Final Kingdom MUSH - User contributions [en]

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2013-09-03T15:56:27Z

Lifa:

User:Eric

2013-07-13T06:37:38Z

Lifa: Creating user page for new user.

User talk:Eric

2013-07-13T06:37:38Z

Lifa: Welcome!

'''Welcome to ''Final Kingdom MUSH''!'''
We hope you will contribute much and well.
You will probably want to read the [[Help:Contents|help pages]].
Again, welcome and have fun! [[User:Lifa|Lifa]] ([[User talk:Lifa|talk]]) 01:37, 13 July 2013 (CDT)

Sunrise Dancing

2013-05-26T23:27:04Z

Lifa: Alma catches Annia dancing alone.

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/05/26
|Location=Business District-- Lindblum
|Synopsis=A bully caught in the act of dancing on her own by one of her favorite targets. What happens next?
|Cast of Characters=Annia Leradine, Alma Hyral
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' After retreiving the world shard, the group returned to the inn rooms they had reserved, for some much needed rest. Many of them got battered up, and while healing spells help close up wounds, it doesn't exactly help with exhaustion, so before attempting to figure out what to do with the world shard, a good night's sleep. Its somewhat early still, and a figure slips out of her room. She looks around to see if there's anyone else awake. Doesn't look like it. That's perfect for her. Its the kind of thing she doesn't want people prying upon either. She grumbles a bit at herself, thinking about to last adventure. She ended up being a liability rather than a help, and that frustrates her. She even needed the help of those she bullies to stay alive. Talk about a lesson in humility either way. She shakes her head, and heads outside. Whenever she picks an inn, she always checks for potential quiet areas nearby, just for this reason. When she arrives there, she reaches around herself, unhooking her belt that holds the daggers, and tosses it aside... And then, she dances. As odd as it sounds, its something that relaxes her. Helps her clean her mind. Not necessarily be 'less frustrated' at the situation, doesn't even make her less of a bully, but its one time that she can be 'alone with herself' in her mind, gain better focus. The dance is elegant as well. There's no music, but you can almost hear the melody, just by looking at the movements. She's versed in many kinds of dances, it doesn't seem like its one style in particular... its just, freestyle, letting it roll through her without too much guidance, leaving her mind to wander.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' Earlier, just after the world shard had been retrieved... Alma Hyral couldn't sleep. Not one wink. She should have been overjoyed that that her research had been proven correct. She should have been enthusiastic about the fact that they had part of the means to start restoring worlds... She wasn't. She was preternaturally depressed. No matter how much light she brought to the world, there was always someone who tried to smother it by bringing equal darkness to her life. On this occasion, it was Feige Abramson.. Alma was seated behind a column in this quiet area, on a small bench beside the window, just gazing outside of it unto the stars. Helena always tried to tell her that she should stop looking up so much... she'd trip less if she looked forward. And while that was true.. she couldn't help but be starstruck. Her mind.. was elsewhere, when Annia walked into the quiet area, put down her belt, and began to dance. It was in a place of serenity that she always thought she didn't deserve access to, like she was an unwelcome guest to some section of universal tranquility, meant only for the departed and the divine themselves. And yet it brought her peace. All of her troubles melted away as she listened to the song. And then as always.. it receded, as the girl decided she should no longer intrude... She was about to get up, to retrieve her laptop, to go to the common room of the inn... when she noticed that someone was here. She craned her head forward slightly, just around the column... and there she was, dancing. Every rational part of her mind told her that she should slip away. Leave, before she was seen.. before she was harassed.. And yet she couldn't take her eyes off Annia. The truth of the matter was that the frail, delicate, klutzy Ramuha girl was fascinated by Shivan culture. She loved her experiences with Rena and Thirza talking about their homeland.. and she remembered the vids from when she was younger of Shivan dancers. Her puritan father had always turned them off, telling her that they were immodest, and not something any daughter of his should emulate. There were many things the girl longed to do... and one of those was to dance. Yet she knew she was a hopeless klutz, and it was far beyond her capabilities.. And so she sat, watching Annia in a sort of wonder, her expression one of awe and wonder... but also envy.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine keeps to her dance, eyes closed. She doesn't even need to see to know where's up and down, in this state she can just feel. She doesn't know someone is watching, lost in that little world of hers. She does that almost daily, as much as she trains with her daggers in fact. She doesn't look like the bully you know her to be when she's like this either, she's lost that almost perpetual frown, and looks... natural. Not happy, more like a still lake that nothing could break the surface of. But the dance doesn't last forever either. She eventually stops.. and let's herself fall flat on her back in the grass, just gazing up to the stars and the soon rising sun, the sky slowly starting to tint over with dark orange hues. Its cool outside, and it feels good on her skin after warming up with her dance. Usually she follows up with her dagger techniques, but something catches the corner of her eye, slight movement, and a presence. Someone was watching. She turns her head, as she sits herself up in the grass... Ah, its the meek girl. She was in her proverbial 'happy place' with her training, so she doesn't really have any needs to bother her either. The only thing she does for now, is speak. Her voice is somewhat softer than usual too, without the usual agressive spikes. "What's up?"

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' It wasn't so strange really that the two of them had their own happy places, away from the troubles and strife of the world. The fact that she'd just come out of her own... is what perhaps made her a little calmer when Annia finishes her routine, and spots her. Otherwise, she might have been a little panicked. Instead, she just pushes back her glasses, up to her eyes, looking away from Annia's direct stare, down at her hands. And then she'd state demurely, her voice wasn't stuttering as much as usual. "I was s-stargazing. But then.. w-well I saw t-that you were d-dancing..." She takes a deep breath, "It was a-amazing. You have a r-real gift. One I wish I h-had." At that point, she cringes a little, as if expecting some sort of harsh retribution for intruding on Annia practicing her dance routines.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine shakes her head "Its not talent." She stands up quietly, and stretches a bit, keeping her muscles warm "Its will. Talent is when you can do something without ever learning it. I learned, I trained, and I'm still training." She looks over to you "You have your own talents, you don't need to be wishful of what the others have. But if you want to dance, then learn to dance. That's all there is to it." She walks over to the girl, with that characteristic hip sway. She reaches over to take her hand, and less rough that she might expect, she leads her over to the open space she was in. "The basic is in the rhythm." She seems ready to teach, for some reason. "Music is the same, it goes in steps." She demonstrates in front of you, simple side steps, dragging one left toward the other as she moves left to right "1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. Keeping the rhythm is what makes it beautiful. Otherwise, it looks like this." She starts to sway again, but there's clearly no rhythm to it at all. It actually looks... rather silly.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' The girl would actually smile as she told her to train as a dancer. She stood up from her position, taking a step closer, "Y-You know.. s-sometimes I w-wonder if I was m-meant to be a S-Shivan... and that the C-Creatrix changed her mind, and p-put me in this f-frail, k-klutzy Ramuha body i-instead... I w-want to learn, but I'm p-pretty hopeless.." When Annia approaches her, she almost shrinks away, but then she takes her hand, the girl looked rather bewildered as she was led her over to the open space. She knew music, she knew the rhythm, she was a rather talented singer, a skill she developed further in her time in a Naturalis choir... but her feet, they just did not tend to cooperate. The fact that she was in her typical frumpy white mage robes, which were hastily patched after the rotting dragon tore large gouges away in the chest area did not help matters either. But to her credit, once she was out there and Annia was showing her, she didn't complain. She didn't make excuses as to why she couldn't do something. She just tried to emulate the simple side steps.. and she stumbled once or twice. It was nothing she couldn't recover from without taking a full out tumble to the ground, but it seemed quite embarassing given the simplicity of the current movements. She just kept trying to copy her, to sway in time with her.. she was puzzled by the lack of the rhythm, but she didn't call her out on it.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine was doing it wrong on purpose of course. Seems you have the rhythm part down at least, for most people that can't dance its the main reason. The rest can be trained, the musical ear, not as much, but not impossible either. "You're hopeless because you keep thinking like that. You give up before trying because you're scared of failing, isn't that right?" She crosses her arms, and bends down slightly at the waist, pointing a finger at your shoulder "What are you scared of, people laughing? Let them laugh. They will forget it in a day, and once you show them what you can really do they will the be ones sorry for laughing in the first place." Imparting wisdom? How strange of her. She sighs, sliding her fingers through the loose bangs of hair that fell over her face, pushing it back to the sides. "Instead, be happy that someone was watching you fall. All you see is the current me, you didn't see me stumble and fall while trying. There was noone to see me getting better. Its not being good at something that is rewarding, its the feeling of having progressed." She starts moving again, showing the simple steps "Take a deep breath, concentrate on the feeling of your feet as they drag. Don't worry about the arms, get the feeling for the legs."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' "M-Maybe." She looked at Annia square in the eyes, "I'm a-afraid of them l-laughing. Y-Yes. Of t-them s-showing me just what a u-useless f-failure I am. I'm not p-pretty, or p-popular. I h-have trouble t-talking to p-people. I d-didn't have any f-friends. N-None of the boys even s-spare me a s-second glance." Maybe her words hit home to her on more than just dancing.. "I'm j-just the y-younger sister of far more i-interesting people. I'm u-unnoticed. W-Were we b-back on G-Galianda, I'd j-just want to get b-betrothed, m-married away, and h-have a family. T-That was my lot in life. I was h-happy with it. It's c-comfortable.. N-Now I don't even h-have that... and so e-everyone is s-still laughing. S-Still trying to h-hurt me. P-Put me out of my c-comfort zone. A-And there's no l-light at the e-end of that t-tunnel of darkness for me. So y-yeah.. m-maybe I'm a-afraid of being l-laughed at. It hits h-home for a lot m-more than you think." And then there's a long pause, as her voice drops in volume, "I d-don't think I'm as b-brave as you are A-Annia. I c-can't stop caring about w-what people think." She listens through her comment on having someone to watch her fall, "W-Well.. that much I can u-understand.. but I've got a l-long way to go.." And then she starts again with the simple steps. For all of her plaintive whimpering previously, she was certainly determined. She didn't stop, despite the stumbles even during the simple steps. Just focusing, concentrating on her movements in her legs.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine has a laugh at that "... Think I'm brave?" She she shakes her head. If she was that brave she wouldn't have that much troubles even with herself. "I'm not brave, I'm worried about what others think of me too. Just not in the same way you are." She moves to the side, keeping an eye on your movements. "You think I'd be hiding and practicing when everyone is still sleeping otherwise? Its never that simple." She picks up her belt, sliding it back around her waist. "Nothing is ever simple. Look at Jidro stuck in a marriage with a girl like me, its a wonder he still puts up with that at all." She seems to know what she's doing. But what's the reason behind her attitude, that's something to wonder about. "You need more self-confidence. I don't think you're ugly. You're kind, you even kept me from falling last time. You didn't have to do that, after what I did to you. You could have taken this as proper retribution, perfectly justified, no? But you didn't."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' She stops for a moment, to look at Annia throughout her spell of laughter, "B-Braver than me." She just mumbles, as she keeps moving. She'd give a sidelong glance to Annia, still practicing the movements as she picked up the belt with daggers on it. "W-Well there's no o-obligation anymore.. so why do you s-stay with him? He m-must love you, if he stays." She nearly stumbles yet again for trying to talk while practicing the dance, recovering with a quick flailing of her arms to rebalance herself. She'd sort of look vaguely in Annia's direction, with her gaze downturned once more, mostly at Annia's feet, but then she states, "I d-don't think that t-two wrongs make a r-right. I don't want a-anyone to suffer, even if they've h-hurt me. And.. I'm not g-going to sit back and let a-anyone get h-hurt if I have anything to s-say about it."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine walks back toward Alma at that, and moves a hand under her chin, lifting it up "... And why are you ashamed of that? That too takes bravery, standing up to those that you don't like and offer them your help, even if you might not even get a thank out of it. Because you want to be able to look at yourself in the mirror the next day, right? Even selfless actions have selfish reasons sometimes. You just need to realize it." She gives a little flick of her fingers as she releases her chin, walking a few steps away. She stops as she considers what you say about Jidro "..." She shakes her head "Because I'm giving him a chance. I said that nothing was simple. Its the same with him. He's making efforts to make it work, do you think I should just let him down without a chance to prove what he can do?" She glances over her shoulder toward the meek girl again. "Everything comes with effort, nothing is gained without pain. Its the same with dancing." She pulls out a dangger from its sheath, just hangling it to watch the gleam of the rising sun into the flat of it "Same with friends, same with love. Trust is hard to gain, easy to lose."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' Her chin gets lifted up, as she's forced to stare once more into Annia's eyes. Those malachite eyes of hers just waver slightly as she closes them after a moment, "B-Because kindness is n-never r-rewarded. I-It's only l-laughed at. I get d-degraded by H-Helena, by S-Souji, by so many o-others... j-just because they t-think I'm a f-fool to give p-people something for n-nothing... to a-ask for nothing in r-return. To g-give of myself, to g-give of my h-heart, my t-time, my h-health... and I g-get nothing for it. T-They w-want me to feel a-ashamed.. and so maybe I s-sometimes am a little.. even if I k-know I'm d-doing the right t-thing by n-not letting them c-change me. E-Even doing all t-that... I s-still have t-trouble l-looking at m-myself in the mirror sometimes. I don't l-like what I s-see, and I d-don't mean j-just my a-appearance." She looks askance at her as she talks about her relationship with Jidro, "N-No.. t-that makes s-sense. W-What do you think, can it w-work out?" She was a little bit of a hopeless romantic, and likes to think that betrothals can work out with happily ever afters, which made her pry a little overmuch. As Annia pulls out the dagger, she shrinks away a little, but nods slowly after a moment, "I-I k-know...I'm m-making some p-progress... I g-guess. I have some f-friends now..."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine slides the dagger back into its sheath. It wasn't to scare the girl any more than she is after all. She's not in the mood. "Souji and Helena, if you ask me, are the worse to look up for that kind of thing. They only care about results, not the process behind it." She shakes her head again, sighing "Which is what I hate about them the most." She grumbles a bit, her mood fouled a bit just by the mention of those two. "What you see in the mirror is not your face but your soul then. The worse thing is regretting your own actions. If you do, you can't look at yourself anymore. Like how you'd regret if you let someone die in front of you without doing a thing, right?" She sits down in the grass, crosslegged, hands on each knee like that as she leans forward a bit "I don't want friends. It just makes things more complicated. When you have to watch for them or help them, its a hassle. Easier to stay alone." Maybe that's why she's bullying everyone, easier to stay alone that way. Definitely more story behind that kind of logic.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' The girl just looks at her for a time, nodding to her, "I k-know. S-Souji hasn't been the s-same ever since my... s-sister passed. And H-Helena... well, she's h-hard b-because she's a s-survivor. A s-survivor of something h-horrible.. she acts like she d-does b-because the world is too terrible o-otherwise. I'm just.. I d-don't know if I'm e-equipped to handle the w-world as it is now. L-Like you said, the e-end doesn't j-justify the means, but they t-think otherwise. And I k-kind of feel sorry for them. I-It's just s-sometimes I w-wonder if I'm t-that wrong, and t-they're that right, or if it's the opposite.. it's like I'm just so d-different from e-everyone else.." And then she'd look away from Annia completely, ashamed, "I h-have.. s-some really big r-regrets..y-yeah. I d-don't want to add a-anymore to them, but t-that's not why I do what I do. I j-just do it b-because it's right..." She'd give Annia a look, before sitting down in the grass in front of Annia. She was out of breath, from just that simple amount of dancing, combined with talking at the same time, she really had very little stamina. "M-Maybe. M-My life is a l-lot more c-complicated now that I h-have some but.. I r-really wouldn't have it a-any other way. B-Better to be c-complicated than to be a-alone.."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine scratches the back of her head "I don't mean letting others die and get hurt because of you though, but putting trust in some people just ends up in being hurt one day." She's had experience with that. Bad experience in fact, it would seem like. "You should never second guess your decisions though. You act like you think is the right thing to do, you need to live with that decision, and if it was a mistake, put your effort to fixing it. Regretting it just slows you down instead. Better put that energy to better things." She pokes at Alma's forehead "Which is what you seem best at, fixing things up." Not a smile or nothing though. She really doesn't open herself easily, but at least she's not tying her up by the feet down a tree branch or anything, right? That's almost friendly for her. "Helena and Souji are competent at what they do, but they have a superiority complex that makes them feel better if they stomp down on people around them. Better to ignore it, don't take their words as absolute." She grumbles a bit. She knows they are pullign strings around Jidro too.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' "I-I'd rather be h-hurt than to h-have nothing at all. To f-feel nothing at all.. To go c-completely u-unnoticed by everyone. To be a c-cipher..." She rubs a hand across her brow, at the front of her hair. "So l-long as I have.. s-somebody who cares about me.." She'd look up at Annia, and shake her head, "I-It's not s-something I can fix. I can just m-make the best of it... it's not a g-good situation." She would actually crack a smile though when she said that she's good at fixing things. She'd nod on the Helena and Souji issue..her voice steeped in depression and sorrow, like she's realized she's made some huge mistake working with them. "I'm.. c-coming to realize that..." And yet.. she didn't discuss it further. She'd give Annia a thoughtful look, then would look down at her hands, as if pondering something. Eventually she'd speak up, "A-Annia... h-have you ever t-thought a-about what it'd be like to d-dance..." A short pause... "...in the a-air?" Wait, what exactly was she offering?

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine blinks at the question "I can't say that I have. I always had my feet firmly on the ground, how else could you dance?" She wonders at that. She lets the 'sappy' stuff aside for now, as it seems they ran around the subject for long enough right now. Eveb she has limits on how much she can stomach of that. She taps her chin, wondering what you mean.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' She'd offer a faint smile. "M-Maybe you can find out for me." And then without saying anything, a radiant yellow aura of quiet luminescence would start to lim Alma's body, while she remained seated. She would place a hand to her own chest, closing her eyes, and concentrating. And after a few moments it would become a brilliant white light. And then Alma would reach out, and place a hand against Annia's palm, and that same aura would lim Annia's body, except it would be an even dimmer yellow, whereas Alma's would change back to it's original color. She'd then state quietly to Annia, as if it were some kind of secret, "You'll h-have c-control of your p-personal g-gravity and m-momentum for t-three minutes. J-Just think on w-where you want to go, and h-have fun. Y-You'll know i-instinctually when it's a-about to wear off.." Alma would just stay seated, and watched her expectantly.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine blinks again, a bit confused. Well, she knows about magic. She has no 'talents' into that, to go with what was being discussed before. And then she starts to float. She goes wide eyed, but moves herself to her feet as if she was standing on the ground. She hmms, and bounces a bit. "2m45s now. So..." She starts to dance, without any hesitation it seems, as if feels the same as on the ground... except with the magic of course.. Given the timeframe, she knows of one dance that can be completed in that much. Maybe as a thanks, she's giving Alma a show, floating a few feet off the ground, surrounded by the dim yellow light, and with backdrop the rising sun between the Lindblum buildings. Quite the picture! You should grab your camera.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' Alma remained seated during the entire spectacle. Thoughts of grabbing her camera never crossed her mind. This was their little secret. Their little bit of fun. She watched Annia dance, with a wide smile, that was perhaps a touch sad, maybe even envious. The thought of why Alma just didn't do this all the time, may have came to Annia, during this, as the girl just continued to sit there on the ground, one hand on her chin. And once it was finished..all Alma would say is.. "Y-You were s-sublime. T-Thank you."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine finishes the dance after the elapsed time, and very gently lowers herself to the ground again, with the last bit of magic, while giving a theatrical flourish as a thanks. "I'll teach you to dance if that's what you'd like. Limits are something you impose yourself. If you want to do something, you take the steps to do it, simple as that. And if you really can't, at least you can't regret ever trying." She even offers a smile at that. A rare sight for the bully.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' "I t-think I'd like that..." She'd smile at Annia in reply, "Y-You know... I d-don't think a-anyone will ever ask me to d-dance.. but m-maybe.. just m-maybe.. I'd l-like to k-know how, and be r-ready in case someone d-does... and if not. T-Then maybe I'd j-just like to d-dance for myself..." Probably to those sappy love songs she listens to all the time on the radio.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine nods "You don't need to dance for anyone but yourself. That's what I do. You're the first one that really watches me dancing for the sake of dancing." She crosses her arms at that.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' "R-Really? I'm the f-first?" She seems, completely shocked by that, "B-But you're so good. I'm s-suprised you don't have a-audiences all the time who just want to see you d-dance.." She tilts her head to the side, regarding her with a thoughtful look, "W-Well then. T-That's who I-I'll dance for then, u-until I know how."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine nods "Well, I mean dancing to show of. I've danced at events, but that was social." She frumfs a bit thinking about that. "Anyway, just don't tell the others that I'm being nice to you. They might start thinking I need to be nice with them too."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' She'd just continue smiling, "O-Oh, I w-won't. I-It'll be our s-secret.." And then she gives her a questioning look, "J-Jidro has never asked you to d-dance?"

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine shakes her head "Never really had that chance to, honestly. We don't spend that much time together. Our parents decided on the wedding, not us."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' She'd place her chin in one hand, as he regarded her with a thoughtful look. "Well.. m-maybe one day it'll be your d-decision too."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine lifts her shoulders at that "Who knows. That's why I'm giving him a chance to be more of a man and prove it. Its complicated, but he seems determined to make it work out.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' "Is t-that what you w-want in a man?" Another questioning look. "I h-haven't really g-given much t-thought to what I'd w-want. M-Maybe just someone who's s-sweet, and i-intelligent. S-Someone I could t-talk to under the stars for a-ages and n-not notice how m-much time has passed." Yeah she was definitely a hopeless romantic.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' ... That actually brings a bit of thought to the dancer. She pauses, thinking. "... I never really thought about it, to be honest. I didn't want anyone with me. So to imagine how the special person might be, I don't know." She hmms, and scratches her head "... I guess its not very fair or Jidro."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' She'd just shyly smile at Annia, "W-Well, maybe you should t-think about it. M-Maybe he'll turn out to be w-what you're l-looking for after all."

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine shrugs a bit "I guess I always expected that person to be more dependable than he is, but... I really don't know Jidro all that well either..."

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' "Well.. m-maybe you've gotta d-depend on him a little to f-figure out if he's d-dependable." She'd shrug her shoulders, while still smiling.

:'''[[Annia Leradine]] has posed:''' Annia Leradine taps her ear a bit, hearing the radio piping up "Looks like the others are up, I guess its time for breakfast." She doesn't elaborate on the possibilities with Jidro at that point, but she's going to think about it.

:'''[[Alma Hyral]] has posed:''' She'd slowly get up at that point, brushing herself off, "Well let's go see to them, then... And.. this'll be our secret, I promise. Wouldn't want them to think you're going soft.." A small grin, as she walked back into the Lindblum Inn.

User talk:Zauren

2013-05-05T07:10:39Z

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User:Zauren

2013-05-05T07:10:38Z

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User:Syd

2013-04-26T02:05:38Z

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User talk:Syd

2013-04-26T02:05:38Z

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User talk:BrittanyPanthas

2013-04-25T22:57:54Z

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User:BrittanyPanthas

2013-04-25T22:57:54Z

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On a Pier in Bodhum

2013-04-21T23:14:07Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2013/04/19 |Location=Bodhum Beach |Synopsis=Serah finds Bodhum, but its not quite like her home. Agrias comes in looking for her princess, and rela..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/04/19
|Location=Bodhum Beach
|Synopsis=Serah finds Bodhum, but its not quite like her home. Agrias comes in looking for her princess, and relaxes at the end of the pier for a spell.
|Cast of Characters=Serah Farron, Agrias Oaks
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' There's a girl pacing around the sandy beach of Bodhum. She's finally found it. Its her home. Well, in her world at least. In here, its quite different. Its always night, among other things. But its not so bad. At least its familiar. The bar is even there. But right now, she decided to just sit at the end of the pier, legs dangling down toward the water, and thinking about things. Things that happened since she got here, things that happened in her world before she left... so many things. Pink haired girl sitting along at the pier, it might attract some attention.

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' Clad in simple platemail emblazoned with a symbol no one in this place will recognize, Agrias finds herself walking out to the beach after a few hours of traversing Traverse Town in her hunt for information, which, as usual, has turned up nothing. Shaking her head slowly, the blonde knight's expression is solemn as she walks down the pier, deciding she just wants to listen to the ocean for a time, hoping it might help her clear her mind. Half-way down the pier, she belatedly realizes it isn't empty of people, but she continues onwards, eyes on the girl now. As she nears the end of the pier, she calls a quiet greeting, "Greetings, my lady. Not interrupting, am I?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron looks up to the knight lady, offering a smile. Well, for a moment the silouhette kinda reminded her of her sister, but that didn't last enough to really think it is at least, not enough to even cause a surprise. But it would make sense that she'd find her sister here too. "Oh, hello. Not at all, I was just... thinking I guess." She offers a smile, pulling a leg against her chest.

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' Agrias smiles down at the girl, it seems a bit forced. She nods at her words, "I understand. I was hoping to do a bit of the same, myself. I hope you don't mind if I join you? It seemed a good place to do so.." The knight looks out over the water as she continues speaking, "Get away from all the noise for a bit, so you can think in peace. So you can remember things. It's hard to find much quiet in these times, always more trouble around the next corner."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron smiles, nodding a bit as she waves to the spot next to her "I don't mind. This place is for everyone to enjoy. I just used to come here often to look at the sunset. But its always night here, so its a bit different now. Its okay though, its still relaxing. Its the closest point to the center of the lake here, without having to use a both or a hoverbike." She smiles, swaying that dangling leg under the pier a bit.

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' Hoverbike. Must be something from one of these other strange worlds. Agrias doesn't even bother asking about it. She settles to sit next to the younger woman, moving relatively easily despite the encumbrance of her armor. "Many things are different. Too many things." The blonde shakes her head slightly, then says, "Even in the dark, it's a lovely view." Trailing off for a moment, Agrias waits before asking, "The name Ovelia doesn't mean anything to you, does it, my lady? There is a dear friend I am hoping to find, I've had little luck."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron scratches her cheek a bit as she thinks about that "I can't say it does. I haven't met anyone of that name at least. I've been a bit lost myself, and looking for people that I know in this world, but without much luck. " She sighs softly, but smiles, keeping spirit despite everything. "But I guess making new friends is not that bad, although those heartless have been trying to make buddies with me a bit too much." She holds her fingers together thiiiiis close.

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' "I imagined not, but it can't hurt to ask," Agrias smiles a bit. "I wound up here with a group of friends..but there are still others I am praying to find. We can't give up hope, after all." She nods at the younger woman's comments, "You are right. There are many new people to meet and forge friendships with, but we shouldn't forget those we knew before either." The knight purses her lips, "Foul things, aren't they? Pure darkness from what I can tell. Fairly weak alone, but I think perhaps more foul than some of the demons I have encountered." Looking back to the girl, Agrias studies her a moment before asking, "You are a warrior, my lady?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron shakes her head "I'm... a student, actually. But I can use some magic." Its a long story for that, one she's not sure about sharing right away with someone she just met, but she does look at her hands "A bit of healing magic, protective magic, and then some offensive and enfeebling magic..." Not a huge repertoire of spells, but she can manage with those at least. "I had to fend off a few of them..."

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' "Ah, a mage." Agrias nods easily, then frowns. "Perhaps you can find someone here in this town to travel with you? It seems the kind of place bound to draw a number of adventurers and other types, surely one of them might be willing to accompany you during your travels." She doesn't press the girl for information, and nods at the last bit, "It is good to know you can take care of yourself if needed though, my lady." She blinks, then shakes her head, "And do forgive me. I am Agrias Oaks, a knight of my homeland."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron smiles, sliding her hands along her upper arms "I'm Serah. Serah Farron. I don't suppose you heard about my sister Lightning either?" She asks up, exchange of non-information here, really. "I was actually looking for a weapon. My magic alone might not work well. I was looking for a bow, but couldn't find one that suited me yet. But I'm still looking." She has the idea that maybe if she can combine the magic with the bow, it would work well. But she hasn't gotten the chance to yet. "I travel once in a while with some fighters, some friends I made, or rather travelling companions I guess. I can't say friends just yet. Niklas has the habit of hitting on just about every girl he meets too."

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' "I am afraid not, my lady," Agrias answers when offered the name, "And it is good to make your acquaintance, Serah." She hmm's quietly at talk of a weapon, and a hand taps at the hilt of the sword sheathed at her hip, "A bow? I am no archer myself, but I'd hazard a guess we have an extra or two in our camp, if you're just wanting a regular bow. The Braves are a diverse bunch." She nods as she listens to the girl, "That is good to know, especially in these odd times and places. I can't imagine it is wise for anyone to spend much time traveling on their own."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron looks around, nodding to that "Yeah, travelling alone for me was mostly running away chased by Heartless. Not very pleasant." She sighs at that, shaking her head. She looks over to the hills "My house used to be over there. Well, in my world, but this one is different. The area around Bodhum is different now. I'm not even sure my house is there at all. But I wanted to go take a look tomorrow, who knows." Maybe that will give her a clue on how long its been. Maybe she's been asleep for thousands of years.

:'''[[Agrias Oaks]] has posed:''' "It is safer here in this town, I hope? I admit, I've not spent much time here as of yet, just the occasional visit to look for information," Agrias responds before turning her attention to look in the direction indicated, "I wish you luck, then, and pray that your journey is a safe one." The knight rises slowly, "It was a pleasure to meet you Serah, but I should be getting back before too long." She smiles down at the girl, "I look forward to running into you again."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron smiles, nodding as she waves to the Lady Knight "It was nice to meet you as well. You take care of yourself. I will... stay here for a bit longer. I have a room at the inn waiting for me."

User:Tempest

2013-04-17T16:07:58Z

Lifa: Creating user page for new user.

User talk:Tempest

2013-04-17T16:07:58Z

Lifa: Welcome!

User:Carnus

2013-04-11T13:44:30Z

Lifa: Creating user page for new user.

User talk:Carnus

2013-04-11T13:44:30Z

Lifa: Welcome!

Hades

2013-04-08T19:48:28Z

Lifa:

{{Character Infobox
|firstname=Hades
|age=Immortal
|image=2f216bcf-d789-4989-b919-2fc0b480b2dc.jpg
|caption=Lord of the Dead
|species=God
|sex=Male
|height=7'0''
|weight=Not a question you should ask.
|series=Hercules
|styles=Lord of the Dead
|hometown=The Underworld
|alignment=Forces of Ruin
|group=Shadow Lords
|occupation=Lord of the Dead
|quote=Hey, name's Hades, lord of the dead, nicetameetcha, hey, howyadoin'
|footer=Wheelin' and Dealin'. Care to make a deal?
}}

==Profile==
Hades, lord of the dead, is the title of a Greek god of Olympus who has joined up with the Shadow Lords. Hades, is a cool and collected god of the underworld. Smooth Talking and a shrewd businessman, he also has a morbid sense of humor and a clever mind. However, Hades goals involve with throwing down the current structure of Olympus and crowning himself king of the cosmos. Additionally, when things go off the plans he sets up, Hades can show an explosive personality to himself. Typically taking his frustrations out on his minions, or anyone near the god when his tempers run high. Unlike other Shadow Lords, hes practical, typically using well working plans as opposed to grandiose affairs. Patient, Hades looks for the long term investments, assuming the stresses of the moment don't destroy what hes worked for.

==Skills==
Everyone Hates Hades, Deadpan Snarker, Affably Evil, Ensemble Darkhorse, That One Boss, Short Fuse, Plays The Long Game, The Immortal, Your Mileage May Vary

==Abilities==

[[File:Hades-FK-Profile.gif]]

'''Deals:''' Hades can make deals with people who truly want to deal with him. He offers contracts, and once signed have to be followed through on both ends. Breaking the deals are as bad for the beseecher as they are for Hades. However, those who take the deals can get... benefits, but ultimately Hades almost always ends up with the better deal.

'''Fire:''' His nature grants him control over fire. Natural fire does not hurt him, and super natural fire is not effective on him. Any fire he sees can be used by him.

'''Immortal:''' Hades is immortal and ageless. While he is less powerful outside the Underworld, in the Underworld he is lord and master.

'''Heartless:''' Hades has control over the Heartless.

'''Teleportation:''' Hades can appear almost anywhere, at anytime...typically he needs to just know where to go, or can go where he is summoned.

'''God:''' Hades is a god, his mastery over the dead is indisputable, and in the Underworld unbeatable. However, he retains some of this power outside his domain, and still remains formidable. He also has an array of tricks, and uses magic freely, with little trouble.

= Logs =
{{Character Logs}}
= Cutscenes =
{{Character Logs|Cutscenes}}

File:Hades-FK-Profile.gif

2013-04-08T19:46:03Z

Lifa:

Historical Events

2013-04-04T21:33:09Z

Lifa: /* February */

= Year 0 =
Formation of the World of Ruin.

== September ==
Scrooge McDuck's Seasalt Icecream recipe is stolen by Magica De Spell and her heartless minions. Heroes and adventurers are hired in order to find back the recipe!

== October ==
The Seasalt Icecream Recipe is gathered, once in pieces, now whole again. This is the first reveal of Sora, during which he unlocks the World Shard that was hidden within the recipe. Since then, a tram runs between New Orleans and the Traverse area bounded Bodhum.

Meanwhile, somewhere far darker, Shadow Lords ponder the fall of Manhattan.

== November ==
Bad tidings befall Manhattan, as the Shadow Lords start their dark workings within the city.

== December ==

==== Manhattan ====
Things finally go awry in Manhattan. The digital machine that gives access to the Grid is stolen from Flynn's arcade by LEXUS, and subsequently stolen by ShinRa from said Shadow Lord. Heartless become more and more common, until finally the Shadow Lords trick the heroes by forcing them to split up their forces in multiple locations - while they use the key to the world to plunge the city and world into darkness. Valiant defenders do their best, but not only is the Empire State Building stolen by LEXUS and placed onto the Grid, so too do the rest of the Shadow Lords succeed in their task. And with the fall of Manhattan, so has Atlantis.

Immediately, plans start forming to return Manhattan to its former glory. But... is such a thing even possible?

During the first month following the lost of the city, two figures got lost in the darkness that claimed Manhattan, and managed to find a way out alive : [[Riku]] and [[Will Sherman]].

==== Serendipity ====
A joint effort between Don Corneo, Chocolina and The Queen of Cards to look for the missing artifacts that would bring back to the foreground the land of eternal carnival known as Serendipity. After a casino overrun by heartless, an encounter with a Chocobo Eater, and a crawl through Timmy's Old Well, the land was restored.

= Year 1 =
== January ==
Strange things start happening around Fluorgis. At first, it's nothing that your average adventurer can handle. But as things continue along, the city starts losing its shine.

Heroes also find out that the way to restore Manhattan exists, and this needs to be done by finding all of its shards and combining them. One of them in particular is offered as a reward by Hades in an all-out tournament!

== February ==

==== Manhattan ====

The Shard Seekers and other adventurers stand at the center as this city marked by the defense of its clans and the Fire Crystal comes under attack! Baron is involved, but ends up denying all involvement. Many heroes from all around the worlds come to protect this city and the 'togetherness' it stands for. What's more, the Fire Crystal is saved from a far darker fate!

Heroes continue to hunt down the shards for Manhattan. Having obtained the shard from Hades, little stands in their way from completing their intended mission. Or... is there?

An ultimatum, a single warning, was thrown over the inhabitants of Traverse Town, simply telling them that they will be the next ones to lose their own. The group of adventurers that joined to stop them were unfortunately unable to stop them... and yet, the Shadow Lords simply left without taking the town, only saying that this was a proof that no matter what the 'heroes' attempted, they would always be a step ahead of them.

==== Pride Lands ====

A shard was discovered, opening the path to a new world, known as a Pride Lands. The first step through the portal revealed how any creature moving into that world get transformed into an animal. It would seem that the world beyond it is a land of wild animals, in a mix of jungle, desert mountains and savannah.

== March ==
The heroes have to go into the underworld to retrieve Manhattan's Dusk Princess, Avira, in order to restore Manhattan. And after a gambit of their own, the heroes distract the Shadow Lords long enough to combine the shards and venture into the dark wasted Manhattan in order to return its light. And after a long struggle, as a group, they succeed - creating further hope for the future.

<headertabs/>

Historical Events

2013-04-04T21:29:43Z

Lifa: /* February */

= Year 0 =
Formation of the World of Ruin.

== September ==
Scrooge McDuck's Seasalt Icecream recipe is stolen by Magica De Spell and her heartless minions. Heroes and adventurers are hired in order to find back the recipe!

== October ==
The Seasalt Icecream Recipe is gathered, once in pieces, now whole again. This is the first reveal of Sora, during which he unlocks the World Shard that was hidden within the recipe. Since then, a tram runs between New Orleans and the Traverse area bounded Bodhum.

Meanwhile, somewhere far darker, Shadow Lords ponder the fall of Manhattan.

== November ==
Bad tidings befall Manhattan, as the Shadow Lords start their dark workings within the city.

== December ==

==== Manhattan ====
Things finally go awry in Manhattan. The digital machine that gives access to the Grid is stolen from Flynn's arcade by LEXUS, and subsequently stolen by ShinRa from said Shadow Lord. Heartless become more and more common, until finally the Shadow Lords trick the heroes by forcing them to split up their forces in multiple locations - while they use the key to the world to plunge the city and world into darkness. Valiant defenders do their best, but not only is the Empire State Building stolen by LEXUS and placed onto the Grid, so too do the rest of the Shadow Lords succeed in their task. And with the fall of Manhattan, so has Atlantis.

