Scene #8363: DF-Topaz 2: Meet and Fight

Owner	Pose
Cantio	LAST TIME "Bring your friends to the castle once you're bored here. Tell them Kazabu sent you." NOW A tournament has been announced for the Kingdom of Topaz, drawing on the greatest warriors from all over and also plenty of wannabes with inflated egos. Despite the threat of war looming over the entire continent of Legendra along with a shadowy cabal threatening to engulf the land with the revival of a dark god (Madruk (not a typo (Cantio did her homework to make sure))), the capital city/castle is running about as expected for a big capital city with a fighting tournament underway. The winner will be granted a favor from the king of Topaz himself, with some entrants aspiring towards claiming the crown themselves while others might have other designs for the martial arts capital of the world. Cantio's (and presumably those joining her in this endeavor) main reason for being here, though, if not for glory, but to begin the plan to unify the continent, first against their common enemy of the Fandaria Kingdom to the northwest, and then by finding the eight Holy Warriors against the dark god. After Shadow and Dianna beat the absolute shit out of most of the contestants, though, the tournament is progressing far faster than initially expected. Finalists for the tournament are being directed to enter the waiting area for the fighters just past the main courtyard, including those in the group that might want to try securing the king's aid through martial prowess. There's already quite a few people waiting there, and none of them look like the pushovers from the initial/informal fight that preceded this. A woman with glasses can be seen in the main courtyard alternating between angrily writing things down and tending to the injured along with several other more generic-looking healer types. A giant with a widow's peak is helping her in the latter task, although he seems to be a bit slower to react to whatever commands she's giving. Thanks to Hisako's way with words, however, that isn't the only option available. Visiting the castle directly and namedropping Kazabu seems to be another way in, as the guards seem prepared to receive guests at the entrance to the castle. Unfortunately, when the name Kazabu is given, they're met not by that cloaked man that Hisako had met at the gate, but a far older man who looks rather confused by the visitors. He's no less of a giant like that man at the gate, but he definitely doesn't have the same brown hair or facial structure. "... Yes?" He asks somewhat tersely, prompting Cantio to clear her throat and speak up. "Hello! My name is Cantio. We're here to see Mister Kazabu about the legends of this land and matters of this land's security." "My name is Kazabu, young lady. I'd be willing to answer any questions you have about Legendra's past, but... That isn't why you're here, is it?"
Cantio	THE CATCHUP: The land is still in trouble! One kingdom (Fandaria, to the northeast, primary color is tan/gold) declares war against goddamn everyone and is backed by known (to you) agents of a dark god that's gonna mess things up real bad. The plan to unite the kingdoms in the middle of the continent is underway, and you're in stop #1: Topaz, the martial arts place (center, primary color is orange)! They're holding some tournament for a fancy favor from the king as everyone arrives, and this group is conveniently in a position to join in! Alternatively, you've got an in via namedropping Kazabu at the castle directly (Cantio's there, too!).
James Bond	A man in a plain black gi and simple roughspun linen shoes exits an inn, stepping out onto a busy street. He's dressed like a local, carries himself like one on his way to the castle--but he isn't. Bond isn't much for fair fights. His style, if it can be called that, focuses on swift, brutal takedowns that don't endear the user to crowds. For that matter, what he does, in general, is best done away from an audience. So it is that, rather than seeking a way into the tournament, he finds himself alongside Cantio, making introductions to Kazabu. "My name is Bond," he says, foregoing his verbal tic. "Cantio and I have reason to believe that Legendra is in danger, at the moment. Moreso than what's already implied by current events." His emphasis on those last two words suggests that he's well aware of what Fandaria has done recently. "Is there someplace more private we can discuss it?"
