[Preshow] The Library

Karl Jak

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A massive, multi-floor room containing books, newspapers, and audio recorders from various points in history across various realities. The people at Syntech have collected a surprisingly enormous library that seems to span time and space.
 

Azula

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What fresh hell was this?

The collection of troglodytes swaggering throughout this place was unlike any Azula had ever laid eyes upon. Everyone here seemed to be some flavor of trollish lug or wouldbe evil mastermind, with no actual sense for what power felt like. She could almost feel herself seething with rage about how many pretenders lurked the halls of the Dante’s Abyss preshow facility, but for once, she quelled it. For once in her seventeen years, she played it cool.

Better to fly under the radar, for the moment, she surmised. Undoubtedly she was made for this violent display, especially in its current iteration; after all, who amongst this rabble actually had any real experience ruling a nation? Commanding its armies? Sentencing its prisoners and executing its dissenters? She’d yet to meet any who skills didn’t pale in comparison to her own, and so until given reason to slither out of hiding and strike, she contented herself to lie in wait.

…though the incompetence of these fools did turn out a bit hard to stomach.

After peeking around in different corners of this futuristic facility, filled to the brim with technologies she could barely even fathom, she turned her path toward the library. The purpose was, of course, to expand her mind, to live and breathe what information she could about Dante’s Abyss and Syntech and whatever else she could scavenge that might help her carve out a path toward victory lane. But also… being as far away from the idiots grandstanding in the other areas seemed as good an idea as any. After all, she wasn’t supposed to kill anyone before the event began, ostensibly.

The preshow facility’s library was filled to the brim with all sorts of different media, only some of which Azula understood. Since her affair with Syntech+, she’d grown slightly more accustomed to the idea of… video technology, as she understood it was called, but the sight of actual books and maps brought her a great deal of comfort.

But where to even begin? The scope of this library’s contents seemed nearly limitless, as if whoever stood at the head of this ‘Syntech’ Nation had power or resources — or both — beyond mortal imagination. Her eyes drifted to a rather large, rather gaudy portrait of a man hanging above the fireplace that marked the library’s epicenter. He was adorned in the finest purple garb for this era — whatever fucking era it was — and flashed his pearly white teeth, brown brushstrokes perfectly capturing the delicate swoop of his hair. This, she knew, must be the man in charge.

What in the world could someone with such vast resources want with all of them? Did they exist just to serve as his entertainment, little toys he watched move around the field at his leisure? The painting’s watchful eyes, which almost seemed to follow her in that irritating way painted figures’ gazes often did, made her feel incredibly small. It was a feeling she wasn’t used to, and didn’t like, but that she’d experienced all too often since being dropped on that hellhole of an ocean world.

The fire princess scowled. This universe has belittled and underestimated her far too much since her untimely entrance, and it was time to show them who was really in charge.

“Miss?” a voice perked up behind her. Azula spun around, grimace still plastered on her face, and barked back.

“What?”

“I — ” the tiny, frail older woman sputtered. It seemed year after year of these murderous competitions would never succeed in steeling her against the brutishness of these players. For her part, Azula stood and impatiently awaited an answer, and the elderly librarian did her best to oblige. “I was just wondering if you were looking for anything in particular, sweetheart.”

“How to win,” Azula shrugged, placing a hand on her hip and lifting an eyebrow at the old woman’s idiocy. Of course she was looking for anything and everything that would give her a leg up in this competition — why would she waste her time doing anything else?

“Oh,” the woman replied meekly, “well… there’s a wealth of information here. Maps of arenas, competitor profiles… I guess the latter wouldn’t do you any good unless they’re returning for another round, which, given how… final the eliminations are, doesn’t seem too likely.”

“Maps,” Azula snapped her fingers. “You said maps. I want to see this year’s.”

The librarian stood up a little straighter and flattened out the front of her periwinkle dress. “I’m afraid this year’s map is not available for checkout at the moment,” she sighed, “seeing as that would be a tad bit unfair, honey.”

Azula rolled her eyes and turned away from the woman, crossing her arms and biting her lip.

I’ve got half a mind to burn you alive until you give it to me, she mused to herself, but…

That wouldn’t be wise. She was trying to win, not get disqualified before the competition even began. Her eyes traveled once again to the painting just above her head. She could see an air of self-importance in this man’s eyes, one that allowed her a glimpse, she hoped, into how he — and Dante’s Abyss itself — operated. A man like this thought a lot of himself. He must’ve been very proud of his creations… proud enough to recycle elements?

“Last year’s,” Azula turned back to the elder woman, who had begun to walk away. The librarian paused in her tracks, then warily met the fire princess’s gaze. “Oh, excuse me,” the teenage terror’s eyes rolled once again, “did you think we were finished?”

It only took a few minutes for last year’s map to be in Azula’s hands, and even less time for her to unfurl it on the large table by the fireplace and throw some paperweights on the corners. Once it was set up, she curled her fingers into a fist and launched a punch toward the collection of logs in the fireplace. Electric blue fire burst from her knuckles and danced around the logs, igniting in them a foreboding sapphire flame.

The librarian squealed at the sight. Another girl who’d entered the library after Azula simply said “ooooh.”

The fire princess wasn’t concerned with them. She’d focused in on the map of last year’s games, only to immediately be confronted by something endlessly frustrating.

“Alright, how am I supposed to see anything with this fucking mountain blocking my way?!”
 

Magnus Might

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Malloki had done the dance his last time around. Blown something up, broken things, played free-willy through the halls and left bloody ass-cheeks on the fine china. This time, he arrived in the lobby and handed over his papers like a good boy! Much to the attendant's surprise... With the itchy collar adorned, the man pranced down the halls, whistling a happy little tune.

The sight of a smiling, happy Malloki was almost worse than hearing his screams about "the game." This cheer meant he was plotting, like the quiet before a storm...

Malloki's first thought was to find food. The grim reminder of last year's little limitation on his healing, however, meant that gorging himself before play-time would be meaningless. He could always grab a bite later. For now, his little skip through the pristine hall became a game of "What's behind door number one!" Except, "one" was just whichever door caught his fancy. It was a rather large frame showing off a collection of bookshelves within.

