glass

“One! Two! One! Two! Three! Four!”

“I hate the way that you drool,” Maxine growled over the microphone, “I hate the way that you spit in my face! I hate the way that you look at me with those, sad little eyes.”

Glass nodded along with the beat Gwen was keeping on the drums, strumming the rhythmic bassline. Maxine’s voice was best suited for lead vocals out of the three of them, and it made sense that the guitarist was also the lead singer. Glass didn’t care. She’d never been one for vocals, anyways, and being backup wasn’t too bad.

She could get lost in her music. It was easy to get lost in the rhythm of bass, of the steady back and fourth. She liked guitar fine, but she loved bass. With bass, she could loose herself entirely to the grit and dirt and grime of her music. She didn’t have to be fragile or pretty or sweet. All she had to be was fucking good at bass, and she already was, so it was easy.

“Good work, Paper Dolls, good work!” A familiar, british voice that wasn’t part of their song interrupted. Glass looked up, and stopped playing.

“Good work, all of you. A bit too aggressive on the drums, Gwen.”

“It’s punk, Tara, it’s supposed to be aggressive.” Gwen rolled her eyes.

Tara was their band manager/producer/social media hypeman. She did way too much work for what cut of the profits they paid her, Glass thought, but Tara had never complained.

“If we were sounding good, then why’d you interrupt us.” Maxine challenged.

“Because,” Tara rose an eyebrow, “The neighbor complained, and he said if we woke up his dog one more time he’s gonna get the HOA on our asses. My phrasing, not his.”

“Fuck the HOA.” Maxine grumbled. “Where else are we supposed to play, his lawn?”

“Yeah, that’s why they call it a garage band.” Glass nodded.

“And, there’s mail.” Tara added. Mail was happier news. “Weird frog magazine for you, Max, postcard from Gwen’s brother in New Jersey,” She lifted up a creme colored envelope- “And a weird mystery envelope for Glass.”

“Whoa, really? Glass approached Tara and grabbed the envelope. It really was mysterious- blank except for her name.

Not seeing the point in waiting, Glass opened up the letter. The paper felt expensive, and the fine calligraphy only proved that it was fancy. The contents, though, were what interested her.

“What is it?” Maxine asked.

Glass didn’t immediately reply. “I’m gonna be on vacation for a few days,” She eventually said, “You guys will have to practice without me.”

darcy

Abbreviare, Abbreviatio, Abbreviation. Old Latin, Late Latin, and Anglo-Norman French. And then old English, and modern English, but since those had the same spelling as the French, he didn’t have to separately denote them. Darcy stared at the words, written on a blank sheet of paper, and tried to derive some meaning in them. What does it mean, to abbreviate? What is that connotation? Surely, there was some difference in the translations from Latin to French to English, something he could pick up at and harness.

Maybe, staring at his own handwriting wasn’t the best way to find that hidden potential, though. He’d have to go and look at old Latin lexicons. That would give him some ideas.

A knock at the door interrupted Darcy before he could consult his books. “Come in,” He said.

It was is father. Lovett Sterling had never looked much like Darcy- he was thin, and pale, and had the bluest eyes Darcy had ever seen on a living person- but he was the only father Darcy had ever had. He was more than a father. He was Darcy’s teacher.

Lovett neared Darcy’s desk. “How’s your work coming along?”

“It’s going well,” Darcy lied. If it wasn’t going well, his father wouldn’t be pleased. “I’m still working on those one-word translation spells you wanted me to look into.”

“Wonderful,” A thin smile grew over Lovett’s equally thin lips. “You know, you should really focus your studies here. It’s what you’re good at, and besides, it's more refined than that idiom play you’re so fond of.”

Darcy truly was fond of his idioms, but now was not the time to defend himself. “I completely agree. These spells also tend to have more concise effects.”

“Indeed.” Lovett paused. “Oh, and something came in the mail for you. Dreadfully mysterious, I;m afraid, but you’ll have to take a look at it yourself.”

He placed a thick, cream colored envelope over Darcy’s words. Sure enough, it had his name inked on the back, in beautiful cursive letters.

“I’ve got some other matters to attend to.” Lovett said, already at the door. “Do tell me what’s in that letter. I’m incredibly curious.”

Only once Lovett had left did Darcy dare open the letter. He opened it carefully- surgically, with his ebony letter opener, as if tearing the paper would spell his doom.

He could not believe the contents of the letter he opened. A church which he’d never heard of- though, there weren’t any churches in Verend anymore, anyways. A tournament for people with powers like his. A grand prize, of anything he could imagine.

A chance at knowledge, at knowing the unknowable.

Darcy knew he could not attend. He could not attend, his father would shut down the idea, and disown him if he left without permission, but yet.

Late in the night, Darcy tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep with the decision on his mind. He knew he should get over it, that he could never go, that he should move on. But he couldn’t convince himself of that. The reward was too great for the risk. Surely, Lovett would understand. Surely, Lovett would know what steps he had to take in the pursuit of knowledge. Lovett, if anyone, had to understand.

As the clock struck midnight over Islington, Darcy slipped out of his father’s home, carrying nothing but a suitcase full of more books than clothes, a winter’s jacket over his shoulders, and all the desire one man could muster.

ekmeros

Ekmeros didn’t often get mail and he didn’t often go to the city. There was never really a point, to him, because no one there cared for single performers and no one cared for viols. Maybe someone did, he reconsidered, but he hadn’t found them and didn’t want to waste time searching for them. Smaller towns seemed to appreciate his quiet art more.

And at first, he assumed that the letter would be from someone who also appreciated it.

Then he was wrong. The letter was something a lot more confusing. Ekmeros had to reread it a few times - once to be corrected, twice to realise, thrice to understand, and four times to assure his understanding was right. Hm.

He wasn’t quite the fighter but he had tricks up his sleeve. And money would help. His home was still pitifully waiting, and to keep it empty he had to delegate funds toward it. However much this Church was offering would help, no matter the amount. No one else wanted an old, empty house that seemed haunted but never was; still, he couldn’t risk it.

The city was a little out of his way but Ekmeros was used to distance. He packed what was guided but kept the most precious of his belongings tied to his body, clinging to it. It was the most personal belonging he owned.

For a second, he considered if the Church could help him find the rest; then he forced himself to unconsider it.

roy

…..bills, newspaper, ads, and- huh. What a fancy ass envelope. No address, no name, just a very ornate seal.

“..somebody musta messed up the address. Nobody this fancy would want anything from me.”

He stares at the envelope like it will tell him it’s contents without having to break its fancy seal. The fan buzzes overhead. Nothing.

“No way to know without opening it though.”

