Commentary: LYNETTE VS ARIETTA

[Lady Slaughter]

Title self explanatory.

This thread is purely for comments and discussion among the spectators of LYNETTE VS ARIETTA.

I'd write more here, but seriously, do I need to say more? Read the rules, read the match, and enjoy yourself.

What do you expect from me? I'm not Wonder Woman.

[Kismet]

Aster smiled as Ayumi finally reached her target, and sipped contentedly on her juice packet. It was a sweet, red, Hawaiian Punch kind of day today.

Or maybe it was just a day for punching in general?

Despite it being the inaugural match, the arena stands were rather sparsely populated. Aster had the entire row to herself, and a completely uninterrupted view of the action. Still, she was a sensible girl, and had remained close to the nearest vomitorium. She was directly above it, as a matter of fact. And so not only was she strategically located next to the nearest exit, she also had extra leg room.

Aster was very clever like that.

She had just reached into her picnic basket for her sandwich when the technicians arrived. One of the giant monitors had mysteriously gone dark as soon as the Arietta had arrived, though hardly anyone noticed. So few people were in the audience that most were completely unaffected by the machine's apparent failure.

Except the machine had not failed at all, and the poor technicians, Aster knew, would find it in perfect working order.

It was just that the feed was being directed somewhere else.

She smiled, and sipped her juice.

[Aphelion]

Vertti
Current Contract: Astral Plane
Last Contract: Ethereal Plane

The youth covered his mouth with his sleeve almost as if he were tugging on it in distress as he glanced at the screen where the match had supposedly started. With his knees curled up to his chest as he sat on the back of the seat, his shoulder moving up in down silently, oh… he knew what image he created just fine… he was mostly just attempting to hide the smirk and soften the bursts of yellow as he kept his balance on top of the seating. Of course he saw the smile on Aster’s face, which just prompted him to look upon the baffled technicians as he shook his head, smirking fiercely as he kept himself huddled, nearby.… The morons hadn’t realized yet that the hardware wasn’t the problem, it wasn’t as if the damage was… physical, should be rather obvious on the account that it wasn’t marred. His eyes narrowed a bit as his enjoyment waned a bit, caught the unwanted attention of one of the technicians and he bit the inside of his cheek. It might have been a futile gesture, but, the technician offered nothing but a look of silent pity, false of course as no doubt all the ignoramus wanted was to pin his emotions on some vulnerable body. Didn’t need pity… especially when he was just mocking them mentally for their incompetence, especially when it was a meaningless gesture. Granted, he bit the inside of his lips only to keep himself from ruining his apparently soft spot image, for his lips twitched slightly. If he hadn’t been biting the inside of his lips, he would have no doubt have snarled as his narrow behind the protective goggles. After all, the other had the gall to stare at Aster, pinning his annoyance, his frustrations on her as if she was the cause for his “misery”. A joke.

It was the exact opposite, and instead he scooted closer to Aster for while he knew nothing was being said, it was just… instinctive. After all there was a reason he was here as he rested his arms on top of his legs, and hid his mouth as he glared up at the monitor.

Behind his goggles, Vertti merely rolled his eyes… the “combatants” met on a bridge and as far as he could tell were conversing. After all, they were there to fight, not talk. He was biased, deaf by birth mute by choice, not much of one, but sincerely words were cheap and in those few seconds he could have already had set a gravity well. Turning his head slightly he eyed the basket before eyeing the continually confused techs, writing out his message the best he could mentally, blooming white in his mind subtly to gain Aster’s attention. ‘Have any more juice? No one got the memo on their jobs I see… chatty layabouts.’ he paused for a moment before shoving his face down into his knees as he blushed slightly, ‘… What are they saying?’ For as much as he could chastise the others, he was… curious, why wouldn’t he be? Was it at all important? Probably not, but what if it was? From the crook of his arm, he located the bewildered tech from before who kept glancing over now and again, and glared… just because it made him feel better and why not? ‘Want to bet how they take to realize nothing is actually wrong?’ Not that he had anything to bet with, but he managed a neutral expressed as he turned back to the television. Too bad it was live… no chances of subtitles. Technically the real reason he was here was just in the off case that some addy was actually good at their job, get them nice and confused, throw them off the track so to speak.

