The body language of Krysanthia was oddly submissive. She must be a servant, or at least a past of one, but it wasn't normal for a woman to be this yielding. When the other Rito stood up, Tinnun never felt as short as she does now. Well, she's already small for a female Rito, but still.

"If I knew where you were staying I could bring you the rupees later when things will be calmer. Just as well we don't go there now, I suppose, I'm a little to hun- I mean tired! Too tired to fly back immediately. Besides, maybe I should stay here for now, in case something happens and the healers need an extra hand." ( @FlitterFaux )

It took a moment for Tinnun to piece together that Krysanthia was hungry rather than fatigued. She made a mental note to make filling dish later. Something with a lot of protein, and perhaps something on the side to provide some more nutrients.
"It sounds like a good idea. With this tournament, a lot of people are bound to get hurt."

@Spiffy@Pikmin Eye

The deku scrub was in retreat, Confliti's mission a complete success! He pondered if he shouldn't pluck out a leaf from the scrub's head while the thing was burrowing down, but decided against it. He just needed to prank it back in return for its own prank. That was done now, so he could return to the matter at hand. Gently he floated down to solid ground once more, using his leaf as a paraglider until he landed on Gorn's foot. From there it was a simple scurry job back up to the shoulder he usually rested upon. Gorn's jerky motions as he laughed were no match for the minish's phenomenal climbing abilities.

Once he rested upon his friend's shoulder, or as Confliti liked to call it his "side cart," the scrub emerged from the ground. The minish warrior wondered how the city guard would respond to the street being torn up like that, but dismissed the thought as not being his business. He couldn't help but chuckle as the scrub asked Gorn if the goron was messing with him, though. "We shouldn't waste anymore time, buddy. They're starting matches already!"

Kibbe bowed lightly in the face of Nikou's praise, turning to leave when his voice called out to him.

"Hey, do you got to be someplace right now? Some back-up would be nice, if you can do more than throw snowflakes at children."

Kibbe's smile grew wider as Nikou spoke, what an exciting day this was turning out to be. "Well, I don't know how much help a simple traveling entertainer could be but... He turned to Nikou with a happy smile on his face as he twirled his staff in his hand. "I suppose this could be a good chance to flex my magical muscles." Kibbe made a silly pose as he finished his sentence, flexing his wings as though he were a strongman.

@Sen

@ProPro@Pikmin Eye

Gorn responded to the Deku who was becoming increasingly defensive,"That is very interesting, friend. You will have to show the trick sometime. By no means am I messing around with you, though I can't say the same for my good friend here." Gorn motioned to the shoulder Confliti had rested upon.

After hearing Confliti, Gorn turned to the sign up station and waved goodbye saying,"Sorry, about the food, after we win this thing I'll buy you a plate of the finest rocks and ores Death Mountain has to offer," he stopped in his tracks for a moment in thought,"Though, if rocks aren't your thing, I suppose 'normal food' could be arranged." Gorn sounded disappointed at the idea that Dan may not like his favorite food group.

As he signed up, he wrote a hybrid name and tagline. Wanting to give Confliti some satisfaction he called them Gornfliti, the Minish Manhunter. He seemed quite pleased with his choice and did not bother to see if Confliti was in agreement. Then he stepped unto the outskirts of the arena.

"Yes, sadly many do get hurt every year. I find it hard to watch and I usually try to avoid coming outside during the festival. But today I was... distracted and not paying attention to where I was going. And, well... Krysanthia gestured at the mess and sighed.

At least it seemed Tinnun had not noticed what she almost said about being too hungry. But she simply had to offer the chef extra when she was once again reunited with her rupees, not just for the damage but for a full meal later. The smells seemed to be getting more potent the longer she stayed here, especially the seasonings that were clearly from Akaala. This reminded her just how long she had been away and for the first time in many years Krysanthia felt homesick. She looked for an extra seat to sit with Tinnun for a while, limping a bit and trying to ignore the pain.

"I'm sorry, you came to enjoy the festival, not listen to my woes. Um, may I ask how things are back in Akaala? Have you come from Hebra? It's... been a long time since I left and I haven't been to visit since. Is that where you learned to cook? I think I recognize some of the spices you use."

