[IC] TTG Chapter 7: Pride

[Shamitako]

Nastasia

 

 

Nastasia clutched a note from Seeker in her hand. It was uncharacteristically vague, simply asking her to meet the god at her temporary quarters here in Pride. They'd only been here a few hours, so it was curious as to what Seeker might find so important as to speak to her about at this time. If it were urgent, they could have spoken on the train, and if it could wait this long, surely there were more pressing matters to discuss with the other gods.

 

Unfortunately, she would not receive a proper answer today. When she knocked on the door to Seeker's room, it was answered by a different god, Gryffin. He didn't seem surprised to see her, though that was mostly because he looked very worried about something.

 

"Nastasia? Where's my mother?" Gryffin asked. Nastasia noticed that he was holding a piece of paper in his hand, apparently he'd received a similar note.

 

Tai

 

Tai had been locked in his room on the train, and upon arrival in Pride had promptly had the situation repeated with a prison cell. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in here, but it didn't seem all that long yet. Considering his position, it would probably be a long, long time before he was let out. Or so he would assume.

 

This assumption would be proven wrong when the door to his cell was opened for him. "You're not exact free yet, but they said I could let you out of your cell." Adam said, "Aries told everyone that Cardinal was threatening you, and I corroborated his story. It was the least I could do after what you did for me back there. Thank you, by the way, I haven't had a fight like that in years."

 

Grima

 

Grima wasn't exactly imprisoned, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to leave her room right now. Until Queen said she was off her leash, she needed to be careful to avoid any missteps. Unfortunately for her, a misstep decided to open her door. An older man with receding hair that had been dyed to look more like the black shade it had held in his youth, his brown eyes still clinging on to the spark of youth. He didn't knock, just announced he was going to enter and barged in. His labcoat nearly got caught in the door as it swung shut behind him, he made no attempt to close it properly, but he kept one step ahead of it. The way he entered showed a ridiculous sort of confidence that Grima couldn't help but be impressed by.

 

"Pardon the intrusion miss, but I would like your help." He announced, his voice surprisingly soft considering the scene he had just made.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

This had all been utterly strange... from the moment it had began. Her experience with the god known as Seeker was quite limited but... through the boy before her Nastasia had a crystal clear picture of her. If Lain was good at anything it was capturing the essence of people in words... though the talent wasn't used for the most innocent things all the time she was sure. This... this wasn't like Seeker. Sparse, vague. The woman cared too much about details for a note to be like this. 

Unlike Lain however, Nastasia was surprised to see him there. She nearly started when he began speaking to her, even moreso at how shaken he seemed to be. It didn't soothe her burning worry that was for sure. Something wasn't right here but Nastasia wasn't sure as to what that meant. Normally she'd be a lot more brutal towards the boy, but feeling what he was herself, she stayed her typical verbal lashings. "I... don't know Lain. I figured she'd be here when I arrived. I'll take that's not the case." she said trying to remain calm and level in her tone. She didn't want to add to the boy's worry.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

Even with her recent victory, Grima hadn't expected to be free from her agreement to Queen just yet. Surprising as it was, she had a feeling there was more she had to do, one battle wasn't going to fix all of her past issues. At the very least, she was in yet another comfortable room, sitting in a chair that allowed her to stare out into the outside world, content to pass the time by flipping her coin in her finger. It looked like she was getting her edge back, or had not lost all of it, considering her recent victory against someone that seemed fairly strong. Even if she had to take multiple risks and take even more direct hits to herself to accomplish it. The victory made her feel good, which was more than enough to content herself with.

 

Until a voice shouted out that they were coming in, and before she could turn around to reply, came in, not even bothering to close the door properly as he focused his attention on her. All in the time it took for Grima to turn herself to face the door. She... Guessed she could respect how direct he was, if nothing else, "Uh... Depends. What would you need my help with?" she replied with only a bit of hesitation, catching her coin as it fell through the air, quickly pocketing it without making a move to leave her chair.

[IntSys]

Tai

 

That, of course, was only a half-truth. In a delirious craze to get his fire back, he returned to find Cardinal, and therefore finding himself helping her again, even though in all honesty he had no real idea who was in the right and who was in the wrong. She had tortured him in public before, but this, was entirely on him.

 

Yet, it was also the only possible way for him to actually find the real answer again. Where else could he realize what he had been fighting for other than the arena? Tai raised his head from a river of reflection that flowed for as long as he was locked in. Before he could care about anything else, his dream, his passion, should come first.