Exceptions being of course the group itself, he could actually aspire to being an adult now instead of looking forward to having his brain leak out one side of his ear one day in the future. Speaking of which the addy decided to take an old classic, tripping up your opponent with your foot oh so very classy.

Couldn’t even remember her name, should have probably, but why? So he could be all nice and friendly… he could burst a side silently at that. Besides the moment he fought, they’d probably all go running like normal, really liked those outward appearances. Wordless, soundless, mental sigh, he returned to looking at the screen for good. ‘Looks like they’re playing games… it’ll be a bust if they decide to play it safe. If I ever went to school, this is what I’d imagine I’d be doing in the courtyard.’ He tilted his head at Aster, ‘Wonder if there is a way to….’ He looked back at the screen and at the technicians who were still dumb founded, pouting a bit as he hugged his knees again, ‘Encourage them?’ That wasn’t quite the word he was looking for, but it was close enough… yet, he was still thinking of the right word because communicating properly was important for him. Silly wasn’t it? Hahaha, clearly he needed a thesaurus and he should shut up... 'cause he just accused them of being chatty... and now he was being chatty and he was on the job. Easy, all he needed to do was stop his mind... easy right? Ha.

[Kismet]

Aster turned to her young companion and smiled mischievously. Aye, this basket is laden heavy with juice and treats, all to sate that ravenous sweet tooth of yours, she thought, directing the message at him.

Reaching into the picnic basket, she retrieved a grape juice packet and finished what Vertti had started. With a dramatic show of effort, she scooted the rest of the distance between them and settled at his side.

And lo, she thought, her eyes returning to the match as Vertti took his drink. I think no words nor pleas are required. And indeed, a fireball had just sailed between Ayumi and Lynette, and Arietta’s temper flared with equal fervor.

The redhead is a summoner, it seems, Aster said neutrally, glancing sideways and raising an eyebrow. With a temper as fiery as her molten familiar. Arietta is her name. There was only the barest hint of judgement in the tone of her thoughts. Just the tiniest bit. The teeniest.

Her opponent is Lynette, though the nature of her powers eludes me. She shrugged, closed her eyes noncommittally, and sipped on her juice. If she has separated Arietta from her summon, that is indeed an interesting development. Can you divine the nature of the creation? Has Arietta manifested a sense of Self, or is this some other form of construct?”

[Still Better Than Angel]

Always a problem, always a problem. It was enough that this arena was probably going to need to be reconfigured by the time Lady Slaughter was done with it, but now the outer arena was having issues? What an absolute pain, that something like this had to be referred back to her. She was the automancy and magic errors technician, not a metal junkie. If they were having issues with wiring, why would she need to stomp up there and waste her break? Is everyone that the Lady Slaughter hired an absolute moron?

Or so she thought, until she entered the actual recording area. Oh, she could already smell it in the air. Warping energy, all around the spectator area. It explains why they would call her over to deal with the issue. Perhaps they were too lazy to check their actual equipment to make sure nothing was broken. Or perhaps they knew only Eliza was the kind of person that had a knack for dealing with unresolvable problems. She spoke a few words to the current people there, and then began relaying messages to the other communication hubs.

"Relay streaming feed from monitor... 4C and use a secondary input method. We're having a slow day in the arena, so it shouldn't be too harmful... Ah, excellent yes, that will do. Thank you." She looked down into the audience at the seats and singled out potential suspects. Likely if the monitors were being tampered through spells, then it was the work of another arena resident. Or someone that was going to become an arena resident. Chimera feed, if the automancer had any say in it. For now, she had more important things to do. Like making sure that the monitor wouldn't be tampered with again.

She touched the edge of the screen in the recording room, sending a string of energy down across the wiring, drawing a stream of sigils that would eventually end at the monitor itself. The spells would solidify for a split second before evaporating from the physical realm. It was an automated chain spell built around manipulating the zones of energy in the area. In a lesser sense this was a form of dispelling energy, but more specifically it was rewriting the natural ether in the area from a proxy in the Arcane. The best part about this sort of dispelling was also that it was as permanent as Eliza needed it to be; a spell like this would continuously recast itself and readjust the magic in the area, rendering any future tampering also futile. It would be necessary if she wanted to potentially weed out any... surly pranksters.

