Growing rather impatient with the small talk, the disguised kitsune suddenly feels her mind drift away from her aging soul, her shut eyes suddenly swivelling in random directions searching for who-knows-what. "What even... is there... to look for..." She mutters to herself. (Perception: 12)

Hearing Liivi suggest that the groups heads back to the shop and stay on track again was enough to draw her back to reality. She nods in response; Wasn't that the reason why her son wanted to leave the church in the first place anyways? Eh, doesn't matter. They're all finally agreeing to to go back. Unless... Speaking of her son, she notices him getting flustered all of a sudden as he attempts to leave without thinking twice. Something must have set him off again, but she apparently didn't pick it up. Along with Mira though, she gently caresses his head in an effort to make him pause and calm down. And then she hears him muttering about something underneath his blush...

Oh yeah. The gryphon. The one that was towing behind her in the rain before she, Shugo and Alek got randomly attacked in the night. Where is it? Maybe that was why she was also feeling dazed...

Shugo nods to Livii, "Yeah, might as well head over there. Not much else to do at this point."

The elf laughs as Renar corrects himself, "Oh the gryphon! Haha, I thought I was tripping there for a second. Huh, I hope that poor thing is alright...." He scratches his neck squinting at nothing.

Then he looks down at Mira, "We didn't flat out agree to help Elmars. Honestly I just kinda nodded along. Once we actually met the people's army we decided not to go through with anything. I didn't like Elmars from the start. He's obviously a power hungry manipulative bird. Hah! He even tried to convince us to give him the artifact after we find it under the pretext of him having more of a use for it then any of us just because he's a noble." He shakes his head, finding this almost amusing. Elmars probably didn't know who Shugo really was at that time.

He nods to Mira, "Yeah, if we figure out what happened to the gryphon we can show you. She may have been Cezars' mount, but she clearly wasn't acting completely on her own will."

He opens the door to the shop and lets everyone head in first before following them in and letting the door close behind him. Then he looks around the room for the cat merchant lady.

(I'm really, really sorry for making you wait so long. I'll try my best to post more frequently next time.)

You enter the shop and see Astra sitting on the counter, "Welcome, I've been expecting you. Got a look around the fortress?"

"Alright, let's waste no time here." She waves her paw and summons a piece of paper on the counter, upon closer inspection, it's the blueprint of the fortress, every room and every floor is listed.

"If you want to be the Queen, you must first win a royal election, and in order to win a royal election, you must rig it." She prances around, her tail flicking back and forth, "It's a well-known Kerwosian tradition that the ruler of this nation is the one who rigs the royal election the hardest. If you try to fight fair, you're going to fail, because everyone will try to bribe the electors or intimidate other Dukes and Duchess into dropping out of the election."

"Right now, your objective is to remove Elmars from the election ballot, and there is no better time to strike than right now—during his wedding, that will be the moment his guard is down, you will have your chance to strike." She summons another paper from thin air, this time, it's the timetable of Elmars' wedding event.

"In the morning, there will be prayers in the church inside the fortress, then there will be archery and martial contests. After that, lunch, some stage shows, dinner, and the ceremony itself after sunset. You don't have to fight Elmars himself, you need to embarrass him or send him a message that running for kingship isn't worth it, by any means necessary." She waves her paw around, "Do you have any plans yet, or do you want more information?"

Maya doesn't answer Astra when she greets her, other than a rather moody scowl aimed in her direction. Upon hearing that the election must be rigged in order to guarantee the second queen's position, the kitsune suddenly is spurring with a couple of thoughts, but none to match her ideal of pleasance. Plus, looking back on the Wildland Shifters when they needed to fight their way through politics in order for her to become the Queen of Neverwinter, she recalls all of the pettiness and the bribery involved despite her best efforts to prove to the world of her peaceful intentions. She feels like she could attempt to mimic their ways when the election does come, but she's then reminded of something. Oh yeah. She just realised she doesn't know or has seen who this Elmars guy is. Last time she met with her son in private, he told her that he's just a prince who intimidated them to do his bidding. And for what? Sure, she can turn into her nine tailed fox form too and embrace her versatility in her four legged state. But if people find out her actual form, this will be extremely bad news for both and her son, who is highly against this in this horrid dimension.

Midway though, she phases into her head again as her face is tilted down close to her chest. As another queen herself, she's no stranger to dealing with corruption in both realms, and even she had to go against her values in order to protect herself and her daughter when she was alive. But this dimension is different. This dimension actually requires her to fight unfairly which doesn't align with her at all. Her face morphs from a scowl to one of uncertainty whilst her eyebrows relax. She phases back and turns to Alek. Tashika ni kore ni hantai shite iru no wa watashi dakede wa arimasen. Kare no genzai no kōdō ga fuseijitsudearu yō ni mieru hazu ga nai... 確かにこれに反対しているのは私だけではありません。彼の現在の行動が不誠実であるように見えるはずがない... Surely I'm not the only one who's against this for sure; There's no way he'd be able to appear dishonest with his current behaviour...) She ruses. There is a martial art event right? She supposes her son can somehow mess up in this section, Shugo can handle the stage shows, Mira flattering everyone with concealed lies... and Liivi... she doesn't know her well at all, so she cannot think for herself yet. But she is well aware of the fact that the common aim is to tarnish the reputation of that ruler she doesn't know... Which certainly isn't a walk in the park especially for a foreign queen herself.

That just leaves her alone. Nani o suru tsumoridesu ka? (何をするつもりですか, What do I do?) In fact, after overhearing her son discuss out of thin air, she figured, if she was to play with her strengths, she can maybe do something rather petty, or rather, what her son knows she'll end up doing. She finally has an idea after staying in the background for quite a while now and it appears she really wants to enact it in her own way, her ancient brain slowly processing what her idea to sabotage the wedding, at least, what she hopes to say: Tabemono no ryōri o tsukurimasu... (食べ物料理を作ります... I make food...) Watashi wa kare no tokoro ni iki, wazatorashikunai yō ni jibun no ashi de tsumazukimasu. (私は彼のところに行き、わざとらしくないように自分の足でつまずきます, I go over to him, I trip on my own feet without looking like it's on purpose.) Aruiwa, kitsune-bi o tsukatte nanika ni hi o tsukemasu (あるいは、きつね火を使って何かに火をつけます, Or I can use my kitsune-bi to set something alight in secret) Dochira ni shite mo, kare wa masumasu hansamude wanaku narimasu. (どちらにしても, 彼はますますハンサムではなくなる, Either way, he becomes less handsome.) Inside, she actually feels a little proud of herself for finally coming up with an idea. It's as if she's unlocked something wondrous in her holed up heart.

