Arena Bleachers

Tifa narrowed her eyes from the speaker's direction. "That was a little too creepy-" she commented under her breath, she turned to the other contestants-seeing if there were any familiar faces-but from what she could see she saw none. She sighed, taking a seat and sorted through her memories of the previous competition. She thought about it-and she didnt even remember leaving it tell the truth. "Thats weird...I cant seem to remember it at all." she thought, she escaped-she knew she did-or she would be one of the spirits acting as a servant most likely. She just couldnt remember how-though...

Yomato's hilt rattled and there stood Everin leaning his back against the wall-crossing his arms with Yomato and scabbard in his right hand. He had his eyes closed, and his head was bowed down slightly, and remained silent.

Tifa heard the rattling of the sword and immediately turned around-and she saw the familiar face she was looking for. She grinned and came up beside him-mimicing his laid-back pose-with the exception of her hands behind her head and her eyes looking up to the sky. "You know-I never did get that Guantlet of Scardia; that really does suck." she stated aloud.

Everin had still had his eyes closed but he replied. "Your confidence of past quarrels is sickening-besides what has past cannot be undone." he said in a cool and smooth tone. "You were strong then-but none of us even passed the Semi-Finals...no one would have known the outcome of that battle;" he suddenly added. "But like I said-what has been done cannot be undone. But the future is still on it's eve-and that is something to be confident of."

Tifa simply smiled again. "Your like a poet, you know that?" she said softly turning to him with a smile. "But yeah-I guess your right. Why live in the past when the future is there for us, right?" she said as she looked out to the FIELDS arena.

Everin sighed out loud. "Thats what I just said...you humans have very small attention spans or something uncurable." he started, not realizing he was blushed slightly-but his face was still that of his placid expression.

She noticed his slightly blushed manner and only smiled, looking back at the arena-and then she saw another somewhat familiar face (Ikai). "Now where have I seen you before...I cant remember..." she thought softly as she began to head towards him.

Arcanda swaggered his way into the stands and sat down on the bleachers looking around the arena. It was good to be participating in this tournament he was a bit rusty in his skills as a competitor; it'd be years since his Arcandos operation had become fully effective and his underlings were now performing all the dirty work; a fact he detested.

The woman in the large fur coat and hat took a seat beside the man with the mechanical arm. Through her 'network', she knew who he was-but he was sadly out of the realm of possibility to apprehend...for now. At least until I have finished Tenik-then I caan take down the notorious Archie Mc'Graw...
She grinned and she glanced at the direction of Everin, but her eyes more leaning towards Arcanda. "Such a beautiful scenary for battle, no?" She asked the air-her Izhevsk accent spilling out.

"Beautiful scenery? This place won't be beautiful scenery until till blood is spilt. There's a reason why it's a martial arts tournament..." Arcanda stated as he took out a cigar and started to smoke it. He coughed as the smoke entered his lungs...

He looked at the cigar and thought, "How can such a good thing be such evil to me? I used to have five of these a day...give it up for a year and i'm back to coughing..."

He turned to the woman and offered, "Would you like a cigar? It's from the special Scardian brand...I haven't been up to the ice caps too often to get from there."

Shane sighed, looking out to the fight taking place in the fields. "Damn...it feels so akward being back here now-and seeing no relative changes. It's like that desperate air rescue never actually happened...." his mind silently told him. He looked up at the sky, and closed his eyes-letting a gust of wind brush past him. "How am I going to get used to this?" he said softly to no one in particular, still holding onto the railings peering over the Fields prelim.

Azusa turned to Arcanda smiling lightly. "No thank you," her Izhevsk accent ringing out once again as she spoke; "I dont smoke...it doesnt allow me to see the face of my enemy clearly...before I dispose of them..." she added, turning to face the Prelim match again.

"Your not the only one who has to get used to this..." a voice answered behind Shane. Mizuki, a young asian woman stepped up to the rail beside him. "It's like-being in a different time." she said with a solomn tone, looking out to the battle between Valor and Boontai-which slightly disturbed her-because she was talking to an older Boontai no more than two hours ago and had personally watched Vince being hung by the Skizarian's...
"Still, the fact I'm still alive is just unreal...unless, I'm dead and this is the Spirit Realm...strange-I'd have pictured less blood..." she thought with a sigh.

Shane turned his head to the attractive voice to an equally attractive teen standing right beside him. His face redend and he felt blood drip down his nostrils. He quickly held his nose and nodded, turning to face the prelims-but his eyes glancing at the woman. "By all the War Gods-she's hot!" his inner voice screamed, though he himself said nothing yet as he continued to gaze at her brilliance.

Mizuki turned her head-noticing the young man's face and she smiled slightly. "Well, how are you?" she asked, smiling lightly. "He reminds me of..." she sighed, but kept her smile to mask the pain...

Shane's eyes widened and his face reddened even more. He scatched his neck and laughed. "Oh...me nothing-how how about you?" he asked grinning as more blood dripped down from his nose.

She noticed his nose bleed and giggled. "Oh, you'know-just 'hanging around." she said as she moved closer to him-to see what other reaction's she could get from him-although she was still saddened by one fact: "He isn't here...." her mind went as she sighed inwardly again.

Shane noticed a sense of sadness behind her actions. "Hey...whats wrong??" he asked, concerned. He suddenly remembered he should look for Tifa-he had some things he wanted to tell her before his match, but now with this girl's sadness. "I may be just a stranger, but hey-I think I can help." he said.

She grinned. "That's very nice of you-but I dont think you can really help..." she started, as she looked out to the fields prelim

"Well, this is quite a turnout, these people sure love their brawls, huh?" Alastor said as he approached Mizuki and Shane.

Mizuki's eyes widened and wavered. Her mouth hung open a bit and she turned around slowly-in the hopes not to decieve her eyes. She blinked and her hung mouth curled into a smile. "Al..." she said softly, before she ran up to him an leapt onto him her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. Her volptuous chest was pressed against the firm muscle of his as closed her eyes and screamed out his name. "Alastor Grey! Your still alive!!" She said before crushing her lips against his-slipping her tongue in and curling hers with his in a long embrace.

He's alive! her mind screamed again with elation.

Shane's eyes blinked and he felt light headed as he watched their embrace. "Why cant I be like that??" his mind cried, before he shook his head and smiled. "Really? Well you look happy now-and what does she mean by 'still alive'? You guys on the run from someone, Ms?" he started as he began to observe them, and found it hard not to stop observing her.

"Good to see you too Mizu, what have I missed?"

Mizuki blushed pink as she continued to hug him. And then tears began to drip down her face. "Kelly...Kelly's dead...." she whispered, the young red head military officer who helped her out of Galiavan when it was going to hell from Skizer...the one who remained grinning to the very end...
"Are you...the only one? I heard the Moon base was hit hard." she whispered again, looking at Alastor's eyes with watery teary eyes.

Alastor's demeanor darkened. "I think Rachel made it through, but beyond that, I don't know..." regaining his composition, he said "So, what have you been up to?"