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Description
One Last Dream - Round 1

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

_______________________________________________________________

"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"
-George Bernard

_______________________________________________________________

"Hello? Is anyone there?"  A young girl called out from her bed. No response came from the dark room as her head felt as blank as a sheet of paper. "Hello?"  She vainly cried out again. Again, no response came from the silent room.

The silence was deafening.  A strange feeling of loneliness and fear filled her as she began to frantically feel around the room.  She soon came across the something of metal and leather with her hands.  Grasping it as if it were her only connection to the world, she began to feel it to try and identify it.

A pair of headphones was the conclusion that she came to, but why did she know this?  Why could she not remember anything?  Why was she alone?  Why couldn't she see anything?  But most of all, who was she?

All those questions soon came to pass as she stared at the headphones.  A motherly voice spoke out like a faint whisper, telling her to put them on.  It sounded familiar, but she could feel that she could trust it.  The voice was comforting, telling her there was nothing to fear, that she wasn't alone.  That she mustn't let anything stop her.

Trusting the mysterious voice, she put them on.  The room suddenly lit up and music pierced though the horrid silence.  An inexplicable feeling of joy filled her as the wondrous symphony of sounds played from the headphones.  Just like the voice said, the feeling of fear and loneliness quickly passed.  Deciding to heed the advice the voice had given, she would never let anything stop her.  Nothing would get in her way.  Who cares if she didn't know who she was.  No way in hell she would let her past get in her way.  She was Karoline Faux, dammit!  Even though she had no clue how she knew that.  And like hell she'd let anything stop her!

In her excitement, she completely forgot about the comforting voice that helped her conquer her fear.  She never heard the mysterious voice again...

_______________________________________________________________

Boredom and Karoline have never been a very good mix.  Whenever she found herself bored, Karoline always found a way to keep herself entertained, usually by getting into trouble in some way.  True to character, it didn't take long for Karoline's excitement to quickly ware off after her initial outburst.

A very bored Karoline found herself walking out of the lobby of the Neverlasting Hotel and into the Eternal Dream Cafe.  Many different people of all species and sizes could be found throughout the cafe.  Some normal, some strange, others looked like they belonged here in the Dimension of Dreams.  The ones that seemed to stand out and catch her attention wear probably some of the more abnormal ones of the bunch.

A giant robot and small creature with a flaming tail were perhaps the most obvious due to their titanic and minuscule size.  It reminded her of the duo comedians from days of old from her world; like Abbot and Costello, or Laural and Hardy.  All they needed was a third person and they'd make the three stooges.  The thought of that made her chuckle.

The next group that caught her attention were a man with a head like a starfish and motherly woman talking to each other.  Or to be more precise, a robot and woman.  How did she know? She could see his robot part thanks to her headphones echo effect.  It was a strange sight, but who was she to talk.  From the way they seemed to be talking, it looked like something from an anime; where the shy protagonist is helped by the good-willed heroine.  It couldn't get any more stereotypical.

The next group, or person in this case, was a girl with a pair of large avian wings.  Something about her felt somewhat familiar.  Not the kind of familiarity where she might have known who she was, but more like an aura she gave off seemed familiar.  She seemed oddly cold and standoffish, almost like she were watching out of something.  Oddly enough, looking at her seemed to cause Karoline's back to itch, really badly.

Next came a strange pair that really stood out to her.  To put it simply it looked like a boy with a mask who tried to make himself like a frill-necked lizard and a demon who made Karoline think of jailbait for some reason.  They seemed to be having a heated arguing about something trivial, with the lizard boy being the sarcastic smartass and the jailbait demon the hot-head.  Another classic anime combination, one that made them the perfect targets to relieve her boredom.

With a fox-like grin on her face, she began to walk over to the duo.  As Karoline strode over to her targets, an unusual chill went down her spine as she passed a man with a mask that had an eerie grin.  A feeling of fear and excitement coursed through her veins as she stopped and turned to face the man.  Something about him made a part of Karoline scream to stay away from him, while another wanted to nothing more than to beat the crap out of him.  An odd and conflicting wave of emotions, but the feeling of fighting and excitement preceded the fear.

Turning her attention back to the hapless victims, she proceeded to resume her former stride and prepare herself for her entertainment.

"-No, I think you mean her name's, Ms. Kitty."  Said the masked boy.

"It's Ms. Fluff!"  Shouted the demonic man.

