Lynchpin---Castle and Surrounding Grounds.

[lynchpin_castle]

The servants are unseen and unknown. Residents are welcome to take over the Servant’s rooms or not, but it is not recommended. Likewise, it is unclear where the Master resides. Usually s/he will call a meeting of their champions and meet them within the reception all or Banquet room.

Meals are typically taken together as a group, and if requested--training times for the champions as a group may be arranged. Both of the mundane variety, and also recreations of challenge-zones, such as the Labyrinth and the Mirror Gallery. The castle and its immediate surroundings have been set to mimic Earth with its single moon and 24 hour cycle of time, along with a standard Julian calendar for convenience.

Comments

[neveraknight]

She gave a soft thanks to Trunks as he passed her tea for her empty cup. The attention was on her now. She first explained. "Coruscant is... broken up in sectors. Areas, much like some planets break up large land masses into different states or countries? But it's all... connected. There are huge lifts and open tubes, to allow people to go from floor to floor. The lower areas, where trash falls, are the worst. The upper parts are always the nicest. The temple was... amazingly nice."

And she's clearly blushing, or at least her cheeks darkened, as the other took her hand. He spoke in such a way that he would have been a senator for sure, or at least a son of a senator. "If you think about it. We're all aliens to this place, and to each other, so yes. In that regard, I am. There is no Earth where I am from, as far as I know, so most of you are alien to me as well." She pointed out, and gave a smile all the same. "And I do not find questions like that offensive. Asking to know something is always the best way to learn."

[light_of_willpower]

"You are gracious, Miss Ahsoka. I suppose I mean that you are not... That is..." Tamaki paused, trying to think of how best he could put it.

"I take it you're not from an Earth that has interplanetary travel as a common thing yet, Suou-kun?" Trunks preferred a little distance, so last name it was. Tamaki HAD said it was alright, and at the other's nod, he grinned. "It's not exactly common on my Earth either, but we are familiar with interplanetary visitors at least. Not just in the form of stories."

"Then you have an advantage over me, Trunks-kun." Tamaki replied, before shifting purple-eyes back to Ahsoka. "I am thankful for your willingness to indulge my curiosity. Manners can help make the difference, if one knows the right way to go about them."

Ty Lee was following with interest, studying Ahsoka, and something had just clicked in her brain. Her hands coming together, and she bowed her head. "I am so so sorry Miss Ahsoka. You said it wasn't make-up....I'm guessing that's not a costume or headdress either then." Still bowed over her hands, tone sincere. "I still think it's really pretty though."

[neveraknight]

Tamaki was too much. Treating her like a royal or something. She reached over to pat his hand, to take her other hand back, and took up her tea in both hands to feel how warm they are. He was so polite. She also gave Trunks a glance in thanks, for helping her. She wasn't sure why she felt... suddenly uncomfortable. She'd been around different races all her life.

Which might be the problem. All of them had been around different races. Having one out of place unknown (her) was never a problem. "Of course, Tamaki. And it is fine. I hope my own questions for your homes doesn't seem off putting either." She said softly, smiling to put any of them at ease. To Ty Lee she kept the smile. She was liking her more now that she wasn't conversation hopping so swiftly.

"Please. No need to apologize. Part of it is a head piece, if that helps any?" She said to the gold diamond plates on her head, the ones that branch off into soft ball chains over her montrals and down the back of her head. One part looking under the back lekku, the hanging chain.... missing. Anakin must have thrown it away by now. She explained her head, calm and soft. Montrals, lekku, how the tips were to hear, and how some people called leeku 'brain tails' though there was no part of her brain within the tails themselves. When she was done she asked, politely.

"Is Trunks the only one with any form of space exploration or contact with other races?"

That was when the silent older man spoke up, leaning there on the table. "We have space exploration. NASA. They keep shooting shit out there in space, but it's not finding anything." He said with a shrug. "Other races? A bit. Mutants." He scratched at his side burn at this point, frowning. "They consider mutants another race or life form. No one's the same. A good friend o' mine's blue, long tail, sharp toothed and jumps through portals." He shrugged. "You get used to it."

