=molokidan>Molokidan</A]&nbsp; at: 10/29/04 1:33 am

[The Great Nevareh]

"Being shackled with him as a teammate hardly qualifies me as his "friend." Honestly, I don't trust them at all. One of them is dark and brooding, another one dances around like a maniac, and the guy in there, his name is Theodorus Banjo, tried to enslave the rest of his team by getting us to sign something." Zachary sighs. "Nope, can't really say I'm friends with them, especially since I only spent something like a couple of hours in their somewhat unpleasant company. I'm rambling, aren't I?"
Zachary chuckles. "Lead the way, monsieur."

[wkz]

Theodarus was watching Fwupo and his partner, whoever he is, thread their way to the table when he noticed another group behind the pair..... and decided to ignore them.

Even after noticing Zachary within the group, he still would have ignored the group: after all, spreading one secret to too many people in one shot is a good way to have it broadcast all over the world. But a second glance spotted an all too familiar person with a turban. One who he had tried to imitate just now.

"I guess I know why I failed in my imitation" Theodarus said to Kamome, just as Fwupo and other prepared to sit down. "Isn't that your group of allies against the Dar... the Bonus Round group there? And it seems they have snared another of my teammates.

"With this amount of coincidence, I wouldn't be surprised if Adral and Jemyle came in just about now." Theodarus added with a grin.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 10/29/04 3:06 am

[Molokidan]

(OOC: Sorry for some minor character control. Just to get things moving slowly.)

Riley and Fwupo sat down in the two extra chairs next to Kamome and Theo.

"Nice to meet you all" Riley said, extending a hand. He had to adjust his guitar to fit into the chair, and eventually gave up messing with it and left it on the ground. "The name's Riley."

Fwupo nodded, "Nice to see you again, Theo." he turned to Kamome. "I remember you, but never got your name."

"Kamome Metro." Kamome said, and shook each of their hands in his business-like fashion. "Well, now that we've all finished introductions. . ."

"Kamome!" Negi shouted, moving into the restaurant with his posse + Zachary trailing behind. "Table for six, please." he said. "Preferably next to those gents over there."

They were soon seated in a larger table next to Theodarus and co., as to make talking easy.

"Well, well. . ." Negi said. "Quite crowd we have here, don't we? Nice to see you again, loudmouth." he said, smirking at Theodarus. "You're still alive, so you couldn't have gotten into that much trouble."

Rall slung his metal arm onto his lap and set next to Negi. Ari soon followed, then Zale, his chain gun in tow, and finally Christopher and Zachary on the end.

Wandering eyes would also notice a group of six women over to the side, talking lowly among themselves. If Theodarus had been listening intently, he would recognize a few of the voices from the hot springs. . .

****

Meanwhile, Jemyle was in his room. . .sitting. He was staring at his roommate, unsure of what to do.

Averyl had been sitting on his bed for the past two hours, playing with a puzzle.

He had cleared it five times, and had spent a careful amount of time to close his eyes when re-arranging the puzzle as to not remember it.

Jemyle, who had gone out for food, and hit the hot springs after, was finally about to give up and get some shuteye. . .

. . .but there was this creepy feeling he just couldn't shake. That guy. . .it seemed like the worst possible guy to be sharing a room with.

[FF Fanatic 80]

"Adarl... and no, I simply carry a large bladed weapon for show." the half-drow sighed, somewhat annoyed being asked about an obvious observation, "And I assume, rather easily, it is something they do not wish us to know. We are adversaries in this tournament, afterall."

And that was something else that concerned him, as he thought upon it. He still knew nothing of Saffron's motives for being here. All Adarl really knew, as much as it embarrased himself to think so, was that the swordsman was very attractive, making it rather difficult for him to think completely rationally in the man's presence. He still had no real reason to trust Saffron, especially if he was conspiring with others to win. That would make the half-drow another obstacle to their goal, if it truly was winning the tournament. At some point, Adarl would need to inquire Saffron about this, and likely try to deal with his libido at the same time. For now, he simply waited for the beaten man's response, and the two blonde gentleman to return

[Molokidan]

Ginn looked up at Adarl, and snorted. "Yeah. . .I guess you're right." he shouted, coughing up and then spitting out a bloody loogie. "I guess you're right."

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Saffron and Winslow began to make their way back towards Adarl.

