Welcome to Beacon: Next 2.0

Fairgrounds: Selene and Axl

Selene giggled a bit more before standing up and stretching. "Well cuz, feel like checking out some of the attractions nearby?"

"Thanks," Morgan responded enthusiastically. "Then again, I do have years of experience with flying..."

"That would be me, yes," Cinnabar finally focuses on the man's face, staring him directly between the eyes, "and if you have any tips on best ensuring she doesn't get killed that would probably be better than a lecture on how I'd better not be the reason she dies in the field of battle."

COOKING COMPETITION

Azure poured her meal into a bowl, dropping the ashes of potatoes onto her meal before putting it on the judges table and quietly sat on the counter. She closed her eyes and began to slow her breathing as she waited for the verdict.

Crowd

Jack doubled over with harsh, barking laughter. He looked at the young man. "She's a Reisentoter. She ain't going to die before you." He was still laughing. Suddenly, he caught Azure's face. Even with her eyes covered, she frowned slightly and he lowered his gaze. He sighed and turned to face her, "Tell her to message me who won." he told her partner and slowly walked off.

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Cooking Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale

Sangria was waving at his colleagues. "Chef Gala, this one! I can smell such strength from this part of the arena!" He gestured at Dia. "My new friend believes in this one, Jaime!"

The wiry Faunus chef looked at Dia quickly. "Forgive me, but what is your name?"

And then he saw Cabral escorting Azure to the judge's table, followed by a surprise judge in the form of a very cool Glynda Goodwitch, who nodded in brief greeting to the Faunus girl. Azure's tall blonde follower looked coolly over her shoulder and quietly gestured for her husband to join them.

Sangria looked at the two girls. "You two must have a taste. Please, please. Follow me." And without even waiting for a response, the chef took both by the hand and led them to places at the judges' table.

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Area Close to Knight Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale

As it happened, both Marvin and Suzune were following the crowd's ebb to where Scarlet was lining up. A roaming initiate took notice of the pair. Well, particularly the gynoid.

"Fancy a turn aboard Atlas' finest warmachines, miss?" chirped the young girl in the tabard brightly.

As Izzy and Iris were wandering about, they were also happening to be walking past a row of merchandise booths. Particularly those of Hunters who'd caught the eye of the public.

Along with a few amateur dolls shaped like a suit very close to Izzy's heart.

edited 29th May '17 2:40:58 AM by KR_Vandal

Raggy, Wrestler Area

"Definitely. It's a fair for everybody to enjoy, after all." Raggy replied to Duncan's question with a smile, nodding.

"What about you? Got any big plans?"

Cooking Contest.

Leaving the dishes for the judges to pick up, the young man gave a weak smile and nodded at Dia. "...I-I'm honestly, r-really...not terribly t-trying to win. I mean, h-honestly, considering the competition, it's a b-bit obvious who'll...win." He quietly replied, trying to smile.

Of course, Sangria drawing attention to him wasn't...helping.

Fairground, Cooking Arena.

"Dia Rayfer", the grenette bows as she introduces her name. Enough for him to hear, but not too loudly. Especially in front of the crowd. That surname was known by a good few people as a noble family and Dia wasn't risking becoming a kidnap target again.

Hearing James' words, Dia tries to reassure him. Her face appears straight, but there's a faint smile.

"I've got confidence that you can perform well, James. Don't worry."

Miss Rayfer blushed a bit when she was taken by the hand, but followed the judge to the table.

(Oh my, I don't know how this is gonna go... why am I feeling nervous?)

COOKING COMPETITION

"James, don't be so meek. It's pitiful." Azure said with a smile, adjusting her earmuffs to work on her noise output.

Azure put down her meal and attempted to walk back, letting out an almost bestial snarl at suddenly getting grabbed by the hand she hated being touched and attempted to wrench her hand free as she followed the woman.

Finally, her hand was free and she turned to the woman. "Please don't be bad-if it is, I'll be vomiting." She pleaded-it wasn't a taunt, her taste buds were as strong as her otheer senses.

edited 29th May '17 8:45:40 PM by TroyandHawk

Cooking Contest.

...If the earmuff wearing faunus was trying to encourage or simply teasing him, James just looked away, his attempt to put on a faux smile of faded quickly. If anything, he looked more melancholy than nervous at this point.

"It's not...really a matter of...performing well, it's...over, really, Dia. It's just a matter of...waiting, really, at this point." He replied before going to take a seat. "So....I...guess I'll...just...wait until the judging is over..."

