Second Verse, Same as the First (TWS2 INTRODUCTION! PLEASE JOIN!)

Kyte looked over all of the contestants of the tournament as they entered, smiling. They had quite a large roster this time around. As he told them they could ask whatever questions they wanted, he admittedly had expected there to be many more questions than there were.

And only about half of those questions were even good ones.

Hell, the contenders didn’t even seem worried about their identities being revealed. Kyte pulled another card from his sleeve, overlooking them all once again. Metamorphi had asked why they were all separated into veterans and newcomers, and what the overall point was other than keeping them separated.

Hugh asked the great questions, saying that the Vanishing was still an issue, and theorized, as he had the last time around, that whoever was running the World’s Strongest Tournament had levels of power above even that of the Lords of Order and Chaos. He asked whether their host was the cause of the Vanishing or more powerful than the one behind the Vanishing, and asked why he should believe Kyte.

Shivering Jemmy- met with a slight frown of disdain from Kyte- assumed Kyte didn’t know when she heard Hugh’s questions, saying that since it was beyond even the power of the Lords of Chaos, and that even she didn’t know who the host was, that it would be impossible for Kyte to know. It caused a slight chuckle to escape from him, as he grinned slightly. How arrogant.

Kale had a question as well, though Kyte knew it wasn’t directed towards him. He marveled at the fact that Shivering Jemmy was allowed to participate.

Kyte was surprised, however, to see Sugu attending. He blinked at her as she suddenly ran up to him, beginning to exclaim about how much fun they would have, but then said it wasn’t fair that he had attended beforehand, which caused another chuckle to escape from him.

A newcomer asked him if the lunar cycle there was the same as it was on earth. The question perplexed Kyte, but the answer was simple enough.

Zack Wylder approached the veteran’s table for a moment, seeming perplexed, as was Kyte. He smiled kindly.

”Mr. Silent Knight, your seat is on the right- well, left end of the table over there,” said Kyte, pointing back over to the newcomer’s table on one of the ends, ”Due to your name. Glad to have you participating,” he finished.

Dennis Miller had nothing to ask, instead standing up and calling for their attention. He proclaimed he would be the victor of this tournament, and said they all knew it, before sitting down.

And for a minute, I thought Jemmy was being the arrogant one, Kyte thought.

With a smile, he looked over all of the newcomers.

”Thank you for your rather…interesting inquiries. I’ll address you in the order of which you spoke.” He turned his head right to face Metamorphi. ”Metamorphi, you simply answered your own question. The seats are separated to show the veterans of the previous tournament, and nothing more. There’s no subtlety; no ulterior motive. It is simply to honor the previous attendants of the tournament, and nothing more. But one could infer that since we are veterans of the tournament, we have more experience and are a slight more formidable than a newcomer.”

He then turned his head in the opposite direction left to address Hugh with a smile.

”Hugh, you’re always asking the good questions. It’s a pleasure to see such an inquisitive mind back at the tournament. I wish you luck.

As for your inquiries- and I suppose I’m addressing Shivering Jemmy as well, here- I assure you, as I did in the last tournament, that our host- or hosts, as it would be- has no interest at all in the Vanishing. They are beings of much simpler purpose. That is all I can say on the matter. The Vanishing, as you call it, has absolutely no effect on their goals whatsoever. Though I suppose if you want the simple answer; yes, our hosts are more powerful than the ones behind the Vanishing.”

He let that settle in for a moment, before grinning to Hugh.

”As for your second question…you shouldn’t. We know nothing about each other except for our previous participation in the tournament. For all you know, I’m working with said hosts. So mayhap it be a better decision not to trust me, indeed.”

He looked to Jemmy with his smirk for a slight second before moving on to Kale.

”I’m aware your question wasn’t necessarily directed at me, Kale,” he began, ”But yes, they do allow monsters into the drawing. Whoever said akalia is here now. They care not whether monsters participate. Besides, you’re a bit of a monster yourself, aren’t you?”

Kyte grinned again, before addressing Nikki.

”Nikkita, I’m afraid your question holds little value. The World’s Strongest tournament does not use a standard arena. Your arena shall be any of thousands of battlegrounds chosen by our hosts. Whether any of these are on Earth is widely dependable.”

Kyte sipped some Mountain Dew, before smiling at those attending again.

”Are there any more issues we need to address before moving on? Take all the time you need to eat, but this is a tournament, after all.”

Lots of people asked other questions, he took notice of each question and Kyte's response to the questions, sorting them into his memory banks as he did so. Kyte's answer to Metamorhi's own question was just that it was only for the point of separating the newbies from the veterans. Meta was suspecting as such, but he felt he had to ask. As other questions were answered, he looked at all the other competitors, making notes of which ones he had fought before and how much he knew about their powers.

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Kane looked at all his opponents, though not for the same serious reasons as Metamorphi, he was just really bored. He looked at all of them, giving them all nicknames in his head, he wasn't really bothered by the questions.