More importantly, the monitor! How was the match? Oh good, it's back to working again. Well, let's see the battle... Ah, a summoner vs a standard mage. It seems as if... Oh? Was one of the familiar's contract severed? Forcefully, by the looks of the reaction of the summoned. It was a similar method as what Eliza used to repair the monitor as well... Hmm, it seemed as if she would have to make modifications to her own gear if that was the case. She had forgotten that there would be more spellcasters introduced to the manor now that more outsiders were being brought in. In fact, this calls for further investigation. Not only in the people involved, but what she should also prepare for.

Well, now she had something to watch during her break.

[Kismet]

Abruptly, Aster stopped sipping her juice. And a moment later, the darkened monitor blinked back to life, casting a flickering glow onto the empty seats below it.

Someone, she said, eyes narrowing is interfering.

Glancing upwards at the monitor in question, she spotted the secondary input channel, deliberated for a moment, and Equivocated the feed once more. Immediately the screen spluttered and died.

And within seconds, it returned.

Aster frowned. The gate was still active, but no information was travelling through it. Interesting, she said. Someone is redirecting the feed around my equivocation points. Her frown inverted, forming a wry smile. Aye my fellow snake-in-the-grass, we are likely under observation even now! No doubt the fiends are checking the audience for Manor guests.

Her grin broadened into a genuinely serene smile, and she settled comfortably back into her seat. Which means we have a new job today, my daring saboteur. We must ascertain the identity of our spoilsport.

[Aphelion]

I see the spine of the world, I know its mine twisted and tied

Current Contract: Astral Plane
Previous Contract: Ethereal Plane

Taking the drink, he twisted off the cap and began to chug the sweet juice before sputtering both physically and mentally. Coughing a bit, he pursed his lips… it was a thoughtful gesture considering she had picked out his favorite juice, but he didn’t have that bad of a sweet tooth…. Alright maybe he did, but it made him sound like a small child. Well he was a small child, but he meant smaller, like a six year old and he would have whined slightly at that statement as his cheeks were now dusted a light shade of pink. A stark contrast to his pale skin. After a moment of getting his thoughts in line he tilted his head to the side, a slight mischievous smile forming on his lips mirroring Aster’s own, ‘Pot? This is kettle speaking. Not the only one with a bit of a sweet tooth Aaaaaaster am I?’ He placed a hand on her shoulder and eyed the picnic basket almost accusing it of holding too much sugar for possibly the both of them, although he was sure that Aster would deny it or shove evidence in his face to the contrary. Except, considering her favorite juice was apple, she wasn’t far behind in her sugar cravings… and she was supposed to be an addy. Supposed to be, though he never really thought of her as such, just Aster, but still she had packed boxed juice drinks, like the ones that were supposed to be shoved into a packed lunch or something. For some reason he wasn’t surprised that she had “managed” to pack his favorite drink as well. For some strange undefinable reason of course.

The hand was withdrawn when… business was brought to the forefront of his mind since despite the atmosphere neither of them were here as just spectators, though it was nice to pretend in some manner. Then again he could completely blame Aster for this… atmosphere.

Not that he would, but he totally could. Vertti turned his attention back towards the television and bit on his sleeve as he watched it… thinking as he read Aster’s message in his head. He bit harder when he noticed how haphazardly the fireballs were being thrown by the summoned creature… though he could not recognize it. While he was tempted to chide this… Arietta mentally, he found that the current match had managed to worm its way under his skin. Summoner, clearly… two summoned creatures or familiars, whatever they were technically called. His eyes twitched as he mentally spat out in red mental writing, ‘Summoner? Not even going to grace her with such a prestigious title… can’t respect her when she manipulates her “tools” to her bidding. She's an amateur, hedge witch bitch.’ Which was exactly how it looked to him, especially now that he was paying attention to the state of the Material Plane, attempting to feel if there was a hole…. One of them, the strange play act of the girl from before was likely a summon as she disappeared off the screen… just a pretty little tool for the red head to use, not that he actually cared, hell that was the majority opinion as far as he could tell when it came to summoners themselves. Tempted him to throw them into the Ethereal Plane and see how their superiority complex caused them to crumble underneath the ever bettering flow of thoughts, memories… dreams only to be lost to it. It was an amusing thought that calmed him somewhat. Still, he seethed, his mind trying to search for an explanation, only to be smothered by a wave of dark emotions, which to his credit only left him shaken…. Taking a few deep breathes as he curled up a bit and closed his eyes… he managed to write his thoughts concisely, ‘… There are no leaks from other planes… no holes, so they’re likely constructs….'

