Julie and Jesse, along with the guards that had followed them into the alley, arrived back to where their friends and the maesters gathered.

Anthony held Andre's injured hand ever so gently.  He placed the palm of his other hand above the wound, as his fingertips emanated with a dim, holy white light.  Out of his fingers, sparkling white lights floated down onto the wound, and as they touched that very wound, the gash in Andre's hand slowly healed itself.

Andre rubbed it, making sure everything was okay, "Good as new.  Thank you."

Anthony nodded in acknowledgement, then noticing their friends approaching.

"Where'd that guy go?" Andre wondered.

Julie sighed in frustration, "He got away."

"Damn…" Andre replied, "We did our best."

Anthony turned around to face Maester Dogurasu and his guards, "Are you all right milord?"

Dogurasu smiled; he smiled vaguely, but to the untrained eye it would seem natural.  "Thank you for being concerned Lord Summoner," he answered, "If it wasn't for your brave Guardians, I might not be standing here.  I thank you as well."

Julie performed the Yevon prayer, "I have only done what any other Guardian would have."

"We are pleased to see you safe milord," Andre added, doing the same as his counterpart.

Jesse was silent.  He really didn't want to say anything to that man.

Andre nudged him with his elbow.

"O-Oh!" he stuttered, performing the prayer as well.

Dogurasu smirked to himself, realizing the tension Jesse felt towards him.

The other three maesters walked towards them.

"Just as I'm sure Dogurasu has thanked you, we offer our gratitude as well," Maester Chekhov spoke in a deep and stalwart voice.

"The culprit has gotten away has he?" Maester L'ariel inquired.  She had a soft and elderly tone to her voice.

Jesse nodded to her, "Yes milady."  He spoke to her much different to the way he did Dogurasu.  He could feel that this woman was only filled with purity and love for the world.

"We have placed all of the guards and soldiers in the city to keep an eye out for him," Chekhov added.

"The only question that I have is…why would someone want to try and kill Maester Dogurasu?" Maester Janga spoke up.  Her voice was tender, strong, and demonstrated will.

"That's a very good question," Andre stated.

Dogurasu had a suspicious look on his face.

Jesse immediately noticed, but said nothing.

"Nevertheless, we have sent the people back into the city for them to continue their day," L'ariel told them, "We suggest you all do the same."

"Yes, please enjoy your time in the city," Janga smiled.

"We will keep our eyes peeled Maesters of Yevon," Anthony bowed.

"We shall retire," Chekhov said to them.  He and the other two Maesters followed him into their own respective vehicles, and rode off into the city.

Dogurasu walked over to Anthony and grabbed his hand.

This made Anthony feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Lord Anthony…" he began, "In gratitude for your Guardians' acts, I ask that you stay for the tournament tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" Anthony asked.

"I could have a suite arranged for you and your Guardians.  You could watch the tournament from our balcony," Dogurasu did his best to convince him.

"Oh…well…" Anthony struggled to answer.

"I think it's best to continue on Anthony," Jesse stepped in.

Dogurasu stared at him coldly.

"We've already lost a bit of time after what just happened," he added.

Andre spoke up in his defense, "He does have a point.  Maybe it's best we hurry off so we can make it to the next village by nightfall."

"Hmm…I do agree," Julie nodded.

Dogurasu could sense that Jesse had said that on purpose.

"My Guardians are right," Anthony said, stepping away from the Maester, "We need to push on.  I do appreciate the offer."

"Very well then," Dogurasu replied.  He did his best to hide his frustration.  "Please do enjoy yourselves in the time that you are here.  I hope that we meet again Lord Anthony," Dogurasu smiled.

Anthony performed the Yevon prayer, "Good day Maester Dogurasu."

Dogurasu, along with his three guards, walked into their carriage and headed into the same direction as the other Maesters.

"Hmph," Jesse mumbled to himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What is it man?" Andre wondered.

"I'm not so sure about that guy," he answered.

"You mean Maester Dogurasu?" Julie asked him.

