* You and Annie make it to the competitors waiting area/practice area! There's a dozen or so
people visible.
* There's a cloaked figure, tendrils of skin flowing from underneath the cloak and dragging
along the ground, there's a little kid, with long, floppy ears, talking to a little tiny dragon
that looks like something out of Pokemon.
* Off to the side, two nekojin are sparring, and a lone figure in shiny silver armor is
practicing some katas with a spear.
<Annie> ... he's not here.
<Annie> But he's on the list.
<Tzezhin> Who?
<Annie> Shia. A Callergian Angel, who fell in his gods service, and ended up here.
<Tzezhin> ...I see.
* One of the figures, a 6-armed, snow skinned person, walks up to greet Tze.
<6arms> Greetings. I am Hannish. You I do not recognize in this tournament.
<Tzezhin> I am Tzezhin Kjitef M'haron.
<Hannish> Let us be freinds and allies before we face each other in the arena. *crosses all its
arms over its chest.*
<Hannish> May I ask what your goal is in entering this tournament?
<Tzezhin> I see no barrier to that. *half-bows*
<Tzezhin> Goal?
<Hannish> If you have no goal, then why did you eneter?
<Tzezhin> It was slightly unintentional.
<Tzezhin> Although I do wish to research the techniques used by such a variety of people.
* Out of one of the buildings, exits a tall, softly glowing figure. 7 feet tall, white,
feathery wings, and solid white eyes. In fact, he's pretty much all white, except for a thin
black scar along his left side.
* Annie's eyes light up. "Shia...!"
* Tzezhin eyes the figure. "So this is 'Shia'."
* Shia strides to the pactice area, where the two nekjoin who were sparring give way, letting
him have the area.
<Tzezhin> ( But what about his SWORD?! )
<Tzezhin> ( ^_- )
( Sword? )
( What sword? )
<Tzezhin> ( No sword? Well, what good is *he*, then? :P )
* Shia does some stretches, then starts punching the air in front of him. There's a rippling in
the air, and a single note of song with each strike.
* Annie and Hannish turn to watch. And there's a soft tune coming to from the series of
strikes. A sad one.
<Tzezhin> ...Interesting.
<Hannish> They say he plays a song of death for the false gods of this world.
<Tzezhin> Oh?
<Hannish> He challenged the Lords as false gods whence he came here. He failed.
<Hannish> He keeps training himself to someday overcome them.
<Tzezhin> These Lords are not gods in full, are they?
<Annie> Cephiro never claimed to be a god.
<Tzezhin> And the others?
<Annie> The Lords of Light never claimed that. And neither did the Lords of Shadow. They merely
declared themselves rulers.
<Tzezhin> So why does he assume their false divinity?
<Hannish> Because they are gods of this land.
<Tzezhin> How does one figure that?
* Shia continues striking the air, using his wings, feet, knees to strike. The continuing
stream of notes become harder, more intense, but still sad.
<Hannish> They rule, and no mortal, or immortal can defeat them.
<Tzezhin> There have been absolute rulers before, without feeling the need to assume divine
title.
<Annie> Hmph. They're not gods.
<Annie> They're human. Just because they're powerful, people call them gods.
* Tzezhin nods. "I agree with Annie's assessment."
<Hannish> But they are gods.
<Tzezhin> How do you know this?
<Hannish> Because there must be gods to have faith.
<Tzezhin> There are other, more constant and reassuring things than gods to have faith in.
<Hannish> Not for one such as him.
* Tzezhin shakes his head. "To each his own."
<Tzezhin> From where does that music come? Is it magic?
<Hannish> An expression of his divine nature.
<Tzezhin> Huh.
* Shia finishes, falling to a relaxed pose.
* Shia then reenters the building he exited from, with long, sweeping strides.
* Annie quits gawking, then goes to the currently empty practice area.
* Tzezhin goes along with her. "Would you care to spar?"
* Annie nods. "I'd love to. Don't try too hard, we might have to go at it for real out there,
though. :9"
* Fadeout!