With respect for the beautiful seal, Roy takes care opening the letter as he lifts the seal with his pocket knife.

The lights flicker overhead as he reads through the letter. How did they know about his powers? Were these people spying on him?! Paranoia sets in as he tries to think, he always gets this feeling he’s being followed, was it these people?

The church of.. agh, he’s no stranger to being pestered by overbearing religious folks, but none of them bother him about his powers… much less send him letters.

What’s the rest of this say….. cash prize? Now that’s a little tempting. It’s been difficult to find work with his… abilities. And maybe these people could help him learn to control those powers he never asked for.

“What’s the worst that could happen, they eat me or somethin?”

He chuckles to himself and moves to start packing his things. He’ll have to stop by his parent’s place in the morning and ask them to watch his chickens. He can’t imagine he’ll be gone for too long, but they’ll take good care of his girls.

“Ninjago City… better not be no monsters once I get there.”

peregrine

Well that’s a little out of the way, isn’t it? Peregrine smirked as he thumbed the corner of the letter, laying on the bed, his feathers squirming beneath him. So much gold; gold wax, gold trim, gold feathers. Gold was practically his colour.

His eyes flickered toward the bathroom - they sharpened - with the noise of the shower turning on. If only this was someone else’s hotel room, then his disappearance would be much more expected, readily accepted, understood. It made no sense for him to leave now, not without the truth. Unfortunately, the person showering was the only one who he could spit out the truth too. Just his luck.

Peregrine chose to focus on the Church aspect. He'd be surely welcome there, he thought as he sat up, shaking out his wings that weren’t used to being flattened against a bed after so long. He had plenty of time to get used to that again. Church. He chuckled. Maybe not there. (nsfw implication)

Was this their fun little way of coaxing the Angel to them? Maybe Otto had turned to God again in the years he’d lost his… whatever Peregrine was to him. Partner? Pet? Protégé? His Angel, surely not. He was everyone’s angel. Nothing special there, capitalised or otherwise.

Whatever this place was, they were certainly deprived of his presence, in such need of his guiding light, and who was he to keep depriving them? Peregrine stood and took a ballpoint pen out of Otto’s jacket. By the time his shower was finished, he’d find the window open and ink spilt over a half-ripped page: Found my own fun. I’ll be back soon ❤️ - because Peregrine loved to be vague. He was owed that much mystery.

hannah

Shoot.

Miss.

Shoot.

Miss.

Shoot-

"Hannah, you got some mail down here! I think it's a letter from that boy down the block- you know the one!"

The dart Hannah was throwing toward the board embedded itself in the ceiling, even further away from hitting the bullseye. She grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself up from her bed. There was one more dart left waiting to be thrown from her bedside table.

"Mom! I said stop looking through my mail! What makes you think it's from Tyler anyway?" Hannah huffed, glancing over at the darts she had thrown that had landed in various parts of her wall surrounding the target.

"Well it doesn't have an address on it- and it's reeeeeeeal fancy, I bet he's asking you out finally!"

She rolled her eyes again as she threw open her door and stomped down the stairs. Her mother was standing by the front door, holding a handful of mail. Most of it seemed like junk- just advertisements, scams, and companies begging for them to renew some stupid services they canceled a few years ago. All but one letter, one cream-colored letter that was beautifully decorated and sealed. And it had her name written right on the front.

"Tyler ain't really the type for.. Calligraphy." Hannah mumbled as her mother held out the card. She yanked it out of her hand and turned away before putting the corner of the envelope to her teeth and absolutely tearing up the paper to get it open.

"Hannah Marie Moines! What did your dad and I tell you about being messy like that!" Hannah didn't even respond to that, choosing to instead walk away in to the living room and plop down on the oversized couch.

Once the envelope was sufficiently ripped open, she took out the paper inside and read it.

Once, then twice... Then a third time.

'Powerful supernatural abilities?' Hannah's interest was piqued- after all, not many people knew about her abilities.. And her parents liked it that way. Less questions, less people thinking the whole family were freaks or whatever they were so scared of seeming like.

Plus, there was a certain other person she knew of that had 'supernatural abilities'.. How many other people could there be besides him?

Her eyes rolled again when she read the word church, that was a bit weird.. But if anyone had money and reach to do something like this, it would be them, wouldn't it?

'A hefty sum of money... I could quit my stupid job- I mean, who there is gonna have better abilities for fighting than ME? I'll tear them to shreds... Ha.' Hannah smirked and crumpled up the letter, shoving it in to one of the pockets in her shorts. Before she had time to push herself up off the couch, her mother walked in to the room, leaning against the door frame.

"Sooooo what was it?"

"My community college is hosting a retreat." Hannah said and rolled off of the cushions, grinning.

"Really now? All that fancy envelope to tell you that?" She asked. Hannah nodded, stepping beside her.

"Yep. I think I could use some time out of the house. And work. They're paying for it all, so I'll be gone for a few weeks." Hannah waved her hand dismissively and walked away down the hall.

"Sure, dear.. Just be careful out there, okay? Stay out of the water."

"Yeah, yeah. I know how you feel about me."

"That's not you, Hannah. You know that."

"You think that." Hannah whispered as she ascended the stairs again. She returned to her bedroom and dug through her messy walk-in closet until she found a large suitcase, which she promptly stuffed to the brim with just about a quarter of her wardrobe and many other unnecessary things. She backed out of her closet and began heading toward the door before she paused- looking back at the singular dart on her night stand.

She grinned to herself, propping her suitcase against the side of the bed and grabbing the dart. She twisted it between her fingers before tossing it in a straight arc.

Bullseye.

Right in to the face of a certain farm boy she had photographed and pinned up...

dust

Dust had a habit of collecting in places people rarely checked up on, in the faux hair of dolls up in attics, or resting on the pages of a book on a lectern long forgotten. Dust was a matter of when nothing more comes about, and so it was a surprise when a letter fell gingerly on a floor coated with the gray particles. A letter was not nothing, and yet it came about anyway. As chance would have it, this was no mere dust it landed on, as ashes to ashes and dust to dust this dust used to be more, and still it clings to the in-between of beginning to the end.

The envelope sank as of the dust were really quick sand waiting for it's arrival to cling and pull under, and out disappeared under the grey, the dust began to move, to collect onto itself into a mass with no particular shape, until it decided a shape might benefit it and so it took a shape that was familiar to it, the shape of a man in a long coat with a hat.

The letter shifted inside the mass of dust until it was coasted asking to what soon resembled a hand.

"Hmmf... " Two eyes came into their own under the brim of the hat and looked at the letter, written on the envelope in bold letters 'DUST'.