"Hey, looking good, Adarl." Saffron said, winking at Adarl jokingly and patting him on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey, did you want me to tell--"

"No." Saffron said, spinning around quickly and facing Winslow. "He doesn't need to know."

"Good. . ." Winslow mumbled. "I don't think he likes me too much, you know."

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Saffron said dismissively.

"Alright, alright. . ." Winslow said, bowing his head. It seemed a total reversal in his personality compared to before.

"Anyway,are you jokers gonna stick around here and play or what?" he said, pulling a towel out of his pocket and wiping his forehead off. "It's way too hot in here for me. Where do you want to head to, Adarl?" he asked. "I wouldn't mind a nice bath, just to get all this gross sweat washed off."

[FF Fanatic 80]

It was fortunate for Adarl, at least to himself, that his skin was already flushed from the severe heat. For he certainly would have appeared so, after the compliment and wink in his general direction. He did find the brief exchange between Saffron and Wilson unusual, given the change in tone speaking to one another. He started to wonder who Saffron referred to, himself or the battered gentleman, when he said 'he doesn't need to know'. He wondered what exactly it could be, they 'did not need to know'.

Then Saffron suggested the pair of them go and take a bath.

Obviously, given the amount they were both sweating, such a suggestion made perfect logical sense. It did not, however, help the half-drow's ongoing libido involving the fellow swordsman. Or the thoughts of the two of them, in the same room, unclot...

...Adarl then pictures himself holding his bastard sword straight up, and smacking himself in the face with the flat end several times. Hoping the ridiculous image in his mind will calm him enough, he speaks once more.

"...t..that sounds acceptable." Adarl responds, thankful once again for the flushed skin from the heat.

Edited by: FF Fanatic 80&nbsp; at: 10/29/04 10:32 am

[wkz]

Theodarus nodded to the newly arrived Zachary, then turned to what seems to be the leader of the Anti-Zodiacs.

"Kamome, its your choice.... you want to tell them what's going on, or wait till later?" Theodarus said in a discreet voice, knowing that the loud brawling of the group will mask the message from evesdroppers...

[Molokidan]

"We're gonna go get something to eat first!" Winslow exclaimed, clapping Ginn on the back. "Ain't that right, buddy? So you guys just go on ahead without us. If you're still there after we finish eating, we'll catch up with ya."

"Come on, I'm tired, let's go relax first. . ." Ginn mumbled, after Winslow had finished. "I don't feel like going to eat just yet."

Winslow suddenly ran over and gave Ginn a loud punch in the cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.

"DID I ASK WHAT THE FUCK YOU THOUGHT!?!!?!?" Winslow shouted, a vein pulsating in his forehead. "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DON'T PISS ME OFF!" He screamed, giving Ginn a swift in kick in the stomach.

"Fair enough." Saffron shrugged. "We already ate, anyway. Let's shove off, Adarl!" Saffron shouted, pulling open the door.

The two walked back down the long, door-filled hallway, down the stairs, and got off on the second floor this time. They moved down the V-hallway, heading towards the medical center, and eventually came to the same place that Theo and Zachary had been a while ago. The secretary smiled at them. "How may I help you?" she asked.

"We're looking for the hot springs!" Saffron said cheerfully.

"I see. That would be the door directly ahead of you." she said, pointing. "Here are two towels."

"Thank you." Saffron said, tossing one to Adarl and continuing on.

They opened the door to the hot springs, and were standing in the dressing room, which continued on to the left with a row of lockers. If they kept walking straight, they would hop right into the hot springs, which was foggy. Adarl could barely make out the bamboo fence around the area, as well as all the plants and vines that were growing around the pool.

"Ahhhhh, this is going to feel good." Saffron said, quickly undressing and throwing his clothes in a locker. He laid his sword on top of one of the rows. "Well, what's wrong, Adarl?" he asked, spinning around. "Let's go!"

****

"Hmmm. . .well, Negi, I assume you've filled in everyone about the current situation?" Kamome asked, in response to Theodarus's question.

"Yeah, they all know." he said, promptly forgetting about Zachary.

"Good." Kamome said. "By the way, Theodarus. . .Negi, Ari, and Zane are Elite bounty hunters, after the immense bounty on the head of each Zodiac." he said. "Their reasons are different from mine, but they've promised to split it with me if I eventually help them catch one." he said.