@UmbreonRogue

@Spiffy

Dan was only getting confused listening to Gorn. He motioned to his shoulder and said that his friend was playing a prank. There was no one there, so Dan tried to focus on it. He wasn't pointing to anything, was it hiding? Wait, hiding where? He was working in overtime until Gorn reminded him that the entire plate was on the floor, not that he needed it. He just enjoyed the taste of it, and now it was ruined. Gorn was offering to buy him rocks and ores. Do Gorons literally eat rocks? He was ready to shake his head, until actual food was asked instead. Dan was taught that most species should be treated with suspicion. No way should he be getting rewarded after the stunt he pulled. Gorn laughed at it, and offered to pay to replace food he never even bought.

Dan's mind was swirling with conflicting thoughts between what he was taught and the nagging thought that there nice people out here. His face was swimming in the mental whirlwind that was his mind. Was it possible that not everything needs to be feared and avoided? He stuck around, partly to watch the fight, and partly because he was curious about the Goron. Talking wasn't something he did too often, only when needed. He gave a silent nod of his head to Gorn, the leaves rustling from the motion. He found a spot a good distance from the crowd. Now he noticed a Goron with knives sticking out of his back, who probably just finished a fight. These things were tough, and so many of them.

The crowd was gathering in, more cheering on their favorite fighters or to see the event. It was slowly making Dan back away to avoid them. Considering how short he was, now he had to find a higher spot to watch the fight from. Short hopping did nothing to help, he had to get closer or climb on top of something. He pushed his way forward, people jumping back or not wanting to talk to the Deku among them. It didn't matter to Dan, just meant he could be at the front. Should be fine to watch the action from here. He looked like he was silently cheering Gorn on, but it was hard to read a Deku's face at times.

"Auuugh! Oh goddesses that was a bit close... Huh?", scraping his foot away from yet another jumping growling wolf, he noticed the voice of a woman. It reminded him immediately of the songstresses of the Zora Domain, and sure enough as he looked, it was a beautiful Zora maiden whose voice was like song. She seemingly spoke to the wolves, who quickly receded in baring their fangs, as they backed away.

"I-is it safe...? Oh man I just wanna get out of this tree...", the green garbed knight jumped down, his soft eyes and light brown hair showing as he lowered his hood. The wolves no longer seemed hostile, but he'd heard of this before... They say that there were musicians and singers with the ability to enchant animals. If breaking glass with a high note was the pinnacle of a singer's strength, then commanding animals with their voice was the pinnacle of their skill.

"Y-yeah... Please, please tell them to go away. Anything but wolves I can handle...", the Korok that was beside him floated down too.

"Well... Thanks to you I can finally get back to work... I'm one of the Leaf Knights, Lief, I'm investigating something right now but I really must repay you, is there anything you needed?", he offered. Though before she could answer, the Korok piped up.

"Thanks a lot fish-lady, this guy here was trying to help me and then needed help himself. I can finally go home now, so I'll give this to you as thanks", as if out of nowhere and in a puff of magic and leaves, the Korok produced a short blade.

"I live in the Lost Woods in Faron! If you find more of my brothers and sisters, please tell them to come home too. The Great Deku Tree is worried about them", and with that the Korok left, leaving Rumi with the Leaf Knight, and a small sword.

"So uhh, back to what I was saying... Is there any way I can repay you?", he reminded.

>Rumi has obtained the Kokiri's Sword

Kokiri’s Sword [Light] [1x2] - There’s a Korok who appears to be stuck and surrounded by some wolves. After helping him he hands you this small sword. The Kokiri’s sword is a small yet reliable weapon, a reliable sidearm. It’s lightweight yet broad blade makes it a very easy weapon to wield, allowing the user to strike multiple times quickly.

Tinnun turned her attention back at the tournament for a moment. She quickly looked away again, though, not really checking to see what was going on there.