Now the tricky bit: Translating it into Lancean through the use of her amulet. She just needs to encourage herself that's all as she imagine herself including the rest of the group. Soko ni wa. Tanjun desuga kōka-tekidesu. Anata wa dōdesu ka? Anata no keikaku wa nanidesu ka? (そこには。単純ですガコウカテキデス。あなたはどうですか? あなた の 計画 和 何です か? There. Simple yet effective. What about you? What's your plan?)  Sodesune. Sā, wakari yasuku hon'yaku shite kudasai... (そですねえ. さあ、わかりやすく翻訳してください... That's it. Come on, translate it nice and clear...) And then when she opens her mouth to speak...

"I... I... I-I handle... food. L-l-lunch-" She stutters, but then turns red in embarrassment after 10 seconds and halts mid speech when her actual plan in fact just wants to make food but then let her clumsiness get the better of her whilst she messes up Elmars when handing him a dish. Not what she wanted to say actually.

Before he responds to Astra's barrage of instructions, Shugo slides the coupon towards her. "Uh, Can I get that bow now? I've been waiting for quite a while." He smiles at her.

Once she accepts his money and hands over the bow, Shugo slings it on one side of his pack and shrugs. "Well there's many ways to embarrass nobles. For starters." He holds up a finger, "We just need the guests to be disappointed. The best way to do that...." He chuckles, "Ruin the feast. Make the food and drink taste awful and that will make Elmars look terrible." He holds up another finger, "Next we embarrass Elmars himself, or whoever he chooses as his champion in the contests. Either we just have to really outdo him in skill, or we need to rig the contest...though by the sounds of it the contest will likely be rigged already." He holds up a third finger, "The last thing I can come up with right now, could get a bit messy. Elmars can't exactly get married without a pastor. Either we need to make whoever will marry them embarrassingly late, or make them a no-show."

His hand drops, "Or we could try a different route. We know that the people's army are also going to try to sabotage this wedding. Renar already let the guards know this, but that doesn't mean we can't take advantage of it. We could save." He does air quotes as he says this, "The wedding, and in doing so make Elmars' own forces look pathetic, maybe even go as far as to somehow make them useless."

He shrugs, "Honestly we could try to do all of those things...." He crosses his arms, "Just throwing ideas out there."

Alex seems rather quiet as the conversation plays out, fidgeting uncomfortably. Rigging the election? How far has this world fallen? He lets out a long sigh, "I... can't be a part of this. I just... I don't care if everyone else is rigging the contest, it isn't right. If I'm going to participate then I want to do it honestly."

Sure, Astra said that not cheating guarantees failure but... this just goes against Alex's nature in every way possible. "If you want me to fight in a martial contest then I will. I don't like the idea of ruining a wedding. I really really don't. But I understand the necessity. That said I'm willing to intimidate or try to persuade... but I won't have anything to do with this cheating stuff."

He rubs the back of his neck, averting his eyes and realizing he probably just counted himself out of all of this. "...Sorry guys I just..." He trails off, for once not knowing what to say. 

Renar

I scoff when the lady greets us; I hadn't gotten over the fact that she almost could've costed Okaa-san's life if Janus had perceived her differently. "You'd really think there's anything for us to scan around here?" I mutter back without even thinking twice before she ignores my message (or at least, that's what I thought) and rambles on. There was a lot to take in; Okaa-san would've phased out again on the briefing, but thankfully I managed to somewhat stay put, though I have my concerns about anything I could've missed out on. I glance down at my clenched paws. Kare o tōhyō yōshi kara hazusu... Dō yatte? (彼を投票用紙から外す...どうやって, Remove him from the ballot... how?)  I mutter in my thoughts... I couldn't help but whip out my pocket sized notepad to scribble notes. And then she explains that the ruler of this nation is the one who rigs the royal election the hardest. I suddenly felt my poor fox ears droop in sheer annoyance. Sword Coast's and Japan's elections may seem unfair even with all of the corruption that persists in the former, but this is on a whole new level... This messed up planet tolerates it? That's something that would've been favoured in say, the Underdark... Sorede watashi wa tadashikatta nodesu. Kono sekai wa uchigawa kara kanzen ni hikisaka retsutsu aru. (それで私は正しかったのです。この世界は内側から完全に引き裂かれつつある。So I was right. This world is utterly tearing itself apart from the inside.) I grit as my anger boils to the brim. I mean, I don't know a single thing or two about politics. Even in my centuries-old life I have no room to learn about this, yet despite my zero experience, I can already tell that, even if we rig this election to have it go in our favour, it's still wrong. And even if I want to do it properly, I just don't know how to play my part without letting them know...

Regardless, I'd personally would like to stay out of the political matters as I briefly closed my eyes for a few seconds, seeing that I'd be in no position to do anything besides maybe fake counting the ballots myself... or something similar... (Loveless Act IV) "The fates are cruel, regardless. There are no dreams, no honour remains; I'll leave the election bit to you all." I muttered to myself as my eyes open again, lost in thought of how to proceed. And then Mira accuses me of what? Of ditching the group again? I don't get it... I turn towards her suddenly in disgust. "Listen, when I mean I'll leave the election drama to you all, what I meant is I'm not in my zone when it comes to bribing or intimidating others for the sake of it, even if I was to get away with it. I wasn't even attempting on leaving you in the dirt to my own thing. At least not yet." I recall the wedding schedule. This needs to be prioritised first and foremost.  And then Shugo and Alek voice their opinions, which leave me in a very precarious situation. The rabbit queen is already unpredictable enough in my eyes... I know the youngster would never want to do something dishonourable. And he even proves my point when too spoke where he stands, so maybe... he can pretend to pray whilst someone else potentially disrupts without letting them know? Liivi-san and Shugo-kun may have their own ideas, but so do I. As for the refreshment bit, maybe Okaa-san can like... I know this sounds cruel but what if we exploit her clumsiness that can potentially ruin his image whilst she's holding something? Even as she stutters, I can already guess her intentions, but it's clear she's against it like Mira-san and Alek too. But... the events that unfold right after that... that's a different story. Archery and martial arts, lunch, stage shows, the ceremony itself... It's all in my zone. Ethan told me about this certain phrase too as my drooped ears whip back up underneath my disguise: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. Breaking down Shugo's plan bit by bit, I have several options I can potentially create to maximise the damage. In fact, what he fleshed out of the blue seems to be on the right track for now as I nod to him as a sign of approval.