"It's Ms. Kitty, and quit being so grumpy about it." The masked boy retorted as he pulled out his bladed gun.  "Do you want to get nailed again?"

"That's dirty and you know it!"

"So quit whining like a little girl!"

"You're the one who unloaded a round into my ass!"

"That was your own fault!"

"Then why don't you-! Just who the hell are you?"  The demon asked, finally taking notice of Karoline who had been watching the two in amusement.  Their childish argument was like something out of a television show, or even better, something straight out of a yaoi manga.  This was the kind of thing that couldn't be paid for.

"Oh, don't mind me."  Karoline said full of mirth.  "Do continue. I so enjoyed how lizard boy here basically called you a little bitch, Uke."

"U-uke!?  Where the hell do you get off at calling me that?! And don't call me that either! The name's 937, not Uke!"  937 shouted at Karoline, much to her and the masked boy's amusement.

"Sure you are, Uke!  After all, you did say how Seme here, 'Unloaded a round into your ass'."  Karoline said with a devious grin.

It was now the masked boy's turn to feel the heat.  "M-my name is Pierce, a-and that's not what happened!"

"Ah, don't feel so bad, your the seme in this relationship after all, Seme."  Karoline said in a mocking motherly tone.

"No, he's not!  I'm the seme in this relationship, not him!"  An awkward silence filled the room as everyone simply stared at 937 from his little outburst.  It took a few moments for 937 to realize the gravity of what he just said before he panicked and began his denying.  "W-wait! I-I mean, I'm not like that!  I'm not gay!"

Many snickers were heard around the room, but none more apparent than Karoline's hearty laughter that filled up the room at the two's misfortune.  While 937 continued his denials, Pierce hid his face deeper within his bandanna, wanting nothing more to disappear at that moment.

"Sh-shut up, you bitch!  This is all your fault!"  The demon man yelled at Karoline.  It didn't help in the slightest, as it only made Karoline laugh even harder to the point of tears.

"That- that was perfect! Bwahahahaha!"  Karoline managed to between her laughter.  "You-hoo-hoo can't pay for this kind of crap! Hahahaha!"

"Pl-please stop, Miss."  Pierce meekly said as the laughter began to die down.

"Oh-ho-ho-kay."  Karoline said with mirth as she wrapped her arms around both Pierce and 937's shoulders.  "I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Friendship?  You call tormenting us friendship?"  937 asked incredulously.

"Maybe, but it got you two to stop arguing and made me laugh.  I'd call that a pretty good start."  She said with a devil-may-care grin.  "And the best part, you're both stuck with me now."

"I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with this."  Pierce said as he took Karoline's arm off of him.

"I'd have to agree with him."  937 said as he copied Pierce.

"Too bad, them's the breaks."  She said with a devious smile.  "So what'cha two doin' in a tournament like this?"

"Probably the same reason as everyone else, forced to fight for the throne against our will."  937 said with a shrug.

"We technically don't have to fight."  Pierce interjected.

"Yeah, but everyone's gonna end up fighting in some way anyway.  Just look at us."  937 gestured to each of them.  "You've got a gun, I've got claws, and she's got- What do you have?"

"And what's you're name, anyway?  I don't think you've told us."  Pierce added.

"So, neither of your heard my big announcement earlier?" Both men shook their heads to Karoline's dismay.  Deciding not to let that get her down, she perked up and announced herself again.  "Well, the name's Karoline Faux!  As for what I can do, how's does a martial artist sound?  Oh, and don't forget my metal boots now."  Tapping the heel of her right boot against the wooden floor, giving off a metallic tapping sound.

"Alright, so-"  937 said as he was interrupted by a gruffy, male voice from the center of the room.

In the center stood the full cast of judges, including the hyperactive Snowtrap and stoic Zulani.  Next to the two stood a strange quadrupedal creature, one that couldn't match the description of any known creature.  To put it simply, he simply looked like a chimera of several aquatic creatures, but seemed to have a non-threatening and laid back demeanor.  Above the group float a free spirited man, one that could give Peter Pan a run for his money.  The final one, whom spoke out, was a very angry man looking man with a  hoodie and a tail.  Something about him made Karoline want to take the pole out of his ass and cram it down his throat.

"All contestants proceed to the Stone Arch for a briefing for the first round.  If can't or don't come, that's tough."  The hooded man announced before walking out the room with the rest of the judges.

"Well, I guess this is it.  Let's get rolling, guys!"  Karoline said as she led the way.