"Is there someone there?" Dust asked out loud to the emptiness of the room. It seemed silly to ask as he knew he would know if someone had come into the house, as even the breath of a mouse would unsettle the dust, and betray its own presence. And yet the letter did come from somewhere did it not? Dust opened the envelope, and read it's contents aloud in a deep gruff voice.

Once the reading finished the letter and envelope sank back with in the gray, and with heavy footsteps Dust walked out the door.

inu

If Inu was being honest, he had no clue how a letter found him. He was always on the move, never stayed in one place for too long so it was quite the surprise when a letter just..was given to him. Though as he read over the letter, Inu frowned a bit.

He..didn't have much. He only really had whayt he had now. Though the idea of cash, a place to say and food was something that captured his attention. Sure, the letter was weird. A weird..chruch inviting him to god knows where. But he'd been to the location before a few times so he supposed he could go. Meet at the docks and wait...see what was going on and hopefully it won't be...too bad.

Right..?

Inu shifted on his feet uneasily and looked around the area. Maybe it was best to go to this thing. Go see what could go on and whats the worst that could happen? Inu adjusted the bag straps he head before he inhaled sharply and sighed.

Lifting his hand, a galaxy colored portal opened in front of him and Inu stepped through before he shut it behind him.

Time for anlother adventure, he guessed.

roque

A man wearing a full black leather suit approached a doorway, knocking on it lightly with the back of his knuckle. The black mask covering his face made him indistinguishable from the other two men standing behind him, holding on to a heavy sack of letters.

"Miss Rayes, your next batch of fan mail has been sorted."

There was a hum of an electric guitar from inside, which paused after they finished speaking.

"Well, bring it in boys. Anything interesting you think?" A voice responded from inside.

"A few offerings, but mostly plain fan letters." He opened up the door, which creaked loudly as it swung.

Roque was sitting in the center of the room, on top of some kind of pentagram scrawled out on the floor out of some kind of red ink. Hopefully. Candles lined the outside of the ring, as well as the shelves in the room. More strange symbols were written out across the walls and ceiling, from the same red ink.

She had her red electric guitar laid across her lap, resting her elbows on it as the three men entered the room. They bowed and dropped off the bag before silently backing out of the room and closing the door with the same creak as before.

Roque opened up the bag and began tossing letters out in to two different piles. From the outside, both piles seemed the same.. But there must have been some kind of difference that Roque could differentiate.

She grabbed the cream colored letter and was about to toss it in to the right pile, but paused last second. She shrugged and moved it back to her lap, sliding her finger across the seal and breaking it open.

Her red eyes scanned over the writing, scowling at something in it.

"Church, huh?" She rolled her eyes. "I am on break anyway, and I'm sure I could find some idiots here to mess with.. Maybe powerful idiots, idiots that could be useful. And I can't possibly miss an opportunity to fuck with a church that isn't mine."

Crimson began to spread from where her fingers met the page, reaching across it and making it crumble to the floor.

She rose up from the floor, grabbing the neck of the guitar and spinning it in the air. It began to morph shape, eventually turning in to a double sided scythe that was dripping blood on to the floor. She placed it on her back and stepped to the door, grinning as she threw it open with an even louder creak.

"Men, go pack my bags and get the limo ready. I have some chaos I need to go cause."

kass

Kass sat atop a rooftop, her legs dangling over yet another city she wished she could conquer. If only she weren’t always moving from place to place, as if she were in hiding. If only she-

“Oy, Kassie!” a chipper voice called out to her.

“I told you before, it’s Kass. I decided I like that better.” she grumbled, stretching her legs out, but making no move to get up.

She wouldn’t have to, as the owner of the voice plopped down next to her, his ornate coat and cape blowing in the evening wind. “Hmm… what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet!” he giggled.

Kass groaned. “If you’re just here to monologue and pester me, leave. I’m not in the mood.” she swatted at her visitor with one bony arm, to which he flinched, nearly leaning too far forward that he’d surely fall. He didn’t appear worried, though.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t shoot the messenger!” he stood up and raised his hands up above his head. “I’m just here because you got somethin’ in the mail.”

Kass raised an eyebrow. “I don’t get letters. Just stop talking and get out of my sight.”

Instead, her visitor made a zipping motion with his fingers across his lips, before pulling out an ornate envelope without a return address. Kass’s eyes widened. She immediately ripped open the envelope to scour the contents of such a letter… and she was not disappointed.

Eventually, the man that had given her the letter would ‘unzip’ his lips. “What does it say?”

Hand of God? Oh, I’ll SHOW you hand of god- she’s got two.

“It’s…” Kass paused. “…It’s a job offer. The employer knows of my abilities.” she smirked, satisfied with her lie. It wasn’t too far off…

“Oh! That’s splendid!” the man clasped his hands together, then frowned. “That… is splendid, right…?”

“Yes,” Kass nodded. She could win the tournament… and finally stop running. She could rightfully take her place as a deity, instead of a washed up worker in a ragtag theater troupe… that wasn’t her at all. “I’m leaving tonight.”

“Woah woah woah, tonight? Kass, you promised to watch me star in Macbeth in three days time!” the man protested.

“You don’t need me there to tell you that you’re going to kill it as Lady Macbeth or whatever that character is called.”

“Hah! Kill! Good pun!” he laughed. “I guess you’re right though, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up hope! You could be like, so super speedy about your job!”

“I do tend to make it quick.” Kass mused.

“Perfect! Then we’ll alert the costumers to put together a couple outfits for your journey! I’ll meet you backstage, ‘kay?”

Kass nodded, before she was stopped once more.

“Oh, one more thing. I’d been meaning to give these to you for a while, but I think now is the best time,” he held out a pair of long black gloves. “Put these on over your hands, and you won’t have to worry about your powers seeping through. Had ‘em made special after the first time I shook your hand. Ouch, that hurt!”

“Thank you.” Kass mused as she put one glove on, then immediately, as if it were instinct, her now gloved hand intertwined with her comrade’s, in a handshake of sorts.

“Three,

Two,

One,

Knock ‘em dead!” the two exclaimed at the same time.

“Oh, I will,” Kass said under her breath.

“I. Will.”

ryu

Screeching tires against cold pavement echoed in the dead of night as a gang of bikers sped through the city. The loud rumbling of motors and clanking of engines all made for quite the entrance wherever the gang drove, causing other cars to honk at their recklessness and annoyance. One biker in particular drove rather dangerously, driving close to other cars and interchanging lanes without notice. The biker's motorcycle, a dark black and blue sport bike, seemed to be leading the pack as the other bikers did everything they could to keep up with him.