"I'd say we tackle the entire sabotage thing in stages. Shugo, you have already sparked a new array of ideas in me, and I can knida envision how we'd all be able to at least execute to some degree, even Alek and Mira-san." I'd love to enter fox form, but if I suddenly revert due to an attack, this wouldn't look good on both me and Okaa-san. The last thing I need is to be hunted for who I am again. "I don't know if anyone heard her before she suddenly went silent but... I think Oka- SORRY! Maya-san... she's already on board with one of the ideas." I suddenly point out with a gestured hand as I smile at her for reassurance. "This lady from another place... I just recently learnt that she's at her happiest in the kitchen. So maybe she can be the one to put horrendous ingredients in the dishes. Doesn't have to be poisonous, just enough to give that idiot king a bad first impression." As for Mira and Alek, I'd figured they'd still need something to do in the meanwhile, so I turned to them.

"I'll handle the martial sector, Alek." I tell him. "I figured you'd be the type to rebel against something that's against whatever you follow. Besides, I don't want you to take the blame for something you haven't done anyways. In fact, if the events are most likely to be rigged, you and Mira-san can be the types to snuff their dishonesty or undo their effects. Isn't that what your values are about? Or was I mistaken?" I then swivel my gaze to Okaa-san as another random idea pops in my mind. "Or you can probably hang out in the kitchen..." I whisper to myself.

"As for serving the food, maybe two of you can pretend to serve them to the guests..." I turn to the two queens, who are Mira-san and Okaa-san again with a smirk, knowing that I'll be exploiting the latter's worst trait to good use. "...and pretend to be clumsy or make someone mess up something or some place. I know Shugo can throw random voices during the toasting; If you prefer to designate yourself to something else though, go right ahead. I'm just trying to see where everyone's strengths lie in." In fact, all of this planning had left me forgotten about the Idiot's army's intentions until Shugo mentions it again. Luckily I was able to adapt to that almost instantly. "Heh, thanks for reminding me of that, Shugo-kun. If we intend to make the wedding-slash-sabotage an entire facade to the public, all six of us need to be on board with this during the ceremony. And as a matter of fact, we need to be fairly concealed within the crowd until it's time to 'defend' the couple from the threat and simultaneously humiliate them in front of their faces. If that's so though, no one should be concealed in the backlines when that happens." 

However, in all of the planning, I just realized that I had a feeling I was missing someone as I turn to meet her somewhat mood gaze... I left out Liivi-san. "Oh shoot... I'm so sorry- I-I... w-what is it t-that y-you're... I'm... I'm so sorry..." I mutter in embarrassment and mimicked Okaa-san with my head turned away as I realised I left her out of this unintentionally...

Mira

Mira takes note of the peculiar cat that awaits the group out of curiosity, but doesn't make any further remarks. However, her heart sinks when she realises she needs to rig the election in her favour. Like seriously, this is big news. Well, it can work well or not depending on if the remaining five agree to it or not, but still. This isn't something that she can afford to compete in on her own. Like her mother, she prioritizes equality and fairness. Dishonesty is definitely not her best suite. She was worried about being the only one of the six to be against this idea, but then Alek stands his ground too. Even as Shugo does flesh out a rather brief but effective plan, Mira's position on this matter doesn't even shift to a degree. "I have to stand with Alek, here." She speaks up with a shudder. "If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's being a dishonourable lady even without the presence of my mother." Of course, that doesn't mean she can sort of do her part if the rest decide to proceed with it. "But... if there's something that you guys don't consider dishonourable that the two of us can do then... then maybe... we can probably help with the offer." Turning to Alek, she does attempt to offer a paw of comfort despite her small stature. "Look, my boy. Maybe if there is a pastor that we can distract, maybe we can peacefully talk to him, or her. Like you know, have a conversation with him that can stall for hours, or perhaps pretend to mislead them to their destination... I mean... That's not really against your vows is it?" And then Renar voices his intentions to opt out on the election rigging, leaving Mira to misinterpret his words... also what's him and Maya with the honorifics? For someone who actually speaks Lancean, he's a funny guy...

"W-what-? Renar?! What do you mean you're leaving the election rigging to us?!" Mira scoffs in disbelief, whilst she also takes note of that one line that he failed to camouflage in his words if he did. And then Renar immediately jumps to his defense and she sighs. "Ok, sorry. But you had a bad history of leaving us in the dust, I really don't want it to happen again. Not on my watch." She then contemplates life choices over Renar suggesting that she and Alek go to the kitchen with Maya. "I mean... I can cook, but I've got nothing fancy or deliberate in mind. I don't know about Alek... Unless if you mean Maya can teach us some techniques?" And then she hovers her mind over to the election day. "Well I mean, I could attempt flattery, but... to be honest I'm not the stereotypical charmer myself. I can't even imagine myself pretending to act like... you know..." She stutters before she pauses for a moment to avoid embarrassment; She suddenly switches topics. "What if one of you can like, you know, pretend to count the ballots as well? Wait, that wouldn't work, would it? You'd need to have like a permit to do so, unless..." Whilst she does prefer to enact things in an orderly manner, when it comes to spewing out fresh ideas, she's kinda out of her zone in this matter. Especially with the upcoming wedding ceremony, she'd at most leave it to the rest to figure out this plan unless if she's required to take part, which she has a feeling she will. She's kind of on board with the whole saving the wedding idea too as she claps her paws slightly. "Hmm, Shugo you're a genius. That's something that me and Alek can definitely be a part of. Though, isn't that gonna sour your relationships with those... squads of yours though?"

She turns back to Astra as she awaits what Liivi has in mind. Surely for someone as strong as she is, she should have a few decent ideas as well. "So you're saying that we basically need to sabotage the events of the wedding without them knowing our true intentions right?" She wonders if she's able to actually to get her mother on board with this, but calls it out last minute after fearing that it would ruin her reputation as a duchess. "I know the rest especially Shugo and Renar have unleashed their own ideas like hellfire but, what about you? Including you, Liivi? What are your suggestions to, like... mess up his wedding without knowing what we intend to do?"