Immediately, plans start forming to return Manhattan to its former glory. But... is such a thing even possible?

During the first month following the lost of the city, two figures got lost in the darkness that claimed Manhattan, and managed to find a way out alive : [[Riku]] and [[Will Sherman]].

==== Serendipity ====
A joint effort between Don Corneo, Chocolina and The Queen of Cards to look for the missing artifacts that would bring back to the foreground the land of eternal carnival known as Serendipity. After a casino overrun by heartless, an encounter with a Chocobo Eater, and a crawl through Timmy's Old Well, the land was restored.

= Year 1 =
== January ==
Strange things start happening around Fluorgis. At first, it's nothing that your average adventurer can handle. But as things continue along, the city starts losing its shine.

Heroes also find out that the way to restore Manhattan exists, and this needs to be done by finding all of its shards and combining them. One of them in particular is offered as a reward by Hades in an all-out tournament!

== February ==
The Shard Seekers and other adventurers stand at the center as this city marked by the defense of its clans and the Fire Crystal comes under attack! Baron is involved, but ends up denying all involvement. Many heroes from all around the worlds come to protect this city and the 'togetherness' it stands for. What's more, the Fire Crystal is saved from a far darker fate!

Heroes continue to hunt down the shards for Manhattan. Having obtained the shard from Hades, little stands in their way from completing their intended mission. Or... is there?

An ultimatum, a single warning, was thrown over the inhabitants of Traverse Town, simply telling them that they will be the next ones to lose their own. The group of adventurers that joined to stop them were unfortunately unable to stop them... and yet, the Shadow Lords simply left without taking the town, only saying that this was a proof that no matter what the 'heroes' attempted, they would always be a step ahead of them.

== March ==
The heroes have to go into the underworld to retrieve Manhattan's Dusk Princess, Avira, in order to restore Manhattan. And after a gambit of their own, the heroes distract the Shadow Lords long enough to combine the shards and venture into the dark wasted Manhattan in order to return its light. And after a long struggle, as a group, they succeed - creating further hope for the future.

<headertabs/>

Historical Events

2013-04-04T21:25:32Z

Lifa: /* Manhattan */

= Year 0 =
Formation of the World of Ruin.

== September ==
Scrooge McDuck's Seasalt Icecream recipe is stolen by Magica De Spell and her heartless minions. Heroes and adventurers are hired in order to find back the recipe!

== October ==
The Seasalt Icecream Recipe is gathered, once in pieces, now whole again. This is the first reveal of Sora, during which he unlocks the World Shard that was hidden within the recipe. Since then, a tram runs between New Orleans and the Traverse area bounded Bodhum.

Meanwhile, somewhere far darker, Shadow Lords ponder the fall of Manhattan.

== November ==
Bad tidings befall Manhattan, as the Shadow Lords start their dark workings within the city.

== December ==

==== Manhattan ====
Things finally go awry in Manhattan. The digital machine that gives access to the Grid is stolen from Flynn's arcade by LEXUS, and subsequently stolen by ShinRa from said Shadow Lord. Heartless become more and more common, until finally the Shadow Lords trick the heroes by forcing them to split up their forces in multiple locations - while they use the key to the world to plunge the city and world into darkness. Valiant defenders do their best, but not only is the Empire State Building stolen by LEXUS and placed onto the Grid, so too do the rest of the Shadow Lords succeed in their task. And with the fall of Manhattan, so has Atlantis.

Immediately, plans start forming to return Manhattan to its former glory. But... is such a thing even possible?

During the first month following the lost of the city, two figures got lost in the darkness that claimed Manhattan, and managed to find a way out alive : [[Riku]] and [[Will Sherman]].

==== Serendipity ====
A joint effort between Don Corneo, Chocolina and The Queen of Cards to look for the missing artifacts that would bring back to the foreground the land of eternal carnival known as Serendipity. After a casino overrun by heartless, an encounter with a Chocobo Eater, and a crawl through Timmy's Old Well, the land was restored.

= Year 1 =
== January ==
Strange things start happening around Fluorgis. At first, it's nothing that your average adventurer can handle. But as things continue along, the city starts losing its shine.

Heroes also find out that the way to restore Manhattan exists, and this needs to be done by finding all of its shards and combining them. One of them in particular is offered as a reward by Hades in an all-out tournament!

== February ==
The Shard Seekers and other adventurers stand at the center as this city marked by the defense of its clans and the Fire Crystal comes under attack! Baron is involved, but ends up denying all involvement. Many heroes from all around the worlds come to protect this city and the 'togetherness' it stands for. What's more, the Fire Crystal is saved from a far darker fate!

Heroes continue to hunt down the shards for Manhattan. Having obtained the shard from Hades, little stands in their way from completing their intended mission. Or... is there?

== March ==
The heroes have to go into the underworld to retrieve Manhattan's Dusk Princess, Avira, in order to restore Manhattan. And after a gambit of their own, the heroes distract the Shadow Lords long enough to combine the shards and venture into the dark wasted Manhattan in order to return its light. And after a long struggle, as a group, they succeed - creating further hope for the future.

<headertabs/>

Historical Events

2013-04-04T21:24:53Z

Lifa: /* December */

= Year 0 =
Formation of the World of Ruin.

== September ==
Scrooge McDuck's Seasalt Icecream recipe is stolen by Magica De Spell and her heartless minions. Heroes and adventurers are hired in order to find back the recipe!

== October ==
The Seasalt Icecream Recipe is gathered, once in pieces, now whole again. This is the first reveal of Sora, during which he unlocks the World Shard that was hidden within the recipe. Since then, a tram runs between New Orleans and the Traverse area bounded Bodhum.

Meanwhile, somewhere far darker, Shadow Lords ponder the fall of Manhattan.

== November ==
Bad tidings befall Manhattan, as the Shadow Lords start their dark workings within the city.

== December ==

==== Manhattan ====
Things finally go awry in Manhattan. The digital machine that gives access to the Grid is stolen from Flynn's arcade by LEXUS, and subsequently stolen by ShinRa from said Shadow Lord. Heartless become more and more common, until finally the Shadow Lords trick the heroes by forcing them to split up their forces in multiple locations - while they use the key to the world to plunge the city and world into darkness. Valiant defenders do their best, but not only is the Empire State Building stolen by LEXUS and placed onto the Grid, so too do the rest of the Shadow Lords succeed in their task. And with the fall of Manhattan, so has Atlantis.

Immediately, plans start forming to return Manhattan to its former glory. But... is such a thing even possible?

during this period, two figures got lost in the darkness that claimed Manhattan, and managed to find a way out alive : [[Riku]] and [[Will Sherman]].

==== Serendipity ====
A joint effort between Don Corneo, Chocolina and The Queen of Cards to look for the missing artifacts that would bring back to the foreground the land of eternal carnival known as Serendipity. After a casino overrun by heartless, an encounter with a Chocobo Eater, and a crawl through Timmy's Old Well, the land was restored.

= Year 1 =
== January ==
Strange things start happening around Fluorgis. At first, it's nothing that your average adventurer can handle. But as things continue along, the city starts losing its shine.

Heroes also find out that the way to restore Manhattan exists, and this needs to be done by finding all of its shards and combining them. One of them in particular is offered as a reward by Hades in an all-out tournament!

== February ==
The Shard Seekers and other adventurers stand at the center as this city marked by the defense of its clans and the Fire Crystal comes under attack! Baron is involved, but ends up denying all involvement. Many heroes from all around the worlds come to protect this city and the 'togetherness' it stands for. What's more, the Fire Crystal is saved from a far darker fate!

Heroes continue to hunt down the shards for Manhattan. Having obtained the shard from Hades, little stands in their way from completing their intended mission. Or... is there?

== March ==
The heroes have to go into the underworld to retrieve Manhattan's Dusk Princess, Avira, in order to restore Manhattan. And after a gambit of their own, the heroes distract the Shadow Lords long enough to combine the shards and venture into the dark wasted Manhattan in order to return its light. And after a long struggle, as a group, they succeed - creating further hope for the future.

<headertabs/>

Maira

2013-04-04T01:21:19Z

Lifa:

{{Character Infobox
|firstname=Maira
|age=Around 17
|image=Maira by Morrighan.png
|species=Hume
|sex=Female
|height=5'4
|series=Final Fantasy 7
|styles=Black Mage
|hometown=Midgar,
|alignment=Wandering Force
|group=VALKYRI
|occupation=Black Mage
|quote=I'm sorry, I didn't mean to light the whole thing on fire! Just a little bit!
|footer=Working with Hearts Intertwined, winning obscene amounts of munny gambling and....kissing!?
}}
= History =

Maira was born in Midgar to a single mother. She has very few memories of her before she died, and unfortunately most of them are unfavorable. She grew up knowing that her mother had been wooed by a mysterious man who left her with a child to raise on her own soon after she became pregnant. Her mother remained extremely bitter about this turn of events.

Maira was a sickly child, and to support her ran a small potions shop in the slums. They were almost constantly on the edge of poverty, often homeless. It was no surprise when her mother and Maira both took ill. Despite her history of sickness, Maira miraculously survived the sickness, while her mother did not. Thus, at the age of six Maira became an orphan.

It was also at this time that Maira began to see Uist. He appeared to her in a fever-dream, and when she woke, clear-headed, he was there before her and has been by her side ever since. Maira was unsure of his presence at first, but alone as she was he became a balm to her. He assured her that he meant her no harm, that indeed he was there to help protect her and guide her. He is a precious friend, her constant companion, even if no one else in the world can see him.

Maira was taken in by an orphanage where she spent the remainder of her childhood, living in the shadow of ShinRa, though she did not have any strong feelings of hate for the company as many do. Her last brush with illness had not been her last, and Maira spent much of her time between fevers, struggling to survive. Unfortunately, this paired with the fact she talked to an invisible friend caused her to not really have much in the way of friends growing up. The woman who owned the orphanage was kind to her, but distant. The other children were reluctant to speak with her, and she could rarely keep up with their games.

Around the age of thirteen, Maira saw a vast improvement in her health. It was at this time that she also discovered that she had a talent for magic. While materia was certainly difficult to come by in the slums, she found a fire materia while exploring an abandoned building with Uist. Uist encouraged her to keep it and wanted to help her nurture her gift for magic.

By the time she was sixteen, Maira began to aspire to a better life. She thought to perhaps join ShinRa, who she thought would train her to use her magic. Clearly, it was not meant to be, for just before she was about to pursue that avenue, Wutai’s Godo Kisaragi makes a pact with the Shadow Lords that allows The Heartless to overrun Maira’s world. With SOLDIER and Wutai fighting and Heartless invading Midgar, Maira was caught in an attack. She tried, with her one materia, to protect the orphanage and met with some degree of success. However, there were too many Heartless for her to possibly handle, forcing her to flee. Following the advice of an unknown voice, she was led by Uist to a door she had never seen before, through which she fled, with no other choice.

So it was that she left her home behind.

Maira woke in Traverse Town, tucked into a bed in the second district’s Inn. Uist sat by her side, unseen by the moogle that kindly looked after her while she was unconscious. Traverse Town, being no stranger to refugees from Worlds of Darkness became home to Maira, where she got a job mixing and selling potions at a small shop while she continued to study magic in her free time.
While exploring Traverse Town and other worlds, Maira met and has befriended many people who have truly changed the course of her life. She befriended Avira, who started the group VALKYRI, and is proud to be the group’s second member.

= Personality =

Maira is young; naive in some ways but world-weary in others. She is no stranger to poverty and struggle. She is no stranger to loneliness. That said, she usually manages to remain upbeat. While the darkness of her world haunts her still, she finds hope knowing there are people who fight against that darkness. It was an amazing and exciting revelation for her to find out that there are more worlds out there, full of possibility. She hopes that she will be able to help fight against the darkness and perhaps see her world put to rights.

Maira is eager to make friends and connections. She is kind hearted almost to a fault, friendly and often exuberant. Having been hopelessly ill for most of her life, her new health (while still below average) gives her a chance to experience life.

This new outlook has also given her a thirst for thrill seeking. The rush of adrenaline is something very much sought after by Maira. She has developed a love of all things fast; vehicles etc. If Traverse Town had an amusement park, she would be a frequent visitor.
Maira also has a love of sweet foods and strange food combinations. It is not unlike her to put ice cream on top of steak and pour chocolate sauce on chicken. She might very well live on ice cream if she could.

She continues to work on her magic, which is quite powerful. Indeed, it is too powerful for her many a time. She has trouble controlling her emotions and has been known to occasionally set her bed aflame at night whilst in the grip of a nightmare. She hopes to gain better control and sorely needs training, which it seems she might just get from the kind-hearted Aerith!

= Relationships =

{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 745px; height: 194px;"
! scope="col" width="80" |
|-
|Allies
|Uist, [[Avira]], [[Angantyr Vespar]], [[Aerith]], [[Faruja]], [[Ivo Galvan]], [[Katyna Redsvaren]], [[Kaze]], [[Legion]], [[Mercade Alexander]], [[Minerva]], [[TRON]], [[Sarafina Carenze]], [[Percival]], [[Skoll Ulfang]], [[Vespa]], [[Tifa Lockhart]]
|-
|Adversaries
|[[Leon]], [[Morrighan Alazne]] [[Garland]], [[LEXUS]], [[Seith]]
|-
|Acquaintances
|[[Ariel]], [[Artyom]], [[CHIEF]], [[Deelel]], [[Deidra]] [[Evja]], [[Faris]], [[Hati]], [[Kamon Lionward]], [[Kim Possible]], [[Lavi]], [[Leida]], [[]], [[Riku]], [[Raiya Fujihara]], [[Isaac Hanlon]], [[Reize Seatlan]], [[Sora]],
|}

===Allies===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" width="100" | Status
! scope="col" width="500" | Thoughts
|-
|Uist||Deep regard||"My first friend, my almost constant companion and protector...I can't begin to describe it."
|-
|[[Avira]]||BFF-ness||"I will always be here to support you Avira, no matter what! You are my best friend and I'll never give up on you."
|-
|[[Angantyr]]||Great fondness. Complicated||"You are always there for me when I need you....I will do the same for you."
|-
|[[Aerith]]||Friendship||"You have been a good mentor to me. Thank you."
|-
|[[Faruja]]||Friendship||"You have become one of my closest friends. You a a true knight and having you by my side always gives me strength."
|-
|[[Ivo Galvan]]||Great fondness, complicated||"We really need to talk Ivo....again."
|-
|[[Katyna Redsvaren]]||Hurt||"I want to forgive you Katyna..."
|-
|[[Kaze]]||Friendship||"Whether you like it or not, Murdock!"
|-
|[[Legion]]||Friendship||"It has been really great getting to know you. All of you.
|-
|[[Mercade Alexander]]||Friendship||"You are a good, solid person Mercade. Thanks for being a friend."
|-
|[[Minerva]]||Friendship||"A fellow VALKYRI, I know I can count on you."
|-
|[[TRON]]||Friendship||"I'm so glad to have you in VALKYRI. You are a good friend and I look forward to getting to know you better!"
|-
|[[Sarafina Carenze]]||Friendship||"I think you may be the only good thing I've seen come out of Baron. I miss you!"
|-
|[[Percival]]||Friendship||"You are not a monster, no matter what you say. You are kind and noble. I will help you however I can!
|-
|[[Skoll Ulfang]]||Friendship||"You make excellent bacon! Even if you are trouble, you are fun to be around."
|-
|[[Vespa]]||Friendship||"I don't think you are crazy Vespa. Good to have you around."
|-
|[[Tifa Lockhart]]||Friendship||"Having you around is always a pleasure! You should do uh...punch good!"
|}

===Adversaries===

{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" width="100" | Status
! scope="col" width="500" | Thoughts
|-
|[[Leon]]||Confusion, Anxiety|| "Who are you...? I don't understand why you are doing what you do. You feel...wrong. Please, tell me.
|-
|[[Morrighan Alazne]]||General Grumpiness|| "You kidnapped Avira, then made it seem like you wanted to be a better person...but you lied."
|-
|-[[Garland]]||Fear, Curiousity|| "....don't get Angantyr into trouble, please."
|-
|-[[LEXUS]]||Grrr!|| "You...you are a mean....thing."
|-
|-[[Seith]]||Anger|| "I know you helped Katyna, apparently...but you...I think you have lost your way."
|}

= Logs =
{{Character Logs}}

= Cutscenes =
{{Character Logs|Cutscenes}}

Maira

2013-04-04T01:20:41Z

Lifa:

{{Character Infobox
|firstname=Maira
|age=Around 17
|image=Maira by Morrighan.png
|species=Hume
|sex=Female
|height=5'4
|series=Final Fantasy 7
|styles=Black Mage
|hometown=Midgar,
|alignment=Wandering Force
|group=VALKYRI
|occupation=Black Mage
|quote=I'm sorry, I didn't mean to light the whole thing on fire! Just a little bit!
|footer=Working with Hearts Intertwined, winning obscene amounts of munny gambling and....kissing!?
}}
= History =

Maira was born in Midgar to a single mother. She has very few memories of her before she died, and unfortunately most of them are unfavorable. She grew up knowing that her mother had been wooed by a mysterious man who left her with a child to raise on her own soon after she became pregnant. Her mother remained extremely bitter about this turn of events.

Maira was a sickly child, and to support her ran a small potions shop in the slums. They were almost constantly on the edge of poverty, often homeless. It was no surprise when her mother and Maira both took ill. Despite her history of sickness, Maira miraculously survived the sickness, while her mother did not. Thus, at the age of six Maira became an orphan.

It was also at this time that Maira began to see Uist. He appeared to her in a fever-dream, and when she woke, clear-headed, he was there before her and has been by her side ever since. Maira was unsure of his presence at first, but alone as she was he became a balm to her. He assured her that he meant her no harm, that indeed he was there to help protect her and guide her. He is a precious friend, her constant companion, even if no one else in the world can see him.

Maira was taken in by an orphanage where she spent the remainder of her childhood, living in the shadow of ShinRa, though she did not have any strong feelings of hate for the company as many do. Her last brush with illness had not been her last, and Maira spent much of her time between fevers, struggling to survive. Unfortunately, this paired with the fact she talked to an invisible friend caused her to not really have much in the way of friends growing up. The woman who owned the orphanage was kind to her, but distant. The other children were reluctant to speak with her, and she could rarely keep up with their games.

Around the age of thirteen, Maira saw a vast improvement in her health. It was at this time that she also discovered that she had a talent for magic. While materia was certainly difficult to come by in the slums, she found a fire materia while exploring an abandoned building with Uist. Uist encouraged her to keep it and wanted to help her nurture her gift for magic.

By the time she was sixteen, Maira began to aspire to a better life. She thought to perhaps join ShinRa, who she thought would train her to use her magic. Clearly, it was not meant to be, for just before she was about to pursue that avenue, Wutai’s Godo Kisaragi makes a pact with the Shadow Lords that allows The Heartless to overrun Maira’s world. With SOLDIER and Wutai fighting and Heartless invading Midgar, Maira was caught in an attack. She tried, with her one materia, to protect the orphanage and met with some degree of success. However, there were too many Heartless for her to possibly handle, forcing her to flee. Following the advice of an unknown voice, she was led by Uist to a door she had never seen before, through which she fled, with no other choice.

So it was that she left her home behind.

Maira woke in Traverse Town, tucked into a bed in the second district’s Inn. Uist sat by her side, unseen by the moogle that kindly looked after her while she was unconscious. Traverse Town, being no stranger to refugees from Worlds of Darkness became home to Maira, where she got a job mixing and selling potions at a small shop while she continued to study magic in her free time.
While exploring Traverse Town and other worlds, Maira met and has befriended many people who have truly changed the course of her life. She befriended Avira, who started the group VALKYRI, and is proud to be the group’s second member.

= Personality =

Maira is young; naive in some ways but world-weary in others. She is no stranger to poverty and struggle. She is no stranger to loneliness. That said, she usually manages to remain upbeat. While the darkness of her world haunts her still, she finds hope knowing there are people who fight against that darkness. It was an amazing and exciting revelation for her to find out that there are more worlds out there, full of possibility. She hopes that she will be able to help fight against the darkness and perhaps see her world put to rights.

Maira is eager to make friends and connections. She is kind hearted almost to a fault, friendly and often exuberant. Having been hopelessly ill for most of her life, her new health (while still below average) gives her a chance to experience life.

This new outlook has also given her a thirst for thrill seeking. The rush of adrenaline is something very much sought after by Maira. She has developed a love of all things fast; vehicles etc. If Traverse Town had an amusement park, she would be a frequent visitor.
Maira also has a love of sweet foods and strange food combinations. It is not unlike her to put ice cream on top of steak and pour chocolate sauce on chicken. She might very well live on ice cream if she could.

She continues to work on her magic, which is quite powerful. Indeed, it is too powerful for her many a time. She has trouble controlling her emotions and has been known to occasionally set her bed aflame at night whilst in the grip of a nightmare. She hopes to gain better control and sorely needs training, which it seems she might just get from the kind-hearted Aerith!

= Relationships =

{| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 745px; height: 194px;"
! scope="col" width="80" |
|-
|Allies
|Uist, [[Avira]], [[Angantyr Vespar]], [[Aerith]], [[Faruja]], [[Ivo Galvan]], [[Katyna Redsvaren]], [[Kaze]], [[Legion]], [[Mercade Alexander]], [[Minerva]], [[TRON]], [[Sarafina Carenze]], [[Percival]], [[Skoll Ulfang]], [[Vespa]], [[Tifa Lockhart]]
|-
|Adversaries
[[Leon]], [[Morrighan Alazne]] [[Garland]], [[LEXUS]], [[Seith]]
|-
|Acquaintances
|[[Ariel]], [[Artyom]], [[CHIEF]], [[Deelel]], [[Deidra]] [[Evja]], [[Faris]], [[Hati]], [[Kamon Lionward]], [[Kim Possible]], [[Lavi]], [[Leida]], [[]], [[Riku]], [[Raiya Fujihara]], [[Isaac Hanlon]], [[Reize Seatlan]], [[Sora]],
|}

===Allies===
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" width="100" | Status
! scope="col" width="500" | Thoughts
|-
|Uist||Deep regard||"My first friend, my almost constant companion and protector...I can't begin to describe it."
|-
|[[Avira]]||BFF-ness||"I will always be here to support you Avira, no matter what! You are my best friend and I'll never give up on you."
|-
|[[Angantyr]]||Great fondness. Complicated||"You are always there for me when I need you....I will do the same for you."
|-
|[[Aerith]]||Friendship||"You have been a good mentor to me. Thank you."
|-
|[[Faruja]]||Friendship||"You have become one of my closest friends. You a a true knight and having you by my side always gives me strength."
|-
|[[Ivo Galvan]]||Great fondness, complicated||"We really need to talk Ivo....again."
|-
|[[Katyna Redsvaren]]||Hurt||"I want to forgive you Katyna..."
|-
|[[Kaze]]||Friendship||"Whether you like it or not, Murdock!"
|-
|[[Legion]]||Friendship||"It has been really great getting to know you. All of you.
|-
|[[Mercade Alexander]]||Friendship||"You are a good, solid person Mercade. Thanks for being a friend."
|-
|[[Minerva]]||Friendship||"A fellow VALKYRI, I know I can count on you."
|-
|[[TRON]]||Friendship||"I'm so glad to have you in VALKYRI. You are a good friend and I look forward to getting to know you better!"
|-
|[[Sarafina Carenze]]||Friendship||"I think you may be the only good thing I've seen come out of Baron. I miss you!"
|-
|[[Percival]]||Friendship||"You are not a monster, no matter what you say. You are kind and noble. I will help you however I can!
|-
|[[Skoll Ulfang]]||Friendship||"You make excellent bacon! Even if you are trouble, you are fun to be around."
|-
|[[Vespa]]||Friendship||"I don't think you are crazy Vespa. Good to have you around."
|-
|[[Tifa Lockhart]]||Friendship||"Having you around is always a pleasure! You should do uh...punch good!"
|}

===Adversaries===

{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" width="100" | Status
! scope="col" width="500" | Thoughts
|-
|[[Leon]]||Confusion, Anxiety|| "Who are you...? I don't understand why you are doing what you do. You feel...wrong. Please, tell me.
|-
|[[Morrighan Alazne]]||General Grumpiness|| "You kidnapped Avira, then made it seem like you wanted to be a better person...but you lied."
|-
|-[[Garland]]||Fear, Curiousity|| "....don't get Angantyr into trouble, please."
|-
|-[[LEXUS]]||Grrr!|| "You...you are a mean....thing."
|-
|-[[Seith]]||Anger|| "I know you helped Katyna, apparently...but you...I think you have lost your way."
|}

= Logs =
{{Character Logs}}

= Cutscenes =
{{Character Logs|Cutscenes}}

Chocobo Ranch

2013-03-31T16:46:48Z

Lifa:

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[[File:Chocobo Ranch Title.gif|center]]

= Chocobos =

[[File:Chocobo1.gif|150px|left]]
Ah, Chocobos. The large yellow birds come in as much kinds as there are clouds in the sky. Some are adventuring, some are racers, and some simply like to spend their time playing in the fields. Some of them become pets, others carriage pullers or pack mules. They are friendly creatures that are smarter than most animals as well. Some are great travelling companions and develop strong bonds with their owners. Some people treat their chocobos like friends rather than tools.

You ever wanted to have your own Chocobo? It's hard to handle one in your home. The feeding, the training, it needs the leg work often too, so you cannot simply leave it inside.

This is where the Chocobo Ranch comes in! Now you can possess your own chocobo, and we handle all of the caretaking for you. You only need to come and say hi to your chocobo once in a while. Of course, you can always leave with your chocobo as well, if you need it for travelling or various chores, but it will always have a place here after you're done.

Here is all the information you need to have your own chocobo!

== The Ranch ==

The Chocobo Ranch is owned by an old man that only does a managing job nowadays. He left the caretaking to his grandson and daughter, Billy and Chole, who are quite knowledgeable about chocobos. Billy takes care of the more hands-on work. He takes care of all of the feeding, cleaning of the stalls, and putting your chocobos outside so they can stretch their legs every day.

Chole meanwhile is in charge of training and bookeeping. She also is the one that makes sure the chocobos stay in good health, or nurse them when sick. She's also the one that takes care of the baby chocobos after their birth, as she finds them so cute.

= Stables =

[[File:Chocobo Stables.jpg|250px]]

== Chocobos ==
In the stables, Choco Billy handles all the needs for your chocobos. Of course, outside of the daily menial work, Choco Billy needs to be told what you want to do with your chocobos. So here are all of the things you can do with your chocobos.

{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="250" | Rule
! scope="col" | Description
|-
|'''+Choco/New <Name>'''||With this, you start your life as a chocobo owner. You need to give it a name of course. We will pick a chocobo for you, and put it in an empty spot.
|-
|'''+Choco/Name <Chocobo>=<New Name>'''||Allows you to rename a chocobo that you own. Chocobos sometimes like it when you give them a new name, one that fits their personality or abilities. There is a limit of 16 letters to it.
|-
|'''+Choco/Remove <Chocobo>'''||Sends a chocobo out of your stable. Don't worry, we'll find it a new owner rapidly!
|-
|'''+Choco/List'''||This shows all of your chocobos in a nice summary.
|-
|'''+Chococard/Look <Chocobo>'''||When you get a new chocobo, a magical card is issued with all of its personal data. You can look at it anytime, even away from the ranch.
|-
|'''+Chococard/Show <Chocobo>=<Name/All>'''||You can also show your card to <Name> or to everyone in the room using '''All'''. Make sure people want to see it before you use this command, be mindful!
|-
|}

== Feeding and Breeding ==

Once you get a new chocobo, wether we captured one or it just been born, it will be hungry. Feeding a chocobo increases its attritubes gradually. The hungrier it is, the more feed it will take at a single time. We handle the daily feeding, even if you are far away, but you should come back to feed it yourself once in a while too!

Feeding a chocobo increases its 4 main attributes, which are Run, Dash, Stamina and Endurance. Each green has different attributes that it can boost, and in different proportions as well. What? Which greens are better? Well all of them are pretty much equal, but concentrate on different attributes. You will just need to figure out which ones help what attribute on your own!

{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="250" | Rule
! scope="col" | Description
|-
|'''+Choco/Feed <Chocobo>=<Green>'''||Feed the Chocobo a green. The greens are listed Below.
|-
|'''+Choco/Checkup <Chocobo>'''||Choles makes a checkup on your Chocobo's health and attributes, to see how far away from its potential attributes it is at the moment. It lets you know if you still need to train it in a certain area more than the others.
|-
|}
{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" width="250"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Green
! scope="col" width="50" |
! scope="col" width="100" | Green
|-
| Gyshal || || Curiel
|-
| Krakka || || Mimett
|-
| Tantal || || Reagan
|-
| Pahsana || || Sylkis
|-
|}

Breeding allows you to get a new chocobo, as a baby, and grow it up yourself. They are born unnamed, so you can give them the name you wish after moving them to the stables. If your stables are full, you can replace one of your previous chocobos with it, and the newborn will take the name of which is being replaced. The old chocobo are returned to the wilds, where it will make new friends, no need to worry about them!

Like feeding, you need to give them a nut to start the process. We will then find a suitable mate for your chocobo, and then magic happens! So so daddy says. A new chocobo is born to the world. Its also hungry, you might want to feed it! Note that you need a certain amount of time to be able to breed a newly caught chocobo, or a newly born one.

Breeding a chocobo takes the parent's attributes, and increase their maximum values. Unfortunately, the chocobo is still untrained, so the racing attributes will be lower than the parents. But since their potential is higher, you will gradually raise stronger chocobos!

{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="250" | Rule
! scope="col" | Description
|-
|'''+Choco/Breed <Chocobo>=<Nut>'''||Breeds the specified chocobo with the given nut. The baby is placed in a temporary stable until its ready to be moved to the stables.
|-
|'''+Choco/Move'''||Moves the newborn chocobo into an empty stable. If you have no stable free, you can use the next command instead.
|-
|'''+Choco/Replace <Chocobo>'''||Moves the newborn chocobo to the stables, replacing the chocobo you had. It keeps the same name as the one replaced.
|-
|'''+Choco/Release'''||Releases the newborn chocobo to the wilds. Sometimes the baby is not as strong as the parents, it's better to release them.
|-
|}
{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" width="250"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Nut
! scope="col" width="50" |
! scope="col" width="100" | Nut
|-
| Pepio || || Pram
|-
| Luchille || || Porov
|-
| Saraha || || Carob
|-
| Lasan || || Zeio
|-
|}

= Racing =

Chocobos are natural racers, they love to run all over the fields when they can. They race each other for fun as well, so it was only natural that people starting to race their own chocobos against other people as well!

So chocobos and chocobo racing go together well!

[[File:Chocobo2.png]]

Not like this thought.

== Racing Circuit ==

Found in Serendipity, the Chocobo Racing Circuit is open to all people to race against other racing enthusiasts. Esther is the one to look up for when you want to register up for the races.

Races in the circuit are done between 6 racing birds, one of them being you. The other 5 racers are people that love to race and measure their chocobos against each other. There are bets going on in the back of course, which is why the races are divided into Classes. The higher the class, the faster the chocobos involved are. You can see the Class of your chocobo on your ChocoCard.

Your Class is automatically upgraded when your chocobo's feeding make its attribute high enough to cross in the next category of racers. Chole is the one that evaluates the potential, so that an even challenge is kept no matter how good your chocobo becomes. The Classes are in order : '''F - E - D - C - B - A - S - SS - SSS'''

The races are done in 3 laps of 3 legs each. Each leg after the first one, you are able to order your chocobo's speed, in %. See the Racing Information for more details.

These commands only work in the Circuit of course.

{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="250" | Rule
! scope="col" | Description
|-
|'''+Choco/Race <Chocobo>'''||Starts a race with the named Chocobo.
|-
|'''+Choco/Speed #'''||Enter your speed. The speed information is shown in the Speednotes box that appears.
|-
|'''+Choco/Set Box'''||Toggles '''On''' and '''Off''' the speednote box reminder between legs.
|-
|'''+Choco/Speednotes'''||If your Speednote box is turned off, you can always get a reminder of it using this command.
|-
|'''+Choco/Gyshal'''||Each race, you have one Gyshal that you can give your chocobo. So once per race, you can give your chocobo a quick boost of 50% Stamina.
|-
|}

== Drag Racing ==
[[File:Chocobo3.jpg|200px]]

Drag Racing is the alternate way of racing, outside of the Chocobo Circuit. You can race just about anywhere in the world, but only against other people that join up the challenge, as its not organized like at the circuit.

Although the racing mechanics are the same, it's not strictly limited to 6 people, it needs at least 2 racers to start. There is also no laps, only legs, which can be chosen at the start of the race. The default amount of legs is 9, the same amount as a Circuit race.

{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="250" | Rule
! scope="col" | Description
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/New <Chocobo>=<Legs>'''||Initializes a new race, inviting people to join. You enter automatically with the specified chocobo. The amount of legs is optional, defaulting to 9.
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/Join <ID>=<Chocobo>'''||Joins in the race, answering the announcement made, using the specified chocobo.
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/Start'''||When everyone has joined the race, the iniator of the race can kick off the race using this.
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/Leave'''||Leave the race, or cancels it if you are the initiator. If midrace, you are given a loss automatically.
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/Speednotes'''||If your Speednote box is turned off, you can always get a reminder of it using this command.
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/Speed #'''||Enter your speed. The speed information is shown in the Speednotes box that appears. The leg starts as soon as everyone entered their speed. You can change your speed using the same command until everyone has done so.
|-
|'''+ChocoDrag/Gyshal'''||Each race, you have one Gyshal that you can give your chocobo. So once per race, you can give your chocobo a quick boost of 50% Stamina.
|-
|}

= Other Info =

No matter if you are Drag Racing or in the Circuit, the same mechanics apply to your chocobo's behavior and attributes.

The speed you direct your chocobo each Leg determines how much Stamina will be used up or recovered. 100% Speed means that you go to the maximum speed without using any Stamina. Anything lower than 100% Speed will make your chocob recover stamina, up to a maximum of 100% Stamina of course.

Anything higher than 100% Speed will make your chocobo lose Stamina. If your chocobo falls to 0% Stamina between legs, it will see its Speed reduced to 50% until the end of the Leg. It will also recover Stamina during that time of course, but you will probably be left behind as well.

The best tip about racing is to control your stamina usage as much as possible, getting as close to 0% Stamina without going under, and going as fast as possible without going over 100% Stamina when recovering.

== Racing Attributes ==

There are 4 main attributes that affects the race :

{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Attribute
! scope="col" | Description
|-
|'''Run'''||Running speed. This attribute affects how fast you run at normal. 100% Speed = 100% Run.
|-
|'''Dash'''||Dashing speed. It increases your running speed by how much over 100% Speed you are going at. 125% Speed = Run + 25% Dash.
|-
|'''Stamina'''||How much Stamina your chocobo has. It affects how much and how fast it can Dash when you go over 100% Speed.
|-
|'''Endurance'''||Affects the gain and loss of Stamina. The more Endurance your chocobo has, the more it will recover Stamina if under 100% Speed, and the less Stamina it will lose while Dashing.
|-
|}

== Chocobo Hunger ==

Chocobos get hungry as they race, which allows you to feed them more greens to increase their attributes. Chocobos get hungry by racing, it doesn't matter if they win or not, but winning seems to make them crave faster. You should always try your best to win!

== Chocobo Colors ==

Yes, it is possible to get chocobos of different colors! But how to make them appear, that we're not sure.

There is one nut that doesn't seem to increase attributes at all when used, so we think it might be tied to usage of that nut. But also, it doesn't seem like they appear unless the chocobo havs reached a certain threshold in their maximum attributes.

So it only appears on babies that you bred yourself, it might take some time!

== Other information ==

You have found some information and want to share it? Well do so! See at the top of the screen the "Discussion" link? Go ahead and write your findings!

<headertabs />

User:Ragnar21583

2013-03-30T05:19:18Z

Lifa: Creating user page for new user.

User talk:Ragnar21583

2013-03-30T05:19:18Z

Lifa: Welcome!

Serah Farron

2013-03-27T21:55:30Z

Lifa:

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{{Character Infobox
|firstname=Serah
|lastname=Farron
|age=18
|image=Serah-farron-profile.jpg
|species=Human
|sex=Female
|height=5'5"
|series=Final Fantasy XIII
|styles=MediSynergist, SaboRavager
|hometown=Bodhum
|alignment=Wandering Force
|group=Unaffiliated
|occupation=Student
|themesong=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDfqCNgeHTU
|quote="Running away and leaving behind the people you care about? That isn't love. Though you might just want to keep them safe, shutting them out of your life only hurts them more. The point is, I have people I can count on. I'll make it through."
|footer=Woke up from Crystal Slumber in Eden. Lost.
}}

==Profile==

Once a l'Cie in Crystal Slumber after a completed Focus, Serah was released from it after the worlds fell to darkness. A new Focus, a new world, familiar things that aren't quite right anymore, and a Cocoon high in the sky, where she can't reach, so many things will never be the same. Where is Snow? Where is Lightning? What is Sanctum doing? Wielding a mechanical bowsword as a weapon, she trains herself to learn of the l'Cie powers that were granted to her, hoping to use them for the good cause, and perhaps find her focus along the way.

==Background==

One could think that Serah had a perfect life. Well, not perfect, but compared to many tumultuous worlds, it was at least normal.