"Don't you think that assassin would have a reason for attacking him?" Jesse told them hypothetically, "I don't know…That guy seems like he might have done some shady business in the past."

"Jesse, he is a Maester.  He is a man of Yevon.  I cannot believe he would ever be involved in such tribulations," Anthony told him.

"Doesn't mean I have to trust him," Jesse said.

"He has done much good for the people," Anthony explained, "I'm sure you will see that in time."

"I don't mean to interrupt or seem selfish or anything…" Andre spoke up, "But…I was hoping we could explore the city for a while?"

"I would have to agree with him," Julie stated, "We've never been in such a vast city as this one.  It would be nice to see what it has to offer."

Anthony smiled excitedly, "I was hoping you'd say that!"  He turned around and began to head off into the depths of Bazaar, while shouting, "We'll meet later!"

"A-Anthony!" Julie cried, then sighing in grief, "Well, I can't blame him."

"Huh?" Jesse wondered as he looked around, "Where'd Andre go?"

Julie searched along with him, not seeing him anywhere in sight.  She laughed a bit, "I suppose that just leaves you and me."

"All right!" Jesse said optimistically, "Let's look around then."

Julie nodded to him in agreement, as the two of them made their way into the city.

Meanwhile, at the white marble balcony of a luxurious hotel that overlooked the hustle and bustle of the streets below, Dogurasu stood.  The winds blew across him, blowing around his hair and his clothes.  He looked on with an eerie look in his eyes.

His three guards walked up to him from behind.

"That was close today," the tallest of the guards said.  He was most definitely male, and his voice seemed familiar somehow.

"Someone was trying to kill you," the other spoke, a woman this time.

"Do you have any idea who it could be?" the final guard asked him.  This guards was also female.

Dogurasu thought about it for a moment, remembering the 'Freezing Cut' attacked performed by the mysterious warrior.  "His attack…I remember it all too well," he said, "Seeking revenge I see…"

"Should we search for him?" the male guard inquired.

"Do not worry about him.  My focus is on the Summoners," Dogurasu replied, "Lord Anthony…a truly powerful essence he bears."

"He is quite strong," one of the female guards stated.

"Yes…so you've told me," Dogurasu said, "I was hoping he would stay so I could play with him a little.  Perhaps I could still convince him…"  Dogurasu turned around and headed towards the door of his hotel suite.

"What are our orders milord?" the male guard asked.

"I know that I have sidetracked you, teleporting you here to Bazaar.  Nevertheless, I want you to continue with our original plan," Dogurasu explained, "Head for Orlami."

The three guards bowed, "Yes."  In that instant, an immense dark light emerged from beneath them.  They were all swallowed up as they were teleported away to their next destination.

"Now Lord Anthony…where could you be…?" Dogurasu grinned to himself.

The streets of Bazaar were overflowing with people.  There were many more than usual.  Of course it was due to the commencement of the tournament the following morning. 

Andre did his best to make his way through the mass.  He squeezed through the crevices in between people and excused his way on through the streets. 

"Wow…" he sighed in amazement, staring up at all of the tall buildings and structures, "I never thought I'd see anything like this in my entire life!"

He managed to find his way onto the sidewalk.  He was passing by a store window, when he noticed what was being displayed there.  He stopped and rushed over to the glass window.  He stared in admiration at what he saw.

He was looking into a bakery.  There were cakes of all kinds of flavors lined up at the window display.  Chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, banana nut bread, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and all kinds of confectionary seemed to shimmer in Andre's eyes.

He licked his lips in the most absolute delight, "I haven't had one in so long…No thanks to the Guardian diet the trainers put me on!"

A tall, dark-skinned man stepped up to him from behind.  His reflection could be seen in the glare of the window.

"You wouldn't want to have any of that if you want to become anything like myself," the man spoke arrogantly.

Andre looked up into the reflection, and then turned around at an amazing speed.  His eyes of shock told of his feelings, "No way!"