It'd been pointless to even ask these questions, for Pix had already made up the answer. There was something fishy going on with these cosmic organisers. Something related to the wider events in the Vanishing. His entire reason for coming back into this slugfest was to try and uncover answers. True answers, not the spiel Kyte was feeding them. The sprite had not and would not touch the food. He was in conspiracy mode.

When Red Hand got up and started shouting, Pix buried his head in his hands, "I don't know that guy. I do not know that guy." If he had any luck he would not have to face Dennis in the tournament. Not because he thought he would lose the fight, but because he wouldn't hear the end of it when Pix inevitably cheated the boxer of victory through some clever ploy.

Raising his head, Pix noted something of interest at the table. He pointed to Yang's second arm. At last count, back when he'd had TIBERIUS' information network, the Titan had only possessed one. "That's new." He commented, "We've not formally met. Which is odd, because we're nominally the opposite forces in Jump City. I'm Pix. As of now, I lead HIVE."

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A question dawned on one of the Kishi. After mithering his brothers about it they agreed it was worth their while to inquire. The four demons did a quick round of 'rock, paper, scissors' and Adriano, as loser, was peer-pressured into speaking up. Adriano rose to his feet and stalked over to Kyte's chair. Knowing violence was disallowed, and now a dab-hand at throwing his weight about without actual body contact, the Kishi tried to put himself between Gluttony and Wrath.

"Outta the way, doll. I got summin important to ask." If she didn't like it, she could kiss his sitting area. "What's the deal with death in this tournament? Is killing allowed? If people get wounded, do they go into their next battle hurt?"

Yang was busy eating a rather fancy meal. A full steak, some crab, potatoes, it was expensive for sure. "Well, you can get a better look of it in the tournament." She said with a smile. The arm was concealed beneath her armor, all that was available to be seen was her face, given that her hood was down. She made note of who Pix was. "My name is Yang. I lead the Titans. And I fully expect to see you on the business end of my weapon quite soon." She said in a tone that was almost sickeningly pleasant. She then turned to Bow instead. "So you're seriously stuck in here again? She said with a laugh. "Why didn't I use that when you lived at the tower? I could literally make you say anything I guess."

Blake was halfway through her fish dinner when she looked up and saw her fellow members of Hive. "So how much longer until the tournament starts? She was licking the bones of the fish completely clean. Delicious.

Guest

Kale simply shrugged to Haruhi, he was uninterested in this dinner and those who attended it. These humanistic festivities before a battle alluded him. Dragons ate during the brawl or after. They also only celebrated post battle. What the heck were they eating and mingling for now? To make it personal? Your opponent usually died after the fight why would you want to remember or gain attachments to them.

If they were going to celebrate the tournament it should be afterwards, to celebrate the victors, not before. These people were odd to say the least.

Kale rested his head on the table, using his scarf as a pillow. He would sleep for now - since it was an open area with many others in it he would consider this the only safe time for him to rest.

Guest

Jemmy finally figured out that she could simply wish for something and have it appear on the table in front of her. She 'ordered' some ice cream, and it instantly appeared before her. She wasn't impressed, but she ate it anyways. Ice cream was still ice cream. A small mountain of ice cream grew out of the table in front of the Lord of Chaos. It seemed like her appetite was endless, though she never grew fatter no matter how much she ate.

She reached for another slice of Kyte's pizza, not bothering to 'order' one for herself. Grease dripped from her hands and chin, and she wiped them off with a napkin. One had to maintain a good appearance in polite company, after all.

When Dennis proclaimed that he would surely be the victor of the tournament, Jemmy narrowed her eyes. "Oh, he's going down."

Listening to Kyte's answers to all the questions, Jemmy grinned. She didn't really care about the Vanishing either. She couldn't remember it anymore, so it wasn't like it had affected her. Besides, when dealing with someone who could take so many people away, it was better not to ask questions. Anyone who dug too far was likely to end up vanishing themselves, and that was why Jemmy hadn't bothered to ask anyone more powerful than herself about it.

When Kyte said that their host was stronger than whoever was responsible for the Vanishing, however, Jemmy laughed out loud. "Oh really? Well then I guess you must know exactly who is responsible for the Vanishing, then. Otherwise, how could you compare power levels between the two parties in question? Did they tell you they were stronger? In that case, you shouldn't be so eager to believe them, Mr. Kyte. Cosmic entities are prone to bragging and lying, just like everyone else. Whoever the host is, though, they must be shy. Is there some reason they choose not to dine with us? Taking a physical form is not that exhausting, nor does avoiding one give the illusion of strength. Whoever our host happens to be, they would not be the most important person I've shared a meal with, I'm sure." She took another bite of Kyte's pizza.

