Tea Time Intermission (Open to all Tourney Participants)

((So to begin this, anyone can join that is currently participating in the tournament. Feel free to use all 3 or 2 or 1 of your characters. This is just a way to have everyone meet/make rivals/friends/get familiar.))


((General Setting: Fancy tea shop for upper-class citizens, AFTER the prelims so don't post yet! The tea is free btw so have fun, don't go around bending all over the place.))

Kiara flopped down on a sofa, laying across it and putting her feet up on an arm rest. The quaint little tea shop seemed to be as good of a place as any to crash after forfeiting so early in the prelims. Other matches had taken much longer, but after a few moves she had simply given up. She knew there was prize money in winning the lightweight. She also knew that her opponent was miles out of her league. Which meant she had to get stronger, the same goal she'd had ever since she broke out of prison.

There was more than one reason she was in the tournament, though. The whole reason she'd been caught was because some scout's apprentice or whatever named Yami was supposed to be here. That girl was barely older than she was, probably only twelve at the time, yet she had managed to fight Kiara off and got her caught by the local militia. Now, she wanted revenge. Part of her hoped that she and Yami would get to fight. She'd heart that Yami was pitted against the avatar, and nobody beats the avatar. So they were both in the lightweight.

Kiara kicked her boots off, earning a disgusted look from the owner of the shop. Unfortunately for him, if he kicked her out, people might start calling him out on mistreatment of the combatants. The man was smart. He turned away to return to cleaning little teacups. Kiara smiled. Things were going quite well.

There was a strange sense of victory that grew within Kara. Did she honestly win her first battle? Her opponent fought amazingly, a nice challenge, albeit a challenge she didn't think she could beat. Kara could still hear the buzz of the crowd as she walked farther and farther away from the stadium. Another person must've won to cause such an uproar. These battles were notorious for getting extremely loud and rowdy.

She continued to walk, her body aching from the fight. The neatly paved streets were lined with fancy décor, clearly indicating wealth and superiority over those in the lower rings. Kara spent a great deal of time in the lower rings, constantly being handed scraps from the wealthy that thought of people like her as animals. Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts, it was time to celebrate. Kara strolled towards the nearest place that served high-quality tea.

She opened the front doors to the store with caution, hoping to seem polite. An aroma of warm jasmine filled her nose. Pleasing, yes, but it was a little absurd. Kara noticed a strange young girl lying down on a sofa near the middle of the rather enormous shop. Kara knew that this girl was also apart of the tournament. She didn’t remember the girl's name however, so she didn’t want to start a conversation with someone who's name is unknown. Instead, Kara walked up to the old man in charge of the place, who looked pretty annoyed with the other girl's behavior. "Hi, umm. Could I get one cup of the best stuff you got?" Kara asked politely. He gave her a rather dirty look.

"The best we got is a matter of opinion ma'am, you need to actually order something."

"Well, I'll have… Oolong. Wait, no. I mean yeah! Oolong is good," Kara dreaded ordering anything, she always goofed her words up. Shortly after ordering, the old codger handed the tea to Kara with a grumpy attitude. "Thanks?" She sat down, relaxing every muscle as the plump and fluffy cushion, absorbed her weight.

Alyssandra entered the tea shop and sat herself down next to a few of the competitors of the tournament. One she recognized as her first opponent, her first victory. Kiara Hide. The other one was Kara Liu, another competitor who had strength, and cunning. She had won her first fight, and for that Alyssandra congratulated her. Then Alyssandra turned towards Kiara.

"Don't feel disheartened," smiled Alyssandra, "You lost, but if you keep training, you might just win next year. If you can be me that is." Alyssandra let out a calm chuckle and ordered the strongest Imperial tea the place had in stock. Then she ordered the strongest sake they had, as she planned to mix them. It would soothe her muscles, which were sore from fighting hard earlier, but it would also soothe her mind.

Besides a little alcohol once and a while was never a bad thing. Alyssandra turned back towards Kiara and Kara, noticing the similarity in their names and how easy it would be to confuse them. "Tell me a little bit about yourselves?" asked Alyssandra, genuinely curious about the two benders that sat around the table with her.

Alyssandra was never afraid to speak her mind, nor was she afraid of what people thought of her. She took what he wanted and she would crush anyone who stood in her way. Of course this was just an innocent conversation, so the need for crushing was not important here, but still. It was who she was.