...As if at random, a chilly breeze blew through the area for a brief moment...which was quite odd, until a figure dressed in white and gold clipped past Iris, possibly making her spin around somewhat in a cartoonish twirl, but leaving her unharmed as the blonde-haired figure turned around and tilted his head.

"...Huh~?"

edited 1st Jun '17 5:13:39 AM by TheRealWren

Fairgrounds - Selene and Axl

"Yeah, that sounds fun. I'm sure these two squirts would love to see them too." He said with a nod as he held out one of the girls to Selene. "Mind holding onto Katey for a bit?" He asked, the young girl looking up at her with a silly smile and a giggled "cuzzy!"

Fairgrounds - Knight Demonstration

"Izzat...Hey Red!" Marvin called out to Scarlet upon sighting her, waving at the red head before he heard someone approaching. "Hey, Suzy, wasn't this the reason you came out of the room in the first place?" He asked the gynoid with a lopsided grin.

Rasslor tent

Grinning eagerly, Duncan responded "Well, the plan is t'win this tournament an' walk away with the big ol' payout. Dunno what I'll do with all the money though, might donate it t'charity or somethin' like that."

Before Duncan could continue, one of Kennedy's flunkies walked up to him and quickly pulled him aside saying "Boss wants to talk with you"

A bit confused, Duncan wandered over to find Kennedy's impromptu office somewhere backstage as a man with a megaphone stepped into the middle of the ring and began calling out to the gathered talent and those aspiring to join the company "Right, so we're gonna be having most of the tournament matches outside of this tent while the exhibition bouts go on, we've got some of those portable rings set up for this, Rules are pretty simple, pin your opponent for a three count or make him submit to a hold and you win, no disqualifications so weapons are allowed, though the higher ups are making me have to clarify that you can't use guns or chainsaws or anything meant to kill people."

After that, the megaphone wielding staff member began to call out names and various members of the audience began to wander off to the rings they'd been assigned to. Ragnaros and Gage would hear their names called in rapid succession "Punk, you're up against El Justo in ring six, Donovan you're taking on Remington in ring nine"

Two men would then proceed to leave the crowd, a smaller masked man◊ would make his way toward ring six while a hulking tattooed brute of a man◊ would make his way over to ring nine.

Elsewhere, Duncan would find himself face to face with the boss rather quickly, with Kennedy waiting just out of sight for him, grinning like a madman.

"Ah! McAllister! Good to see you!"

Before Duncan could respond, Kennedy continued

"Right, so here's the thing pal, you're not gonna be in the tournament, since you're gonna be defending the regional championship against this new kid we signed, Colt or something, can't remember his name. Doesn't matter, you'll be meeting him soon enough! Also, you're representing the company to a bunch of new prospective fans and trainees, wear something nice to the ring."

And with that, Kennedy left, leaving Duncan feeling very bewildered and somewhat confused as he wandered away to go throw on his more 'formal' gear.

After a lengthy and somewhat fancy entrance on his part, Duncan◊ was standing in the ring, waiting on his challenger as he draped his jacket, shirt and chain over the nearest ring post. The Highlander was more than a little nervous, he had no idea who he was up against, what style they favoured or just how he'd try to combat them, but nevertheless, he'd prevail, he always did.

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Cooking Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale

A small line of contestants began to flock behind Azure, their dishes on trays and platters. For all their apparent flightiness, the title of Master before the names of the two chefs weren't just for show.

Some of the contestants were dismissed out of hand, if only for the scent of their dishes. Others only had a small morsel of their offerings taken before being turned away, with cryptic hints thrown at them. With animated gestures, Sangria explained to his two charges that it simply just wasn't about taste.

"Part of it is in how it all comes together," he explained, wafting the scent of a plate of pancakes toward his nose. "See, like this? Vegetarian pancakes! Taste the farm freshness and crispness! But rather too simple to be elegant."

"And this one," Cabral was with Fiona, one of the fish tenders between a pair of chopsticks. Her eyes were closed and they saw just the slightest shudder in her shoulders. The willowy master chef stood still for a few minutes before she composed herself before wiping her mouth.

"Very good, Miss Feurschwinge. You have the makings of a great sous chef. But as of the moment... You are not there yet." The tall girl with the cleavers bore her disappointment well, even as her pack cried in dismay.

Cabral turned to both Lara and Dia. "Do not chomp it all down at once. Cooking is not just about smell and taste! It is about sight, it is about hearing! It is about the savoriness of the dish!" She took another one of the fish offerings of Fiona and brought it up to Lara's ear. "Hear the crispness of the fish? A shame. She has the makings of a Master..."