 

"Aries?" Tai raised an eyebrow upon hearing the name. He was the one who told him to put up a cheesy display in the arena to restore Cardinal's confidence. Doing this... would be the exact opposite of what he was trying to do.

 

Tai laughed softly. "That fight changed far more than I had expected." Getting up, he stretched his limbs and laid his eyes back on Adam. "Thank you too, for being a good sport."

 

An obvious question arose, but it was definitely a question with a disappointing answer, and so he shoved it aside for the time being. "What is that thing you did in the end, by the way? Your mech's build isn't fast enough for speed glitching, am I right?" A casual question, from a man with a dozen of crimes on his shoulders. Some may have been forgiven when he was saved from the snowfield, but more others rose as he stepped back into the core of the conflict.

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

"Don't ask me what he was thinking, but I figured it was the least I could do to back him up. It helps that she threw that tantrum during your fight with the Hellfire Knight." Adam explained as best he could, "Maybe he just felt bad. I tried to ask him what was up, but he just told me to tell you, 'Cardinal says thanks, but it's too late for her to stop.' and then he spent like five minutes berating himself for messing up.

 

"Anyways, that's a trick I learned from a shitty midget goddess. It uses a similar technique as the glitch, but it's more like a manual activation than an automatic failsafe, it would work even if you built your mech through meditation. Though you still need to be fast, it's more reliant on your reflexes as a pilot than the mech's innate speed. Also I don't think I could do it again if you asked me to, I have no idea how she manages to do it every single time." Adam didn't avoid explaining the technique because he was trying to hide it, he just didn't really know how to explain it. It was something he'd done in the heat of the moment, and he still wasn't sure how it had actually worked.

 

Grima

 

"I was hoping you would, erm, retrieve something for me." the man said, surreptitiously closing the door so as to avoid any onlookers, "I am aware of the circumstances of your parole, but this is of great importance. If it matters, I'll take the blame when the time comes." Grima could tell from the man's tone that he was being very serious, but this whole situation was still pretty fishy.

 

Nastasia

 

Lain shook his head, "I came looking for her and I found this note she left, but it doesn't say anything about her. It's just some advice, doesn't even make sense. 'Don't be like your dad, take a clue from your uncle. An opportunity is coming.' Like, what does that mean? She hates Uncle Sain, why would she want me to act like him? And I don't even know what my dad is like! And an opportunity? What opportunity? Opportunity for what? What the fuck is an opportunity?!" Lain looked like her was going to explode, clearly he had a lot on his mind.

 

Nastasia would be a little surprised that Lain was opening up so much to her. They had known each other for some time, but he had never been this exposed. He always felt a little distant, like he was chasing after something else. But right now, when he was close to breaking, he was baring his heart for her.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

... So he wanted her to steal something. Could've just said so. And when she was trying to move past stealing too. "Well, whether or not I decide to help you out depends on how important this is, or why it matters that I steal it. If you know about my parole, you should know that I'm actually trying to make good on my word. So-" Grima replied, opening her hands in a questioning manner to the man, "-why even come for me?"

[IntSys]

Tai

 

"Too late..."

 

Everyone had a dream of their own. So, they were fated to walk on separate paths. Each, following their own dreams.

 

The mental scars from that fight said more than enough. His dreams of fighting in the arena cannot coexist with Cardinal's. Not because of the gears and screws that made up the world, nor was it because of the circumstances she was bound by, but simply because it was an fundamental conflict of ideologies.

 

He may have been the slowest person to figure it out, that dreams should come first before all else. Surely, from all the efforts Cardinal had sunk in into escaping from that lonely space of hers, she had already figured this out eons ago. And so, finally, they were equals again.

And so, it was too late. There was no reason to stop anymore.

 

"Then, here's wishing her good luck." Tai said with an earnest smile, not unlike an opening statement in the ring. No one would actually want their opponent to win when they say that, but they still say it anyway. It was a matter of respect, towards people chasing their own dreams, however selfish.

 

Tai then thought about Adam's trick. Those were words almost as vague as the same kind of words that came from the more superstitious bunch in the scene. He had the intent, and he had seen the result once, but what strung them together was entirely unknown. At best, it was an option to try in a pinch, only marginally more effective than just praying.

 

"Mm, thanks for the information anyway." Tai answered, surprisingly not all that disappointed. There was still a long road ahead of him. Sooner or later, he'd figure it out.