[light_of_willpower]

Tamaki let Ahsoka take her hand back, and was studying them now with interest, mouth slightly open. A real live 'alien'...well, no as Ahsoka'd pointed out, they were all aliens here. But still--this was his first time with non-humans who were sentient beings. It was definitely overwhelming, even as he did his best to keep himself smiling.

"We have heard of NASA as well, and have partnered with it on occasion. As you say though, Msr Logan--they have not found anything." A pause, and he looked down--not nearly as comfortable with asking him questions as he was Ahsoka. "We..do not have mutants as another race or life form, where I am from. The term is used, but not in the way I think you mean? Or perhaps I am mistranslating."

Ty Lee was grateful Ahsoka accepted her apology, and paid attention. "Oh those are so pretty! Do you get to do different decorations? It must be a lot easier than trying to deal with hair ornaments. Or would it be harder because they're poking directly against your skin?"

Tamaki paled again, as the servants brought out food. Small bowls of a soup of some kind, a plate with salad and bread, and some kind of fancy casserole in a bigger dish placed before them all. Some familiar, some not, but it all smelled delicious.

As Ahsoka'd seen before, Trunks briefly brought his hands up and said something quietly under his breath--but Tamaki was watching too. "AH HA!" Pointing, triumphant and grinning, to Trunks' startled blue-eyes, along with Ty Lee's startlement too, her spoon halfway up.

A moment of pause, and then Tamaki seemed to realize, before he settled. "My apologies. Just...that, and the Bow you did earlier--I find it hard to believe you do not have a Japan where you're from."

[neveraknight]

Logan shook his head at the blond. "No, it's no doubt what you're thinking. It's not exactly used in polite terms where I'm from either, but it's what we are." He shrugged. He didn't mean 'we' but oh well. He wont deny it either. They were here for reasons and that was his reason, he supposed. His reason might be why he was here and not Yukio, who he still thought would have liked this. "Just means some humans have evolved. Mutated." He said as if that explained it.

Himawari noticed how Tamaki kept paling when the food came. She just gave him a smile and a reassuring nod when she thought he might have looked. She's like to talk to him about it, but later. When it wasn't so busy maybe. She thanked someone for the meal and gave her own little bow to it. She didn't say much else for now though. She already knew where her Tamaki had come from, and this one sounded the same. And she knew about Logan's mutants and his metal claws. She wondered if that was all the same too. Hmm.

Ahsoka was still blushing. Oh Force help, how to deal with questions about her RACE and TYPE. She was used to JEDI questions, not this. "Oh, I, uh, I've never really changed them. It was given to me in honor of my training. It--oh!" and Tamaki spoke up, and she had to chuckle, hiding it with a hand and glancing to Trunks. Poor thing. "Perhaps his civilization is just... advanced for far from your own that old customs are kept from different cultures, passed on?"

She'd seen it in planetary history before. Maybe Trunks is so far forward in their Earth's planet that they no longer recognize Japan or France or North America or anywhere like that as places.

[light_of_willpower]

Once again, Tamaki had some wide-purple eyes, as he considered that. Was actually left speechless for several moments before he recovered. "I suppose that could be..." He didn't sound convinced, but he smiled back to Himawari.

"I also thank you for explaining Msr Lo..Logan." Correcting himself, even if his inclination was to be polite. "It will take me some time, to get used to all this. Especially invisible servants."

Ty Lee had also done a short bow over her food, though she said nothing, and was taking small bites. "I know! It's weird. I mean, I know they say servants are to be neither seen nor heard, but this is...strange."

Trunks was glad the spotlight was off of him for a moment, and turned his attention to Himawari as well. "You said you've been to other places?"