Description
One Last Dream - Round 1

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

_______________________________________________________________

"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"
-George Bernard

_______________________________________________________________

"Hello? Is anyone there?"  A young girl called out from her bed. No response came from the dark room as her head felt as blank as a sheet of paper. "Hello?"  She vainly cried out again. Again, no response came from the silent room.

The silence was deafening.  A strange feeling of loneliness and fear filled her as she began to frantically feel around the room.  She soon came across the something of metal and leather with her hands.  Grasping it as if it were her only connection to the world, she began to feel it to try and identify it.

A pair of headphones was the conclusion that she came to, but why did she know this?  Why could she not remember anything?  Why was she alone?  Why couldn't she see anything?  But most of all, who was she?

All those questions soon came to pass as she stared at the headphones.  A motherly voice spoke out like a faint whisper, telling her to put them on.  It sounded familiar, but she could feel that she could trust it.  The voice was comforting, telling her there was nothing to fear, that she wasn't alone.  That she mustn't let anything stop her.

Trusting the mysterious voice, she put them on.  The room suddenly lit up and music pierced though the horrid silence.  An inexplicable feeling of joy filled her as the wondrous symphony of sounds played from the headphones.  Just like the voice said, the feeling of fear and loneliness quickly passed.  Deciding to heed the advice the voice had given, she would never let anything stop her.  Nothing would get in her way.  Who cares if she didn't know who she was.  No way in hell she would let her past get in her way.  She was Karoline Faux, dammit!  Even though she had no clue how she knew that.  And like hell she'd let anything stop her!

In her excitement, she completely forgot about the comforting voice that helped her conquer her fear.  She never heard the mysterious voice again...

_______________________________________________________________

Boredom and Karoline have never been a very good mix.  Whenever she found herself bored, Karoline always found a way to keep herself entertained, usually by getting into trouble in some way.  True to character, it didn't take long for Karoline's excitement to quickly ware off after her initial outburst.

A very bored Karoline found herself walking out of the lobby of the Neverlasting Hotel and into the Eternal Dream Cafe.  Many different people of all species and sizes could be found throughout the cafe.  Some normal, some strange, others looked like they belonged here in the Dimension of Dreams.  The ones that seemed to stand out and catch her attention wear probably some of the more abnormal ones of the bunch.

A giant robot and small creature with a flaming tail were perhaps the most obvious due to their titanic and minuscule size.  It reminded her of the duo comedians from days of old from her world; like Abbot and Costello, or Laural and Hardy.  All they needed was a third person and they'd make the three stooges.  The thought of that made her chuckle.

The next group that caught her attention were a man with a head like a starfish and motherly woman talking to each other.  Or to be more precise, a robot and woman.  How did she know? She could see his robot part thanks to her headphones echo effect.  It was a strange sight, but who was she to talk.  From the way they seemed to be talking, it looked like something from an anime; where the shy protagonist is helped by the good-willed heroine.  It couldn't get any more stereotypical.

The next group, or person in this case, was a girl with a pair of large avian wings.  Something about her felt somewhat familiar.  Not the kind of familiarity where she might have known who she was, but more like an aura she gave off seemed familiar.  She seemed oddly cold and standoffish, almost like she were watching out of something.  Oddly enough, looking at her seemed to cause Karoline's back to itch, really badly.

Next came a strange pair that really stood out to her.  To put it simply it looked like a boy with a mask who tried to make himself like a frill-necked lizard and a demon who made Karoline think of jailbait for some reason.  They seemed to be having a heated arguing about something trivial, with the lizard boy being the sarcastic smartass and the jailbait demon the hot-head.  Another classic anime combination, one that made them the perfect targets to relieve her boredom.

With a fox-like grin on her face, she began to walk over to the duo.  As Karoline strode over to her targets, an unusual chill went down her spine as she passed a man with a mask that had an eerie grin.  A feeling of fear and excitement coursed through her veins as she stopped and turned to face the man.  Something about him made a part of Karoline scream to stay away from him, while another wanted to nothing more than to beat the crap out of him.  An odd and conflicting wave of emotions, but the feeling of fighting and excitement preceded the fear.

Turning her attention back to the hapless victims, she proceeded to resume her former stride and prepare herself for her entertainment.

"-No, I think you mean her name's, Ms. Kitty."  Said the masked boy.

"It's Ms. Fluff!"  Shouted the demonic man.