"Anyway. . .we're all filled in. Now. . .we must figure out a plan of action. I'm not sure how many Zodiacs are in the tournament. I'm not even sure how they plan to get the prize. Undoubtedly, the commitee knows of the Zodiacs, and has taken proper precautions to guard the prize from them, even in the event that they win. Which means, they probably have some sort of trick up their sleeve. What it is exactly, I don't know."

"Sorry to interrupt you, Kamome." Negi said. "But I think we should ask a question first, has anyone indentified any of the Zodiacs so far? It would be nice to know if there are any we can immediately recognize." he looked around to his own group, to see blank faces.

"As a matter of fact. . ." Kamome said, in a lower voice. "We have. Theodarus, you got a better look at him than I did. What exactly did the one we saw look like?"

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=molokidan>Molokidan</A]&nbsp; at: 10/29/04 8:38 pm

[FF Fanatic 80]

Adarl had faced many difficult situations in his travels. Forces of greater size than his own, near impossible objectives in his tasks, mad men and woman seeking impossible goals.

However, at this paticular moment, all seemed to pale in comparison. The half-drow just stands there a moment, face frozen in an odd mix of suprise, and an attempt to keep said face straight. And, unfortunately for him, he no longer has the hot desert sands to blame for looking rather flushed. He had to say something, that much was obvious. What was not obvious, was what the hell TO say.

"I... uh... uh..." Adarl fumbled, gripping at his tied shirt rather tightly. He tried his trick from earlier, this time picturing himself holding his blade horizontally in front of his chest. In his mind, he proceeds to bang his forehead into the flat end of the blade several times, once again trying to knock some mental clarity into his rather chaotic thoughts.

"...perhaps this... was not a wise decision." the half-drow says to the swordman.

[Molokidan]

"Aw, really?" Saffron said, just about to step into the bath. "What's wrong man, too hot for you?" Suddenly, he took a closer look at Adarl's face. "Awww. . .don't tell me. . .big bad Adarl is embarrased?!" he laughed, throwing his head back. "Aw man, Adarl, you should have told me!!" he said, arching his back as he cracked up in tears. The dog tattoo glistened with the percipitation in the room.

"Well, that's alright." he said. "I'm just gonna step in and get a little soaking." he said, submersing himself up to his waist. "I'll be back in a few minutes, so you can just wait outside or something."

[FF Fanatic 80]

It is rather interesting, what phrases trigger long buried memories. In the half-drow's case, being called embarrased, especially in that tone, brought back vague memories of his childhood.

...awww... widdle adawl gonna cwy for momma? What a freak...

Why're ya smaller than the other kids? Cause you're weird... Dad says you're an abo...bo...dation too.

In what likely seemed a total mood reversal,Adarl's expression went from embarrased to angry. Not wasting another moment, the half-drow's garments and sword lay in another locker, with Saffron finding the other swordsman waist deep in the same water, glaring at him.

"...ever...use that tone of voice... with me again... and you may not be pleased with the consequences." the half-drow tells Saffron.

[JoshuaDurron]

"Wait-kupo!" Fwupo interrupted with an upraised paw. "Have I just walked in on a Zodiac hunting party-kupo? Just so I know where you all stand-kupo..."

[Molokidan]

Saffron's eyebrows arched at the new development in his teammate, and his smile dissapeared. ". . .hm." A small sound escaped his mouth, and then he turned his face away and began walking into the bath.

There were silhouettes of others in the bath, around five total, but it was impossible to tell who with the amount of fog clouding their vision.

Saffron found his way over to a small corner, where he lowered his body in the water, up to the neck. "Ahhhhhh. . ." he sighed, closing his eyes and relaxing his arms across the rocks. "This is great."

****

"I wouldn't call us a 'hunting party' exactly. . ." Kamome said, rubbing his chin intellectually. "We're merely trying to inform everyone possible of the imminent danger. We're not looking for trouble per se, but if we can let everyone know of their prescene, it might be possible to save lives."

"Hmm. . .I still think we're sticking our noses where we don't belong." Rall said, running a hand over his metal forearm. "We're going to get ourselves killed at this rate. It's note safe." His short, spiky red hair was messily assembled on his head, and he had deep, inset orange eyes. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, with the right sleeve cut off due to the contraption attached to that arm. He was also wearing a sparkling blue necklace.