Gluttony listened to her brother in total admiration, from about ten inches away from his face, hope she wasn't too much of a distraction for him. Then one of the kishi bumped her and made her fall down on her butt. The little girl pouted and crossed her arms, muttering something about him being a jerk, and hoping that she fought him first, but then her thoughts were taken back to her food and she hopped up, running back to her seat to engulf the entire mountain in about a single minute. She raised her hand and stood up on her chair. "BIG BROTHER!! I HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION HERE!!" She waited for a moment to see if the whole place would get quiet or not, and then smiled innocently. "Do we get seconds~?" *giggle*

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Bow listened to yang speak to Pix and giggled at how sickeningly sweet she was being. Then she turned her focus to Bow and it made the pink haired girl's cheeks turn about the color of her hair. "Well... yeah... Catch me when I'm half asleep... I repeat pretty much anything I hear... It's... not okay." *giggle* She then thought about it and was about to speak again whenever Gluttony stood up and announced to the group that she had the most important question. Bow blinked and wondered what it could possibly be. Then she asked and Bow giggled, smiling brightly. She thought that girl was absolutely precious. Bow looked around at the rest of the contestants to see who she knew and who she didn't. This would be a great place to make friends! ...hopefully... >.>

Haruhi's face had a blank yet irritated expression, the typical anime pulse mark appeared on her forehead, as her Brother addressed the whole room. She knew he was trying to avoid her, and when he gave his arrogant cocky remark on how he was already victor, Haruhi couldn't help but facepalm and then shake her head and pinch the brim of her nose. 'He just had to do something to piss everyone off didn't he....' Haruhi thought to herself. She then looked up again as others began to ask more questions and or comment. She then noticed a little girl with very bright blue-green eyes and hair offer her a dumpling in a very mannered and kind way. Haruhi took it, "Thank you, that's very generous of you. It smells great." She said with a genuine smile. "My name's Haruhi, what's yours?" Haruhi's attention was then drawn to another young girl and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the little girl, who kept referring to Kyte as Big brother, announced she had, supposably, the most important question to ask...seconds? That question did remind Haruhi that they were all dining and looked around at everyone's plate, and saw quite an assortment of different foods. She looked at her own empty plate and then imagined all her favorite things to eat, or what she had a craving for...and what do ya know. Her plate was now full of Miso salmon, white rice, a bowl of miso, chicken satay, an assortment of sushi rolls and an iced chai tea to drink. (･_･).......(♡o♡) she didn't understand what kind of sorcery or bribery this was, but she didn't question it nor hesitate to dig in. Her face was full of sheer happiness and delight as she took each bite. She then realized people were still talking and tried to focus again, yet continued to chow down.

Ares beamed at her new friend and replied "my name is Ares! I am very happy to meet you" she said solemnly, with respect. She set to chewing her own dumpling with every sign of enjoyment, taking pleanty of time to carefully chew her food. Her ears flicked, elf-like in their pointiness, as she took in the other people. There were bragging people, queries, answers, greetings, calm people, excited people, all in a big room - it was a bit overwhelming!

"I am not certain why it is they've chosen me for this tournament. I have always found my father's choice of name for me ironic... I am a pacifist, and female, yet I am named for the Greek god of war." she said to Haruhi conversationally. "What does your name mean?" she added after a thoughtful pause, an unaffected, sweet expression of puzzlement and interest on her face as she stared up at Haruhi.

Nikki stared at her plate in annoyance. So, they werent battling here, their would be several different arenas... how would she know that there wouldnt be a red moon and that she wouldnt try to kill some one? She sighed and decided she would think about it later, the smell of food was not helping her train of thought any. She had a plate full of cooked rabbit and fish and a few slices of mocha cake on the side- what? A were ferret could enjoy a treat when it came her way. She was digging in and quietly listening to other people conversating around her. She looked around and wondered who she would be paired against.

Yes. The newcomer's table. He couldn't have participated in the last tournament. It hadn't happened. How could be have forgotten that? Zack shook his head. He slowly turned and strode to the seat at the new contestant's table. He stared solemnly at it for a long minute before finally sitting down. Unlike everyone else, no food appeared before him. Only those who bothered to observe their surroundings were likely to even notice. Very few knew he existed prior to tonight, so very few would have the chance to realize that he wasn't acting at all how he normally did: No dark jokes, no mad laughter, no playing with his knife, no attempts to goad people into attacking him: Only silence, his grin an empty mask over eyes lost in thought.

Kyte had to take effort to stifle a few laughs when Shivering Jemmy spoke up, as he had predicted she might, to a challenge of her power. Even so, he maintained his responses to who had asked their question first.

"Onyekachi, an important question, indeed. To answer it simply, go all out. A match is over as soon as a contestant is incapacitated or surrenders, unless otherwise stated. And all damage inflicted is healed after the match."

"Blake, the tournament can be well on its way as soon as everyone is finished."

He finally turned to Jemmy, regarding her with a raised eyebrow.

"That's an...interesting deduction, to say the least, Jemmy. But wrong, nevertheless."

"I'll make this lucidly clear: I don't know who caused the Vanishing, or who our hosts are. But I do know as of yet, our hosts have displayed more power than those behind the Vanishing."

"Any more questions?"

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