For the first part of her life, she was raised by loving parents. Second child after her sister Claire, they lived not richly but comfortably. Her father was a doctor, working for some of the most prestigious companies in Cocoon, but still down to earth with strong morels and a will to help people in need. Sickness was not a big thing in Cocoon fortunately, thanks to the cloak of protection from the fal'Cies.

fal'Cies? Well, you could consider them as gods for all intents. They took away the humans from the harsh world below, and using their amazing powers, created a sphere in the sky that people could live on. Not a planet though, it was still within the atmosphere of its mother planet, Gran Pulse, but Cocoon had its own life, ecosystem, gravity even, thanks to the power of the fal'Cie.

But not all fal'Cies were equal, each given a certain task and the power to enslave humans which are called l'Cie, the servants of fal'Cies. But while they revere Cocoon's fal'Cie, anything from Pulse, the world below, is seen as a calamity and a danger. And when a Pulse fal'Cie is found, a Purge is usually made, killing or capturing anyone that came in contact with it, as it might have created l'Cies as well. Large sections of Cocoon have been Purged like this in the past.

Serah's parents were taken away in such an event. Claire and Serah were left on their own, unquestioningly following the will of Cocoon's fal'Cies and its formed government, the Sanctum, controlling the army. If they ordered a purge, there was a reason behind it after all.

At least, that's what Serah seemed to think. But Claire took the weight of supporting her sister by joining the Sanctum army, she also become more distant of Serah in the process.

Serah found new comfort when she met Snow. He was almost twice as tall as she was, or at least that's how it felt to her sometimes. But he was caring beyond anything. It didn't take much for her to fall in love with him. He was generous, strong as a behemoth, and with a sense of justice as strong and pure as a diamond. But even this kind of fairy tale can't be entirely perfect.

It was an accident, or perhaps fate. She was interested in studying archaeology, and decided to check in the ruins near Bodhum, called Vestiges. Venturing inside the ruins, she met the Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, and branded her without a word. She wake up outside, and seeing the brand on her forearm made her scared, trying to rub it off. She couldn't get it to disappear; instead it seemed to spread, so she covered in bandages to avoid suspicion.

She wanted to break with Snow after that, saying she was now an enemy of Cocoon, with dreams of destroying it, Ragnarok, making her think that was her Focus. But Snow would not hear anything of it, and even decides to help her find her Focus. And a few days later, he even proposes to her, showing even more determination to save her from her brand.

At Lightning's birthday soon after, she tries to tell her sister of how she is to marry Snow and became a l'Cie, but Lightning seems to not believe her sister, and even becomes angry, making Serah leave the house, and attempt to find the fal'Cie who branded her again, wanting to see what it truly wanted of her. But it was too late, Sanctum had found about the fal'Cie and had quarantined the area. And soon after, Serah was also captured and taken away by the fal'Cie. And that's when the Sanctum called in a Purge on Bodhum, moving Vestiges away along with the fal’Cie and Serah.

Lightning and Snow fought their way to the Vestige, Snow organizing and leading a resistance against the Purge at the same time, to save the citizens of Bodhum. Rushing inside the ruins, they found Serah, unconscious, who only wakes up long enough to tell them to 'Save Cocoon', before getting crystallized, signalling the completion of her Focus. Serah's consciousness fades from here, falling into the crystal slumber and dreams.

The Crystal Sleep is said to be eternal, although that isn't quite true either. Should conditions change for the original Focus completion, or that a new Focus should be carried, the Crystal Sleep can end. But how much time would it take? How many centuries could one sleep until freedom is given again?

She dreamt of what was going on outside. Lightning and Snow turning into l'Cies, still seeking a way to undo the branding and free Serah and themselves from fal'Cie servitude... but all she could do is dream, and wait.

How much time has passed? The worlds were shifted, the darkness appeared... and somewhere within the city of Eden, the crystal statue comes back to life. Was she forgotten there after the world changing events, or simply put aside as there are bigger things to take care of than a girl in her eternal sleep?

She also thought that she would be in the crystal sleep forever. But apparently, things changed outside. This isn’t Gran Pulse, even landmarks from Cocoon are somewhere else entirely. Did she receive a new Focus because of this? The visions she has seems to say so. She still has to make sense of it, but she has the feeling it will lead her back to Cocoon soon…

==Personality==

Soft and kind are only a few of the words that seem to fit the girl when you look at her. But that's only scratching the surface, even if it is true. She has a strong and kind heart, not wishing for anyone's harm or sadness, even going out of her way to help out often. That's a trait she took from Snow, the thick-headed fiancé.

"Isn't that what a hero would do?"
"You helped an old lady cross the street, that's hardly 'heroic' you know."
"But that was still cool, right?"

Ah Snow, there's so much to learn from your simplicity sometimes.

She was given lots of kindness from Claire, her parents, her friends, even Snow's friends. For her it was only natural to return it in anyway she could. She can cook a little, not gastronomic, but she wants to help and can learn. She also undertook studies to become a teacher. Her branding happened during the school's vacation, and now who knows what happened to her school or even how much time it has been.

Although she shows kindness, she also knows how to be stern when it counts. That is a must for any teacher of course, you can't be too lenient on the students otherwise you lose control over the class, and lose authority over them. And she even shows to be short-tempered when it comes to it. When she gets angry she looks even more like Lightning, from what people say. In fact, in highly contrasts with her usual 'cuteness', and becomes downright intimidating in a flash if you get on her bad side.

While she can manage things on her own, as she lived alone in the house while Claire was gone to the army, she also hates solitude. She always wishes to have friends around her. She believes in people working together, pooling their resources and talents together to create an even bigger, better result in the end. In that aspect, she feels Snow is always trying to do everything alone, and she often scolds him for it. Not that it does much.

Keeping those friends are arm's length drives her to great lengths, even self-sacrifice if need is. Of course she doesn't want to die, but if it meant that everyone else is safe, she might not hesitate either. She thinks Claire is the same, but she's so much more independent than herself. She really looks up to Claire, and wishes she could be more like her sometimes.

[[file:Serah-FK-Profile.gif]]

==Relationships==

{| class="CTable StatTable"
|-
! scope="col" width="80" |
|
|-
|Allies
|[[Snow Villiers]], [[Lightning Farron]]
|-
|Acquaintances
|[[Niklas Dragonius]]
|-
|Adversary
|None for Now
|-
|}

===Allies===
{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" | Thoughts
|-
|[[Snow Villiers]]||"Will I ever see you again?"
|-
|[[Lightning Farron]]||"What happened after I was turned to crystal?"
|-
|}

===Acquaintances===
{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" | Thoughts
|-
|[[Niklas Dragonius]]||"He's alot like you Snow, straight to the point."
|-
|}

= Logs =
{{Character Logs}}
= Cutscenes =
{{Character Logs|Cutscenes}}

File:Serah-FK-Profile.gif

2013-03-27T21:54:44Z

Lifa:

Serah Farron

2013-03-27T18:00:06Z

Lifa:

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{{Character Infobox
|firstname=Serah
|lastname=Farron
|age=18
|image=Serah-farron-profile.jpg
|species=Human
|sex=Female
|height=5'5"
|series=Final Fantasy XIII
|styles=MediSynergist, SaboRavager
|hometown=Bodhum
|alignment=Wandering Force
|group=Unaffiliated
|occupation=Student
|themesong=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDfqCNgeHTU
|quote="Running away and leaving behind the people you care about? That isn't love. Though you might just want to keep them safe, shutting them out of your life only hurts them more. The point is, I have people I can count on. I'll make it through."
|footer=Woke up from Crystal Slumber in Eden. Lost.
}}

==Profile==

Once a l'Cie in Crystal Slumber after a completed Focus, Serah was released from it after the worlds fell to darkness. A new Focus, a new world, familiar things that aren't quite right anymore, and a Cocoon high in the sky, where she can't reach, so many things will never be the same. Where is Snow? Where is Lightning? What is Sanctum doing? Wielding a mechanical bowsword as a weapon, she trains herself to learn of the l'Cie powers that were granted to her, hoping to use them for the good cause, and perhaps find her focus along the way.

==Background==

One could think that Serah had a perfect life. Well, not perfect, but compared to many tumultuous worlds, it was at least normal.

For the first part of her life, she was raised by loving parents. Second child after her sister Claire, they lived not richly but comfortably. Her father was a doctor, working for some of the most prestigious companies in Cocoon, but still down to earth with strong morels and a will to help people in need. Sickness was not a big thing in Cocoon fortunately, thanks to the cloak of protection from the fal'Cies.

fal'Cies? Well, you could consider them as gods for all intents. They took away the humans from the harsh world below, and using their amazing powers, created a sphere in the sky that people could live on. Not a planet though, it was still within the atmosphere of its mother planet, Gran Pulse, but Cocoon had its own life, ecosystem, gravity even, thanks to the power of the fal'Cie.

But not all fal'Cies were equal, each given a certain task and the power to enslave humans which are called l'Cie, the servants of fal'Cies. But while they revere Cocoon's fal'Cie, anything from Pulse, the world below, is seen as a calamity and a danger. And when a Pulse fal'Cie is found, a Purge is usually made, killing or capturing anyone that came in contact with it, as it might have created l'Cies as well. Large sections of Cocoon have been Purged like this in the past.

Serah's parents were taken away in such an event. Claire and Serah were left on their own, unquestioningly following the will of Cocoon's fal'Cies and its formed government, the Sanctum, controlling the army. If they ordered a purge, there was a reason behind it after all.

At least, that's what Serah seemed to think. But Claire took the weight of supporting her sister by joining the Sanctum army, she also become more distant of Serah in the process.

Serah found new comfort when she met Snow. He was almost twice as tall as she was, or at least that's how it felt to her sometimes. But he was caring beyond anything. It didn't take much for her to fall in love with him. He was generous, strong as a behemoth, and with a sense of justice as strong and pure as a diamond. But even this kind of fairy tale can't be entirely perfect.

It was an accident, or perhaps fate. She was interested in studying archaeology, and decided to check in the ruins near Bodhum, called Vestiges. Venturing inside the ruins, she met the Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, and branded her without a word. She wake up outside, and seeing the brand on her forearm made her scared, trying to rub it off. She couldn't get it to disappear; instead it seemed to spread, so she covered in bandages to avoid suspicion.

She wanted to break with Snow after that, saying she was now an enemy of Cocoon, with dreams of destroying it, Ragnarok, making her think that was her Focus. But Snow would not hear anything of it, and even decides to help her find her Focus. And a few days later, he even proposes to her, showing even more determination to save her from her brand.

At Lightning's birthday soon after, she tries to tell her sister of how she is to marry Snow and became a l'Cie, but Lightning seems to not believe her sister, and even becomes angry, making Serah leave the house, and attempt to find the fal'Cie who branded her again, wanting to see what it truly wanted of her. But it was too late, Sanctum had found about the fal'Cie and had quarantined the area. And soon after, Serah was also captured and taken away by the fal'Cie. And that's when the Sanctum called in a Purge on Bodhum, moving Vestiges away along with the fal’Cie and Serah.

Lightning and Snow fought their way to the Vestige, Snow organizing and leading a resistance against the Purge at the same time, to save the citizens of Bodhum. Rushing inside the ruins, they found Serah, unconscious, who only wakes up long enough to tell them to 'Save Cocoon', before getting crystallized, signalling the completion of her Focus. Serah's consciousness fades from here, falling into the crystal slumber and dreams.

The Crystal Sleep is said to be eternal, although that isn't quite true either. Should conditions change for the original Focus completion, or that a new Focus should be carried, the Crystal Sleep can end. But how much time would it take? How many centuries could one sleep until freedom is given again?

She dreamt of what was going on outside. Lightning and Snow turning into l'Cies, still seeking a way to undo the branding and free Serah and themselves from fal'Cie servitude... but all she could do is dream, and wait.

How much time has passed? The worlds were shifted, the darkness appeared... and somewhere within the city of Eden, the crystal statue comes back to life. Was she forgotten there after the world changing events, or simply put aside as there are bigger things to take care of than a girl in her eternal sleep?

She also thought that she would be in the crystal sleep forever. But apparently, things changed outside. This isn’t Gran Pulse, even landmarks from Cocoon are somewhere else entirely. Did she receive a new Focus because of this? The visions she has seems to say so. She still has to make sense of it, but she has the feeling it will lead her back to Cocoon soon…

==Personality==

Soft and kind are only a few of the words that seem to fit the girl when you look at her. But that's only scratching the surface, even if it is true. She has a strong and kind heart, not wishing for anyone's harm or sadness, even going out of her way to help out often. That's a trait she took from Snow, the thick-headed fiancé.

"Isn't that what a hero would do?"
"You helped an old lady cross the street, that's hardly 'heroic' you know."
"But that was still cool, right?"

Ah Snow, there's so much to learn from your simplicity sometimes.

She was given lots of kindness from Claire, her parents, her friends, even Snow's friends. For her it was only natural to return it in anyway she could. She can cook a little, not gastronomic, but she wants to help and can learn. She also undertook studies to become a teacher. Her branding happened during the school's vacation, and now who knows what happened to her school or even how much time it has been.

Although she shows kindness, she also knows how to be stern when it counts. That is a must for any teacher of course, you can't be too lenient on the students otherwise you lose control over the class, and lose authority over them. And she even shows to be short-tempered when it comes to it. When she gets angry she looks even more like Lightning, from what people say. In fact, in highly contrasts with her usual 'cuteness', and becomes downright intimidating in a flash if you get on her bad side.

While she can manage things on her own, as she lived alone in the house while Claire was gone to the army, she also hates solitude. She always wishes to have friends around her. She believes in people working together, pooling their resources and talents together to create an even bigger, better result in the end. In that aspect, she feels Snow is always trying to do everything alone, and she often scolds him for it. Not that it does much.

Keeping those friends are arm's length drives her to great lengths, even self-sacrifice if need is. Of course she doesn't want to die, but if it meant that everyone else is safe, she might not hesitate either. She thinks Claire is the same, but she's so much more independent than herself. She really looks up to Claire, and wishes she could be more like her sometimes.

==Relationships==

{| class="CTable StatTable"
|-
! scope="col" width="80" |
|
|-
|Allies
|[[Snow Villiers]], [[Lightning Farron]]
|-
|Acquaintances
|[[Niklas Dragonius]]
|-
|Adversary
|None for Now
|-
|}

===Allies===
{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" | Thoughts
|-
|[[Snow Villiers]]||"Will I ever see you again?"
|-
|[[Lightning Farron]]||"What happened after I was turned to crystal?"
|-
|}

===Acquaintances===
{| class="CTable StatTable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! scope="col" width="100" | Name
! scope="col" | Thoughts
|-
|[[Niklas Dragonius]]||"He's alot like you Snow, straight to the point."
|-
|}

= Logs =
{{Character Logs}}
= Cutscenes =
{{Character Logs|Cutscenes}}

Serah Farron

2013-03-27T17:52:13Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Character Infobox |firstname=Serah |lastname=Farron |age=18 |image=Serah-farron-profile.jpg |species=Human |sex=Female |height=5'5" |series=Final Fantasy XIII |styles=MediSy..."

{{Character Infobox
|firstname=Serah
|lastname=Farron
|age=18
|image=Serah-farron-profile.jpg
|species=Human
|sex=Female
|height=5'5"
|series=Final Fantasy XIII
|styles=MediSynergist, SaboRavager
|hometown=Bodhum
|alignment=Wandering Force
|group=Unaffiliated
|occupation=Student
|themesong=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDfqCNgeHTU
|quote="Running away and leaving behind the people you care about? That isn't love. Though you might just want to keep them safe, shutting them out of your life only hurts them more. The point is, I have people I can count on. I'll make it through."
|footer=Woke up from Crystal Slumber in Eden. Lost.
}}
= Logs =
{{Character Logs}}
= Cutscenes =
{{Character Logs|Cutscenes}}

File:Serah-farron-profile.jpg

2013-03-27T17:45:05Z

Lifa:

That isn't Snow

2013-03-27T17:03:31Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2013/03/26 |Location=Eden |Synopsis=Serah wakes up from crystal slumber, completly disoriented, stumbling upon Niklas, who's never been oriented. |..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/03/26
|Location=Eden
|Synopsis=Serah wakes up from crystal slumber, completly disoriented, stumbling upon Niklas, who's never been oriented.
|Cast of Characters=Niklas Dragonius, Serah Farron
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' This has been one weird day. First, the confusion. She was staring at Snow and Lightning's faces last she remembers. Apparently, when the crystalization process starts, your memory stops with it too. So when she wakes up again, the place is completly different, and her sister and boyfriend are entirely missing. And where is she anyway? This huge, modern-looking city, with glass floors for street and sliding doors. Wandering out, she figured she was in Eden.. and unguarded. That's another part of the confusion. Normally Eden would have done something about a Pulse l'Cie, in crystal or not. But there was, awake, and without anyone really watching her either, as if there was no chance that someone would just walk out of that room. Well she doesn't look too out of place either, among Eden citizens, with her casual white dress. The only thing that she was worried about was her l'Cie mark on her left arm, that is still there for some reason. Does that mean she still has a focus? So many questions right now. She covers her mark with a bandage, like she did before, and steps out on the streets, trying to look as 'normal' as she can not to draw attention.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Niklas Dragonius has no idea where he is. That's normal, though. Niklas Dragonius rarely knows where he is. That's one of the most awesome parts of being lost among the world, for Nik; he has no idea where he is ninety-nine percent of the time, and that means he gets to wander, see weird things, and generally enjoy himself doing all kinds of stuff he'd never normally do. He's been living off the land, killing and eating things he would never normally eat, cooking with real campfires...practical things. Things they didn't (usually) teach at Alexander Academy, things he hadn't gotten to practice since he was a little kid. It's a skillset he enjoys, too, and one he's always wanted to go use more extensively...but there aren't a lot of wildlands in Galianda anymore. But now? His normally-loose school uniform is covered in furs of varying types, he's been shaving with rocks, and he generally feels absolutely awesome. He feels like a *survivalist*. A lost art, to be sure. Nik came into Eden just earlier today. He wasn't going anywhere in particular, he wasn't doing anything in particular - he just was, like a zen wind blowing through. How he'd longed to do this on Galianda - just walk from city to city across the Great Span, a smile on his face! Being rich sucked. People gave Nick a wide berth, for the most part - an oulander in Eden, who looked so strange, so wild? No one wanted to be near him. So as he wanders, admiring the sights, he's not really paying attention to the road.

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' If there wasn't a huge world merge going on right now, people would probably have branded Niklas as a Pulsian or something. That he's left alone shows just how much things have changed. So he becomes just another weirdo in the crowd, instead of one to kick out or purge for the simple reason that he exists. But for Serah, that becomes quite the curiosity since she doesn't KNOW what's going on outside right now. For her, its all the same. There's a sky, and there's clouds, and there's a moon... Wait, a moon? That's not right, there was no moons on Cocoon, day and night were controlled by fal'Cies after all. But nevermind that for now. She peers over the crowd of people at what they are looking at, which is Niklas, who's been getting the reaction of having lots of people taking pictures of the man that seems to be right out of a prehistoric era for them right now. As she tries to look through, someone bumps into her from behind, with an apologetic "Oops, sorry!", sending the poor girl tumbling forward, and almost crashing into Niklas as she tries to get her footing back. She might need some training. Instead she has that kind of sloooooow turn on herself, and ends up falling on her rear instead "H-heyyy!" She complains despite the apology.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Ahhh, sorry!" Nik scratches the back of his head as the girl falls. He sticks out his hand to the girl, a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry about that. My fault, I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'." Nik looks over the girl briefly (he'd gotten really good at looking over girls rapidly back at Alexander Academy). She's cute; maybe a little older than he was, but not significantly so. He crouches down a little, because Nik is quite tall and even sticking his hand out may not be enough to help her up, and his grin widens a bit. "I'm Nik, and I have absolutely no idea where I am. Care to be a tour guide for a little bit?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron sighs as she looks around her, but then takes the offered hand up "No no, not your fault, that guy over there bumped into me..." She shakes her head, sweeping her back a bit from sitting on the ground, "Uh, I'm afraid I'd be a very poor guide since I never been here either." How can she explain that she doesn't even know know what year it is right now? For all she knows she should be hundreds of years in the future or something. well, her future anyway. "I'm just about as lost as you are, in fact..." She says a bit sheepishly.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Well, better to be lost together than lost alone." Nik's irrepressible grin never changes as he helps her up, straightening as he does so. He dusts himself off a bit, then looks around at the people staring at them. "Jeez. Well, wherever we are, it's not exactly a really welcoming place, huh? You'd think they'd never seen a student before or something." Nik slides one hand into his pocket. "At least you look more the part than I do. I bet they've never seen a guy wearing furs before. Heck, I bet they've never been outside the city before! Although, to be fair, sorta my first time outside cities, too...oh well." "Hey, so, what's your name, anyway?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron scratches her head at that "You're a student? I'd think you were more from some nomadic tribe or something while wearing that. Are you from Pulse?" Not like she knows what's going on outside. She looks around "... I'm not sure where we are actually. I... uhm... just woke up here. I can't exactly explain it, but it feels like I was made to sleep for a very very long time.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "What, the furs? Oh, yeah, well, I'm kind of a long way from home, and the furs kinda help when you're walking around the worlds. Heat and stuff change pretty drastically between worlds, you know? So I just started wearing some monster furs for heat. It's actually pretty nice." Nik pushes up one of the furs to show the Alexander Academy logo on his shirt. "But yeah, I'm a student." "A real sleeping beauty, huh? You're not a Princess or anything, right?" He'd already met one princess, he didn't want to be awkward around another one! Nik takes a step back, appraising her for a moment, then he grins. "Well, you're cute enough, but you don't seem like royalty to me. What do you say we stop standing here with all these guys gawking at us and go find out just where we've wound up?" Nik offers her his arm.

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron scratches the top of her head a bit, considering "Ah, no, I'm not a princess, I was just a student at the Bodhum college myself, when... uhm... things happened I guess. I'm not sure about the rest right now, I just know that I woke up and I'm not home, and I have no idea where I am or even how much time passed." Judging by the fact she doesn't even have a weapon, you can conclude that she didn't even get out of town yet either. She doesn't take the arm though, just... keeping some distance for now, without looking like she's scared, more like cautious. "My name is Serah, Serah Farron."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Serah Farron. Serah Farron. Ser-ah, Far-ron." Nik rolls the name around on his tongue for a moment, considering. His grin spreads a little wider, and he retracts the offered arm, figuring that she's probably a little skittish right now. Hell, who wouldn't be? He just walked out of the wilderness wearing a bunch of dead monsters, for God's sakes! And he wasn't carrying any kind of weapon or anything, either. "Yeah, that suits you! It's cute, it's short, it's to the point; it's a pretty name. I like it! Like I said, I'm Nik - Niklas Dragonius, but seriously, just Nik, it's fine. Niklas always sounds clumsy, people always pronounce it as Nich-o-las and it's like, c'mon, there's no o in there." He laughs and scratches the back of his neck. "Well, I dunno where Bodhum is, but then I bet you don't know where Alexander Academy is, either...the last couple weeks have been pretty crazy!" "I don't actually know much, but what I do know is, the worlds are all coming together like some kinda...world casserole." Nik frowns. "Or world lasagna. Anyway, the point is, uhhh...you're not on your world anymore! Probably."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods, considering about that "... Well, it kinda looks like my world, but its not. I was loving on Cocoon." She walks beside you nonetheless, as she talks "... Its hard to explain, but it was like a big round piece of rock in the sky, like a planet but in the air of another planet. And we were living in it, so there was a sky but it was artificial, same as the sun. There was no moon." She points at the sky "But now there's one. So this is a bit confusing..."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Actually that kind of sounds like home," Nik replies cheerfully. "Well, the moon probably came with one of the other worlds. I don't really know how it works, but I've noticed the world is kind of patchwork-y? Like it's like a big quilt made up of pieces of other worlds. Cities, and deserts, and mountains, and stuff like that." He hadn't seen anything from his own world, but he didn't want to discourage Serah; she'd probably find out for herself, eventually. "Sooo...."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods, looking down a bit, hands in her back as she considers things "So maybe Bodhum is there somewhere, I guess?" She wonders about that, keeping some hope. Although she still doesn't know how long has passed. If at least there was something familiar, it might help. She looks around "... Maybe we could ask what's the name of this place too, I guess?" Its one idea. She looks over to you "So you've been travelling alot without asking where you are?"

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Nik shrugs. "Maybe your home's out there somewhere?" "Uh, well. Back home, I didn't get to travel much, you know? So I haven't really...been asking people where I am, most of the time. I've just been...seeing the sights, and if I find out the name of the place, I do, and if I don't, I don't! It's never been that important to me. I just wander, seeing the sights, fighting monsters, meeting cute girls...y'know, the usual!"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron is starting to feel that its a constant with you, about girls that is. But she doesn't really have her mind on flirting, and she does have a boyfriend, fiance even at this point. She shakes her head a bit though "I suppose that's one way to live... I'll need to figure it out before I can start to move on." At least she doesn't seem to be attracting attention for now, as a l'Cie that is, so she's safe. If she can just figure out what happened exactly, why she's not in crystal anymore. Did she get a new Focus? She'll have to figure that one out too. So many things going on at once... "So you're from a school then. I should try to find if I can complete my studies. I was in the archeology field."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' It is totally a constant. Nik doesn't know about her fiance, after al; she barely looks old enough to be in college! It's not his fault. "Yeah, but it's kinda vanished. The Heartless showed up, and..." Nik frowns. He doesn't really want to think about that, and that's written plain on his face. "Uh, sorry. So you're an archaeologist, huh? That's pretty cool. What kinds of archaeology did you study?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron considers that "Well, stuff about ruins. There was alot of them on Cocoon. They build cocoon by pulling a bunch of rocks and mountains and land pieces from Pulse, so there's alot of ruins and other things that got pulled in that noone knows about. But I wanted to become a teacher later, maybe. I have lots of options, I'm still a bit on the fence on where to go from here."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Oh!" They didn't have a lot of ruins on Galianda. People just kept building up, after all, and most of the things that would've been ruins had been renovated and overhauled a thousand, thousand times. "Oh, that's pretty cool. So you study...the junk from this Pulse place?" Nik rubs his chin thoughtfully. He always liked people who knew where they were going in their lives. It made him feel like he could just follow along for a little bit, learn in their wake, drawn along. He enjoyed that, really. It was a good feeling; after all, Nik was right where he wanted to be in his life, so meeting other people who were the same was a lot like a kindred spirit thing, even if they didn't know it! "You'd make a pretty hot teacher," Nik agrees thoughtfully, then looks off at the gleaming city around them. "So! Where should we go to start figuring out where we are? Normally there's, like, a guidepost or something. Maybe a kiosk?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron shakes her head a bit, but looks around "... I suppose we can ask just about anyone at least for the name of the city, right?" She moves along to the side... She figures she has better chances than you do about getting answers, with how you look at least. She gets the attention of a middle aged man, which you can see her talking with for a few moments. When she hops back toward you, her face has changed. "... This... apparently is Eden... It was the largest city on Cocoon. Not that I didn't believe you... but I guess what you said about being a patchwork is true..."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "It's okay. I wouldn't believe me, either. I don't exactly look like a trustworthy guy, right? I look like some kinda barbarian or something." Nik rubs his nose and grins. "Like some kinda wild man. It's cool, don't worry about it." "So this is your home, or at least somewhere you know of as home?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron shakes her head "I didn't say I didn't beleive you, more like... its hard to believe." She sighs a bit, but shakes her head again "Well I didn't try to give out my name either, I don't know any of those people here. I've never even been in this city before actually." She thinks about it, looking around "... I wonder ho wmany more cities from Cocoon are here... do you know if there are any maps about this new world?" She look sup to you from her small height.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "It is pretty unbelievable," Nik agrees cheerfully. "I've seen things you wouldn't believe, it's incredible. It's nothing like home; this is as close as I've been to a place that felt like my world. Cities everywhere, I mean. Real cities, not like, stone blocks and stuff. There's tons of villages and castles and stuff but not proper *cities*." "I haven't seen any maps, though." Nik looks down at her. Gosh, she's cute. "I've been making one of where I've been travelling, but it's not exactly perfect."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods at that, pensively "I might have to ask around then... But you said you don't know any Bodhum, so it might not be around. That's where I went to school, and lived near of with my sister. I don't think you heard about someone called Lightning? or Snow?"

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "No, sorry. I don't know anybody named Lightning or Snow, but if I see 'em, I promise I'll let you know, if I can?" Nik shrugs. "My school wasn't anywhere near any place called Bodhum, and I'm betting you've never heard of Ramuha or Chocobo or Alexander Academy, either." "Does your sister look like you? I'll keep an eye out. And Snow, if you can describe 'em?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods, smiling "Well, we are similar, but she's a bit taller, she's also a soldier, so she's much more serious and, hm, uptight I suppose? She's very no-nonsense, it would do her good to have fun once in a while, but she doesn't really listen to me on that side." She waves a hand at that. "Snow is very tall, it feels like he's twice my height sometimes. He has white-blonde hair, but its usually hiding under a beanie hat. He likes wearing a tall light green coat too, it has a sort of stylish tiger head logo on the back. He fights with his fists too, if you ever see him, he broke the nose of someone at my school with a single punch, when he was getting rowdy with me."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Nik rubs his chin thoughtfully. "She sounds pretty cute, too. Serious girls are great. And this Snow guy sounds like a pretty cool guy, too." Admittedly, Nik's definition of 'fighting with your fists' was so wildly different from most people's it was almost another world entirely. It's not that he expected people to be able to do what he was capable of, but still, it was just a whole different level of martial skill. "I'll keep any eye out for them, okay?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron smiles at that, nodding "I appreciate that." She bounecs on her heels just a bit, cutely. She is rather cute and cheerful of a girl it seems. And you probably tower her a bit too, considering. "So where were you heading after this? I guess you don't know because you just follow the wind though?

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Nik isn't THAT tall. He doesn't tower over many people; he's on the taller side of average, but he's not even six feet, so if she's that short... "Uhhhh, well, I was figuring I'd go...." Nik licks his thumb thoughtfully and holds up in the air, grinning. Then he tilts it slightly. "Thataway. "Why, you wanna come with?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron lifts her shoulders at the question "I... I dunno where I should be going actually, but I'm not sure I want to stay here either." She's not quite comfortable with the town that harbored the people that were trying to elmiated l'Cies after all, which she is one of right now. She unconciously movse a hand to that bandage, not looking quite at ease with the subject either overall ".. Maybe I can follow you for a bit, maybe to the next city or something..."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Nik had *no idea* that Serah wasn't considered human by these people. He had no idea that they would kill her if they got wind of this, and he had no idea that she was magically-powered. If he knew any of this, he might be a little more protective; Nik hated bullies more than anything. "You're welcome to follow me, if you wanna? I'm always happy to have people to travel with, it makes it way more fun. Plus, you don't need to worry about monsters or whatever, I'm pretty tough. Just relax, you're in good hands with me! I'll protect you if you need it. And if you don't, well, hey, two are stronger than one anyway."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron thinks about that "... I never fought actually." She's not sure of what kind of powers she has as a l'Cie right now. But she clearly doesn't have a weapon and she doesn't seem to be using martial arts either, so she might need one of those soon. "So it would be safer not travelling alone at least. I guess I'll follow you, and we'll see what happens after that." Who knows, maybe she'll find someone she knows too.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Nik grins and jerks his thumb at himself. "Well, I promise you'll be in the best of care. So, c'mon! We'll find your sister and that guy eventually, I'm sure. The world's only so big, right?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods "... well yeah, but I don't even know how big this world is to start with." And she doesn't even know about the various portals either yet. So this is going to be a long trip, more than likely. She walks along your side still.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "It *is* pretty big," Nik admits, his smile swapping upside-down for a brief moment. "Like, really big. Huge, in fact. I've travelled across the sea a bunch of times now, and I'm still not sure how many continents there even are. It's really, really big." "And then there are portals to other worlds...so yeah, I guess your sister and friend could be anywhere." As if realizing how depressing what he just said was, Nik turns around, waving his hands in front of his face. "Uhhh, I mean, they could be, but I'm sure we'll find them if we keep looking, you know? They're bound to be here somewhere. It's not like the world is *infinite*, just *big*! And big isn't endless, so they've gotta be *somewhere*."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron appreciates that you try at least. She offers a little smile at that, nodding "Oh I know... she might not even be around anymore. I don't even know how long I was asleep in fact. Maybe there's noone left either. I... just know I'm here for a reason but I don't know what reason yet..."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Well, if they *are* around, we'll find 'em. And if they're not, well..." Nik falters for a moment, then shrugs. He's still walking backwards. When he's actually paying attention to his surroundings (which is usually, unless he's sightseeing), he's actually really good at spatial awareness, and there are a couple close dodges he makes as he walks backwards that are probably pretty surprising. "Then...I guess you're welcome to hang out with me for as long as you like? I don't exactly turn away pretty girls. It's not in my nature."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron hmms "I'm sure you don't, you seem to be pretty fixated by them in fact." Not that its a terrible thing, she's just focused on other things, and she has her own doofus to think about as well. She steps lightly alongside you, hands in her back. She looks like the kind of upbeat girl at least, not letting herself get depressed easily.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' Nik shrugs good-naturedly. "Life's too short to worry about things, and I don't really believe in love, not like that. So yeah, I am! I like girls." He turns back around as smoothly as he walked backwards, hands sliding into his pockets. "So is Snow your boyfriend?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods, looking at you "Yeah, he's silly, but he's honest, and that's what I like about him. He's simple sometimes, you could say, but that's also part of his charm. He's genuine, he doesn't try to be something he's not. Maybe he thinks of himself too big, but he does it with convinction.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Sounds like you have pretty good taste in guys," Nik replies, "He's a lucky guy. I'm sure you'll find him, so don't worry about it too much, huh? If he's out there, you'll see him again. Just got a feeling." Nik slides his hands up behind his head. "And don't worry, I'm not gonna hit on you if you've got a boyfriend. I'm not that kinda guy. Just because I don't believe in love doesn't mean I'm gonna try and take it away from somebody who's got it."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods "Yeah, I understand." She smiles "Just can't help compliment a girl can you?" She smiles at that. In a way, Nik is like Snow, she guesses. Although Snow doesn't go around flirting with other girls, Nik seems to be pretty honest as well, straight to the point.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "I totally can, but she has to not be worth complimenting, and I don't find a lot of girls like that. Or, well, I haven't met a lot of girls like that. Most of the girls at school were rich girls, really pretty and upper-class, or they were really bright and got in on scholarships. It's hard to find people who are just not worth complimenting at all." Nik shrugs. "Besides, I'd rather make friends than enemies. Enemies happen whether you want 'em to or not, so it's better to focus on being cool to people." "And it's a lot easier to play the guitar when you don't have a bunch of guys trying to mess you up for sleeping with their girlfriends."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods "Yeah, I can see how that would go. Some guys are simply not bothered by that though, they want the kicks, the trophies I guess." She's been in college, she knows how those go. "That's what I liked about Snow though, he was presistent, but never pushy."

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "He seems like the kinda guy it's easy to get along with," Nik agrees. The fact that Snow sounds a great deal like him has very little to do with that, of course. "So how did you meet him, anyway?"

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron giggles "Well, he was going to school with me, but he's never ben very serious about studies... he just fell for me I guess, he said something about the look in my eyes, the way my tail bounces when I move." She points to the side-tail of her hair, which is rather fluffy and bouncy.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "It is pretty cute. You've got this kinda spunky energetic thing to you, it's nice. Like I said, I dealt with a lot of rich girls, they tend to be pretty bored more often than not. You're definitely the kind of upbeat girl we didn't see a whole lot of at Alexander Academy. It's nice." Nik can't help but look around at the buildings. Then again, unlike most of the places he'd gone to, he was USED to this; this was skyscrapers and towers of glass, this was stuff he'd seen before. It was a little different than he'd seen before, but... Well. "So how about your sister? What's she like? And does she have a boyfriend?" He grins.

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron shakes her head "Ha, Light would never get a boyfriend I think, she's too upright and serious, not very feminine. I mean, she's pretty, but she doesn't really make any effort, she's content with just 'being', if you know what I mean.

:'''[[Niklas Dragonius]] has posed:''' "Oh yeah, I know those girls." So she was single. Interesting. "The kinda girls who don't need to make an effort but don't really care about being good-looking, 'cause they've got something way more important to do and no time to waste." Nik crosses his arms and nods. "That kinda girl is super hot, too. Something about the look in a serious girl's eyes."

:'''[[Serah Farron]] has posed:''' Serah Farron nods, smiling "I think so too, but she really doesn't want to, as you said its more like a waste of time for her. She's been supporting us since we were young, when we lost our parents, so she's as much as sister as mother for me."