"I'm sorry, you came to enjoy the festival, not listen to my woes. Um, may I ask how things are back in Akaala? Have you come from Hebra? It's... been a long time since I left and I haven't been to visit since. Is that where you learned to cook? I think I recognize some of the spices you use." ( @FlitterFaux )

"I do come from Hebra City, actually, though I haven't been there in a few months, so I haven't been quite up to date with current events there," Tinnun said. With the question about the spices, she began to talk more enthusiastically. It seems she has a great passion for cooking and the culinary arts. "And I did buy some of my spices from Akaala, though mostly the dried spices. They have a longer shelf life of about two years compared to the six months--and maybe less for the flavor--of grounded spices, so for grounded spices I typically buy them at the next destination as there's usually a spice trade going on between these regions."

@Spiffy

After sign-ups, it wasn't long before "Gornfliti, the Minish Manhunter" was called to one of the arenas for a preliminary bout. The name was likely to cause confusion in some of the spectators, but it ultimately wasn't of any real consequence. Gorn stepped into the ring with a pleasant smile plastered upon his face. Confliti rode along his shoulder as usual, his smile less pleasant and more excited. This was the first time that he'd actually get to participate in a real sanctioned fighting tournament! He'd been looking forward to the prospect for nearly two thousand years, and now here he was! The little minish trembled with anticipation, while Gorn remained solid and steady, ever Confliti's rock.

"Remember what we agreed, buddy. You only defend. I'm taking our opponents down!"

"Hahaha, of course my friend! It was my idea, after all!"

The two settled on one end of the arena while their opponent stepped in on the other side. A well built hylian man, definitely a trained soldier, would be their opponent in the preliminaries. He wore a mix of chain and plate armor, and carried with him a glaive. So he was a melee fighter that kept a distance, just like Gorn. This was going to be interesting!

"Are the fighers ready?" asked the announcer. "Bring him on!" answered the armored hylian.

"Just a moment!" Gorn called back. The others gave pause as he shifted some weight, allowing his heavy pack to slide off from his back. The goron then set it near the edge of the ring, and out of the way. Now all he carried was his shield, chain ball, and of course, his best friend. "Ok, we're ready now."

"Then begin!" Apparently the announcer didn't catch the odd word choice Gorn used, but it no longer mattered. The fight had begun! The hylian was the first to react, opening with a leaping thrust of his glaive straight down at the goron. Gorn reacted instinctively by curling up into a ball and rolling straight ahead. The hylian struck only ground, while Gorn ended up on the opposite end of the ring, having proverbially traveled right between his opponent's legs.

"WoOoOoaaah hey, I aM dizzZZzzy!" Confliti managed to wheeze out, stumbling around a bit on Gorn's shoulder. He recovered quickly, shaking it off. "Come on Gorn! You know I hate when you do that!"

"Sorry," Gorn responded jovially. He wasn't able to say much else, as the hylian spun back around and swiped at him with his glaive. The polearm found itself bouncing off of a stone shield.

"What are you apologizing for?" the soldier asked, thrusting again only for his weapon to be deflected once more.

"Just talking to my friend, don't worry about it." Conflitti narrowed his eyes, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. The soldier shrugged, and thrust again, this time for Gorn's head. There was his opportunity! As the weapon came moving in, Confliti mustered all his strength to a mighty leap! Yes! He was going to land on that spear now, then he could get in close and really put the hurt on that guy! Excitement turned to disappointment in slow motion. Before the spear made it close enough, before Confliti could properly land on it, Gorn lifted his shield up to deflect the blow with enough force to knock the hylian off balance. The minish ended up colliding with the backside of the shield and falling comically back on Gorn's arm.

"Ouch! Ah come on I almost... You know what? Fastball Special!" Confliti didn't wait for an apology from Gorn, and neither did he receive one. The minish warrior scurried over to Gorn's chain ball, then grabbed hold of a small hook that had been welded to the giant orb. Gorn smiled, then swung the weapon at their opponent with a mighty fist! The hylian caught his balance just in time to jump back, but noticed something off. He didn't even need to dodge, that attack was going to miss him by a few feet.

"You missed me by a mile!" he called back, striking the tip of his glaive down into the chain, nailing Gorn's weapon to the ground.

Gorn gave the man a playful grin. "I wasn't trying to!"