"Ahh, books! An excellent location for a scholar such as myself!" The exclamation was made for no one, to no one. The hand resting against his chest to officially decree himself a scholar then points towards a bookshelf. The man followed his pointing finger. Closer and closer, until he was poking the spine of a thick tome. "Ahh, yes. An excellent book to pass the time!"

Plucked from its shelf, he parted the dusty old book carefully and peered at its first page. "Mmmhmm..." Page turn. "Ahh..." Page turn... "I knew it." With a quick clap of the covers snapping shut, he tossed the book over his shoulder. "No pictures." Never once did he lose that regal poise. He was a scholar now! For the last thirty seconds, and for the next... however long he chose to keep playing this game, he had to be snooty.

As it turned out, wondering about no more than three minutes was enough to skew the lines of what it meant to be a "scholar." Somewhere along the lines, in the darkest recesses of this library of vast knowledge, he had found a book very much to his likings. It was full of pictures, with just a flavorful splash of text. It had many hot topics... Sizzling content really. "1001 Quality Meals" by Hannibal Lecter.

The sound of an explosion nearly rattled poor Malloki. Blood pumping, eyes frantic, he was ready for a fight! "Don't start without MEEEEEE!" With the book held overhead in a five-year-old style dead sprint, the man followed the promise of a little preshow-game. He did not expect to run into an innocent bystander just gawking. A last-minute juke had him twirling like a drunk ballerina into a bookshelf.

If the librarian was feeling a bit uneasy around Azula, then being stuck between Azula and the infamously insane Dante's Abyss madman was not a fun place to be. "Hehe, almost broke my face. Oooh, look, pretty fire! We roasting marshmallows, elf ears, or that Oscar Mayer dude's weiner?"
 

Toga Voorhees

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With a mischievous grin on her face, watches the erratic man careen into the bookshelf. As it wobbles precariously, a few of its precious treasures toppling from their seats, Malloki asks his questions. The teenager smiles even wider, leaning to the side a bit and holding her hands behind her back.

"Nope! Just waiting for this to happen!"

Malloki's reply, whatever it may have been, is cut off as his lower body is suddenly pinned under a couple hundred pounds of exotic wood.

Of course, she knew who he was; it'd be hard to forget that mass of scars that called itself a man. There hadn't been a whole lot to do this past year except watch the 'casts of the previous Games, and Malloki Tuwile stood out from the pack. Not, she had to admit, in a good way. The guy held the rather dubious distinction of having been the first casualty of last year's event: a consequence of his hyper-aggressive 'hunt' of the other contestants.

With a playful giggle, kneels down next to the Voodoo Doll, poking the man gently on the forward.

"You're funny!" she says, with a smile.

"Especially the way ya died…" her eyes widening as she leans closer to Malloki, the latter struggling to free his legs from their prison. From the corner of her eyes, Toga spots a gaggle of Syntech staff rushing over and she sighs disappointedly, slipping her knife back into its hiding place.

"Sorry, simp. I don't wanna get disqualified before the show even starts. I'll see ya later!"

Hopping to her feet, and turning on her heel, the blonde girl skips away as Malloki begins to cackle at his own predicament. As much as Toga generally disliked older men, she felt a sort of profound connection to the scarred fellow. A kindred soul, perhaps? But it didn't take long for the teenager's hyperactive mind to lose that train of thought and focus on something else entirely.

Her playful 'escape' from the scene of the crime had taken Toga close to Azula. The black-haired girl had barely even seemed to notice the commotion; neither Malloki's insane rush nor the fall of the bookcase. Instead, her attention was focused on the map before her. Coming to a sudden halt behind Azula, Toga leans her head over the girl's shoulder and asks, perhaps a bit too loudly for how close she was to Azula's ear.

"Hi! I'm Toga! Wanna be besties?"
 

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Azula examined what she could of the mountain-ridden map with a laser focus that shut out most of Malloki’s incessant ramblings. As he approached, she barely even registered that someone was talking to her, and the nuisance was so subdued by her natural ‘don’t-give-a-fuck’ attitude that the choice of whether or not to ignore him was a decidedly easy one. The same could not be said for the collapse of one of the library’s bookshelves on top of his ridiculous person.

“What the hell?” she spat, jerked from her concentration. Her nearly perpetual scowl deepened further when she spotted Malloki lying on the ground beneath the weight of the huge bookshelf. What an imbecile.

“Hi! I’m Toga! Wanna be besties?”

Azula could’ve screamed — but seeing as she wasn’t a weak-minded buffoon, she didn’t. She simply leapt back, sapphire flames wreathing her fist, and dropped into a fighting stance. She knew they weren’t supposed to get into any scrapes or brutally murder anyone before the competition started, but these fools never stopped tempting her to step out of line.

A second glance at the newest offending party offered a… different evaluation, though. Himiko Toga stood before her, hands sweetly tucked behind her back, wide grin on her face. But unlike the innocent, frustratingly joyous smiles of the Avatar and his little friends, Azula recognized this expression. Toga blinked a bit, and in her eyes the fire princess caught some glimmer of familiarity, some monstrous shared quality that she not only knew well, but, instinctively… she didn’t mind?

“Oooh, you’re feisty,” Toga giggled, bounding forward and invading her personal space without warning, once again. That was going to have to cease.

The blonde girl lifted a spindly finger and reached out to graze the tip on one of the embers wafting off Azula’s fist. “Ouchie!” she observed. “That’s hot!”

Azula rocked back onto her other hip, dispelling her flames and crossing her arms as she raised a curious eyebrow at the girl before her. She seemed remarkably similar to Azula in age, but a far gap from her in demeanor and intelligence. Though at least, the teenage tyrant thought, she seemed to be miles ahead of the buffoon beneath the bookcase.

She decided to be blunt. “Are you an idiot?”

Toga, somehow, smiled even bigger at that. “No, silly!”

