𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞.

Goings-on like this, no matter their obvious intention, are always worth keeping an eye on.

Lex is here as something of an ear, listening for public sentiment (aside from what the royal family wants people to think) and even keeping an eye out for recruits. He doesn't exactly relish watching combat play out, and he definitely hates these noisy crowds more than anything (how can it get so loud? to the point where everything just feels like blurry static?) but it's still somewhat interesting to be here.

The first rounds are always interesting when you've got some experience with combat. Though his apparent non-affiliation allows him comfortably not to participate in the fights, he's sure he'd survive these first rounds, unless he got very lucky. They tend to end fast in a boring way, or last a very long time in a boring way. Very few talents versus talents, simply idiots flailing at one another or being instantly knocked out.

Though apparently he's the only one who feels that way. His ears are ringing from the screaming and cheering, and given that now, during the break when everyone is grabbing food or alcohol, it's just as loud as ever, he's got a killer headache. It's impossible to take in any new sensory input, and maybe that's why he completely failed to realise he was being spoken to until he accidentally looked over and saw someone waiting for his reply.

"Crowds not really your thing, huh?" she teases the very obviously uncomfortable person beside her, her voice carrying it's usual teasing tone. "I get it. They can be a real pain in the ass." She glanced back at the chaos of cheering and screaming, empathizing with why the strange may not have enjoyed the commotion. Sure, she was elated to compete, but if she had to sit in the audience all day getting her eardrums rocked straight to hell, she'd probably be moody too.

Since the creation of the internet, online shopping, and two-day shipping, Viv has seen a decline in the amount of people coming to the weekly market. And how could he blame them? Rather than pack your wares altogether only to repack whatever you hadn’t sold that day, nearly anything could be sent directly to your home with a few clicks from the computer.

But Viv had lived more of his life without a computer than he had with one. And honestly, peaches tasted better picked fresh from the tree than they had if they sat bruising in a hot box for three days. So during peach season, Vivansh still packed his cart with as many peaches as would fit, and drove them down to the local market. He waved to the florist, picked up his favorite bread from the baker. and just as he arrived at his usual spot, a loud crash comes from behind him. 

“–My peaches!” His cries are reminiscent of a certain cabbage merchant of a mid-2000′s Nickelodeon cartoon. When he looks behind him, he sees both his peaches and his cart in shambles. “You – did you see what happened?”

She couldn't keep the grin off of her face, no matter how much she tried to hide that she found the whole situation pretty damn hilarious. Her eyes sparkled mischievously, guilty pleasure in the chaos showing through. "Okay, you got me. Those peaches just couldn't resist my magnetic charm, I guess," she paused, finally breaking out into a laugh. "But seriously, it was an accident, I swear!" Her hands go up defensively in mock fear, "One of my, uh, not-so-graceful thralls got a little too excited and, well…let's just say your card didn't really stand a chance." She finished, failing to suppress another giggle.