 

Skirting around the other question, he asked one more. "I suppose we still have time? If you're taking me somewhere, maybe you could tell me a bit about yourself on the way there-"

 

"-Oh right. For example... What got you into this mess?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

This day kept getting stranger and stranger. Nastasia had never quite see Lain like this before, she'd always known him as the type that kept the true workings under wraps, locked where others couldn't see. She wasn't quite sure how to handle someone defying expectations so spectacularly like this... She wanted to lash out like she usually did, to scold the boy, yell at him for being a fool. But that was a lot easier during his usual routine... not, not when she knew exactly how he was feeling. It was clear he was overwhelmed, scared. She was too and it wasn't even her own parent in question. She knew how it felt when her father passed away and he didn't return home that night. She took a deep breath to center herself, to stop the shaking. 

She planted her hands firmly on Lain's shoulders, trying to look him in the eyes if she could. It was... she wasn't sure what to do, but she needed to do something to help calm him down. She wanted him to feel she was there, that he was alone right now. "Lain, listen to me. I'm here, I don't know any better what's going on then you do, but there are a few things I do know." This, wasn't something she was used to... business was a much different matter, often an inhuman one. One needed to remain detached and aloof to some degree. All of her experience talking, it was useless here. So instead of talk with her head... it had to be from the heart right?

"Firstly..." she said after she hesitated. "Whoever sent left this note, also sent this to me." she quickly showed him the piece of paper, She kept one hand firmly on his shoulder while she did so. She took a moment so that he could read it, or register what it was before she continued. "They asked me to meet them here. Or at the very least, somebody here. I have to assume that it was you I was supposed to meet. I didn't fin your mother, but I found you. We can figure this out together Lain, We can." she pressed her forehead into his, the light sweat of worry sitting on her brow. She didn't really think about the gesture, she instinctively did what her father always had when she was all worked up and worried. She always felt safe like that, a calm would always wash over her. Perhaps her body assumed that it'd work for Lain as it had her...

[Shamitako]

Grima

 

"It was you or the singer." the man answered, "Everyone else is too involved, I can't trust them not to do something stupid." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph, handing it to Grima. It was of a small device in the shape of a triangular prism, the craftsmanship made it clear it was a piece of ancient technology. "It's called the Access Attain. It was in my possession until earlier today, but someone has taken it. It's how we originally planned to get the champion to the Plane of Nil, and I assume the thief is planning to go herself."

 

Tai

 

Adam winced at Tai's next question. "My own ego, really." he said with more than a hint of embarrassment, "Lord has been caring for me since I was a kid, and I let it get into my head that she did that because I was something ultra special. So I joined the tournament despite her insistence that I wasn't ready. I was acting like a brat, and it dragged everyone around me down."

 

Nastasia

 

Lain was dumbfounded by the note, and completely unprepared to stop Nastasia from drawing him in. Held so close to her, he could no longer contain himself. Tears spewed from his eyes against his will as his body shook with fear. "I don't think she's planning to come back." he whimpered weakly, "She wanted us to meet here because she doesn't want me to be alone."

 

He pushed Nastasia back, a little rougher than he meant to, but kept a gentle hold on her arm, letting her know he wasn't trying to be rid of her. "Nastasia I... You.." He failed to bring the words out. The storm raging inside him begged him to say something more, but at the same time held him back.

 

He let go of her and wiped his tears. But although it might have seemed like he was closing himself off again, that wasn't the case. He had simply had an epiphany. Despite her instructions, Lain chose to take after his mother. With a deep breath, he reigned in the turmoil. To say what he needed to say, he needed to be in control, otherwise it was meaningless. "Nastasia, I want you to stay by me." he said, doing his best to muster a smile, "A lot of people have left me, I don't want to see you leave as well. Because I value your friendship, and I really care about you as a person. And I think maybe..." he took another breath, "You care about me too?"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia

Spoiler

 

Nastasia remained silent through the tribulations of the bo... young man in front of her. She understood, and yet she was overwhelmed. This was never quite a position she imagined herself in. She felt as everything changed about someone she knew, How the barriers she'd built up, the excuses to never think on something crumbled to dust before her own eyes. And, she felt as another went through the pain she had... but went through alone. Nastasia... she felt many things all at once as she watched Lain. As she felt his emotions physically, the shove away but the gentle grasp still there. The move to recollect himself. She felt his words, how at first he stumbled. How they first choked him. She felt the Lain's courage in saying what he did in his state of mind, of possible grieving over a parent. 