"It's Ms. Kitty, and quit being so grumpy about it." The masked boy retorted as he pulled out his bladed gun.  "Do you want to get nailed again?"

"That's dirty and you know it!"

"So quit whining like a little girl!"

"You're the one who unloaded a round into my ass!"

"That was your own fault!"

"Then why don't you-! Just who the hell are you?"  The demon asked, finally taking notice of Karoline who had been watching the two in amusement.  Their childish argument was like something out of a television show, or even better, something straight out of a yaoi manga.  This was the kind of thing that couldn't be paid for.

"Oh, don't mind me."  Karoline said full of mirth.  "Do continue. I so enjoyed how lizard boy here basically called you a little bitch, Uke."

"U-uke!?  Where the hell do you get off at calling me that?! And don't call me that either! The name's 937, not Uke!"  937 shouted at Karoline, much to her and the masked boy's amusement.

"Sure you are, Uke!  After all, you did say how Seme here, 'Unloaded a round into your ass'."  Karoline said with a devious grin.

It was now the masked boy's turn to feel the heat.  "M-my name is Pierce, a-and that's not what happened!"

"Ah, don't feel so bad, your the seme in this relationship after all, Seme."  Karoline said in a mocking motherly tone.

"No, he's not!  I'm the seme in this relationship, not him!"  An awkward silence filled the room as everyone simply stared at 937 from his little outburst.  It took a few moments for 937 to realize the gravity of what he just said before he panicked and began his denying.  "W-wait! I-I mean, I'm not like that!  I'm not gay!"

Many snickers were heard around the room, but none more apparent than Karoline's hearty laughter that filled up the room at the two's misfortune.  While 937 continued his denials, Pierce hid his face deeper within his bandanna, wanting nothing more to disappear at that moment.

"Sh-shut up, you bitch!  This is all your fault!"  The demon man yelled at Karoline.  It didn't help in the slightest, as it only made Karoline laugh even harder to the point of tears.

"That- that was perfect! Bwahahahaha!"  Karoline managed to between her laughter.  "You-hoo-hoo can't pay for this kind of crap! Hahahaha!"

"Pl-please stop, Miss."  Pierce meekly said as the laughter began to die down.

"Oh-ho-ho-kay."  Karoline said with mirth as she wrapped her arms around both Pierce and 937's shoulders.  "I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Friendship?  You call tormenting us friendship?"  937 asked incredulously.

"Maybe, but it got you two to stop arguing and made me laugh.  I'd call that a pretty good start."  She said with a devil-may-care grin.  "And the best part, you're both stuck with me now."

"I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with this."  Pierce said as he took Karoline's arm off of him.

"I'd have to agree with him."  937 said as he copied Pierce.

"Too bad, them's the breaks."  She said with a devious smile.  "So what'cha two doin' in a tournament like this?"

"Probably the same reason as everyone else, forced to fight for the throne against our will."  937 said with a shrug.

"We technically don't have to fight."  Pierce interjected.

"Yeah, but everyone's gonna end up fighting in some way anyway.  Just look at us."  937 gestured to each of them.  "You've got a gun, I've got claws, and she's got- What do you have?"

"And what's you're name, anyway?  I don't think you've told us."  Pierce added.

"So, neither of your heard my big announcement earlier?" Both men shook their heads to Karoline's dismay.  Deciding not to let that get her down, she perked up and announced herself again.  "Well, the name's Karoline Faux!  As for what I can do, how's does a martial artist sound?  Oh, and don't forget my metal boots now."  Tapping the heel of her right boot against the wooden floor, giving off a metallic tapping sound.

"Alright, so-"  937 said as he was interrupted by a gruffy, male voice from the center of the room.

In the center stood the full cast of judges, including the hyperactive Snowtrap and stoic Zulani.  Next to the two stood a strange quadrupedal creature, one that couldn't match the description of any known creature.  To put it simply, he simply looked like a chimera of several aquatic creatures, but seemed to have a non-threatening and laid back demeanor.  Above the group float a free spirited man, one that could give Peter Pan a run for his money.  The final one, whom spoke out, was a very angry man looking man with a  hoodie and a tail.  Something about him made Karoline want to take the pole out of his ass and cram it down his throat.

"All contestants proceed to the Stone Arch for a briefing for the first round.  If can't or don't come, that's tough."  The hooded man announced before walking out the room with the rest of the judges.

"Well, I guess this is it.  Let's get rolling, guys!"  Karoline said as she led the way.