MASKTOURN

12:12 PM

As Ace relaxed in the shade, he'd become aware of the creeping, distinct sensation of being watched. Not by the other two pool-goers, they seemed engrossed enough in their own conversation. He was being observed by something- or someone- entirely different. @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

Ai. Ace falters for a split second, that unsettling, 'watching' feeling back again. Their gaze immediately shifts to look at the pair- and their brows furrow when they continue to talk amongst themselves. It's not them? After a moment of watching the two, he resumes with doing his own thing, tapping their fingers against the tile as they wait for that...awful crawling feeling to subside. They'd had enough with being watched and stared at. It didn't feel normal. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Moments pass, and the feeling doesn't recede. Ace would hear a slight shifting sound from above him, though. @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

Above. Why is there noise from above. "Okay, then, not a fan," Ace quietly hisses, pushing themself to their feet. They weren't all that excited about getting jumped by the shadows, especially after what happened back at the temple. He brushes off his robe, and in what the kids would call a 'really bad decision', he looks up above him. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Crouched in the rafters of the ruined building that houses the pool is a dark-haired, masked woman. She's the one who's been watching him, but she doesn't say a word. She waits for him to speak first. @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

It takes them a moment for their vision to adjust, but once it does, their look of apprehension immediately melts away. So it was just a contestant just...lurking up there. [At least it wasn't a corpse, or a mass of vines, or a mass of unnatural darkness.] From as much as they could see, they could only assume she was on the birds side like them. "Hello," Ace greets, their voice even. They're less startled than they were before. "I, ah, didn't see you up there." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I wouldn't expect you to have." The woman said. "Hello." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

She was a bit eerie, but she didn't seem all too malicious, though. Ace steps back to see her better without his neck having to ache, and adjusts his glasses. "Are you a contestant?" they ask. "I haven't met many contestants yet, so I wouldn't entirely know." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"No. I'm Kairas, the leader of the Bird side." She replies, unmoving. "You're one of my contestants." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

What a coincidence. Albanes had just mentioned her earlier. "Ah, my apologies. I didn't know. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kairas. I'm Ace." [She doesn't seem like much of a talker.] @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"It's good to meet you, Ace." She says, though her voice is flat. "You're an archer, aren't you?" @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

"Hm? Ah, yes, I'm an archer." They didn't use their powers here yet, did they? Well, hm. Back at the temple, yes. "How could you tell?" he asks, tilting his head slightly. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Reagan and I have been briefed on all the contestant's abilities," Kairas said. "And I saw you, when you were at the high temple. Aiming to shoot nothing." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

"..Ah." At that, their brows furrow slightly. "What do you mean, 'aiming to shoot nothing'. And where were you? I'm almost certain I was alone when that happened." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"There was nothing there. Unless you were planning on shooting the stone reliefs in the temple, you were aiming for nothing." Kairas said. "And I can see everything here." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

If he wanted a quick and easy way to lose his sanity, this tournament certainly was the best option. "I see," Ace flatly says, briefly touching their head. "Ah, I must have been seeing things, then." "You can see 'everything', you say," he repeats, peering back up at Kairas. "Is this Corvi-related or, ah. Leader related? I don't know all to much about Corvi or this...dimension to begin with." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Everything." Kairas repeated, and nodded. "Both. It's an ability only Corvi can have," Kairas explained, "but it's also why I was chosen for my position." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

"Hm. That would be optimal for this role, yes." "I'd assume not, but are you limited by barriers, anything of the sort? Or is it simply. Everything, no limitations?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"If I have been somewhere, I can see what is happening there." She leaned back a bit. "That is the only limitation that I have ever known. That, and the limitation of my mind to comprehend it all." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

"Fascinating. I never knew such abilities could extend that far," he muses. They'd stop prying here; they had a hunch that Kairas was not as lenient as Albanes was when it'd come to Q & A's. [Watcher-like abilities? What did Nathan call them again. He forgets.] "In any case, yes, I am an archer, as you had...seen at the temple. Why do you ask?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I was just curious." She admitted. "I also am partial to ranged weaponry. I use a longbow, here. If the need arises." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

"Hm. A longbow," Ace hums, a ghost of a smile on their lips. "I, ah, prefer to use a recurve, but I've learned how to properly handle and use most other bow types," he explains. "I'm only able to manifest my recurve bow as a result of that." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Interesting." Kairas said. In the back of her mind, she had the ghost of an instinct to say something else, speak of something different, but it was soon smothered by the fog that occupied most of those kinds of thoughts. "Can you show me? Not here, maybe- we could go to the arena." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

"You- you want me to show you?" Ace asks, actually sounding a bit surprised. "Um- khm, ah, sure. I could show you." At the mention of the arena though, the surprise only builds. "By arena, I assume you mean one for sparring, yes?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"There's only one arena. But yes, when it's not used for the fights, it's for sparring." Kairas said. She extended her wings out, and descended from her place in the rafters to land next to Ace. "I'll lead you there." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷

Oh, wow. Wings. When Darcy said that the Corvi were 'bird people', perhaps Ace should have assumed the wings portion was also included. Nonetheless, they're able to mask their surprise at the sight by adjusting their glasses when she lands. "Of course," Ace says, nodding slightly. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Kairas's wings were folded against her back as soon as she landed. "Follow me." @Kip | Ace 🏹 / Ellie 📷