Terra looked thoughtfully at the hand that was offered to her and decided against taking it.  The woman who offered it to her looked pleasant enough, and even kind, but trust should never be so easily learned as a kind face.  As the woman moved on to something else Terra stood up and was startled to find that she was able to understand everyone now.  Before they had been making sounds and noises she could not recognize but now she had a clear understanding of everything they said.  She tilted her head suspiciously had they been talking in a language she did not understand purposely? She quickly dismissed the idea they did not seem to have enough in common to be planning against her.  She stayed quiet and listened to the dark skinned woman addressed another man about an object he had been fiddling with.  Before the man answered the strangest woman appeared.  This one seemed different from the others.  She was well dressed and had a few men following her all dressed in the same manner.  While everyone in her party seemed a little disoriented, excluding the man in the dark outfit that had been caught by the dark woman playing with an object, this woman seemed to know exactly why she was here.<br/><br/>The woman, Helena, began speaking and Terra became more confused with every word uttered.  How did this woman know her name and where did they plan to take her and what was Dead or Alive?  Terra searched the party for who would respond to the name Ryu but to what she saw no one did.  She made a mental note to notice who spoke with the blonde woman in private before the dark woman asked a question.  Giselle, she was called, Terra quickly learned.  At Helena's answer a look of fear quickly passed over Terra's face.  She felt for her magic, lightly so she would not have a reaction like the one earlier, to make sure that the blonde woman's words were not true, that magic and mysticism did not exist in this world.  At the comforting feeling of her magic Terra cocked an eyebrow at the woman.  Either Helena was a liar or an imbecile but Terra put that to the back of her mind as a word she did not recognize came to light.  Drow?  She looked the woman up and down noticing for the first time how different she was from everyone.  Terra's brain widened in excitement remembering the strange color of her other skin.  She must be an Esper, an Esper by the name Drow.  Terra looked around and her eyes landed on the lighter skinned woman with glowing red eyes.  She must be an Esper as well.<br/><br/>Terra followed the others wondering what their mode of transit, as Helena had called it, would be.  As she step outside she encountered many things she had not before but before she could concentrate on any of them the man in the purple and black armor and pointed ears began shouted his annoyance at the smell.  She laughed at his reaction but tried to cover it quickly in case he noticed.  She took a deep breath but did not notice anything strange.  He must have better senses she and watched him further, noticing he walked more gracefully than the others.  Interesting.  Before she knew it she stood outside a large metal... thing.  For some reason it did not put her on edge as it did some of the others and she hid her wonder easily as she came up it and was lead up the stairs inside of it.  As the last in line Terra watched as some people sat together and she thought a moment about sitting near the man who she had uncerimoniously laughed at earlier but when he sat beside Giselle she decided against it.  She was not brave enough to talk to the Esper yet so she opted for the back of the transit to sit by herself and keep an eye on everyone else.<br/><br/>The man who played with strange objects did started speaking first and answered Giselle's question about the beeping object.  Terra found herself extremely interested in the communication device but had no chance before he turned to the pale woman.  Emma, he called her.  Terra blinked, that was a strange name for an Esper.  But the man's other words confused her.  Dead or Alive Tournament?  A realization, of what was going on, quickly donned on her.  She was here to fight and again she looked around at the others wondering if she would be fighting them or if they would all be fighting monsters.  As the man stated the usual hidden motives behind Helena and the Dead or Alive Tournament, Terra turned back to Helena.  Liar, though she could not possibly understand why she trusted him over Helena, especially when the foreign object in his hand beeped again and Terra glared at it.<br/><br/>Helena began to speak soon after the first man, calling Emma Ms. Windsor.  Windsor seemed like a much more appropriate Esper name to Terra but she continued to listen to Helena's explanation and was happy to discover the man with the communication device to be Ryu, also the one who was supposed to speak with Helena privately.  Terra's distrust of Helena increased more as she explained more about her past.  Though brushes with death do tend to change people Terra did not feel that Helena was that kind of person.  When Helena explained she had past mistakes and coupled the statement with the people who previously owned the tournament had made many as well Terra believed her assumption to not be far off the mark.  Once you ride a chocobo, it is hard to go back to walking.<br/><br/>As Helena went silent and looked forward and Terra followed her eyes to a moving painting and her eyes widened when sound began to fill the area around her.  She looked for who was speaking and when she found everyone was watching the painting she returned to watching.  She was amazed at how life like the painting was but soon adjusted to the newness of it and began listening intently as the tournament was explained.  Terra snorted softly as the video referred to Ryu's communication device, more reason not to trust him.  