Now normally this meant that he couldn’t really care, except there was something rather odd, the strands of the Ethereal Plane stirring slightly as the brown haired girl disappeared, possibly desummoned.

She was the summon. The other… likely a construct. He took to biting his thumb at the television instead of his arm, both as a physical insult and as a show of distaste. ‘The girl construct though… I felt her or it resonating with the Ethereal plane as she… was deactivated…. A plane connected with dreams, souls, and selves and while it overlaps with the Material Plane… it isn’t conducive to summoning. Most summons come from the Astral Plane or rather the message itself does… as it overlaps the Great Beyond.’ This was hard to explain… he shouldn’t be feeling a resonance with the Ethereal Plane, but with the Astral Plane then possibly the Ethereal Plane if the girl was from there… he had no answers as to why and it bothered him immensely. It baffled the youth, and fueled his annoyance as he continued to bit his thumb, staring intently at the screen, though not truly looking at it as he focused inward. ‘…I don’t know what the girl is… she is tied to the Ethereal Plane… but, I don’t know how… its influenced by emotions, but I don’t think it is a denizen.’ Vertti’s shoulder fell, he had experience with the Ethereal Plane, he should know, he should know, be able to discern more than just this… honestly, it hurt, because he should know, yet he didn’t. He wasn’t incompetent, yet he couldn’t even tell if the ‘girl’ was a construct or not, let alone a denizen. Just a coil of frustration, annoyance, and confusion, the latter of which just served to antagonize him. There was no time for moping around though… and in fact he quite welcomed the new instructions, since it was almost an old song with an equally old dance.

After all, it presented him the opportunity to be quite… useful with a twist that made it a bit more… interesting.

Vertti drained the juice, an idea taking root in his mind… along with a smile of sorts hidden by his sleeve. ‘If they’re checking, might as well send them on a wild goose chase…. After all you just “broke” another monitor didn’t you?’ He might not have the best understanding of Aster’s powers, but he could most certainly cover for her. ‘If these addys are intelligent, the one who solved the other monitor will fix the other most likely…. Uhhh… probably’ ... Though he was capable of thinking intelligently, ultimately he should defer to Aster on this... since.... There were no guarantees and maybe there was a flaw in his logic, probably, but he had come up with an interesting little idea with that hypothesis.… So he guessed the number of techs in the room… only for the sake of giving them all something to do… just to separate them. Lights weren’t a problem so to speak, and they were broken quite easily… ‘Mind if I make a section go dark? Might give the rest of the bumbling addys something to do.’ Vertti didn’t really wait for an assent from Aster, in fact he just focused on the bulbs of the lights around him, the base of the lights sorta. He didn’t want broken glass… and pressed with thirty pounds of mental force where he assumed the wires would be… if he shattered a bulb or two no big deal, and he wasn’t going to admit that he probably did. To be honest he liked to think he was proficient and that his executions were generally… above average, which was also likely a lie. The force though would probably be enough to sever the wires for ten different lights, randomly…. A little chaos was doing wonders for his… temper, and he half hugged and pressed into Aster, hiding his expression. Almost as if he was afraid of the dark, clinging to his care taker. Unlike most people, he didn’t mind the close contact, it was Aster, and she probably didn’t mind… it was sorta important actually. Mainly because he was hiding a grin as he wrote out to Aster, ‘I think I enjoy this new job better... hope they scurry enough so that you can pick out the dear friend who decided to ruin the picnic.’ Alright mostly he was just happy to find a nice outlet for his current frustrations, but at least it served a cause though he felt almost frigid, rather than livid… or even excited. Alright a bit excited.

Childish temper tantrum go.

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

[Kismet]

Aster wrapped an arm around Vertti and lowered her head over his, “protecting” him from the sudden onrush of darkness and occasional drop of falling glass. There was an immediate murmur through the crowd, small as it was, and the spectators leapt to their feet.

“Hey, what’s the meaning of this?”

“What kinda cheap crap is all this!?”

“These hotdogs are way overpriced!”

