INTERMISSION: EVERYONE MEETS EVERYONE, BEGIN.---
“Everyone Meets Everyone-A type of Premiere where the cast of characters are collected together one by one. Sometimes some of them already know each other, occasionally they even all know each other already, but this is the story of how they get together to be an identifiable unit of people. Hopefully, the episode won't end with someone saying ‘And I'm sure we shall have many great adventures together!’”
-TVTropes
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“So Thalia is going to get some money for this?” Bommer’s voice laced with sarcasm. Then again, it was true. Whether or not this was a problem came from what Clayface was about to say.
“Yeah, she’s getting paid. And she’d happy about it.”
So it was OBVIOUSLY a problem. Because Thalia loved her cash. This is a proven fact.
And thus began one of the many conversations going on in the dining hall between 22 people and aliens and hybrids and demons and other assorted things. It was supposed to be 14, but there was Fate (who didn’t talk anyway, because he was a cat…monkey…dinosaur…thing. Then again, his partner was Stay, the bunny loli. So yeah) and, of course, the Seven Stakes of Purgatory. What were those loveable demon furniture sisters doing anyway? Being the demons they were, of course! And thus Mammon, the fifth sister, ending up in a good conversation with her best friend; none other than Ange Ushiromiya.
“So Ange, you liking this TOURNAMENT thing? It’s kind of messed up, if I do say so myself, but maybe we can get some good killing out of it. Satan and Lucifer have been looking for some fun ever since you went cablooey.”
“Killing is against the rules, Mammon.”
The Brown-haired demon quickly shot up out of her chair and yelled, “NO KILLING?!? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“However, we are allowed to torture our opponents mentally and physically as much as we want.” Ange took a sip of her tea (green tea, to be exact) just after finishing this statement.
Mammon’s angered expression softened a bit. “Well, I guess that’s alright…I hope we have much fun as we did with Battler…” Her words faded into a mumble as she spoke, and Ange sighed. The mention of her family was always a bit melancholic for her.
Mammon wiped her brow and looked to the pigtailed witch sitting across from her. “I’m gonna go grab a bit to eat. And make sure Beelzebub isn’t having an orgasm from seeing all this good food.”
And so Mammon walked off, leaving Ange to wonder if she had told her friend about the prize they would get- she was surprised Mammon hadn’t asked.
She did represent Greed, after all…
---
“Explain the prize to me again.” Claus of Tazmily island sat back in his seat, keeping his eyes set on the person he was talking to- Cosmo the Seedrian- and keeping his hand held tight on his glass of soda. Cosmo- who was an obvious pacifist and didn’t want to be in a fighting TOURNAMENT. She cleared her throat, tried to get her mind off things, and explained.
“The winner of TOURNAMENT, first of all, gets one wish.”
Claus cringed a bit. “Go on.”
“And, second, a pass to send a letter to anyone of their choosing in the world of the living.”
Claus softened. “Alright then.”
“Who will you be sending a letter to if you win, then?” Cosmo remarked. She and Claus had formed an unlikely friendship upon arriving at the ship that took them to iDodge; this was the first time, however, they had talked about the brawl to come.
“Eh…” Claus looked away, not offended but a bit aroused. “My family, I guess.”
Cosmo smiled. “I doubt I’ll get anywhere in this TOURNAMENT. I might as well forfeit before I start.” She sighed and rubbed the spot between her eyes and mouth where a nose would have been if she was human. (She didn’t have ears, either, and was only about 3 feet tall. Everything else, minus her green hair that seemed to be part of her body-including the roses and leaves that also seemed to be connected- was humanlike to the max) “Really, I hate fighting, and I don’t see just what this will accomplish.”
Claus nodded. “My mother is worried about me here.” Cosmo looked up, surprised to find someone so young with a mother also in the realm- just like her. “She doesn’t want me here. The Realm is a second chance for the dead, but there ain’t third chances.”
Cosmo was already worried. “You don’t think that she’s too worried, are you? I mean, my family knows I can hold my own if I have to, I’m just frail and not good at fighting- I’m more of a dodger, using what I have around me for help, as we Seedrians are Plant-based lifeforms after all…” She paused. “But, enough worrying.” She put on a fake smile.
Claus looked at her for a second, and then said, “I’m going to get a refill for this soda.”
---
“Don’t tell me who you’re going to mail your letter to. I already know.”
Carly did a short doubletake, and looked back and forth in an “AH MY GOD DID ANYONE SEE THAT” fashion. Misty-who had said the above piece of dialogue- smiled. She could read Carly like a book-well, anyone, for that matter, but Carly was so friendly it was easy. (They’d known each other since before their deaths, anyway- well, Carly’s. How this makes sense, as well as how they, as well as Kiryu and Bommer, had died, is a rather complicated story)
Carly sighed. Her overall cutie-ness had not lessened at all over time, even without her trademark swirly glasses she’d lost when she died. “Well of course you know, Misty-sama, you know everything.”
“I don’t know
everything.“
“Well yeah, of course, but-“
She was quickly interrupted. “GUYS, HELP MEEEEE!” It was Kiryu. It was always Kiryu. For an almost-murderer, he was pretty sane. And, well, quite ambitious. But that wasn’t the point, because he was being chased by a certain warrior from Valhalla, who went by the name of Victoria Steele.