“Then you’re insane?” Azula asked, though it wasn’t really a question. The longer this girl lingered in her bubble, the more the fire princess realized she was completely fucking off her rocker.

Toga giggled, and if Azula’s eyebrow could’ve raised any higher, it might’ve. Thus far, she hadn’t had much success when it came to personal relationships in this realm — an unfortunate reflection of her past life and the struggles Mai and Ty Lee had put on her, treacherous trollops that they were. There was something about Toga, though… something she… did she dare say something she actually liked?

The blonde continued to giggle, and for the first time since she’d arrived on this cursed comet, Azula’s lips curled into a smile, too, and she began to laugh. At first, they giggled together, the fire princess uncrossing her arms and leaning forward to place a hand on Toga’s shoulder. They laughed in harmony for several seconds, neither acknowledging that the library’s other patrons were beginning to stare at them. They just laughed and laughed, steadily growing louder in volume, almost competing for who could cackle the loudest and wildest. Even Malloki’s eyes rolled toward them in a little bit of wonder as they nearly screeched in the middle of the library.

“Shhhhhhh,” the hushed tones of the little periwinkle-clad librarian echoed just beneath the rising decibels of Toga and Azula. As if cut off by the grand conductor of their cackling concerto, the pair of girls ceased laughing almost at once and craned their necks toward the offending old woman. Instantly, the woebegotten Syntech employee knew she’d fucked up, and scurried away, leaving the murderous maniacs of this goddamned death game to their own devices.

Toga spun back to look at Azula, then, without warning, leapt forward and wrapped her arms around the fire princess’s neck. “Oh. Em. Gee. Twinsies!!”

Azula almost recoiled at the touch, but then Toga said something even more interesting.

“And don’t mind Grams over there,” she smiled as they separated, resting into the demure post not unlike a teenager who’d just found a new best friend. “A lot of people here are real sticks in the mud,” she chuckled, “but some of ‘em are pretty cool!”

“How long have you… been here?” Azula asked, her interest piqued.

“Little ol’ me? Since last year!” Toga replied cheerily. “I was a little naughty, and they’ve been letting me hang out for a while! So sweet, right?”

Azula gave Himiko Toga a once-over, then let her eyes flutter back to the map, still resting on the table just a few meters away. She brushed past the blonde, resuming her position above it, then met Toga’s gaze once again.

“Oh,” Toga added just as Azula was about to speak, “and that guy was there too!”

The fire princess followed her new friend’s pointing finger to the still prone, slightly shaking form of Malloki, who remained underneath the bookshelf. “Hello,” the big man said, mustering a little wave.

The teenage terror glanced back at the map, mulling over the circumstances she’d found herself in. She’d come into this competition pretty blind — safe for what her tactical brilliance had managed to glean from her Syntech+ binge watch — and now she was going to be sharing breath with two of last year’s competitors? It all seemed too fortunate to be chance, so she satisfied herself that somehow, she herself had puppet-mastered this entire situation. Once again, she was the orchestrator of her own success, and she’d found the tools she needed to start composing her masterpiece. In one case, a tool that she actually seemed to… enjoy? Was that the right word?

She turned to Toga. “New best friend,” she oozed, leaning girlishly onto the table, “how’s about your come over here and tell me… everything?”

She smirked. If only Hela mother could see her now.
 

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"Sure!" Toga says, practically jumping for joy. With a girlish twirl, she slips around her new bestie and leans over the map still splayed across the table. A pale finger jabs at a spot close to the coast at the center of the map.

"That's where Karl dropped me off after slipping me a roofie."

"What's a 'roofie'," Azula asks with a raised eyebrow, the term confusing to her. She immediately regrets asking as the other girl fixes her with that intensely wide-eyed gaze and giggles a reply.

"Just something boys give ya when they reeeeaaallly like ya! I got some, if you wanna try it!"

Waving her hand dismissively, Azula shakes her head and says, "I'm not particularly interested in the desires of boys."

The words hit Toga like a cannon, the girl staggering back as though gravely wounded.

"Don't like boys?! But they're so much fun!" Toga gasps out, clutching her chest in a mock heart-attack. With an almost instantaneous shift of mood, Toga rights herself and leans in close to Azula's ear.

"I love the way they squeal when you're digging around in their guts… I think you'll like it too."

Just as suddenly, the teenager returns to the map, her finger stabbing into a square near the center."

"Aaaaanyway, here's where that purple dildo tried to kill me with dynamite!"

Again and again, her finger moves across the map, the teenager spouting off more and more of her exploits as she goes as Azula tries to make sense of the informational barrage, and her companions wildest shifting moods.

"And here's where I met Ellie, my Bee Eff Eff!"

"Ooo! This is where my boyfriend tried to kill me! But he's a sweetheart, don't worry, Bestie! He even gave me his big knife! I heard from some of the staff here he's kind of an ugly guy, under the mask, but ya know what they say, right? True beauty lies under the skin! You just gotta peel em to find it!"

"And this is where I died!"

Finally finished, Toga takes a moment to catch her breath. Azula, for her part, uses the same timeframe to compose herself after that deluge of trivial information. Taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes, Azula clarifies her earlier request.

"What I meant to say is," she begins, eyes opening and fixing on Toga's own. "Tell me everything that's actually useful."

Under that imperious gaze, Toga slumps a little, her bottom lip jutting out in a post.

"Aww…" she moans pitifully, kicking at the tiles despondently. With an exasperated sigh, Toga steps closer to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright alright. You can tell your bestie Azula all about it later. For now though, just the important information, ok?"

The words instantly perk Toga up, and she beams widely at her 'friend'. "Yay! You're the best, Zoola Bear!" She exclaims, wrapping her pale arms around Azula's shoulders.

As Toga begins to, fairly loudly, speak, Azula's scowled "Never call me that again" is lost under the sound of teenage giddiness.

"Ok, so, like, looking at that map is kinda useless, ya know? Papa Karl said they pretty much use a new island every time they do one of these. Something about how people hate reruns or something like that. I dunno, I wasn't paying attention. Guy's Bee Oh Arr Eye Enn Gee."

