(NYC) Field: New York National Hall

[AlwaysAwake]

Sighed, a tad bit frustrated over having to accept the fact of not even being able to help the stranger. He would grab his vanguard deck, flipping through his units once more before putting the cards away in his case and placing it at the side. Finally his mind returning back to their conversation, keeping rather quiet as they spoke though nodding along to the conversation.

"Oh, well I'm Alexander Reis. I already introduced myself to all of you though but juuust in case you forgot you know?" Giving a small playful smirk as he spoke, trying to keep upbeat about the situation.

"Oh, and I fought Tsubasa before. I won actually, though his Ezel was a pretty tough opponent...Oh, and that Cero guy seemed pretty strong too, his own Ultimate Break unit was fierce like jeez." Alexander reminiscing the memories of the past few days in New York, having seen all these strong cardfighters over the time spent here, in truth his sense of the word strength broadening. If it weren't for the whole clan sealing deal, this solo vacation of his might have been a good time.

Though, he blinked as Haruka complained about the heat. "Uh, no it's actually a decent time for summer.... I think. Catch a cold?" Asking in a joking manner.

"Wait, simple question. Aren't you all circuit participants? Heck I saw your fights on the way here." The young man remembering this rather important fact just now, it was almost silly how it took so long for him to get it.

[Cherry]

Father Espoir called back, alerting his daughter that preparations have been completed. Yukino thanked him, and closed the phone. As she did, Ezel re-materialized before his friend.

"Well?!" Yugure shouted at him, needing an answer with haste.

"Easy", the lion spoke, trying to settle her down first. It was futile, considering how feisty his vanguard was to get started. "Garmore found something. A sort of ancient weapon that came from the Realm of the Gods."

"Okay, so before you give more details, why was it never used for this situation?!"

"We didn't even know it existed. A lot of us went through Zenon's books, and they barely made sense as it is. Anyway, the weapon is also made up of energy, so it only really exists for a few moments, and takes a hell of a lot to even make."

"So how do we do it?"

"First, you need a conduit for the energy to pass through. That can just be the two of us. Second, said energy needs to come from a collective power source... And we have no idea what that is."

Yugure watched her friend begin to sweat nervously at his lack of knowledge, and began doing the same. The queen started shouting, questioning how he couldn't know all of the details before coming back. The lion stated that Garmore was looking into the rest and would tell them after deciphering it. They were reminded of the fact that they have a time-limit here, but there wasn't much else they could do. Pressed for time, she inquired if humanity could be the source. It was assumed by the golden warrior that humans were most likely meant to come together for it. Originally a weapon of the Grand Sanctuary, it made sense, despite the dragons also in the nation. Yukino questioned that, but Ezel shouted back that they can talk about details later.

Even though Ezel wasn't as feisty, he was able to go back and forth with her.

A platform moved over to the pair, and they hopped on. The both of them appeared on multiple screens across New York, and followed with as much of Planet Earth as possible. Espoir connections were strong... That aside, a recording of Hana's message in Times Square was played, then the images showed a feed of the battles going on against Neu.

"You see this, people?! This wasn't a joke - Cray is real! And those people are fighting for our sake! The rest of us can't fight up there with them, but we can still do something! You people who remember Royal Paladin, Shadow Paladin, Kagero, and Bermuda Triangle! You can bring those clans back into your lives if you help! Don't think they have to replace our allies either, as we can all live together!"

This lady was crazy.

Two months ago, people thinking Yukino was crazy would've upset her. But from a realistic viewpoint, she would be insane to people who didn't know about Cray's reality from the start. Even so...

"Start by lending me an ear, and answering this question out loud: What is the meaning of this game to you? Your vanguard?! The depth of your answer is critical to bringing it all back!"

Ezel surmised that humanity's meanings across the world were her choice of power source.

[Jello]

Haruka looked over to the curious Alexander. I guess he finally noticed who they were. Sadly the fame was pretty short-lived.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, we are. Except I got beat out by my girlfriend round one..." Haruka fake pouts, dropping his head and pointing to the fiery lady on the stands. "Yeah. She's good by the way. Better than I'll ever be, that's for sure." With that Haruka laughs a bit, sitting against the base of the stage.

"Yeah, you probably didn't see much of me. I was eliminated Round 1."

As Haruka's small chat comes to a close, he notices Yukino shouting and talking about something. About Cray. What?

Haruka was unsure of what was happening until his phone updated with an emergency broadcast feed. Of what's going on right here, and on Cray. The fights. Everything.

"Oh dear.... She's gone and did it again." Haruka muttered.

[AlwaysAwake]

"Oh, jeez, sounds rough." Slipping out the words as a condolence, she must have kept him on a tight leash he thought.