"That's not the focus right now." Negi spoke up. "Even if you don't want to help us fight, it's important for you to know the indentities of the Zodiacs. If we don't find out that information soon, they'll be able to kill each of us just like everyone else. They could even be sitting among us right now. . ." his voice trailed off. "In any case," he looked back to Fwupo. "If all your questions are answered, I insist you let our pal Theo speak." he said. "For once, he has something interesting to say."

Theodarus couldn't see under the bandanna covering Negi's mouth, but he expected he was smirking.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=molokidan>Molokidan</A]&nbsp; at: 10/30/04 2:25 am

[The Great Nevareh]

"Okay, this is definitely something I know nothing about. Maybe I should go somewhere else- secrets are best kept amongst as few people as possible."
Zachary makes to stand up and leave- and what he says is indeed true.

[Molokidan]

"Oh, I forgot about you. . ." Christopher said, looking at Zachary. "Well, you can leave if you want, it's no difference to us. However. . .if you want to know some information that might save your life later down the line, you're free to stay. It's not secret. We want to educate as many people as we can do the imminent danger."

[FF Fanatic 80]

The half-drow breathed heavily, watching as Saffron moved away to relax by himself in a corner. When he caught his breath moments later, Adarl began to realize the full weight of his actions.

...I've done it again... just like with Theodarus... he thought, covering his face with a free hand and sighing. He tried so hard to remain calm and collected, as he always did. But when he reached a breaking point, the half-drow lost control. With Theodarus, the fustration and helplessness of his situation was more than he could stand, taking out his aggresion on the bargain maker. And now, between his conflicting feelings and unplesant memories, he was essentially doing the same to Saffron.

...when the hell did this situation become so complicated? he thought to himself,I only wished to find information here... and now look at me. Why did I have to start feeling this way...?

As he looked over at Saffron, it became clear to him what needed to be done. If the two men were to be roommates for the rest of this competition, the half-drow needed to put this to rest. He needed to know if the other swordsman would react well... or it he would need to make arrangements to rest elsewhere. He would have no peace of mind until doing so.

So the half-drow waded his way across the small pool, settling himself down nearby the blonde swordsman.

"I believe... I owe you an apology." he says to Saffron, "There is no excuse for my actions a moment ago."

[wkz]

Theodarus sighed.... he seemed to have taken to the habit of sighing a lot lately... and started on his description:

"Well, the Zodiac we identified looks like a bald old man, with plenty of scars on his face and head. I am not exactly sure, but it seems he wears monk-like clothes, and has a string of bluish orbs around his neck. The tattoo of the rabbit marking him is slightly above his neck, on his scalp.

Be careful of those orbs, because it seems he can summon dragon-sized lizards from those. Other than that, he has not shown any abilities. As for others, I maybe wrong, but I deduce that (a) He is sadistic, and (b) he is either blind, or see things using another method."

He paused in his description for a bit, as he raised his to indicate his wish to order his food...

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 10/30/04 12:45 pm

[Molokidan]

"Hey, no sweat, man." Saffron said, his eyes still closed, and his head rested against the stone. "It's all water under the bridge. I appreciate the apology, of course, but don't worry about it. I mean, we're friends, aren't we?" he said, smiling at Adarl.

He stretched his arms, and opened his eyes and stared around. There seemed to only be about two people left in the place.

"I've seen a lot of things in the short time I've been alive. . .but I know you're a good guy just by looking at you. You aren't like all these other jokers around here. . .you're one of those true blue guys." he said. "I'm right, aren't I?"

****

"I see." Negi said, turning to face the rest of the people at his table. "So there's one down. . .do any of you recognize the description of that man?" he asked, waiting for a response.

As Theodarus continued his talk, one could notice the six girls on the other side grow a small interest in what was going on.

The first woman had auburn hair. She had bangs in the front, but it was pulled up in the back like a samurai. She was also wearing a yukata, and had two swords on her right side. Her face was beautiful, but the look on it was incredibly serious.

The second woman was wearing an oversized bucket hat that covered most of her face, and had long brown hair. She was wearing a long purple dress, and other than that, there were no distinguishing features about her.

The third woman was actually a girl, about 17 or 18, with strawberry blonde hair that cut off at her chin and swirled outwards. She was wearing a tank top and cut-off jeans, and beside her, on the floor, was an unusual-looking hammer with stars painted on it.