The hotdogs are kind of overpriced, Aster agreed. She held Vertti close, pressing her face into his coat to hide her wild grin. She had spotted the mischief on his face, and she knew that he too could feel her body shake with silent laughter.

Very well she said, sitting up and shaking her hair. With a deep breath, she reached into her purse, retrieved her glasses, and placed them atop her face. She was now the picture image of calm, sisterly composure. The attention of the workers will be occupied by your mischief and the crowd, I think.

And indeed, a small stream of additional workers had arrived to inspect the lights and placate the small crowd. The spectators were not to be denied its self-righteous outrage though, and she could hear the angry outbursts, complaints, and demands for hot dog refunds from here. Now then, as for us…

Aster and Vertti planned their next steps as they packed up the picnic, during which Aster vehemently denied possessing a sweet tooth herself, chastised Vertti for the ungentlemanly accusation, at least one spectator was tazed, two led away in handcuffs, and exactly none received refunds for their overpriced hot dogs.

“What a mess” Aster said aloud. Absentmindedly, she popped open another juice for herself. They really were quite tasty. A lady was entitled to a little bit of sweetness in her life, you know.

And so it was perhaps unsurprising that they both found themselves heading into their respective bathrooms before leaving.

[Aphelion]

I see the spine of the world, I know its mine twisted and tied

Contracts of the Great Beyond: Shadow Plane (active)

Current Contract: Astral Plane
Previous Contract: Ethereal Plane

They were of a similar opinion, he could feel her sides rising quickly and fall, knowing that she was laughing, it really was nice, to be… appreciated in the havoc causing manner. Keeping his head ducked, he furtively glanced around, fidgeting as if he was terrified of the onslaught of people and their almost panicked reactions, taking a certain pride how he had been the source, before burying himself into Aster’s clothes. Alright a source of annoyance, but it was causing enough of a disturbance that it suited their needs fine… and it took a relatively gentle touch. It was a bit of a waiting game, until he felt a faint tug, simply responding by loosening his grasp as she began to slide off the chair, the silent signal that it was time to move. He let himself be pulled along in the midst of the suffocating huddle of people, keeping his eyes mostly on the ground, so he could weave between feet, though he stumbled once or twice just because one of the addys couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. He quirked an eyebrow as Aster mentioned hotdogs, his mouth slightly ajar, before sending an image of pulsating yellow… with defined edges, ‘They’re almost rioting over hotdogs?’ Vertti’s expression softened a bit as he parted his lips, shrugging his shoulders, ‘… I think they just insulted me in the most round about manner possible.’ He bit his palm as a sign of nerves… not because he was nervous, just for show… that and he couldn’t help the quirk into an almost smile. Pretty insulting, but he supposed he was the straw that broke the spectators’ backs. Or something like that, still they were preoccupied, the workers included…. He thought he had a pretty good plan, considering what he had to work with off the top of his head. The details were rather simple… in the most complex way possible, but he understood, she understood too.

Honestly, he started to tune out the flailing of limbs as he lightly gripped Aster’s hand, more so a silent confirmation as he let his fingers slip out of her grasp to go into the… little boy’s room. Though not before crossing his arms with one last retort, ‘Disqualified from being a genteel man based on age alone… and besides then what would I steal for you on special days?’ That and gentlemen don't steal, but once again he was already disqualified.

Apparently, they were going all the way… though why not? Aster’s little trick had been disturbed and if they, the mansion staff, though they had momentum or had any clue, might as well hit them first. So he tightened his goggles in the mirror and looked around… probably looked like an idiot, but it would be really weird if here was a security camera. Who’d would be the butt that would watch others… relieve themselves… ugh the idea was disgusting and he ducked into one of the stalls, latching the door right underneath a flickering light. The darker… the better. One last deep breath and he closed his eyes, touching the shadows he knew were there until there was no distinction between himself and the shades. It was so easy to fall and so he did, passed into the plane of shadows that coexisted with the Material Plane, feeling his body adjusting, connecting, changing in some manner that he had no words to describe other than becoming part of. When he opened his eyes, the world around him was drained of all color, the mirrors were darkened, half smashed, the tiles cracked. There was no door, just a path to the outside, to the reflection of the stadium in its twisted glory monochrome… of course no surprise as this was the nature of the Shadow Plane. Ignoring the mirror, he passed into the corridor, cracks in the floor growing wider with each step he took towards the direction of the arena…. Made sense, just like all the cracked television screens flickering on and off only to show static. Too much interference, too much stress here, but at least in here it seemed abandoned. Without realizing he touched the side of his goggles, with a hand, as he turned to survey the paths that wound like twisted snakes.