The hylian's face contorted, first in confusion, then in raw pain. White-blue volts of electricity visibly surged through his metal armor for several seconds, forcing him to release his weapon. Once the surge ceased, he stood a few feet back from his starting position, breathing heavily but not out yet. "He's got some fortitude!" Confliti exclamed, hanging into the man's breast plate. Not many people wearing a full suit of metal armor could take an electric shock like that and stay standing. Still, he couldn't be that far off from defeat. The minish allowed himself to slide down the polished metal until he reached the man's ankle, where the armor had to be thin to allow movement. Without hesitation he stabbed his greatsword into the man's ankle, between the plates, causing a most agreeable action. The soldier howled in pain, kicked his injured foot forward violently, and fell flat on his back, tumbling out of the arena boundaries.

"Ring out! The winner is Gornfliti, the Minish Manhunter!"

Confliti flew back in the air, thanks to the man's pained kick, but caught his fall with his leaf paraglider. He landed near Gorn, who squat down long enough for Confliti to hop on his hand and get back into position on his friend's shoulder. "Yes! I won! Take that giant! I am a mighty warrior!" Gorn only laughed in response.

The goron merchant recovered his travel pack, then wandered over to the spot where their opponent was now getting up. The hylian's armor was blackened by the surge of electricity, and he now walked with a limp. More than his body though, his pride was injured. "What, are you here to gloat?"

"Nope." The goron produced a glass bottle from his pack, filled about half way with a white liquid. "Would you like some nutritious milk?"

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds really nice. Thank you." The soldier took the bottle, popped open the top, and drank heartily.

"That'll be fifty rupees."

@Darkmoon Angel, @Sho Minazuki

Rin grinned, apparently having a good time antagonizing the poor Zora girl. "Nobles, huh? Don't tell me you're a princess." He said, rubbing the back of his head. He'd heard about this sorta thing. If he made friends with a princess, she'd get kidnapped, and no doubt he'd have to be the one who had to kick some asshat wizard's face in to save her. It happened all the time. On the other hand...He'd become a ninja for a chance to see the world and go on adventures too.

"Well. My partner's pretty late." He said, and was just about to ask her if she wanted to help when the commander of the Leaf Knights entered and proceeded to usher her out. He waved goodbye, then followed the captain, listening attentively. The smell didn't seem to faze him one bit.

"Thank you, Captain Linwood. I should have enough to go on for now." He said. "If you could hold on to the rags for me? I think I'll investigate the tools first. Those seem like the better lead. At least we have a name to pin them to." That, and he didn't exactly fancy carrying a set of sewer soaked rags with him if he could help it.

"I'm going to go fetch my partner. Then I'll be on my way." He said, climbing out the window. Behind Luna, a thud could be heard. Standing behind her was...Captain Linwood?!

"Alright, missy, the jig is up." The Captain of the Leaf Knights said to her. "The Sheikah told us all about the terrible things you did to him. Really, a Zora noble should be more dignified. You're under arrest." He said. Then he put his hand under his chin, taking off the mask. "Your sentence is to help me solve a murder." Rin said, grinning like the devil himself. "That is to say, if you want to. My partner's not around, and it's not like they said I couldn't."

Luna let out a deep huff when the apparent captain and his two guards came inside. The captain left with Rin, leaving Luna behind to be watched by the guards. 'I can't believe this... I should've left the town when I had the chance... Ah well... A little curiosity has its perks and penalties...' Luna thought to herself.

Leaning on the wall, Luna was just about to ask the guards if they would just let her go. The sound of something hitting the ground behind her caught her attention, the sound was the captain himself and he had a grim air to him. "The Sheikah told us all about the terrible things you did to him. Really, a Zora noble should be more dignified. You're under arrest." What!?!

"What!?! W-what do you mean under arrest, I didn't say anything or have anything to do with this!" Luna was about to plead for her life but when the captain lifted his chin up, it turned out to be Rin with some kind of mask. "Your sentence is to help me solve a murder." That was the second time this stupid Sheikah has nearly given her a heart attack, if her scales could change color they would be a seething red. "You have some nerve!!"

"Ugh... I guess I'll come along... It'll give me time to get back at you for those scares..." She said, mumbling the last words under her breath so Rin didn't hear.