Cantio	Between Bond and Cantio, Kazabu certainly has a lot to try and comprehend. One looks like a local-enough fighter, even if he's not necessarily recognized by the old man, and the other looks completely like an outsider in her bright white and pink getup. Nevertheless, he greets them both with a formal bow at the waist, then looks them over slowly as Bond provides the reason for their arrival today. "Is that so...? Something greater than the threat posed by Fandaria, you say? Very well. Come." He gestures towards the inside of the castle, at a hallway leading away from the main throne room. He gives the guards a knowing look, and then he leads the duo into... Some kind of wide-open chamber that looks less like a meeting room and more like something meant for religious ceremonies. Although the lighting is dim, the statues lining the room between sets of large mirrors reflect enough light that's not really that hard to see at all. The padded floor makes it comfortable enough to walk on even without shoes, and the only other inhabitant of the room appears to be meditating before one of those statues with his back to the door and those coming in while he sits on the ground with his legs bent beneath him. It's that cloaked man from the gate last time that gave people the name Kazabu in the first place. He doesn't even notice anyone coming in, nor does he notice the old man approaching him. The old man leans forward, then presses both knuckles his knuckles into the sides of his head while lifting him straight off the ground. "Gh! You're back, Master Kazabu?" The cloaked man speaks with a start, grunting slightly while still keeping his legs in that same sitting position despite having no contact with the ground. "They gave my name. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" "They wouldn't have been able to get past the door if I gave them my name, right?" The cloaked man laughs, then winces once he's finally released and drops on the ground, still in that kneeling/seated position. He takes a moment to exhale, then turns to Bond and Cantio with a firm nod and two notable red-markings on his temples where Kazabu picked him up. "My name is Leon, King of Topaz. Thank you for coming, guests. So. You're not just here about the Fandaria situation, are you?" "That's right, King Leon.." Cantio starts, taking Bond's cue from earlier to just go right to the heart of the matter. "We're here about the danger presented by those trying to revive Madruk. We want to help protect-" Leon holds up his left hand to stop Cantio, glances at that hand, and then he finally stands up. He's actually pretty freaking tall, and it's laughably easy to see that he's the archetypical beefcake martial arts prodigy since he's not actually wearing anything besides his overly-fancy cloak and loose green pants. "Tell me, then. How do I know you're not followers of that long dead god, then?"
James Bond	Bond nods gratefully at Kazabu, following him inside. Cold blue eyes sweep with restrained curiosity across the furnishings of the somewhat sacred-looking chamber. With crossed arms, he waits for Kazabu to rouse the cloaked man from his prayer. "Aside from the fact that neither of us is even from this world?" he asks. Bond reaches into his gi and procures his Paladins ID, showing it to both Leon and Kazabu in turn. "A few things," he says, putting it away once they're both satisfied. "Cantio and her allies have run afoul of Madruk's people more than once. Gaul and Scythe, if the names ring any bells. There are a number of villages to the northwest of here that can verify that. Some of the villagers even signed on with her as a kind of militia." After a pause, he adds, with a note of disdain: "And there's the Skull Children as well. I don't know about her," says Bond bluntly, with a motion of his head towards Cantio, "But if I were working for Madruk I'd either be in Fandaria or waiting to catch King Leon alone."
Cantio	"We've had plenty of visitors from other worlds coming in for the tournament. I'd be a fool if I didn't expect some of them were motivated by greed and power more than what you're claiming." Leon starts, sounding vaguely mistrustful despite carrying himself with a confident and open stance as he sizes up Bond and Cantio idly. The more he listens to Bond speaking, though, the less skeptical he looks. Indeed, this king is one of those that wears his thoughts on his face. He's still glancing at his left hand every now and then, although that stops after a while. "Those two are Goldark's generals, aren't they? We've had some encounters with them before, yes. Skirmishes, mostly, but those mages..." Resting his hands against his hips, he exhales slowly before starting to pace around the room, still looking Bond and Cantio over with vague interest. "They're tricky opponents even for those that have trained to fight against their magic. If you've been able to survive fights against them, then maybe you show some promise." "Erk... Granted, my reputation might not be the best, but." Cantio wrinkles her brow briefly, then chuckle after Bond addresses her. "He's got a point. Besides, I have a lot more to gain from this land existing and Madruk not than the other way around. I can't gain more potential followers of my own if everyone's dead, right?" Leon levels a long stare at Cantio, and then she quickly adds- "... Followers meaning watchers! Not... Er. Cult worshippers. It's an outside Multiverse thing." He raises an eyebrow at Cantio, then at Bond, and then looks over at Kazabu off to the side of the chamber. The older monk just shrugs lightly, and then Leon turns right back to the pair. "So you're here to help us in this battle against Madruk's supposed revival. What do you get out of it?" Leon asks, looking over at Cantio first. "You mentioned followers or watchers or whatever before. You're one of those exhibitionists, then?" "I-it's not like that!" turning red, Cantio stumbles over her own words at first before clarifying. "It's a... My home can turn attention into power! Kind of. It's a work in progress. And..." She clears her throat. "I've got some personal research-er. Hobbies going on that would work a lot better here if things didn't explode." "Hm. Shady, shady, but greed is fine." Leon shrugs again, then turns to Bond. "What about you? You're dressed like a martial artist, but are you doing this out of the goodness of your own heart or what?"