No, he didn’t mean just mean the haphazard lines of spectator seats, he mean all the corridors themselves were also twisted… darkened by shadows in the Material plane, strengthened by the nature of here.

Making sure he had slowly surveyed the entire area, he tapped the side of his goggles, drumming his fingertips, ‘Time for business, though it is a nice view.’ Vertti paused for a moment, ‘I’m going to assume it’s on the up, away from the spectators…. Got any idea which corridor it would be on your side, a marker would be nice.’ There were more than a few paths out… and if they had time, he could probably try them… but they had a nice little window of chaos and while he wasn’t the most punctual youth out there, he enjoyed the tasks so to speak. On this matter he was fine with deferring to Aster, since as much as it would be advantageous to explore, time still flowed surprisingly.

|Hotdogs are really overpriced|

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

[Still Better Than Angel]

No, of course our little friends wouldn't let the monitor slide away. This was their little method of revenge, wasn't it? Just because Eliza was being paid to make sure that there was peace in this little section of the stadium, these ruffians decide that they needed mayhem in this corner? Was it really too much to ask for a calm break period? All she wanted to do was sip a coffee and enjoy a song as she tinkered, but no... These... gladiators had to mess with it all. Eliza sighed lightly and got her radio transmitter out again.

"I want reviews of all surveillance. Have those lights repaired as soon as the match ends." She clapped her hands as magic seals along the top of the arena sparked alive, creating softer luminescent lights. Largely used for emergency situations such as when the main generator's down. Or when someone decides to take a joke even further. Though... the spectator's reactions were.. unnerving to say the least.

Eliza sighed lightly as she made a note of their behavior. It wasn't the hotdogs, or the price, but just the arena itself. The Tosatsu Manor has more tricks than even Eliza could account for with her own automancy. The amount of bloodlust here, the people that gather, the history of the area and its lady, they all collect into this singular room, rising up before crashing down into the world around it. Any little thing is enough to cause chaos. As if Lady Slaughter intended for more blood to shed outside the arena than inside.

It wasn't her concern though. The match would be concluding soon enough, and she had better things to do with her time. Actually, her break was almost over, wasn't it? Tch. After she's done with the next few assignments, she'll be reviewing the surveillance and keeping an eye out for her little pierrots. Last thing the manor needed were riots and several more dollars in maintenance fees.

...she could really go for a hotdog though.

[Kismet]

The game begins in earnest now, Aster thought, directing the words towards her companion. She stepped out of the ladies’ room and back into the tumultuous fervor of the crowd, smiling at their ill-gotten fun. Vertti was young, and his youth afforded him an adroitness for mischief. But more than that, he was clever and he was capable. Vertti was as much her ward as she was his charge. They were partners, and they trusted each other. And together, they would be trouble.

Aster smiled, adjusted her glasses, and her view of the world changed. Though stylish, Aster’s glasses were not prescription, nor were they there to enhance her already considerable cuteness (she needed no help with that). They were gateways, transit points for light and vision, her view into another world. And in another world, another plane of being, Vertti’s goggles acted as their equivalent.

The light travelling through the left lens of Vertti’s goggles now reached Aster’s eye instead, and the light from the lens of her left lens reached his. Though the Shadow Plane was twisted and shrouded in darkness, Aster would guide Vertti to his goal.

Aye, the control room sits high aloft, she thought, glancing upward towards Vertti’s destination. The path was simple in the Material Plane, a straight shot up the path. A small flight of metal stairs led to a door, and next to that door several large windows sat in the wall. But in the Shadow World, everything was warped and twisted, a nightmare reflection of this orderly plane.

Here is your destination. From this perch our foe surveys both field and rabble, and it is here you must go. She focused on the sights streaming in from Vertti, comparing the pathways and calculating his climb. Even now their eyes surely search for me, but your mischief shrouds their vision. I shall guide your path.

She settled down in a nearby seat, turning her body perpendicular to its direction, stretched her legs out, and relaxed. A small crowd of angry spectators still milled resentfully around the hotdog stands above, and they made for good show. They would justify her attention to the stands above.