Nikou nodded in appreciation when Kibbe agreed to his proposition as impromptu partners... for justice. He wasn't entirely sure how great an idea it was to work with some random sketchy street magician, especially considering Kibbe hadn't even shown any kind of proof that he'd be useful in any kind of altercation, but again, it was better than nothing...

"Let's get going then," He said, pulling open the gate of the sewer entrance. The incredible reek of the sewers sparred no time before hitting Nikou, but they had little other choice than to go in. It was his only lead, and they were already there, so... Albeit a bit tentative, Nikou started down the stone stairs that lead them into the main sewer system. A primary channel of sewage water ran down between two walk-ways, occasionally connected by bridges. The thought of getting into the sludge that they walked by sent shivers down his spine, but he couldn't help but wonder if it would have any kind of strategic advantage in a fight... No, there was no way he would even if it did. Regardless, Nikou and Kibbe continued down whatever passages they could in some attempt to find a sign of activity, Nikou all the while shooting down any attempt at small talk Kibbe might try to start up.

Eventually, though, Nikou stopped abruptly in his tracks, holding out his arm to stop Kibbe as well. He knelt down and observed what he had spotted: someone had dropped a vial of... something, on the ground. He tentatively brushed aside some of the broken class and touched some of the powder spilled on the ground, rubbing it between his fingers. He'd seen it before; a ground-up dust of a rare mushroom found in southern forests. While it wasn't hard evidence, it was an important component in making quite a few very illegal drugs. It was probably pretty recent as well, seeing as neither it nor the glass had decayed or been disrupted...

"Come on," Nikou said, stepping over the mess as he started to hurry down the walkway. This was a lead he couldn't ignore. "Follow me."

"You have some nerve!!"

"Pretty girls make me nervous." He said, grinning over his shoulder as he walked through the marketplace. "We have a couple leads..." He said, and proceeded to explain to Luna more or less what the captain told him. "So it's a choice between heading for Ordon, or a swim in the sewers." He said. By now, he was near the tournament. "In other words, not a choice at all. I'm headed to Ordon. Or I would be...But it's late in the day. Wouldn't want to be travelling at night."

"I'm gonna go watch some fights, and head out in the morning. You can come with, if you want." He said. They had already arrived at the arena. He seemed to not want to miss the festival, but Ordon was a bit far away. And he'd already gone to purchase some food.

"Hey there~ Enjoying the festival?" He asked Tinnun, before his crimson eyes rested on Krysanthia. "Um. You've..." He was a bit nervous, but he was worried she didn't notice, and if he didn't tell her, the Rito might have gone all day like that. He edged a bit closer to him. "You've got a bit of food on your face." He whispered.

"Hey, you hungry?" He asked Luna, taking out his wallet. He had no idea what Zoras ate, now that he thought of it.

@Darkmoon Angel @UmbreonRogue @FlitterFaux

Krysanthia was not too surprised to hear that there was not any particularly memorable news from Akaala or Hebra city. After all while it was a very pleasant place to live from what she remembered and little had changed on the larger scale of things as long as she had lived there. And the other Rito seemed far more invested in her profession than the everyday comings and goings of Akaala. In fact Krysanthia found Tinnuns excitement for her profession infectious, and most of her attention had been on the food to begin with, in one way or another.

"Akaala trades spices with Hyrule? I'm surprised, I've never been able to recognize them used here before. But then I am usually very occupied and I have not met many Rito chefs here that are so skilled, I think. Or maybe the resident chefs here are used to cooking in the Hylian style? Until I met you today the last time I'd seen dishes like yours was when I was a young girl in Hebra, when my parents were-" Krysanthia stuttered a bit then, taken by surprise at how much the mention of her parents still hurt. She hadn't thought about their mysterious disappearance in a long time. "W-when my patents used to cook for our inn." She finished desperately hoping the conversation stayed on food. With everything that had happened in the last two days Krysanthia doubted she could speak of her parents right now without bursting into tears and embarrassing herself even more than she already had.

