Mithra Kit in Luca (Open)

If she'd been thinking about anything other than fun and how bored she was, Mairi might not have actually found her way to the Universal Metroplex... but catgirls will find themselves in some of the darnedest places. And Mairi was one exceptional catgirl. So when she found the Metroplex, and the trains...

Well, she couldn't resist. She took one headed to some random destination and here she was, wandering the streets of Luca staring at everything with her ears perked up on top of her head and her tail twitching in curious excitement. There were so many people, and they dressed so strangely to her Vana'diel-trained eyes. And the smells!! Oh the smells had her quivering with excitement.

She didn't know what to explore first. She just wandered around, looking at things with wide eyes and practically bouncing in place. This was such fun!!

Another trading day in Luca. One like many others. Emblem had ventured from Besaid with some specially ordered Besaid Rugs, and gave them to the proper merchant to make sure they would reach their destination. These few were specifically for some Ronso cubs, and were more sturdy then normal/ you'd think the cold would make them want to have something more...furry. Then again the Ronso don't even mention the cold in those mountains.

As Emblem grabbed and dropped a few gil at one of his favorite eating places, the man gave him his favorite warm dish. Emblem would, as always, procede to the higher spot to look voer Luca and eat his meal (meaty!), before going back to Besaid. However, today way different.

Emblem saw loads of people trade and do business. As always. Blitzball fans roamed the stadium and the plaza around, but he had just thought he saw someone..with feline ears. Something he had only once encountered in one of his meditations, where he saw three fight in a place called Midgar.

Emblem walked towards the girl, how meat in hand, and was astounded to see her just wandering here. She did not look very old, did she?

''Hello there.'' said Emblem as he kneeled down to talk to the Mithra with a smile. Such amazing features, those ears and tails, and they weren't as blue or as..dangerous looking..as the Ronso. No yellow eyes.

''..Welcome to Luca. I am Emblem of Besaid. Is it correct if I say you are not from around here, miss?''

Mairi looked at the man who spoke to her and she cocked her ears slightly, twitching them one direction and then the other in curious investigation of him. She could smell the meat on him, and herbs of some sort, long before she noticed the food in his hand, though there was something strange in his stance that she couldn't identify. He was fascinating to her.

She giggled briefly and nodded at the question. "I'm Mairi. I come from Windurst. It's good to meet you."

She glanced around at the city with a wide smile and even wider eyes and he could plainly see that one of her eyes was a purple color and the other a deep blue. "This city looks like so much fun! Do you know many fun things to do?" She bounced slightly in place.

'''...Windurst?''

Emblem had a lot of knowledge regarding Spiran towns and beyond, but he has never physically experienced any other world, and only had one brief spiritual moment in which his spirit was in Midgar.

''Sorry, I've never been outside of Spira. It is my world, I perform my best in here. I have no idea how Windurst looks. But hey, Mairi, what a lovely name you have.''

Emblem observed the quite active feline as he looked around. It wasn't overly crowded today, fortunately.

''Well today is nothing special, but then again, Luca always has something to do. We can get you something to eat and drink, or we can go somewhere. If you've never been here before, we can go the stadium? The Luca stadium has a few games to play, the biggest ones being Sphere Break and the popular Blitzball! They might be having a friendly match today, wanna see?''

If there was no match, then the Mithran could get a tour, or they would walk past the Stadium to watch people at the docks...or visit the Sphere Theater together. There was, as he said, always something to do here.

Mairi tilted her head to the side. The idea of someone who didn't want to leave his own world was strange to her. She'd always wanted to see other worlds... even when she wasn't able to back so long ago that the memories were hazy and unclear because of the poisoning that had almost killed her... She'd dreamed and yearned for other worlds, strange environments, places where she could be herself and somehow more than herself.

And that was exactly what she'd found. It was why she had so eagerly taken the opportunity that the Metroplex provided. Whole worlds to explore.

But he had mentioned something about games and that distracted her completely. "Games? What's Sphere Break? What's Blitzball?" She grinned wide. "I like games. There's all sorts of games to play in Windurst... Chase the Bunnies... Run from the Bunnies..." She giggled. "I wanna see some games, is that okay?"

''Alright. Then, let's go to the Stadium.''

Emblem stood up and started to make his way to the Stadium. He assumed the bouncy Mithran would follow him. They did have some distance to cover.

''So...I guess I know why you're in Luca. And your ways of travel must be just like the other people here. The Universal Metroplex, am I right?''

Emblem moved his hands to signal he wanted to go through and let Mairi through. she asked him about the games.