"I remember seeing you for a bit, I thought you were pretty good." Trying to salvage the other fighters pride in any way he could, though he wasn't one to lie either. While he couldn't quite remember the fight he did remember his impression of it, and specifically his vanguards frightening standing skill."

Though their small chat would come to a sudden halt as Harukas' girlfriend began to scream her lungs out. Hearing bits and pieces, something about cray and weapons. Alexander  blinking, rather lost.

Then, his phone began to beep. An image of a broadcast feed being forcefully played. The current issue at hand explained, the battles, and everything leading up to it.

"Huh, so I wasn't wrong about what I said about her earlier..." Was his response, trying to make light of the situation though he had a stern countenance. Even if he was joking he still took the matter at hand with a serious air.

[Cipher Izanagi]

Seifer listened quietly yet again to what was going on around him, worrying sightly as Haruka mentioned something about heat. Currently Seifer was wearing all black and wasn't feeling any detrimental effects. So what was wrong with Haruka? Just before he could ask any questions however, Yukino's actions startled him, prompting him to glance over where she was. She was trying to get the WHOLE world to believe a crazy story about Cray and the rest of it. And from the looks of it, it was basically hijacking broadcasts? At least that's what it partially looked like. Yukino in Seifer's mind might have a hard time getting things across to some of the people around here, let alone the whole world. And yet, Seifer hoped it succeeded. There was no reason it shouldn't honestly, at least around here. But with technology nowadays, someone could just as easily dismiss it as a hoax. There had to be something to help push what she was doing toward even greater success, but what was it? Turning his attention back to Haruka and Alexander while he thought to himself, his eyes turned toward Haruka. "Does she get like this a lot?"

[Jello]

Haruka sighs, nodding.

"Y-Yea, erm, yes. I mean, I wouldn't say OFTEN but.." Haruka breathes in, glances over to his insane lover, currently broadcasting worldwide. His mouth just wouldn't shut. It was like a battle between a jaw drop and a shut up. But all he got was this half agape mouth, shaking his head.

"She's a creative gal. Let's put it that way." With that, Haruka unzips his hoodie and tosses it to the stadium floor. Too hot. He was still wearing a T-shirt but even that was starting to be too warm for him. Haruka starts to wish he was wearing a tank top. He wasn't, and this made him really really upset. But he simply masks it by pushing himself off the ground and sitting on the stage. The mass hysteria had died, people were mostly silent with whispers here and there. It would be much louder, had Yukino not shot out the eardrums of everybody in a twenty foot radius. Haruka was of the lucky bunch not in range to go deaf.

Something in Haruka started to click and grind. He felt the heat of his blood move at a constant pace, but it wasn't fire. It was a mechanical heat. It was the turning of gears and machinery, the power of something else entirely not from this world. He realized it because Overlord's heat made Haruka sweat up an ocean, but this time it was an inner bodily heat, coming in a constant stream. Overlord's came in waves and made Haruka nearly die in some instances. But this was different. Something only he could feel, even if somebody else touched him.

"I kind of wish she was a bit more quiet sometimes, but then she wouldn't be Yukino... She wouldn't be the lioness of a girl I fell for." Haruka grinned, chuckling a bit, pocketing his hands and returning his attention to Seifer.

"Long story short, yeah, she's nuts, but a good kind of nuts." Haruka said this was a raised eyebrow, implying that this was indeed a common occurrence and that Seifer should just go with it.

[Cipher Izanagi]

Seifer laughed at the answer, amused by it. "I never said it was bad. Just never met a lot of you. The only person here that I fully know well enough is actually Hana. Though I won't try to say I know much more past having just met her no more than a day prior to the first round of the tournament." he admitted , sliding his hands in his pockets, observing the stadium around him as they waited. However, he noticed the discomfort of the other male, tilting his head to the side a little though there probably wasn't much of anything Seifer could do. He hardly knew the other anyway, but hey, he did say he hoped to meet new people because of this tournament. "Is everything alright?" he did decide to ask though. It was obvious that the other male was in discomfort at the very least. It didn't feel that hot to Seifer in the stadium, but who knows? The other male could just have a slightly higher normal body temperature. In anycase, Seifer continued to watch both Yukino and what she was doing, and the male before him, more out of curiosity and interest than anything else.

[Jello]

"Hmm? Yeah, I mean." Haruka stopped, mouth half-open again. He had something he wanted to say. Confiding in total strangers wasn't something he did normally. But he felt like this was something worth saying. To a fellow Kagero player, he must know the heat too. The feeling of fire embracing them in their fights. He wanted to explain what he was feeling right now.

"Seifer, right? I want to ask you something. Something that crazy lady up there asks everybody. But I want to ask you." Haruka hops off the stage, standing face-to-face with Seifer.

"What is your Vanguard?" Haruka spoke solemnly these words. This question wasn't something you casually asked, as it already sounded weird on top of the fact it's strictly related to a card game. But this was a question he wanted to ask. To both in fact.