The man who had spoken to him was even taller than Andre was and most definitely had more muscle.  He had a very short haircut that was pretty much flat on his head.  He had green eyes just as Andre did.  The man wore a sleeveless navy blue vest that displayed all of his muscular glory.  He had a bold black belt wrapped around his waist that carried two long and pointed daggers at his sides.  His dark gray pants showed off his muscular thighs and calves.  The navy blue, suede-type boots finished off this ensemble.

"How are you doing little brother?" the man asked.  He kept up the boastful and conceited tone.

"Rico?!" Andre gasped, "What the hell are you doing here?"  Andre's attitude changed instantly from being stunned to resentment.

"Is that any way to talk to your well-known, well-liked…and not to mention damn good looking brother?" Rico laughed to himself.

Andre could barely stand to hear him.

Rico put his arm around his younger brother, "Now don't put on that face!  I am happy to see you!"

Andre smiled a bit.  He was at least pleased to hear that, especially coming from his arrogant big brother.

"Now, tell me about your travels with your Summoner," Rico said, as the both of them began to walk down the street and continue on with brotherly conversation.

Meanwhile, Julie and Jesse carried on in their exploration of the Withstanding City.  Julie had stopped at a sidewalk to speak with a street merchant.  The merchant had a cart filled with priceless jewelry.  Julie, being the girl that she is, couldn't help but stop to inquire about the precious and marvelous artifacts the merchant carried.

She picked up a pair of platinum silver earrings with the most beautiful sapphires.  "These are wonderful!" she told the merchant.

The merchant, a short and fat middle-aged man, tried his best to get her to purchase something, "Oh, I know that they would look splendid on such an exquisite face!"  He had a sly tone to his voice.

Julie reached into her dress to see if she had anything she could give him.  Nevertheless, she found nothing.  "I'm sorry sir," she apologized, "I'm afraid I won't be able to purchase these."

The merchant snatched the earrings back, "Don't come back here unless you have money!"

"Why you little…" she began to say angrily.  She stopped when she looked over a few feet away to see Jesse deep in thought by himself.  Julie turned her head away from the greedy merchant, "They were cheap anyway."  She ignored him and walked over to Jesse.

"Is everything all right?" she wondered.

Jesse looked up and stared off into the sky, "I can't shake this feeling…"

"What do you mean?" Julie asked him.

"That Dogurasu guy…" he answered, "I just…Something isn't right with him."

"Jesse, I thought we talked about this," Julie replied, "Maester Dogurasu is an honorable man.  Like Anthony told you, he has done much good for the followers of Yevon."

"I guess…" he sighed, "…I'll have to take your word on that."

"Oh my!" Julie gasped joyfully, "Look over there!"

The both of them looked across the street to see an opening.  There was a park filled with luscious grass, blooming flowers, green trees, and an angel fountain.

"Come on, let's go," Julie said excitedly.  The two of them made their way across and over to the park.  They stopped on a curved bridge that overlooked a small path.  There were a couple of stores lined up on the side of the path.  Couples had picnics together as children ran around playing with each other.

Jesse leaned forward against the edge of the bridge to then see a stadium in the distance.  "Is that it?" he asked.

"Yes," Julie nodded, "The Bazaar Stadium."

"It's huge," Jesse commented.

"If only the world were different…we might have been able to enjoy it," Julie sighed with a hint of disappointment.

Jesse looked downward below them to see the porcelain angel statue spouting water from its mouth.  He immediately noticed Anthony sitting on the edge of it surrounded by a small crowd of people.

"Look, there's Anthony," he stated.

"Ah, there he is." Julie smiled.

A young, four-year old boy walked up to Anthony.  He was a bit shy as he twisted his foot into the ground timidly.  "Lord Anthony…" he began in the cutest voice you could ever hear.

Anthony smiled so warmly, "Yes?"

"Do…you know any magic?" the boy wondered.

Anthony giggled to himself, "Would you like to see some?"

The boy's face lit up as other children began to run from their parents to join him. 

Anthony clenched his fist gently and then reopened it to reveal an orange flower.

"Wow…!!" the children awed.

Anthony then threw the flower straight into the air.  The petals of the flower broke apart and then transformed themselves into several orange butterflies.