Leilani sat at the back of the tea house as different competitors started to shamble in.  There was the girl, Kiara Hide.  She had lost her match to Alyssandra, Leilani's cousin.  Kiara was followed by Kara Liu.  Kara had won her fight.  She was tough. Very good.  Leilani needed to keep an eye on that one.  Alyssandra walked in, Kara's opponent.  Alyssandra wasn't happy about the loss, but she had won the Lightweight Competition last year, and both the Staff and Heavyweight Competitions last year.

Alyssandra hadn't lost yet, and she was odds on favourite to win again this year.  Leilani only waited for the opponent that mattered though, her sister, Mai.  Mai had entered the Tenkaichi Bending this year, pulling herself from her obscurity.  Leilani had been tracking Mai for ten years.  It was their mother's final mission, as she lay on her deathbed.  As the Order fell apart.  Once the sickness hit the island, and it hit the Order late, it killed the Assassins fast.  

They were confined.  They were excluded.  They could not get help from anyone without letting the location of their Island be known.  The Assassins passed on.  They passed on with dignity, but unnecessarily in Leilani's opinion.  Only Mai and Leilani remained.  Only they had carried on the knowledge of the Assassins.  Now Leilani needed Mai back.  Together they could bring back the Assassins.  Together they could resurrect their Order.  Besides, Leilani had never failed a mission, and she wasn't about to start.

Mai walked into the tea shop from the back door and sat herself down behind her sister. She drew her blade and placed it against her sister's spine, the tip just barely poking through her sister's robes. "Leave me the fuck alone, I swear," hissed Mai into her sister's ear, as not to alarm the rest of the patrons.

Leilani was good as an Assassin, but Mai was always better. Mai knew Leilani would be here waiting, and Mai came prepared. "Stop looking for me, I'm not coming back," continued Mai, "I've made my own path, I need to forge my own destiny. Why can't you understand that? I don't want to be part of the Assassins. I never asked for any of it!"

Leilani's head hung a bit in sadness, and Mai withdrew her blade. She knew Leilani had only been defeated for today, but she would be back on Mai's tail tomorrow. Sickening and pathetic really. Leilani couldn't get it through her thick skull to let it go. She couldn't understand Mai was happy without her and the rest of the family.

Mai shook her head and walked over to where Alyssandra, Kiara and Kara were sitting. She didn't normally like being with family, but they were better than Leilani right now. Besides, Alyssandra was Raijin's sister, and always one of Mai's favourite cousins.

Karasu entered the tea shop, and could see a large group of competitors from the tournament sitting around a table, sipping tea and eating biscuits.  Karasu could smell alcohol on the drink of one of the people who was sitting there. The princess. Alyssandra. Interesting choice for 10 in the morning. No matter. Karasu would not begrudge the girl her nectar.

Besides, Karasu could use a shot or two herself. This was going to be an interesting and difficult tournament. Everyone was still in pain from yesterday. The preliminaries were over but everyone still hurt all over. Such was the life of a fighter she guessed. Karasu only did this once a year. She could only imagine what someone who did this for a living felt like.

She cracked her neck, back and knuckles then looked over at the table where she planned to sit. The table everyone else was sitting at. Wonderful for them. With a smile Karasu sat down, put one foot up on the other knee, and then ordered a cup of jasmine tea, steeped extra long. She needed something to wake her up. "Don't stop on my account," smiled Karasu as everyone stopped talking to look at her, "I thought this was a meeting of competitors, was it not?"

Izanagi entered the small tea shop. He had followed his cousin Mai here. He knew Leilani was looking for her, and while it was important that Mai have her privacy, and Izanagi had always allowed her to walk her own path, Izanagi wanted Leilani to at least speak with her sister. If he could get to Mai and speak to her without her stabbing him, perhaps that could be arranged.

No luck. Izanagi walked in right as he saw Mai place a blade to Leilani's back and threaten her to stop looking. Izanagi sighed as Mai tromped off to the table where Alyssandra and everyone else was, leaving Leilani behind at the table, dejected. "Don't get down," whispered Izanagi from behind Leilani, "She'll come back one day. Just...give her time. More time. She needs her space."

"She's doing good either way right? shrugged Izanagi, "She's still an Assassin at heart, but she's an Assassin on her own terms, helping people she chooses to help." Izanagi placed a reassuring hand on Leilani's shoulder and walked over to where Mai and Alyssandra sat with everyone else. "Morning everyone," he said with a small, polite bow, before taking his seat, "Are we all ready to start fighting in our weight class in a few days? I mean that was some preliminary wasn't it?"