Somewhere on the comet, a purple-clad man wonders why an involuntary shudder runs through him.

"But, like, if you wanna know about someone, I guess I could help. If they show up again. I hear a lot of folks just do the one and never come back again. Dunno why though. It's soooooo much fun here!"
 

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While Azula and Toga are chatting it up, a small team of security guards and medical staff are working to "help" Malloki out from under the shelf and mountain of books. They had to be careful, dealing with the tomes - lest any damage inflicted upon their age-weathered spines be inflicted upon one's own (or at least their pay check.) Malloki was a bundle of cackles for the most part, especially after the shelf's weight had his legs falling asleep.

When he noticed himself mentioned, he wiggled fingers in a little wave, managing through his blissful cackling a little "Helllooo," before a few of his knights in bland white armor moved in. A few of the larger security guards began lifting the shelf, but the suddenly renewed blood flow had the masochist screech-laughing at a surge of pins and daggers. Needles be damned.

"He's wiggling too much, should we sedate him?" One of the security officers questioned as he grasped the heavy wooden shelf, ready to lift.

Almost immediately, one of the assistant librarians shook her head. "That's suicide! If you hurt him, you will die!"

Malloki snapped from his pain filled delights for a moment to focus on this youth. "Oh! Are we a fan? C'mon, darling, let the man play a game! A little prick-tack-toe!" The guardsman immediately knew he was being goaded. Ignorant of Malloki's .... assets ... the librarian's words and the fact this man was a collared contender was enough to put stock in her words. "Aww, I see you're hesitating - don't worry! New players always get to go first with ol' Malloki!--"

The assistant immediately covered the manic man's mouth. "Mister Tuwile! That is absolutely enough of your goading before the competition proper!" She thought for a moment how to properly convey this in "Ol' Malloki" terms. "If you start playing a game before the big game, you won't be able to play with all the other people when it starts. Is that what you want?"

The shift in attitude was almost instant. At first he was excited when this young stranger talked on his level - but then it shifted to contemplation. Finally, the murderous intent was put on the back burner and he fell into a slumped complacance. Slowly, the hand was removed from his mouth. "Fffffiiiine, I'll wait till the real game starts." He was like a child. So much energy that just needed to be channeled, and so gullible despite his destructive tendencies.

With the Living Voodoo pacified, the stronger guards began lifting the shelf while a number of other helpers begin carefully pulling tomes away into neat stacks. He managed to stay still, but the long groan of pleasure was enough to have just about everyone involved feeling awkward. Finally, Malloki was freed...

Did he thank them? Not in the slightest. After springing up on wobbly legs, the man maneuvered over to the two females and held out his arms. "BESTIES!" He chimed, clearly attempting to cash in on the prior conversation.

The air changed after he glanced them both over. He saw.... nothing. The arms held out for a never-going-to-happen embrace closed, hands clapping together. "Aww, so cute! You both are novices! You look like little candles, how sweet! Don't worry, kiddos, you'll get stronger! .... Eventually... If you don't take a super long nap after the game!"
 

Elise

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Elise materialized in the pre-show complex and breathed a sigh of relief. In the silent, humming chamber she took a moment to steel herself before walking through the neon-lit doorway into the lobby. She had, of course, seen broadcasts of the pre-show facility many times over the years...but to actually be here herself was a little nauseating. When she had been a teenager, she had always fantasized about traveling to Dante's Comet and making small-talk with some of the Crossroads' greatest warriors.

Despite being older and jaded, a giddy bolus of apprehension and excitement welled up within her. A strange, doubtful mortal fear was there too...she didn't relish being destroyed. It had happened on a few occasions, and being stuck as an incorporeal wraith for a week was an absolute chore. At least, if she could keep her vampiric nature a secret, there was very little chance that someone be able to make it permanent.

Elise glanced back at an adjacent teleportation pad and clicked her tongue. Strazio hadn't come through yet...was he okay? The new competitor intakes were being broadcast live, so she would know when he had made it in. No sense in staying here, then. She may as well have a poke around and meet up with him in the med bay.

Perhaps when she had been younger, the hedonistic splendor of the facility would have awed her. As it was, all of the bright simulated daylight and bustle of potential food...or...people was overwhelming. The wizard decided she needed some peace and quiet, and peeked her head into the Library wing, trying to remain inconspicuous.

It was impossible, being that she was dressed like a wraith in fishnets, with a coating of drying blood. She would also be lying if she claimed not to have sucked on the soaked edge of her cloak when no one was looking. Stupid fucking curse. Gross-ass compulsions...

...but then again, the taste of Strazio's blood made her shiver. She was hungry.

Elise shook her head and brought herself back to the moment. The Thirst would have to wait. some kind of ruckus was going on in here - some grimy creep was hassling a pair of irate looking women.

"Eyo greasy!" Elise snapped, charging towards Malloki. The man wheeled towards her with a blissful smile and raised eyebrows. Elise recoiled slightly and made a face.

"Boy you look like hell. Take a shower and brush ya teeth. Get. Move on." Elise said, trying to snatch the palid human and drag him towards the doorway. The guy and two thotties were clearly contestants, as evidenced by the blinking collars on their necks, but that didn't give rude boys permission to press up on girls like that.
 

Azula

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Across the way from the renewed commotion near Azula’s table, Marion the Librarian let out a deep sigh.

She couldn’t just allow this to stand. The murderous shouters were intimidating, but this was a library. To her, it was even more sacred than the temple at the middle of this year’s map, the thing these lunatics would all be fighting over in a matter of hours. This was a space that deserved silence and respect, and every minute she remained frozen in this chair compromised that. She’d been shooed away by the icy glares of two actual children, and now their psychotic eyes were burned into her brain, keeping her down.

She smoothed out her periwinkle dress and tried to steel her resolve. What would Mr. Jak think of her just allowing these maniacs to run loose without a leash in this, the domain she’d been specifically created to protect, to maintain? Her elderly eyes flitted over to the group, now grown to four, that seemed on the precipice of devolving into a fight once again.