James Bond	"This," he says, thumbing at the 'lapel' of his gi, "Just happens to stand out less than what I normally wear." "There's not a lot of goodness left in my heart," Bond says matter-of-factly. Arms lowered, he looks around the room at the statues, guessing to himself about their significance. Saints, or heroes, maybe? Or former champions of bygone tournaments? The former seems more likely, given Leon's earlier meditation. "But there might be just enough to believe in a better future." And also to keep an eye on Cantio. "The Commonwealth--that's the Multiversal polity who funds the Paladins--believes in peace, stability, equity and agency. Generally, it's member worlds and states who get our assistance first, but we believe everyone deserves those things and try our best to make sure even non-member worlds have them, when we can." His pause implies 'that's where I come in.' "You can call it dedication to the work, I suppose. Or ideological motivation."
Cantio	"Something to blend in, then. Practical." Leon murmurs with a slow nod at Bond's choice of attire, then raises an eyebrow slowly when he explains his own motivations. Even for him, it's not a huge shift in his demeanor, but there's still that hint that he's softening slightly. He approaches Bond, takes a deep breath, then raises a meaty hand and...! Claps it on his shoulder, then laughs. "If you're trying to inspire anyone with that, you're doing a terrible job. I mean, that Commonwealth message sounds all high-minded, but it reads like lines from an advertisement." He holds both hands on Bond's shoulders this time, and it's pretty clear from being that close just how Leon became the king of Topaz through a fighting tournament in the first place. "If you're going to run yourself ragged, be sure it's for something you care about and not just because it's the work." Letting go, Leon steps back and sizes Cantio up one more time, getting a mildly awkward stare from the purple one before he laughs again under his breath. "Yeah... Alright. I believe you." "R... Really? That's great. I mean, not that we're lying, but-" "Why? I doubt Goldark would be dumb enough to send anyone this suspicious to try and get into my good graces." Leon answers Cantio before she can finish, and then he steps towards the entrance to get the attention of a guard. Moments later, drinks and glasses are brought into the room along with a small round table, just large enough to seat all four of them. "I'll buy what you're selling for now. So. What's the plan?" "Oh! Right. We've heard about that legend of the Eight Holy Warriors, and we came up with the idea of uniting the continent against Goldark first to put a stop to Madruk's followers before they could revive him." "And you figured you'd come to us first since we're right in the middle of all this?" "Th... That's right, yeah. And then once the situation with Fandaria's settled down, we could find the eight warriors with less stress overall." "Mm. Alright, sure. So. Where're you going to go next? We've been keeping Fandaria, Tristan, and Tradnor** at bay with this tournament, but they're bound to come banging on our doors again once this tournament business settles. And if the winner wants the title of King..." Leon laughs again. "That could be a problem if the next ruler's not on board, wouldn't it? Got any ideas, then?" The most aggressive one to the west. Tan. The second most aggressive one to the northeast. Black. **The one that's kind of chilling and thriving in their lane to the south/center. Red.
James Bond	Bond doesn't mind Leon's hand on his shoulder, nor his advice--nor even the fact that he has to look a little up to meet the king's eyes. Certainly, he doesn't even seem to disagree with the notion that he does a terrible job summarizing what the Paladins are. The only thing he bothers to correct is the idea that he might not care. "I do," he says simply. He's just not always the best at showing it. Maybe that will get better with time. He takes a seat at the table when it's brought in. "Tradnor would be a good start," says Bond. "Given the way Tristan's been posturing, I'd want some time to read up and prepare an approach. See what the political climate is like, and tailor my operations accordingly. Fandaria... I wouldn't count on them. They could be compromised."
Cantio	Leon still looks skeptical about Bond's declaration of caring, but he lets it slide with a light shrug. "If you say so. It's hard to tell with faces like yours." He doesn't elaborate on what that means, of course. Instead, he gets some wine poured for Bond, Cantio, and Kazabu (who reluctantly joins them at the table), and then he raises his cup towards the three. "Tradnor, eh? Good pick. They've got all sorts of brainiacs over there, and if my guess is right..." He starts, then stops with a light wave of his hand. "Hah, we'll find out when we get there." "We? But what about the tournament?" Cantio raises her own cup out of reflex, but she has to stand a bit just to reach Leon's with the size difference between them. "What of it? If someone else becomes king, then that just means there'll be fewer eyes on me. Besides, the next tournament isn't going to be that far away. I'll leave my strongest generals around to keep watch while I'm out, anyway, so the capital should be safe from Fandaria and Tristan until we're done there. Now!" He clanks his cup together against Cantio's, then holds it out towards Bond while Kazabu does the same. "To our new alliance! Even if we have to search every farm house, hen house, outhouse, boat house, whore house, and round house, we'll find the other seven."