With a smile, Aster rested her head on one hand. With the other, she began pressing down on the seat next to her.

And in the Shadow Plane, one of the stadium seats began flapping up and down, marking Vertti’s path.

[Aphelion]

I see the spine of the world, I know its mine twisted and tied

Contracts of the Great Beyond: Shadow Plane (active)
Phase Change (Shadow)

Current Contract: Astral Plane
Previous Contract: Ethereal Plane

The ground was firm enough… as if the cracks in the floor didn’t exist, maybe they didn’t even with the shattered pieces of the floor randomly strewn about in this monochrome world. It was a simple precaution, yet still he stomped the largest crack he could find, not particularly surprised that his leg didn’t go through the floor. The vision in his left eye changed as the material plane came into view, its brightness in comparison causing his left eye to tear up a little…. No, he wasn’t actually crying, it just… happens. Technically he was a part of this Plane now, his sight was suited to the bleak shadows rather than what he assumed to be colors… brightness, light on the other side. While he knew it to be color, he could not see it, not in this stark plane, yet it made itself known by brilliant white layered on a lighter world. Just a minute or two and he’d be alright… though he clutched the side of his head willing the pesky annoyance to go away as he oriented himself towards the corridors. A straight corridor… that was amusing if it wasn’t… so inherently frustrating, the plane itself seemed to forbid there ever be a straight line…. Then with his eye refusing to acclimate properly though the slight throbbing ache in the back of his head should have begun to fade, he gripped the roots of his hair in frustration, only to snap back mentally accompanied with a flash of red, ‘When you’re surrounded by cryptic messages, it really isn’t amusing to send messages that thematically match.’ The youth shivered… it felt… good to just lash out, his grip lessening on his hair as the pain became a thing of the past.

… Except he… felt… tired? That wasn’t right, shivering slightly as he made his way over towards the chair, the anchor that would point him in the right direction….

That wasn’t… it was hot... not cold, why was he shivering, that didn’t make sense, not here at least. It should be cold, heat and light were… somewhat of a foreign concept in this bleak world. He fumbled towards the seat, stopping short as he realized he was half stomping the floor. Though what made him stop was not that realization, just… the dark smudge on the floor. It stuck to his shoe… and he would have been content to leave it there, if his shoulder didn’t feel clammy… and wet. No it really didn’t take a genius to figure out… what that could very well be, and he took a deep breath, sputtering as he gasped intoxicating hot air. This was highly abnormal, but as the heat warmed his material body, a haze of red descended upon him. It was only for a moment and perhaps he could have dismissed it… yet here he was a bit wiser about the workings of the world so to speak. Weakly, he managed to tap the seat, before placing his goggles on it… only to take a precaution. Undeniably, the Shadow Plane and the Material plane were intertwined, they were in fact twisted reflections of each other, a reality made possibly due to the intermingling of the transient planes. Yet, there was no bleeding from the transient planes, merely… the Plane as it was… damage from the Material plane? It was probably a stupid idea, but he released the semblance that was him on the Material Plane, allowing it to be momentarily erased, shaped by the shadows. With his three talons, he grasped the googles. He wasn’t looking forward to readjusting to the Material Plane as he was now, but at the price of his misery, Aster would also be able to see this side much better.

Good thing the mirrors were busted or else he might have an attack of self-consciousness…. At the very least the heat was… manageable, his mind relatively clear… now that he was truly apart of the Plane. Breathing in an out through mouth flaps, rapidly, the heat contained by his previous form… dissipated.

Reaching out to Aster mentally, he wrote slowly in a dark shade of blue, '… Sorry Aster… you didn’t do anything wrong…. It isn’t quite right over here. Think I figured out why it is deserted though!' It was an attempt to be chipper, because sincerely he hoped that was the case… there were creatures of lesser minds that could be easily enthralled. Aster… probably wouldn’t get it. Though it was surprisingly easy, too natural as he hunched over to center his weight above his pointed legs, and skittered around the chairs, giving Aster a panorama, before stopping at one of twisted corridors, physically twisted corridors… the one that she had stared at earlier… he assumed. Since the chair in her vision appeared to be the same one that he tapped back, then it was possible that this corridor was correct. It was a faint yellow, which in itself was almost a lie, ‘Well… time to get back to business, I’ll make it up to you later…’ While he was concerned a bit in regards to the possibility of “resistance”, alright more than concerned, he wasn’t about to go crawling back like a coward… especially if it might just be his imagination… that was always a possibility. No, instead of turning back he ran through the corridor, naturally angling his body as he realized that he was heading down. Not up…. Well that made a twisted sort of sense, for now he’d see where this path leads. Just because the control room was “upstairs” didn’t mean that it had to be… or the path to it being of any logical sense.

