The sponsors in the room barely acknowledged JJ's entrance, their gazes fixed on the flickering screens. Conversations were subdued, whispered beneath breaths, but there was sothing heavy in the air, a quiet intensity that pressed against the room.
As she moved further in, she noticed the way so heads turned slightly in her direction before returning to their private screens, hands tapping lightly against the embedded panels at their chairs, adjusting bets, monitoring stats. The banners lining the walls barely moved, their vibrant colors illuminated under the soft glow of overhead chandeliers.
Below, plush chairs curved around personal holographic displays, reflecting the wealth and power gathered in the space.
"Now, where would he be?" JJ muttered under her breath, eyes scanning the panel screens lining the walls. Her fingers grazed over the edge of one, feeling the cool, smooth surface beneath her touch. The flicker of life from the screens reflected in her sharp eyes, though her mind was elsewhere, piecing together her next steps.
A soft rustling ca from her pocket, followed by a loud yawn as a tiny head popped out. Blue, with her small wings fluttering lazily, stretched and rubbed her eyes. "What are we doing?" she asked, voice thick with sleep as she blinked up at JJ, still half-dazed.
Before JJ could respond, a deep, gravelly voice cut through the air behind her. "What?"
JJ's body tensed, her heart jumping into her throat as she spun around, eyes wide. The aged face of Mr. Fui-Rui t her gaze, his skin weathered like old parchnt, lined with years of experience. His thick, orange robes were unmistakable, the emblem of a burning sun emblazoned proudly across his chest.
"Mr. Fui-Rui!" she greeted with a slight bow, her voice recovering its calm. "How are you today?"
He offered a small, tired smile, though his eyes carried the weight of soone who had seen too much. "Doing good, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling the strain. Watching my star student go through these trials... it's draining. Emotionally. I've seen too many good people et their end here."
JJ's eyes flickered with understanding as she nodded, folding her arms thoughtfully. "Yeah, I can imagine. Most of them spend their whole lives training for this mont, don't they? Kind of wild to think about, but... I wonder if any of them ever really planned for the possibility of dying."
Fui-Rui let out a deep sigh, his shoulders drooping slightly under the weight of his robes. "I doubt it," he said, shaking his head slowly. "To get this far, you have to either be so full of yourself that death isn't even a consideration, or you've made enough bad decisions but sohow been strong enough to survive them. Either way..." His gaze softened as he looked at her.
"But JJ, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on the demon you decided to sponsor?"
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JJ's lips twisted into a wry smile. "About that... I was actually looking for the sponsor of Alexander. I want to talk to them, try and convince them to hold back on pushing for a massive fight in the first arena."
Before Fui-Rui could respond, Blue shot out of JJ's pocket, her tiny wings flaring as she spiraled lazily around JJ's head, stretching and yawning mid-air. She landed gracefully on JJ's head, her eyes brightening as she took in her surroundings.
"Hey, lady!" Blue chirped, her voice high with excitent. "What'd I miss? How did you handle those rebels? Was it epic? Did you fight off a whole army by yourself?"
Fui-Rui's eyes widened in surprise, his calm deanor cracking as he stared at the little fairy perched atop JJ's head. "Wh-who is that?" he stamred, his gaze narrowing as recognition slowly dawned on him. "Why does that fairy sound so... familiar?"
Panic flickered across JJ's face as she quickly reached up, snatching Blue from her hair and stuffing the tiny fairy into her hands. "I, uh, it's kind of complicated..." she mumbled, trying to keep Blue from drawing any more attention.
But Blue wasn't having any of it. Her small head poked out from between JJ's fingers, wings fluttering with indignation. She puffed out her tiny chest, her voice defiant. "I am the great—"
JJ clamped her hand over Blue, trying to hush her before this got out of control, but it was too late.
"Yes, you're the goddess that visited Jui-Lao, right?" Fui-Rui's voice broke in, his eyes narrowing with curiosity, as though he were piecing together a puzzle that had been missing a few key pieces.
JJ froze, her grip on Blue loosening for a second. Goddess? Her brow furrowed as she glanced down at the mischievous fairy. "Can you give just a second?" She quickly turned her back to Fui-Rui, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "You never told you're a goddess! Wait—there's only one goddess!"
Blue, resting comfortably in JJ's hands, looked up with a guilty shrug. "Well, Ty wanted to get Jui-Lao to help him out, so I kind of... acted like a goddess's assistant. Or sothing." She gave an awkward laugh, her wings twitching nervously.
Before JJ could respond, Fui-Rui's voice cut in again, his tone curious but concerned. "JJ, is everything alright?"
Without thinking, JJ turned and tossed Blue straight at Fui-Rui, the fairy slamming into his chest with a soft thud. He barely managed to catch her, cradling her in his large, calloused hand. "Yes," JJ replied with a forced smile, striding forward, her voice quick and firm. "But you have to keep this a secret. She's one of the goddess's... secret fairies.
Sent to record and observe the events unfolding here."
Blue wiggled in his palm, standing upright and smoothing down her small dress. "That's right!" she chirped, catching onto the lie. "I only co around when great change is upon the world."
Fui-Rui stared down at her, eyebrows raised, his hand still cupped as if holding a rare and fragile treasure. "Oh... I see," he muttered, clearly surprised. "That's new. I haven't heard that story before."
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