Trio of Maidens

2013-03-27T17:00:42Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2013/03/14 |Location=Traverse Town - Cloud Nine |Synopsis=A bit of post-Manhattan recovery and healing, the spirits are high and not thanks to drin..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/03/14
|Location=Traverse Town - Cloud Nine
|Synopsis=A bit of post-Manhattan recovery and healing, the spirits are high and not thanks to drinks.
|Cast of Characters=Tifa Lockhart, Aerith, Kim Possible
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' There's no place like home, isn't there? Back at the bar after some adventures and misadventures along the way, she's been healing up from the beating they got defending the town. The last bandages came off today, so she looks fresh as always. Well, it was mostly to limit the scarring, as there's always magic to heal up wounds. The barmaid is pushing up bottles on the different shelves, making sure there's enough of each drink placed up for the needs.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Speaking of recovery... Aerith descended the staircase, arms stretched above her head, looking as if she'd never fought a battle. Her jeans, jacket, and even the shirt underneath seemed untouched, despite the battle for Traverse that she now figured was a ruse. To what end, she had no idea... but she would spare no time finding out. They were still no closer to that shard, and the riddle the old woman gave them evaded her even now. Still, no big loss. Traverse was still here, though the bad guys proved they could take it at any time. She'd be ready next time, though. "Tifa~!" Aerith grinned in the barmaid's direction. "Y'know, I've never really seen this place before... is this another one of your bars?"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' Meanwhile, Kim Possible has been taking a lot of time off to work on her homework, and babysit her twin brothers, which has kept her quite busy for awhile. Also, she needs to find time for cheerleading practice, which really takes a chunk of time out. So it's no surprise that she's coming to the bar to relax for a little while. She's glad to see Tifa's working there, since she's one of Kim's first buddies since being here. And then there's Aerith, a new friend of Kim's. "Hey girls, what's the sitch?" Kim asks with a grin as she walks into the bar casually, taking a seat on one of the stools by the bar. "Anything new and cool?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and waves to Kim as she enters. She turns around, putting down a box of the bottles she had with her "Hey Aerith, I thought youhad been here before. But yes, its the place I'm sharing with Mercade, his offices are on the second floor. You two look like you healed up after last time too." Which is a good thing too.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith glanced toward the door as someone entered, and found someone familiar. Flowergirl smiled and turned her attention toward the visitor. "Nothing but sea salt ice cream, and this place... which I've never been in before besides last night." She made her way toward the girl and took a seat next to her. "I don't think we've been properly introduced since the last time we saw each other... and you know how that went." She chuckled. "Aerith Gainsborough. And your name?"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Kim Possible, nice to meet you Aerith," Kim replies with a big grin. "Always cool to meet new people in this place. I still don't know what this place is supposed to be, but I'm getting used to it." She looks to Tifa. "What do you recommend today?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hmms "Well you're still underaged, so nothing alcoholic for you. But juices, milkshakes, that I can offer. If you're hungry, I have pork chops with pastas today.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Well now that she thought about it, Aerith was hungry. She ordered the pork chops with pasta and leaned forward to prop her forearms on the bar. "Yeah, new places are often a bit confusing. Especially when you end up there without knowing how you got there." She glanced at Kim for a bit. "You don't look any older than... what, high-school? But you fought pretty well back there when those guys came and tried to bust up the city."

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Yeah I'm still in high school," Kim replies to Aerith. "But I know how to deal with things like that. I'm a secret agent, believe it or not." She looks to Tifa and says, "I'm in the mood for trying something new. You got any suggestions?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hmms, as she thinks about that, smiling "Well, I don't know what I could do for you that would be new, really." She turns around, cleaning a bit around "A secret agent? That sounds exciting alright. But I've seen you fight too, you're pretty strong. Not just any kid would do that really."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded in agreement. "Y'know I almost wonder how you'd do with just a stick..." She chuckled. "I dunno, maybe there are a few things you could teach me. I'm always in the mood to learn new things." She started at her food.

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Well, what was that sea salt thing you told me about?" Kate says to Tifa, before looking to Aerith. "A stick? I don't even need a weapon. I know martial arts so I could easily take out someone without any sort of weapons."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart grins "She fights like me, without weapons, but her style is different." She moves over to the ice cream bin, taking out a frozen treat on a stick for Kim "This is Sea Salt Ice Cream, its a brand from Traverse only, as far as I know, we fought to get the recipe back, and I got exclusive rights to sell it." She offers the stick to Kim. "Its a surprising taste.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith blinked for a moment. "Well sure, but a martial artist is supposed to be able to use any weapon they come across. I mean, it's the capacity to handle yourself in any situation, including disarming someone and using their weapon against them." She shrugged. "But you sure seem confident enough." She took another bite of her meal. "Yeah, Sea Salt Ice Cream is possibly the most surprising flavor you'll ever have, but it's tasty. <3"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' Kim narrows an eye at the ice cream and hrms. "Well, I dunno. I suppose anything's worth a try." She takes a deep breath and blows it out, before licking it. A pause, then a grin forms on her face. "Hey, this is totally cool!"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith grinned. "Said it was, didn't I?" Hah. Jokes. Bad ones, but jokes. "So then, what kind of fighting style is that you're using? Or it is just a mix of a lot of them, like Tifa?" She certainly sounded interested... maybe she did want some pointers after all?

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smilse "Its not a mix of them, its the Zangan style, its made to be heavy hitting at base. The acrobatics is just the way I integrated it, since i'm not exactly as heavy as most targets I fought."

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "I'm a cheerleader by trade so I have some acrobatic skills all the same." Kim says as she continues to lick her ice cream. "Looks like I've made another friend for real tonight." She adds, grinning at Aerith.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shrugged. "Same difference." She put her fork down. "I'm not sure if a demonstration would be fair at least not in here, but... have you ever seen those old kung fu movies of the Shaolin Temple?" She grinned. "I never thought a place like that existed until I saw something in Manhattan. I figured learning from that would improve my self-defense a bit... and so I have moves from that fighting style."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "I didn't either. I know that fighting with your fists is not something new inherently. Its probably the first way humans fought after all, but then weapons made it more complicated, fancy and dangerous. But then techniques were developed to keep up with the weapons, making fists just as dangerous when you know how to strike.

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "It's more than just Kung-Fu," Kim says with a grin as she finishes her ice cream. "It's a crazy style, and that's not all of it either. With my awesome gadgets, I can do other cool stuff too." She looks to Tifa and nods. "Yeah, your fists and feet can be useful when you strike where it hurts the most. It's totally uncool for them, but when you gotta defend yourself, it's totally cool!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "I rather not use it against living beings, I can aim for less vital spots when I do, like at the tournament. You have to be serious when you fight because otherwise you're the one that oculd get hurt, but still able to pull your punches where it matters."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "Well it sure sounds like the three of us have something in common." Aerith got back to eating her food. "I just wish I could have stayed around for the rest of that tournament... I had other things to take care of after I got eliminated."

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "I was a bit too busy to take part in the tournament," Kim comments. "Well, I'm sure there'll be other ones, otherwise that would totally be uncool." She looks to Tifa and adds, "Sometimes pulling your punches isn't the best thing to do. If I do that, I risk getting captured or something like that. These missions I do are pretty tough."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smirks "The tournament was not for showing off, there was a shard for Manhattan involved. As long as someone trustworthy won it, which was the case here.

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Really? That's cool to know," Kim says before looking at her watch and doing a double-take. "Uh-oh, I have to, like, get home soon and finish my studying." She smiles to her friends. "Great seeing both of you, hopefully we'll see each other again soon." She then gives Tifa a small tip as she adds, "Thanks for the ice cream, it was tasty."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded and turned back to her food. "Yeah, hopefully we'll see you around town! We sure could use the help rebuilding around here, that's for sure."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles, pocketing the money away for later stashing. "Come back soon. We should try a spar one day, compare our moves."

Dagger in Danger!

2013-03-27T16:58:17Z

Lifa: Dagger appears unconscious in Traverse Town, attacked by heartless.

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/03/26
|Location=Traverse Town
|Synopsis=An unconcious figure, an open portal, and heartless. A perfect recipe for a barmaid and a mermaid to stumble upon.
|Cast of Characters=Tifa Lockhart, Kim Possible, Ariel, Garnet
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' There are many things to take care of. With Manhattan restored, there is a huge weight lifted up, and alot of people are in high spirits after that victory. Its not the end of the troubles, but its encouraing, and keeping high morale is important too. With Manhattan back on track, the barmaid also has a new bar that she works on. It had been started on before Manhattan was lost, so its picking the project back up instead. And because of the preparations, she was out in town shopping for the new bar. There are alot of things to consider, to buy, to plan for. But she's cheerful as always, moving along the street with a box in her arms.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel seems cheerful today as she returns to Traverse Town. She's got a suitcase with her, a rollerbag style she must have secured somehow in Manhattan, and it's overflowing with... some random stuff, to the point of bulging. She's happily wheeling it through the districts on her way to Rosemarie's place. It scrapes along the street, bouncing with the little cracks in the ground. Her steps seem light today. She's finally gotten the hang of walking, maybe.

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' Things have been less stressful with the recent restoration of Manhattan. And it seemed that less heartless were lurking around Traverse Town as well these days. Perhaps this was due to the combined might of the various heroes having momentarily exhausted their efforts. Whatever the case, Traverse's streets have been pretty safe lately.. Unless of course you are an exhausted, weary traveller in the middle of a strange place, far, far from home. Like the girl laying unconscious in the alleyway not far from Cloud Nine. In fact, she might have gone totally unnoticed were it not for the fact that a large portal suddenly opens its maw above her, and several noisy heartless clamber out of the portal, jumping onto trash cans and clambering over each other in their eagerness to reach the unconscious, vulnerable girl..

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart was going back to the bar in fact. She doesn't have senses attuned to heartless activity like Aerith does, or most of the princess of heart do in fact, but she's started to perceive them a bit more at least. And when a portal opens right next to where she's going to, it gets her attention immediately. Even more since there's an unconcious body next to it. For some reason, this feels like deja vu. Either way, no hesitation at putting that box down and running straight to the heartless, kicking some of them off, like a football, straight back in the portal "You things are really getting on my nerves, attacking people like that!" Sure they don't talk, but she can vent some frustration on them, they aren't really alive after all. ~_~

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Oh... hey!" The last time Ariel fought Heartless, it... didn't go so well. But Tifa seems to know what she's doing. So, Ariel runs up to try to back her up. She skids to a stop, the momentum of her wheeled bag almost bowling her over. She reaches in there to try to find a healing potion. She can always help out that way..

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' It doesnt take long for the greedy little heartless to spy the disruption to their tasty meal. When Tifa and Ariel call out, some of the heartless split off from the unconscious girl, and make a beeline for each of them, their little antenna flopping about as they shoot off various spells of dark and lightning magic at the pair of would-be heroes. But will they get to the girl in time?

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is pretty fast, and she quickly moves through the hail of spells raining down on her, narrowly dodging each of them as she moves straight to the unconcious body, taht obviously has no ways to defend herself right now. Once she can shield the girl properly, she goes on the offense. She uses the nearby wall to bounce herself upward, sending a high kick toward some of the flying pests, and bringing them down to level so she can rain punches on them mercilessly. One at a time is she can can do when she lacks multiple target attacks, but her fists tear through the squishy hearltess pretty easily at least.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel isn't as fast on her feet as Tifa. The spells strike her on the ground, and she squeals as she's struck with darkness energy. That doesn't stop her from still trying to help... and she finally finds that potion. "...Here!" she shouts at Tifa, throwing one in her direction first. She'll worry about that unconscious girl in a moment, too... but first, the Heartless have to take priority!

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' The Heartless are relentless, buzzing around in the air, barely taking a breather as they continue to pelt the heroes with bursts of lightning and dark magic. Some of them get knocked to the ground and quickly burst into a pile of munny or hp balls as they get their butts kicked by Tifa's powerful attack, but there are still quite a decent number of them, many more take the place of the fallen. The girl is breathing and seems to be lightly bruised and still unconscious. She is still unresponsive however, even as the heartless continue to migrate towards her, seeing her as easy prey.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart doesn't like magic,s he never did. Its not her strong point at all. She can only try to endure as the different spells hit her, but she stays on the offensive, using her arsenal of attacks to strike back. One of the methods she can use is what she calls heartless bowling. Punching one buddy into other ones to crash them into each other seems to work well usually. She can do that easy, those heartless are rather light, probably because they are a concentrated mist. She looks over to Ariel "Thanks for the help!" There are alot of them after all.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel wishes she could be half as good at kicking stuff as Tifa is! But she's not really... well, so suited for kicking. Maybe someday Tifa will teach her. She tries anyway, because kicking is kind of an amazing gift, and Heartless are a good height for kicking. She kicks one and then another, and then, picks up her bag of luggage and slowly swwinnnngs it at another one for a strike. When she does, another bolt of darkness glances into her, but she manages to roll behind the luggage to avoid taking the worst of that hit. "You're welcome! I'm still a little... new at this Fighting Heartless stuff! But I can't let you fight alone!"

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' Some of the heartless seem too quick for the heroes this time round, and they easily dart out of their way, before rushing at them like crackling balls of energy! One or two of them attempt to blast Tifa away from the unconscious girl with more bolts of dark energy and lightning.. But even so, one of them manages to come right up to garnet, blasting her with lightning as it attempts to kill her, so it can absorb her heart!

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is quite willing to show Ariel the proper art of butt-kicking, but now is not quite the time after all. Those magic attacks are taking their toll on the barmaid and its not quite pleasing her. But its not like she gives up that easily either. Its about time to kick it up a notch in fact. Moving into high gear, she gives a good sample of her full power, disapearing from sight for a moment. Its one of her abilities when she goes at full, a sort of phasing out as she moves at lightning speed. She reappears at random around the fighting area, kicking and punching each of the individual heartless, all sending them clumped together as much as possible... and then there's a pause, not even a second, as you get to see her fist glowing, and then driving it through the group of heartless she massed together, releasing an explosive ki energy. And before they can fly off from the first explosion, a second one hits at the same spot, a double explosion aimed to scatter all of them, hopefully destroying quite a few of them in the process.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel is really impressed by that... and as she's looking a little dazed, she's struck by one of the darkness blasts. It knocks her back, away from her weaponized suitcase (which turned out to be slow) and onto the street. She looks a little dizzy, but stands up again. She wonders if maybe she could try magic. So, she charges up a little lightning bolt in her hand, and concentrates on it, building some magical power. Then she fires off a blast of lightning energy at the Heartless, and then, a spiral of wind. Maybe... this'll work out okay, but she's still nervous about using magic.

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' More heartless fall at the girls' combined attacks. Hey, things are looking up, maybe they can do this. But..STill more heartless remain, more emerging from the rapidly closing portal. This should be over soon, either way! With a little roar, they charge once more towards the two girls, and towards the unconscious girl's body which shakes and writhes as it is struck by lightning.. But what is this? Suddenly her body starts to glow, and a portal of light appears above her. Seconds later, something *else* emerges from the circle of light before closing - it is the form of an old man with a long beard and long, emerald green robes, an ornate wooden, jewel-topped staff held tightly in one hand. "Young ladies..Please allow me to aid you against these fiends!" And with that, he turns towards the heartless, green eyes crackling with energy as he unleashes his own powerful thunderstorm upon the heartless!!

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart blinks as the portal opens, and a flash of electricity wipes a good part of the heartless. Tifa falls back with the counter attack of magic spells sent her way, regrouping next to Ariel. At least this new apparition look to be on their side... and protecting the girl. "Thank you for your aid." She answers back, although she never seen anything like this, looks kinda human, but the feeling is different... "Let's finish it Ariel!" She launches back into the next attack, sending another explosive first at the core of those heartless. "The numbers are diminishing, almost there!"

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel nods at Tifa. Well... she'll have a hard time keeping up with that, but... "Okay!" She swallows. Concentrating her own magical power, she puts whatever she can into this next attack. A little lightning builds up around her fingers, and builds into a bolt in her hands. She knows it might not be as big as the apparition's bolts are, but... when she blasts, the size of it actually surprises her a little. A torrent of lightning rips in to the Heartless... or at least, splays out in a powerful wave in their direction.

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' The girls continue to pour their heart and their strength into the battle, although it's a lengthy one. The strange thunder mage, also adds his attacks to the others, wiping out more heartless..Although it seems he is having trouble maintaining his form for very long, and soon flickers out, but not before the following message: "Please take care of that girl for me! Farewell!" The remaining heartless close in on Ariel and Tifa, attacking with a combined darkness attack as a last resort.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks at the thunder man disapears, leaving them with the few heartless. She shakes her head, her clothes a little torn by the repeated magical attacks, but otherwise still standing. She looks aside to Ariel "You alright?" She quickly moves toward the unconcious girl, doing a skilled handstand as she drives her feet upward toward the floating heartless, kicking them away from the unconcious princess. "Uh huh, no touching the girl on my watch!"

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel is struck with another attack... this time, a current of wind. It doesn't knock her down, but does knock her back, and she stumbles to stay on her unsteady feet. "...y-yeah, I'm fine! Let's finish off these Heartless, okay?" Her magic is a little drained now, but she still summons a current of wind. The spiral of air forms in her hand, then ripples out like a tornado toward some of the remaining Heartless attackers. They think they can use storms, well... they'll have to take a taste of their own medicine!

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' It seems the heartless are also tiring, what remains of them, which is considerably fewer than before. And the two girls relentlessly pursue them still, too stubborn to give up the fight. With a last squeak, the remaining heartless combine their attacks together for one mighty dark thunder storm!

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is starting to hate those slippery little magic floating heartless too. She can't get a good grip on them it seems, as they buzz around her constantly. And then the constant spells on her are leaving their marks on her skin and clothes. She looks over to Ariel, at least she seems okay for now, so she keeps defending the unconcious girl, shielding her from the attacks as much as she can as she sends a high roundhouse kick toward the nearest ones, hoping to scatter them off "Buzz off already!"

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel shakes her head. She tries to roll aside, but... No luck, the thunderstorm glances her, singing her clothes. Her blue skirt is totally ripped... she might have to try some other outfits next time she gets into an awful fight like this. Thunder shocks totally frizz up her hair. She limps a little as she gets to her feet. "I, uh..." She looks again at the girl on the ground. All right. No time to be useless. Time to make it happen. She screws up her concentration. "Okay. ... Bubble..." She's not sure where it came from, but a big, solid glob of concentrated water drops onto the Heartless, splashing them and soaking the streets!

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' It seems the heartless have neared the end of the line as the girls finally break down their defenses with their powerful combined might. With a splat, the last handful of heartless explode into hp and mp ad munny balls, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. Oh, and the strange unconscious girl whose face is partially hidden by the white mage cloak she wears. Seem's she took the brunt of the attack, unable to defend it in her current state, although Ariel and Tifa certainly helped to protect her from a worse fate! But..Will she ever awaken?

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart phews as Ariel manages to clean the rest. She grumbles a bit at slippery little toads, but she moves over to check on the girl, lifting her up in her arms to carry her to the bar "Let's get her to somewhere safe for now, there are beds at the inn." She smiles to Ariel still "Wish we would meet in better occasions."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel nods to Tifa. She gets into her bag... and gets out another potion, after some shuffling. "I can try to help. You did an amazing job fighting!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart phews "Not that amazing though, they were rather slippery, couldn't get a hand on them by the end." She shakes her head "Your magic was pretty effective though." She siles, carrying the girl over to Ariel for the potion, and then toward the bar. She pushes her box with her feet, the bar is very close after all.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel nods. "It's... been getting a little easier to use!" she confesses. "That was the first time I didn't... completely fail, anyway." She limps into the bar. "I could use a ... bandage, or two, though." She seems to be struggling to remember the right word, but she's learned better human words since coming out here.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is hurt, but she's seen worse. She sets Garnet into a bed carefully, and then moves to get the first aid kit for herself and Ariel.Taking a few of the bandages, she moves over to Ariel and kneels down to starts patching the girl up, starting with her legs.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel finds the sensation of her legs being patched a bit unusual. She laughs when a brush against them... tickles? then winces when the bandage hits her. And, no, she hasn't figured out that leg-shaving is a social norm.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hmmms as she notices the state of Ariel's legs, and runs a finger along them "... Did you forget to shave your legs or something?" She asks simply, not wanting to be rude either. But if Ariel looks, Tifa's legs are well taken care of on that side.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel pauses. She blinks. She thinks back to ladies she saw in Manhattan and looks at Tifa's legs, too. That seems to be an oversight. "... I guess that's what people.. um, do, around here?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart giggles "Oh, well that shouldn't be too surprising, I guess its not something every world do either." She smiles kindly, and sits next to Ariel to start patching herself up a bit as well, sighing "I could show you if you want. It makes legs look very nice when you do, guys like that."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel brightens up a bit. Since things seem... stable and safe now, it's important to her to know what human boys like. Because, obviously, Eric is still out there somewhere... She nods. "That'd... be very nice, thank you!" She looks at Garnet again. "She can stay here, right? If not, she can probably stay with me."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "Of course, there's plenty of rooms here. She'll be fine until she gets up, its not like I'd charge someone for almost dying." She points at the bandages "Might want to wait for those to heal before we do a shave though, unless you have some healing magic to speed up the process."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "I know a little alchemy," Ariel says. She goes over to get her bag, which she only drug half-in. She wheels it over, and shuffles through. "...Apparently! I didn't know I had so much talent for magic, but I guess I get it from my dad... um," she pauses, cutting herself off. Finally she pulls out a potion, and pours it down her leg. It heals the injuries with a little hiss.

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' Meanwhile, Kim is striding along looking to be in a great mood. "Hey, what's the--" She pauses and does a double-take as she sees what's happening with Tifa and Ariel. "Wh-what IS the sitch?!" She asks, now sounding genuinely concerned as she makes her way into the room. "Are you two OK?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods, waving to Kim "We're fine, we had a run in with some heartless, that's all. Some mage types, those are the bane of my existence too." She sighs "But fortunatly Ariel was there with magic of her own." She smiles, patting the shoulder of the mermaid-turned-human.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Kim!" Ariel gets up, in spite of injuries, and walks over to give Kim a big hug. She can never forget Kim, because Kim has lovely hair and gave her a towel. After breaking the hug, she hobbles a bit back to a bar seat. "... It was nothing special, but I'm learning to be ... a witch, I guess. It's good to see you!"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "I'm glad you're both OK," Kim says as she returns the hug to Ariel. "You're learning to be a witch?" She seems a bit surprised, but then remembers the things about magic that Tifa mentioned, and she brushes it off. "Well, as long as you girls are OK, that's what matters." She smiles at the two of them. "So no major issues?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart giggles "Its not being a witch than knowing magic. I think that's just a preconception from your world Ariel. In my world, everyone can use magic as long as they have materia. So I'm guessing that the definition of what makes you able to use magic varies from world to world. Just take it as a good thing, you can use it to protect yourself and people around you." She smiles, and goes to the back to get a razor, some cream, and a small tub of hot water for Ariel. "I was going to teach Ariel about leg shaving, I think that wasn't a 'thing' in her world.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel shakes her head, her hair flying around as she shakes it. It wasn't a thing - as far as she knows, which she honestly has no idea about. But it seems reasonable. She looks at the water. "Uh, yes, witches. I'm learning from Rosemarie, but she seems like a nicer witch than most of the ones I've dealt with..." She shakes her head at Kim. "I think we got them. So how are things with you?"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "They're going really cool. Aerith is teaching me a lot of new stuff herself. She's a really cool gal!" She looks to Ariel and then to Tifa before narrowing her eyes. "Leg shaving? Um... well, if that's what you wanna do, that's totally cool wtih me." Apparently, Kim doesn't fully realize the whole truth about Ariel being a real mermaid.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart doesn't know about it either, but she figures the girl is young, and it's not necessariyl soemthing given in every world either. The multiverse also involves keeping an open mind about differences like that. She starts by taking a towel, wetting it in the water and them rubbing it along Ariel's leg "Its much smoother and easier if you wet the skin and hair first, so its more convenient to do this in a shower or bath." Afterward she starts applying the cream, her hands smoothly spreading it over the mermaid's lovely legs. "You don't need too much cream, this helps reduce the irratation that the razor does, otherwise it gets really itchy."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel nods about this, watching with interest. She likes learning how humans do things - obviously a cultured human would know all this, buuuut... She looks at Kim. "I haven't met Aerith but I've heard she's really nice!"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Aerith's really cool," Kim says with a big grin. She doesn't say anything about the shaving because, well to be honest, she hasn't even reached that age yet! Yes, you most likely didn't need to hear that, but who cares?

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' "Ooooh..." The girl murmurs from the bed, rubbing her sore head. No doubt, she's been tended to, but her head still hurts, and she feels confused and disoriented. "Where am I? How did I get here?" She gasps as she realizes she is in a bar, not exactly a proper place for a princess - not that anyone could tell in her current attire, but..That beautiful crystal hanging aroud her neck sure does stand out..

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "Aerith is someone you can depend on. She's also a strong magic user, you could get a few tips from her I'm sure." She smiles, and then takes the razor, showing Ariel how to use it "You NEVEr go sideways, you smoothly draw it along the leg, like this." She demonstrates, drawing a straight line "The more you move to the sides, the more likely you get cuts." She looks over to the princess as she woke up, smiling "You are in my bar, the Cloud Nine. Its a long story, you should rest for now, but if you can't sleep, you should at least sit. We found you unconcious with a bunch of heartless buzzing around you."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel gasps a little when the other girl wakes up. She knows JUST what that's like, so now she feels like she can be wise and helpful. "You probably fell out of a... portal," she says to Garnet. "This is another world. But it's nice here." Then she looks down at the shaving with curiosity. Never go sideways. Okay. Never get cuts.

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Are you all right? Kim looks over Garnet before staring at the crystal for a moment. Then she adds, "I didn't see what happened, but Tifa told me you were attacked by the Heartless, which is TOTALLY uncool!" She pauses again, then adds, "By the way, I'm Kim. Kim Possible."

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' The girl blinks as she looks around, feeling rather confused and lost amid the strangers. As if losing her friends and being attacked by heartless wasn't enough. Of course, by now she knew about the dark creatures, but it's still upsetting to realize she is alone. "Oh! My apologies! My name is Dagger. Are you the ones who rescued me? I..Thank you for your help. And your kind hospitality." She looks to Kim first as she introduces herself and smiles. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Possible." She bows rather overly formally, protectively clutching the jewel around her neck as she does so. She seems..Somehow sad, alone..

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart gives Ariel's legs a few more swipes of the razor, and then hands it to her "Here, try it on your own. See where I shaved? The important thing too is going in the direction of the hair, they point downward, so move the razor downward too, otherwise you'll pull at the hair instead of cutting them." She turns over to Garnet "And I'm Tifa Lockhart, its nice to meet you Dagger." A bit of an unusuable name, but she's heard all kinds. Like Barrett isn't that much better really.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel has a feeling about Dagger. It's the feeling that she's lying. Maybe it's the way that she clutches that necklace. But, in spite of, or because of this, Ariel likes her immediately... because... she's lying too. She looks at Dagger, meaningfully. Then she looks down at the shave mark. "Oh. It looks nice." She looks up. "My name is Ariel."

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Just call me Kim," Kim replies with a smirk. "I'm not big on formality unless I'm in school or something. At any rate, nice to meet you too Dagger." She then steps back and looks at the others, trying to think of somethign else to say.

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' "Tifa Lockhart, Ariel, and Kim. It is a great pleasure to meet all of you. I am sorry to have been such a burden on you, but..I must go. There are people that I must find..." She's about to turn and flee out the door, worried to death about Zidane and the others, but her head still hurts. Instead, she falls back unsteadily, nearly falling to the floor, clutching one of the chairs for support. "Ooh..."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is right behind Garnet to catch her before she falls "Nuh huh, you're in no state to leave right now. I'm sure you have people you want to see again, but if you're going to get attacked and pass out, you'll never reach them. You can go find them in the morning, when you're back in shape. You must be hungry and tired too."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel is now practicing with the razor on her own. She's a little timid with it. She looks up when Dagger tries to run out, but sees Tifa is on the case. "Do you need another potion? I guess rest is best. I don't think your friends came through the portal."

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Don't go just yet," Kim says. "You'll hurt yourself, and that would be totally uncool!" She goes to help Garnet steady herself with Tifa's assistance. "Just rest for now, and you'll have a better chance of finding them."

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' Dagger sighs, rubbing her head as she collapses into a nearby chair. "I..I suppose that you are right. I just hope that my friends are alright." she smiles at Ariel when she offers a potion and nods. "Yes, thank you. I would greatly appreciate it. I suppose I can always look tomorrow." Still, she cant help but worry. Perhaps that's why she has that streak of grey hair at her age. "You say a portal openned up and deposited me here? What country am I in? The last I remember, I was in Lindblum..."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart thinks about that "Well we do know of a Lindblum here, its on the Southern Continent actually. But this is Traverse Town, the world where most deported end up into, one way or another. Its a bit complicated though, so take it easy." She smiles and goes sit next to Ariel, checking on her shaving lessons.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel decides to finish shaving before getting into the potions. But... of course, she cuts herself a little, and winces. She sighs. "I'm getting the hang of it.... thanks, Tifa. But let's focus on Dagger right now!"

:'''[[Kim Possible]] has posed:''' "Well, I think I should get going," Kim says. "Although, I'm not entirely sure why. I mean, I've got some time, but--" Just then, the Kimmunicator beeps and Kim picks it up. "What's the sitch, Wade?" "Hey Kim, I heard that your player needs to sleep, so I wanted to let you know that." "Really. Thanks, Wade." Kim says with narrowed eyes, before heading off.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smirks at Kim "Take care Kim, see ya soon." She nods to Ariel, keeping an eye on the lost princess of course.

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' Dagger blinks slowly, seeming further confused. "Traverse Town? How..." Oh right, the portals. She shivers at the thought. This is crazy. Why did she ever run away from home? She has to get back to Alexandria! But right now might not be the best time to reveal who she really is! "Oh..Then I am relieved that Lindblum still stands. And what of Alexandria? Is it still intact as well?" She takes the potion gratefully, "I thank you, Lady Ariel. You are in my debt." For a moment she tries to rest and relax as she downs the potion very delicately and sparingly.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles at Dagger, moving over to get a map. She unfolds it on a table "This is what we call the World of Ruin now. For some reason many towns and regions from different world all melded together, we called it the World Merge, although it doesn't really mean much. The heartless seems to have made many worlds disapear, or at least parts of it, and what were left became a single world." She points at the southern continent "Lindbulm is here, and right across the plain..." She taps on Alexandria.

:'''[[Garnet]] has posed:''' "Heartless..." she sighs and nods. "Yes, I have experienced them before, backin Lindblum." She shivers, "What awful creatures they are. But..How will I ever find my wait home, to Alexandria?" She's surprised when Tifa says Lindblum is jus across from Alexandria. Since when were they on the same continent? "That is strange. Then this..Traverse Town is a separate world?" She gasps, "Oh, then some worlds no longer exist?" Again she worries for Zidane. Is he safe, wherever he is? Is he still back in Lindblum? She should check, but..

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "Yeah, we've had some harsh experienecs with along of things around here. Heartless, world disapearing, name them. But yes, things are very different here. Some people, liek you, seem to appear out of nowhere. There's not much to explain about it, we just go along with it, what else can we do?

Old Timmy's Well: Card Crawl

2013-03-18T19:36:51Z

Lifa:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/12/02
|Location=Port Royal
|Synopsis=A dastardly pirate dungeon full of plots and plans down an ancient well where a master card shark met his end. Where has all the rum gone? Here, apparently.
|Cast of Characters=Mercade Alexander, Will Sherman, Seifer Almasy, Aerith, Tifa Lockhart, Minerva
|Tinyplot=The Search for Serendipity
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' It doesn't take much asking around to find that nobody wants to speak about Old Timmy's Well. It's a haunted place that not even animals will approach. One ancient mariner and his faithful if mangy dog are the ones to break the uneasy silence. He's a crazy old man who speaks in riddles and only to his favorite chocobo. Sadly nobody has told him that his chocobo was lost in a Gyshal Famine several years ago. It's not all insult swordfights and peeling potatoes and making people walk the plank in a pirate's life and they turn a grizzled eye away from the old codger. Those with.. ahem..experience in disguise manage to get the tale from him eventually. He tells the tale of Old Timmy, and how the infamous card shark was betrayed by his own lads and thrown down his own well. They kindly provided him a rope to bear him down in safety in the form of a noose. Yet those same lads were stymied in their attempts to rob the old pirate of his treasures for only he knew the true extent of the caverns underneath the well, and they entered only to find their doom at the end of their journey. The storied well and it's location as given by the old man doesn't actually look all that impressive on first examination. The wooden framework above has rotted away, leaving the roughly laid stones jutting from the eroded cliffside overlooking the Port. The well is covered by moss and the detritius of time. Looking down into it reveals only a dried up well, a circle of sand, mud and leaf litter forming the bottom with an old bucket sticking halfway out of the mire.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart had heard that the mostly-senile old man wouldn't listen to anyone but its own, deceased chocobo. ... That's why she's STILL dressed as a chocogirl ._. She had no idea if it would work or not, but apparently faking a few 'kweh' when talking to him, half-deaf and half-blind Old timmy spilled the beans on the treasure trove's locations. She's not interested in the actual treasure though, there's an artifact to find, which is their job at the moment. ... Although lining up pockets with some extra gold wouldn't be a bad thing either, wouldn't it? She looks over to Aerith following her through the entire story up to now with a smile "Well, looks like this is the place, the well he was talking about. He said there's some traps down there, and how to bypass them." Of course, that's not accounting that the old man probably doesn't remember even half of the traps at this point, so the barmaid is probably not out of the woods either. Damn bird costume...

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith... couldn't take Tifa seriously right now, despite the truth of what she was saying. "So then, you're miss TifaWark the Treasure Hunter now?" She giggled and faced forward, her eyes finally adjusting to the low light conditions. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd be dressed in this silly little getup three times in a row!"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Concidence, coincidence is a beautiful thing. It places one in the most unlikely of positions at the most opertune times to see the most odd things. Like a befeathered, buxom barmaid bvabbling with batty, old bastards. I could add more Bs. Seifer Almasy, The Knight of the Sorceress Edea has been spending much time abroad exploring the worlds. "That was actually kind of impressive." snarked the Seifer, dead leaves and dried earth crunching underfoot as he approached. "Although you probably could have gotten away with anything yellow and vaguely bird-shaped." he mused, arms lifting out to his sides, "But hey, who am I to judge what women do to get what they want?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart sighs as she looks at Seifer "I still had the costum from Don Corneo, but I'm sure you're right." She looks to Aerith <.<; "ChocoTifa LockWark actually, that's what I... I mean Chocolina came up with." She won't admit to having a lapsus and starting to talk like a chcoobo. Well Aerith would know from last time, but not Seifer.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith really, truly wanted to roll her eyes at the insufferable man behind them, who she'd met a while back... and found something innately wrong with. But at the same time, she didn't have any real qualms with him. He hadn't done anything to her... yet. So she refrained from commenting about his quite obvious generalization and went back to focusing on the path before her. Tifa however, asked the question that was quite obvious from the get-go, the one Aerith felt she needed to ask after they were out of the dimly-lit maze filled with all sorts of traps and a treasure somewhere inside, with a potential trap on that too.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' It's not hard to get down into the well. A bit of rope, a nearby vine, anything handy would be enough to do. It is gloomy, damp and dark at the bottom with only a circle of light above from the overcast sky to cast any light on the surroundings. The bottom is almost a foot of mud and accumulated debris, with no sign at all of any corridor or caverns underneath it at all. It's an old muddy well. The walls are slippery stone with faint markings on them, etched into the stone. A rat, a long boat, a razor, a little guard house, treasure, bones, all sorts of markings have been etched into the stones here in all directions, most of them shrouded by leaves and the march of time. There was something else that the old man said. It hadn't made any sense at the time. He had laughed, in the middle of a sentence, until he had coughly rasped out. "What DO you do with a drunken sailor?" to which he had started laughing again and only through long suffering patience were they able to get him going again.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' With a wave of his hand, Seifer Almasy, Knight of the Sorceress Edea swept her question aside, "None of your business." he answered, face screwing up in a terse, bitter scowl. He'll weather the sharp looks he gets for that one silently. It's a rare occurence. It just so happened that Seifer had himself a rope, call it a minor perk to his onerious presence. Twisting and fastening it against a nearby tree trunk, he made their decent that much easier. At the bottom, he likely being the last to go down, being robbed of the view to going first, Seifer shifted and pulled at his legs, trying to keep from being mired in the clutter and muck. He wore a scowl to depict his displeasure. He got over it however, taking his mind off of his boots just long enough to think out what the man meant. A clue, it looked like. "Either of you know any sea shantys?" he voiced aloud, turning a critical eye to Aerith and Tifa... Aerith seemed more hesitant to engage with him than Tifa. Cowerdice, timid or meek. Now would be a good time to hold a minor congress... instead, he 'took charge' and trudge towards the razor's etching, probing it with finger and hand to see if it hid a switch.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is just like that, she's friendly enough, she doesn't judge other people unless they do something directly to her, and its not like Seifer REALLY seems bad, he might have his own reasons though. She just need to ask the right question, maybe. "Okay, sorry for being so forward, let's try that differently. I'm Tifa, and this is Aerith, we're friends of Rinoa. If there's ever something on your mind or you need something, you can come to us, alright?" She says simply, following the tall man down the well and then through the passageway. She hmms, and looks around the well when she's down there. She sees the scribbles on the walls, she remembers what the old man said, but it doesn't seem to have much link with each other. What do you do with a druken sailor anyway? Toss it overboard? She'd think that most sailors are tipsy most of the time anyway...

