None of this was new. Not the sterile tunnels that provided thoroughfare to the stadium proper, nor the more cramped labyrinths that only the combatants saw. Not the dull murmur of a stadium filled to bursting with people, nor hair raising sense of being the focus of hundreds of thousands of eyes, nor even the strangely somber attitude of the staff who ushered the combatants from place to place. Attending a tournament was nothing new to Aegle, nor even attending one in an arena like Amity. Since she'd first learned to fight, she'd sought out opportunities to pit her abilities against her peers, and that had inevitably involved a competition or two. And once you got past the few differences that existed between one exhibition and another tournament, between this event and another, they were all pretty much the same. One element so ubiquitous and pervasive that even Aegle hadn't failed to notice it, was the down time between being ready for a match, and the beginning of the match itself. There was only so much time which could be spent stretching and refreshing, checking and rechecking equipment, and overall psyching up, until all there was left to do was wait.

Aegle hated waiting, so when she was told she was free to go into the arena, she ran. She ran as fast as she could, and didn't let the uncomfortable weight on her shoulders slow her down. Aegle couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a chance to use the Oupis in a live-fire situation, though there had certainly been a few moments recently when she'd wished she'd had her weapon. It was probably one mission or another and probably somewhere cold, because it had still been winterized. Aegle grinned at the comforting weight of the Oupis, folded up like an oversized piece of luggage, where it hung across her back. She grinned at permeating murmur of thousands of voices as they crept down the access tunnel towards her, buzzing loudly enough to be heard, even over the whirring of her brace and the pounding of her footsteps. She grinned with excitement and exultation, knowing that she was less than a minute away from facing another huntsman in direct contest. Her excitement was electricity in her veins, and it made her heart race in a way that mere sprinting could not match. 

Bursting onto the arena floor, Aegle was a blur of bad hair and bright orange, with a suitcase of hard metal bouncing off her back like it weighed nothing at all. She whooped loudly, as loud as she could, calling out to all the people packing the stands on all sides of her, letting them know just how happy she was to be there. She spun about as she ran, gave the whole stadium a sweep with her glittering green eyes, and nearly lost her footing as a result. Then she called out again, pumped her free hand into the air over her head and raced for the center. She couldn't tell if they were cheering for her, or if she only imagined the excited murmur that rose up at the very edge of her hearing, but she chose to believe they were.
Why wouldn't they cheer for her, after all? Nevermind the fact that most of them probably had no idea who Aegle Vitus was, and had no idea what they could expect from the pint-sized fashion crime sprinting for the middle of the arena; Nevermind that most of them had probably seen tournaments just like this one, and were well inured to the eclectic appearances that huntsman tended to have; Nevermind that the vast majority would never be impressed by anything Aegle could do in such a sterile setting; They were surely cheering for her. They had to be.

Coming to a skidding halt, Aegle swung the Oupis off of her shoulder and slammed its heavy metal case down with all her might, loud enough that it could be heard even by those sitting at the top of the stands. Freed of her burden, the small girl threw her hands out towards her 'adoring crowd', and giggled with manic glee. Then, noticing she'd reached the center of the stadium first, she cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted at the audience. She didn't shout anything particular, she just shouted. Her excitement was boiling over and her glee could no longer be contained, and both sought release in that shout, like a safety valve that had finally popped open. She shouted and shrieked with all her might, doubling over with effort, then sprang up straight and danced in place as she caught her breath. Then she turned back the way she had come and shrieked and hollered that way too, with such vibrant intensity that she probably shorted out some of the many microphones abundant throughout the stadium.
"LET'S DO THIS, HUH?!~" She screamed, the first words she'd spoken since her animated arrival, as she turned back towards her Oupis. Catching sight of her opponent, which wasn't very hard at all, given that there were whole land masses less eye catching than Mizumi, Aegle swung one bandaged hand high up over her head, and waved like the sky had gravely offended her. 
"Mizumi!~" 
Her voice was like a peel of thunder, only far less pleasant on the ears, and just shrill enough to be a hazard to unprotected dust crystals. She had forgotten, until that very moment, who her opponent was set to be, and the reminder had renewed her vigorous excitement. Sure, the two of them had barely more than a single encounter between them, most of which had been spent with Aegle almost too tired to stand, but how could she forget the towering woman? How could she not want to fight her? 
"How are you!?" She called out, well before Mizumi was at a conversational range, like the giantess was some old friend, grown strange by time and distance. Vaguely aware of an announcement being made over the overhead speakers, doubtlessly her's and Mizumi's introductions, Aegle's whole world shrank down to the small part of it containing her opponent and herself. 
"I can't believe I get to fight you! How awesome is that!?~"