The children laughed and cheered as they chased down each and every one of the butterflies across the park.

Anthony smiled with a pleasant look on his face.

One of the mothers walked over to him, "Lord Anthony, I have never seen a Summoner as kind as you."

"Thank you," he replied, "I only wish to make everyone happy."

"Have your travels been difficult?" the mother asked him.

"Well…" Anthony began. 

The mother sat next to him as the other parents and children gathered round to listen to Anthony's story up to this point.

Jesse watched Anthony from above and couldn't help but wonder something.  "Hey, Julie?" he began to ask, "Was…Anthony always like this?"

Julie laughed a bit, confused by his question, "Like what?"

"He's always…so gentle, and kind, and poised, and mature…" he tried his best to explain, "He's almost regal at times."

"Well…" Julie replied, "You remember seeing Anthony in the village when you lived there, don't you?"

Jesse stopped to think about it for a moment.  He remembered all of the times that he had watched Anthony from afar when they were but children.  He saw thought about times when Anthony was laughing, making goofy faces, telling scary stories, and cracking out jokes.

"He was…always smiling and laughing," Jesse smiled to himself.

"That hasn't changed all too much.  Just now…he doesn't smile and laugh for himself anymore," Julie told him, "He smiles and laughs for the well-being of others.  The Summoner is like an ambassador of the people.  He carries the wishes and the hopes of each and every human being in the world.  It makes you grow up all too quickly."

"But, he's still Anthony," Jesse nodded.

Julie smiled, "That's right.  Anthony will always be Anthony."

Jesse watched on as Anthony waved goodbye to the children who were leaving. 

Anthony looked up towards the bridge and smiled to Jesse.  He waved hello.

Jesse smiled back, and returned the gesture.

Julie watched the two for a moment.  She was seeing a different kind of chemistry and relationship between them.  She didn't want to say anything for the fact that she may be wrong.  But, it was something to definitely keep in mind.

Then, suddenly, noise began to come from a grocery store near Anthony's position.  He turned over to it to see what was going on.

The door of the grocery store flared open as someone was thrown out of it.  It was a young girl, but this was no ordinary girl.  This girl was not completely human.  She seemed to be around ten years old.  She had the silhouetted body of any normal girl.  Nevertheless, she seemed to be a cross of that normal girl and a feline.  Her entire body was covered in auburn colored fur.  She had the pointed ears and the piercing yellow eyes of a cat.  Not to mention she carried the very same nose and whiskers.  Her hair was of a wooden color.  She wore a raggedy, potato sack material dress and was covered in dirt and soot.

She weakly got back on to her feet.

"You heathen!" a male voice yelled from the store.  Three strong, brute men, barbaric looking men stepped out of the store.  Each of them had a bald heads and a thin beards.  They each carried a sword and a mallet.

"What were you thinking even coming on to these shores?!  Can't you see these are HUMAN lands?!" one of the other man shouted.

The young half-human girl's eyes were filled with tears.  She was unbelievably frightened.

"We have laws on these lands!  You thought you were gonna get away with stealin'?!" the other of three added.

"Hey boss, I bet that the Anomalies are the ones murdering the Summoners across the globe!" one of them spoke to the one in the middle.

The one called boss replied, "You're probably right!"

"N-No…!  That's not true!" the girl cried in a sweet tone.

"Quiet you!!!" Boss yelled at her, "You need to be punished!!  This will teach your kind to never come back here!!"  Boss reached over into his belt and pulled out a dagger.  He approached the feline girl and grabbed her hand. 

She did her best to get away but Boss was too strong.

"This will teach you never to steal AGAIN!" he grinned.  He pulled the hand with the dagger up into the air, and began to slash down with it.

At that very moment, Anthony stepped in by putting his staff over the young demi-human girl, therefore protecting her.

"What?!" Boss gasped.

Anthony pushed the dagger up with his staff, spun around, and batted Boss's hand with it.  He knocked the dagger out of his hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Boss yelled angrily.