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith chuckled at his question. "Put him in the longboat and make him bale her, of course!" She took a look at the other depictions, not necessarily seeing them as clues at all. "Put him in the guardhouse 'til he gets sober... Hmm." She turned toward Tifa at her offer. "Y'know, I'd prefer it if we didn't have a man who threatened to /kill/ one of our friends come to us for consolation..." She glanced back at Seifer. "...And I can guarantee you he wouldn't accept it." Perhaps not so meek after all.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' Prodding the razor does in fact cause a 'CLICK' to softly scrape across the sounds at the bottom of this well. Several rusty razors snap out from the wall in which that razor was depicted. One at waist height and one at neck height. At least they would be slashing in a vicious arc if they had been properly maintained. The ragged edges stick about three inches from their courses in the walls, shivering with tension. Something TWANGS inside the stone walls and the blades go slack. So it could be safely assumed that all of these etchings were some sort of button. There was the Long boat, the Guard house, The Razor, The bones, The treasure and the Frog.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith gritted her teeth as the razors jutted out, shuddering to a halt. She shuddered to think at what they would have done if properly cared for. "Right... no touchy the old, dangerous things." She glanced at the symbols. Maybe Seifer had a point... they might be their way out. But the treasure and the bones? No, she had a feeling they had to save those for last. She pointed to the longboat... without touching it. "First verse." Then the guardhouse. "Second verse." She scratched the back of her head after a bit. "And I forget the rest of the song."

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' 'Taking Charge' has never been Seifer's strong suit. He took charge in all of his SeeD exams and failed everyone. When he had heard that his friends were sent out on a suicide mission, he took charge and almost got himself killed... Now, he took charge and almost got himself diced. His reflexs, so sharply honed that they would put a cat to shaem, told him to escape, he attempted to spring away... only to find his feet mired to the floor. The implications all played out very keenly in his head. If someone had taken the time to set up a oil drip for those mechanisms, had water not seeped into them... Sweat beaded on his brow, his jawline tightend, that was close. The relief, the sudden, keen awareness of his mortality, Seifer balled it all up and tucked it into a hole, shovaling bravado and egotism over it to hide it away "Tsch!" his features twisted into another sneer, he turned away, one trudging step after another pulling him clear of the wall incase that tension should break through the disrepair that stayed the razors. "It wasn't a threat." he regarded Aerith, "It was a warning." he minded her, arms folding over his chest.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart eeps at the sudden appearing of spikes. Seifer seems okay at least, but the old guy certainly hadn't told her about this trap. She looks at the other pictures "I'm guessing we have the push the right one... Got any idea?" She heard what Aerith said, but it doesn't seem like she ever heard any of those sentences in her life, so she really has no clue. "But I'd take a guess at the long boat... considering the razor had spikes, what would the long boat have for a trap, clubbed by an oar?" And then she tries to imagine that happening. She scratches her head. "If there's more than one button, I guess..."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "And a warning means a certainty, which makes me far less at ease around you." She sighed. "However I am inclined to believe that you have your reasons..." Many of which were not of his own making, that was for certain. "...So I will reserve judgment until the day you actively harm someone." She observed the carved symbols, wondering which one to poke first.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva had been well out and about again and had noitced the strangest thing. It was Tifa dressed a Chocobo, she wasn't alone. Sown theyw ent and well? Call Minerva curious because she darn well is. She'a going shimmy her way down and see just what the heck is going on down there. It wouldn't take long for them to realise they are being followed as someone else is coming near and preahsp into trouble she's not fully aware of.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' And then there is movement at the top of the well. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!" is the exclamation, as a detective drops down the shaft, using the rope to keep from descending /too/ quickly. He hits the muddy floor, and looks around. "Hey there! You guys looking for treasure t-" He pauses, looking directly at Tifa. "Tifa..." Mercade Alexander, Detective At Large, asks, "Why are you dressed like a chocobo?" He just had the sailor talk to his chocobo, Watson. It loved the attention and decided to hang out with the old bastard for a while. He glances to Aerith and Seifer. "And I don't believe I've met the both of you." He gestures, flicking a hand and producing two business cards, which are handed out. "Mercade Alexander, detective with the Twilight Detective Agency. A pleasure to meet you both." He moves a hand up as if to tip a hat, but he pauses, grimacing for a moment, and gives a two-finger salute instead. He looks at the surroundings and purses his lips. "What do you do with a drunken sailor, what do you do with a drunken sailor, what do you do with a drunken sailor, er-layyy in the morning..." He hums.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart deadpans a bit at Mercade's question. She's been asking herself the same thing for the past few days honestly. Everytime there was a different reason! "... Old quasi-senile old man wouldn't talk to anyone but his deceased chocobo about the treasure..." She doesn't say that very loudly either. More like embarassed, even if everyone here knows the reason she did. She didn't think she'd need to explain it to someone else at this point.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith takes one of the cards and slips it into the inside pocket of her jacket for the time being. She'd give it a closer examination later. "Aerith Gainsborough, a pleasure Mr. Alexander." She decided to try her luck, hoping that following the song would lead to something. "Put him in the longboat and make him bale her..." She poked the symbol with her right index finger, turning away as if fearing the worst...

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' Apparently lay there like an ancient well full of potentially trapped carvings with a foot of mud at the bottom. The blades that had protruded from the stones lay quiet and there seems to be no timed mechanisms that still function. The Long Boat, The Guard House, The Razor, The Bones, The Treasure and The Fish have yet to be pressed. To those who know the song, or even half way remember it, some of these things are not like the others. Some of these things just do not belong. When Aerith pokes at the symbol there is another 'CLICK' of something being triggered. Putrid water pours from the top lip of the ancient stones, bubbling through cracks in shattered pipes and quickly making the bottom an even more soupy morass.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart erks "There goes the theory at least." She looks at the murky water rising, and then back at Aerith "... I'm thinking we need to push the rest of the song before we're up to our necks in this. Just a hunch." She reaches over to the guardhouse, since Aerith seemed sure about that one at least. At least no more spikes yet...

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith gritted her teeth as she guessed wrong. Right, following the song to the verse was not the way to go, and the water just dumped on the mud beneath them. And it was coming up inch by inch. "I'm not sure we need the rest of the song, we just need the right verse!" The problem was, the right verse wasn't about to show itself any time soon, and they needed it! The obvious answer was not always the most obvious one though, so... she glanced at Tifa. "I'm not about to do something I'll regret, you get the next one!" She pointed toward the guardhouse, this time without touching it... "Second verse!"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Give the guy a break, it's not like he's going to fall out of the sky and skewer you with a sword! He's much more likely to just shove you inside of a large, masculine woman. He's about to do his best impression of CardCrusher. the card drawn into the palm of his hand, fingers poised to curl around it when... he figured he might be able to use a detective someday. He slips it into his long coat. There are pockets in there somewhere. So many pockets. Then water, he curses, just curses in general. "Agh, this isn't working!" he barks to the gathered. It wasn't the razor, it wasn't the longboat... This was a trap for pirates, made by a pirate... They would all know the damn song! They were having trouble with it because they weren't sailors! "Hold it!" Barks Seifer, trudging over to stop Tifa from pressing the scrawl, a hand whipping out to sharply smack her hand away! "Think, this guy was hiding his crap from pirates, right. They already know the damned song! And they all died trying to get it!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart eeps as Seifer slaps her hand. She blinks at what he says "... Well then should we try the skull?" She doesn't know the rest of the song, but that'd be probably the one she'd rather not touch "Does anyone know the rest of the song anyway?" SHe certainly doesn't! And she decides not to touch anything until someone figures it out. At least they can swim to the top if it gets to it... She thinks.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' There is a sound from the well as someone presses the wrong button as well. SPLASH. There is a fit of coughing before... HOBO LAD HAS ARRIVED. "Man, seriously, I am not waiting up there with the rope! That is boring and you are boring for making me do it!" he says, crossing his arms at Mercade, and the rope was in hand. Wait...how are they supposed to use it to climb out? "Anyway, what is going on down here and why is there water pouring into the room?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shook her head. "The only ones that don't belong are...." She takes another look... and slowly remembers the song. Longboat, Razor, Guardhouse, Flippers, all obvious traps each with a different outcome.... But she hadn't heard of a bone verse, and the treasure chest was the last resort. "It's either the treasure chest or the bones, and I can tell you that the chest is the last one I'd pick. Take note that I could be wrong, and it could be the guardhouse for all I can tell."

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva pauses as she hears someone else arrive as she catches up with the whole group. She looks at Mercade she knows he's Avira's friend and sht seems flad enough to see him. "Might I ask just what is going on here? I saw Tifa dressed in such a state and had to see just what was happening. Aerith and Seifer. "Grettings I'm Mienrva so just what is gong on here?"

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade scrambles as the water begins to rise. "Uhhhhh... Longboat, guardhouse, razor. The fish, bones, and the treasure don't fit, though the first might! The odd one out are definately the bones and the treasure!" Mercade shrugs, and then jumps to one side as Will splashdowns. "AAAH! WILL! Don't do tha..." He pauses. "You're holding the rope. Why are you holding the rope?" He looks up at the well. "Ohhhhh damn." He looks back at the others, "Quick! Solve this thing before we drown!" He glares at the treasure chest button and the bones button. "What if that's just what they WANT you to think? Will! You're lucky, pick one of those two!" He ignores Minerva for the moment.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer considers the remaining glyphs, attention shifting from one to the other. He comes down to three, The fish, treasure, and skull. "All of you climb out, I'll-" someone plummets from above... someone with a rope. Seifer goes quiet, deathly quiet. He looks upon Will, attention shifting from the rope in hand to the man itself. "YOU STUPID GODDAMN IDIOT, HOPW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU UNTIE A ROPE, A ROPE THAT LEADS INTO SOME KIND OF HOLE, ANY KIND OF HOLE, ARE YOU A IDIOT, ARE YOU RETAQRDED, ARE YOU A IDIOTIC DUMBASS THAT JUST GOES AROUND JUST TAKING OTHER PEOPLE'S ROPES!?" his voice ecghoes off tof the confining walls, he's fuming, furious, hands rake back through his hair, teeth bare and gnash. With a harsh, snarl of anger, he klashes out, a fist crashing into a wall... right over the skull.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade shakes his head. "Nope. He's just kind of a fool-OH HELL!" Mercade leaps for a wall, expecting lots of death.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will blinks and looks at everyone. "Okay!" he walks up... He has absolutely no idea what this is even about... Earlier during the song... Will had a hat over his face, taking a doze because Pirate music is dumb. So dumb. Pirates are cool, but their songs are dumb. Then suddenly Seifer starts screaming going on about this or that and then Will kinda looks at him...and decides to remove a string. Seifer hits a wall...which happens to be a skull button. "Oh. I shouldn't have done that yet." he says, scratching the back of his head. Will looks suddenly ready...

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' Eveerything goes to hell just about the time Seifer loses his temper and PUNCH the Skull button. Spears shoot from pretty much EVERYWHERE. Every crack, every crevice, every shadow is suddenly a place where a spear of rusted metal or wood can shoot out. Many of them are broken and the trap splintered, but far too many of them are still highly dangerous. There is still the matter of the water being about knee high at this point as well.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart acks as everything goes from bad to worse. Spears, these aren't entirely rusted and broken down, unlike the razors, so she barely manages to avoid the most dangerous ones, one of them still cuts her leg a little, nothing too serious at least. "If its not the skull, then its the chest?" She noticed where Seifer punched only after the fact though. "We're going to run out of time at this rate!"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "OH GOD SPEARS!" Will says, suddenly dropping to the ground as one flies over his head. He looks at Seifer and frowns...but he's not going to do anything more to the man...that should be punishment enough. For a while. "Can I solve this thing now or are you done having a temper tantrum?" he asks Seifer. "Seriously, whoever you are. If you wana punch walls punch the walls that are not buttons full of traps." he says again and closes his eyes. Will randomly selects a button! The Guardhouse.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith made to avoid the spears, catching some of them with her staff. By sheer luck, none of them tear a single piece of clothing or penetrate anything vital. She shuts her eyes and makes an attempt not to grind her teeth. This was very, very annoying.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minervas now hears the water, and realises what a sinking situation this is for everyone down here. It's just really become one of those days for her and she's not a very good puzzel person when you get down to it. Everything is just going bad here she looks about as she sees the old traps go off. It still has teeth and she's attempting to evade. "This isn't the best idea to just be hitting buttongs!" She's looking about trying to find a clue, some hint to the soultion to the puzzel.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "It is the best idea! I know what I am doing, I have covered wars before!" Will says towards Minerva. He pauses, looking at Mercade, "That thing on the plains was a war right? That counts as covering?"

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' "AAAAH! OOOH! AAAAAH! EEEE!" Mercade bends in all directions as he tries to keep from getting skewered by splintered wood and rusty metal. "WILLLLLLLLLLLL!" He yells, just as four more spears begin pinning him neatly into place. "That was totally not a war. And you didn't cover it at all!"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' "Oh motherf-" Seifer can just make the dome of the skull out over his knuckles, he speaks, lips tucking in between his teeth to complete the explitive when spears make a jungle gym of the bottom of the muddy, wet well bottom. With feet anchored, he can do little against several spears that were meant to kill the pusher of the button. Luck, even luck that was meant to be worse than it was- Will. Saves him, a spear jets out at chest height, nothing but a broken shaftm another jabs in from the left, he sways backwards. He twists this way and that, one shaft finds him, it digs across his side tearing through the meager protection offered by his vest and piercing through the back of his coat. "No, not the chest!" he snaps to the chesty woman. Shutup!" he offers, ever-eloquently , to Will.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' CLICK. Giant bars of metal shoot over the entrance to the well, trapping them in a watery tomb of rising waters. As this is happening however there is another fainter click. A three click series that is mostly lost in the general furor of activity. The water rises to about knee height before evening out, rumbling cracks opening in the floor as an ancient door mechanism attempts to slide stones out of the way but impeded by a great deal of rust. The water level starts to drop as the door finally wrenches open, revealing a small staircase of roughly hewn steps leading down and around a corner. The staircase steps are worn and smoothed and practically a slide with the water cascading over them.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks worried as the way up gets barred "Will, what have y-" Then she hears even more noise. What's going on? She doesn't feel at ease with this at all. But finally the water receedes, and she phews. At least they won't drown while unable to get out of there. She glances up though "Well no choice but going down now..."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith sighed. "The obvious answer... is always the last one you pick, because it could be the most trapped." She had no complaints about making her way downstairs first, and does so without hesitation. "Let's find this stuff." Her steps are careful, yet confident.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Heeeeey! I totally solved it and I don't even get a thank you? A hug? Something to eat?" he whines...so unloved. He looks back at Mercade, "Lies! It was a war. People were fighting and there were ships and explosions. You're just jealous." he says and looks back at Seifer. "You ain't getting lucky again for a long time." he says, mysteriously, as if telling his future, and heads down the stairs after the other ladies. "Seriously, I'd kill for a hotdog right now.."

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer extracgts himself from his predicament, eyeing the hole in his coat sourly. He does so many things in a sour fashion "What the h-" he utters in answer to Will, a brow lofting upwards as he tromps down the steps, peering upwards into the barred hole... so there will be abother exit? "You sound like another idiot I know." uttered Seifer, hands snapping his lapels to straighten his coat.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Does everyone you know sound like idiots?" Will asks Seifer. "Cuz if yes, then maybe you have a problem."

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer Almasy wants to push Will down the stairs, eyes like blue sky narrow, "What the hell are you trying to say, you stick-bundle bum?" he jeers, a left wrist resting across the back of Hyperion's slide, "Just idiots like you that can't think of anything but stuffing their faces."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart claps her hands for attention "Hey now, no fighting, we're stuck together for a while, no matter what you two say, so at least keep it civil until we get out, would you?" Its not like one can just go back up, might as well try to keep things together at least. She goes down after Aerith, wondering where this leads to now... probably more traps. The old guy didn't talk about anything the like at least...

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' "Can we save the snark until we're done?" Mercade says as he carefully wedges himself out of the spear-like predicament he's been stuck in. "Stupid... spears!" He pulls himself up, and looks over the situation. "Huh. Well, that opened things up nicely. Good job, Will. I'll get you a hot dog when we get back." He peers at Seifer, but says nothing more. He can antagonize Will as his own peril. He moves on, looking around at the other three. "Are you ladies all right? It's probably going to only get more crazy from here." He carefully begins picking his way down the stairs to go with the others.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith smiled. "Trust me... the situations I've gotten myself into so far define crazy. This is normal, so crazy will have to be impressive." She glanced around at her surroundings, her senses on full tilt for anything... else they had to survive. "So what's your story, Mr. Alexander."

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' On to the next adventure. The water slicked steps lead to a long, naturally formed corridor that twists, bending in sharp hairpin curves to where it levels out in a larger and much drier chamber. It's still pretty small and a little claustrophobic but there is a large gutter that rings the room, the water disappearing while a middle of the roughly circular room is covered by sand. There is an exit from this room on the far wall, where a tightly wound spiral staircase of old wood can be seen going downwards wrapped around it's central pole. There is also something along the floor. It is mostly covered by the sand but it may be some form of rope winding across the ground.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks around her as she reaches the large room. Cough. Its rather dusty and sandy here, considering how wet the well was. She's not about to discuss the finer points of underground feng shui and arrangements though. She notices the rope there, and certainly doesn't like the looks of it either. It screams 'trap'. She starts to think a bit, before stepping into the room further "What did the old man say next..." she ponders to herself. He did give a bunch of cryptic cules, just have to put them in order.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' The first thing she noticed wasn't the sand, or the staircase on the other side. No, it was the rope. If it really was a rope at all. Taken with everything else, it meant they had to cross this room a certain way... or they were more than likely in trouble. "Hold up... this is bound to be bad if we do this wrong." Not that there looks like a right way to do it at all, but they could try to find it.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer Almasy is a walking AOE of antagonisim, a radial douche bag. He scowls at Tifa Lockhart, its different than his usual scowl, lips parted to reveal a glimpse of teeth. He is about to chatter on about him not taking orders from women dressed like animals when the peculiarity of her wearing said uniform sinks in. "Oy, why are you still wearing that, is that the only outfit you have!? Did someone steal your clothes and leave only that behind?" Were he a gentlemen, he might offer his coat. Seifer Almasy, Knight of the Sorceress Edea, is not a gentlean. Nobody gets into that coat! They come to the landing and Seifer picks a spot to the side to overlook their newest hurdle to overcome... He frowns furiously and looks it over, loath to be as... flippant in dealing with that one as he was the last. He might be sulking, sourly.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Bluh bluh bluh bluh bluh....huge prick." Will mutters before looking at the room a bit. He's really good at getting around dangerous traps, but this one...hm. He didn't hear the song so he has NO idea what was going on besides they were in a trap filled place with a douchebag for some reason. "Maybe walk around the trap? Seems like the thing to do." Will says, and just stands up and does just that. Walks around the room, instead of through the middle, to the way through this room.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva says "We'll feed you later if we get out of this alive." She quips back to Hobo King. She seems to be more just trying to keep her mind off hte fix they are in right now. Down she goes with the others keeping careful note to not put too much weight into any one step. I'll buy you one my self if you do get us out of this. I give you my wor." She keeps movign with the rest of the group.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' "Me?" Mercade chuckles to Aerith. "I'm just a detective, Miss Gainsborough. I'm from Manhattan, and we've been having a lot of Heartless problems lately. I'm out and about looking for things we can do to stop them. Sometimes it seems to result in adventures like this." He laughs, and then looks over the rest of the room. "Huh. This looks ominous." He says. He settles for inching around the edge of the room towards the opposite side.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' There was something about not wiping your feet on the carpet.. and something else about not trusting maypoles. There was one particularly long screed on how he hated stairs. Up or down. It didn't matter. Stairs are a nuisance. This was peppered through the story about Old Timmy and his cardsharking ways. Will and Minerva continue down the creaking wooden staircase. Each step they take, the old wood creaks and groans. The tight constraints of the shaft continue downwards and downwards into the bowels of the earth.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart remembers some of the words "He said something about not trusting waypoles... you think it has anything to do with this? Mind you, anything he said made little sense to me." And the more she progresses, the less she understands "Also, something about not wiping your feet on the carpet..." She looks around. Nothing like a carpet, even figuratively...

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith sighed and made her way along the edge, eventually ending up at the stairs and following everyone else. Apparently, these scrawls were... well, just scrawls. She almost giggled at the part where he hated stairs. "It's not supposed to make sense. But you really should remember all this stuff." At least, someone should. She was too busy trying to feel out whether there was a killer trap or not around the next corner, or something about to jump at them.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Stairs are kinda shakey." Will says as he starts decending. He moves at a good pace, giving no goosehonks about getting in trouble. He wondered about the carpet everyone kept talking about. "Carpets in a place like this? I mean, can you even get carpet underground? Seems like it'd be a pain in the butt with all the irregular walls and stuff." he says as he continues down. "I mean, who'd even carpet this place? Gnomes? Dwarves? Other creatures that don't exist?"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' TNeither Will nor Mercade seem to fall to their death. Seifer's frown only deepens. With Tifa and Aerith leading in the middle, Seifer turns his attention to Minerva, "Go on." he 'suggests' with a cock of his head, indicating he wishes for her to go ahead of him, If the stairs are like the traps, we shouldn't put too much weight on them." He'll follow after her.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Oh that's what's wrong! YOu have self esteem isues! You're not fat whoever you are...a bit...rough but certainly not fat!" Will shouts up at Seifer with a double thumbs up.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart shakes her head to Will "We got this information from a half-senile old man, that is the one that created all of these traps, so don't ask too much abouthow much sense it makes. Its all codewords for traps he placed, just gotta figure out what it means."

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' "Fall down those steps and die!" barks Seifer from the top of the stairs.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva is looking about a she moves. She's concerned about the stairs but well? She does seem to know how to shift her weight about sio she hopefully doesn't ruin the stairs. She is keeping an eye out for anything of note. "Indeed we should be careful and who knows what manner of being made this place. It could also be a clue as well."

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will shouts back up, "It's okay! I understand! They have places in Manhattan that can help with these problems!" he says and turns to Mercade, "He's just a bit troubled."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith rolled her eyes. Dammit, would these two idiots stop acting like children? She wasn't here to babysit. "Shall we focus? We're almost at the bottom of the stairs here, and I'd like for us all to make it out of here in one piece." Well... relatively everyone. You could never tell when someone would get a bit ticked off and actually do something stupid.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Will is the first person on the stairs. Seifer is the last. There are far too many people in the way for Seifer to throttle Will. This will change, Hobo. This will change!

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade snorts at Will's joke. "So what about you, Aerith? What's your story?" He asks as they pick their way forward... And then stops, examining the sand. "You know what, hang on." He makes his way all the way back up the stairs, and grabs one of those broken spears, bringing it back down to poke at the sand. "I wonder..." He says, safely staying out of it as he prods. Welcome to the power of ADVENTURING and the 10-FOOT POLE. Well, maybe not TEN feet, but you get the picture. "I'll be with you guys in a second!" He calls.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' The old wooden stairs creak. They creak with age and the passage of the years. They shift under the weight of shoed and booted feet, complaining as they continue their descent. The stairway is magnificently cramped. The walls of the pillar are close, scratched in long horizontal lines in some places. The stairs continue downwards, wrapped too tightly to really see much past the next couple of stairs. Creak. Creak. People are descending the stairs. As the next group descends, they see edges of the wood scraping across the wall, the stairs moving across the entranceway before allowing them onto the next spiral. Poke Poke. The sand. The sand does... nothing. There is still the rope or.. whatever it is buried in the sand. Poking the sand with a spear doesn't seem to have any effect.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks over to Seifer, she didn't want to answer the pervious nag about her dressing, she was lost in thought about about avoiding traps, but she can still answer him eventually at least "I don't have my normal clothes with me, if you must know, how would I be carryign them down here." She sighs. Its not like it pleases her anymore than the others to wear this. Actually, WHO does it bother to see the barmaid in showy clothes? ~_~ "How long does this staircase goes down anyway you think?

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will ==> Descend. Will keeps going down the steps, knowing very well that Seifer probably hates him right now...well, Will might forgive him eventually. But not before the dungeon ends...or something hilarious happens with a trap. Whatever the case, Will keeps going down the hole. "Eh, dunno, but tread lightly or else we'll get to see for ourselves. Also, anyone got a light?"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will then, as an after thought asks, "Why are we even here again? I wasn't paying attention."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks over to Will "The rumor is that the old man Timmy's treasure olds the last key to Serendipity. He apparently stored a treasure down here, he's an old card shark, so the Queen of Card is pretty sure it has something to do with Serendipity. They weren't wrong the first 2 artifacts we recovered, so there's no reason to doubt this one either." She sighs a bit "Although this is pretty dangerous and spooky. I hope this is going to be worth the trip."

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will asks the obvious question... "What's a serendipity?" blinking as he considers Tifa. He's also completely approving of her outfit. Because he's an open person, Seifer, not a douchebag.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' SEIFER ALMASY IS NOT CONCERNED WITH YOUR LUSH, FLESHY, MEATY BITS! He is the Knight of the Sorceress Edea-! Who... has some kind of skin-condition going on and a motherly vibe that hje just can't shake. Vibe as in feel. Seifer Almasy, Knight of the Sorceress Edea is not curious enough to worry about what she has in her nightstand. He has a absent curse and a swear to issue to Mercade when the man bulls past him to go and play in the sand. He is distracted by the movement of the stairs, he cannot question why Tifa would not have changed clothes wherever she changed into the chocobo outfit in the first place. He knows she has a different outfit... even if she doesn't wear much then, either!

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade shrugs, and just reaches down to grab onto the rope and pull it. Why the hell not. How bad could it possibly be? "STILL NOT DEAD YET!" Mercade calls. He needs to remind Will of this every so often or else Will starts getting ideas. "God, don't be such a jerk." He calls back to Seifer as he runs past.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva is starting to wonder about these stairs she really is. If only someone had warned the party about stairs. It's too late for them at this point. She ==> Decends along si with Will. She's very careful still as this place something is't right. "I can provide one if needed." She takes a moment as she holds up her fist and it blazes to life wraped in holy light.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' And the further down the stairs they go, the more Aerith wonders if this too, is not a trap. So far everything in here seemed to be one, and that set the hairs on the back of her neck to standing. She wanted to hurry up and get out of here, but at the same time, one wrong move would make a step break, and cause someone to fall. So she continued onward, ignoring the quite irritating, yet somewhat justified fear gnawing at her.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' ===> Descend_Ok The old wooden stairs creak. One of them SNAPS under the weight of a foot but not dangerously so. It is simply surprising. The wooden shaft winds the stairs in an constant stream of tightly spaced steps. This must be an old mining shaft or similiar drop to go down so far. The stairs tremble as they shift under the weight of shoed and booted feet, complaining as they continue their descent. The rope resists him. There is a /considerable/ resistance. At first he doesnt get any leverage but then something gives, just a little bit, somewhere underneath the sand. It's going to take some time pulling with just himself though.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will pauses... Will Goes through his stuff, for a moment, pulling out his phone. He switches to the flashlight app, and turns it on. Then, very very carefully...he takes a step. to see what happens.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade gives up on the rope for now. He'll look at it later. Everyone else is getting way ahead! He moves to the stairway and looks down it. "Hey, you guys okay down there?" He calls. How far down /are/ they?

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' The next time Seifer Almasy, Knight of the Sorceress Edea, meets someone named Timmy, he's going to slug that person in the nose. Won't matter who they are. Just, WHAM! Right in the nose. May poll, stairs, up or down. Were they making any advancement? The stairs are moving beneath him, he extends a hand to the wall, trying to see if he was making any progress at all on this screw.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith placed a hand on the wall as well... and wondered the same thing, almost unconsciously. Were they in the trap, and didn't know it? Her eyes narrowed as a suspicion arose. Part of her wanted to confirm this, and the rest of her, with each passing second, agreed. "Everyone stop, please."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart doesn't know anything right now, she's just trying to follow and keep a look with her eyes, making sure they miss nothing important, a trap, or a clue to unlocking a trap maybe. "Serendipity is supposely a magical world, like an endless carnival and a casino that never closes. I'm not entirely sure since I never been there, but that's what the Queen said at least. Chocolina apparently comes from there, and she's really hyper. And Corneo... just wants the money I think." She shrugs her shoulders at that. They are almost there in unlocking it, might as well go to the end.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' The stairs move while Will is NOT moving. In fact, the only reason he didn't realize they were moving on their own was because he was moving himself. Mercade sees a ragged edge of wood from the top of the 'stairway' scrape across the stone in a long horizontal line that spirals downwards. The old wooden stairs creak not only because they are old, but because the major shaft is actually rotating in the direction Will and his group was moving. Since some of the others are still descending from further up in the 'staircase' the pole continues to turn and accomodate them. Seifer will note that is his hand doesn't make any progress past a certain point. He just seems to be going in a repeating pattern. The 'stairs' are doing the walking for them in the same place, and they may as well be going nowhere for as long as they move downwards. If and when everyone stops, the stairs will also stop moving.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Well...I guess we need to get out and examine the room above us better." Will shrugs, "Or we can sit here and walk all night! Either way, I would rather eat tonight at some point soon.." he says, sourly. "HEy MERCADE! Mess with the rope up there could you!"

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade peers at the stairs. Well, this is a simple problem to solve. Spear, meet wall. Wall, meet stairs. The Stairs? They are about to be.... JAMMED. "Now that's a bastardly trick." The Detective says. "DON'T WORRY WILL! I GOT THIS! KEEP GOING!" He calls down. He wants to see if the jam holds before heading down himself.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will blinks... "Oh okay! Change of plans! Everyone go forward!" Will says, and walks forward. Alot.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' It was a massive waste of time! Anger flushed hot it Seifer's gut and he was tempted to strike at the wall again, or the stairs, or the central shaft... But that worked so well last time! "Agh, damnit!" he snarls! coming to a stop on the stairs and turning back to look at the top.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hrms "That's probably what he meant about beware of the stairs." She stops and looks down, trying to see underneath the staircase and the wooden planks "If the drop isn't too high, we could just break through and jump down, don't you think?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shook her head. "No. Drop's probably too far no matter how you slice that. There's another answer to this, and I wouldn't be surprised if Mercade's found it..."

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' So. A gentle recap for those watching at home. While everyone is going down, the stairs go down. While everyone is going up, the stairs go up. When Mercade jams the stairs and people go both up and down at the same time? SNAP. Tifa can see a number of gears and pulleys through the ragged gaps in the boards. What she also is privledged to see is the gears being stripped from the machinery as the stairway strains against the jammed spear. The entire stairway starts to shudder, springs and gears flying everywhere. Will and whoever else who followed him while the stairs were jammed quickly reaches the end of the stairs while they are stuck. They end out in open space about two feet from the bottom of a decently sized shaft. There is another crack, and wood and gears and machine parts fly everywhere as the entire staircase collapses.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith gritted her teeth as she stairs trembled, shook, and... "I /knew/ it!" She leapt from the step she was on, hoping that would at least spare her some of the absolute pain everyone else must have been feeling. She'd heal later if she could, but right now her main thought was just to stay alive. Without any kind of guide what so ever, she landed, rolled over her right shoulder, and peered up at the stairwell that looked more like a traffic accident in slow motion.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Oh, crap. The stairs! they're busted! Mercade leans over into the abyss, and yells down at Will, "DAMMIT WILL! I WARNED YOU ABOUT STAIRS! I TOLD YOU, DOG!"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "IT KEEPS HAPPENING!" Will shouts as he falls down the stairs. Luckily he falls slower than everyone else...and lands on something soft. Only YOU can decide who/what he landed on people! "That wasn't so bad."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart fell to her doom! Sorta. Well she's not death. She tried to slow down her fall by using her boots along the wall! Except she's wearing high heels. She crashlands with a accompagnying 'ow' in the pile of garbage and miscellaneous moldy stuff at the bottom. She grunts, pushing the things away to get back up. Unfortunatly, no, the chocobo costume doesn't allow to fly, and neither is very squishy to land with.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva is looking at will and Mercade. What have they done? Also the nature f the stairs is bugging her. Then to her suprise everything fully gives way. All sorts of mechanical. she does not waste time as she hears a comment about stairs that's very fair and wise a she goes down the stairs. "Oh for the ..." How she lands is well up to the GM

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Gears grind and groan, everything goes wrong aT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME. The step beneath him gives way, twisting and creaking out from underfoot He drops, falling with horrid, terrible speed. It is dangerously fast, streaking through the dark, being pulled down by horrid gravity and the twist of fate of having angered some tool with his hands in Lady Luck's pocket.He was the last one on the stairs, Will was the first. He hits the ground, painful and hard, it knocks the breath from him... and then something crashes ontop of him It feels like a hobo.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' And Minerva bumps several times and crashes into the moldy detritus at the bottom of the shaft, cascading down the stairs to thump quite magnificently into the Squeakbo. WHOOMP. And now everyone is at the bottom of the deep shaft with broken wood and machinery around them. The central pole survived (barely) although cracked and obviously unstable. Several gears are imbedded there. The entrance to the 'stairway' can just be barely seen in the distance above.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' A short time later, Mercade descends into the darkness WITH A ROPE. Yes. THAT ROPE. THE ONE WILL BROUGHT DOWN WITH HIM. ALL HAIL THE ROPE. He lands lightly on the ground from the length of heavenly vertical motion assistant, and flicks on a flashlight, looking around. Because he carries a flashlight. What, you don't?

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart gets flatten a bit more into the pile x_x Yeah, this isn't a good day for her.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will finally stands up, getting off of Seifer and walks away from him. "Wow, that was a lucky break! Anyone hurt?" he asks, looking towards Tifa. "Need some help up?" he offers to help her up, ignoring the guy who broke his fall. BECAUSE HE DESERVES THIS!

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva says, "os nopt so badly off she doens't what to know all the things she's hit on the way down but at least she's landed on something soft. It's warm too. She's dazed and tyring to get up before she realises it's a person. She turns red and attempts to spring off Tifa. "I am sorry!" She's still looking red as she's trying to help Tifa get out of the pile of DOOM"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' There will be a reckoning, a horrible settling of scores and paying of dues. It will come regardless of time or place, in the blackest night, in the brightest day, in the dimmest eveining, it will come. It will arrive in the most dire of moments, in the most dour times, it will come when all is joyeus and gay and peace reigns throughout the lands. When love has conquered all, when all hope has died, it will come. Will's name, a series of lines that link together and stand alone, it has been etched, uit has been burned into- The List. Seifer hauls himself from the ground, growling his discomfort and displeasure as he shakes himself free of the rubble and clutter, brushing it from his shoulder and shaking it from his coat.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart lifts a hand as an answer to Minerva. Yeah, she's hurt, but more in her pride than anything else at this point, she's had worse physically. "... Its okay..." She says meekly, before 'peeling' herself out of the pile with Minerva's help x.x That might hurt in the morning still.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith sighed, thankful that at least everyone got off those stairs... somewhat safely. She glanced around, hoping to find some way to get out of here that didn't involve springing /another/ trap.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' It's a shaft. About the same size and shape as the last time anybody looked at the walls as they were going down the fake staircase. Although by the magic of Rope there is now a fairly decent egress from the predicament. Let us skip to the part where everyone (Even Seifer) has used this magic to ascend back to the former chamber. There is still the rope attached to something embedded in the sand and the stairway leading back up to the bottom of the well, but nothing else has changed.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "So we all agree that was a waste of time, despite it being hilarious." For everyone but Seifer. Will instead touches the rope and tries to trace where it connects to. Because that's smart.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' MERCADESPINNY Back in the other room, Mercade begins moving sand out of the way of the pit. Maybe he can reveal what's going on in it. "So, that path didn't work. Let's check this out." He scratches tbe back of his head. "Uh.... Sorry ladies. Will. Seifer." HE ACTUALLY APOLOGIZED TO SEIFER? WHAT?

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "That's fine. Wasn't the answer I was looking for, but it confirmed what I thought about those stairs." She headed for the rope... which of course, was not a rope. She knew that now. It was something heavier, wasn't it? "I think he needs some help with this thing." 'Course it could be trapped too, but they didn't have much of a choice. "Come on."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart didn't think it was funny either! She gives a kick on Will's shin for that as she walks past in, grumbling a bit. CHOCOKICK! "So what's next now... we got the carpet and the waypole to watch otu for..." she sighs, and looks at the rope that got unsanded "I guess we have to try this? Or do you want to try to find another way?"

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' The rope is actually attached to a large metal ring which is embedded in the sand. The ring, once Mercade starts to remove sand from around it, is attached to a mechanism. A metal cord holds the ring in place and disappears into the buried mechanism. As Mercade discovered earlier, it is very difficult to pull the cord and the ring but possible.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Huh." Will says, and spits into each hand...before grabbing the Rope and... PULLING!

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer catches his breath. Enough time passes for him to not be fuming about how Mercade not only lead them into the trap... but also almost got them killed by breaking it! He places Mercade's share of the blame on Will, regardless of factuality. "Yeah, yeah." he answers tersely, perfectly fine with going by Coat Guy. He's actually being hesitent to give out his name for some, ungodly reason recently. "So what now?" he mutters, hands sweeping back over his, astonishingly unmussed hair. He steps up and takes hold of the rope behind will, "We just pull this damn thing?!" He doesn't need spit, he has gloves, gloves with fingers, unlike hobo gloves. He sets his feet and gets to it.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "Might as well..." She moves along with the others, helpign them to pull on the rope. ALthough she's lacking a bit of grip on the flood with those high heels...

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' And yet, Aerith has no problem, with those sandals of hers. She pulls along with the others, eyes narrowed in focus. If this was a trap, fine. Let it spring. They'll just escape again and check another dead end off the list. But she really, /really/ hoped that this was the way to go.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Back up they go to where they should be, man this was all just a trap Thankfully they do have a way out. She's just glad she wore her normal boots than something more ment for a night at the ball. She's got lucky at this point. Seriously what is hidden here that the hiders wanted to protect so badly?