The fourth was a girl with pale blonde hair and looks to kill. She had pouty lips, beautiful blue eyes, the works. And if that wasn't enough, she was wearing a dark blue leotard that left little to the imagination. She was smiling, and there didn't seem to be a single flaw with her body at all.

The fifth girl was elderly, and had stringy grey hair coming down in front of her face. While she wasn't ancient, she had wrinkles, and her eyes sat in her face like black orbs. She was wearing a woman's suit/skirt combination, and didn't seem to have any visible weapons with her.

The sixth was wearing a veil, so her face was invisible. Her whole dress was huge, with black feathers coming off of a white-and-black lace dress. None of her skin was visible. She was wearing gloves, and her long black hair covered any parts that would be visible around her neck. Her whole atmosphere in the place was a little unsettling.

"Hello." a young man came over to the table. "Are you prepared to order?"

"I'll have the meat curry and water." Kamome said.

The man turned to stare at Theodarus. "And for you, sir?"

[wkz]

"This... Fried Beef Noodle" Theodarus ordered. Not his original choice when entering the place, but the cheapness of the food available allowed him to get something other than Ramen. After all, having the same cheap bunch of food for the entire last week tends to lower your desire to have more of the same...

[JoshuaDurron]

Fwupo leaned over (way over) and tugged on Zachary's sleeve, whispering, "I think it's safe here Zach-kupo. There's something weird going on in this tournament-kupo, and these people seem to know the most about it-kupo. But keep your floating skills handy-kupo..."

Since his attention was somewhat diverted from the goings on at his own table, he took a passing note of the party of women. "And check out the babes-kupo!" He finished in the same tone.

[Molokidan]

"Yes sir." the waiter said, turning and facing Riley. "Next?"

"I'll have the Orange Chicken." Riley said. "And a beer."

The waiter finally turned to Fwupo, smiling. "And for you, sir?"

Negi's party managed to flag down another waiter as well, and they began listing their orders.

"...and I'll have the spicy vegetables." Christopher said happily.

"Very good choice, sir." this waiter, an elderly old man, said. Finally, he turned to Zachary. "What will be your order tonight?"

The women had already recieved their food, and had begun eating. The aroma wafted over to the mens' tables, and everyone began to notice how hungry they really were.

"Hey, you're right, Fwupo. . ." Riley said, taking a look at the women. "I like the girl with the hammer." he said, then elbowed Fwupo. "Hey, wanna go talk to them?" he said. "Which one you wanna go after? I'll take the hammer girl."

Kamome rolled his eyes. ". . ."

[FF Fanatic 80]

Adarl couldn't help a slight smirk at the pun, as he answered the swordsman back.

"I... would like to think so, though, I am hardly a saint."

The half-drow looks down at the water, the last statement bringing several memories to mind, as he continues to speak.

"Sometimes... one has to make very... difficult choices. And what seems the right choice at the time... turns out not to be..."

He then looks up at Saffron, a completely serious look on his face.

"I believe I may have done so recently, in regards to you. I have..."

Adarl pauses a moment, taking a deep breath. Part of him still worried about doing this. Between the tournament and all the unknowns in regards to its purpose, including Saffron's own motives, the rational part of him felt it unwise to reveal too much, or allow himself to get close to anyone. There was the constant possibility of any weakness shown being turned against him.

And yet... he truly did feel something. He had to know if it was simply a physical reaction, or something more than that. Otherwise, he would have no peace of mind for the rest of the tournament, possibly much longer than that.

"...I have not been entirely forthcoming about something." Adarl begins.

[The Great Nevareh]

"Szechuan String Beans for me, thank you."

[Molokidan]

Saffron, for the second time in the past half hour, looked up at Adarl again with his eyebrows cocked.

"Well, do tell. . ." he said, smiling. "People have always told me I was a good listener."

At that moment, a large man made his way into the bath. He had bulging, incredible muscles, and a buzzcut. His ebony skin glistened along the moisture and the fog. He made his way a decent distance from Adarl and Saffron before setting himself down.

****

"Yes sir."

The waiters returned to their kitchen alcove, leaving the men to talk amongst themselves for a few minutes. Riley continued pestering Fwupo to go and talk to the women, Negi's group mostly murmured amongst themselves, and Kamome sat silently, lost in thought.

The food came rather quickly, only causing the men to wait for about 10 minutes or so. As the waiters set everyone's plates down, Kamome raised his glass of water.