Nastasia looked away for but a second, her surprise genuine. What had been asked of her finally registered, for a moment her instincts kicked in. They wanted her to pull away. She'd only cared for one other person in her life before... and she had lost them. But... Nastasia was stronger than that. She immediately steeled herself, enough to look back at the man who asked her not to leave. She hoped he would not take offense to her wavering, even if it was but a moment. "I suppose I'm not as hard to read as they say." An attempt to the lighten the mood ever so slightly. "Lain... I. I'll admit I tried to deny those feelings. I tried not care."

Nastasia looked down at her feet, unsure if she should continue. Her face obscured by golden waves, the beautiful blue eyes that filled with crystal droplets. Lain could see as they flashed in the light, as gravity enacted itself on her tears. This was the first time Lain could recall seeing Nastasia cry in front of him. She took a deep breath, the one that she'd use to propel herself forward, to fight through the fear. She too wore a smile, the best she could muster in all these emotions. One that wore the vestiges of melancholy. And yet, that smile was the strongest that Lain had witnessed pass her lips. That it could yet shine through everything, even as it cracked and wavered... it had a strength to it he'd never witnessed from her before. It was saying a lot for perhaps one of the strongest young woman he knew. "I... had thought you a boy. A privileged offspring of the divine. One who used that to selfishly attract who ever he desired at the moment. That you were the type to never let yourself be known and toss away those that you grew bored with. Perhaps I was right then... but that doesn't matter." she was unsure if it was okay to touch him, how close she could draw. She settled for reaching for his arm, A gentle grip, much like his from before.

"What matters is even despite that... I'd felt this way for a long time. I can't say I remember how long, or when it started. But, recently as I'm sure you know..." she stopped a moment. She didn't want to say the next words. She... in this moment she was unsure if she'd ever said them before. And if she had, she'd numbed herself to do so, distanced herself from their true meaning emotionally so that she could. She'd put on her business facade. But Lain would know, this? This was Nastasia speaking. "My father passed away. I... didn't have anyone myself. I had to be strong. I never got to properly mourn him. I had a business to run... and I used that as an excuse to ward myself off. So, I'll stay. I understand how you feel. In addition, I want to be true to the way I feel. I see you now. I can't ignore the man in front of me who bore his heart to me. You've proven any false pretenses but that, Artifice solely invented so I may ignore what I truly feel for you."

[IntSys]

Tai

 

Tai was lost in thoughts for a moment, trying to understand what that meant. Eventually, he figured out how he wanted to respond. "You know, you might not be ultra special in that way, but I still think there's something special about you."

 

He paused briefly, before continuing. "Like how you could change. Really change. You were Silent Requiem, and now you are Astra. You continued with a different mech than the one that got you to the finals. If I were in the audience, I wouldn't be able to believe that the two mechs are really piloted by the same person."

 

"As for the other competitors... Some have left, while others stayed instead. But even as the events in this tournament impacted our lives, at best we only change as a person - that mech you faced in Envy was exactly the same as when it faced the Revenant in Sloth."

 

"That's the special thing about you. You're determined to change. Much more than any of us here. And I think that will get you closer and closer to what you really want."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

As the man pulled out a photograph, Grima pushed herself off of the chair she sat in, stepping closer to take it and inspect it herself. Ancient artifact, by the looks of it, and clearly a bit valuable, even without the man giving a description of why it was important, "Okay... Makes a bit more sense now. Do you even know who the thief is? And how do you know if this thief of yours hasn't already used this thing to get to Nil?" Grima asked after a second of thinking, turning back to the man. There were still dozens of other questions, but she needed to figure out what he wanted her to do before making any decisions. 

[Shamitako]

Grima

 

"She may well have already left, yes." the man said, sounding unconcerned, "But if that's the case, it really doesn't matter whether I try to stop her or not, no? As for her identity, that would be Seeker." he seemed equally unconcerned by implicating one of the gods, "Or at least I'm pretty sure it is, I can't think of anyone else who would know where it was and also have reason to take it."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

While the man had her attention, Grima was still taken aback once he said who (at least, as far as he knew) stole the Access Attain, "Seeker? That's..." she started, only to trail off. She recalled her conversation with Queen a while back. About Nil, about what the winner's final challenge against the Tenth God. She couldn't question why one of the Gods would want to go there themselves, since there was far too many reasons. But one of the reasons was very worrying. They were going there to interrupt the duel, in Nil's favor. Practically every fiber of her being told her to send this man off, stay where she was, and wait. Her part in this entire part of history, as small as it was, was over. She didn't have to risk going against one of the Gods directly.

