[Vision]

Diana had been running her fingers along the markings with her eyes closed trying to visualize them in her mind so she could look for matches on the other, except she couldn't find any pattern to them, just random lines. Frustrated she started holding the relic up to visually comparing theirs to the ones around them. She was on her toes looking over someone's shoulder when Brock's shout startled the room nearly causing her to lose balance. As the crowd scattered a bit she caught eye of the two that they had met in the forest. They weren't going to be lucky enough to match with them though it might still help to group up once more, she gently placed her hand on Hagane's elbow and nodded in the direction of Janna and Brock.

[Walter]

Though Janna wasn't all that troubled by loud noises, she still covered her ears with her palms. Even through them, she could hear the large man shout. She removed her hands from her head and watched the crowd part in front of them, until just two people stood out. The shield maiden quickly recognized them as the two they had met in the forest, and pointed them out to Brock.

"Maybe they have some bright ideas on how to deal with all of this. I'd guess they figured out the puzzle piece aspect as well." She said, starting to head that way and gesturing for Brock to follow.

[nathan67003]

Brock nodded his assent to Janna's plan before following her along. As they approached, he noticed that at least one of the two had seen them. Brock offered a "'S up" nod of the head to his fellows as greeting.

[Flooberoid]

Despite being unfazed by the shout, Hagane was curiously startled at Diana's touch. He glanced at Diana, and followed her gaze to Brock and Janna. Recognizing them immediately, he was secretly glad to address someone familiar first. "Hmm, well... a little trial and error couldn't hurt," he muttered. "Diana, let's compare our artifact with theirs, if they are willing."

[Vision]

With a slightly apologetic expression she quickly let go of Hagane, 'was he just surprised or does he not like being touched' she wondered.  "Even though they probably won't match, Brock is kinda the center of the room now. When people go over to check their relic against his we can stand next to them and give it a quick once over too." carrying the relic with both hands she headed off to the two.

[Walter]

(Oh, boy, really sorry for not posting. Will try to not do that.)

Janna waved in greeting to the approaching duo. "Hey, guys. We think we've figured out what's the deal with these pieces. It's like a puzzle or something, and the pieces connect." She said, uncertain if the two had figured that out themselves.

The shield maiden then sighed slightly, placing her fists on her hips. "Don't really know how we're going to find the match. I'm not sure how well thought-out this whole thing was on the school's part."

[nathan67003]

Brock just... followed suit, spreadibg out his hand and bringing it at the lowest of the four eye levels. He might as well let them look at it. Besides, smarts weren't exactly his forte...

[Flooberoid]

"Well, if you would hand me your artifact for a moment, we could always see if we're lucky." Hagane suggested. "If we do match up, it would theoretically help the other groups out; removes two pairs from the pool, after all."

Taking Brock's gesture as an invitation, Hagane nodded acknowledgement. He smiled and gestured for Diana to bring forth their relic.

((OOC: I can skip most of this round and just say what the relic looks like whole; just wanna give Vision a chance to post first since Diana is currently holding their relic.))

[Vision]

"Right, here." she quickly but carefully handed it to him, "Any luck? There a quite a few sides so not really sure which ones are supposed to match."

As Hagane was looking over it, she gave a soft smile to the other two, just being with some people she kinda knew did help her relax a bit. Not that they were in any danger here but she couldn't help but feel slightly safer with them all. 'Could just be a side effect of them all being taller than me' she thought to herself.

[Flooberoid]

Without a word, Hagane rotated the pieces around, scrutinizing the jagged edges of each. A moment later, he decided how they would attach and, sure enough, they slid together perfectly.

As the edges of one tablet met the other, the two merged so seamlessly it was as if they were whole from the start. In fact... as Hagane tugged, the pieces refused to separate! The grooves in the jade artifact became more pronounced. The material itself started to give off a dim glow, as if to act as a back light for viewing the image proper. Even more intricacies appeared now. Certain areas on the surface, which had previously felt smoother than others for reasons unknown, now revealed themselves to be polished for the purpose of creating a brighter highlight on the face of the stunningly detailed picture before them. When viewed as a whole, this striking image in all its glory turned out to be...

...A processed hot dog? With ketchup and a bun and everything. Or maybe it was mustard? Holding the stone in his hands with his face blank and his eyes wide open, Hagane pondered indignantly about the artist's motivation for using so much of the condiment; Hagane himself would have put half as much, if that!

[Walter]

Janna peered over Hagane's shoulder as he assembled the item, being a head taller than the guy. She watched the pieces slide and connect with a certain amazement. Then the image of a hotdog appeared.

Janna snorted. "A hot dog? Why the hell is it a hot dog?" She asked, amused. Certainly not what she was expecting - the shield maiden would've expected something more symbolic from the school. Well, yes, a hot dog could symbolize something, but she doubted the school would do that.

[nathan67003]

Brock retracted his hand into his pocket when Hagane took their puzzle piece and watched as he first stared at the damn things, then assembled them. The pieces then lit up, seemingly moving and transforming.

...And a hotdog appeared. With a bun and everything. "...This is, by far, the most novel usage of Dust I've ever seen.", he said while making sure to adopt a deadpan, sarcastic tone.

"Say, do you think that's ketchup or mustard? I hope it's ketchup."

[Vision]

Incredibly relived that the pieces fit and that their trial was over she lightheartedly lent inn to get a look at the image, standing on her toes to try to match the height of the others. She stared blankly at the image dumbfounded...

As Janna asked her question she added "Do sausages have some cultural importance here in Vale?" she looked to the others for an answer. "I don't know how you could tell the difference of ketchup and mustard without colour, maybe its both?"

((OOC: Not really sure if it was my go or Flooberoid right now? Was it a one off change or is this the new order?))

[Flooberoid]

((OOC: I don't much care about the order, honestly. I should probably have posted next but you're fine, we'll just go on like this.))

"Yes. Sausages, particularly hot dogs, symbolize the creation of the world by the myths of many ancient tribes in eastern Vale. The bun represents the Mother Goddess who watches over and protects us all. Ketchup represents the life and prosperity of nature atop this planet, while mustard represents the blanket of fear which prevents us from thriving. That is why determining the condiment on this tablet is so important," Hagane explained to his partner in calm monotone.

Seeing the bemused looks he got from nearby students, Hagane added, "That was a joke."

[Walter]

Janna placed a hand on her chin, and looked at the sausage for a while. She then glanced to the others - Hagane, Diana, Brock...

"Uh. Remind me, guys, how does the school choose names for teams?" She asked. Come on, there was no way that that was going to be the case here. It seemed much too silly, and hardly felt like a name fitting the prestige of this place. Right?