As he half ran, he glanced towards the walls hoping that Aster might recognize something that was the equivalent on the other side on the “correct” path. At least the floor wasn’t sticky, though it was still… cracked. He wasn't about to let some atmosphere get to him anyway, this was child's play, which was kinda embarrassing in its own way. Took a little more than to make him go all weak kneed... if he technically still had knees?

|Might as well add in the BLOODLUST|

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

[Kismet]

As a matter of fact, Aster had begun to note the peculiar effects of the arena. The ire of the spectators was a bit too vitriolic for the slights they had been dealt, despicable as it was to overprice food. And mediocre food at that! Being the wise, worldly girl that she was, Aster had brought her own assortment of nutritious goodies for the event. Any establishment that expected its patrons to bludgeon each other to death would have no problem salting the wound by milking their cash too, so she had skipped the insult all together and made sandwiches. And they were delicious.

So it was not because she had sampled the hotdogs herself that she knew them to be dreadfully subpar, oh no. It was because several had been sent sailing past her head by brawling fans. And even when spiraling through the sky as condiment laden projectiles, they did nothing to impress.

But things were not all fun and games here. She had a job to do.

Forgive me, Vertti, she said. I had forgotten how bright the light from this side of the veil would be for you. She scanned the stadium, trying to match the two planes together into some cohesive whole. It was frustrating. The path to the control room was mind numbingly simple in the material plane, but a twisted labyrinth on the other side. But after a moment, she spotted what she needed.

There are a series of pipes along one set of walls. That is the form the corridor railings have taken in the Shadow Plane. Follow them, they are your golden thread through the maze.

She was slightly envious of Vertti. It was unusual for her to have a partner on assignments, and she was accustomed to doing her own leg work. Not, she reminded herself, that there would be any shortage of that for her. Once Vertti reached his destination, she would have much more to do. In the meantime though, she was going to have some fun. Oh yes.

Vertti had not yet reached their spoilsport’s location, but that did not mean Aster couldn’t gather intel on his or her powers. She knew this person could redirect the flow of electrical signals. Could they handle something a little more complex? Looking up, Aster saw that the television monitors were adorned with clear protective covers.

Aster smiled.

And then she equivocated the clear plastic cover with the control room’s window. For those inside, the window had just transformed into a giant television screen displaying the current match. And for everyone outside sitting in the stands, the television screen had become a one way window into the control room.

It was time to find out exactly who they were dealing with here.

[Still Better Than Angel]

Oh, well this was new.

Even for someone whose study relied on dashing previous conceptions on what was mathematically and physically possible, every now and then Eliza would encounter something entirely new. Something that not even she could have anticipated and expected. Yet here we were, standing almost face to face. The transmission seemed to be one way, but it was clear enough to the automancer that somehow, in some bizarre way... the screens had been reversed in a similar fashion to how the feedback had been redirected moments earlier. Oddly enough, this course of events wouldn't faze the scientist. Conversely, her sour frustrations had fermented into a far more delicate, sweeter substance: competitive curiosity. She understood what these people were after this whole time. A little better, anyhow, and she was willing to indulge them in these games.

She smiled at the screen while her subordinates attempted vainly to find the cause of this anomaly. She took a few steps forward to the control board as she began an impromptu announcement,

"Due to unexpected sabotage of our lines, seats E10-90 will have to be removed for maintenance and repairs. We apologize for the inconvenience. All spectators in these seats have been given clearance to enter the VIP lounge and viewing areas. After this event, I will be at the main lobby of the arena to address any further issues with our equipment. Thank you for your patience."

The others in the room looked at her with a uniform bewildered expression, but Eliza dared not break the act she was making at the moment. She looked up to (hopefully) meet the gaze of whoever had played this little prank and subtly mouthed a singular word.

touche

...before both the cover and control room window shattered in on themselves.