Anthony looked back at the young girl and smiled, "Stay behind me."

"Looks like we're gonna have to teach you a lesson too!" one of the henchman yelled.

"I don't think so!!" Jesse yelled from the bridge.  He and Julie leaped off and rushed over to their friend's aide.

Jesse pulled out his sword and prepared for a battle.

"Why are you protecting this Anomaly?!!" Boss asked, a bit confused.

"She is no different than any of us!" Anthony shouted.

The young girl was surprised to hear a human defend her like that.

"No different?!  Look at her!" Boss pointed.

"She is just as human as you are!  No, in fact…she is more human than you'll ever be, for your heart is filled with ignorance!!" Anthony yelled.

"You would defend one that is apart of the race killing the Summoners?!" Boss asked him.

"What?" Anthony gasped.

"The Anomalies are the ones committing the Summoner Murders!" Boss explained.

"What are you talking about?!" Julie wondered.

"Never mind!  Get out of my way!!!" Boss yelled.

"No!!" Anthony responded firmly, "I won't let you harm her!  She is but a child!"

"A demi-human child!  That changes everything!!" he replied.

Anthony held his staff in a ready position.  He was not going to budge, not for an instant.

"Then I'll move you MYSELF!" Boss yelled intensely. 

He was just about to attack Anthony when a voice shouted, "ENOUGH!"

Everyone turned over to their left to see Maester Janga and her two guards.

"M-Maester Janga!" Boss and his crew bowed.

She approached them all.  "How dare you?!" she yelled at the barbarians, "How dare you speak to a Summoner in such a manner?!"

"W-What?!" Boss gasped.

"This is Summoner Anthony.  He is fighting for your peace and you treat him with such disrespect!" Janga scolded him.

"I-I didn't know," Boss stuttered to say.

Anthony kneeled down to the young Anomaly, "Are you all right?"

"Uh huh…" she nodded, frightened.

"Why were you stealing from the store?" Anthony asked her kindly.

"W-Well…my family and I…we don't have much food and I want to help so I…" she tried her best to explain.

"You're just hungry, is that it?" he wondered.

She nodded.

"What's your name?" Anthony asked her.

"Nakome…" she answered shyly.

"Such a pretty name," Anthony smiled.

"Nakome, is it?" Janga asked as she approached the young girl.

Anthony helped her back up onto her feet.

Janga looked across and over to the store entrance to see a bald man with an apron standing there.  "You there!  Are you the owner of this establishment?" she asked him.

The owner nodded, "Yes I am milady!"

"Very well then.  See to it that Nakome acquires all of the necessary food for her family!" she ordered.

"Y-Yes milady," the owner replied.

Janga looked over to her guards, "Make sure Nakome has no more trouble."

"Well, Nakome, I hope we see each other again," Anthony said to her kindly and genuinely.

Nakome smiled, "Me too!"

"Come Miss Nakome," one of the guards spoke. 

Nakome waved goodbye as she was led into the store by the guards.

"As for you three…" Janga began, speaking to Boss and his men, "You are in the tournament correct?"

Boss nodded, "Yes milady."

"I will only give you a warning, this time.  I pray that this does not happen again," she said to them sternly.

"Yes milady," Boss agreed.  He and his men stood up, giving a nasty look to Anthony and his Guardians, and were off on their way.

"Thank you Maester Janga," Anthony bowed.

"Think nothing of it," Janga smiled, "I am simply pleased that you all stood up to such a brute."

"Maester Janga…that man mentioned the Summoner Murders?" Jesse inquired.

"Yes, unfortunately that is true," Janga replied disappointingly.

"I have yet to hear of this," Anthony stated.  There was a bit of worry in his voice.

"All across the world Summoners have been reported to be either missing…or murdered," Janga explained, "No one knows who the culprit behind this plot is, or the reason for it.  But, because of the ignorance of the people towards the Anomalies, they believe they are behind it."

"What do you think milady?" Julie asked her.

"To be quite honest…" she began, "I cannot believe that the Anomalies would do such a thing.  They have been a peaceful race for decades now.  Not to mention they are very private and rarely come to the human shores."