The biker bore a dark leather suit and a matching black helmet. A white dragon patterned the helmet, as well as the driver's suit jacket. The sounds of screeching tires continued on for miles until the gang of motorcyclists came to a more discreet location. It was close to midnight and the area chosen was a desolate old factory. No one had worked here for years on paper, but the buildings were frequently used by a certain family in particular.

Waiting for the bikers were a group of bodyguards and workers, all lined up in front of the entrance and bowing their heads. "Welcome back, boss," all of them announced as the lead biker took off his helmet. Dark brown hair fell loosely onto Ryunoske's forehead as she shook her head out. There were some fresh bruises and cuts on her cheek, signs of the job she had just returned from, but she didn't seem deterred when greeted.

"Yo!" Ryunoske grinned, walking up to the group and giving some of the members fist bumps or hand shakes. "I'm back. The job was a success. They thought they could get the jump on us and take the goods without proper payment, but we made sure they paid double than what it was worth," she chuckled as she walked past everyone who was greeting her and asking how things went. She didn't stick around too long with the crowd outside, as the other members who went with her eventually started explaining more things in detail for the others who were absent. Instead, Ryunoske kept her focus on heading inside the factory. Her grin fell as she entered the empty building, the relaxed facade fading and a small scowl replacing it.

Her leather shoes clicked as she walked towards a back room guarded by other members of the gang, and they all acknowledged her with a bow of their heads. Ryunoske gave them all a small wave before stepping inside.

"You're late, Ryu."

A man with dark brown hair and silver streaks was sitting behind a desk, smoking a cigar as he looked over some papers. The previous boss, Yasuda Suijin, was retired, but he still liked to work on things behind the scenes. Leaving things up to his oldest child was still a work in progress. He seemed annoyed about this current situation, but his body language was calm.

"I apologize, father. There were some unexpected events, but I took care of it. Where are Tora and oto-san?" Ryunoske asked as she stood in front of her father.

"Your sister and father went to the east district to help Shishi with her deal. She didn't have as much luck as you did, it seems," Suijun informed as he took a whiff of his cigar.

Ryunoske frowned a bit at that and shook her head. "Shishi isn't good at dealing with the families in the east district. If the deal isn't complete by tomorrow, we may lose a good deal of income from them," she hummed.

Suijin nodded and gestured for his daughter to take a seat. "Yes, now sit down, Ryu. This is what I wanted to discuss with you," he said and tossed an envelope across his desk towards Ryunoske. She raised a brow when her father gestured the envelope to her, but didn't question it as she went over and picked it up. ,

"What is this, father?" She asked as she looked over the detailed design of the envelope and flipped it over to look for a return address.

"I read the contents inside. It was addressed to you in particular,” Suijin informed her and dusted off some of the ashes of his cigar. “It seems to be some sort of invitation for a fighting ring for people like you. There is an offer of payment to be had if you go and compete.”

Ryunoske raised a brow and opened the letter, reading everything over as her father spoke. True to his words, even if his words were worded differently from the letter’s, it seemed like an invitation to fight for money. Fight for money, huh..? A church offering such a thing was quite odd, in Ryunoske’s opinion, but hey, who was she to judge other peoples’ religions?

“So you want me to compete to compensate for Shishi’s failures?” Ryu asked, her eyes narrowing at her father.

Suijin stared back at his daughter and stood up to walk beside her. He was just as tall and built as she was, towering at 6’6ft and 220lbs. Nearly identical to Ryunoske, but simply older. “It will be for the family, Ryu. You have only been running the North district for the past three years, yet it has been failure after failure. Your sisters are meant to follow after your lead, yet because of your loose holds, they are beginning to falter as well. This is your responsibility to fix. Unless you expect me to continue holding your hand as boss?” Suijin asked her.

Ryunoske clenched the letter in her hand, taking in a deep breath before relaxing.

“..Good. Now go. I have the rest of this mess to deal with. I shall expect you back within a month’s time. If you do not return, I will assume you are dead.”

The finality in Suijin’s words were Ryunoske’s queue to exit the office. She turned around and stepped towards the door, but as her hand fell onto the knob, her father spoke once more.

“I expect only the best from you, Ryunoske. I know you will not disappoint us.”

Ryunoske paused, staring at the ground before opening the door. “I will be back soon, father.”

And with that, Ryu walked on out of the factory and drove into the middle of the night.

titania

Far, far away, hidden in the lands of the east, a kingdom of lush nature and natural beauty bloomed under the secrecy of modern civilization. Hidden in plain sight, the kingdom of Khaufast remained quiet this morning. Citizens made their morning rounds, offering their gifts and praises to the royal family, before going about their jobs and lives. The castle that towered their homes was well grown into the earth below them, vines, grass, and brush catered the edges of ancient stone and covered quite literally, the entire structure.

Animals such as deer and butterflies made the area surrounding the castle their home, or at least, their feeding grounds, as it seemed like the lush forestry extended from the outside of the nation directly to the center where the castle layed. No one minds the collection of animals gathered, in fact, they seemed to enjoy and thank the whims of the earth that their homes made good offerings for nature in return for what it has provided them.

In the middle of the usual quietness, a knight dressed in flamboyant armor and colors ran through the halls of the castle in a panic. “Oh dear! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!!” He exclaimed as he entered the main hall of the castle. In his hand was a letter, directly addressed to none other than the princess herself, Princess Titania.

“Princess! Princess Titania, it is urgent!” The knight declared as he raced to the throne.

Titania sat on her throne, poised and proper as she looked down at her knight. There was never this much commotion so early in the morning, and she gave the bumbling knight a curious look. “Sir Bumblewhirl, what brings you here in such a panic?” She asked him and stood from her seating.

“Princess! There comes a letter for your eyes only! It must be from one of the allied kingdoms! We have not received a letter in decades! It must be urgent!” He shouted as he handed the princess the package.

Titania, skeptical at first as she looked over the letter, made sure to think carefully before opening it. “One of the allies? Exchanging letters would be quite the time waster.. I doubt it must be that important,” she commented as she opened the letter with a nail. The last she received a letter, it had been for an arranged marriage proposal, which in itself was not a bad thing, but the requirements that needed to be met to have the marriage be solidified were so ridiculous, that the queens who offered it in the first place were banned temporarily from attending any balls or parties for three months by Titania’s father.

Reading over the letter, Titania’s eyes widened. Any wish granted for the winner? That proposal sounded just as ridiculous as the marriage offer, but a part of Titania was enchanted by the possibility. A wish… It could save her father if what the letter said was true.