 

But her deal with Queen wasn't over yet. As underhanded as this seemed, it still ran with what Queen had asked her to do.

 

With a fairly agitated sigh, Grima rubbed her eyes, "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do" Grima eventually stated as she stood up, "So, all I have to do is get this thing from Seeker before they get to Nil. Any idea where they're keeping it right now?"

[Shamitako]

Grima

 

The man scratched his head nervously. "Well, not technically..." he said, "But she'll use it soon, she has to, so I expect she'll have it with her and be headed for somewhere secluded. Your best chance to take it is probably right when she tries to use it. There will be a brief moment where it will cut off her senses before it transports her." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of pills, "These should help with the timing. Ingesting one should slow your perception of time momentarily, which I believe you're quite comfortable with. With your skills, I'm pretty sure you'll have an easy enough time getting the device, but I should warn you: Once she realizes it's gone, she's going to be really pissed. The hard part won't be stealing, it will be getting away in one piece."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

"I can figure out how to get myself out with it, don't worry about that" Grima stated as she took the bag of pills, slipping the bag underneath her sleeves due to her lack of pockets, "Should've expected that she would be holding on to it right now though. You know where she is about now? Or am I going to have to find her on my own?" she continued as she stepped around the man, gaining a clear path to the door. Time was clearly of the essence here, so she was ready to get to work as soon as she could.

[Shamitako]

Grima

 

"I'd suggest checking the meeting rooms first, they're nearby and likely deserted right now, a perfect place for her to leave from." the man said. He didn't really seem to know anything for certain, but he seemed to always have a decently educated guess. He waved a cheerful goodbye as she headed out, once more seeming oddly calm about this whole scenario.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

With a nod, Grima began to walk out the door, only stopping to swipe a particular dagger from a desk next to it and attaching it to her belt, along with covering it with her jacket. As soon as she was out of the room though, she immediately began to walk down the halls as casually as she could. She wasn't entirely familiar with the layout of the mansion, but even she knew where the meeting rooms were. She just needed to look natural to anyone walking by, at least until she reached the rooms. Then she'd have to peek into said rooms to make sure Seeker was in any of them.

 

If she was? Well, she'd figure out that step once she got there.

[Shamitako]

Grima

 

Grima found almost no one, let alone her target, as she hunted from room to room. The entire building felt rather deserted, and the quietness gave her the uncomfortable feeling that she had fallen out of reality and into a dream. This uneasy feeling made what was actually a fairly quick search feel agonizing in length, not helped by the fact that her search did not end until the last room. When she looked into that last room, Grima had already searched several that were totally empty, and it seemed unlikely that her quarry would be in this one after not being in any of the rest. Of course, that's where Seeker was.

 

Seeker was standing with her back to the door, which was both good and bad. Seeker hadn't seen Grima, but Grima couldn't see if Seeker had the Access Attain either.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

Somehow, Grima wasn't too surprised to see Seeker in the final room she checked. It was almost natural for that to have been the case. Regardless, as soon as she had taken in Seeker's presence, Grima slipped back outside, taking a few steps back in order to retrieve the bag of pills from her jacket (and take one out) without alerting the god. For a brief moment, she considered why she was so willing to do all this. Sure, doing a bit of spying in case something was going wrong was fairly natural, and most of all safe, but she was still relying on the word of someone she knew nothing about.

 

... In the end, she could only trust her gut instinct, and her instinct told her that this was something she had to do, or at least delay.

 

So, pill in hand, Grima nudged the door open a bit more, keeping herself lowered to the ground as she took careful steps into the room. At the very least, she'd have to move into the room enough to see if Seeker did have this Access Attain. If she didn't, well, no harm done, she could leave without anymore trouble... Besides having to figure out who did have it. If she did, then she'd take the pill and wait for her moment to strike.