''Well Sphere Break is kind of an odd game. It's a game with coins and numbers. you need to get to a certain number to collect points, and the one who has the most points in the set time limit, wins. I'm not too good at it, but I got some reasonable coins. You may use them. Blitzball, on the other hand, is a sport played with a Blitzball. Two teams, 5 people on each team, both with their own goal, need to score as much points in 10 minutes. Two rounds of five minutes, played entirely in a watter filled sphere. Very amazing and entertaining to watch as well! It's the nr1 sport in Spira!''

They entered the Stadium, and Emblem thought he saw an impressed look on the girl's face. It was a nice building to watch, and the space was open, airy, and had lots of water surrounding the warm sun-lit walkways.

''Sphere Break is down these stairs mostly, but players are everywhere, and Blitzball is up the other set of stairs to the Sphere Pool. Which staircase are we taking?''

Mairi followed him as closely as she could, though she was easily distracted by all the various things she saw along the way. She nodded as he mentioned the Universal Metroplex. "Yeah, it's a really COOL place!! I gotta explore it more, but I found it and I found the trains and I just had to see what was out there!"

She listened to his explanation about the games and pretty quickly figured out that he wasn't gung ho about Sphere Break, so she'd probably have to ask one of the players how it worked, but he certainly did like Blitzball.

She thought about the options for a moment, tapping one finger against the corner of her mouth as she considered it. "Let's watch a Blitzball game first... and then see if I can learn how to play Sphere Break, okay?"

''I see you're here to stay. Smart choice though, there's more blitzball during the day then during the evening.'' Said Emblem with a smile. He walked up the steps, and heard some cheering. He looks next to him and walked up the steps faster. They entered the Sphere Dome's Sphere Pool, which was already filling up with water, and the players entering.

''We're lucky! The Luca Goers versus the Al Bhed Psyches!''

Emblem looked around and found a few Empty seats nearby. He walked over there, but knew that if Mairi wanted to stand, it was alright. They actually had a nice spot.

''..Seems there's a tournament going on. Well Mairi, this is Blitzball, and we have two neat teams duking it out. As you can see, the dome is almost full, it's quite popular. If there's anything ya need? A snack or something? Tell me.''

He heard a whistle and all players seemed to rush for that one materialised Blitzball. Two times five minutes of a lovely sport. What a day.

Mairi followed him into the stands and practically bounced with excitement from the energy of the crowd. Everyone was so excited! They were yelling and shouting and standing in their seats and it was all so active!!

She practically bounced in her steps as she followed him over to the empty seats and then stood very close to the railing, watching with wide eyes as she watched the Blitzball players take their positions in the sphere, and then the point men leaped for the ball as it materialized. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"How do they breathe in there? None of them have fins... are they Shaped to have gills hidden behind their ears? How do people become Blitzball players?"

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was such high energy!

Emblem laughed as he saw Mairi enjoy herself. What a lucky girl she was to walk in on Luca on a completely random day and find herself watching a big blitzball match. She seemed to have a keen interest which always sparked this first question. Emblem was happy to answer.

''Well it's not as magical as that. Basically, they just hold their breath for five minutes. It's something most people cannot do, but they manage to keep their breath for a long time AND perform several tricks in the water. Passing, tackling, player specific ways of shooting and much more.''

Emblemscratched the back of his head as he remembered Yuna trying to hold her breath longer and longer. Two minutes and 41 seconds was how far she got before she went off sphere hunting with the Gullwings. As for Emblem himself, if he willed it, he might be able to, but he would not be allowed to play an official match. His human physique has been altered by the presence of an Aeon, and if he went underwater, the Aeon would make sure he'd live. Such alterations, together with the fact he'd be able to perform at his peak for the full match lenght was considered illegal.

Still, Emblem always had fun when playing friendly matches with the Aurochs, even if he held back at times. The game itself was fun, and entertaining to do for a long time. Maybe Mairi would be interested? As he snapped back to the game, Bickson was leaping up to perform his version of the Sphere Shot. How he wrestled free of the Al Bhed defence was missed by Emblem, but will the goalie prevent a goal? Nimrook was considered the best goalie in all of Spira, but Bickson was quite close...

Mairi blinked in surprise. "They just hold their breath? No magic? No Aero spells pulling air from the water? No Shaping to have gills? They just hold their breath and do all of that??" She watched the aquatic acrobatics continue and she blinked in disbelief.

"Oh wow..."

She tilted her head to the side as Bickson went for the goal and thought about the matter. "I don't know that I could hold my breath that long. I've never tried. I've always had gills or something else to allow me to breathe underwater... even when I had fins and swam like a fish... but that was a very long time ago."

This was a fascinating game... Her ears twitched curiously as she watched the exchange with interest.