Liivi's eyes widen as she hears Astra's claim. "You must cheat to be elected?  Were that so, then why follow any royal?"  She shakes her head. "No, I refuse to believe you are right. You may think so. You may have many historical examples. But I will not believe it."  Her voice is calm yet certain as she speaks.  However, she ends in a sigh. "It may be though that such fair and deserved election wins may require proving yourself worthy of those votes over a long term of service."  She glances at Astra, and then to Mira. "I may concede that perhaps we may not have the time to properly build faith in Mira's character and ability, to be able to build coalitions, to prove through actions the things she stands for.  Perhaps we'll need other means."  She sounds resigned.  "I suppose me must consider it if we agree that the mission is important enough." 

"So, I guess I could support us causing embarrassment for Elmars. Though it still feels like he should be more embarrassed of his actual actions rather than some social faux pas at his wedding." Liivi starts to pace around a bit, looking a little uncomfortable. "I don't know what else we might possibly do. Are there other political 'targets' that we will have to also somehow make look falsely foolish?"  This last question appears directed to Astra. 

"Here's your bow, Shugo." She summons a Mage Hand and hands over the carved bow to the elf.

Astra sighs, "Listen, Mira—people don't care how you become the ruler, they only care if you become a ruler. Would you rather be the one who sits on the throne? Or let some corrupted, incompetent, and egotistic bird take your spot instead? In the game of politics, everyone is constantly trying to backstab and sabotage you at any given moment, people who try to fight fair don't last long, you must fight tooth and nail for that power. Use any means you have, even if it's morally questionable. There are no good guys in politics here, only those that survive and those that don't." 

"Remember my words: the end justifies the means. The only thing that matters is saving our world, in any way necessary." She says, Janus has that mindset too, and it seems like his apprentice learnt it from him.

She looks at Mira again, "This is a closed election, there will be twelve electors who will vote on who to be the next leader, their identities are kept secret... for now, you can try to sneak into the Royal Palace and find more information about them."

Quote from Culuril >>

Liivi's eyes widen as she hears Astra's claim. "You must cheat to be elected?  Were that so, then why follow any royal?"  She shakes her head. "No, I refuse to believe you are right. You may think so. You may have many historical examples. But I will not believe it."  Her voice is calm yet certain as she speaks.  However, she ends in a sigh. "It may be though that such fair and deserved election wins may require proving yourself worthy of those votes over a long term of service." 

 

 
"The current king, Vladimirs XII, cheated on the royal election too. He found the list of electors, which was supposed to be a top-secret, and then he hunted seven of them down and tortured them until they agreed to vote for him. Ironically enough, the only king in the entire history of Kerwos who won the election legitimately was Elmars II, who was Duke Elmars' great-great-great-great grandfather." She explains to Liivi, "Once you become the leader of Kerwos, you're essentially above all law, even if people know you cheated after the election, they cannot do much about it. You have the entire military and every city guard by your side, any protest and riots can be swiftly dealt with." Well... that's what kings in the actual medieval age were like too.

Mira

"What the... this can't be right! Surely there's another peaceful way to negotiate this isn't there?!" Mira is left absolutely dumbfounded at the truth. Previously her goal heavily lies on building up a good rep, swaying her audiences peacefully and promoting the benefits . Now that her plans have been left in shambles in favour of being forced to commit crimes without being caught... this has gone too far. Has she overestimated herself and her expectations of this peaceful planet? How on Lancean terms did my mother get through this jargon? Did she have to fight her way like what Astra said??? She couldn't help but wonder what her adoptive mother did to get to her position. Was there something that she perhaps did not tell her when she was a little rabbit girl playing out in the wilds away from the comforts and safety of her royal chamber? Even as Astra assures that Mira will have the total command, she still remains unfixed in her stance, just like Alek. "So... you're saying that... people really lie. People deceive each other to get what they want... to gain power for themselves and reshape Lancean to how they see fit. But... does it really have to be this way? Why can't it just be like... be like... um..." She suddenly withdraws into herself as Astra sends every counterargument at her throat. Even as Liivi asks her question only for her to reply in a similar fashion, that Elmars unsurprisingly cheated, Mira doesn't know where to stand. Her plans to revive and rebuild the rebellion slowly... how would that mesh in well? Sure, she's hellbent on kicking that obnoxious bird brain off his throne but... now her uncertainty has multiplied exponentially. "What... what does... ugh, I..." Mira shudders, her words suddenly evaporating from thin air. To compromise Elmars using deception and trickery rather than to fight fair... this isn't what she thought elections are supposed to be. And it appears that she doesn't have any further ideas on how to proceed. She's really stuck in the mud for now.

She glances at the rest of the pack. Alek and Maya don't seem to be on board with this idea still, but surely they must have ideas of their own regardless. Liivi doesn't either, but judging from her unchanged expression, she's content on proceeding on how things should go even if she has to go against her wishes too; She seems pretty stubborn. Renar and Shugo... they're probably more stubborn than Liiv, but if she has to do it the hard way, she'll need to rely on those two the most for their ideas, which is ironic considering that she feels the most distant with these Priyeh citizens at the moment.

She turns to Alek first, considering that he's easily relating to her troubles. "Alek..." She's having troubles meeting him eye-to-eye due to her small height, so she gestures to him, hoping he can at least lean over or bend down such that he can meet her gaze; Her voice suddenly soften to that of an angel. "I know you're having the same thoughts as me on this matter... well, not that I'm trying to make you stray away from your stance but, I get it. And... I understand your concerns." Just like how her mother would comfort her when she was afraid or sad, she firmly holds Alek's hand with her own as a sign of reassurance. "We may not have a choice anymore, my boy. I'd understand if even if what they're thinking isn't what you desire. I don't like it either, but If you're up to it, I'm more than happy to discuss it with any other plans that suit you when we have time. Maybe we can find alternate scenarios where you don't have to go against whatever you holy warriors abide to. I'd really like to know you more when we can actually. No matter happens though, I promise you that under my watch, you're gonna be okay. You'll do fine even without my help, I'm sure you... you got this... I..." 

Her voice breaking, she pulls away from Alek and lets go. Having finished trying to find common ground with him, she turns to the rest. "Listen guys... If I'm being brutally honest, even if I... even if I want Elmars to be gone... even if I want to change the world for the better, even if I have to go against what I love... I can put my mind to it if I suits me. It's just... I... I can't plan ideas well. I don't see how I'm able to plan things out or fight my way through this on my own..." She pauses and contemplates her words before she resumes and asks the group.