"I saw we have a toast before we eat. . .to denote this new alliance and hope that we all get out of this alive." he said, raising his glass happily.

[FF Fanatic 80]

Well, this was it.

His next words would dramatically effect the rest of his stay, to put it mildly. Saffron would either take it well, be indifferent, or...

...suffice to say, the half-drow hoped he could make other arrangements if this went badly. Or worse, defend himself. Taking another deep breath, he begins to speak.

"There is a reason for my... somewhat odd behavior of late. You see, the reason for it is... well... you."

Adarl closes his eyes, takes another breath before finishing.

"I... am... somewhat... attracted to you."

[Molokidan]

Saffron looked down for a moment, staring at the steaming water beneath them both. His wild yellow mop drooped a bit, with the density of the air, and tufts of yellow hair hung over his face.

Adarl stared at him, anxiousness welled up inside. He said it. Now he wanted to hear an answer.

Finally, Saffron sucked in a large breath and pulled his head back up. He stared at Adarl, with a coy smile on.

"That makes you a better man than me for saying it." he said, reaching out and placing a hand on Adarl's arm. "A better man than myself. . .one of the reasons why I am attracted to you as well." he said, his mouth enunciating every word to the utmost perfectness. He stared at Adarl with no particular expression on his face, just one that told Adarl that this man was not joking.

[wkz]

Theodarus did not reply with words, instead raising his cup to Kamome's.

His other hand is busy with the chopsticks, stuffing food into his mouth at surprising speeds.... "Wow, this stuff is GOOD.... its been a while since I had stuff this good...." he thought to himself.

[FF Fanatic 80]

Adarl stared back for the longest time, his brain still registering what just happened. Any doubts he had, the worry and uncertainty over admitting his feelings, were ended with a sentence, and a gentle hand on his arm. Finally, the corners of his mouth turned upward, Saffron seeing the first genuine smile on the half-drow's face since their meeting a good while ago.

"It seems... we have more in common, than I previously thought." Adarl says, smirking slightly. He turns to face the other swordsman, placing his own hand on Saffron's arm.

"I suppose... the question now is... how should we respond to this feeling we share." he asks. The half-drow could certainly imagine a few things to be sure, thanks to a certain libido. But he needed to be absolutely certain the feeling was mutual.

[The Great Nevareh]

Zachary is using his chopsticks expertly with well-practiced ease. His beans are soon gone, along with any rice he might have had, and he motions to order seconds. Beating his chest once, he swallows down an entire glass of water, smirks, raises his empty glass, and says
"To life, to arms,
To women (or men),
To all those who fall
Yet stand up again
To the force of the swell
To despair's death knell
To those that will tell
And others that dwell
And finally to all
Wo would insist
That drinking does call
In itself, to persist.
Yet mine glass is empty,
And you all can guess why
So order another round, someone,
C'mon, don't be shy!"
Zachary proceeds to try to flag down a waiter or waitress to refill his glass of water.

Edited by: The Great Nevareh at: 11/1/04 3:34 pm

[JoshuaDurron]

Fwupo munched happily on his sandwich (yes, a sandwich, complete with horseraddish sauce, letuce, tomato, roast beef... well, there was a lot on it,) for a few moments. Once he was finished, he turned to Riley. "One shouldn't go courtin' on a empty stomach-kupo. Now-kupo... let's see if I can't get a smile out of that serrious faced looker-kupo."

If not, it might be interesting to see what's under that hat...

With that thought, the moogle got up and walked towards the lady's table in a fairly carefree manner. "Good evening ladies-kupo!" He announced as he came up.

[Molokidan]

"Well. . ." Saffron stood up, stretching in the midst of the fog. "I suggest we relocate ourselves to the room, or some other quiet place where we can. . .discuss matters." he said, the coy grin still on his face. He began walking out of the bath, turning and staring back once more at Adarl. "You game?"

****

Everyone took a quick glance at Zachary before turning back to Kamome.

"Here's to us all getting out of this safe and alive." he said, clinking his glass together with Theodarus's. Negi and co. did the same, and everyone drank their respective drinks.

Everyone sat in silence and scarfed their food down, until it was just down to those odd, slow people who like to take time when they eat. Eventually, conversation began to pick back up again.

