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Tryout Fic 15: Tours and MusingsBright and shining stood the sun, looking down at the scattered crowd of heroes and villains. Within hours, many had dispersed amidst the wide rolling plains or in the village, seeking old friends. Only ten contestants lingered near the original sixty-four chairs that had been set up on the lawn. Most of the remaining were newcomers, not knowing where to go. Others were making new friends right there. And still others were trying to ignore these attempts at friendship. “My, my. It appears I’m too late,” muttered the finely-dressed man with white hair as he walked briskly towards the clearing. “Oh well, at least not ALL of them have left.” He looked around at the remaining contestants, many of whom were looking quite bored. The old man tapped his headset and cleared his throat. “If I may have your attention, masters,” he began politely. Some looked up, the rest didn’t bother. The butler talked through the inattentive. “I am Maison, and I am to show you around the village.” “Oh, thanks,” piped up Ness, turning away from his active conversation. “But I can show the others around. Been here before, you know.” “I know, Master.... Ness. But this is part of what I was hired to do—and you might be surprised at what I have to show. Please, walk this way.” “What? We have to follow this old human?” muttered someone in a childish scratchy voice. He was the one who Ness had been talking to, a young-looking boy with short blue hair and a tattered red cape. “Oh, keep an open mind, Laharl. Maybe it’ll be fun.” “That’s SUPREME OVERLORD Laharl to you, worm.” But he followed Maison anyway. After all, if he were to seize this puny dimension and add it to his list of conquests, a guided personal tour (he ignored the nine other contestants) was only the fitting start. They set off down the green rolling hills towards the village, and as they approached, Ness got his first surprise. “Hey! There wasn’t a wall here before!” “That is correct, Master Ness. However..... the tournaments have proven to be quite popular, and the size of the audience is only expected to grow. As such, new security measures have been taken. I doubt that this ten-foot solid stone wall is an impediment to most of you, but it should keep the riffraff out.” The little tour group followed along the wall as Maison talked. Ahead loomed a tall gate with ornate black iron bars. Beyond the gate, Ness could see the familiar village—or perhaps the not-so-familiar village. As usual, he could see the Hero’s Haunt and Mansion beyond. Nook’s was back too—the little raccoon was not competing this year, but he could still make a bundle off of those who were (in addition, the clever raccoon had opened a souvenir shop, connected to his original store yet open to those outside the village and kept separate from the weapon and item sections). The Training Center seemed even larger than before. Gathered near the gate itself was a small group of unfamiliar men and women, well-armed and dangerous-looking. Ness blinked. They were obviously gate guards, but they looked nothing like the security from last year. For one thing, they didn't wear uniforms—nearly everyone had a different outfit and weapon. The only thing they had in common was a small unobtrusive electronic headset—the same type that Maison was wearing, in fact. Maison turned around and, with one sweeping gesture, introduced both gate and guards. "These gates will be open the entire day, to allow you to come and go at will. However, since security must be maintained, the managers of the tournament have hired these elite guards from all over the multi-verse. No one except authorized personnel and contestants will be able to pass." One of the contestants looked up, alarmed. "Oh! Umm...." The nearest of the gate guards noticed his discomfort. "Yeah? What is it, kid?" The boy fidgeted as he came forth, adjusting his floppy hat. "Oh.... it's nothing. But.... only contestants can pass?" The guard frowned. "Well, if you want someone to visit, you'll have to tell us first. Were you expecting someone?" "Maybe. His name is Zidane, and he might be traveling with a girl named Dagger." "Zidane and Dagger, eh? We'll keep a lookout." The black mage bowed. "Thank you, sir." The guard seemed to hold back a snicker at this, but Vivi did not notice. "Oh, and one more thing. Do you know someone named Steiner?" "Steiner? Yeah. He's the buff—“ the guard paused. “Err... the one in charge at the East Gate. Friend of yours?" "Yeah. He'll know who Zidane is, if he passes by." "Right then. Best continue your tour," the guard gently reminded Vivi, nudging him towards the group which was already almost to the mansion. "Oh!” Vivi turned around to look at the guard. “By the way, what is your name?” “My name…… it’s Faris. Faris Scherwiz.” “Well, thank you again, Sir Faris. Bye!" the little mage scurried off, looking around the village frantically. He did not see the guard gazing after him with a rueful expression. Finally, Faris shrugged. “Well, for better or for worse, I’ve still got it.” ~~~ Vivi finally found the others just as they were entering the mansion itself. He caught the end of Maison's sentence just as it was echoing off the entrance walls, "—ned rooms. The rooms themselves are small but comfortable, although you will have to share a bathroom with your neighbor." Jak, the first one through, gaped at the beautifully redone entrance hall. The smooth wooden floor was covered by an enormous oriental carpet, which in turn traveled nearly to the panel walls of the rectangular chamber. Exquisite paintings hung on the walls next to the softly glowing imitation oil-lamps. Even the ceiling itself was decorated with a strange, colorful scene depicting Roman gladiators battling to the death. Almost the bow on the flower basket was the busty, scantily clad blonde woman sitting at the front desk. As one by one the contestants entered, they had to force themselves to continue to listen to Maison. Seemingly unaware of their states of inattention, he rambled on, "Extra keys will be kept at the front desk by our lovely receptionist, Miss—“ “Jennifer!?” Laharl gasped as he passed through the double doors. She giggled back. “Miss me, Harlie? <3 ” “Erg... don’t call me.......” the demon flushed. “What the hell are you doing here?” “Found an ad in the paper, and I saw your name mentioned. Thought it might be fun.” Laharl gaped at her. “Fun? This is a BATTLE tournament, to decide who’s the strongest fighter in all the universes! Jennifer shrugged. “Not for me. All I do is sit here and hand out keys—and they pay better than you do. Not like that’s hard……” “Hmph.” Laharl turned away and followed the rest of the tour. Next Entry Back |