“Sir Bumblewhirl.. Please inform the Queen’s Valkyries that they are to assemble and take charge of the kingdom for the time being. I have some urgent matters in regards to the contents of this letter. I will be back soon,” Titania quickly said, not even giving enough time for Bumblewhirl to reply before dashing off.

The princess rushed to gather her necessities, not caring to bring many things beyond some essentials (hair routine, face routine, 40 different types of clothing and matching accessories, maybe some shoes). She crammed everything into a dark purple set of suitcases that collapsed into one another, creating one huge case at the very end. Dragging the case behind her, Titania made one last stop before leaving–Her father’s room.

Quietly, she entered and went to the king sized bed in the middle of the room. There, King Titan laid in his bed, hooked up to an IV and heart monitor. He remained motionless, the only signs of life being the small heaves of breath and the beeping of the monitor beside him. Titania went to his side, just like she had been doing so for the past twenty years he had been asleep, and held his hand.

“I will be back soon, papa… Take care until I return,” Titania said and gently placed a kiss on her father’s knuckles before leaving just as quietly as she entered.

ren

“OH SHIT, OH SHIT THAT ROCKED!” A man clad in black, white, and red screeched as he gleefully barreled into the passenger seat of a well-loved car. The driver- who’d gotten out to open the door, quickly closed it, and resumed her position back in the driver’s seat. It seemed her passenger had his hands full.

In his hands was a backpack, stuffed so full that it could barely fit on his back, so it was either held in his hands, or dragged on the ground, as if this brightly colored man was a modern day Sisyphus. The driver- or rather his twin sister- sure seemed to believe that. Whatever that meant.

“Soooooooo, Ren, how’d go?” she drawled, not waiting for him to answer. “And if you say anything other than totally-fucking-amazingly-awesome- then I’m gonna kick your ass. Because you literally stole the show, man!” In her excitement, she accidentally laid her hand on the horn.

“Ouch! That was loud,” Ren remarked, then couldn't help but giggle. “And thanks, May- I think tonight was our best performance yet! Yeah, yeah, we were the opening band, but like, we really got the crowd going!”

“Get the crowd going?! You were hanging off the balcony at one point and had the crowd screaming louder than they did for the headliner!” thankfully this time, his sister did not lay on the horn.

“I was just feeling a little silly,” Ren shrugged, then grinned. “How’d we do on merch sales?”

“Whoever’s brother was helping me out has the rest of our stock, but I’d say sales were okay. Got a couple leftover sweatshirts in the back- oh! Speaking of stuff in the back…” ‘May’ stuck her arm behind her and started rummaging through the back of the car before pulling out a slightly bent envelope, which she dropped in Ren’s lap. The car swerved as she did so. “…You got this today. Your names written on it in braille and everything-“

[9:40 PM]Morgan | Kass + Ren: “Yoooo, sick,” Ren had already torn the envelope open eagerly. Within seconds, he’d gone dead silent.

“What’s it say?” May asked curiously.

“…Can you please drive me to the docks?”

“What?”

“…I think this may be my big break.”

“Dude, you’re confusing me- the docks?”

“Yeah. The letter also said to dress for cold weather.”

“Ren, are you for real right now?”

“Yeah, Mayu, I’m dead serious. Maybe if this goes right, I can get you a new car and make enough to go back to school. I just need you to trust me here.”

“Uh… okay?” his sister sighed, then hit the turn signal. “We’ll be there in 5. Just take this for now, maybe this gig you’re going to will give you something warmer if you need it,” she threw one of the hoodies in the merchandise box into Ren’s lap. “Do you need the rest of your band too?”

“They’ll show up at some point,” Ren lied. They didn’t have powers. “Better to be early, like you always say!”

“No, you say that,” Mayu corrected as she pulled into the parking lot, then got out of the car to open the passenger seat and pull her brother into a hug. “Stay safe, ‘kay? And I expect you to tell me everything about this mystery gig!”

“Oh, you got it!” he chirped. With that, he shrugged the sweatshirt over his shoulders and picked up his bag, but not before quickly saluting his sister.

Sisyphus out!

valerie

"Miss Gallo?"

Valerie looked up from her phone and towards the door letting out a small sigh. Quickly, she adjusted her position so she was at least sitting in the chair properly now. "Come in."

The door opened with a small creak and a woman smiled, placing a pile of papers on Valerie's desk. "The mail came in. Figured you'd like to review it. As I was sorting it, there was a odd one that stood out from the rest. I placed it on top." The woman said as she pointed to the envelope.

"Mhm." Valerie hummed in reply before she turned her attention to the letter. "Thank you, I'll go through everything else myself. If there is anything worthy to note with the letters, I'll let you and everyone else know."

"Very well, Miss Gallo." The woman replied before bowing her head and leaving.

Internally, Valerie really didn't want to go through all this junk, though she couldn't help but be interested in the letter that was specifically addressed to her...and reading it certainly made it more interesting.

So they sent spam emails as real letters huh. How annoying. Valerie scrunched up her nose before she groaned, leaning back. Though she tried to wrack her brain...did this Church sound familiar at all? No. No it did not. If this was some kind of scam, it would be very annoying. Though something about the letter irked her.

"..Whatever. I'll check this out." She said to herself before getting up and walking out of her office. " Cassidy! Clear my schedule for this week! I'm going somewhere! I'll be back shortly!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

Valerie smiled a bit to herself as she looked down at the letter. "Hand of god? Pfft. I'll show you a hand of god."

launa

Critter perked up at the sound of mail being sent down the slot. Jumping off of his perch on the pillow he wandered over, using his tail to sort through the bills and junk before noticing a strange seal on one. Grabbing the letter in his mouth he wandered back over to the bed, placing the letter next to his sleeping charge as he placed a paw on their forehead.

It took a second to find them as Critter focused on their bond. Eventually finding Launa the next street over, her shimmering form next to a flower stand. Though they could not smell their sweet floral scent in this state they took small joy in running their hands through the petals and watching them sway slightly with the movement.

'Launa,' Critter called out, their head snapping up at the call, 'it's time to come back now.'

'Five more minutes?' they asked despite knowing the answer. Stepping away from the flowers with a soft sigh as they focused on the tether connecting them back to their body.

'If you do not come willingly I will force you' Critter warned, not an idle threat as he often had to use a sudden pull on their tether to force Launa when they refused to come back. It was apart of the routine at this point even if he would rather they just listened to him in the first place.

Launa rolled their eyes, finally grabbing a hold of the tether as they rose up and yanked themselves back into their body, their eyes fluttering open as they yawned. "What is it?" they asked groggily, sitting up as they shook out their limbs. Making sure their motor functions were back as their spirit settled. Critter using the moment to fling the letter into their lap with a quick flick of his tail.