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' CLACK. The sound effect guy is getting the run around today. The metal ring is pulled, the cord stretching back until something engages. A part of the wall creaks on old hinges, swinging away to reveal another corridor. This one looks almost normal (for a certain degree of normal) with tightly fitted stoned and wall sconces adorned with long since burned away stubs of torches. This corridor terminates in a Y junction. Each pathway splits off to a room with a closed door. The one to the left is made of rotten and splintering wood while the one on the right is scarred by fire and banded by iron.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer edges towards the left bend and fishes inside of his coat, it is a great coat, what with the red crosses on the sleeves. He pulls out a small, glass potion, it's contents red and fizzing. Popping the cork, he downs it quickly, setting right what the fall and the spears set wrong. Now, with empty bottle in hand, the man in the grey coat reels back and pitches the bottle down the iron-jacketed corridor, seeing if whatever surprises that lay within are activated by motion.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "So...any clues in the song about right or left here?" Will says at the cross roads. Oh no, Seifer, don't go... Will turns towards the others... "So what way?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "I have no idea, he didn't leave a clue for this part, so maybe both are the right direction, but different paths?" She supposes, and heads to the iron door. She looks if anyone else follows her there...

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "I'm with Tifa. Someone come with us; the rest head for the other side. At this point, I don't care who gets there first, just as long as we get there." She waved to the rest of the group, letting them decide who would follow with Tifa and her.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' This time, Mercade follows the chocobo woman. Maybe she'll be good luck too. "No indication eitherway, let's follow Tifa." He grins at her. "You know, you're kinda cute in that costume." He grins to Aerith too. TOO BAD GUYS. MERCADE IS GOING WITH THE WOMEN.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Huh." Will says, and looks at Seifer. "And here I thought they wanted peace." he shrugs to the man. "Women, right?" he looks at Minerva. Yes, he just said that, and takes the group the OTHER direction.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' "What the hell are you even talking about?" remarks Seifer to will, attention drifting to the deranged homeless man

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "You're not too bright are you, coat guy?" Will remarks back. "Seriously. Pay attention."

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' The potion bottle smashes against the iron door. The heap of glass falls to the ground. Opening the iron door doesn't trigger anything dastardly either. However. there are a heap of charred bones greets Tifa if she opens it. The room is a ruin of scorch marks. A high domed room with a central pillar running almost to the very top. There are more bones near the opposite wall where there is another iron banded door. The old splintered wooden door leads to a maze of living quarters. Rotting maps and old books. Potion bottles. A significant supply of rum (which is where it has gone, apparently) all stacked in rows and racks. Several treasure chests line the rooms, each with a skeleton either beside them or draped over them. One treasure chest seems to have melted and sagged half way into the floor. There are more rooms than that. It will take a little searching, but surely what they are looking for, the Deck of Cards that was the prize possession, must be around here somewhere.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hmms as she takes a quick survey around. There's nothing of worth, nothing that hasn't rotted away at least. She thinks about what the old man said again "Waypole and carpet... I don't see a carpet, but..." She looks at the set of charred bones right in front of the door... She takes a step back, and picks up a nearby piece of wood, and tosses it into the room, at the pile of bones in front of the door.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' "Whaddya mean, 'pay attention'" Seifer's voice dips into a mocking immitation, "I check for a trap and you flap your gob about peace?!" he rails, hands tossed in the air in exasperation. His arms drop and he heaves a breath, shoulders sagging and arms drooping as he wanders into the living quarters, "You're stupid right? Dumb, slow, dropped on your head as a baby, played with mercury or something?" he continues, coat flipped back and away from Hyperion at his hip as he prowls the room, steps keeping clear from the chests and their dead men.... Or women, he couldn't tell from hip bones. "That's it, thzat's gotta be it! You untie a rope, tyou spout off nonsens, you're dumb, alright, I get it!" he prattles on, more interested in the maps than the other things, even going so far as to pull out his phone, flip it open, and snap a picture... The shattering might have made some of these worthless, but still... Galbadia will need them in time.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' "Blah blah blah...quiet Talky man, I am searching for things." Will says towards the ranting Seifer, and continues to actually do what he says...search for the legendary Deck of Cards for some reason. Or something, he doesn't even know, he's just here because a lady with feathers tricked Mercade into helping her. And he's now regreting even coming down here... Then he remembers landing on Seifer, "Nah, I don't regret that..." he mutters to himself, smiling. He also avoids the chests...well, he throws a rock at one of them to see what happens.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade looks over the room from his position, and considers the construction. "Well, this looks decidedly trap-like." He says. "I wonder what the trigger is." He waits to see if Tifa's examination bears fruit. IT wouldn't do for them to get char-broiled.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith meanwhile... takes a good look around the room. She doesn't like what she sees. Burn marks, everywhere. As if the whole room had been lit ablaze from within. This trap had all the signs of having something to do with fire, and she didn't want to be in here if they set it off... but splitting up was the logical conclusion. They had to, in order to search both rooms at once. Just because it was a sound idea didn't mean she liked it, but she went with it, and chewed on her bottom lip as Tifa investigated a pile of bones...

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva nods about the party split she's got a bad feeling about this but well what could go wrong for her? She's with Will and Seifer right? She heads on after them and she's not sure just what's going to happen with those two. She may have to grab them both by the ear if it comes to it. She heads up to the rum and sighs . "It's all gone." She sighs and keeps looing about. "So just what /are/ you looking for? Also I have not introduced myself I am Minerva."

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' Near the Iron Door-- Tifa's block of wood thunks into the pile of bones, scattering the charred remains. As it does so, clattering and sliding into the room the Iron door swings shut with a lightning quick SNAP and a tearing screech of hinges. Soon thereafter a rhythmic series of heavy thuds can be heard through the door. In the Living Quarters -- There are only one or two rooms that haven't been checked out now. The rock hits the treasure chest and bounces off. Whatever was in them and whatever triggered the death of whoever wanted them has been completely spent. There might have been gold or jewels present at some point, or maybe they were just one more temptation that turned around and bit. The two rooms remaining unsearched are mirror images of eachother. The one on the right is the mirror image of the one on the left. Thick green carpet, matted and thickly shag, extends to the very corners of the room. Each has a desk and more books at the far end of the room, with a small ornate box sitting on top of the desk in the left room and absent in the right. Anybody with a sense for darkness also knows something is lurking around here, hungry but mostly dormant.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva pauses for a moment looking round to Will and then to Seifer "We're not alone here, there's something and it's dormant we bust make haste. Find what we seek and depart least we wake whatever it is." The monk contiunes to look around now expecting to be jumped by sme slobbering horror.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks over to Aerith, and nods, waiting for the sounds to stop, and then opening the door again "Well, obviously, the 'carpet' is when you enter the door here, good thing I checked... I'm not sure if we can move over the carpet, but since the rest of the room seems untouched, should be safe." She tries going in first, jumping over the pile of charred bones to an area that doesn't seem like its burned down. Sees if the door closes behind her.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will looks around a bit... Hmm...Will starts searching, but he looks at Minerva who says something's a foot. Groaning, he looks around another time for something...he can't see anything, so he shrugs. Will grabs the Ornate box, and opens it.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith meanwhile... should have known that was coming. The door closed in front of them, locked shut, and something on the other side made sure it probably stayed that way. She sighed and stood at the ready for anything else that wanted to be annoying. "So then, that room is bad... shall we join the others?"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer continues to mill about, joining the pair. He eyes the carpet and simply looks away, a absent smile drifting across his face. Maybe that was it. He drifts to the room that Will had not trespassed into and halts at the doorway, stooping down to lift up and peer beneath the carpet of this twin room.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade shrugs. Hey, why not. The room is a deathtrap but Tifa seems to know what she's doing. He's already almost killed everyone once so he's going to refrain from offering advice until people forget about that one. He follows along with Tifa, moving where she does.

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' Yes. It probably would have been bad to get trapped in the room with the Iron Door. There is a sound of roaring flames inside the room and the faster and faster cadence of the heavy thumping noises. Meanwhile, back in the living chambers, Seifer pulls up the rug. The Shag carpet is pretty moth eaten and disgusting, bits of spoiled food and drink and the dirt of ages ground into it. The floor underneath is solid stone, but he is only able to lift a portion of it. The shag extends all the way to the corners of this room, held down in some places by the identical desk with several drawers, multiple closets and tarnished dinnerware. A half finished game of cards sits on the desk, layered by dust. The Shag carpet in Will's room however, stops him about a step or so in by not actually being a FLOOR. Just a pit of shag carpet that acts like cloth based quicksand.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will slips right through the shag carpet! "Whoa!" he says, and quickly moves to grab the side of the wall, trying to slow his decent by kicking off of it. However, Will, can't fight gravity without momentum, so the best he can do is slow his fall...his hand grabbing the side of the room's ledge where there was solid floor. He hangs for a moment, before... Slowly...so very slowly, he starts pulling himself upwards. This is harder than it looks, because Will was not GIANT MAN like Tom.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart listens through the iron door, doesn't look like its opening anytime soon anyway "Well, looks like we'll go see what's going on in the other room. Its probably for the best too." She heads toward the room where Seifer, Will and Minerva went into. They can check in before they enter, seeing if they are fighting anything, since they can hear Will struggling.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' It was then, when they began to head for the others, that Aerith's senses finally alerted her of something, a stiffness to the air. Her steps slowed, cautious and wary, as she raised her staff. "Something's watching us, and it doesn't like the fact that we're here." It wasn't that she could sense where exactly it was... just that something was there, and it wanted them dead. Not gone, dead. Preferrably eaten.

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva sees that Seifer is all right, it's Will that's in trouble she moves to the eadge gets down on the floor and reches out her hands to will yelling. "GRAB HOLD I'll PULL YOU BACK!" Hopefully this works and makes her a little more scure from the prone postion she's in.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' "Huh..." grunted Seifer, a brow lofting upwards curiously. Maybe it wasn't the carpet... Well, he'll just have to passive aggressively damn Will some other time. Of course.. were he still watching, he could step on the bastard's fingers! Letting the carpet drop, Seifer tests the rug with his boot... nothing. Seifer strolls in, free as you please... and looks down at the cards. A glance behind him shows noone. Was this their objective? Stuuping down, Seifer gathers up the cards before secreting them away into his coat. There is a bit of ruckous from the other room, Seifer has nothing to give in the way of vulgar terms for intercourse. Infact, he's smiling like a person that has, said vulgar terms for intercourse with the mothers of /other/ people. He goes about searching the room, drawers, wardrobes, anything that might be worthwhile.... it's kind of odd that there arn't corpses in here as well... Meh.

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will takes the accepted hand and pulls himself out of the hole of shag with Mina's help. "Phew...thanks. Okay. I got an idea. A crafty idea." Will says. And then Will jumps straight across the carpet to try and land ON the Desk. This plan can not fail.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade walks along with the other two beautiful and friendly (and deadly when provoked) women. "I concur." Mercade agrees with Tifa and Aerith, nodding sagely. He has /no/ idea that something is watching them, but he's good at faking it. "I just hope Will isn't doing any ill-advised plans that he thinks couldn't possibly fail."

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' Will JUMPS in a greatly poetical leap of faith across the trapped room towards the desk which can't /possibly/ have any more traps invested in it. An Aquatank ERUPTS from the shag carpet, jaws SNAPPING and thrashing to reach Will's tender hobo based meat products but to no avail. Will continues in his leap onto the desk, overbalances because Speedy things continue to be Speedy when they are not stopped by something as fun as friction, the lack of friction being a slick surface covered by papers and cards, and slams right into the wall. The Aquatank sinks back into the surf before lunging at the desk, biting deep into it and carving a large mouthful out as Will rebounds back onto the desk. Seifer in the meanwhile. Loots the Room. When he gets to the drawers, he finds an ornate box identical to the one in Will's room. When he reaches the wardrobe, there is a faint 'click'

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart blinks as she walks within range. What's going on here? That carpet is trying to eat Will? She leaps forward faster, trying to come in to help out, but it looks like its too late. She avoids the carpet altogether for now, and checks on Will "You okay?"

:'''[[Will Sherman]] has posed:''' Will looks at the Shark that just tried to eat him and his Desk. "I win." he says to it, before he looks at the ornaite thing on the desk. He checks, it, of course, to make sure it just won't drop him into the thing below...he'd rather not get eaten by a heartless Shark. If it checks out, he'll start looting it to see if it's legit.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade comes leaping from the side, his coat flying in the air, his EVIL SHARK senses tingling. Oh wait, that's THE SOUND OF A SHARK LEAPING. Mercade has both guns out, firing rapidly at the Aquatank as it dives. "SHAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!" He yells, eloquently. "WILL, YOU HATE THE OCEAN FOR A REASON, REMEMBER?"

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva gets Will out of a tight fixt but he goes back into the fire? She watches suprised at Will just gets uyp and manages to well? To go for the prie or at least it might be the prize. Seifer meanwhile is looting she's going to be well careful as she looks for traps before she thinsk about looing here. Totally though she wants to get something out of these antics.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Bingo? Another, suspicious glance makes sure the coast is clear before Seifer slips this second box into his coat, he'll check the contents later. Things are getting nosier, he'll be having company soon. He hurries along, the wardrobe is next, there is a click and his Seifer-sense pings off. Holding his breath, Seifer darts away just as one mechanism or another expells a cloud of gas. He's lucky, he didn't bring any antidotes with him... Not the best idea... Not leaving well enough alone, he continues along, checking a second drawer. His Seifer-sense doesn't save him this time. There is a click and a boom, a loud, horrible boom. Shrapnle peppers his chest, shoulders, a raised arm barely saves him from catching a wash of it to the face!

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' So. Will and the Shark merrily run off together to be happy and to enact a million Punch and Judy scenarios. Guess which one is which and win a prize. So, while it is shark week in a shag carpet exposition over in the left mirrored room at the back of the living quarters, Tifa and the other group find them just in time to hear the echoing BOOM of shrapnel. Somebody triggered the trap cards. And all the rum is gone. Worst. Adventure. Ever.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart eeps at the explosion, barely has time to protect her vitals with her upper arms as much as she can, shrapnel flying everywhere and scratching her. Nothing serious, she was far enough from the center, but still surprising there "We can't leave you all alone for a few moments that you try to make the thing explode?!?

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith gasps as a HUEG SHARK leaps out at the hobo prince! Aerith readies her staff, the materia lighting up like a switchboard, and just as she readies a spell... BANG. She turns around, eyes wide with horror as Seifer gets knocked back by what appears to be either a shotgun in a box or a grenade on a string. Either one is bad, and he goes down hard. She runs into the room and sets to healing him. "Hang on!"

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' Seifer Almasy has just experienced what it is like to have a small, entipersonel grenade go off in his damn face. And let me tell you, he does not suggest it. His ears ring, light dances infront of his eyes, and he hurts... Boy, oh, boy, does he hurt! Shards of metal protrude from his vest, the armorings there having stopped them after they tore through his coat, other have dug into his shoulder and shielding arm, one protrudes from a section of his coat, it did not pirece through for some reason. He is taking stock of himself, remembering survival training from Galbadia, he stays still, slowly inventorying his pains and what he can move... And then, little by little, the pain ebbs away, he cracks a eye open and finds Aerith standing there. If she spoke, it was lost in the ringing of his ears... but here she was.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' She doesn't care if he can't hear her, the look on her face, shock turning to disdain, should be enough. She can tell his ears can't necessarily hear her right now, so she mouths, "You idiot!" Before giving him another Cure spell, removing that which successfully got past his personal armor.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade fires, but the evil shark escapes. Mercade snaps his fingers. "Okay, fine! RUN AWAY, SHARK! RUN!" He turns away, stalking impetuously into the other room where Coat Guy and Aeris are. "Hey, how is it. Did we find any rum?" He looks around. "No?" He slumps. "Dammit. Why is the rum gone?" He looks around and grimaces. "Okay, how about ancient pirate treasure? Do we have that? That would be great."

:'''[[Stormfall]] has posed:''' So. It falls to the question. The Ornate box is in Seifer's possession. Within is the glowing remnant of an age passed. The cards needed for the quest at hand. He's also in possession of all his limbs. So the question is-- is there any more pirate treasure worth salvaging? The answer? Sadly no. Old TImmy was a crazy bastard after all, and the money he didn't spend hiring an engineer to make fiendish traps went into treasure chests that explode or stacks of now empty rum containers. Except for a private stash kept in the trapped Shag carpet room. It may not even have been eaten by a Shark. Luck smiles on the adventurous. As long as you are not a White Coat guy.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' TEN MINUTES LATER "HELL YES! ANCIENT PIRATE KING RUM-NO! DOWN SHARK! BAD! BAD SHARK! NO RUM FOR YOU!" Mercade is getting SOMETHING out of this, dammit!

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith sighed as she flopped onto the raggedy carpet. Well then, that was the last one... despite what it took to get it. She glanced around the room, silently wondering what else was around here. Probably nothing... then again, she could be wrong. "Tifa, see if you can't find anything."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart moves after Aerith, a little hurt here and there, but nothing like Seifer at least. She sighs to herself, and nods "I'll see if I can't find anything. Has anyone found the deck we were looking for anyway?" She doesn't know, but might as well take a good look around... Let's hope there's no more traps at least.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith looked down at Seifer. "Mister leap before you look here did, but he got a chest full of metal for his trouble." She shook her head. "Either way, we're done, that's all three."

:'''[[Minerva]] has posed:''' Minerva has lmansged to end up getting something out of this she only tool a single bottle of her own. Mercade and his friends had been involved longer she suspected. Sides she has pirate king rum! That's somethint to crow to the rest of Valkyri about when she gets back to Tranverse town.

:'''[[Seifer Almasy]] has posed:''' His hearing clears... but he didn't need it, he can even hear the idiots in the next room. He knew those words well enough, he could read them on her lips. Eyes like blue sky turned away, his jawline tightend. He sat up, legs shifting as he levered his upper body off of the carpet, ignoring the dull stabs of pain and the shrapnel that fell away after being ejected from his wounds. "Looking before you leap is a proud tradition in..." The Garden, "

The Don's Request

2013-03-18T19:35:54Z

Lifa:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/11/26
|Location=Goug - Seventh Heaven
|Synopsis=It started like a normal evening in the bar, until Self-Narrating Gilgamesh, Easily Sidetracked Don Corneo, Only Knows About Cards Queen of Cards and Chocobo-tasticly Hyper Chocolina come in for mayhem, and requests for Adventurers... and Chocogirls.
|Cast of Characters=Tifa Lockhart, Faris Scherwiz, Gilgamesh, Aerith, Navya, Don Corneo, Chocolina, Queen of Cards
|Tinyplot=The Search for Serendipity
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart has come back from the mercenary job. She went straight for a shower, of course. She was wet, dirty, and wounded. Nothing serious, but she needed to relax a bit. And clean up. And fresh dry clothes. Good thing she has new clothes that she bought with you before, so she's able to keep dry. She comes back out, drying her hair with a towel as she checks what's going on in the bar area.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' And so far, nothing is going on... until of course, Aerith emerges from the back room, stretching her arms above her head. She gives Tifa a wave, heading for the bar and taking one of the stools for herself. "You look all tidied up. Where've you been?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles to Aerith "I finished a mercenary job, a convoy of Lucid shards, apparently its something that heartless dropped and might be important, so they wanted to protect a convey from Goug to Junon. There was lots of people here, Rinoa's ex among others. Had to fight heartless and a giant snake. Ever heard of the Midgar Zolom?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shudders at the very mention. "You mean that big snake that tends to eat chocobos for lunch?" She nods. "I've definitely heard of it." Her eyes widened as a thought came to mind. "You beat it?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods to Aerith "Well, had to fight it. Gave it a good pounding, I'm sure it will remember it last time, and hurt every time he thinks about it too." She smirks a bit, no less proud of her exploits there. She puts the towel aside, finishing the drying of her hair.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shook her head with a chuckle. "Well I'm sure it'll remember... and be very, very unappy about running into you again. Be careful it doesn't eat you as a snack as well." She stretched her arms above her head. "So... that was a crazy shopping trip, huh? I'm still wondering who started that."

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Not /that/ long ago, Navya was going from Point A to Point B with a caravan. Once they got there, though, she had little to do. So why not head back to a bar? Navya hasn't been to that many of them, either. Which is why she's here now. Navya sticks her head in, curiously, before actually entering. She's no longer muddy (thank goodness) though she's still moving a little stiffly, as if one of her legs was a little sore. Her tail flicks as it clears the door, pushing it closed behind her like she was using a boot.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "I have no idea, that duck seemed to have something to do about it though. But it escaped, and I got knocked out by the crowd." She sighs "I hate black fridays." She doesn't even know much about black fridays, it was the first one she sees, but she already saw enough to hate it. She smiles as she waves to Navya. Tifa had time to take a shower after arriving, so she's not surprised about Navya either "Welcome to the Seventh Heaven."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith took a look over her left shoulder. "Hi~" Another odd one, but she didn't feel anything bad from this one. In fact, she seemed a bit timid in some respects. Then again, that was only the surface. "What's going on?"

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya tends not to be timid. Usually. She's a lot more smiley when she actually gets inside. "Hello again!" she says, more brightly. "I remember you from the thing. The mission!" That to Tifa, obviously. Navya dips into a very slight bow. "You were really cool, throwing that thing around! And - hi." She switches to Aerith, who she doesn't know, but she gets another smile as Navya clears the door for other people. "Uh, not a lot. I was just, you know, exploring the city, and I heard about it, and, well, I did see her at the caravan, so..."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles to Navya "yes, I remember you. You fought well too. The important thing is the result though, not personal exploits doing so." She nods, moving over to get pile up some leftover dishes, starting to clean them up. "You want something to drink?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith turns back to Tifa, her eyes solemn, mouth turned down just a bit. "Hey Tifa... there was something worse about the whole thing. There was this one girl..." She shook her head. "...I don't know if I can rightly explain her. If I tried, I'd probably mess it up. Suffice it to say that she's in big, big trouble."

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya left her hammer at the inn she's staying at (would /you/ want to carry the damn thing around? She'd probably knock over like three tables every time she turned around) which means there's not much sign of how she did the fighting. "Uh, sure," Navya says, mentally counting up her funds. Well, she did just get paid. That always helps. "I don't know what's good, though, so..." She looks somewhere between sixteen and eighteen. She may not have much of an actual idea what is, at a bar. She does listen in, though. She's kind of an eavesdropper.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Aaaah ha ha ha! Remindin' me of the good ol' days!" The man who enters is squat and rotund, his small patch of blond hair slicked back, a fat cigar partially muffling his speech but not obscuring his smarmy grin. On each side, a beautiful woman enters with him, one modestly garbed in a white dress, the other outrageously done up like a -- well, like a red chocobo. The little fat man turns to regard the interior of the Seventh Heaven, something like fond nostalgia in his piggish eyes. "Good ol' Goug," he remarks to the woman in white. "The Honey Bee used to be right around here. My favorite joint! Not that the girls there were any comparison to you, Chocolina my sweet~" he adds, leering up at the woman in red. "But I know this is the next best place to find some friends!" "Ladies!!" he then calls to the women who were peacably conversation before he barged in. "I, Don Corneo, am here to fulfill your wildest dreams, insofar as those dreams require cash money!!" And he whips a fat coinpurse from his belt, beginning to swing it around in an idle arc. "Soon, my business partners and I shall be opening the grandest casino all the worlds have ever known, and I am in need of the /assistance/..." His arms sweep wide. Well, as wide as they can. "...of the hottest babes in the multiverse!" And his beady eyes settle right away on Aerith and Tifa currently in conversation, whereupon his pudgy hands make little gun signs at the two of them. Pew, pew! "Looks to me like we have some /qualified applicants/!" Navya is spared... for the moment.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart isn't sure of Navya's age, but there's one thing everyone likes. And that's... Sea Salt Ice Cream. She brings a frozen treat on a stick to Navya with a smile "Here, try this one~" And then the Don appears... She blinks at the same of the overweight pimp master, wondering what's up with that guy. Well, maybe this one won't hit on her too hard at least... He already has one on each arm after all. That's SO not knowing the Don, isn't it?

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart still offers a smile, a customer is a customer, and even better if they are paying customers of course. This one seems to have money at least "Welcome to the Seventh Heaven~ So you've heard of the place?" She has to wonder what he wants exactly, since he seems to be coming here with a purpose.

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-" The doors of the Seventh Heaven nearly explode off their hinges as the massive (nearly twelve-foot tall) grey man in his wide red cloak comes bursting through the door. He's also the one producing that enormous racket; what it actually is becomes immediately apparent as he finishes his thought, marching over towards Don Corneo with determination writ upon his white eyes. "-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON COOOOOOORNEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOO!" The man roars. "Gilgamesh bursts through the doors of the Seventh Heaven dramatically, the fire of vengeance burning in his devilishly handsome white eyes! As his faithful companion Enkidu, the great King of all Rock Hounds, races after him, he surveys the room with grim demeanor! In hot pursuit of the man who dared support his ancient nemesis, the heroic and once again devilishly handsome Gilgamesh - just in case you weren't listening before! - is not so foolish as to overlook potentially obvious traps, even in somewhere so mundane as a bar!" Gilgamesh walks forward, then bows to the various ladies, making his way ever closer to Don Corneo in an odd mixture of politeness and...well, insanity. "The humble knight bows to each of the lovely ladies in turn, for a knight knows well that he dare not skip on protocol and kindness, even in pursuit of justice! He draws forth from the Genbu Gate one of his ancient and magnificent blades levelling it at the fiendish Don Corneo! And then, he speaks! 'Sir,' the humble swordsmaster declares, acid in his voice, 'I do take umbrage with you! For you support a witch most foul - and all who would you support you know the same! A fiendish witch of wicked heart, who dares to call herself...THE QUEEN OF CARD GAMES! Bum bum bum!'" Gilgamesh does...in fact...draw forth a sword from absolutely nowhere. It is his Totally Real Keyblade. The keychain hanging off it says, quite clearly, Made In Hong Kong. "With Keyblade in hand, the valiant knight makes his declaration! Will any dare to step forward and support this foul man, now knowing that his efforts are for the benefit of the wickedest of witches this world has ever known?!" ...yes. He's narrating his own life.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith peeks over her right shoulder, wondering who exactly this man was and why he was so loud. Oh, Don Corneo, was it? Aerith... didn't like him. Something about him was decidedly off. Still, she hid her apprehensions with a smile. "Hi! It looks like you have all the help you need there, so why are you asking us?" Direct question as always. And she made more than enough money. And then someone comes in... and Aerith loses her ability to speak for a few moments, a perplexed expression on her face. No doubt everyone else shared it.

:'''[[Queen of Cards]] has posed:''' The Queen of Cards looks very much prim and sophisticated in her white dress and she brings class everywhere she goes no matter what company she is with. After all, a master must have patience and strategy to deal themselves into the largest victories. As such she walks with elegant aplomb across the bar to take a delicate seat on a stool. "Ah. Hello again Gilgamesh, dear. " the Queen of Cards says without turning around or even changing expression. She asks gentily for something uncomplicated but elegant from the lady barkeep. "Yes. Although, I believe this in more in the manner of a.. slight detout. " her eyes flick towards Don in a cutting fashion, but only for a moment before she folds that expression of annoyance into a gracious smile. "My associate won't bother any one too much, if that worries you. He's all talk and no play. He's very much like Gilgamesh in that respect, really."

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' The one in the red outfit is what one can say an actual bird girl. She looks exactly like a chocobo by the appearance of the garish outfit. Along her arms are sleeves that roll into feathery wings. The way how her elbows are positioned. She has those large, peacock-sized tail feathers that are as red as the rising inferno. The chest is like a bikini, and her long blond locks come down to her bosom. Upon seeing the place, her eyes light with glee. "Oooo~! Corney-poo! You do know how to flatter an ol' choco-gal!" She gives him a surprisngly strong shove, her cheeks redden. "Thisplacewilldo ohso nicely!" Her 'wings' flap a couple of times. Then, she approachs the girls pretty quickly. "Oh my! Itisso choco-wonderful to meet you all~" But the, Gilgamesh makes his entrance, bursting in her own narration at that. "Oooooh! Such choco-riffic, boco-tastic narration! You must really ruffle all of the gals' feathers!" She shivers with anticipation. When her vision catches the King of the Hounds, "And what a choco-pleasure to meet you, choco-doggie!" Then, she shifts her attention to everyone. "Now, you all shall get an introduction from moi!" She strikes a pose. "I am the choco-stastic Chocolina, the most choco-boco time traveling trader in the whole wide world! No one can come choco-close to this feathery trader~" Wink. Sparkle. 

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya tends to be a little shy about giving away her age, and she's nonhuman. Guessing may be required. Or not, because ice cream is always okay, even if it isn't a /drink/ as such. "Sure!" Navya sounds just as cheerful about that. "I have enough for it - " She pauses, because Don Corneo And Entourage (tm) have just barged in. Also Gilgamesh, who is not part of the entourage, and has his own dog. A very strange-looking dog. Navya isn't stupid, precisely, but she doesn't always think very quickly and it takes her a moment to actually sort through everything that just happened. First, money, good. Second, she's not being called hot, possibly bad, but she can't decide because frankly Corneo is kind of a strange-looking man; her face reddens a hair anyway. Third, other girls, one of whom is a race she isn't familiar with. Navya doesn't think of her like a chocobo person (because she doesn't think of herself as a dragon person; it's kind of annoying when people do)... until Chocolina talks, anyway, when Navya changes her mind. "Hi," she says, a little uncertainly. Fourth, and equally as importantly as all the rest, "You're a knight?" Navya asks Gilgamesh. She doesn't quite have stars in her eyes. It is close. "Wow!"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Good, someone else who she could actually speak to. Of course, then the chocobo girl speaks her lines, and Aerith has to stifle a giggle. How adorable! "Well... you are called the Queen of Cards... but do you have a name?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart scratches her head. What a weird grouping she got tonight. A majestic queen of games, a chocobo-dressed girl talking at the speed of light, a wandering knight that is writing his own story as he goes, and the short fat man that apparently bought his way to the two other girl's evening. That's the only logical explanation in her mind at least! She can't help but stifle a laugh at Chocolina's speech either. It is pretty cute and amusing, but not in a mean way either. She looks over to the Queen as she speaks up again, nodding "Well, welcome anyway." The Queen seems to be the sanest one out of that group at least, and that robe is very pretty too. And here she's still wearing her tank top and skirt, with suspenders to hold everything up. Not quite as classy.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' One of the pirates comes running up. "Faris, Faris, we were trailing Gil and trying to find any signs of Lenna or something but -- Gil went into a bar!" The purple haired pirate sighs slightly as she looks over from her couch in a inn in Goug. "I'll deal with it. Which one?" She inquires. "The nice one, down in the slums." Faris shoos her crew out the door, then considers her wardrobe. Faris meanders into the Seventh Heaven, having ditched most of her outfit - instead of white pants and knee high boots, she's down to a white skirt and sandals. She wears the same colorful fabric around her waist, but she lacks the black vest and overcoat, instead chosing to let the simple scarf pop, the greens matching her eyes and the purples her hair. "Excuse me, have you seen Gilgam-- ... nevermind." She says, wryly.

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "Gilgamesh's white eyes narrow as the foulest of Witches makes her appearance," Gilgamesh narrates. "He warily steps off to the side, away from her fat thrall - clearly enslaved by the woman's dark and fiendish magic, no doubt! How evil her ways, the Swordsman contemplates - how vicious and vile her magicks, drawn forth from her ancient collection of spells and incantations! How monstrous her soul, to ensnare men of virtue and kindness like the good red knight who stands here now, speaking warnings of her evil!" Gilgamesh's blade swings to point at the Queen of Card Games as Enkidu arrives, nodding gently at the Queen with the same measure of distant politeness the dog gives to everyone, as well as Chocolina. Enkidu quirks an eyebrow at her. "As his faithful companion Enkidu arrives, Gilgamesh is emboldened! His heroic companion's spirit burns as bright as his own! With Enkidu in tow, there is no foe the samurai hero cannot face! Gilgamesh nods at the young lady nearest him, of course - even in the face of OVERWHELMING EVIL, a knight cannot forget his vow of courtesy! 'Yes, young lady - I am Gilgamesh, heroic swordsman who wanders the world, collecting rare and ancient blades from all across time in order to open a path most ancient, to a treasure greater than any other!' The knight intones! 'And that creature who takes guise of mortal woman fair is in fact my foul nemesis, the witch Queen of Card Games, who usurped from just Gilgamesh his title unjustly, who wielded her foul charms against him as witches are wont to do!" Enkidu, meanwhile, just pads over to the Queen of Card Games, sitting down in the part of the bar for Intelligent, Logical People Who Aren't Gilgamesh. "As Enkidu moves to prepare for an ambush most deserved, Gilgamesh surveys his foes. The Witch-Queen stands, true, but this new, chocobo-based menace may also prove some challenge to the Heroic Hero! Clearly, she too has powerful magic to ensnare the man who stands beside her, his corpulent form bouncing under her sway! P-Perhaps she is another witch, to tempt the samurai again! Gilgamesh casts a judgemental eye upon the foul witch-queen. 'Is this another of your tricks, Queen of Witches?! Have you enlisted this innocent man's help with the power of your feminine wiles and villainous spells, to further your quest for foulest /Serendipity/? I shall not let your evil reign, woman! Be aware!' The knight's heroic proclamation made, he swings his blade around ready to charge - when all of a sudden, he is interrupted by the arrival of Sarisa! The heroic knight fumbles, caught off his guard; his princess has arrived, and he must not let her get captured by the Witch-Queen or her associates! What trouble would he be in if he did? So, the knight edges away, hoping they will not notice as he moves to defend his princess from any sudden strikes! A clever plan, the knight thinks - but what if they see through it?!"

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Gghh--" Affectionately shoved by the shrinking violet Chocolina, Don Corneo staggers forward, almost fumbling his cigar, and manages to recover himself before plunging facefirst into Tifa. Looking up at her smile, he immediately regrets not doing so. "/Course/ I've /heard/ of the place, darlin', who hasn't?" The gross little man grins hugely. "And /you/ must be the bodacious bartender of rumor and legend, Tifa Lockhart. The /pleasure/ is aaaaall mine." No, really, it is, though. "All the help I-- ohhh ho ho ho, no, no, girl," the sketchy entrepeneur waves off Aerith's claim as simply naive. "I'm a /businessman/, y'see. The casino I'll be opening is vast and grand, and people from worlds everywhere will be flocking there to play our games! Just think! The people you'll meet! The guests you'll entertain! It's a short-time job for now, of course, but I want to make a big splash! It's a fun, simple, and /lucrative/ job. And aaaall I ask--" He jerks his thumb over his shoulder at Chocolina. "Is that y'dress up like her." Corneo spreads his arms wide. "Why, in all the worlds, there's nothin' more lovely than a girl dressed up like an animal. ...And Queenie won't do it," he mumbles to himself, brow furrowing briefly. But he is roused from that predicament by the sight of the young Navya, whereupon his beady eyes widen. "Look! This girl's /already/ dressed like an animal!" Has the Honey Bee warped his mind, or was it just already warped? He bustles over to the girl. "Listen, my sweet little lass, how would /you/ like to make some /easy/ coin just being nice and sociable and dressed like a--" A faint shout, increasing in volume. Corneo pauses mid-sentence, eyebrows raising, as he slowly turns, until Gilgamesh barges through the door and... Gilgameshes. "YOU!" the fat little man shouts, spitting out his cigar. "YOU NO-GOOD SWORD SWALLOWER! You defaced my posters! I'm an honest and respected businessman! I'll-- huh?" The nature of Gilgamesh's grievance takes Don Corneo aback. He blinks, looks over to the Queen, then back to Gilgamesh, then to the Queen. "...wait, her? You... and her? You and... HER?" He just stares for a moment, aghast. "With /that/ ugly mug?" the extremely handsome Don Corneo reiterates, pointing at Gilgamesh, totally floored. "Women are unbelievable." Shaking his head, Corneo turns back to the door, idly listening to Gilgamesh's continuous narration-- "...A /Princess/!?" Good going, Gilgamesh! Whereupon Don Corneo literally power slides across the floor on his knees over to Faris's feet, reaching up to -- if she will allow the horrible little man -- kiss her hand. "Princess Sarisa," he proclaims, as though he has any idea who that is, "my kingdom is in dire need of your aid! And by kingdom, I mean business! And by aid, I mean I need you to dress up like a sexy chocobo!" After a moment, he points over to Chocolina. "See Exhibit A."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith makes her best attempt not to cringe. She glanced toward Enkidu, apparently smarter than he looks, and peers up at the self-proclaimed Queen of Cards. No longer concerned with her real name, she asks yet another question, under her breath. "How did you end up with... him?" Yes, she was talking about Corneo, for he was starting to grate on the flower girl's nerves.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart blinks at all of the talking, her head a little dizzy. There's ALOT going on at the same time here. She looks over to Aerith for support, but the flower girl is probably just as lost as she is. "Well I am interested in making easy munny, but..." She doesn't really have time to answer entirely, Don moves to another girl, which is supposedly a princess? Well, thank you Gilgamesh for the narration, but hhe should learn to not tell his own plans when he does so. Not too secret when everyone can hear it. She waves to Faris, offering a welcome "Don't worry about the little man, he's not part of the staff here." She knows WHY he came here at least, but that still doesn't explain everything either. Just dressing up as... chocobo-girls? For a casino?