For her part, Azula hadn’t been incredibly bothered by Malloki once she’d decided he could be of use to her. Yes, he was a monstrous lug that under normal circumstances she probably would’ve euthanized with some haste, but he had his purpose, for now.

This new arrival, though… she was intriguing. The fire princess could’ve been offended that the girl assumed she or Toga needed protecting — they didn’t — but she found herself wholly impressed, instead. Impressed at just how fiery this young woman had managed to be within seconds of her arrival. No flimsy introduction, no pleasantries. She barged in and, pun not intended, lit Malloki aflame with her words. That type of spitfire personality was of great interest to her. It wasn’t lost on Azula that she’d found yet another person on this flying rock that seemed to finally be close to her in age. After spending a considerable amount of time around the geriatric back on Opealon, the opportunity to find people she shared more in common with was more than welcome.

The woman dug her fingers into Malloki’s arm and yanked. Azula couldn’t tell if it was because she was surprisingly strong or because Malloki was entirely unprepared, but as Elise pulled, the human voodoo doll’s feet slipped out from under him and he careened past her, slamming into the ground. The fire princess’s eyes shot up as the floor around him vibrated and a few more bookshelves shook from the impact. She didn’t much care about keeping this place maintained, but she didn’t want to incur any penalties going into the games.

The hooded woman staggered back, clutching her lower back. “Um, ouch?”

“Whoa,” Toga grinned next to her, “that was dramatic.”

Malloki simply chuckled. “That was fun!” he shouted, rolling over and pushing himself back up onto his feet. “Hurt me again, misses!” Elise took a small step back towards the other girls, and glanced at them over her shoulder.

“Is this motherfucker serious?” she asked.

“No idea,” Azula shrugged, leaping up and sliding across the table. She landed on the other side and took a few steps till she stood next to Elise. Beneath her hood, the glint of too-sharp canines flickered in the bright fluorescents of the library, and Azula’s face contorted curiously. She decided, in this moment, to simply move on, and pry later.

“But if it’s pain he wants,” she curled her fingers into a fist and conjured sapphire flames around it, “then I can certainly provide.” She didn’t want to incur any penalties, yes, but this man was literally asking to be hurt, so surely the powers-that-be would let it slide if she obliged him. And not in a ‘he’s asking for it’ kind of way — in an actual, begging kind of way. If she hadn’t been so tantalized by the thought, Azula might’ve thought him quite pathetic.

But tantalized she was. It was no secret that somewhere within her slender frame, the heart of a sadist beat like a constant war drum. She loved to inflict pain, she loved to hurt people. Most of all, she loved to watch their faces as they became acutely aware that they were under her control — and nothing was getting them out. Every fool in this world played her game… except, of course, her goddamn mother. No wonder they’d hated each other so much.

Azula scowled. I’m not the monster you thought I was, mother, she thought, but I can be.

Elise’s eyes fell to the flaming fist before her. “You’re a mage?” she asked, looking back up at Azula’s face.

“I’m a firebender,” she corrected. “Azula,” she introduced herself, “Crown Princess of the Fire Nation.”

“Elise,” the other girl blinked, “person who has no idea what the fuck the Fire Nation is.”

“And I want to be included!!” Toga shouted, hopping over the table and linking one arm with Azula’s blazing one. The former Fire Lord scowled slightly and jerked away, almost fully running into Elise as she fled Toga’s aggressive affection. The hooded girl stepped back to avoid a collision with the fire princess as the latter scowled deeply at Toga.

“You could burn yourself, you idiot,” she muttered.

“Aw, Zoola Bear! You do care!” Toga squeed.

“Is everyone here fucking nuts?” Elise interjected.

“BE. QUIET!”

The four competitors, each clocking in at various degrees of crazy, stopped in their tracks. Malloki, the closest to old lady Marion, turned slowly around to face her, reaching up and scratching his head almost shamefully. As he and the old woman locked eyes, the trio of young women emerged into view around him, Toga on one side and Azula and Elise on the other.

Marion’s face went so pale, she may as well have been a ghost already. What in the world had she done? Was winning the approval — nay, the respect — of Mr. Jak so important that she’d just willingly thrown herself into the path of a bunch of steamrolling sociopaths?

No… this wasn’t about Mr. Jak anymore. She knew that, deep down. This was about preserving the sanctity of this sacred space. She would not let the library fall.

Azula stepped out in front of the quartet. “Would you like to repeat that, hag?”

Elise stepped up next to Azula. “Maybe we should take this outside. It is a library.”

The princess met Elise’s gaze. “I’m happy to do that,” she smirked, letting her eyes travel back to Marion. “I’d just like to be asked… nicely.” Her voice deepened on the last word. It dripped with venom as she took another step towards the old woman who’d dared to raise her voice to her.

Marion the Librarian opened her mouth to speak again, but no sound came out.

“Oh no,” Toga grinned. “Zoola Bear got your tongue, Grams?”

“Shut up, Toga,” Azula scoffed. “Let the hag speak.”
 

Roy Mustang

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Ostensibly, Mustang was here on a reconnaissance mission. He had been shipped back to the murder games by Central command to gather intelligence on the Unmaking forces that Karl claimed to have access to; a fact that opened a number of rather concerning questions in and of itself. Mustang loitered in the park, studying the debriefing packet he had been provided just after his exit from the teleportation bay. Karl was playing at war games this year it seemed, there would be two veritable armies involved in this conflict, as well as the forces of the Unmaking that Karl had obtained. Mustang half wondered if the comet had simply started to Unmake, and Karl was attempting to outsource help in the guise of a contest.

Warriors and freaks wandered past as Mustang read over the briefing. This was going to be a disaster, he decided. This event attracted all manner of madmen and monsters, the kind that killed for sport and without remorse. This was an event where brutal and indiscriminate killing was the expected outcome, and it's contestants tended to fall into the mold one would expect for such a charge. And now, according to Syntech's plans these same people were to be given the burden of command? It would be a bloodbath. In the back of his mind, Mustang suspected that Karl probably was well aware of the fact.