Victoria was normally a nice girl, but she wasn’t fond of men. (Her father ran off when she was little, and a drunken man with a gun was the reason she was in the Realm) And whatever Kiryu had done, it had ticked her off. Obviously she wouldn’t kill him, but she was Victoria, and she wanted answers.
So she ran up from behind Kiryu, grabbed him by the cuff, held him up (she was quite strong) and said, “Why did you do that?”
Carly was scared. Misty held back a snicker.
“What? You mean walk away from the weird girl who was following me around?” Kiryu glared at her, annoyed. “She’s one of the Seven Stakes! I’m supposed to fight them first round! And I think she has a crush on me-“
“Well, you could at least be nice to her!” Victoria was obviously mad now. Carly was even more scared; Misty’s expression was now of ‘Well what the heck, Kiryu.’
And soon a small bicker started. Victoria never let go of Kiryu’s cuff, and his annoyance never faded. Meanwhile, Asmodeus (the girl who had a “crush” on Kiryu) was sidetracked by an interesting conversation with two of her sisters. (Belphegor and Leviathan, to be exact)
Eventually, the two ‘fighters’ and the ‘spectators’ to the ‘match’ were interrupted; by a hedgehog. No, not
that kind of Hedgehog. Ever heard of a guy named 'Sonic?'
Snowi the Hedgehog was a female hedgehog-her long quills brushed back, her outfit sporty, (complete with flip-flops) and was a dull White (to her name) with the occasional black. But her gray eyes showed that she had bloodlust, and the words that came out of her mouth confirmed it.
“Permission to kill you if we fight?”
What came after that was an interesting conversation; no one was hurt, but they were all pretty scared.
Namely Misty, as she was supposed to fight this Snowi first round, and she was much of a fighter to begin with…
---
Bommer and Clayface had before had many an interesting conversation, but usually Thalia was in the area to issue a comment. Victoria was the best replacement (as they would soon learn) but she was occupied with Kiryu and Snowi, so that was out of the question.
Their conversation was joined by quite a few people anyway.
The two of them had been standing next to the buffet the whole time, and where questioned if they were sure they didn’t want more than tea and soda a couple times by the person serving said buffet; and Echidna (Mobius-style, like Snowi) by the name of Tikal, who was also a friend of Cosmo’s. (through some of their still-living friends) And of course, who could forget the other contestants?
It all started when little Stay, the bunny girl, walked up and asked the two, “Have you seen Fate-chan? He’s like a monkey, with a kitty head, and a little spiky wrecking ball at the end of his tail, and his fur-it’s real fuzzy- is pale green like that creepy horse man in the Bible, and…erm…he always looks like he’s just staring at you! Yeah!”
It took the boys two seconds to answer; one to stare at the girl’s ears, and another to think about what she had just said. Clayface was wondering how something like Fate could exist. Bommer, on the other hand, wanted to know how Stay knew about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. (As she was only about 8 or 9)
They both claimed they hadn’t seen him, but Tikal, who had heard this, said, “I believe that he’s by your feet, ma’m.”
Stay looked down and saw her partner, sitting on all fours, with the appearance just as she said he had. She smiled brightly and picked him up. “Fate-chan! Where have you been? You could have gotten hurt, Fate-chan!” And she walked away from the buffet saying things like this, and Bommer and Clayface couldn’t help but smile. (For different, but similar, reasons)
A couple seconds later this train of thought was interrupted by a voice saying “That’s the girl I have to fight, huh…” And a boy in a Black sweatshirt walked up with a puzzled look on his face.
“Hey, it’s Roxas!” Clayface remarked. “I was looking for you. Haven’t seen you since we met at iDodge.”
Bommer smirked. “Well, I myself haven’t seen you since the whole calamity thing.”
Roxas did a sort of casual wave. “Eh. I don’t really want to be here, but I guess it’ll pay off. At least there’s no killing.” He sighed and unconsciously summoned his two keyblades into his hands, much to Bommer’s amusement and Clayface’s shock; Roxas did a doubletake and tried to get them away, but it was all in vain.
All in vain…
---
Meanwhile, Nav was trying to talk to someone. And not that weird girl he’d seen stalking a silver-haired guy earlier.
Meanwhile, Zack was trying to talk to someone. And not that weird girl he’d seen stalking a silver-haired guy earlier.
This ended up getting the two of them into a conversation. I mean, why WOULDN’T it?
“So you’re not fighting in the first round? Lucky.” Nav remarked.
“Well, maybe. It depends on who wins and who loses these matches.” Zack put his hands behind his head in a ‘eh, you know’ position. “Really, I could get beaten up for that.”
“Not with that thing.” Nav snickered and pointed to the sword Zack was holding. “That thing’s sharp, goddammit!”
“What, Heaven’s Cloud?” Zack looked at his blade. “Oh, I’m not very good with it; I’m used to a sword I left behind when I died…” He looked around, wondering if that kid who looked a bit like an old friend of his was around.
“Really?” Nav raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. He was still getting used to everyone being dead; he’d been so immersed in life, dying was a bit surreal, even if he was braver than belief when it came. “I’ll just be using a good ol’ machine gun. Maybe some C-4, I have to see the fighting area.”
Zack stepped back a little. “C-4? Really now? Hm, you’ve got your hands on some things!” Zack hadn’t talked to someone this friendly in a long time, maybe ever.
“Yeah. Long story about that…so…you like strawberries?”
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INTERMISSION: EVERYONE MEETS EVERYONE, END.