''BUUUPP''

5 minutes later the zoomer went off to signal for halftime. It was the time when people would get some snacks, the blitzers would get to catch their breath, alter their strategy or team set-up. Currently, the match was a tie. Bickson had scored with his phenomenal shot, which got only partially blocked by Nimrook. The ball had chafed the goalpost and bounced inbetween.

Then again, Radu had fumbled an avergae shot from the Al Bhed attacker Eigaar. Eigaar had tried after being blocked by both defenders, but boy did he have a powerful shot going. This match could still go either way.

People were getting out of their seats to get something to snack. Emblem had just finished his, so he watched the dome become a little less quiet. However, Mairi, caught in all the energy, was still looking around excited, seeming not to want to miss anything. Emblem smiled as he had a though. He got up, and walked over to her.

''Some people get snacks, some get a drink. I got something better. What if I came back with a signed blitzball for you? As a present for coming to Luca? I'd bet you'd wanna see one up close.''

Mairi looked at him with wide, astonished eyes and an even wider grin. "A signed Blitzball? For me? That would be soooo cool!!!!" She almost couldn't believe her ears. Emblem could get her an autographed Blitzball? She'd take real good care of it, that's for certain. She'd put it in her storehouse right next to the lightsaber and that real shiny sword she picked up at the bottom of a lake.

Mairi had found some really strange stuff over the years and she liked to keep all of it as best as she could. A person never knew when something that looked like junk turned out to be the key to saving a world... or a life. Mairi tended to hold both as about equal in her eyes.

She grinned and impulsively hugged Emblem. "You're such a great friend! I'm glad I met you!"

Emblem smiled as the big guy was hugged by Mairi, and beckoned her to follow him. They walked down the stairs, but turned right where others turned left, only to go to another set of stairs. Emblem had no idea if the goers or the Psyches were in there.

As they walked down, Biggs and Wedge stepped in front of them. As they saw Emblem however, they nodded and stepped back to the side. Emblem told them the girl was with him, and he meant no harm, before moving on. They knew him. Emblem was of no harm. His known qualities were kindness and trust. In fact, hardly anyone has ever seen him angry, but they'd not want him to be so in any case.

Emblem opened the door and entered, looking around. They had entered the Al Bhed Psyches locker roon. they looked around, apparently still resting a little before taking in new strategies. Emblem waited for their attention to be on him. Although they knew of him and knew from Rikku he was alright, they wanted to know his business. As his mouth opens, Emblem spoke, but in a language Mairi would probably not understand.

''Bayla, so vneahtc. E ys rana du lusbmasahd oui uh y kuut kysa. E ys nuudehk vun oui. Rufajan, E ryja y kiacd. cra ec haf du drec funmt, yht ysywat po ouin bmyo. E fyc rubehk oui fuimt ymm pa cu geht du cekh ran y pmedwpymm?''

It was then that Nimrook looked at Eigaar and back to Emblem, before turning around, and fetching a blitzball out of his locker. The ball passed around the entire team, and was handed to Emblem by Nimrook again. Emblem layed a hand on his shoulder before accepting the ball.

''...Dryhg oui, ajanmycdehk dryhgc. Oui syta ran tyo, yc oui lyh bnupypmo caa, yht seha. E fecr oui dra pacd ykyehcd dra kuanc, E ghuf oui lyh payd dras. Vynafamm.''

With that, Emblem made a deep courteous bow before kneeling down and giving the blitzball to Mairi. She seemed like an energy bomb to explode, if only they would not forget to go back to their places.

Mairi followed Emblem to the locker room, her steps bouncing with excitement as she did so. She grinned at the guards who let them pass, her eyes giggling with some private joke. It didn't matter to her which team they were going to visit, the mere fact that they were going to actually meet one of the teams was a wonderful treat for her.

She didn't understand a word of the language that Emblem was using, and the sound of it made her twitch her ears forward and tilt her head curiously. She really wished she could understand what was being said, but the actions were obvious enough in meaning.

Mairi's eyes widened in joy as she looked at the blitzball that Emblem handed her, marked with the signatures of the members of the Al Bhed team. It was... it was a wonderful gift. With a gleeful grin she ran around the room, the ball tucked under one arm and the other out so that she could hug each and every one of the Psyches.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!! I don't know if you can understand me, but thank you!!"

Once she'd made sure to thank each of them she grinned back at Emblem. "Let's go watch the rest of the game, okay?"