"Even if I can do it... even if I have to go against my values, my wishes, can I trust you all, a bunch of commoners that are stronger and smarter than I am... even you, Astram if things get out of hand... Can I trust that... you stay to fight by my side for the rest of the journey... no matter what happens?"

Renar

Having nothing else to say despite the fact that I saw this counterargument coming from a mile away... I couldn't find an appropriate reaction to this other than to sigh. But then something clicks in mind; I turn to the obnoxious cat lady without taking note of what she almost did to Okaa-san a few days prior. "Hey uh, can we all have the timetable if you don't mind? You said the buildups to the ceremony starts in the morning, but I didn't get which day you're talking about." I then overhear the neko lady lecturing Mira-san about something, causing my hidden tail to stiffen underneath my laxed disguise...

That should've been Rule number 3 of how to be an effective leader of her country. Okaa-san no kuchi kara detanara (お母さんの口から出たなら If it came from my mother's mouth...) I think to myself. And yet that cat lady just blurts out something that caused me to phase into my head for a bit... The only thing that matters... is saving our world. My world... Sword Coast... Japan... I shake my head to snap out of it. Whilst us kitsunes have no intentions to actually cause chaos myself in this wretched planet, in reality, I care nothing less about this one, unless if its demise also directly impacts Sword Coast and Japan. Speaking of which... I had to turn towards my whimpering mother and place a hand on her shoulder before she alienates us two again... "Okaa-san." I whisper in her quivering face. "People aren't gonna hear you if you don't speak up. You were on the right track there." Overhearing that neko lady again, I couldn't help but grit my teeth. You have everyone at your authority, whether it be guards, soldiers, people, everyone. I've got no business in running a country, but I understood that nice and clear. That's the one part me and Okaa-san don't like as we both view this alongside Rixi and the rest of the shifters as a double-edged sword. And the fact that me, Rixi, Ethan... no... everyone including the first three latecomers Daisy, Xenia and Trojan... we had to both negotiate and fight our way against militants and civilians alike in order to release the shackles of the corrupt noble's tyrannies, a lot can go wrong if being an absolute ruler is like taking a grain of salt.  

"If you must know, Mira-san... treat this as a valuable life lesson. Welcome to the harsh reality of the outside world." I tell the anxious future queen in response to her meek request for us to help, though my tone felt nowhere near as reassuring. Like seriously, I thought she'd have grown up to learn these kinds of negativities already? Sigh... whatever. That aside, unless if the election is like... less a week away, we should have sufficient time to get things done right, and I can definitely think of how to proceed and what to do if things go awry along the way. But, turning an election into her favour, I've never had to deal with this in the Sword Coast, even as people elected Okaa-san and Rixi to be the leaders of Neverwinter. And... the fact this is all coinciding with our quest in trying to find an artefact... At this point I'm convinced this rumour is either a decoy or we've just forged a rather complicated path for ourselves and we need to untangle it before anyone else does.

"Look, you say you trust us, right?" I sternly direct my no-nonsense glare at her; The same way Rixi or Ethan glare at me whenever I did something that accidentally made them infuriated. "Sigh... the lady pointed out a third point about being a queen didn't she? If you want to proceed still, here's rule number 4 of being a ruler: Be loyal to those who are loyal to you. And respect everyone, even your enemies and competition." Ok, I probably didn't exactly answer Mira directly, but this is pretty much how I say I pledge my loyalty to her, until she shows that she's not someone to be trusted at all. I place my right arm on Inazuma's sheath as I await her decision; Whatever she chooses, I'll go with it all the way. "So. What's your decision? Are you and whoever's against this gonna stay in the backlines, abandon your hopes and dreams and the artefact entirely and watch Lancea suffer even more? Or are you gonna suck it up and forge something greater than whatever you were discussing with..." I take a glance at Liivi-san. What were they even talking about again? I didn't pick it up. "...Liivi-san? Or whatever your name was...?"

Maya's fox ears suddenly perk up when her disguised son addresses her saying she was in fact on the right path. "Oh? I-I... really? Um... Ok..." She leans back up and turns towards the rest to better speak out loud, only to hear Alek, Mira and Liivi voice their disdain towards the current situation. She couldn't help but sigh to herself as if she's replayed this similar scenario in her head when she ran for Neverwinter's title as the queen. She wants to agree with them so badly, but also knows that they cannot just opt out own their own accord; Sure Alek fears of breaking his oath but... so did Rixi. And Raiden (or Renar in this universe) too. This was what she had to deal with in order to become a well respected ruler on her end, and so will her son in the future. Deciding on what to do next, the kitsune holds on what she wants to do to sabotage the ceremony as she approaches Alek first, her glossy red lips curling into a gentle smile for someone monstrous as she is.

"Alek-kun." She turns to him and gently strokes his head with a clawed hand as the translator amulet kicks in for her. "If you must know, I understand how you feel about this. My son once went through the same situation as you, being forced to go against what he values. I've been in this situation too. I know exactly how heart-wrenching it is myself." When she spoke, this was unlike the other times where she appears to be extremely spooked; She sounds a lot more genuine and relaxed. However, there was also a hint of graveness in her now smooth and majestic voice. "From what the lady says, it sounds like she's genuine about it. Whatever's going on in your heads that's forcing you and Ale-kun to hold back, you both need to learn how to compromise. Because that's probably the only way you can fight through a entwined mess of threads. But that's why we're here to help... if you want us to. If you want me to."

Turning towards the second queen, she leans down on her knees and strokes her rabbit ears lightly, the same way she strokes Alek's head. "If there's one thing you need to know, is that as long as you don't try to backstab us in any way possible, unless if you're just gonna abandon us to build whatever organisation you intend to build, or whatever. I trust you, Mira-san. You are already a queen in your own heart. You now need this source to blossom like a flower during spring." Maya affirms the second queen as she strokes her rabbit ears. "We'll do our parts when the time comes, but you must handle the main parts of the entire drama all by yourself. Isn't that what your mother would want you to see you as? Like how I wish for my son to be my kin- ULP!" She cuffs her mouth when she almost realises that she almost called her son as her future king. The fact that she almost said this, blew her own cover away again and did so in front of her son who hates being called king... yet another close call. Hopefully.