By the end, there were only a handful who caught the judge's attention; James, Azure, and the long-eared Faunus Jeanne.

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Area Close to Knight Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale

There was a polite shuffling in the lines as more room was made in the area where the simulation pods were wired up. With the aid of a construction suit, two more of the pods were brought up and were in the proces of being installed.

The young squire talking to Scarlet looked up at Marvin and Suzune walking towards them." "Friends of yours? If you can wait a little, we can make sure all of you get a chance to give the Knights a try. Would that be alright with you?"

Underneath Morgan's feet, the Lily began to move, heading towards a maintenance bay for a quick check.

The winged Faunus quickly got the impression that Edea was examining her. "You know, the Seraph TA Gs are supposed to be among the first equipped with true flight. We are always looking for talent and expertise in that area, especially those with obvious experience with augmentic limbs." She tilted her head in the direction of Morgan's obvious cybernetic shoulder.

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, RPW Tent, Beacon Academy, Vale

There was a tap on Halle's shoulder sensor as the crowd began to organize. The seats were filling up as many contestants began to warm up and get limber.

It was a wiry girl who had the look of a Vacuo islander, her hair in a neat undercut. "Yo, if you ain't interested in the rassling, we're also holdin' seminars for creative-types."

Sakura pointed at the stocky girl whose hair was just as wild as her own. "Got an exhibition with Robin there against the Birds. We win, no problems!"

She clapped Raggy on the cheek as he was called up. "You have future here! Gambatte!"

Duncan caught a glimpse of who his opponent maybe, a compact young man in a thick coat who simply bristled with muscle. Behind dark shades, his gaze focused on the big Highlander and grinned.

Time passed and the seats were howling, more than a few students tapping out or simply bombarded by the expertise and strength of the RPW talent. And in his black trunks, kickpads, and bandanna, Gage was sizing up his opponent, wondering why everything about him was familiar.

Raggy, Gulp

His opponent looked fierce. "Good luck to you too, Sakura." He smiled at the rainbow-haired girl as he looked to his opponent once more and went over to meet him in the ring, shrugging off his jacket and rolling his shoulders.

"Hey there. Hope we can make it a good show." Raggy smiled at his opponent.

It seems like the small man with the mullet's attention was focused entirely on Fiona, ignoring the finalists with a single exception of Jeanne before he looked back to her once more.

Without a care in the world otherwise, he sipped his drink calmly through the straw.

Monday, Cooking Contest.

James...wasn't sure what to think. If anything, the young man was starting to get a little frantic and fidgeting, meekly and barely mumbling that the judge was wasting their time looking at he'd cooked, other people had made similar things or far more varied.

The cries of disappointment and glancing over at Fiona out of the corner of his eye left him unsure on what to say and nervously looked away, feeling even more...conflicted as he nervously turned to Azure.

"I-I, um, s-so...what exactly d-did you end up m-making...I didn't...really h-have enough t-time so...I-I'm guessing it's...far more i-interesting that...w-well, I-I mean, it smells g-good a-and..."

His face was burning a bright shade of red and barely able to speak.

Cooking Competition

Jean was mad. That damned Phoenix was making a show of twirling her knives like a performance art (annoying). Cerise was alive (a crime against humanity). Jean's growing frustration was making her chop very forcefully. By the end of the cooking competition, Jean capped off that hour by stabbing a kitchen knife into a cutting board. A chill ran down Cerise's spine.

Oh, shit, she's really mad, Cerise thought.

Cerise was already thinking about making herself scarce, spotting how many members of a certain mercenary group were in the crowd, but she really wanted a taste of James's dish. And maybe Jean's, too. If she didn't just throw it in Cerise's face.

The food on the plates Jean laid out displayed no doubt about it; Jean had skill and care in equal measures. Spinach and bacon omelette, french toast with strawberry butter. Only upon looking at it did she realize, without even thinking, she'd gone and cut the toast in the shape of a heart. Jean ducked below the kitchen counter and silently fumed, both angry and embarrassed, before she sucked it up and brought her tray over to be judged. At least Fiona hadn't made it to the finals. That was something.

edited 18th Jun '17 11:14:31 AM by opnerf

COOKING COMPETITION

Azure was quiet, her eyes closed behind her blindfold. She would nod when a chef commented on a smell and looked slightly pitying at the word 'vegitaraian', she was a statue.