[Shamitako]

Grima

 

As Grima crept further into the room, she was able to position herself where she could get a much better stock of things. The most important thing she noticed was that her target was sitting on the table in front of Seeker. The second most important that Seeker had her eyes shut and was muttering to herself. While Grima was experienced enough to be fine regardless, it struck her that just about anyone could have snuck up on Seeker right now. Although that didn't mean much, as her client had made it clear that the difficulty of this mission would be in the getaway.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

After two seconds of taking in the situation, Grima immediately brought the pill to her mouth, swallowing it without a bit of hesitation. Then, as the effects began to kick in, Grima began slowly advancing upon Seeker, hands free and ready to snatch the target once she got close enough to do so, or as soon as something began to happen. The man did say that there would be a brief moment where it would cut off Seeker's senses before transporting her. She just didn't know if that was happening right now.

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

There was a hint of a blush from Adam at Tai's compliment. It was extremely uncommon for him to get compliments, and the few he did get were usually backhanded ones. It felt nice to be genuinely approved of for once. But that nice feeling didn't last as a shadow fell over his gaze.

 

"I appreciate that, I really do. But to get what I want will take a lot more than personal growth." he said, choking up a bit. He grabbed Tai's hand and tugged, marching them both down the hall at an increased pace. "There's something you deserve to see." was the only explanation he gave.

 

Adam brought Tai to a bedroom door, which he knocked on gently. Receiving no response, he opened it, making certain to stay quiet as he did so. Inside the room was a single occupant, a young girl lying on a lavish bed. It was quickly apparent to Tai why he needed to see this. The girl was his opponent from round three, and she didn't look well at all. Despite clearly being asleep, her breathing was labored and shallow. Her brown skin had turned several shades paler and sweat was pouring from every pore. Worst of all, Tai could feel her agony just by being in the room, as though her feelings were leaking into him.

 

"She pushed herself too hard." Adam made an attempt to explain, "Lord told us both to stay out of this tournament, but neither of us listened, and we both paid the price. I might have found a way to grow, but Temperance wasn't so lucky. She went too far, and now her soul is failing. And what really sucks is that there's absolutely nothing I can do about it."

 

Grima

 

The pill gave Grima plenty of time to assess her situation, which was good, because she immediately realized she'd made a mistake. While the device was there, Seeker wasn't using it yet. The tears dripping from her face, greatly slowed by Grima's enhanced perception, were evidence enough that she wasn't yet ready to follow through with whatever it was she planned to do. Grima would have to back off for now and wait for the right moment. she still had several more pills, so she could make plenty of attempts if the need arose.

[IntSys]

Tai

 

Tai had been in this position before. Right after everything started to crash down - that fight was one of the greatest regrets he had in the tournament. Basked in that feeling once more, the memory became vivid again.

 

"You've probably caught wind of this before, Adam. The fight shouldn't have ended like that," Tai paced slowly around the bed, stopping right next to its occupant. "It wasn't fair for everyone involved."

 

"... Honestly... Ever since then, I kept reassuring myself that she would get well soon." A sigh, breathed into all the agony in the room. "And that, I could make up for it with a rematch in the future."

 

His eyes drifted down to Temperance. "But, we don't have much time left now, do we?"

He considered briefly, who he was about to talk to exactly. For a moment, he doubted if the passion he had seen was entirely just a result of her reflecting off him getting heated in the battle and the restless crowd that had surrounded them.

Quote

"But you didn't win you stupid traitor. Using Nil to protect you is way worse than cheating."

But, at least there was a bit of her that he could believe was genuine for certain.

He looked for a small plot of empty space along the bedside and sat on it, facing backwards and turning his face to the girl. Two thumps on the bed, and he began to speak to her, as casually as a man on a telephone, dialing an acquaintance from a decade ago. "Hey, ... Libra. Long time. It's Supernova. I want a rematch. Do you want a rematch?"

[Shamitako]

Tai

 

As much as Tai's words might have meant to Temperance, she didn't react in the slightest to any of it.

 

"It's no use, I've tried talking to her, words just aren't enough." Adam explained solemnly.

 

Adam didn't blame Tai for Temperance's current state, their fight was regrettable, certainly, but the only person he felt comfortable blaming for this was himself. Temperance looked up to him, and he was certain she had forced her way into the tournament in an attempt to be more like him. Not that blame really mattered anymore, it was too late for that.

 

"Look, I showed you this for a reason." Adam tried to get things on track, even as his own mind told him to take any other path, "I can't seek my own wants just yet, I need to save her first, I want your help. Everyone else has given up on her, but I can't just leave her like this. You didn't give up on me, so I thought maybe you might not give up on her either."