Anthony smiled, sighing in relief by her response, "I feel the same way."

"Now you must take me on my offer," Dogurasu spoke as he approached them.

"Maester Dogurasu," Anthony replied.

"You have done a great service today and you must be compensated for it," he told them.

"I must agree with him," Janga smiled, "Please, stay for the tournament tomorrow.  We shall provide all of the accommodations for you all."

"Well…if it's all right with my Guardians…" Anthony said.  He looked over to his friends.

"I suppose it'd be all right," Julie smiled, winking at him.

"I've been dying to see this tournament," Jesse added.

"It's settled then," Dogurasu said abruptly, "You shall stay here tonight in one of the suites near ours."

"Very well then," Anthony nodded.

"Now, Lady Janga, I will accompany you back to your suite," Dogurasu said to her politely.

"Thank you," she replied, "I shall see you all later."

"Yes, of course," Anthony replied, performing the Yevon prayer.

Dogurasu and Janga walked off into the distance.

"We've got to tell Andre!" Jesse shouted emphatically, "He's going to be so surprised!"

"Yes, I say it's best we find him," Julie agreed.

"Summoner Murders…?" Anthony thought to himself, "Who would do such a thing?"

"Anthony, are you coming?" Julie asked.

"O-Oh!" he answered, "Yes, I'm coming!"

The three of them hurried off back into the streets to find their friend.

As the sun was setting beyond the walls of the might city, Andre and his older brother walked back through the streets.  The crowd had lessened as everyone made their way back to their homes or hotel rooms. 

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into little brother," Rico told him.  It seemed they had been having a conversation about a certain topic.

"Don't try to discourage me," Andre snapped back, "You always try to do that."

Rico could tell his brother was a bit upset, and kind of right.  "Well…" he began, "I guess…I wish you luck then."

Andre could tell how hard it was for his brother to say that to him because of his huge ego and all.  He appreciated it.

"Andre!" someone called out from afar.

Andre looked across a few people to see Anthony, Julie, and Jesse heading towards him.  "Oh, hey!" he waved.

His three friends rushed over to join up with him.

"We were looking all over for you," Jesse told him.

"You won't believe what happened…" Julie began to explain when she looked over to the person standing next to Andre.  She was shocked to see who it was.

"Rico?!" Anthony gasped.

Rico replied with his conceited smirk, "Nice to see you again, Anthony.  Well, I suppose it's Lord Anthony now."

Anthony smiled, "Yes."

"And Julie, you've grown," Rico said, "Your magic skills doing your team any justice?"

"Hey!" Julie punched him in the arm, "One more word and I'll burn your lips together!"

Rico laughed, but then stopped quickly when he saw Jesse.  "N-No way…" he gasped.

"I haven't seen you in a long time," Jesse stated.

"You remember Jesse, right?" Andre asked his brother.

"Yeah, but…" Rico stuttered, "I had heard that you…in the Plate Rip…"

"I made it out.  My family, however…" Jesse answered him sadly.

"It's nice to see you're okay," Rico told him, "And a Guardian as well?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah.  Kind of a spur of the moment decision."

"But, he's a great Guardian!" Anthony spoke up, complimenting him, "He's protected me so many times now!"

"I'm glad to hear it, but…" Rico began to say when he began to flex his muscles, "…You'll never be as great a Guardian as me!"

"Oh is that right?" Julie grinned, not buying into his boastful attitude.

Andre was silent and distant.  He had an upset look on his face.  He was always used to this.  His older brother always having to be center stage and Andre being caught in the shadows.

"What brings you here Rico?" Anthony wondered.

"Actually, I'm here to test my skills in the tournament," he answered, "We've taken a bit of a break from the pilgrimage for a while.  My Summoner has gotten married and she's on her honeymoon.  I'm meeting up with her back in Arjuna."

"That's wonderful news," Julie smiled warmly.

"If you're in the tournament, then we'll see you tomorrow," Jesse stated.