The man with green hair and the large chain gun, previously introduced as Zander, turned to Zachary. "Hey, I haven't seen you before." he said. "What do you do, anyway? I mean, your job? You're not a bounty hunter, are you? What's your specialty?"

Negi turned to Theodarus. "Thanks for telling us about the Zodiac. Anyway, do you have any input on the situation so far? Do you think we should try to take them out before they reach us? Or is there something else you've been pondering?"

Meanwhile, Fwupo moved over to the ladies' table. As he approached the samurai-looking girl, she neither looked at him nor said anything.

However, someone else did. . .

"How cuuuuuuuuuuute!!!!!" Fwupo's ears twitched, and after a moment of looking around, he found that the voice was coming from the teenage girl in the halter top. She dashed around from the table and scooped him up into her arms. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing ever?!?" she said, patting his head and hugging him towards her skinny chest. Her curls bounced with her face as she hugged him. "What's your name?!?!" she shouted, practically smothering him.

Riley stood back a few steps, howling with laughter.

[FF Fanatic 80]

The half-drow watched the swordsman's exit, smirking at both the 'challenge', and the view.

"Well... I've never turned down a worthy challenge before." Adarl answers, removing himself from the pool to follow the blonde. He was certainly excited at the prospect of being alone with the man for a bit. However...

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Adarl knew he needed to do something else. Feeling something for each other was nice and all, but theirs was not a 'normal' chance meeting. There was still the tournament they were both 'technically' adversaries in. Were he thinking more rationally, there was still very, very much about Saffron unknown to him. They needed to sit down and talk several more things through with one another, such as their motives for being here, and whether or not their goals conflicted drastically...

...unfortunately, all this was the furthest thing from the half-drow's mind, as he gathered his things and followed the man back to their room. All he could think of now was the first thing he may attempt, when they were finally alone.

Edited by: FF Fanatic 80&nbsp; at: 11/2/04 7:17 am

[The Great Nevareh]

"I'm a graduate student who wants to become a teacher at the university level. Boy, this rice is good! I mean, I eat a lot of it, and I know good rice, and this is some good rice! Anyway, I'm in the tournament so I can gather research on the prize and write my doctoral thesis. Not exactly conventional, but if I'm going to come up with something new, I'd rather come up with something really new as opposed to just re-hashing someone else's work. Pass the rice?"

[JoshuaDurron]

"Kupo!!!" Cried the moogle in surprise. Of course, he usually got this reaction, but he had expecting seasoned fighters to be a bit more... restrained. "Fwupo is my name-kupo," the moogle replied once he gathered his wits. "And, comfortable as this is-kupo, could you put me down-kupo?"

[Molokidan]

Saffron and Adarl made their way back to the dorm room, and Saffron led Adarl in, closing the door behind him with a soft snap.

"Well. . ." he said, pulling a beer out of the small fridge, and cracking it open. "What do we do now?" He smiled at Adarl, the beer can masking most of his mouth.

****

"Doctoral thesis, eh?" Zander said, moving the large rice bowl over to Zachary's direction. "Interesting. So, basically you have absolutely nothing to do with the Dark Zodiacs or the prize." he said, moving some hair out of his face. "That doesn't bother you at all?"

The other men at the table, Christopher, Rall, and Negi, had been talking with each other. Ari, however, was still silent, eating his food and staring off into space.

****

"Sure!" the girl said, dropping Fwupo to the ground. As she did so, he got a better look at her. She wasn't that tall, but she had long, slender legs and arms, and the thin, lithe body of a teenager. She smiled down at him, wearing glossy lipstick, and purplish makeup. She definitely looked. . .'perky'. "Fwupo, eh?" she said. "That's a cute name!!"

Riley moved up, putting his hand on Fwupo's shoulder. "I am his co-worker, Riley." the man said. "We're in a band."

"A BAND?!?!" the girl's eyes flew wide open, and her mouth practically dropped to the floor. "NOOO WAYYYYY!!!" she screamed, spinning around to stare at the other girls. "Did you hear this, you guys?! They're in a BAND!!!!"

No one really said anything, and only two of the women actually made the effort to stare up at their 'friend'.

"THIS IS SO AWESOME!!" she said, grabbing Riley and Fwupo's arms and jumping up and down. "So what are you guys doing in this tournament?" she said. "Are you after the prize too?"

"Well. . ." Riley began, quickly giving Fwupo a look as if to say 'I'm running out of things to talk about.'