So do you have what it takes?

[waterfell]

Colorful dresses swirl by. Laughter makes the air come alive. Cooking smells compete with one another to entice passers-by with their aromas. A festival atmosphere pervades this spot, which has somehow been connected to the nexus

Comments

[not_a_moonkitty]

"I'm telling you, you're making a mistake!"

The Nexus was what originally had drawn Luna here. Luna was thankful, at first; a contest like this may have drawn the attention of Diana (or Artemis, but Luna was less willing to entertain that option). Thick, dark hair was tied up in a braided bun. The crescent on her forehead was hidden for the moment, her form in a fashionable, simple yellow dress, a black overcoat covering most of it. Paired with stylish sunglasses and black heels, Luna stuck out somewhat from most of the crowd. And it was noticed.

"Ah, another contestant? Don't be shy!" Before she could even register what was happening, she was being nudged towards the stage. Despite her protests, sunglasses, coat, and the tie holding her hair back were all pulled off her as she stumbled onto the stage. Hair fell behind her in thick waves, the crowd 'ooh'ing as the pretty lady took the stage. Luna felt her cheeks color as she straightened up the best she could, folding her hands in front of her. Well, she was up here now...

[waterfell]

Oh. My. Ami has to turn to make a comment to the judge beside her, partly to hide herself from Luna and partly to hide a mischievous smile. Behind her, she can hear a few murmured comments about the unusual, but attractive hairstyle.

It's up to another member of the panel to try to make the 'new contestant' feel at ease. "Go ahead," he says kindly. "Everyone is excited to see the splendid talent of such a beautiful girl!" He smiles, and gives a quick nod to urge Luna on.

Ami takes her cue. "Talent portion!"

[not_a_moonkitty]

"Talent? Um..." She looked around, some of the crowd laughing at how frantic the woman seemed to be. In the same crowd, Luna's eyes fell on a girl who looked about Diana's age, eyes red and cheeks tear stained. Though she wasn't crying at the moment, she had been, and Luna could see why. The girl held a pitiful looking flower in her hands, gripping it tight as if she could save it. It looked terrible, like someone had purposely killed the poor thing. Luna approached the edge of the stage, kneeling down and motioning to the girl. "Ojou-chan," she greeted, "Come here

[waterfell]

"Ah! Magic! Very good!" The judge who'd encouraged Luna to start beams at her, possibly still trying to make her feel more comfortable. There's scattered applause, which quickly grows; apparently appealing to the crowd's sympathy was a good choice - and strangely, no one watching can figure out the trick. A good performance, indeed.

Ami watches the most intently of all, but of course she already knows it's no trick. This is Luna's power. For just a second, it makes her remember a little cat that liked to climb on her shoulder.

[not_a_moonkitty]

The girl's shocked look turned into an absolutely beaming smile as the flower fully returned to its healed state. Luna smiled as she handed the flower back to the girl. The girl gently took the flower into her hands, bowing deeply. "Thank you, oneesan!" Luna nodded and stood up, smiling still. It was only then that she noticed the applause, and the woman blushed, taking a brief bow.

[waterfell]

The applause only grows. It's easy to see how the kind-hearted Luna is capturing their hearts, and only a few other contestants seem bothered. They're probably just disgruntled at not being in the lead.

"Intelligence portion is next," Ami announces, taking the focus of the crowd back. "Are you ready for our questions, Luna-san?"

[not_a_moonkitty]

Luna blinked, then nodded. "Y-yes," she replied, folding her hands in front of her again, "Please, ask away." She wasn't sure what she was going to be asked, but she could handle it. Probably.

[waterfell]

Hmmm. Ami makes a show of thinking for a bit, then her lips curve in that slightly mischievous smirk of hers.

"Luna-san," she addresses the other woman directly. "Pretend you have a boat, and you need to go to the island with your fox, your chicken, and a bag of grain. You can only bring one thing at a time. If you leave the fox and chicken alone, you won't have a chicken anymore. If you leave the chicken with the grain, the grain will disappear. How do you get all three there?"

[not_a_moonkitty]

Luna smiled; she knew this! Her reply is calm, and she uses her hands as she explains. "First, you take the chicken," she replies, "Then you go back to get the grain. You leave the grain and take the chicken back with you. Then you leave the chicken there and pick up the fox, then take the fox to the grain. Lastly, you take the chicken to where the fox and grain are. This way, all three get to the other side without any losses." Luna nodded, smiling again. The crowd waited for the result, barely making a sound; was she correct?

[waterfell]

"That's right," Ami affirms, with that bright, public, host-of-the-event smile. "If you do that, only the fox and grain are left alone, and the fox won't eat the grain."

"Congratulations, Luna-san! You've been a very good contestant."

Next up seem to be those three women Ami had been watching earlier, and they look eager to go, although they shoot the pretty Luna a few dirty looks for her success so far.

[not_a_moonkitty]

Luna's smile grew, and she beamed as she giggled, waving to the audience. "Thank you!" she said, bowing again. After she came back up, confusion filled her features. "Ah, where do I go now...?" The crowd broke into laughs as Luna blushed; hey, she had been pushed into this; how was she supposed to know?

[waterfell]

There's a round of polite, sympathetic laughter. This, of course, gives Ami her chance.

"I'll show her," she offers to the other judges, and what could be more natural? She approaches Luna easily, looking the other in the eye.

"We haven't met in awhile, so let's keep getting along," she says once she's close enough for the conversation to stay private. "I don't want them to know who I am yet."

[not_a_moonkitty]

Luna's very first instinct, to ask why they wouldn't get along, is pushed back, the woman nodding in reply. They move offstage and to a more private venue, the backup MC taking Ami's place for now.

[waterfell]

Once they're somewhere private, Ami looks directly at Luna again.

"You came here by the nexus," she guesses easily. "There's an energy about you."

That, at least, seems to be brushed off easily. Luna won't make trouble for her. "No one else here needs to know about the nexus," Ami says instead, putting a finger to her lips; the only important condition. After all, she's hunting bad guys.

[not_a_moonkitty]

Another nod; Luna understood that all too well. "I did," she replied, "And I never tell anyone about the nexus. Those that need to know about it already do."

[waterfell]

"Still the same Luna," Ami says mischievously. "Smart."

Cautious and prudent, anyway, despite her seeming childishness and immaturity in Ami's world - two faults the poised woman in front of her has either outgrown or never had. Different after all.