[neveraknight]

The spotlight seemed to rotate through the group nicely, with one or another of them pitching it off to someone else. The flow was good to learning bits and pieces of someone, with out making any one of them stand out too much. Ahsoka was glad for it to be off her as well. She was going to need extra meditation tonight.

Himawari could agree about that the servants were a bit weird, but she had dealt with that before once as well. When Trunks had directed a question to her, she covered her mouth and finished her bite of salad, before nodding, smiling. "Ah, yes! I have. I have been to an island in some unknown location, where dreams and wishes can be granted. We once had a little girl wish that everyone had a hundred kittens each, so the island was over run for a week until someone wished that away." She said, smiling fondly a moment, then shaking her head.

"I've been to a haunted place, Red Fort, I believe, that was mostly a haunted hotel and a small town of...um... problems? Then to another island on a different Earth, where a darkness came out every night, flooding the entire place in monsters. And um... yes." Her voice was getting softer each time she mentioned one, as if she did realize how amazingly insane this sounded. She blushed and picked up her tea, still smiling though.

[light_of_willpower]

Tamaki had paused with his tea-cup halfway to his mouth. Once again stunned speechless, before looking down and laughing quietly to himself. "I fear I am definitely in over my head."

Ty Lee was listening raptly, in between bites of her own salad and soup. "What kind of problems? You sound like you've had an amazing journey!"

Trunks was just as glad for the spotlight to be off of him, trying to catch Ahsoka's eyes and offer a reassuring smile. If nothing else, they had each other's backs here just as much as in the challenges. "Were they all on Earth, Miss Himawari?"

[neveraknight]

Ahsoka always felt this strange hit of relief any time Trunks gave her a smile. She seemed to relax more with each one, and always gave him a soft smile back. Though she reached over to pat one of Tamaki's hands, very lightly. "Do not worry so much about being in over your head. Everyone has to start their own journey somewhere. This just happens to be where yours will start." She assured him.

Himawari beamed at that. "Just as Ahsoka-chan said! Just a few years ago I was just a student in school as well." A cursed student, but she didn't mention that part. To Ty Lee though she said carefully. "Monsters. Uh, They were called mutants too, actually, but..." to Logan, a worried look. "I am sure they were not the kind you were mentioning, Logan-san." And to Trunks, she bit her lip. "Oh, I ah, I don't think they were all Earth. Pocket universes, or multi-verses. I'm not sure which. I always seem to be drawn to them from different sources and I don't know why. The last one was Earth though. Outside of Canada!"

And back to Ty Lee, a curious look. "But what about you? It sounds like you might be in all of our respective pasts, at least technology wise. Are you a student or fighter?" Because she can tell there are a few fighters here. She may have a sword, but she is not a fighter like they are.

[light_of_willpower]

Ty Lee smiled, putting down her fork. "I don't know about that. We've got hot air balloons and tanks and we're starting on steam power." The Fire Nation had made great advances in its technology for the war. "I'm an acrobat. I suppose you'd classify me as 'fighter' too, though I'm not a bender like Azula or Aang or Katara or Zuko. I recently joined a group called the Kiyoshi warriors. Named in honor of Avatar Kiyoshi, as they try to follow her ideals. During the war though, they realized they had to do more than just protect Kiyoshi island, so they moved to start trying to help the Earth Kingdom, and now the world at large as we all try to heal from the war."

Tamaki appreciated the pat, shooting a grateful and small smile at Ahsoka, nodding his thanks as he listened to Ty Lee.

Trunks simply stayed silent, listening, but glad whenever Ahsoka smiled back. Hopefully he'd get some more decent sleep, since the last two nights hadn't been so. The night after they talked in the spa-room had been the worst though--not because of nightmares. But because he hadn't been able to get Ahsoka out of his mind. Her in battle, her in the pool, her at ease in the spa-room, her meditating. All the time they'd spent together, and other ways he'd very much like to spend time with her. But it was still his responsibility--that he had a crush, did not mean she was obligated to return it or be anything other than herself.