He tucked the briefing under his arm and strolled casually in the direction of the library. If there was any information to be had on the unmaking Karl would have to be keeping it there. He didn't think it very likely that Karl would keep vital details on hand for anyone to see, the unmaking was an ill-understood mystery. Even Karl was claiming that the point of including the unmaking in this years event was to study it's properties. Active research was unlikely to be on display for general inspection but he should at least do his due diligence before he spent the rest of the preshow in a bar.

As he drew near the library, the sound of several raised voices caused Mustang to slow his pace. He frowned in the entryway, observing the situation. An overturned shelf, books scattered across the floor. A few agitated Syntech employees stood to one side, a trio of young women and the lunatic from that bar last year. One of the girls was staring down the poor librarian, her look teetering on a knife's edge between amusement and rage. The old woman seemed terrified. Mustang stepped forwards with a frown.

"She said that this is a library, not a street corner. A place for quiet study and research. More importantly..." He placed a reassuring hand on Marian's shoulder. "This is her place. We are all guests here, on the comet. There's nothing to be gained by harrassing Syntech's staff, You agreed to good behavior the moment you signed your name." His eyes roved towards each of them in turn as he spoke, lingering on Malloki. There was still no telling what that madman understood.

"I trust that you can all keep your bloodlust in check? At least until the cameras are rolling."
 

Nearl

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The hellish desert planet Lupus had been thrown into disappeared behind her. A portal between places was something that Lupus would probably never understand in her life time, yet it wasn't really like she was attempting to understand it. Her focus was on where she had ended up. No particular reason had drawn her to this place other than a gut feeling - Something that felt familiar.

On the other end of this portal was a library, something else Lupus thought she'd never step foot in. To be fair though, there wasn't much for her to recall. Manuscripts and texts didn't really interest her considering she didn't know how to properly read this world's language. She was nothing but a lost foreigner in a world she didn't belong. Yet here she was, materializing in front of the group that was looking to start a fight. Roy was quick to attempt to bring some peace to the situation, but just looking in Azula's eyes Lupus could feel her resolve. This woman was a dangerous one.

It was about now that she realized there was a collar hanging around her neck. How demoralizing for a canine to be fitted with a collar when you're a lycanthrope. A quick summarization was that all who performed for the weird men in the desert were to wear these things, as was almost everyone else in this room. Would they be comrades or enemies? Time would tell soon. This was not the place for bloodshed, nor really the time. As an assassin, if she were to attempt to take on this many people, she would be put down quickly.

After staring at the group, lost in her own thought for quite some time, Lupus would return to the reality around her. Silence continued from her until she finally turned around looking around the library. Yet, she kept up her guise by pretending to read these tomes. Her attention was caught by the people in the group currently. If they were enemies, it was important that she take notes of their behavior and devise strategies to end them all quickly.
 

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The librarian was of little concern. The manic man turned his gaze between the two younger women, then towards Roy to meet that lingering gaze. With a deep breath, the living voodoo flopped back onto a pile of the books in a wave of defeat. "Fiiiine, no pattycake till Carmon Sandiago says so...." Still would not say Karl's name right it seemed. Regardless, there was a hunger in his eyes. Bloodlust contained, but only barely, was now drifting all onto this man in front of him.

There was power there. He could see Roy almost alight with it. The Eye for Power had the Flame Alchemist lit like a candle amidst the darkness. Azula and Toga were not quite above him in 'raw power' - or however that worked. Dolloki did not explain Eye for Power too in depth, so all he knew is that Roy had skills and experience, a collective bag of goodies that may make him a potential powerhouse. Malloki was practically biting at the bit to play the game right here - and it showed.

"Tell ya what, my man, I'll keep the kids here in line - but when we're in the ballroom, you gotta save me a dance! And nothing slow, I don't dance unless the bass hits." Since when did this turn from a game to a dance? Who even knows. Did Malloki even know this was supposed to be a team effort? Did he care?

Roy was about to shut down the Living Voodoo's goading, knowing well enough that Malloki was a single-minded monster out for blood. But then a second thought caught him in his tracks. "I'll have to take a rain check. Rules are different this year, it's not a free-for-all."

As expected, Malloki's starving grin faultered. He had been entirely ignorant. "Well... Friendly fire is going to be interesting..."
 

Azula

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Azula clearly stood at the head of this pack, so when the stiff military man had barged in on their conversation — one more new arrival — she’d assumed, probably rightly, that most of his words had been directed at her. And yet… just like a man… Malloki had leapt into action at the sight of another dick he could measure himself against, babbling what Azula was coming to realize was his customary nonsense. She’d admit it: it enraged her a little bit, but she tried to keep the fury under wraps and use this opportunity to take in their newest… friend.

Toga sidled up next to her as the big Malloki barrier between them moved away, eyes also transfixed on the new arrival. “He’s cuuuuute,” she grinned, nudging the fire princess in the side. “And I think he likes you!”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Not my type,” she replied curtly. As her eyes rolled toward Elise, she noticed that the wizard and probable bloodsucker was simply just… gone. She scrunched her face a bit, annoyed the girl popped in, impressed her, then disappeared without a word. She’d have to find her later.

“Suit yourself,” Toga shrugged, almost licking her lips as she returned her gaze to the man across the way.

Aside from her general disinterest in romance of any kind, the first thing the fire princess noticed about Roy Mustang was that he was old. And not even in a ‘he looks old’ kind of way, because he didn’t — he just looked like he had been through some shit. His uniform was laden with different markings and pins; of course, Azula had no idea what any of them meant, but she was no rookie. She’d been in a position of power in the Fire Nation’s military long enough to know that they meant something, and that something was usually worthy of respect.

She scoffed at the idea; she had little time for such inane concepts as respect, especially in a game like this. But it was good to know where people thought they stood.

And then suddenly, the big buffoon’s hand was on the young officer’s shoulder, and Azula knew something had to be done.