Terra snorted even louder at the out right audacity of the phrase "the first true tournament that has no secret agenda."  She thought that was as likely as one of them turning into a tiger.  She found she liked the idea of so much money going towards the Returners against the Empire in her own world and what better way to hone her skills by going up against the best.  She became nervous at the visions of the pasts fights and their intensity but she felt better knowing that any practice would improve her skill against the Empire.  She felt little fear as the question was raised by an abrasive woman about eliminations and Helena answered.  Terra had faced death before and survived, this would have to be one more time.<br/><br/>Terra watched as the man in the purple and black armor's hand went up, his oozing hand causing her stomach to clench.  But his question caught her off guard, had the monster that attack her been set upon her by these people.  She glared at Helena a moment before letting her eyes drift back to the man who had spoken as he continued.  Terra did not understand how money could not be of use to him or what difference it made "what he was," but she did agree with his last statement about there being more to life than fighting.  Her eyes moved back to Helena interested in her answer but before she could answer the kind looking woman, who had offered her hand earlier, pipes up with her own doubt about winning a tournament helping her in a quest to find someone.  Before Terra can contemplate on her comments Gisella disappears and reappears to Helena with a knife at her throat.  She was not surprised that the Esper contained so much skill.  Her faced paled as she realized to win this tournament she would be force to defeat not one but two Espers.  She was pulled back from her fear as Helena began to talk.  Her eyes went to each person as she learned their name.  Yuna, who was looking for a loved one and Tyger, who was some how a monster.  She cocked an eyebrow and looked him up and down once more.  He did not seem a fierce monster if he was one and as see studied him she missed some of the exchange.<br/><br/>When she returned her eyes back to Helena, Giselle had returned to her seat, and another woman had gone up and put her hands around Helena and Terra was annoyed to find she had missed whatever comment had been made.  She quickly turned to Emma as she began explaining that she did not wish to be cured.  Terra's head titled a little in thought, perhaps she was not an Esper if she could catch illness, she put the thought to the back of her mind as the abrasive woman began to insult Emma.  She watched emotionless as they toyed with each other back and forth and was not surprised with the abrasive woman went at the pale woman with the intent to harm.  People with attitudes like hers fought now and would wonder why they had not asked questions later.  She smiled as Emma's claws were positioned at the other woman's stomach and her smile widened with the other woman sat back down and Terra resisted the urge to stand and cheer.<br/><br/>Her eyes returned to Tyger as he began to speak again about his heritage and his curse and she was shocked to see that his eyes were a deep red.  Had they been that color before?  She listened as he proclaimed that Helena would need to find a better reason for him to fight.  Terra agreed that not everyone had reasons to fight and Helena should not make those who did not wish to participate do so but no matter anyone else's decision she would do so.  The Returners needed her as battle ready as she could be and if this was a way to get there she would do it.  She watched silently as Ryu stood and asked Helena to leave and Terra's distrust of him grew when Helena did so without complaint.  She listened to his words and though his words should have struck a chord within her they did not.  She had her reason to fight and she did not need encouragement.  Terra heard Giselle's and Yuna's decision to stay in the fight to save their loved ones and she discovered she did not want to fight against the two.  Loved ones were hard to come by and it was a great loss when anything happened to them.  She remembered her own friends and changed her feelings drastically.  If it was them or her it would have to be them.<br/><br/>Terra turned back her attention back to Tyger as he spoke to Ryu and she grew more and more curious at his "curse" as he talked more about it.  When he went to the front of the room and announced he was going to show his curse Terra sat up further in her seat to get a better look and she gasps as his armor disappears and is replaced with white striped fur.  So their were others here that could change form she glanced around to see if she could pinpoint any one else with the ability but her eyes could only see skin deep.  She thought momentarily about going up and joining him at the front of the room to reveal her own secret, but if she was truly here to win the surprise might very well help her in a fight.  She watched as Yuna went over and told Tyger there was no reason to fear him.  Perhaps there was no more to her than the kindness plaster upon her face.  Terra could understand not being afraid of him, because she found she was not, but she could also understand why such a fierce creature would cause other's fear.  Terra could see the deadliness in his form, as in her own alternate form, even if Yuna could not and she thought about pointing it out and she went to meet Tyger's eyes squarely and decided against it.  Let other's worry about themselves.  Terra outright laughed at Ryu's comment finding she could much agree with Tyger being no more beast than her.  She quieten quickly because she did not want to draw attention to herself.  She rather liked sitting in the back, watching and learning about everyone else, fading silently into the background.