Liivi laughs softly at Astra. "To counter my doubt of your statement that one must cheat, you tell me that Elmars II did not cheat! You speak in circles, offering no wisdom but only trying to manipulate our decision."  She pauses, then adds, "No, I should be more charitable in my words, you are just persuading I'm sure." 

She looks over at Mira though, who has asked a serious question. "Mira, you ask for my assurance to stay at your side, no matter what." She pauses for a long moment though, as though letting those final three words sink in for everyone. "It is quite a pledge to give to someone that I've only just met. I know very little of your goals. But as it seems we have all agreed to pursue Janus' plan.  And I get that the circumstances before us may require some 'cheating', as Astra has put it.  Therefore, I will pledge to stay at your side Mira. For all of this." 

Shugo takes the bow and then crosses his arms and tilts his head at the others. He nods to Renar's comments, as always that kid seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He's actually quite surprised at Mira's reaction to all of this. How had she lived as a noble for so long and not learned how most nobles act?
"Look you two. I know it sounds bad, but all this 'cheating' is the real game." He glances at Asra, "The way she's talking about it makes it sound worse than it is. Not that i'm saying it's good, I'm just saying that it can't really be called cheating when everyone knows everyone is doing it. It's like this. Participating in the election, is basically just the mask all these nobles are plastering onto the real game of knocking each other out of the running. This mask is an attempt to hide how petty nobles can be from the common folk, and make them seem more appealing to those they'll be ruling. Of course, the commoners probably already know about the real game, but they have no way of proving any of it. Trust me, the nobility in my country are probably worse about all this than the ones here. My family included." Heck if he thinks about it, he's playing that game by helping his sister out.

He holds his hands out to the sides, "Does that make sense?"

In spite of Mira's words, Alex seems to be growing more and more uncomfortable with this predicament. "I... this isn't just about my vows it's about my morals. I can't... this just..." He puts a hand over his face and lets out a long breath, "Cheating is cheating. I don't care if everyone else is doing it... maybe instead of dirtying our own reputations we should just focus on showing everyone what the rest of the competition is doing? Bring up how Elmars is letting Ceazars get away with everything. Ask Janina if she can help spread... not just rumors but TRUE rumors, if she is willing to take that risk at least. She knows firsthand what Ceazars is capable of, so why not just tell everyone what's going on? If we find a scheme, bring it to light instead of just adding our own layer to it."

He crosses his arms, listening to Shugo's response as well before drooping slightly, "I... I think I get what you are saying... I'll admit that I'm not the brightest aasimar in Lancea, but I just don't understand why we can't... well, unravel the game by simply not playing it." He gestures to Liivi, "Like she pointed out, apparently Elmars II didn't cheat, so why is it so imperative that we do?"

"Elmars II was a charismatic and down-to-earth guy, he liked to spend time with commoners, hanging out in the tavern, going adventuring with his family. In turn, dukes and duchesses loved him, the common folk loved him, and leaders from other countries loved him, but most historians admit that Elmars II got lucky. It was during the time when Perkwunos was recovering from the Second Planetary War, people were too tired to squabble with each other, they don't care who their leader is as long as there is one." The cat explains.

She frowns (As best as a cat like her can do) at Alex, "Welcome to the real world, kid. Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows here, you have to claw, fight, and bite your way to the top. Don't worry, cheating doesn't mean you will be a bad person, the system is broken and you can't fix it, there isn't that much choice but to cheat."

"But." Astra raises her paw, "In order to unlock the vault which contains the first core of the sun-bomb, you need the blood of the current ruler—just blood, the ruler doesn't have to be present. If you happen to lose the election because you refuse to cheat, you can sneak up into the palace, stab the new ruler, and bring a drop of their blood to the vault."

"There is one downside to this method, though." Astra's face darkens, "Attempting to assassinate the current ruler is much, much worse than cheating in an election. Once you get the core, you have to bring it to Janus and flee Kerwos immediately, every single guard and bounty hunter in this country will hunt you down, and you will be the most wanted folk in the history of Lancea... so far."

"Of course, that won't happen if you can hide really well, but the risks are still very high."

Renar

My reactions towards the rest seem mixed as I tentatively glance around. The leopard lady... I've got no comments for her despite the fact that she's intent on being allies with the Lancean queen. She seems well suited to this despite that I'm totally unnerved by her build and intimidating glares every now and then. Okaa-san? I don't want to elaborate. I'm already getting uncomfortable to the edges of my tail. Shugo though... having my respect for him increase a little, I nod towards him again when he agrees with my thinking and speaks up for the rest. At least he's standing his ground too, that I can definitely appreciate but... I do have this moment of doubt coursing through my veins. Seriously? Even that Prihyeh is as corrupt as this place? If that's the case then I'm already worried for both myself and Okaa-san... The other two though that are resisting currently... where should I start...

I scoff at Alek first whilst my hidden fox ears twitch in annoyance whilst my arms fold. "Tch. You heard that Alek? That bird idiot only fought fair because a war was about to end. There was a clear reason that he was able to fight fair and not have any competition. Look, even if this is against your so-called oath, committing something petty isn't going to force you to break it is it?" This time, the sourness in my voice is clear; Even though I can sort of tolerate his current behaviour, there's a limit to how much of his hesitation I can take despite being a laid-back kitsune myself. And it's already driving me nuts. Rixi may be similar in terms of going against his oath, but at least he's intent on breaking the law even if means doing something dishonourable. I had to stand my ground and be more firm this time. "By all means if you want to stay out of this or tell that gyo... I mean... dumpling lady... to do as you say, be my guest. It doesn't bother me if you insist on isolating yourself from us on your own accord. Don't expect us to come towards you then, unless if you think your absence is gonna directly hamper our plans to move forward together." 

In the meanwhile I unfolded my arms for a brief bit and continued to write notes to myself whilst the rabbit queen, who I sensed is trying to gain everyone's support in order to move forward, attempts to ease herself with her entourage minus myself. Already standing my ground depending on if she refuses my help or not, I paid no attention to her pleas, even as Okaa-san does pledge her loyalty to the other queen. But what that neko lady said next, about assassinating the current ruler to obtain the sun bomb... my ears suddenly fold down in horror when my next thought is literally the law of no killing people. "This is so contradictory..." I had to protest against this myself. "Ok sure, creating a gash but... why even assassinate when all we can do is just inflict a minor wound to draw blood? Isn't this going against the laws of your own world in the first place?" I mean, I could do it myself despite not being on Shiji or Tenebris' levels. As a former assassin I'm no stranger to this role. But endangering my own life and Okaa-san... I clenched my fist in anger though I did my best not to express it. "Before you guys say that you want this to happen, take this idea as a last resort."