"Letter for you, looks important," Critter explained, motioning at them to open it as he jumped onto their shoulder to read along. Launa running a hand through him absentmindedly at the action.

"Important enough to wake me?" Launa asked, voice bordering on a whine. Though it quickly died off as they read the letter. Their face moving from disbelief before lighting up as they quickly stood from the bed. Critter having to dig their claws as the sudden motion almost flung them off. Launa either not noticing or not caring about the sharp pain as they jumped into action. Grabbing a bag and proceeding to stuff it full of sweaters, jackets, and a pillow.

"Excited?" Critter asked dryly, it wasn't often Launa had energy and even less often that they used it for anything more than turning over in their sleep. To see them moving so much right after waking, well, he wasn't sure whether to be excited or concerned.

"A wish Critter," Launa said like that explained everything, "and even without it the money would be nice."

"Nice to have for bills or nice to use on blankets and pillows," Critter interjected, Launa only nodding enthusiastically. Too focused on their task to notice Critter rolling their eyes, "just be careful, you aren't going to win a fight by sleeping through it." He wasn't sure about this competition but if it got his charge out of bed maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Despite the early morning Launa was quickly ready to go. Opening their door with a flourish, bag slung over their shoulder as they headed out.

"We should stop for food," Critter added, curling in against Launa's neck.

"If you want a snack I guess we can," they agreed, stifling a yawn, Critter electing not to point out which one of them actually needed to eat. Launa's one track mind was already set on the tournament now, getting them to focus on anything else would be a hassle. But Critter supposed that was what he signed up for as the pair continued towards the docks.

taisto

Newspaper, bills, ads… and a fancy letter?

Taisto stood up from the floor where he had been looking through the small pile of mail in front of his front door. He admired the sheen and design of the gold wax on the letter, before carefully snapping it open. He pulled the letter out, and started reading. after reading its contents, he stared at the paper for a moment, before moving to sit on his messy bed, crossing his legs and reading the letter a couple more times, concentrating on some of the words in particular.

Hand of God? Church of the Undying Light? That was curious. He had never heard of this church before. How did it link to him? He wasn't sure what vibes it gave him, but he couldn't imagine it being anything that would worship him personally. Someone who called themself the "Hand of God" probably deemed a forest guardian a lesser kind of deity. But in that case, why were they interested about him? Should he be worried?

Taisto flopped onto his back, rolled onto his stomach, and pulled a laptop from under his pillow. He opened it, and typed "Church of the Undying Light" into the search engine. He didn't find much, but it seemed to be a thing that existed. Apparently the church had bought an island somewhere in the Northern seas of Ninjago a long time ago. They had a very austere, broken website that seemed to have frozen in time somewhere in the early 2000’s. This church didn’t seem to try very hard to appeal to the youths. Maybe direct mail advertising was more their thing?

Taisto hummed, and rested his chin on his arms. The setting was curious, for sure, but money could be useful, and the wish? He wondered what kind of wish was allowed. If the church had connections to real deities, perhaps even a miracle could be on the menu? Hmm… He wanted to text Aurelia and ask for her opinion, but the letter had said he couldn’t tell anyone... Well, maybe it couldn’t hurt too badly to check this tournament out.

yuga

That was a different kind of nightmare, not the usual about a burning land and a looming throne in front of him. No, if he could grasp the fleeting tails of the dream… there had been an island amid the sea… maybe.

Yuga curled up tighter in his torpor, lingering between the wake and the dream, but something was alarming him, pulling him back to consciousness. Had someone touched him? He quickly opened his eyes, thinking he could still hear footsteps receding, but when he sat up, they had faded or merged into the sounds of the city. He put his paw onto his stomach, where he felt the strange feeling, and heard the rustling of a paper with the contact.

Astonished, he pulled a letter out of his hoodie pocket. The fox stared at the golden seal, blinking, utterly bewildered. When he turned the envelope around and saw his own name written on the, his eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat. He looked frantically around the empty alley. Who could have put this in his pocket, and why? He panted shallowly, his breath stuttering. Once he convinced himself that nobody was watching him, he finally returned his attention to the envelope in his hands.

It smelled rich, that was the only way he could think of describing it. He could think of one person who could have the funds to waste on a fancy letter to him, but why and how on Earth would he write to him and know where he was? His paws shook as he broke the seal and opened the letter.

He calmed down only slightly, as he soon realized the letter probably wasn’t from anyone back home. Why would it be written in the Latin alphabets, otherwise? Reading the letter didn’t put him at ease, though. He didn’t understand everything, but the mention of a church made his fur stand on end. What could this mean? Who were these people, how did they know about him, and why did they go through the trouble to contact him?

.

[11:06 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga: Yuga read the letter many times as carefully as he could. Many words were foreign to him, but he gathered that it was an invitation to a competition of sorts. It was all manners of suspicious, and he knew it could very well be a trap where he would end up in danger... But going would mean he could get a roof on top of his head, hopefully food as well, even if for a short while. It could help him survive a little longer.

He sat in his place for a long time, reading the paper over and over again, conflicted and scared. Eventually, he folded the letter, slipped it back into its envelope, and put it into his pocket. He looked both ways of the alley, before pulling his hood up and heading towards the north harbor, moving in the shadows.

gerald

"Ah good I haven't had a break in some time!" Gerald spoke as he got up from his chair. He had just finished writing another decade into the history of cheese, when Dolly came along with the mail cart.

"Mhmm... You've been quite the diligent worker, yes you have. I've got a letter from your great great grandson and also it looks like you have some sort of fancy letter, maybe a wedding or something." Dolly handed him the two envelopes.

"I dare say, it's perhaps a grand time for a little vacation then? Ha ha!" He opened the letter as Dolly headed out. "Oh indeed this does seem like a vacation of some sort... A very different sort but all the same, a break from the usual dilly dally."

He popped the letter into his pocket and went straight away to clock out. "Good day Vernan! I'm off to take some time. Do give my best to the wife and kids though!" And out the door into a long hallway with many doors with labels above. "Hmmm... Ninjago... Ah yes right next to Chimera! Perfect! Oh I wonder if they still make the good tea... I'm sure they do!" Gerald excitedly left the library, on his way for something quite different.

eben

"I wouldn't exactly say powerful..." Eben pondered out loud, finishing the letter. He hadn't the slightest idea how his address had been found, considering up until a month ago he hadn't exactly had an address at all. He set the envelope down on the kitchen counter, making a cup of tea to keep their hands busy while they forced themselves to think on this.