"You'll see me with the title tomorrow," Rico said confidently.

"We'll root for you," Anthony smiled.

"Ha ha!  I won't need it!" Rico laughed, "I'm way too strong for these guys!"

"Rico, you'll never change…" Julie sighed in grief.

"Hey, it's getting late.  I need to catch my beauty sleep for tomorrow," Rico told them, "You should be doing the same little brother."

"I'm fine," Andre mumbled.

"Maybe we'll see each other tomorrow," Rico said as he began to walk off.  He stopped and then turned to see them, "But, if I don't see you…Little brother, take care of Lord Anthony.  I've known him since he was little and I don't want anything happening to him."

"Rico…" Anthony smiled to him.

"A lot of strange things are going down," Rico explained to them, "You need to watch your back."

"Thanks for the advice," Andre replied, not necessarily gratuitous. 

"Good night!" Rico waved to them as he walked off into the distance of the city.

"That was quite a surprise," Julie spoke, "Seeing him here, I mean."

"We should probably get to the hotel anyway," Jesse said.

"Wait a second…You said you would see him tomorrow at the tournament?" Andre wondered.

"Yes.  The Maesters have offered us a suite and balcony seating for the tournament tomorrow," Anthony explained.

Andre leaped up happily, "Yes!!!"

"Why are you so excited?" Jesse asked.

"Well, I was going to tell you later but…I entered the tournament!" he shouted, clenching his fist determinedly.

"You did what?!" Julie gasped.

Andre scratched his head, a bit with embarrassment, "You'll root for me…won't you?"

Meanwhile, in the dark depths of a nearby alleyway, four dark cloaked figures watched on.  They all looked to one another and nodded.

The evening stars glistened across the night sky and above the city of Bazaar.  The city, which had been so busy and eventful earlier that day, was now dormant and asleep.  The children who had been playing all throughout the park were now nestled into their beds, and their parents slept in their own comfy beds with one another. 

The tall and luxurious Crystal Hotel still had a few lights on in some of its fifth floor rooms.  In one of them, through the window, two silhouettes could be seen together, having a conversation.

"I can't believe you Andre!" Julie yelled.  She paced back and forth across the room.

The room had two beds, covered in sparkling turquoise comforters.  Their pillows were white and hand beaded with crystals and quartzes.  The doors were lined with platinum and gold, as were the walls.  The chandelier that hung in the center of the ceiling was lit by dozens of candles that spiraled around an enormous crystal shard.

"Entering the tournament?!" she shouted, "What were you thinking?!"

"I don't get it!  What's the big deal?!" he replied, "We were going to stay for the tournament anyway!"

"That isn't the point Andre!  That tournament is dangerous!" Julie told him. 

Andre could hear the worry in her voice.  He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder in comfort, "Don't worry.  I'll be fine."

"I know why you're doing this…" she replied, "And you shouldn't feel that way."

Andre looked down ashamedly, knowing exactly what she meant, "I'm sorry.  I have to do this, for myself."

Julie let out a deep sigh, "All right then.  If you're going to do this…then we'll cheer you on."

Andre smiled, "Thank you."  Andre turned around and then said, "Now, tell me about what happened today."

"It's a long story, but…" Julie began as she walked towards her window.  She stared out into the stars.  "You know how your brother said that strange things were happening?" Julie asked him.

Andre nodded, "Yeah, but what does that have to do with this?"

"Today, we found out about the Summoner Murders," she answered.

Andre's eyes widened with shock, "Summoner Murders?!"

"Yes.  Maester Janga confirmed the rumor we heard," Julie explained, "All across the world Summoners are either disappearing or ending up dead.  Some believe that the Anomalies are the ones behind it.  But, Maester Janga doesn't believe that is true.  Neither do I…"

"That's probably what Rico meant earlier…" Andre pondered to himself, "This is dangerous."

Julie nodded as she turned away from the window, "I know…I'm worried.  Anthony is great danger."

"We'll protect him, from whatever comes our way," Andre told her, trying to encourage her.

She smiled worriedly, "Yes…"