"Alexander, you too. What's your Vanguard?" Haruka wasn't asking for a card. He wasn't asking for a clan or a one or two word answer. He was asking for a conviction. He was asking for a reason. He didn't need to know, but he felt by at least asking, it would ease the tension of what he had to say afterwards.

[Cipher Izanagi]

That question again? "...Ya know, Neu asked me the same question when I lost to her in there..." he spoke in a low tone looking at the doors again before shaking his head. "My answer will always remain the same though, no matter how selfish it is. My Vanguard is fighting to protect my friends, those precious to me." he laughed glancing down with half shut eyes and scratching his cheek. "Vanguard is full of strife and conflict. But it can bring us together as well. To that end, like I said, I'm going to do what I can to protect my friends and allies as best as I can, and try to have fun along the way." his answer probably didn't make much sense the way he phrased it, but it's what made sense to him so he stuck to that answer nodding. "Probably doesn't mean a whole lot in the long run right now seeing as I lost to someone I consider a friend."

[Kuro]

He walked to the stadium to see how the fight was going. He saw some guys together in center stage. One was Seifer, a person he recognized. He casually walked up to them to see if they knew what was happening.

"Hey. What's going on so far?" he asked.

[Jello]

To protect, and to have fun.

Haruka nodded to Seifer. This was his little confirmation. Haruka had decided his vanguard from the day he realized that he couldn't simply save the world just because he thought he could. He wasn't a superhero and he never claimed to be one, although he wanted to be one that badly. Haruka smiled, stepping back and smiling. Haruka still awaited Alexander's answer to the question, but he seemed deep in the thought and instead responded to Seifer with an answer of his own.

"Did she? Sorry, listening to Neu gives me a headache more often than not..." Haruka wasn't lying there.

"Your vanguard is pure. Protection of others is respectable, if nothing else. Also unattainable, without proper restraint and the want to keep someone safe." Haruka wanted to explain the desperate reality of the Vanguard he once had, to save and protect everybody. But he simply let it go there.

"My Vanguard is to evolve. To be something stronger than myself every single time. Falling behind just isn't an option anymore. I have to keep standing back up, no matter how many times I'm pushed down." Haruka balled his hand into a fist, raising it to his face, then opening it to reveal the palm of his hand. Nothing was in it, but it was metaphoric.

"To transcend." Haruka's words came out a bit strangely. Normally his speech was off and wasn't so great at making conversation, but for once this came naturally. He suddenly laughed a bit, realizing how weird what he said had sounded, then promptly apologized.

"S-sorry about that. Probably sounded a bit dorky, huh?" Haruka said pointing to himself.

Just as he finished his bit to Seifer, a somewhat familiar face showed. Haruki, if her remembered correctly. He only saw the name a few times on the bracket and his face popped up often around town back in Rijiku.

"Hmm? Come and watch for yourself." Haruka pointed to the monitor showing Yukino's broadcast.

[Cipher Izanagi]

The black clad brunette laughed shaking his head and waving his hand. "Not at all... Everyone has their own Vanguard. And while it's true, you can't protect everyone without power, in the long run your Vanguard and mine aren't so different. You want to evolve so that you don't get left behind right? And I want to protect everyone I can, so to that end to, I'll end up wanting to evolve and transcend. That's also what Vanguard is about, change." he grinned a bit before noticing Haruki has joined them. "Hey there Haruki. And yeah, it'd probably best if you just listened to the broadcasts. It might explain things better."

[Kuro]

"Probably would be best to check those then," he said.

"Sounds like you guys are getting into some deep conversation. What's up?" he said.

[Jello]

Haruka wasn't unfriendly in the slightest, it just took him a bit to get used to people he didn't converse with much prior to then.

"Hm? Our.. uh..." Haruka trailed off for a second. Drawing away the embarrassment, he just said it anyways. It really couldn't hurt in the end to tell the truth. Apparently Haruki stood for a lot of things moral-wise, so this might be a topic he'd be interested in to begin with.

"Our Vanguards; y'know, our reasons for fighting." Haruka gesticulated a bit with his hands to get the point across it was a bit serious. Yet despite his seriousness, Haruka still faced a heat running through every vein and bone. He wasn't sure if it was uncomfortable or not, but what he did recognize is that the heat wasn't rising or lowering. It felt like having blood rush to your head constantly, and without the faint feeling. The gears grind once more, the well oiled-machine moving once again. He breathed in heavy, trying to alleviate the building pressure all over. It helped, for a moment.

[Kuro]

"I just fight for what's right. Keep the world smiling, make the game fun for everyone and things will be fine," he said. He brushed off the shoulders of his coat and stood comfortably.

"Anyway, don't know your name. What can I call you?" He gave a friendly smile.