“Now, now, Malloki,” Azula sneered, stepping away from Toga, “down, boy.”

Mustang threw a sideways glance at the young woman, sliding the human voodoo doll’s hand off his shoulder more gently than he’d originally thought to. Malloki, for his part, mumbled something Azula didn’t care about and stepped back.

“One of yours?” the raven-haired man asked, for whatever reason pulling his single white glove tighter on his fingers.

“Everyone is,” Azula shrugged.

“I think you’ll find that’s not exactly true, miss… ?” Roy trailed off, extending a hand. Azula looked at it suspiciously for a second.

“Princess Azula,” she decided, reaching out and taking the man’s hand, “of the Fire Nation.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang,” the older man replied, “of Cevanti.”

“I didn’t ask,” Azula chuckled, before turning back toward Toga.

“Did you say fire?” Roy asked, but Azula had already exited this conversation — she was already fuming.

Once her face was out of Mustang’s view, she scowled. These stiff military men always liked to try to exert their superiority over her, and Azula didn’t like it one bit. Granted, an outside viewer might say that Roy had not, in fact, objectively done much of anything to challenge the girl, but she heard his tone. She saw his face when he looked at her. She wasn’t insane — she knew when people were out to get her. She wasn’t being irrational.

Something was boiling inside her. Visions of her mother and Hela flashed in her brain, constantly making her feel down on herself. Her father, constantly holding back his approval, and Rominia, never taking her as seriously as she wanted — as she deserved to be taken. Zuko, constantly challenging her even until the end, and Mai and Ty Lee, thinking anything but loyal service was an option.

Her scowl grew bigger as all of these things rushed into her mind, and her eyes lifted to the portrait of Karl Jak hanging above their heads. In that moment, she felt herself almost leaving her body, whether from the fury or just being at wit’s end, but one thought bounced through the crevices of her skull: what was this if not a chance to prove to all of them just how much they’d misjudged her? Just how much they’d underestimated her?

Just how much they’d been… wrong about her.

“You okay, Zoola Bear?” Toga’s voice broke her train of thought and she felt herself almost stumble into the other girl’s arms.

Azula looked up and met the sociopath’s eyes, and for a moment, the murderous minors got lost in one another’s gaze. At least… at least someone understood her, even if it was this literal walking nutcase. Azula felt her lips curling into a smile involuntarily.

“You see, everyone,” she announced loudly, turning around and steadying herself against Toga, “that is how you ask nicely.” She leveled a perfectly-manicured pointer finger at Roy Mustang, her smile twisting into a smirk. She took in a deep breath, quelling the urge to strike his smug ass down with a lightning bolt right now, stop his heart, end his pathetic little life.

She let out that deep breath as a deep sigh.

Soon, they’d be on the battlefield, staring each other down — with any luck, on opposite sides, so she could kill him without a second thought.

She chuckled. His time would come.
 

Ellie

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Whistle while you walk, they say. Or work? Who knows! Whatever the saying was, it was the modus operandi of one Zenitsu Agatsuma to chirp out a little tune as he strode a little more confidently than usual towards the library.

Oh, the library. A refreshing breath of air ahead of him contrasted to the dank miasma of the dojo’s brooding masculinity. Masculinity? Was that the right term when half of the participants had been women? It seemed fitting, regardless. He couldn’t help but reflect on the scenario back there, full of tension, and feel that regardless of the gender involved it had been all testosterone. Weird horse-Demon-woman, jacked up brainless suit-up soldier, weirdly comforting blindfolded mercenary with biceps like a barrel…

He pushed open the door, ready for fresh pastures, and breathed in deeply. The dusty smell of parchment, tomes, mahogany shelves, and freshly kindled fireplace met his lungs in a comforting cacophony of scents. The library. What sort of gentle soul could resist its pull? What kind of peace loving peasant could step past its threshold, behold its splendor, bear its witness, and feel anything but contentment?

He rounded the big desk, that familiar waystone that denoted any place of intelligent pursuit, and found himself wearing an unfettered winsome grin. And after all, shouldn’t he? Books on books, stacks on stacks! The kind of promise that beggared happiness from a young man such as he. All five feet and five inches of Zenitsu strode into the library to find a certain solace; the calm before the storm that might set him right before he found himself tossed into the fray of a competition which he knew - knew deep in his soul, didn’t he? - that he didn’t rightly belong to.

When he stepped around the shelf, and wasn’t it the wrong shelf for him to step around, he readied himself to plumb the depths of the shelves...and instead what he found was a displaced scene transplanted right out of the Arbiters-be-damned-Dojo right smack dab in the middle of the readers’ tables. The readers’ tables! Was there no justice in this world!? His jaw fell slack, his eyes grew dim with dismay, and his mind had to rap his skull right on the noggin. Comet-to-Zenitsu, Zenitsu, are you there!? There’s a kerfuffle in the motherfucking library!

Two ladies at the furthest corner in an embrace near the fireplace which burnt blue for Lord-knows-why. A man, decorated, military posture and uniform out of place in this sacred land of study. A librarian tucked away in the depths of an aisle at his off-hand. A brute - a fucking BRUTE - moving past the man who introduced himself as a Lieutenant whose face reminded Zenitsu of the Demons that it was his charge to besiege. All of it an affront, of course, upon his expectations. Zenitsu balked, recoiled, and veritably shrank in upon himself with an expression of dismay.

A high pitched ‘squeeeeeeee’ emitted from his lips, he stepped once backwards, and fiddled with the hem of his haori.

“Oh Lord, oh Heavens, oh no, I thought I had found myself a place that I could-”

Against his own will his eyes flitted in inventory across the library’s cast once more: the brute, the Lieutenant, the Princess, the beauty…

The Princess!? The beauty!?

His jaw fell. Zenitsu, his fear swallowed by something else, left him dog-at-a-bone salivating as he beheld the ladies. The ladies! They were embracing, and for their part, had they even noticed him!?