When James made conversation, she smiled. "Breakfast. See? You made the finals, stop acting so pitiful." She said it so happily, it was clearly meant to cheer James up, instead of backhandedly insult him.

Simulators

Scarlet shrugged and leaned back against a nearby wall. "Sure, why not, probably going to embarrass myself in one of these things anyway, might as well do it with friends rather than some random people off the street, ya' know?" She replied and she waved Marvin and Suzy over to her. "You guys gonna make me wait all day? Been here in line all by my lonesome for like half an hour." She called out to the pair.

Fairground- Cooking Competition

Dia quietly and subtly raises an eyebrow as the judge comments on Fiona's dish. Despite the flourish and performance... the judges were surprisingly less impressed with it, as compared to say, James', Azure's and Jean's dishes.

(Well, surprised to see that Miss Haughty didn't get the judges' commendation. Maybe that was really mostly flash, and less substance.)

The green-haired girl nods as she gracefully picks up her utensils. "I do believe there's a good number of factors when it comes to cooking."

Without further ado, Dia goes over to test Azure's, Jean's and finally James' dishes. With grace and elegance, she takes a small bite andd taste from the dishes.There were various, initially superficial thoughts in her head, of course.

(Can taste something burnt in this. Wonder if this was to add a special distinct flavour, or a mistake? Could have been an interesting combination of both.)

(She cut the bread into a heart-shape. That's pretty cute. Food's also pretty good too.)

(Ah, James' stuff. He's good as always.)

As Dia begins to construct deeper thoughts for the three students' dishes, she make notices James' unease. The green-haired girl makes a faint smile to reassure him. "You and the other two did well, James."

Notably, as Miss Rayfer mentioned "the other two", she looked at Jean and Azure. This was to tell James about who the only competitors might be left.

Rassling'

Handing his belt off to the referee as his opponent entered the ring, Duncan took a moment to size up his opponent before leaning back into his corner as the ring announcer went through his usual spiel '''"The following contest is for one fall..." and so on. Duncan kind of mentally skipped all the bits leading up to his name being called out wherein he would hop onto the top rope and grandstand a bit.

In Raggy's end of the arena, his opponent would take a moment to bounce off the ropes a few times as the referee explained the rules of the match to come "This is a simple one lads, no disqualification, so weapons are free and you can do pretty much anything you like short of killing your opponent, so please don't bring an axe or a gun into this match please, we can't afford that bad publicity. Touching the ropes will break any holds despite the no-DQ ruling, for simplicity's sake more than anything. First to pin his opponent for the three count or get a tap out wins."

Once the ref finished, Raggy's opponent walked up to him and extended a hand, smiling pleasantly as he did so and saying "My name's Donovan, but you can call me Don or Donny if you'd like. Here's hoping for a good match eh?"

In Gage's ring, the referee located within would give a similar speech to that made in Raggy's, though Gage's opponent was significantly less pleasant, cutting the ref off near the end of the speech, saying "Hurry it up pendejo, we haven't got all day."

Slightly miffed, the referee would oblige the masked man and signal for the bell to ring, which it promptly would, leading to the man known as El Justo to leap at Gage with a dropkick aimed for his solar plexus.

Festival - Knight Arena.

The blonde-haired boy simply shrugged and poked Iris' beret. "Got plenty of hats like these back home, I think. Kinda. They look really silly...~ I mean, unless I wore it. Maybe." He cheerfully remarked, trying to 'borrow' the faunus' hat.

Cooking Contest.

Unable to give anything more than an exasperated sigh at Azure's explanation, the young man gave a shake of his head. "...I-I meant specifically...like, t-toast or omelettes or..." James just felt even more...anxious? Frustrated? It was hard to tell.

"...I'm not...i-it's just them making a mistake. I-I appreciate t-the compliments from you two, but..."

"Oh?" Morgan answered, feeling a mixture of both nervousness and sheer giddiness. "Well, uh, not to brag or anything, but I think I'm pretty experienced with both. I even built Nemain here by myself."

Raggy Wrasslin'

"Oh! Well, that's nice." Raggy was about ready to discard his signature folding chair before the judge assured both him and Donovan that weapons were fair game as long as they were not obviously lethal. He was fine with that, certainly.

Deciding to put his weapon in the corner for now he shook off his jacket and threw it to his ring corner as well before smiling at his opponent and shaking his hand. "Let's give it our all, shall we? I'm Raggy." Then he stepped back and rolled his shoulders a couple times. "Ready when you are."