Sigh... well, I have enough info to try and lead us back on the right track. "If peace isn't an option, so be it. We'll play by their rules if they want us to... *His voice lowers to a snarl whilst his teeth bare briefly* But we'll make sure they pay for the mess they've brought us into." I turn my back towards the door, but I don't make a step towards it just yet; These guys will for sure be outraged at my attempt to ditch them. "If you guys aren't intending to beat around the bush, I'm once again outta here." 

I'm still pretty livid about the whole assassination thing though, ironically enough, so I turned my head back with a dead serious glare whilst my yellow eyes glow slightly. "If think there's a chance that we'll fail and have to assassinate, here's my response to that: We won't."

Mira

Mira awaits the amending responses from the rest of the travellers she put her faith in. She glances to Renar after he stands his ground, not that she expects anything less from him besides his rather tactless attitude during his second time after Astra speaks. "Ok Renar, please! Can't you see that this poor boy here is having a dilemma issue? You don't have to chastise him further!" Mira scolds him. Like seriously, she understands that Alek isn't really helping her nerves either with his response, but can't this oddball like... have some sense  Thankfully, since she's struggling, Astra managed to cover for her. She goes up to him and gently rests a paw on his shoulder (or chest, if he's too tall). "Sigh... don't let Renar's words get to you okay? Sure, cheating is cheating, yes. But you heard what that lady said right? I think what she's saying is that whatever you holy warriors swear, it won't impact you in the long run. There are much bigger things for you to worry about than this, I can guarantee you that." Of course, she has the feeling that despite her method of support, it seems that her paladin's confidences seems to be plummeting by the minute. She needs to think of something fast as she steps back and leaves him be... 

However, what managed to sooth her first was the most unexpected person: Maya, the queen of the world she came from, stroking her rabbit ears such that she immediately becoes unnerved by her affection and her decision to go hand-in-hand as her queen-in-command. "M-M-Maya... I-I get that you're motivating me and all but... P-p-please..." She blushes. Needing a distraction, she hears Liivi voicing her decision to stay besides her and is immediately moved by it. "Thank you... Liivi. You know... for someone as terrifying as a lady from the wilds, you have a heart as soft as my mother's fur..." She holds out a tiny fist to her; It was meant as a fist bump to Liivi, similar to how her brother would do it to her whenever they teamed up in their younger years. Regardless of the tabaxi lady's reaction is, her attention then diverts to Shugo when he speaks his mind just like the hooded oddball. Her heart suddenly compresses when he does so. "Wait... e-even you, Shugo? How does your family even... Geez...!" Mira gasps. So even Shugo knows what the election is like behind the shadows. The fact that Astra mentions that the group might even have to do some assassinating in order to acquire a sun bomb... wait... assassinate? She suddenly hears Renar and Maya lashing out and agrees with them too ironically enough. "Assassinate?! You really think I'm gonna let my closest allies standing beside me disobey the number 1 Lancean law?! You must be joking! The fact that these two oddballs are even faster to call it out says something about this backup plan!" She shrieks in horror. She'd normally be against stabbing herself for some ridiculous situation like this, but hearing the idea of going against the pacifist nature of Lancea... this is way too far. What does she do now... 

Suddenly, in all of the panic and confusion about where her path is going to trail, she's able to generate a reasonable idea. What if she fights dirty... but can hide it under her guise of trying to be fair and square? She's now contemplating life choices whilst the rest are waiting for her on how she's gonna proceed to mess up both Elmars and the competition without avoiding her values of honesty and fairness. She gets it in her own head now. She squares and proceeds to take a breath before the words fly out of her mouth like ejected cargo coming out of a plane...

"I've made my choice. If you say that I will have to play by their rules in order to save Lancea, so be it." Her voice cracks twice whilst her fragile body shivers and glows a sickly shade of green. "I have my own idea: I would honestly like to play fair, get my allies to snuff out the dishonesty, uncover and expose all this jargon, you name it. This could be my plan A if things weren't this complicated, and I still want to kind of abide to that with a twist. If you say that all ruler, including my mother of Platone..." She takes a moment to think through before she breathes again. "My decision... My... My decision is... I'll go with their rules, but under the guise of myself pretending not to cheat; No one said about me letting my rivals not take me seriously right? In that case what I can do is... I'll head to the frontlines with Alek and pretend to be an innocent little noble who doesn't know how this system works whilst you all pretend to roam about the place, gather notes and make short of your dirty work without letting yourselves reveal that you work for me. Maybe try and pretend to work for someone else so they can take the blame if you mess up on your end. Work for that stupid Elmars that I personally I can't stand maybe. That way especially for Alek, whom I worry about so much, I don't have to force him to break whatever is making him resist... um... yeah sorry... um... and I can help him stay true to his image whilst the rest of you do the dirty work behind the scenes. Does that sound like a reasonable idea to you all?" In fact, she's so enthralled in her own, fresh as a dandelion idea that when Renar express his haste to get out of here, she for once agrees with him. But... the fact that he think the group will succeed easily, this is a first for her. Either this guy either must be too overconfident for his own good, or he's being so mad that underneath it is a mound of faith that he has saved up and wants to see happen. She can't tell. Plus, there's just one thing he's missing out on... so she voices it for everyone to hear.

"Damn... that's quite a bold statement to make, Renar. But first... I still haven't seen that gryphon of yours yet. Can we just make one detour before we set off to make things right again? Pretty please?"

Feeling a little dazed once again, the kitsune queen is feeling anxious with every random head tilt she does, seeing that she's really desperate to leave so she and her allies can set up to mess up their target. However, when Astra does point out something rather daunting, and hearing how the other queen and her son reacted with that frighteningly vicious snarl underneath the latter's rather tensed body, she steps in front of Mira and shakes her head.

"Not a chance!" She also protests alongside Renar and Mira with clenched claws. "I don't... f-fa-fancy myself... allies doing something... dark, especially... my son... most likely beat you... to it... before... y-y-you'd voice... it loud...!; I don't fancy myself and my allies doing something this dark, especially since my son would most likely beat you to it before you'd voice it out loud..." Kare ga jōdan demo itte inakattara…(彼が冗談でも言っていなかったら…, If he wasn't even joking about it...) she finishes in her thoughts. The fact that her son can easily turn from level-headed to bloodthirsty without letting anyone know is of a serious concern. Besides, glancing over to Alek, then Liivi, then the second queen, and finally, the rather hesitant Alek, inside she has great faith that her team is able to pull this off on their own accord. There's no way her fears of them failing would be brought to life if they coordinate, especially with her guidance around.