Oh, but his knees were trembling! Oh, how they trembled! And his heart thumped against his chest but was it from fear or was it from that other thing that he couldn’t quite put his finger on!? As his confidence bled away like ink black blood from a ventricle something else replaced it. He couldn’t speak quite like he’d have wanted to, here, and yet he couldn’t stop himself from speaking either!

Thick ol' Zenitsu, idiot extraordinaire, coward at large, but lover at medium...man at small? Words and stuff? Oh, no, I'm going to, I'm going to actually vomit!

“I-I-I didn’t meant to-! I don’t know what I-! I thought I was here to-! ...I mean...books?”

...just word vomit. Not real vomit.
 
Last edited:

Toga Voorhees

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Toga couldn't really explain why she had come to Zoola's emotional rescue. She just… had. At any other time, in any other place, she would have soaked in the girl's pain, as she had so many times before. But, this time, she had felt something other than joy at the pain of others. Was this… empathy?

No! That can't be it. Toga Himiko, the mass murdering teenager, couldn't feel sympathy for another person. She hadn't felt it when carving her family to pieces. Nor even when Ellie had been killed. Anger? Sure. Jealousy? Always. Envy? Most certainly. But then… what was this?

The internal turmoil of this problem nearly staggered the blonde girl. She had always been so certain of herself. It was the only consistency Toga had ever had in her life. And now it was shaken and the young girl didn't know how to handle it. As self-doubt rocked her to the core, Toga felt as though she was at sea clutching to a piece of driftwood as the waves sought to drag her to the depths.

Suddenly, like an unexpected calm, a comforting voice broke through that storm.

"Toga? Are you alright?"

And, with just those words, the world returned to her. Zoola stared at her, a hand on Toga's shoulder, and even her regal expression couldn't hide a hint of concern. With a somewhat unsteady giggle, Toga replied.

"O-of course, Zoola Bear!" She said, her eyes having trouble meeting those of her friend.

"Why… why wouldn't I be?"

For a moment, it seemed Azula would leave it alone at that, but as Toga had done for her, the girl took her companion into her arms. And, within that embrace, Toga felt her worries wash away. Her earlier anxiety seemed incredibly foolish as a realization washed over her. She couldn't care less what this is anymore. It felt good and, even more than her sadism, what made her 'Toga Himiko' was always doing what makes her happy.

If Toga could have wished for anything in that moment, it would have been for it to last forever. But, in life, one rarely gets what they truly want. So, of course, the girls were interrupted by the bumbling buffoonery of a hapless interloper. With murder flashing in her eyes, Toga turned towards the distraction… and froze.

Blonde hair. Brown eyes. That submissive expression. God… he was cute! Biting her lip in anticipation, the sociopathic high-schooler leaned in close to Azula and whispered softly.

"Dibs!"

With a sudden, energetic bounce that left Azula just as speechless as Toga's suddenly declaration, she skipped over to the young lady.

"Hi! I'm Toga! What's your name, cutie~?"
 

Roy Mustang

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Children. This contest, this game of death and graphic violence was about to be played by people incapable of keeping their emotions and voices under control in a place of societally accepted quiet. He frowned, watching them continue to carry on, shouting and rushing around like they were in the hallway of a grade school. At least he had managed to deflect their attention away from the poor librarian for the time being.

The quiet one had vanished wordlessly shortly after his arrival, most likely not interested in the associations her companions would create. The princess was clearly quite used to getting her way without question, a common fault among royalty, though he had never heard the fire nation she claimed to hail from. A curious name to say the least, and something that might be worth looking into. The one schoolgirl who had been in the event last year was now over in the entrance, talking with a timid looking boy who clearly had no experience with women. Not many people would agree to do something like this more than once. He would have to be careful of that one. She was watching the young boy stammer over himself like an idiot, and she seemed to be interested. They were just children.

Children and madmen, Mustang amended, glancing towards the living voodoo Malloki. To his credit, the madman was not literally dripping in gore this year and had even deigned to wear clothing. He was still looking quite perplexed as he tried to consider the idea that he would have allies as well as enemies during this year’s event. Mustang rubbed a weary hand against his face, then turned to the still somewhat rattled Marian.

“Sorry to trouble you during a moment like this, ma’am,” He spoke, then lowered his voice, trying to avoid drawing unwanted questions, “Do you happen to have any literature regarding the Unmaking, or perhaps someone named Darkseid?”

Marian frowned, “Who? Sir, Syntech doesn’t have anything about the unmaking. Part of Karl’s goals with this event was to study it.” She repeated with just the slightest touch of a canned response. Mustang nodded frowning. If Karl actually had any information on the Unmaking, then it was clear that he wasn't willing to share.

“Of course. Thank you for your time.” He bowed his head and turned to leave, stepping around several books that had been discarded to the floor in disarray.

“Try not to kill anyone before the game starts.” He spoke to the sitting Malloki as he strode out of the library.

“What? I would never!” The scarred man responded with an outraged sincerity that only infuriated Mustang further.
 

Magnus Might

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Malloki had taken to sitting upon one of the piles of fallen books the Syntech employees had stacked, much to their dismay. The madman clearly had no regard to the value of his newfound chair, nor the emotional distress of the librarian. "I've never harmed a fly! I'm just here, waiting to play a wholesome game like everyone else!"

The ragged man offered a delighted smile, though that hint of "I will kill everything you love" was clear as day within that twisted expression. "If you want to scold anyone, those two love birds should have a long talk! That Azuro lady is so mean! And that other one is talking to some zooloo thing and - between you and me - she's kinda weird." Sometimes it seemed like Malloki's grasp on reality is worse off than his moral compass.

"And now they're being all gushy! If I have to watch any longer I think I'm just gonna --" To complete the statement, the masochist brought his hand up to his head. By the time the hand made the brief journey, a revolver had come into existence from the either. Barrel pointed at his temple, he pulled the trigger in the same fluid motion and... "Pew!" made a sound with his mouth. The audible click of the hammer striking naught but an empty chamber was like some sick game of Russian Roulette.

"Y'know what I mean, Colonel Mustard?"
 
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