The prospect of coming back with more money than they entered with was alluring, they'd admit. It had taken a great deal of hard manual labour to manage to rent this apartment in the first place, and while they didn't mind the work it would be nice to have less of it to do. Besides, it's not as if their life was going anywhere else. Anywhere good. Maybe the tournament could be their opportunity to make something better of all this.

Their decision was made by the time the tea was brewed, though he never got a chance to drink it, having grabbed it with the wrong hand- the mug was crushed in its hold, hot tea splashing over his arm and onto the floor. He wasn't even upset about his arm, he couldn't even feel the heat through the rock-hard skin, but he was upset about the waste of good tea. That had been expensive, a treat he'd afforded himself. Oh well.

After the mess was cleaned up, he registered the time- there was definitely enough time between now and 6 am for him to sleep, however he doubted he would, the anticipation would keep him up. Perhaps the walk to the north shore would do him some good. He put on his sunglasses and the only coat and pair of shoes he owned, and headed out the door. He pocketed his apartment key of course, though he doubted he'd be returning.

isi

Isi spent a good five minutes attempting to pronounce "Yeonaixho Sehwohl" before even considering the actual contents of the letter.

She plopped down on the bottom bunk of the room she shared with about 11 others. She'd wanted the top bunk, but as you'd imagine, hooves can make it difficult to climb ladders. At the very least, the bottom bunk made it easier to hide things- such as, say, an ocarina, which was considered disruptive and banned from the shelter, as were most instruments.

Isi finally read the letter over once, twice, ten times. It truly looked too good to be true. How had it even found them? It's not like Isi really had an actual address. The whole idea made Isi nervous despite its intrigue. However, the more she thought it over, the more appealing it sounded, especially compared to the shelter. Besides, it's not like she hadn't been planning to sneak out anyways, and having an actual place to go instead of failing to leave the city and having to come back like last time felt like a better option. It's not like the shelter forced her to stay anyway, it'd just been the best option.

And so, quietly, Isi prepared. She wrapped several socks around her hooves so they wouldn't make such a loud sound as she walked on the pavement. They put on baggy pants that were a little too long- it disguised the legs mostly, even though it was more difficult to walk properly. She packed a few belongings into a drawstring bag, really just her ocarina, a few clothes, and various trinkets they'd collected over time.

With that, she cautiously made her way out of the shelter and into the early morning.

kal

“BOYS! Today, the plan is simple!” A camera focused on the face of a young man with dark hair, grey eyes, a scar over the bridge of his nose, and a bright, sharp smile. Behind him stood a large, intimidating mountain. The young man motioned to the mountain with a wave of his hand. “Today, we are tackling The Nose, El Capitan.”

The camera focused on the mountain, zooming into ledges, cracks, and other indentations in the mountain. The views of the live stream continued to rise as it continued. Comments filtered in along with gifted subs.

“Welcome to California, Vamily! Here, it’s common for rocks to fall anywhere on this route. Crazy, right? El Capitan stands at nearly four thousand feet tall. Plenty of climbers have gotten injured on this route, both experienced and inexperienced. With the risk of plenty of rappel errors and fall injuries, and the weather wearing down parts of the rocks, all of these factors make it a difficult climb.”

The camera moved to focus on his face. “Hi, I’m Kal Valdez, and the fastest time for this climb is an hour, fifty-eight minutes, and seven seconds. I’m going to climb this in less than that.”

Kal attached the Go-Pro to his chest with a band, giving his audience a nice POV shot of the climb. He slipped on his rock-climbing gloves, pressed a kiss to his dog tags that hung around his neck, and found his grip on the mountain. With a deep breath, he began his ascent as a burst of adrenaline filled his veins. He could feel it spread to his extremities, and his hands were just itching to climb. The pressure in the back of his knees demanded him to jump. His heart was beating wildly in his chest.

Kal moved swiftly and effectively up the mountain, almost losing himself entirely in the climb. It was far too easy to climb with the use of his abilities giving him extra bursts of strength. At some points, he found himself simply leaping from ledge to ledge at high speeds, almost as if this was simply a training wall. It was easy. Too easy. It was fun, but was it much of a challenge? No. Not quite.

In no time, Kal made it to the top and let out a deep breath. The air was thinner up there and it made his head slightly light, but it didn’t bother him, not when he had this view. He could see the vast area, the miles and miles of trees, the distant towns, the sun shining over the land, and the way a nearby lake looked so small from where he was.

“Well, here we are, everyone. We made the climb in-” He checked his Fitbit. “Thirty-two minutes and six seconds! Woo, we knocked that record out of the ballpark! And I see that we made our donation goal a while ago, thank you so much to everyone who donated! As a reminder, any and all donations are going towards our charity of choice this week. Thank you everyone for helping us reach that goal, and thank you to those who tuned in for this stream, your support is always appreciated.”

Kal remained quiet as he looked around the area, offering his viewers a look at the view for a moment of serenity. Ah, this was nice.

“This stream’s gone on for a good while now. I’ll probably head offline as I make my way down. You’re watching KalValParkour, thanks for joining me on this climb. I’ll catch ya on the flip side!”

With that, Kal ended his stream and took a seat along the ledge of the mountain. With a moment of clarity, he figured it’d be a moment to just go through some paperwork for his channel and sponsorships. He pulled out some envelopes and opened a few of them, processing a few words. Ah, reading. His greatest enemy. One letter caught his attention. Kal plucked that from the pile and kicked his legs as he read it. Interesting. An invitation.

As he read more about it, he grew increasingly more intrigued. There were plenty of opportunities that this allowed, and a wish.. There was a lot of power with a wish. Plus hey, he could get plenty of content out of it for his channel. Fucking bet!

Kal pocketed the letter and stood up. Time for his favorite part of a climb, the descent. He’d drop by his place, and then head over to the meet up spot.

wolf

BANG

The sound of the wrestlers impacting the ring blasted through the arena not unlike a gunshot. The crowd was standing- roaring and cheering at the show the two wrestlers were putting on. At the vigorous battle ensuing all for one. Glorious. Golden. Belt.

"The Punisher's Cross lands!! The Champ's left crumpled in the center of the ring!!"

"This is incredible!! What a Neckbreaker that was!"

Inhale....

Exhale...

Wolf's vision blurred if only for a second as he rolled on the ground away from his opponent, planting himself into the corner of the wrestling ring. His eyes, wild, fierce, determined. His eyes settled upon his opponent, dazed, in the center of the ring- locked on like a missile seeking out it's target. The luchador crouched low in the corner, hands gripping the ropes on either side of him as he bounced a little to work himself up. This was it.

The big moment.

The one he had spent his whole- admittedly short- career chasing...