:'''[[Queen of Cards]] has posed:''' "Yes." The queen of cards says with a hint of mystery. Perhaps she is going to leave it at that? No. Eventually she continues with an elegant flick of one hand. "but I prefer that people earn it. It's so much more valuable to earn a thing than to see it given freely. You may call me Queen if you so desire. It will suffice." The Queen of Cards gives a small and genuine smile to Enkidu, deigning to lean down and gently pet the rock hound, fingernails scraping against the rough hide. "Hello sweetie. It has been quite some time, hasn't it?" she straightens with a faint sigh. "Well. We play the hand we are dealt. You've been taking good care of him, I see. Has he been playing well with others?" The queen smiles as if already knowing the answer to that question. she gives a sagely nod to Enkidu and goes back to her drink, taking a languid sip. "Indeed." and that apparently is the end of that conversation. "What my.. associate means to say, past his.. eccentric hang ups, is that we are looking for people to complete a small set of tasks for us. There are several items.. that need to be acquired, and it would be in the best interest of all who favor the long game." she grits her teeth slightly. "And it has nothing to do at ALL with dressing up like a chocobo!" she aims this straight at the Don.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris stares at Gilgamesh as he narrates the arrival of 'Sarisa, his Princess!' Her mouth twitches, her pale lips curving into a half a smile as she steps towards Aerith, Enkidu, and the part of the bar reserved for Intelligent, Logical People Who Aren't Gilgamesh. Don power slides and lands neatly in front of her, kissing her hand. Faris neatly pulls it away, hiding a grimace - she's fairly good at pokerfaces. Comes from being a pirate and a card player. "Not happening, my good sir." She informs Don. "There are only two for whom I am capable of aiding, when it is not my own country, and they are not here... plus I'd look /terrible/ as a sexy chocobo." That done, Faris looks over at the Queen of Cards, recognizing her from her posters, and from her interactions with Enkidu. She gets a friendly nod. Faris has nothing against her; it's all Gilgamesh. "Thank you, ma'am." She says to Tifa, simply.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Well if that was all... Aerith lifted her right hand, just enough to get Tifa's attention. "The usual, for two." She'd understand what it meant. Aerith turned toward the Queen again. "So then... What are the nature of these items, if you would be so kind to tell me?"

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya is pretty impressed by Gilgamesh except for the part where he is managing to be more oblivious than she sometimes is, which is a pretty good trick. "I don't think you need to be attacking /anyone/ with that," she says to him, a little sharply. She wishes she had her hammer, but she doesn't. Plus: "I'm not dressed up like an animal," Navya says, not /quite/ offended. Quite. "I'm a gria! That's my /real/ wings and horns." And tail, presumably; it lashes, showing her slight irritation when she isn't otherwise. She opens her mo uth to ask a little more about the money - And Corneo powerslides toward Sarisa. She doesn't look much like a princess to Navya. Don't princesses have crowns and things?

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods to Aerith, and serves up the tea that Aerith requests, for two, adding the drop of honey into it to sweeten the taste. She smiles as she pushes the cups over to Aerith, so she can offer the second one to who she wants. She reaches over to pet Enkidu's head a bit, knowing that it must be hard for him. She looks over to Faris "I dunno, not that I think you should be dressing up as a chocobo either, but I think you'd look good." Well, the girl DOES look good, no need to deny it. "But anyway, anything to drink? Looks like Gilgamesh is busy in his own story right now."

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' Chocolina says, "Oh please, pretty please~!" Her eyes light up wonderously as she hears about getting more girls. Chocolina sees this as getting more friends with her. "Pretty please~ I would loooove to have more choco-licious friends by my side!" She twirls, "We would make a great choco-dynamite team!" She brings her hand to her face, "Kweh kweh kweh kweh kweh!" And then, Gilgamesh goes on his tangent, then she points her feathers at him, "Oh, I am no witch, unless you count choco-tastic witches as such~!" Then, she moves towards Faris, reaching for both of her hands, "I could use more chicks so I won't be the only one, pretty please~" ""

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' Meanwhile, Don Corneo is over there, still on his knees. "Noooooooooooooooooooooo!" His wailing at Princess Sarisa's rejection isn't all that loud, really, if only because no one can talk over Gilgamesh. Shaking his fists at the heavens, which are actually the ceiling, the fat little man then slumps dejectedly, for like two and a half seconds. "It has /everythin'/ to do with dressing up like a chocobo!" the Don retorts to the Queen, lurching to his feet. "That's what my beloved Chocolina said! The girls there all look like her! You think this is just about the Cards!?" He pauses, then deflates. "Oh, yes, well, I suppose you do, at that." He steps forward, seeming to have calmed down a little bit, and offers a wink at Navya, who at least doesn't seem completely averse to him. "Queenie's right. Serendipity is a magical casino city, and we're gonna use it to spread the love of her card game, Triple Triad, and chocobo racin'! But it's seeealed away," he whispers, as though telling a fairy tale, "and we gotta release it with the help of some talented adventurers, who are also attractive women, and when we win, they dress up like sexy chocobos!" He's getting sidetracked again.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith made yet another attempt to block out the image of whacking this man across the head with her staff and instead turned her attention back toward the Queen, who seemed to have this name quite literally. "Cards, huh? Interesting..." She smiled. "Y'know, I haven't played any real games in a long time. Please, explain." She took a sip from her tea, far more interested in this fascinating woman than in the slime ball behind her.

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' Enkidu /always/ appreciates a good pet, no matter who's petting him. The more intelligent of the duo nods gently at the Queen, both at her 'has been some time' and her 'playing well with others'. Oh, Gilgamesh has never been ANYTHING like stable, but hey, everyone in the BAR knew that. Well...perhaps once, a long, long time ago, but not to the memory of any living being - including Gilgamesh. "Gilgamesh's brave companion, no doubt preparing for a vicious frontal assault, continues to sit in the company of the Witch-Queen! Still, Gilgamesh has faith in his companion - the fiendish witch will never ensnare *him* as she did the samurai! The King Of All Rock Hounds is far more brilliant than that; cunning, intelligent, he knows neither fear nor control, as wild and untamed as the ancient lands! Gilgamesh has total faith in Enkidu!" Enkidu actually looks kind of surprised. In (X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X) years, Gilgamesh has never expressed any kind of faith in Enkidu's intelligence, nor admitted that Enkidu was smarter than him. His look of surprise quickly shifts to one of worry. Maybe that encounter in the Corridors did something to Gilgamesh's...well, he'd hesitate to call it a /brain/, but... Seriously, what if something had HAPPENED to Gilgamesh? "As the fat thrall of the Queen makes his way towards Gilgamesh's princess, singing his siren song of coin and ill repute! However, Gilgamesh has faith in his princess - he knows she will not fall for such a foolish villain's lies and temptations, nevermind the fat wriggling upon his lips! He is clearly a man of ill repute, as all who look upon him know - no wonder he was so easily ensnared! For a moment, Gilgamesh lowers his blade, reflecting upon the fact that such people exist." He lowers his Totally Real Keyblade(tm), leaning against it thoughtfully as he stands near enough Faris to smack Corneo good if he tries anyhin too handsy. "'How sad that in this world of justice and virtue,' the good knight declares, depressed, 'People of such poor upbringing can stand in the light! Truly, it is the knight's job to forgive them...but if they lay hands upon my princess, how can I, Gilgamesh, ever do such a thing? And especially if they serve the Queen of Witches?' Reflection done, Gilgamesh moves to stand beside his princess! 'My princess, I know that you are not familiar with my history in any great degree, but rest assured - this man and his scheme are thralls of a witch of the highest degree! She ensnared I, the brave knight, in her web of deceit and intriuge, and serves the darkness even now, moving to swallow up more in her crooked ways! I implore you - summon up the infinite reserves of wisdom you possess, and throw off this man's temptations, for his is made of lies and deceit!' The knight looks over the other beautiful ladies in the bar, throwing out his hand." "'I implore you all to heed my warning, as well! This Munny is tainted by shadows and deceptions!'"

:'''[[Queen of Cards]] has posed:''' The Queen of Cards procures a deck of cards from somewhere (where did she keep them?) and sets them delicately on the counter. She adroitly palms several cards from the top and spreads them across the counter. She offers the face down cards to Aerith with the faintest quirk of a smile. "Thank you. Let us play a game then." she says to her drinking companion, distancing herself completely from whom she came in with as she takes up the tea. She takes a small sip. "Ah." she turns to Tifa, inclining her head slightly. "This is tournament class. I commend you for it. Is it custom?" The Queen of cards is seeming to reach the next of her rope. "Gil. For the Love of the Game, sit down and cry your tales of woe into a tankyard, into into a tissue because I've played this game before that it HAS NO NO PAYOUT."

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' A couple expressions cross Navya's face. It isn't that she's not adverse to Corneo, it's that she's never dealt with anyone like him and has no idea /how/. Mostly she looks perplexed. "Well," she says, "there's nothing wrong with casinos - I mean, right? - and I heard about the card game..." She's wobbling. She was kind of irritated about not being included in the 'hot girls' thing but now that she is she doesn't know what to think about it. This is not the kind of thing her parents went over before she went adventuring! "What are the chocobo costumes for," she says, a little confused by that part of it. "I like the adventuring part." And, of course, Gilgamesh, who is a knight (if possibly a deranged one) telling everybody not to do it. Navya shoots a glance at him a couple times out of the corner of her eye. But: "I don't think setting up a /casino/ is shadowy and deception...y! ...Well, maybe if they're really good at bluffing." Navya turns back to Corneo and, now, the Queen. "Are you really good at bluffing? Like, really /really/ good?"

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris' crown is totally somewhere within a five-mile radius. Really. Honestly. However... she frowns slightly at Don as he starts being absolutely terrible. Just terrible. "I'm sorry." She murmurs, her normally somewhat androgynous voice becoming warmer, a more feminine lilt to it as she keeps up with her looks. "I'm a talented adventurer, I just don't like dressing up all that much." Unless it's as a pirate. Faris is of course, waiting for Gilgamesh - and she listens to him as she orders - "The strongest alcoholic thing you have on tap, if you would, please." Tifa can probably read the 'dear god I am not drunk enough for this' in her green eyes. Placing a hand on Gilgamesh's shoulder, she says softly, "Dear knight, please be calm. I have no intentions of doing anything for this man."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith smiled. "I know, right? She does a good job with some tea... though the drop of honey in it was more my idea..." She glanced toward Tifa. "I could be wrong though, right?" She directs her eyes toward the cards and lifts one, turning it face-up. There is a picture of a creature on it, with a series of numbers in the upper-left hand corner. "So... how do we play this?"

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' Faris is briefly forgotten about,since she is unwilling to join. "Oh, Serendpity~! All of my chicks are out wandering around, getting ready for the feaher-filled event!" She whisks a wing into the air, "Action!" She poses, shifting her feet and she strikes another pose, "Excitement!" And then, her wings come together, her head tilting over as her eyes become starry. The background around her is full of sparkles and a reddish background. Couple of chibified chocobo chicks about. "Ch-ch-choco-romannncceee! Awwwwwwwww~" She twirls~ "All can be found at...." She stops, striking a pose. "Seeeereennn~diiiiiipittyyyyyyyyyyy!!!" Out of nowhere, lots of tiny chocobo chicks flapping their wings about. Various colors of them, are surrounding the girl. All of the chicks strike a pose with Chocolina~

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "What are the costumes /for/?" Corneo exclaims, shocked at Navya's query about something /clearly so obvious/. "What are they /for/? Why, they are for ADVERTISEMENT! And more importantly--" As if on cue, Chocolina does her amazing little dance. Corneo points behind him, chubby face grinning hugely, and a little chocobo chick flutters over to alight upon his finger. "For fun!!" The chick flutters away, and Corneo spins around, with that huge grin still plastered on his face-- only to see that like basically none of the hot girls are paying attention to him. /He cannot imagine why./ Most of them are too focused on the darn game itself. "Dang, Queenie, live a little," the Don mutters, shaking his head. Maybe she is the Queen of Witches after all. His eyes rotate in their squishy sockets over to Gilgamesh, who continues to pontificate relentlessly and without pausing for breath. And when the Queen of Cards makes her 'polite suggestion'-- "...May do that m'self." Waddling over to the bar, Corneo takes a seat and slumps, for the moment his energy evaporated once again, as a tankard is slid over to him. "Dang women," he mumbles, "never know what they want. Can't understand 'em. Only nice to me when they're dressed like animals or bees! That's why... s'why..." He takes a long chug. "...I've gotta dress all the women in the worlds up like animals and bees...!" It's brilliant.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart serves up Faris' drink, making sure its a pretty strong one for the girl. She's not the only one that thinks she's not drunk enough for this, and yet, she almost never drinks herself. That's saying something there. She watches the explanation about the card game when Aerith asks for it, keeping an eye on Gilgamesh and Corneo's antics "Well if you need adventurers, I think we can all work on this together. For dressing up, we'll have to talk about it more, don't think many people want to dress up as..." She eyes Chocolina "Well there's at least one person that does, but that's beside the point. Do you have any clues as for where those artifacts are, so we can go seek them out?"

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "The Knight is relieved by his princess's words! Still, to even hear such ill virtue has struck a chord with the knight's soul; once, he too wandered through the darkness, alone and uncertain! On those bleak days, he even missed the comforts of the Witch-Queen's lies! Though he has found his princess now, there are so many in distress!" "Gilgamesh sits next to the fat man, pouring a drink into his tankard! The tall knight looks down at the fat man, draping one of his massive grey arms over his shoulders. 'Sir!' Gilgamesh cries, 'Despair not! For it is a man's heart that attracts women, not his face! A virtuous heart is loved by all women!' He pours himself a drink as his beautiful princess leans around and makes some kind of comment about being a tigress - Gilgamesh knows not what that is, but he knows a mourning heart when he sees one!" Gilgamesh takes a drink. "His throat refreshed, Gilgamesh offers another drink to the corpulent man. 'I am Gilgamesh, Swordsmaster of the Worlds! Who are you, sir, who also has fallen under the thrall of the Witch-Queen of Card Games, and laments his fate so?'"

:'''[[Queen of Cards]] has posed:''' The Queen of Cards doesn't dignify the question about bluffing with an answer because plainly any answer she would give could be also construed as bluffing and she knew how that game was run. "Hmm." she serenely takes the card out of Aerith's hand and peers at it with a moment of constenation. She taps it gently across the table and the picture changes to reveal a chocobo feather, a small arrangement of coins, and another deck of cards. The numbers have changed into all 'A' type letters. The Queen of Cards looks over her shoulder at Chocolina, then at the Don and sighs slightly. She says. "A perfect matched set, I should think. Now-- we have a general idea of the locations of these items. Each of them is a Key, a Primary card that for locating Serendipity from the mists of unplayed time. What we need is for those who are interested, and have a love of games.." she glances at Gilgamesh, then away after a moment. Don continues his dramatic downspiral at the lack of insect and chocobo clad hot females. "And money. And" she shakes her head and refuses to say Choco-romance. She puts her elegant shoe down at that point. "Chocobos, to help us with our endeavours."

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Well now Navya feels bad for Corneo. Gosh. Chocolina does the little dance (she's pretty sure she can't do that) and Navya avoids the urge to applaud. "I can't argue with fun, it's just - just - " Her face screws up in an agony of indecision. Navya actually seats herself (with an empty one between her and Corneo). Her tail won't stop moving, twitching this way and that with reptilian jerkiness. "I like the adventuring part," she repeats, as if in agreement with Tifa. "I'm an adventurer! I'm just... not sure about the rest." She stares at ice cream. And then she eats about half of it in one bite. Apparently she's immune to brain freeze.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "So it's already there... You just need certain people to unlock the location for you." She glanced toward the Don, a bit of worry on her features, then back at the Queen. "You want me to be honest? Even as vague and deliciously mysterious as you are, I trust you more than him. So I'll tell you what..." She pointed toward Tifa. "My friend and I here will find these items and give them back to /you/ when we obtain them."

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' The chicks and Chocolina strike a pose once more, "Choco-romance~!" The chicks coo. Then, Chocolina places a hand to her mouth, "Kweh kweh kweh kweh kweh." She merely lets loose a small giggle towards Corneo as he laments about his luck. As she pads over to him, she gives him a hardy slap on the back. "Oh, don't worry, Donny-poo~! The chicks love ya!" She turns to face the others as the chicks all spring on Don Corneo, comforting the down on his luck man.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Don Corneo takes another sip from 'is tankard," the blond thin-haired man mumbles as he listens wide-eyed to Gilgamesh's tale. "Truly, this strange man understands the Don's fate! Queenie's a blight on all fun, invaluable though she be to the enterprise. Not fun like Chocolina! Ah, Chocolina. The Don gazes at the beauty once again, transfixed by her winning personality and luscious curves! Woe, that the Witch were more like her, beloved by all!" Sluuuuuurp. "Truly, the Don has begun t'sense that though misunderstandings have come between them, he and this fine knight Gilgamesh have so much more in common than he had thought! Why, it is though the two of them are truly kindred spirits! The compassion of this world-crossing swordsman knows no bounds! And so the Don introduces himself, spreading his arms wide, buying the great Gilgamesh another drink! 'I am Don Corneo, Heartbreaker and Casanova,' he proudly and truthfully proclaims, 'once the most popular client of the Honey Bee! But alas, the Honey Bee has been lost, and for long aeons, I was lost!' It was more like three days, he does not say. 'But when the Don met the gorgeous Chocolina, everything changed! And what with that shadowy figure givin-- er, the Don inventing these Custom Cards, soon his fortunes will turn again!' Oh, but alas! He must ally with the Queen of Cards, he has no choice! Thinking that, he nearly falls again into despair." "But no! For he has found his brethren at last! Thinking that, Don Corneo leans in, to grasp one of Gilgamesh's hands within his own meaty paw. 'BROTHER!!!!' he exclaims!" Only one thing can halt the Don in his self-narration. "Wait..." After a beat, his eyes snap wide. "Tigress!?" He practically leans over Gilgamesh, almost slobbering on Faris. "Princess, you can dress up howsever you like! Any friend of m'brother Gilgamesh is a friend of mine! Eh heh, he he heh heh heh..." Whereupon Chocolina slaps him on the back, and he doubles over. "Gack, cogh, geh... aheh... Chocolina, you're the best!" he then claims indefatigably, lurching toward her as though to catch her up in a warm embrace, or more like bury his face in her boobs.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya takes another bite of the ice cream. There goes most of the other half. "Okay," Navya says to Corneo, looking past the empty seat. "I guess it doesn't hurt anyone, so if you really need adventurers to do that kind of stuff and advertise, then we can talk about it when you get to Serendipity - " He goes after Chocolina. While drunk. "Aah!" Navya says, lurching further away from him. /She/ doesn't want to get grabbed next! (She is not in much danger, if only because she can pick up Corneo and put him elsewhere. This does not mean she wants to test it.)

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' For just one moment. As Don Coneo gets too touchy feely with Chocolina... The chicks go from all hugging and patting Don Corneo... To this: =o= All of the flock of chicks fly straight towards Corneo, intercept him from Chocolina, and they swarm. You know the sound of a buzzsaw or the termites make as they tear into the designated target? Apply that sound effect towards Corneo. "Oh my~," states Chocolina 

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris gives Tifa a thankful look, then in a unprincesslike gesture, knocks a significant part of her drink back in a swift motion, before it hits the bar again. She takes her seat on the other side of Gilgames though, a half-weary smile crossing her lips. She then promptly gets pawed and practically slobbered on by Don Corneo. "My dear Don, I do dress up however I like; my dear knight boyfriend would not appreciate me doing so where other men could drool on me, though."

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "Don Corneo's story moves the brave knight! Heartbreaker, casanova - beloved by those who have been lost to the Darkness! How sad this story is, the heroic knight thinks - how much woe betides him, unloved, his beloved ones disappeared forever! This, a tale so moving, moves the brave knight's heart to tears!" Indeed, the deranged swordsman is actually shedding tears into his mask, and he starts drinking again. "It is so moving, Gilgamesh cannot help but feel the kinship of Don Corneo feels! Indeed, Gilgamesh's soul recognizes him as brother; even as Don Corneo speaks, Gilgamesh reaches forth, grasping the meaty paw in his own massive hand! 'Brother!' Gilgamesh agrees, gladdened by the sound! His grip tight, he shakes Don Corneo's hand thoroughly, then raises a drink to the sky. 'To the ladies we serve, and the souls we-'" "And then Don Corneo is attacked by the chocobos that pet him, and Gilgamesh recoils in horror, gladdened by his cloak's already-crimson color! He tries to shield his Princess's eyes from this, quietly gladdened by her dedication while at the same time seeking to protect her from such horrors! The valiant samurai throws his cape backwards to protect the other, delicate ladies in the room from the carnage as well! It is not for a lady to see such violence." Enkidu rolls his eyes and looks up at the Queen of Cards, somewhat apologetically, somewhat...well, thankful, because Violence and Gilgamesh go together incredibly well, and one lacking the other is kind of frightening to him.

:'''[[Queen of Cards]] has posed:''' "The rest is not in the ruleset." The Queen of cards says firmly, with the weight of a great rulebook thudding from a great height into the skull of a legitimate businessman already into his cups. "And yes, I believe that would be a net gain for all concerned players." she takes another sip of the quite excellent tea, then some of her much stronger drink as she is most certainly going to see some application of the 'Wall' rule to survive this evenings digression. She raises a hand to her head, gently rubbing one temple as the Curse of Gilgamesh has leapt from the original host to a new victim. Well. Don was never too tightly shrink wrapped to begin with. She could only hope fate decided to end the spread there.. or deal him exactly what he deserves. "And now that business has been shuffled away, let me show you the rules of the game." she palms the cards and places them back on the deck, shuffling it expertly and spreading five cards before Aerith and five cards before herself. She then launches into an explanation, in precise and crisp-edged terms, of Triple Triad while enthusiam, much like Don for his own passions, leaks into her words to slightly thaw the somewhat cool reserve of the Queen of Cards. When she takes a breath (which does take a while) she looks to Enkidu and nods. She had been concerned for a moment, but of course-- don't tell Gil that. He might start ranting again. It's best to at least let him cycle all the way through his epic saga instead of getting lost in one particular stanza or another.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart blinks a bit at Faris downing the drink. Well, not that its a problem with her, she's never been about formalities, but a 'princess' drinking like that sure is different. She wouldn't have pegged her to be a princess if she didn't name herself as such really. Or was it Gilgamesh. Either way, she's thinking she might have to cut Don's drinks before it degenerates even more. He's getting touchy, and even the one she thought was a given, turned back to her 'master'. So probably not. She refrains from commenting on this as well, just watching Queen's explanation "Well, that seems all pretty fun, but do you have any idea where we should be starting to find those items?

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Don Corneo screams horribly as the chocobo chicks beset him. 'Oh! Oh, noooooo!' he wails, but it is for naught! His newfound brother must protect his Princess and leave the Don to his fate! Of course, the Don understands, for the love of a woman, or women, or indeed all women, especially those dressed as animals and/or insects, trumps all, even the Witch Queen's highest cards! Alas, this sacrifice was all worth it in the name of one sweet caress from his beloved Chocoli-- agh-- gagghh-- heeeeEEEEEEEE--" The fat little man collapses in a heap on the ground, and the chocobo chicks, having gone Zelda Chicken on him, at last relent, fluttering away and back. For a moment, Don Corneo remains motionless. "...and there he lies," he mumbles, voice distant and deranged, "henpecked. ...heh... he he he... that was good. ...Argh."

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya doesn't actually watch thanks to Gilgamesh's warning. Not really, anyway - but she does slip off her stool eventually. Look out Corneo, one of the RAREST THINGS EVER IS HAPPENING A GIRL IS BEING KIND TO YOU Navya bends down next to Don Corneo to offer him a hand up, if he needs it. She is looking rather warily at the chocobo chicks in case they continue to go berserk; she saw what an adult chocobo did to Reize earlier and she wants no part in that! She doesn't look super thrilled, but hey. A parivir would help. So would she. "You didn't have to make them /all/ attack," she half-mutters, toward Chocolina.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris gracefully hides her face in Gil's cloak. Mostly so no one but him can see her laughing. However, her shoulders shaking from suppressed laughing is a significant sign that, well... she's laughing. Sure a strange princess, isn't she?

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' All of the chicks flutter near Chocolina. They flap their wings and swoop in on her, surrouding her for hugs. "Awww, who are my little chicka-dees. You all are my chicka-dees!" She looks down towards Don Corneo. "For shame, Donny-poo! I told you to never get too close! My chicka-deees get very protective! Hmph!" At Navya's chastizing, she only frowns, "I can't help it if the chicka-dees are very proective over their choco-mama!" She hugs her chicks close. <3

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart isn't sure she should be laughing either, but she is amused. She'd almost pity the Don if he wasn't diving for her cleacage everytime she turns his way. At least, he does with his eyes, she knows that much. She looks over to Chocolina "I think those are pretty handy to have around.."

:'''[[Chocolina]] has posed:''' "Time to introduce my little chicka-dees!" She gestures a hand towards each little chocobo chick. All of them pose. "Haughty, Sloth, Wrath, Neid, Luxuria, and Greed." The chicks pose. But then, Chocolina smiles towards Tifa, "They are just the most choco-dorable~!" She brightens into a smile, "So please, do come by to see the greatest show! I may even need your help! Tataaaaaa!!! Come on, babies! Let's see some more of this place!" As the chocobo chicks and her leave, her laughter trails behind. "Kweh kweh kweh kweh kweh kweh kweh...." And she is gone. 

:'''[[Queen of Cards]] has posed:''' "Perhaps there is another location that I can expound on you the advanced rules, but here. In case that does not come to pass, each one of these cards displays a location we believe an object lay. Give this to those who are of interest. The back harbors the information we've gained." The Queen of Cards stands up with a final sip of tea. She leaves the altered deck of cards on the table for anyone to partake in and pays graciously for the priveledge of the tea, always paying forwards, and also, discretely, sets aside another bit of money. She catches the bartenders eye and flicks her eyes towards Don and Gil. She then very poignantly rolls her eyes up towards the ceiling as if very-- very long suffering. " I believe our business here has..." she looks at Don. "played out. I regret to say that the Don will be sadly occupied and thus I must navigate these negoiations. If you would like, come with me. Anybody who is of interest will follow. I believe a private game is quite.. neccessary, at this point, and more than in order." The Queen of cards pats Enkidu, gives Gil a consternated look, and then sweeps off in her regal fashion out of the establishment.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' Don Corneo looks up, slowly, and is so shocked, he forgets to even narrate himself. Could it be? A woman... that he hasn't even paid... to do anything (yet)... is being nice to him!? "W... Waaaaaaaah!" Clinging to Navya's hand, the Don begins to blubber, shedding manly tears (let's go with that) as he is slowly hauled to his feet, which probably requires a bit of Navya's dragon strength to handle. "You're the sweetest! You're the best! You won't regret sticking with ol' Corneo! We'll be best friends!" You're going to regret this. "So," he remarks, wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeves, "what're your measurements?" See? "I need to know for the costume, y'see!" He is likely to continue on in this vein for some time.

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "The strange chocobo woman departs after her childrens' savage savaging of the unfortunate DOn Corneo. Gilgamesh looks on in horror, his cloak returning to its proper place as his princess's tears brush against it; he is disappointed by this, for he could not protect her from her suffering! Nonetheless, the Witch-Queen leaves shortly afterwards, and though there will yet be a reckoning, Gilgamesh allows her to leave for now. Clearly cunning Enkidu plans something, and his Princess is his first concen. 'Princess, are you alright?' Gilgamesh intones worriedly, turning to face her as Don Corneo's casanova heart springs back into action, rejuvenating the man immediately." "'We had best head back; someone may be worried if you are gone too long! Besides your noble knight, of course,' Gilgamesh adds, having nearly forgotten that, in his haste, he too was worried!" Enkidu bows his head to the Queen as she walks off. She was always nice to him.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' "Ah, yes." "Come, my fair knight. You may escort me in these dark, wandering streets." Faris whirls to her feet in a graceful movement, offering Gilgamesh her arm as she helps guide him out of the bar. Or drag. Take your pick.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya already kind of half regrets it, aside from the fact that she /likes/ doing good deeds and that may have counted. Paying attention to Corneo might count too, actually. Or as penance. "Well I said I'd do the adventuring part," she says, hastily, "and the rest of it we can talk about later - " And then he asks a question. The Question, really. Navya should have seen it coming, but really isn't experienced enough to have. She turns a rather interesting shade of red that really doesn't match either her head or her horns. "/I/ am five foot two," she says, "and that's all I'm saying! And /you're/ drunk. Go sit down for a while and maybe you'll feel better! Or better yet - find your bed and go to sleep!" This isn't at all an excuse to get him to go away for a while.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Drunk, with /love/!" the Don boldly proclaims, and promptly begins to chase Navya around the room until someone who hasn't left to pursue the far more graceful and reasonable Queen of Cards throws him out. Don't think he's given up, though.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya is pretty quick. It probably helps that she's not drunk. Corneo only gets hit particularly hard if he actually grabs the tail.

Corneo's Coin Quest

2013-03-18T19:35:01Z

Lifa:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/11/30
|Location=Casino Gold
|Synopsis=The first of the keys required to unlock the gates of Serendipity are a set of ancient Casino Coins once won from that fabled place by a legendary gambler who was doomed to lose them all. Thanks in part to a suspicious calling card, Don Corneo has become aware that these coins have ended up in Casino Gold, the mysterious den rumored to herald disaster for the unwary, and/or people wearing hats. Hiring everyone he can to protect him, Corneo will venture there to win back his prize. But can a man so ruled by his vices tear himself away from the game before he loses everything to the darkness?
|Thanks=To Mica for helping me GM, and to everyone for coming!
|Cast of Characters=Mica Melchiott, Tifa Lockhart, Synestria, Lumeria, Rinoa Heartilly, Aerith, Oriane Guado, Navya, Don Corneo
|Tinyplot=The Search for Serendipity
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' Don Corneo's luck is limitless tonight. The Tramdine Fens admittedly seemed like an odd place to build a casino, what with it being a hideous swamp filled with wretched souls and monstrous abominations, and perhaps his adventurous escort experienced some trepidation at the setting, but the Don was persistent. His beloved bodacious Chocolina had assured him that one of the three Keys was contorting the fabric of space-time in this vicinity, and though its effects were obscured -- as though the Casino itself were somehow not fully present, it was all very complicated, so the Don stared at her chest while she talked until the Queen slapped a card over his eyes -- he would be sure to find the Casino Gold here. Besides, he'd received a personal invitation. That card of gold -- real, solid gold -- is slipped into the breast pocket of his silk shirt now, right against his rotten heart, as he guffaws loudly, seated before a wide roulette table, where he continues to win again, and again, and again. Here they are, in Casino Gold. Its extravagant exterior makes for quite the startling transition from the marsh they were all just in. It's vast, seemingly almost limitless, with slot machines and gambling games and all manner of games extending in every direction. And, oh, right, it's staffed entirely by Heartless. Of course, these Heartless are quite the genteel and dainty sort, showing no signs of aggression or hunger for hearts, scurrying away at any sign of violence, and clad in top hats, bow ties, monocles, and the like. Occasionally they offer refreshments to the assembled adventurers. Actually, they're quite attentive hosts. Still, it's mildly nerve-wracking. Behind the main roulette table at which the Don is seated is a huge pile of treasure, and prominent upon it is a battered-looking brown box that the Don gazes at desirously: the legendary Casino Coins which he craves, the first key to Serendipity. He's close to winning them now. This quest is already almost complete. --Or, at least, it will be, if he can stop glancing over to check out all the adventurers escorting him. Who, /mysteriously/, happen to be all attractive women. "Tifa," the gross little man says, blatantly leering as he looks away from the chips for a moment, "you look /especially/ lovely this evening."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart doesn't look THAT pleased of getting compliments from the Don. How did she get roped into wearing this? Something about acting as a beacon for whatever reason, trying to find that magic coin artifact that the Don was talking about. He assured her that the best way to find it was to try to mingle with the rest of the casino's staff and customers, and dressing like this apparently was part of the way to do it. Again, WHY DID SHE AGREE TO THIS!?! Oh well, its not like its not pleasing on her, but its definitely not standard barmaid fare, and definitely not for a casino. And everyone else escorting the Don got to wear pretty dresses T_T.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' "She looks /hilarious/!" Aerith giggled at Tifa's outfit. Whoever got her to dress like that must either be very happy, shaking their head, or laughing their pants off. She sure was on the edge of doing that herself, opting for her jeans, denim jacket, and halter top, the open-toe sandals all aglitter with clear gems along the straps. "Be careful Tifa, you might get cooked and eaten at this rate!" She didn't hold back her laughter anymore as she turned her attention back to the game of blackjack. "Hit me."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' A casino ran by the heartless makes Lumeria a bit weary. Of course she can't help but to wonder who owns this place. Still, the slot machines have the girl's interest at the moment. She keeps seeming to lose on them and can't help but to wonder if they're rigged. Still the Don seems to be winning, so maybe the one she's at is just running cold.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Mysterious indeed. Navya has never been to a casino before. She certainly hasn't been to one staffed by Heartless. They creep her out; her fists have clenched a few times as she's debated simply picking one up and throwing it, but she's always managed (barely) to restrain herself. She also isn't wearing a dress, preferring her blousy pants and short top. It seems to meet the clothing requirements, since she hasn't been thrown out, and it's /way/ easier on her tail. Speaking of, Navya has managed not to hit anyone with it, though she did accidentally take out a glass of water earlier with a wing, which she then felt guilty about. Navya is currently trying to figure out how roulette works by staring at the wheel until it does tricks or delivers its secrets unto her. It isn't working very well. She was okay until people started putting chips in weird places, like between the spots.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Walking along with Don Corneo with a VERY fixed grin on her face, Synestria actually giggles a little bit as she looks to Tifa. She did look rediculous, but she was a barmaid. She could handle it. She stands a little behind Don Corneo as she looks to Aerith, waving a little bit to her. However, it's Navya that gets most of her attention. She was curious about the girl as she sits near the roulette table, and how she stared at it. She excuses herself from Don Corneo and walks over to Navya. "Excuse me." She says softly. "Perhaps Blackjack or Poker is more your style?"

:'''[[Mica Melchiott]] has posed:''' The Casino Gold is a massive building, which seems to expand infinitely in all directions on the inside. On the outside... Past a haze of trees and bright fog, the center of the Tramdine Fens has become a different world. The giant hexagonal building is flanked by massive fountains shooting water into the air, a 'cobbled' entryway and surrounding of silver and gold bricks, a garish sign studded with diamonds and rubies and emeralds and sapphires proclaiming how the casino is... well... The Casino Gold. Inside, one can hear the boom of fireworks and the bustle of patrons. The lights, the sounds, the dingdingding of winning, the groans of failure. Behind the main Roulette wheel, surrounded by guards is the massive treasure pile. Behind that is the giant floor-to-cieling hexagon of the Cages - containing further untold wealth in gold, gems, jewelry, precious artwork, artifacts of power, just about anything of value. Atop a pile of garish jewelry and pearls is... a rather battered detective's hat. Mixed in with the Heartless are shadowy figures in short capes and top hats, feminine in form, whose only discernable facial feature is a white line turned up into a 'grin'. They are the workers, the dealers, the table-runners, and the cage runners who makes sure that everyone is happy, and playing. The Casino Gold accepts all forms of currency, even moneychanging on the floor. Furthermore, items of 'worth', value sentimental or less direct are accepted, claims checks being offered to reclaim upon winnings. The Casino Gold prides itself on Service.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith chuckled at Rinoa's quite obvious distaste. "Oh come on, they're cute!" Of course, there's only one reason she's not afraid, and it's that she can't sense any malice from these Heartless. Thus she sits there, playing Blackjack, her shoulders at ease and face back to the frown of concentration. "Hit me." The card shows... and Aerith grins. "Blackjack!" For the second time that evening since she'd started.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart sighs at the comments about her costume, looking at Aerith. She's holdign a platter in her hand, suddenly, she's serving drinks. Nothing special for her, but not dressed like this. But the Don said she should mingle in... although her coworkers are heartless ~_~ She brings the tray with a glass to the Don "Your drink sir." She offers it with the most sincere smile she can muster in this situation. :I

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' Sneaking away from her guards was far easier than Oriane had anticipated. Hrmph. That is exactly what she gets for forgetting how dishearteningly incompetent her minions were. She will have to punish them later for being so grossly negligent of their duties. Gone are her priestess robes and holy vestments. The Guado is instead being INCOGNITO by wearing an expensive looking, gothic-styled, ballroom-floor length gown complete with long-sleeves and a jeweled choker. The priestess' stealth gauge is lowered even farther by the fact that she does nothing to hide her green hair, noticeable colored veins, and pointy ears. The diminutive Yevon Priestess casts her gaze over this particular den of iniquity as she enters it. My, my. Look at all the heretical machina being overseen by well-dressed Heartless. How delightfully blasphermous this place was! A mostly pleasant looking smile appears on the Guado's face as she steps forward towards where Aerith is playing 'blackjack'. "You, common gambler, I must inquire on why you are asking others to 'hit you'? I thought this was a venue where the masses frequent to piddle away their meager earnings. I was most unaware that this....fine...establishment was a place for physical violence as well."