It was that moment that a particularly attractive man in a fine robe approached Tinnuns to buy food for himself and what she assumed was his date, a likewise attractive Zora woman. From first glance Krysanthia guessed this had to be a Lord and his Lady, the Zora holding herself with the proud stature of nobility. Instinctively she turned aside from them and ducked her head, eyes going to the ground. It was still reflex having served a prestigious mage for well over a decade, and even Anaria patient help hadn't broken all of those old habits.

Her heart skipped a beat as she found herself locking eyes with this beautiful man since he had leaned in close to her all of a sudden. He had red eyes. Was that normal for a Hylian? No, she decided she would have noticed that by now, it had to be a rare instance in this case. She could not look away from his eyes until he broke eye contact first, and it wasn't just because of the color, there was something in his stare that she felt she should recognize. But she could not place the feeling and he was just as suddenly standing straight up again, attention between Tinnuns and his lady.

Belatedly Krysanthia realized he had actually whispered something to her. When she realized what he had said she was rather mortified and it showed as her beak dropped open and feathers flattened against her body. She quickly turned away simultaneously apologizing for the state of her appearance and desperately trying to wipe the mess away.

While she had been talking with Tinnun she had succeeded in forgetting the state she was in after her crash. Now she had been shocked back into that fact and by a nobleman no less! As she did what she could to clean up she found herself making keening sounds and quickly held her breath. She felt close to making yet another spectacle of herself and was determined not to do so. She could let it all out later when she was alone. She hoped.

@UmbreonRogue @HeroicSociopath @Darkmoon Angel

An arm wrapped around Krysanthia, fingers holding her chin under her beak. "It's not a big deal~" Rin said, withdrawing a pink handkerchief from his robe, dabbing at her beak as best he could. "I assure you, you look beautiful regardless." The crimson eyed man said with a warm smile. He'd never seen a Rito before, but he could only assume the keening noises were ones of distress.

@FlitterFaux

Her enthusiasm faded away slightly when she saw Krysanthia begin to cry a bit. It was a natural empathetic response to when anyone is upset, but she still wished that she could do something that might help the other woman feel better.

The pink Rito's attention was quickly turned to two other people approaching them, a Hylian and a Zora. They seemed to be upperclass, Tinnun is guessing. She was never good at distinguishing the classes and it's rude to ask one how wealthy they are, but she's making this judgement based on garment.

"Hey there~ Enjoying the festival?" the Hylian asked Tinnun.
"Oh quite so. I have never been for tournaments, but otherwise I'm having a good time," she replied, though the Hylian turned his attention to the other Rito. It seems that they're here to buy food, but Tinnun lost her dishes to Krysanthia crashing into them, even though it wasn't the white Rito's fault. Tinnun will have to look for an inn to cook at to make more food.

@FlitterFaux @Darkmoon Angel @HeroicSociopath

Krysanthia froze, caught completely off guard by the mans delicate touch and soft, soothing words. He had just called her beautiful. The very top of her beak, where the grey met the white feathers, flushed purple and she was at a loss as to what to say or do. She was unused to being comforted by anyone much less such a gorgeous man of obvious nobility. She found herself wondering what it would be like to be comforted similarly by the knight she longed for and it was this thought that snapped her out of her temporary paralysis.

She slipped away from his touch, not too quickly as to seem rude, and turned to face him and offer a bow. "You are too kind, Sir, truly. I-I feel I am hardly worthy of his lordships attentions," she stated as formally and respectfully as she could, unsure of the man's precise station. He wore no obvious mark of his status and neither did his companion, but then weren't most Zora related to the royal family in some way? Was he royalty too?

@UmbreonRogue@FlitterFaux@HeroicSociopath

Luna walked with Rin as he explained the plan to her, either a trip to Ordon or a swim through the town sewers, guess which one sounded less disgusting to her.

Much to her annoyance they stopped by the arena, Rin started chatting with two Rito women, one of which was extremely flustered by Rin and Luna's appearance. Looking between herself and Rin, Luna could only guess that the Rito was mistaking them for nobles. Well she was half right, Luna could vouch for being a noble but Rin... She didn't have a clue what hierarchy was for Sheikah people.

A thought struck her in the back of the head, she could use this Rito's thinking to her advantage. 'No... Why am I even thinking that? I'm not like one of those manipulative noblemen back at the domain...' She thought, slipping the idea back into the depths of her mind.