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Cooking Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale

Lara was far too busy trying to do as the chefs instructed, carefully taking sips and nibbles, inhaling the scent and making her own conclusions.

Watching the three chefs, each waving a kitchen implement and whispering heatedly in two languages, it was very apparent that the three finalists were in for a very tight competition. Eventually, with Gala nodding firmly and a widely-grinning Sangria, Cabral let loose her long blonde hair as she sauntered toward the center of the cooking stations.

"Will Master James Croire and Misses Azure Rust and Jeanne de Witte please make their way to the center?" Then she smiled, a dazzling grin at odds with her stony mien.

When the three stood before her, gestured into a loose semi-circle, Cabral looked to the crowd, both competitors and viewers alike. "The three standing before you... Are your benchmark. The standard to aspire to, the ceiling to break. Look this day not as a failure, but as a learning opportunity." The master chef brought her hands together and began applaud the two.

Close as he could be to Fiona, Varyag could see that Fiona's flock, all of whom had a feather motif somewhere upon their serafuku had congregated around her with a sense of urgency. A few minutes later, they broke from the main crowd in a rush.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of this Unity Festival," Cabral declaimed thanks to a subtle mic she wore in her hair. "I present the winners of this contest! At third place... Jeanne de Witte!"

"At second place... Azure Rust! For the strength in the taste of her breakfast dish!"

"And... At first place... Master James Croire!" Over the ensuing din, she leaned closer. "How would you like to work under me as my sous?"

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Area Close to Knight Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale

Around Selene and her cousin Axl, more than a few attractions, one of which was a Mistrali takarakuza, its members warming up for an performance of "A Giant's Love", a comedy that takes place aboard an airship.

At the Knights' Exhibition, Scarlet, Marvin, and Suzune were ushered onto the pods where the ancillary staff were to prep them with the control suits, which weren't the actual plug suits but skeletal approximations which could be worn then removed with ease.

Though there was a bit of a fuss kicked up when Suzune came forward. "The Yukarimo gynoid," whispered one of the engineers in his native language, though none could miss the awed voice. A bunch clustered respectfully around her, each seemed to be trying to work up the courage to address her.

Where they stood aboard the Lily, Morgan felt them come to a halt and the TAG fold a knee gently. "There are more than a few Faunus Knights, not to mention Hunters who have availed themselves of the Squalo or the Anaconda patterns. Come," she offered her hand out. "I sense that you are the kind who prefers to get her hands dirty."

And the winged Faunus was in for a treat. Edea's staff worked less like a swarming hive but like a ballet, maintaining and rearming the graceful blue-steel mecha. And the mechanisms that she could see... The pinnacle of Atlas technology; from the artificial musculature that made the TAG dance as it fought to the high-speed reloaders that racked missiles into the shoulder-mounted pods.

Edea herself sat upon a simple stool and brushed her hair back, giving Morgan a look into the neural plugs surgically-implanted onto the base of her neck necessary to the TAG's fighting edge. Their medical smocks whispering and weighed down with the tools of their trade, two specialists swept forward to the Preceptor's side, easing the aches and pains away from her union.

Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, RPW Tent, Beacon Academy, Vale

Winnowed quickly, the expert eyes of the veterans could make out a handful of young talent who could definitely make it in the business, aided along by the whoops and claps of an appreciative audience. No crowd like a Valoran crowd, after all.

Galvanized by the crowd reaction, there was a break in the Invitational as the trio had the opening matches. Duncan didn't have to wait long for his opponent. Dressed in a black singlet, monogrammed kickpads over his boots, his thick wrists taped up, Colt Dunston was smaller than the young Highlander, though his body was honed to top condition. Roguishly handsome, he shrugged off his thick coat and sauntered down the ring. His dark eyes never left his opponent, only briefly to step into the ring.

And immediately charging to stand face-to-face, grinning up at Duncan as he just oozed confidence.

In the other ring, right before the drop kick connected, Leo Punk had undone his bandanna, letting his messy mop of golden hair free.

It was a conscious decision, given current events. As he turned after dropping it onto the mat below, Punk took the blow straight to the chest, the impact diving him onto his ass and sending him scuttling against the floor winded and wheezing.

Ferg, wait for Cal's response.

edited 11th Jul '17 4:01:12 AM by KR_Vandal

Fairgrounds: Doll Stall

Isabelle's eyes would not let her ignore the amateur dolls made in the likeness of her former power suit, and she let Iris walk ahead as she approached the stall and lifted one to her eyes.

"Since when were people making stuff like this for me...?"