He rose a hand up toward his opponent, giving them a 'come on then, stand up' motion. A grin found itself on his face. "Stand up, Hexyplexie! This is your big moment!" He taunted through the cheering crowd. "The moment you finally lose that belt of yours you--" His insult was cut off by the roar of the crowd. Good censorship for the TVs, for sure.

The much smaller wrestler looked off-balance as he found his way to his feet slowly, stumbling slightly toward Wolf.

That was when the wolf pounced.

Woods launched himself from the corner- sprinting full speed at the other wrestler with his arms out as he tackled the champion's midsection as hard as he could.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" One of the commentators could be heard screaming.

"WHAT A SPEAR! That Interceptor may have just won Woods this match!"

"We may have a new champ!!"

[4:31 PM]Sam | Su-Ji 🐯+ Wolf 🐺:

Wolf was left a little dazed from the sheer force of his attack, his head left spinning as he struggled to find the Hexyplexie he had struck like a two-ton truck. Blinking, he spun on the ground to face the smaller male before grabbing him and flipping the other male onto his back. Giving a huff of air, Wolf planted his body over his opponent, grabbing and wrenching his leg up for leverage.

The move was unnecessary- the previous Champion wasn't going to get up from that signature move from Wolf Woods.

ONE.

TWO!

THREE!!!!!

The bell rang out- and if the crowd was loud before they were deafening now.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WE HAVE A NEW CHAMP!"

"THE BEAST HAS DONE IT!"

"He clawed his way to the top by sheer force and now the gold is his!"

A figure appeared in Wolf's peripheral vision- one in a striped shirt. The ref held the Championship belt- Wolf's Championship belt.

Still a little dazed, Wolf forced himself to stand up on his feet and give the crowd a proud grin as the referee grabbed his hand... and hoisted it up into the air for all to see- both in the arena and on live TV.

"Ladies and gents, we've just witnessed HISTORY! Wolf Woods has officially become the YOUNGEST FFW World Champion in this company's existence!"

"What an honor!!"

................

Wolf Woods was still coming down from his high from the energy of the crowd, practically vibrating with energy as the medics finally left his side and left him alone with his belt.

He had done it. He won.

HE was the Alpha.

Woods stood up and swung in the air excitedly, grinning like a madman as he examined the golden belt now in his possession.

Ohhhh, it felt so GOOD at the top...

He made his way to his locker, laughing to himself as he swung it open. His excitement was cut off, however, when a letter suddenly floated out of said locker. Like someone had shoved it inside for him specifically to see.

Huh....

[4:32 PM]Sam | Su-Ji 🐯+ Wolf 🐺:

Wolf gave the note a suspicious look over before shrugging and ripping the envelope open. Upon reading the contents, his eyebrow rose.

A tournament? What, like... British Rules Tournaments? Something like the G1 Climax?? Is that what they meant by powers..?

If they meant powerful then they were certainly right about something.

...Yeah. Now that Wolf was at the top, he could seek out a new challenge. He craved it, even.

A nasty grin found itself back on his face. Yeah. He'd be there. Belt and all.

su-ji

Cash?

Wrll that piqued Su-Ji's interest. His ear flicked, tail twitching in anticipation as he read the letter.

That money could go miles for him getting food. Maybe even a room for a week! Ohhhh that sounded so nice...

He missed his companion... they were such good company... even if he did feel bad for mooching off her a bit...

They grinned as they made their way through the forest. The docks... That was at leadt a days trip. Hopefully he'd make it on time!!

Would the sun be out...? ...huh...

That was something to worry about later!

zerada

It was storming again.

It wasn't anything new to Zerada as she sought out shelter from the safety of a cave. She was settled comfortably along the entrance of the cave, simply watching as the rain continued to fall.

In the distance, thunder could be heard rolling before crashing with a resounding boom! Flashes of lightning followed after, decorating the sky as its danced and darted across it.

In her veins, Zerada felt her powers begin to spark up in resonance with the natural lightning, but it never was overpowering. Just a reminder that it was there, boosting itself up in case Zerada needed it.

While she had spent most of her life on guard, this... This was nice. This was nice. Peaceful. A moment to take a deep breath, listen to the rain, and breathe. She had never been one to take things slower- Quite the opposite, actually. Traveling alone, she had the chance to do that: Simply slow down, and focus on herself.

Her gaze caught what looked like a piece of paper wedged between a rock and a hard place. The wall, of course.

Frowning slightly, Zerada reached out and grabbed onto it. The moment she saw her name on the front of it, her eyes widened. What the actual fuck? How the hell did someone know she would be here?

She opened it up and read through the contents. Her heart rate quickened as she read through the paper, but it was somewhat... Hm. Weird. She didn't like that. She didn't like that one bit. Zerada didn't even care about the cash, all she wanted was to not be bothered-

Zerada paused. If they were capable of detecting the location of not only herself, but other Elemental Masters as well who could participate, then...

Maybe this could be helpful.

Shoving the letter into her pocket, Zerada stared out of the cave for a while longer. Once the rain had cleared, she would head out.

enya

Enya would go as far as to say by now, she’s used to weird shit happening all the time. Though, leaning back in her chair with a frown, she’s not exactly sure if ‘mysterious letter with only her name attached’ falls into the ‘used to’ category. Her fingers drum against the top of her desk, until she shifts suddenly with a huff and tears the envelope open. No use putting it off any more.

Inside, it’s only more confusing. She props her foot up on the desk, leaning as far back in her chair as it can go while she reads. Supernatural abilities, secret tournament, sketchy church….sounds like a pretty good use of her time. The idea of a grand prize certainly helps—as does the idea of a winner on its own. Why the hell not? Enya glances towards the door.

There’s no sounds from outside beyond the occasional car passing or dog barking. She could be gone tonight, for sure.

Mind made up she starts about packing mostly the bare minimum. There’s the weight of eyes on her back the more she moves around, and she swivels briefly to swap an equally unimpressed stare with Slink. “Like I’m leaving you here. Calm down, drama queen.” If at all possible, his stare narrows.

When they’re both packed she shives open her window with a grunt, sliding out onto the fire escape and clambering her way down. It’s a bit of a bus ride from here, but she should still be on time. Hopefully.

mallon

Mallon stares down the letter on the ground in front of them, good eye darting back and forth before deeming it safe enough to grab. They snatch it up in a quick motion, popping it open and unfolding the paper inside. Honestly? They’re not sure what to make of it.

The winning promises the letter makes are strangely alluring, though. Despite the risk, despite the openness of it, maybe… Well. It could be worth it if it meant finally proving themself. Adjusting the bandana they were using as a makeshift headband, Mallon scrounges together what little they have and disappears into the night.