"There's no reason to get so flustered... We're just here to... Ugh... Watch the fights..." If it weren't for sticking by Rin, Luna would've hauled her scaly tail out of that arena. At least she wouldn't have to be the one to fight, she was a spectator.

As the Rito and Zora ventured down to the sewers beneath the castle city, the stench was quite overwhelming at first, but it wasn't thick, meaning they were able to deal with it very soon. The waterways of the city area was always rife with the sewerage of the busy city, these underground waterways spanned through most of the city walls and beneath the castle too. Where does it all go? To the river across the Hylia Plain, which leads to Zora's Domain and then the ocean. Much drifts through here, and the main area seems to be maintained as everything despite being a little marred and damp, was actually rather well-kept.

However as they stepped through these sewers, it became clear there was some unusual activity down here, they heard sounds of scurrying beyond the hallways that didn't match that of rats, more like grown men. As they continued, they came upon two men, both were quite unkempt, their clothes patched over many times and already marred with wear and tear. Colour already faded from their clothing, from afar they'd look like a dark brown figure with few features. They stood on what looked like a small port with a ramp into the water, this seemed to be some kind of station, normally held by guards, but considering how thinly they were stationed as Nikkou had heard...

"'Sa bold move innit? Doing all this at such a busy time",

"Thas' exactly why, all the guards're busy with the whole tournament",

"But thas' exactly why I'm complainin', I wanna watch and eat good food",

"So do I but do you see me sobbin' my arse out about all this?"

The other looked as if pondering for a moment, before resigning as the two men began moving some boxes, both Nikkou and Kibbe's figures tensed as the two men turned, "Oi who goes there?!"

Did they spot them...? For a moment they thought so, but Nikkou would be the first to notice, the water stirred with the familiar intent of a beast. He stepped back a bit what appeared to be an aquatic Dodongo stepped up onto the port, walking up the ramp. The two men screamed in terror as they cowered behind some cover as the Dodongo began to attack. It's darkly faded blue scales telling a bit of a story. It seems this Dodongo was far from home, though with a more brilliant coat, they lived in and around Zora's Domain, meaning this one went a long way upstream for one reason or another. In any case, it looked like these two men were their ticket to uncovering the smuggling plot, and this Dodongo might end that chance if they didn't act soon.



Confitti and Gorn, or as far as the announcers were concerned, just Gorn had made it through his prelims, as described by onlookers a "mysterious Goron that can command lightning", it had viewers completely baffled, children saw it all but no one believed them. Meanwhile another Goron, Armostos showed crushing strength, defeating all opposition quite convincingly. There seemed to be a lot of Goron contenders this year.

Among the other competitors, the Rito with the Sheikah-styled sword used his race's signature wind magic, the Goron wrestler was outdone by the Highlander, it was an incredible sight that many touted should've been a main event, watching an essentially Hylian overpower a Goron in raw strength with his colossal sword was amazing by any respect. The Gerudo woman was more than a match for anyone she fought in the prelims, the combination of the dance-like moves and the large two-handed curved sword was both powerful, and fast. It seemed this tournament was shaping up for a very solid elimination round.

As soon as that was done all the elimination round qualifiers were rounded up for their matchup brackets.

Armostos vs Zaruud

Gorn vs Kiru

Zaruud was the Gerudo woman, it seems she was matched up with Armostos, and in the very same bracket, Gorn was to fight Kiru. The winner of both matches would fight right afterwards. The Highlander that showed outstanding strength and skill was in the B brackets, meaning assuming he wins all his rounds, they'll be facing him in the finals.

For now, there was a bit of time to rest as everyone was taking a lunch break, but directly after that would be the elimination rounds.

Tinnun looked back at the tournament. It seems that the preliminary matches are over. She could hear whispers of a Goron that can use lightning. The Rito wouldn't expect that, but anything is possible, she supposed.

Though she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment when lunch break began. She has no food to serve, and Tinnun hasn't found a kitchen to cook at yet. Even if she did find a place to cook, it would take way too long, and the lunch break would likely end before she finishes making any meals.