Besides, when Mira asks if she can visit that hiudeous looking gryphon that apparently her sound, Alek and Shugo have ecnoutnered, Maya couldn't help but feign impatience as her fox ears droop underneath the hood that's concealing her mythical appearance. Sheesh. Ano kemono wa kanojo ni totte taishita monodarou ka? Jou ni naru tame no kouseina tatakai ni nani ga okotta nodeshou ka? (あの獣は彼女にとって大したものだろうか？女王になるための公正な戦いに何が起こったのでしょうか？, Is that beast that of a big deal to her? Whatever happened to fighting fair to be the queen?) She groans in her thoughts, but secretly, she wants to see what is looks like, because if she remembers being with it back then, she has totally forgotten how it looks.

Liivi can't help but agree with Renar's comments on assassination when a drop of blood seems all they would need.  She gives a subtle nod of agreement, though likely few would notice. 

When Mira speaks, she listens closely. The plan for the potential queen to appear to not be cheating gives her pause. 'Is that what Elmars II did? Just convince people he didn't cheat?' And then the idea of pretending to be working for someone else. 'Does she expect us to intentionally get caught? Otherwise, what is the point? Or no, I suppose Mira just means in case we get caught.'  The tabaxi mulls things over in her head, standing in silence. She once again hopes to herself that Janus is right about all this, because that is the only way that this all makes sense.  It's why she quickly pledged to support Mira.  

When she speaks, it is with a calm tone. "Mira, your idea to feign innocence and try to get others to underestimate you has merit. And if Alek cannot bring himself to help with things he finds dishonorable, then perhaps you are right to keep him out of it.  I hope he might help you in other ways."  An idea occurs to her. "Surely everyone else will be 'cheating' as well.  Perhaps Alek can ferret that out amongst the competitors?"   She looks over at him as she makes the suggestion, seeing how he might react."  

"Listen. We've all agreed to help Janus. And step one is this election. If we aren't going to stick with this, then why did we agree with Janus in the first place?" Liivi continues, trying to convince any that might still be wavering in their choices. "I would normally object to underhanded methods. But it seems we must do this, because winning the election is so critical. Mira has a good plan. Who knows, maybe pretending to not cheat will convince people in the future that things could work that way."  

'Wait? Did she say she wants to go visit the gryphon now? Don't they have things to do?'  She stays silent on the matter though. 

Alex's expression darkens as Renar speaks, "Wrong is wrong. There is little difference between stealing a penny or burning down someone's house. This has nothing to do with my oath, as you all seem to think. This has to do with my faith and my morals. My oath is just an extension of my beliefs, something that I swore to because it parallels with them, not because it is something that binds me, preventing me from helping my friends."

He crosses his arms, an ache sprouting in his chest. He's not trying to isolate himself. He's not trying to burden his friends with his beliefs, but... well Renar's words kinda hurt. It's not like he wants them to lose, it just doesn't make sense that there is absolutely no way to go about this honestly. Astra's comment seems closed minded, like there is no other way out. Well in reality there is always another option, even if that option is more difficult or harder to find. 

"I won't assassinate anyone, even if we lose," he says stiffly. "I'm not sure why you jump to assassination if only a drop of blood is needed, but... regardless I doubt it will come to that anyways."

He looks down at Mira, sadness clearly showing in his eyes... again with this oath thing? Can't he just be a decent person because he wants to be? "Even if cheating here doesn't impact my life, it would still leave a stain on my soul that I'd carry into eternity."

He sighs, listening as Mira explains her plan... there has to be some sort of middle ground here right? Shugo has said his piece, Renar is clearly irritated with him, Maya doesn't seem keen on any of this really, and Liivi agrees with Mira. "That... honestly is what I was getting at earlier. I can focus on rooting out whatever tactics the competition is using. I'll bring what I can to the light, and go from there. I... I'm not trying to isolate myself. I will do what I can to help." He wrings his hands, clearly still struggling with this concept. "If it's a game and these are the rules, I guess that's how it goes. I still want to try to do the honorable thing, so I'll go with Mira's plan. My only concern is that you guys probably won't be able to divert the blame if caught. I'm pretty sure our enemies know that we are supporting Mira, so what if they try to use our tactics against us? You... you'll have to be creative in your approach." He shakes his head, "Whatever, I'll leave that part to the rest of you. I trust you to make the right choices, and I'm sorry I can't bring myself to do more." 

"Gryphon? Oh yeah!" Alex says, eyes brightening for a moment. He hopes that Cezar's old mount is doing alright. "Wait... would she count as a witness? She knows better than anyone how bad Cezars is..."

Shugo sighs, clearly Alex and Mira are not going to be swayed. Mira's comment about his family stings a little, but he can't deny the truth. That's just how things work in this world. It kinda hurts to think that they just shattered Mira's blissful ignorance with this whole deal.

"Alright, I think this is what you were going for but I just want to clarify." He says, "Mira and Alex, you two will be the face of this election...and think of it this way i guess. The rest of us are just going to keep the other nobles from winning. Mira, it's up to you and Alex to actually win the voters over. Thinking of this as two separate operations will probably be better than us trying to work together, but disagreeing on how to do anything. That doesn't mean we can slack of on communication though."

He squints at nothing, crossing his arms, "Assassination is out of the question though. Not only is that VERY wrong, its not even necessary." Geeze what is it with all these people and their over-the-top and unreasonable solutions. Doesn't anyone know that there's more than one answer to just about everything. "If it's just a drop of blood that's needed there are plenty of ways other than sneaking up to the palace and stabbing someone. I mean seriously, that's about the stupidest idea I've heard in a long time. It's not like the newly elect will always be in the palace. On top of that we could even start collecting blood from each of the candidates before the election even ends just as a safety net. Elmars will be easy. We probably won't even have to play dirty. We already know that his wedding is going to be attacked. I'm sure he's not going to get out unscathed. Heck, even if he just participates in whatever tournament that's going to happen, he'll probably get hurt."

He waves a hand, "Whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."