''Alright alright.''
As Emblem nodded again to the Psyches team, who had definitely understood Mairi, they walked back. Emblem preferred to talk Al Bhed to Al Bhed, as it was some sort of a respect thing. The Al Bhed had always been watched as a black sheep, and although they were now commonly accepted, one was not forget the ordeals of the past. They still were calculative in what to show and what not, even the goggles had stayed on mostly. Maybe due to force of habit but it was not Emblem's place to ask. As he gently closed the door behind him, he and Mairi walked back to their seats.

''Second half. I'm gonna get myself something to drink real quick. Our seats are, as you know, up this set of stairs. I'll be back in a minute, you take a seat and keep one for me alright?''

As Emblem turned around the corner to get some refreshing water, he did not think Mairi would simply sit down. Not every kid would get a blitzball signed by all the Al Bhed every day.

Mairi nodded to Emblem and raced back to their seats, grinning like a madwoman and practically bouncing as she did so. She was so happy! A chance exploration had led to all of this! And there was still so much to do and explore, and a whole other half of the game still to play.

She held the ball in both arms and watched the other spectators returning to their seats, all talking amongst themselves. She stood at the railing, her eyes wide and gleeful as things started to fall into place for the second half of the game.

Flashes of memories from other times and places sparked through her mind like skyfire over the waters. Some losses still ached terribly. She wished she hadn't fallen to Vana'diel alone, but she was alive and where there was life there was hope.

"Can you see me from beyond, Tiran? I'm doing my best for you." Her mind asked the question, not expecting an answer. He was gone, but the memory would always be with her.

But it looked like the game was about to start again and she bounced slightly in place, waiting for the buzzer and the excitement.

The buzzer went off, and when it did, Emble mquickly jumped up the steps. He was just in time.

''Busy drink stand.'' said Emblem as he sat down next to Mairi. He was just in time.

The match continued and Emblem enjoyed it for what it was worth. It was a cloudless, sunny day like always, and the game was a very entertaining one to watch. It had a good pacing. It was harsh to say, but the Ronso and Guado were no speedy races. Watching them duke it out was less spectacular then the quick and fierce Al bhed duke it out with the pride filled but quite capable Luca Goers.

It was when Judda broke free and scored a goal unlike any other that Emblem shot up and cheered for the Al Bhed. this was exceptional, as Judda was the left defender of the team! She had broke free and kicked past Raudy! Unbelievable! the Al Bhed team celebrated with short high fives before returning to their starting positions.

Mairi practically jumped up and down as the Al Bhed girl broke free of the guy trying to hold her back and launched a kick of her own to make a goal. She really wasn't certain that she understood what she was watching yet, she hadn't figured out all the positions but still, she liked to celebrate any time a girl was able to beat the boys at their own game.

"Yay!!!" she shouted, hopping on one foot and then the other, her ears twitching with excitement and her tail... well, her tail was moving back and forth so fast that it was a very good thing no one was trying to step past them.

She giggled with delight as the teams went back to their starting positions. "This is soooo cool!"

After another arduous five minutes, the game had ended...And the Al Bhed Psyches had won. It was a close on though, with the Luca Goers getting more vile as time passed. They were fan favorites of Luca, logically, but not Emblem's pick. The Al Bhed were smarter, calculative, and overall faster.

They had won with 3-2 as Bickson scored the equaliser, yet Blappa did not seem to agree with that, and a single mad rush was all it took.

''So...In all honesty, yoú must be the most lucky Outsider ever. A signed Blitzball, good seats although you were standing all of the time, and a splendid game to watch. How close! It's much better then the game I saw last week. 6-1 Isn't much of a serious score, is it?''

People were moving away, talking about the exciting game. the arena was almost slimmed down to zero people in no time, but Emble mtook his time. He loved walkign around here when there weren't a lot of people. All he had to do for the rest of the day was show Mairi Sphere Break, and maybe...go ride a chocobo with her on the Mihen Highroad, if she had never done that before. Emblem had no idea if she knew what a chocobo was...

Mairi was practically beside herself with glee as the Psyches took back the game for themselves! This was a great game!! She was having so much fun!!

She nodded to Emblem. "Yeah, 6 to 1 isn't much of an exciting game, but this was a great game!!! Did you see when that one guy went whoosh! and that other guy went I don't think so! and..." she was gesturing with both hands excitedly, recounting a particularly exciting save from earlier in the game.

She was so excited that she was practically bouncing and trembling at the same time, her ears twitching back and forth and her tail waving behind her like an overwound pendulum. She spontaneously hugged Emblem again, the signed blitzball still in her other arm. "Thank you!!"

Then she opened her belt pouch and made sure that the ball was carefully stowed away inside (one of those mysteries of the life of an adventurer, belt pouches that hold far more than they should...) and then looked up at Emblem with wide, eager eyes. "So is that other game as fun as this one?"