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Gwaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha!" All that can distract the salivating Don Corneo from the bevy of beauties escorting him tonight -- who needs the Honey Bee? -- is his endless string of victories. The Munny is piling up in bags by his seat, and he's rubbing his meaty hands with glee, cackling to himself as the would-be Casanova spins again. The silent Heartless dealer before him shows no reaction to his practically giving the house's treasure away, for perhaps obvious reasons. "What!?" Corneo explains at Rinoa's comment, taking the moment so slide his gaze up her legs to her body so lecherously it almost /feels/ greasy, never quite making it to her eyes. "HEARTLESS!?! Where!?" He turns, blithely looking past /all/ the Heartless waiters, right at Tifa. "All I see is the loveliest of wait staff. Cheers, babe," he chortles, taking the drink and lounging, even as he leers at her so hard her costume might catch fire. Whereupon he returns to his game, fixated on his growing pile of chips. He's close, so close he can taste it on his own foul breath. Clutching desperately at his knees, he stares a hole in the roulette table. The Casino Coins, their deceptively simple case open to reveal their glittering interior, are nearly within his grasp-- "I WON!!" Don Corneo leaps to his feet, barely rising above the table. "I DID IT!!" He takes up the case of Casino Coins as they are handed to him and hefts them above his head Zelda-style, laughing mightily. "Gwa ha ha ha ha! It's mine! The Key is mine!" Wow! That quest was easy! Time to get out of here. The Don pauses, eyes gleaming. "But... I could still... win more...!" Eyes reddened with greed and desire, the Don lurches back to his seat, letting the box of Casino Coins drop to the floor in his haste. "More," he rasps as he pushes his chips forward. "Spin again!!" As he says this, the lights flicker briefly, and the air seems to thicken. An oppressive sensation fills the air. The Heartless wait staff do not change their behavior. But a dark haze begins to rise from the ground, and from the shadows new shapes emerge, clanking suits of armor and wispy floating wizards... all decked out in dress uniforms, of course. Keeping it classy. "Again!!" This could be bad.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' The flower girl doesn't have to look her way, really. The aura of disdain coming from her is plain enough, but... Aerith turns anyway and gives her a smile. "It's a gambling term. When you ask for another card, you say that..." She chuckled. "And I'm probably going over your head now--" She pauses, eyes wide. The feeling from Corneo is... not good at all. Especially since a split second later, the lights dim and everything seems to slow down. Aerith slowly puts her winnings down... before turning and putting one of the ends of her staff into a Heartless that appeared just behind her without moving from the stool. Not even an eye blink later, the armored fiend gets treated to a devastating stream of electricity, focused through her metal rod. "Great, knew it was too good to be true."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart didn't think it would be that easy either. But... she's not dressed to fight! But not like that would stop her either, she can still kick and punch >_< Even in high heels. That might actually be quite the show.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Getting a weird feeling from Corneo as well, Synestria gives him a bit of a look before she makes a face at the heartless that are starting to rise up. She shakes her head, thankful she was actually here. However, She wasn't going to just sit by either. She rolled her neck a bit calmly and took a deep breath. With a loud hiss, Synestria's form expands, to almost giant proportions, but her legs change into a connected snake tail. Thankfully, the casino has enough room for her form, hissing loudly once more to cast out electricity towards the heartless in robes......

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' "Huh?" Navya hadn't known anyone was looking at her. She straightens up automatically when she's addressed, looking at the dancer. "I'm not playing," she says, with a little bit of a smile because she's /not/ talking to a Heartless. It's a real, normal person, and she likes that a lot better. If only she knew. She waves her hand in the general direction of Corneo. "Actually, I'm only hanging around because he's trying to win - hey, Corneo? Corneo - " This is bad. That feeling, and the darkening... There is one thing Navya was missing when she came in here. It was her gigantic hammer. She couldn't think of a way to make it go with a dress code; she figured it would just be confiscated, and so she didn't bring it. Which means she's unarmed, which means when the combat Heartless show up, she's not got anything to hit them with. "Uh, be right back," she says to Synestria, before running off. She looks around as she hustles. No, no, no - wait. /Perfect/. Navya's face splits into a grin. Five seconds later, she is hefting up an entire goddamned decorative palm tree (possibly artificial) with both hands, digging her thumbs into it to keep it steady and trying a practice swing. It even still has the pot! "DUCK," she suggests, as she whirls around wildly towards the floating magicians.

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' Well, if it makes you feel any better Oriane, you're not the only one with pointed ears in here. Lumeria's about to give up on the slot machine when she gives it one more pull. Suddenly, the girl's attention turns towards Navya. Oh great, someone who's part lizard. She begins to tense up a bit at that as the reels spin around. They begin to come to a stop, one 7...two 7s...Her fingers cross as the final reel begins to come to a stop. The third 7 lights up and noise begins to emit from the machine. Coins begin to pour out of it and she reaches out to grab them. There's a sudden poof as the girl seemingly disappears from sight. In her place is a silver frog. The first thought to go through her head is to curse her sister. Suddenly more heartless decided to show up just then. It seems like she has the worst timing.

:'''[[Mica Melchiott]] has posed:''' The darkness, choking darkness came another shape. One shadowy Mica splits off from the rest, one who had been seemingly watch the whole time, not serving or entertaining the guests. As the Dapper Knights and Classy Wizards emerge, this 'hostess' takes the place of the Roulette Heartless, smiling to Don Corneo. "Hello, Don. Congratulations on your winnings. You are a very /lucky/ man. You've won so much! Surely you would like to win even more, yes? I've prepared a little entertainment for your friends! They're having the time of their life! But, you see... For you, I have a /special/ high-stakes game. Are you... interested?" The Shadow-Mica wonders. All around, the Serving Heartless (those in top hats and tailed jackets) still hurry around offering refreshments to the heroes... Even as they kick/punch/laserbeam their heart-deficient compatriots. THEY TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR SERVICE.

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' The green-eyed, green veined, and green eyed Guard tilts her head slightly when Aerith gives her the explanation on how to play blackjack. She has absolutely little to know idea what this most likely hopeless gambling addict is talking about. And this poor girl goes into a fit of blood-thirsty rage to attack the dapper Heartless with lightning. Oriane knew it. This -was- an arena for pointless violence. How distaste...and then Oriane realizes that she is supposed to be disguised as a commoner herself. She must now quickly say something before her cover is blown. "Oh, it...has been quite too long since I last experienced...this most exhilarating act of proving one's dominance over others through violence." That's what normal people say, right? The black dress wearing Guado now promptly turns towards the Heartless mages. How amusing of them to believe they could cast magic spells! It seems appropiate that Oriane Guado teach these Heartless a lesson in magic while 'fitting' in with the crowd by resorting to barbaric combat. The Dark Arts user follows Navya's smashing lead by summoning a group of green wisps around her left hand. And then with her right, she holds back her hand as if she was about to swipe at the foolish Heartless. Finally, the conductor puts everything together by first clawing with her right hand and then bringing her other hand forward. A green beastial claw materializes out of nowhere to swipe at her new foes before the wisps attempt to fly straight into the Heartless in very classic one-two attack. Oriane then merely waits for the Heartless to die horribly.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' Don Corneo is breathing heavily, clutching at the chips on the roulette table before him, unfazed by the dealer abruptly being replaced by the hostess, incognizant of the melee raging around him, and having seemingly forgotten about the legendary Casino Coins, their goal, which are now lying in their box on the ground by his chair. "Yes!" the fat little man exclaims, shuddering with avarice and desire, his piggish eyes wide with glee. "Yes, I'll play, I'll play it all, and I'll win! I can't be stopped! Finally, finally, luck is turning my way again! Gwa ha... gwaaa ha ha ha ha ha haaaaa!" The more he laughs, the more the dark haze gathering about the ground seems to thicken, and the more Heartless begin to pour forth. Despite the fact the visually the casino extends infinitely in every direction, like a mirror reflecting a mirror, the oppressive sensation increases, seeming almost claustrophobic, as though the adventurers are in fact hemmed in on all sides. The exit remains behind them, at least, but somehow, it seems farther away than before. There don't seem to be any end to these creatures. This is their turf, a reality in which they rule. "GWWWAAAAAAA HA HA HA HA!" And the Darkness of a greedy heart feeds them. Navya wisely calls to the Don, but it seems like he can't hear her; he does not appear to be in any state to be persuaded. Her more forcible approach is much more effective, that decorative palm tree pulverizing two of the floating wizards at once even as Oriane's dark claw tears into them from the other side and Synestria's lightning strikes from above. Tifa's tray-knee combo is devastating, knocking one soldier Heartless's helmet clean off, with its head still inside -- the rest dissolves into dust. Aerith and Rinoa obliterate the soldiers closing in on Tifa from either side. The heroes are fighting well. Yet even as the Heartless fade into mist, that mist settles back to the ground, from whence more Heartless arise. It's not clear there's ever going to be an end to them... And their assault is beginning. The soldiers rush in, more filling the ranks as they are destroyed, several lashing out at Tifa as once as more rush past her, their sheer number making it impossible to protect Rinoa and Aerith from the assault of their blade-like appendages, helmets bobbing as they mindlessly charge in, seeking to devour the hearts of the strong. As they do, the wizards ascend above the fray, launching curses at those that have struck them, the air constricting around Synestria, Navya, and Oriane, making it a struggle to breathe.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith gets knocked out of her stool by a charging Heartless, rolling over her left shoulder to save herself any further pain. It wasn't looking pretty, and she glanced over to Rinoa for a moment. No, the winnings would have to wait. Friends in trouble, and strange woman behind her that obviously did not enjoy this place. If she was trying to hide, she was either doing a horrible job, or Aerith was the only one that could sniff her out. No matter. Time to go to work. Aerith rolled out of the way as a few tried to trample over her, got to her feet using her staff, and climbed atop the blackjack table. No one complained, they were already fleeing the scene. No one could ignore something like /this/, after all. Aerith leapt from one table to the next, heading in the general direction of Rinoa and Tifa. Once her jeweled sandals hit the floor again, Aerith tapped her rod on the edge of one of the tables, the metallic hum accompanied with the shine of a materia in one of the slots. "Tifa, Rinoa, rally on me!" Time to do this right. She cast a protective aura over the three of them once they were all together, and settled into a defensive stance. "Stick together, cover each other's blind spots. We need to get to the Don and snap him out of this."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is noticing the pattern here, where the heartless seems to be attracted to Don's laughing. And the more he's laughing, the more of them seem to appear "Don! Stop playing, you're attracting them!" Someone needs to give him a good bonk on the head, but she's a bit busy right now. She nods to Aerith's protective spell "Thanks~" As she charges in for another flurry. She grabs the nearby heartless, and while she has her hands on it, she kicks it backward into the incomming flow of heartless, bowling them over. Well, hopefully that will slow them down a bit at least.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Note to self: trees make a pretty good hammer. Navya spins around several more times on sheer inertia before she finally manages to lurch to a stop, fetching up against something kind of tough-feeling. Muscly. Rough, almost scaled, like her own - "Oh geez, sorry, sorry!" Navya lurches away from Synestria's tail like she was scalded by it. "I didn't mean anything!" Whirling away, she is caught by the tension in the air, squeezed by magic. "hrk," is what she actually gets out instead of more words. She can sort of breathe, but the constricting air makes it very hard for her to move. Navya wrenches the tree around, swinging as if it was through water in a slow and deliberate overhand smash towards the closest of the wizardy Heartless. Hit or miss, she's likely to continue into a poker table and send chips and cards everywhere, though - the one thing she's not good at is being careful about that. She's trying to move towards Corneo, but it's kind of like moving through gelatin. It's not really working very well.

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' Lumeria hopes no one saw her transform into a frog. Of course the noise given off by the slot machine and the pile of coins makes that seem unlikely. Still, the sudden arrival of the Heartless might have drawn their attention away. She decides to hop away and try to find somewhere safe. The pile of money throws off her leap, sending her spiraling straight into one of the Heartless.

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' And that takes care of that. Oriane Guado is just about to turn her back and walk away when a brand new set of wiiiiiiizards appear from the dark mist. Hrmph. Does the weak not know when they are beaten? She will just have to provide the Heartless with a much more severe lesson in magic use. Oriane smiles mischievously towards the Heartless wizards as they begin to conjure their magic. The Yevon Priestess makes no effort to dodge the consticting cloud that her foes conjure as she is curious on its effects. Noticing her magical defenses seem dampered by this blow, she quickly decides that two can play at this game. The green-haired black mage holds an open palm out towards her foes. A pulsating sickly green orb appears and Oriane gently blows on the orb which sends it flying off at her magical foes. She does not stop there as she conjures a mist of her own to block out her foes. That should suffice for now. The Guado now turns to see who else is fighting these Heartless. Aww. The brutish girl from the caravan appears to be assisting as well as a Fiend in disguise....and a frog(?). Not her first choice for allies, but they shall too be adequate for the time being. "Come, let our -fearsome- group dispatch these vagabonds with haste." She says to her stalwart allies before turning her attention back on the Heartless.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa unleashes bolts of lightning upon the heartless, but it's not enough to stop them! They rush at her with their blade like appendages, and she attempts to dart out of the way..But they're too quick! She yelps in pain, staggering back, bleeding on her legs and arms as they nearly trample her over. Fortunately, Aerith comes with her protective spell, and hopefully it'll hold against the heartless for a bit. She nods to the flower girl, moving into formation, standing back to back with the other two. "Gotcha! Let's finish this!" A glance towards the Don causes her to frown a bit. "Seriously, someone has to stop that guy. It's almost as if his greediness is..Feeding them, or something!" However, first thing's first, she's gotta protect her friends! She whistles to Angelo, surrounding him in magical light as he rushes into the sky and howls, showering the three of them in magical protection..

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "That's exactly what's happening! The Heartless are attracted to negative emotions, and if he keeps this up, we're going to get overrun!" She continues to glance around, looking for an opportunity to attack.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Looking down at Navya, Synestria gives her a small smile, but her attention is elsewhere. She looks back up, and grunts as she's hit by dark energy, but she shakes her head. She lets out another loud hiss, but not at Navya. The hiss is at the casting heartless.......bringing down more electricity.....

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' Don Corneo is insensible to all pleas or requests. Just talking to him isn't going to be enough. Indeed, it's not obvious even violence will be enough; he's too consumed by the game to hear anyone, let alone remember the Casino Coins by his chair that were supposed to be his objective. He remains seated, despite Tifa's words and Navya's struggle to advance toward him. And the more he plays, the more the Heartless advance, bursts of dark smoke in the background suggesting even more are emerging. Tifa, Aerith, and Rinoa form a formidable unit, the chocobo-clad woman toppling the soldiers like bowling pins as her two allies imbue themselves with supportive magic. Navya's faux tree tears into another floating wizard, causing it to pop like a bubble, as her wildly-swinging tail smashes into a poker table for good measure. Take that, Casino Gold! Oriane's magical orb passes through the mass of magical Heartless, causing their flight patterns to weave and wobble, making them easier pickings for Synestria's lightning, whereupon a frog leaps majestically into the air (??) and-- bounces off one of their hats. No one knows why. Nearly half of the Wizards have been decimated, but, as Heartless are wont to do, they show no fear or consternation, mindlessly gathering more magical energy, beginning to assemble a formation of their own. The group of Soldiers are in much better shape, many more of them remaining, but regardless, from the looks of the shapes still emerging from the mist, there may be reinforcements soon. What is this 'Casino Gold'? What is it doing in the middle of a swamp? Is this really a place where a battle against the Heartless can be won? As the soldiers regroup after being bowled over and continue their rush toward Tifa, Aerith, and Rinoa (and her little dog, too!), simply too numerous for the material artist to fully protect her friends, clawing and slicing without remorse, the wizards begin to pulse with power, a vile sensation emanating from them before a torrent of dark magic is unleashed. The frog which leapt at them, for whatever reason, has attracted their ire, and Synestria and the confident Oriane are victim to the assault. But Navya, though slowed by their magic, is momentarily forgotten, as she's at last able to reach the Don's chair...

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart jumped up to the ceiling when the charge started, avoiding it entirely as she grabs on the expensive looking chandelier. She uses the momentum to slam her feet into the nearest one, hopefully taking some away fromt Aerith and Rinoa's path. She can't do much more than that in this position, as she drops back down. But what she can do is on the offense. Her fist charges up with bright yellow energies, as she rushes forward into the fray, finding a nice big clump of then, an explosive fist aiming to take out several of them all at once.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith grimaced as they charged again, but didn't make a move. With Rinoa just at her back, she braced herself... and the defensive ward flared to life once the soldier rammed into it. She gritted her teeth, some of the impact making it through, but it was better than nothing. Time to return the favor. Aerith pulled out one of her potions, dodged a strike that got a bit too close to her head, and downed it in one shot. She threw the glass at one of the wizard Heartless, trying to knock him off his flight pattern, and quickly channeled the Lifestream, pale green streams of spirit energy flowing toward her, even through the miasma. The next spell she cast... was much, much bigger. A grand sphere of flames shot out toward the knight just a foot in front of her, and once it hit, it lit him ablaze and rammed him backward into several more, causing the lot of them to explode. "Keep moving! Head for Corneo and that weird lady with him!" She'd figured it out by now... they had to stop him from playing, and he didn't look ready to quit... so target the dealer.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Grunting loudly as she's hit again by the dark magic, Synestria takes a deep breath as she resists it. However, she turns her magic partially dark itself. Aiming, once again for the casting heartless, she aims at them with a mixture of fire magic, and......other more sinister magic....

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' Of course, even when humanoid Lumeria's not much of a threat physically. She gets knocked back into a wall with a splat, before slowly sliding down the wall to the ground. At that point, there's another poof and the elfin girl returns. Of course it takes her a moment to recover from that.

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' The angry Heartless wizards swarm before the Guado priestess like overgrown and magically enhanced pyreflies. Oriane Guado is unimpressed so far by their antics. They have been more annoying then dangerous. But then, the Heartless unleash a torrent of dark of horrible energy towards Oriane. With a gentle gesture, she summons a magical shield before her but the magic is able to blow right through it. Experiencing the Dark Arts of another or the first time is simply -exhilarating-. The Priestess is wounded by these magics, but she is not done yet. The Heartless wish to exchange terrible energies with each other, and Oriane is happy to oblige. She raises both hands towards the center of the Heartless wizardry and smiles sweetly towards them as wisps of purple energy swirl together into a large mass before her. "Playing with you has been quite entertaining," begins Oriane as she continues to gather energy until it abruptly finishes and merely converges together now. "Unforunately, playtime is indeed over." And then Oriane's gathered energy streaks out towards the Heartless in a large beam. The purple beam is then enlarged in an attempt for it to swallow her enemies completely. And then to add insult to injury, a secondary explosion rips up through the beam towards the Heartless.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa takes a breather before she's assaulted again by more crazy heartless! The shields dont do much to protect her as they continue to tear and slice into her already battered body. "No!" she cries out in pain, stumbling to her feet once more. Angelo barks in concern, rushing to her side, tossing a hipotion at her before he rushes at the heartless, slicing into them. Rinoa struggles to her feet, attempting to follow suit as she summons up a powerful windstorm, raining down white feather shaped blades of energy at the enemy. "I cant give up now!"

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya manages to bowl over a card table with the arc of the tree, her tail, or both (though presumably in different directions). Whoops. Sometimes she's a little erratic and she has a tendency to flail. She staggers to a stop not far from Don Corneo, having managed to clear the effect enough to catch a deep breath, if not return to her full speed. She has a couple things to do here. The first thing she tries to do is grab the Casino Coins, because Don Corneo will be very upset if those go missing later, and it /is/ what she (as an adventurer) is sort of paid to do today. The /second/ thing she tries to do is edge over to Corneo himself and - well, poke him. She switches to shaking his shoulder after a moment. "Hey! Wake up! You won already, see? We need to get out of here!" This means she isn't hitting Heartless, at least for a moment. It does mean she catches her breath.

:'''[[Mica Melchiott]] has posed:''' As Don Corneo faces off against 'the House' in an ultra-high-stakes game of Roulette, the chips fall, and vast sums of money start to change hands. The Don wins. The Don loses. It seems even, sometimes in his favor, but there is a pull, a tug back. The odds start turning towards the Casino Gold. But the Casino Coins, the true objective of this whole game, seems to be utterly forgotten. The Shadowy Dealer-Mica grins widely, gesturing to the table. "Your bet, sir." She giggles, looking around. The heart of darkness in this man was incredible, and his greed was almost overpoweringly cloying. The raw power of avarice he held interacted with the shadows of the Casino Gold to create heartless she did not even have to summon, reacting to his terrible greed by providing his friends with... Playmates. The Don, and his dwindled stack of chips, faced off against the Mistress of Games - could he keep his cool? Or would he fall into the Casino's trap? Would he bet his Heart?

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' The darkness is gathering. "Grrrr..." The Don's fists clenches, chips falling from their meaty fingers. How could he be losing now, after his winning streak!? It's impossible. He can't quit, not while he's so hot. Refusing to concede that his luck has turned, he looks around desperately, seeking something to bet that would match the stakes. "I, Don Corneo, will triumph, for the sake of all women everywhere!" Tears in his eyes, he trembles with, let's call it 'passion'. "All those poor women who aren't dressed up like animals and/or insects!" Is he just wishing for lots of costumes? "Ugh... I bet..." He lurches around. The case of Casino Coins is behind his chair, forgotten, but he is beginning to turn about, his gaze almost reaching what had been the entire point of their venture-- "Hmn!?" Navya shakes him, causing the Don at last to stir, turning to squint up at the dragon-girl with a look of surprise. "Navya, my dearly beloved, whatever is the--" His eyes widen at last. Does he see it, the battle raging around them, the Heartless closing in from every corner, his allies in great need? "That's it!!" he exclaims, turning back toward Mica with a gleam in his eye, pointing at Navya behind him. "I bet the clothes off her back!!" His heart pulsing with the force of his most essential vice, the Heartless all around gleam with dark energy, power surging through them. Forming an implacable shield of raw shadow, their numbers packed tightly, attack after attack crashes uselessly against them. The time the heroes have spent fighting this endless number has caused their power only to grow. Is there hope for them any longer? Only Rinoa's windstorm and Oriane's dark magic now seems to have any effect, yet even their strikes do not seem to sufficiently deplete the ranks of the foe. As the remaining Wizards floating above begin to rain fireballs down upon their spellcasting adversaries, the Soldiers, swelling with new Heartless, begin to bear down on the brave threesome who have been fighting all this time. The mass charging forward from all directions seems endless, and it attempts to simply crush Tifa, Rinoa, and Aerith under their overwhelming weight and blot the heroines from view.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart doesn't like beign crushed! But she can't avoid it this time. Several of them pile down on the chocobo-barmaid, which isn't very pleasant. She grunts as she crawls away under a poker table, and then kicks the table over on top of the heartless "Corneo, stop that nonsense while you're ahead!" She's going to get that costume ripped off her at this rate, as if she wasn't showing off enough already! She turns over to Aerith and Rinoa, her turn to appy some helping hand to her friends.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith cried out in pain, falling to one knee as she gets hit yet again by a massive assault. No. Talking wouldn't work. The one lesson the Don would have to learn was a painful one. They couldn't do it like this, though... Aerith stood on shaky legs, one of her materia flaring to life, and her senses tingled at the dire situation Synestria was in. She cast a hasty healing shroud around the two of them, adding Rinoa to the mix in hasty fashion. "We can't take much more of this... someone give him a good smack and tell him the game's over! We got what we came for!"

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Hissing at the fireballs hitting her, Synestria takes a beep breath at the attacks hitting her. She was hurting and quite fed up. With another loud hiss, she's bringing her own fire down upon the heartless. She smiles at Aerith as her healing takes some of the burns away.....

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa barely recovers when she gets viciously assaulted again.."Oooh.." She stumbles again, bleeding heavily, struggling to hang onto a nearby wall..Or grab at a glass of champaigne as the crazy heartless hostesses continue to mull about like nothing's happening. "Don, you gotta stop!" She shouts between labored breaths. Angelo looks concerned at her, tossing another hipotion her way before rushing at the heartless again in full force. Finally Tifa and Aerith come to her aid and she smiles at them gratefully, feeling some strength returning to her battered body.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' What. "No he doesn't!" Navya yelps, her face reddening. "And even if he does /I/ don't, and they're my clothes! He doesn't own them!" She talks more quickly as she gets progressively more embarassed, and slightly higher pitched. Still red-faced, Navya decides, "Okay, you have /really/ had enough of that. That's a rule - never let your passions rule you to the point of - of - " She pauses. "I forgot the last word. Too much! Anyway, you're coming with me!" She tries to solve this the simplest way she knows how - she bends down, grabs Corneo under the arms, and simply tries to heft him up. She grabs the Coins too, or tries to. "Off we go!"

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' Lumeria finally manages to recover from transforming and being attacked. Of course at this point she's pretty beat up as she gets back onto her feet. At least she could use her magic again. She notices Synestria and chokes up a bit. Lizards and now snakes...just what she needed. She was going to keep her distance from now and focus on taking care of her own injuries.

:'''[[Mica Melchiott]] has posed:''' The Shadow Mica seems to 'look' without eyes at Navya. There is a pause, and then a shrug. "Fine." Mica says, almost boredly. "Your bet is accepted." There's a wicked grin that spreads across her face. "This should be quite interesting, Don Corneo." As Navya grabs the Casino Coins, what everyone came here to get, Shadow Dealer Mica snaps her fingers and gestures to the table. "Your roll, Don." The color and number are called. The dice rolls around the roulette wheel as shadowy tendrils spiral around Navya, mirroring the spin of the wheel. Don Corneo... Calls wrong. And a CERTAIN SOMEONE's CLOTHES poof off in a cloud of decency smoke, before a rather burly heartless bouncer graciously puts a towel over her shoulders. Oh, and her clothes appear on the massive treasure pile, next to Mercade's hat. "Anything else to bet, Don Corneo?" Shadow-Dealer-Mica wonders, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together with a big grin on her face.

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' Oriane frowns when she sees that her Dark Flare did not obliterate her foes. These Heartless were seemingly unceasing in their antagonizing. This is becoming most upsetting to the Guado priestess. And to make matters worst, fireballs begin to reign down from the sky towards her and her unlikely allies. It is quite hard to move fast in a floor length dress and Oriane ends up getting knocked back by the fiery blast. The extremely pale black mage takes a moment to steady herself before reaching for a small potion that had been hanging on the necklace that she was wearing. The potion is quaffed and thrown onto the ground with a shatter. It was time to stop holding herself back as these Heartless were proving to be quite draining. The green-haired goth now begins chanting a few words lowly to herself which encases her entire body in a black fire for a brief instant. Her eyes now focus on the Heartless wizards before her. This is just in time for her to see Synestria wipe them out in a flare of her own. That's the spirit! You fight fire with fire. The remaining Heartless are now regarded by Oriane with a look of distaste on her face. Physical brutes. She shall enjoy destroying each and everyone of them. Using both her hands, Oriane begins chanting once more as she gathers dark energies around her. "The time has come to punish the Wicked!" She shouts nonchalantly with a smirk crossing her lips. It looks like nothing is happening at first, but then a meteor full of dark energy comes crashing through the roof towards the remaining Heartless. The Guado mage does not stop there, but also sends another conjured claw across the room towards the Heartless to hopefully knock them up into the descending magical comet of malice. Navya appears to momentarily decency impaired before a towel is offered. Is this truly what commoners do? Get naked and beat each other up? The outside world can sometimes be so confusing. Why can't everything be simple like studying how to conjure dark and forbidden magics?

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "Barnacles!" curses the Don, as he shakes his fists, upon losing. "I mean--" Realizing what a win-win situation he's put himself in, Corneo begins salivating all over again as he turns to look at Navya-- who has covered herself with a towel /just/ in time. "Gahhh!" All is lost! "Noooooo! It's not over!" He begins kicking and wailing as Navya scoops up the precious Casino Coins and then hefts the fat Don up, who is not the lightest of weights but nothing she can't handle, even if the fact that he's actually struggling against her makes it a little harder. "I bet her virg--" His balding head slams into the corner of a poker table, causing his eyes to cross. "--gurghh--" Alas, he is in no condition to spin wheels now. And just in time. As the towel-clad Navya begins to forge her way toward the distant exit, Don in tow, the last of the Wizards are obliterated by a surge of Synestria's powerful magic, her teamwork with her allies at last resulting in a momentary respite. Yet the darkness beneath them continues to brew, promising more Heartless should they continue to tarry. The heroic threesome of Tifa, Rinoa, and Aerith manage not to be overwhelmed by the Soldiers which have raided them, and Oriane's dread sorcery blisters into nothingness those which dare approach, Angelo bravely taking down another. Yet though their ranks have thinned somewhat at long last, their momentum is seemingly infinite. Onward, onward they march! Gathering their forces again, the Soldiers close in from almost all sides, a thin path to those distant doors all that remains not overcome by dark troops. Their masses surge forward, crushing all before them underfoot, threatening to trample anyone who gets within reach! Will it be possible to reach the exit in time?

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith gritted her teeth as the insanity pressed around them. Someone had successfully grabbed the Don though, and her senses picked up the hasty exit. "Let's go, go, go!" Aerith prepared yet another spell, potentially her last, and flung it toward the Heartless, making an attempt to cover their egress...

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Seeing the Heartless rush after all of them, Synestria saw a good oppotunity for a really good Flare attack. As the explosion hits though, the heartless literally trample over her, and she doesn't move for a good while. She's even draped over her own coils with her eyes closed.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart watches her friends falling around her. During the last attack, she had the reflex of grabbing the nearest heartless and using it as a shield, while it was flaying trying to get free. But that was too late for it. It barely does the work of shielding the barmaid before dissipating. She has to bring that those things down, and oson, because they are starting to trample everyone severly. She charges up, vaulting off the poker table to slam with a double-feet stomp, rolling into a sweep kick attack to try to disperse the darkness as much as possible before they regroup again.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya suddenly feels rather drafty. "Aack!" Navya nearly drops Corneo in her haste to cover herself - momentarily unnecessary because of smoke and shadow, but who knows how long that'll last? She grabs for the towel, wrapping it around her waist like a skirt, while her wings curl around her sides and chest; they're just /barely/ long and flexible enough to manage this. This may be why Don Corneo ended up with his head bounced off a table. She'll never tell. Carrying the Don and the Casino Coins, Navya starts to hustle for the door. Her face is bright red; she's blushing so hard it's actually partway down her shoulders and chest. "THIS IS NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR!! Come on, let's get out of here once you guys finish those up!"

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' As the dark embrace of her otherwordly magic leaves her, Priestess Oriane Guado is quite drained. She had put everything in that attack and her reward is a near life experience thanks to these Heartless. It seems that those of the mundane physical are much more resistant to the dark whispers of this particular black mage. Her overestimation of her own power renders her helpless to stop the advancing Heartless horde. But Oriane knows that even now is not the time to let dignity escape from her. "I loathe to admit it, but I have learned the lesson of 'gambling' a moment too late." And with one last curtesy, Oriane is trounced by the stampeding Heartless, thrown several feet, and left in a quite undignified state of being sprawled out on the filthy casino floor.

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' Well, now the snake woman is no longer a threat, Lumeria feels a bit at ease. Still, she better deal with this before she gets sent back to the floor as well. Balls of light start to rain down on the remaining Heartless, as she tries to finish them off before they can manage to do the same to her.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' The battle is getting brutal and going south fast! Many heartless fall, but it seems many more remain! Rinoa is still unsteady on her legs, but not about to give up just yet! Glaring angrily at the heartless, she musters what strength she has left and calls Angelo to her side. Magical energy glows around her and her dog as she murmurs a spell to suddenly cause Angelo to grow to five times his size. Leaping on his back, the two rush into the air, surrounded by a magical aura of energy, then start to FLY again and again at the heartless, zipping across the casino like a massive shooting star! When she finally lands shakily on her feet, Angelo snarls angrily, lashing again and again at the heartless, trying to stomp 'em dead!

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' As Navya struggles toward the exit with the precious Casino Coins and the useless burden that is Don Corneo in tow, the Soldier heartless seem unstoppable, the Don's dazedness doing nothing to prevent their feeding off his black heart so long as he remains within the bounds of Casino Gold. Spells crash against the masses of armored dark knights, but the darkness forming about them is forming a formidable shield, deflecting Lumeria's valiant attempt to tear into them with her magic. Tifa continues to fight relentlessly, knocking several Heartless to the ground with her sweep kick, their helmets all aclatter, but there is only so much she can do alone. Rinoa leaps upon an oversized Angelo and lays waste to all the dark entities who dare approach, crumpling them like tin cans, stomping them flat until they simply dissolve into dust. The heroines are fighting fiercely even as the black miasma continues to gather, and thereby successfully guarding Navya's retreat. But for how long can they continue to stand? This becomes the vital question, as the Soldiers' endless charge continues, as though unstoppable, seeking to trample further of the ladies to the ground, until none are left to bar their path to the Don and the banquet that is his heart.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith, barely able to move, covers her eyes as the attack bears down on her... And then it doesn't hit. Of course once she opens her eyes, she witnesses Tifa lying there, struggling to get up. It doesn't take her long to realize what just happened, and her eyes narrow. "That's it. I've had enough of these things." With a will born of righteous fury, Aerith strode forward, her right hand extended, materia glowing fiercely. Screw it, this was their last shot. She fired one blast after another of frozen magic, aiming to incapacitate anything that moved and swung at her friends.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya has managed to cart Don Corneo away by this point. She is also having to use her tail to hold up the towel. It's kind of embarassing. "I'm going to get this casino back for this," she mutters to herself. But she doesn't throw the Don back in. Even though he probably deserves it.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart made her attack and came back just in time too. She's hurt, but Aerith is in even worse shape honestly. The strong charge from the heartless hits her, but she pushes Aerith out of the way at the last moment, managing to save her friend. Tifa's pretty hurt now, barely standing after the charge, but she's not down yet. "Let's finish it for good Aerith, there's no more miracles." She rushes into the group, punches and kicks flying, trying to take down what's left before she's taken out as well. For her and Aerith there's likely no 'next round' awaiting them.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' Incredible! Against all odds, the valiant heroes obliterate the last of the Soldier Heartless with their combined powers! The forces of Darkness within Casino Gold have been quelled... ...for a moment. The haze around the women warriors and their fallen allies has begun to thicken all the further, so it might be unwise to tarry any further in this forsaken place. But Navya has almost made it to the exit, at least-- until a pack of Heartless emerge from the smoke in front of her, Shadows dancing gleefully as they begin to surround her. Could this be the end, just when all seemed won?

:'''[[Mica Melchiott]] has posed:''' The Mica clone at the Roulette wheel raises a hand above her head before its fingers hook 'under' her neck, tearing free the shadows like a cheap cloth disguise. And then there is Mica, in her (palatte-swapped) glory. Her black silk top hat, with a red band, her black cape with white tips accented with the suit symbols in various colors, tipped with bells, her white gloves, etc, etc. "Now, this is such a sight. But I'll never have customers if they're /driven off/ by rowdy upstarts. I /rule/ this casino. This is /my world/. And no heart of darkness, no foolish, fat, slovenly man, no matter how rich, will /ruin/ the experiences of those that step foot within /my/ halls." She declares, pointing an imperious finger at the knights. Spotlights appear from nowhere, highlighting her as she does this. The gates yawn wide, as 'her' heartless stand at the door, handing out warm hand-towels scented with lemon, more /solid gold/ business cards (One for each person, and they're practically forced upon those leaving), and offering small goodie bags of rich chocolates and flowers and complimentary casino coins so that they can come back and play. Mica, for her part, snaps her fingers, as the spotlights focus on the Heartless. "You're annoying my /customers/. And I am in the business of /keeping/ customers. So, please, girls, come back! Enjoy some games on the house. Service is my forte, and fun is my garuntee." "Now get out of my casino, Pests. You're not treating my /valued patrons/ with any sort of respect." As she speaks, the spotlights shine intensely on the Knights... And then a brilliant golden light, like a thousand sparkling treasures beaming down to scour the heartless from the casino floor. All the while, Mica's just standing there, conducting the laserbeam spotlights, as they scour the floors around the heroes. Dusting off her hands, Mica smiles happily at the battered heroes. "Will that be all for you girls today?"

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa glances around as her allies desperately give it their all. It seems she's not the only one standing on her last legs, and she staggers to the ground after stumbling off Angelo's back, the dog rapidly shrinking back to normal size. "Ugh...Gotta stop it.." she raises a shaky hand to summon a spell, but...She can barely focus. Then the combined attacks of the others are thankfully enough to drive them away. "Oh, thank Hyne!" She murmurs, before her head hits the floor, too weak to move, but stubbornly refusing to pass out entirely.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith collapsed, falling to her knees, her staff the only thing supporting her weight. She glanced toward the woman who'd just saved them, thankful for her intervention. Aerith glanced toward her winnings for a moment... and sighed. "I think... I'll cash out. Quit while I'm ahead."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:''' Lumeria takes the offered gifts. She's not being greedy if they're giving to her willingly right? She looks at her earlier winnings and picks up a few coins from it. She figures she can get away with that much without transforming again right? She's going to find somewhere to clean off and sleep after all of this.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart sighs as she moves to help Aerith up. She's pretty tired too "Yeah, cashing out..." And she wants to get out of that costume too... Corneo gets a kick in the butt on the way out.

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya /may/ have had to use Corneo as a weapon. Fortunately, that was made unnecessary when the spotlights appear. She slowly lowers the Don, at least a few inches, and looks suspiciously at Mica's Heartless. She gets a card, somehow, and a hand-towel, also somehow, and even a bag of chocolates, despite not having really enough hands to hold it everything in; she feels like she ought to be juggling things. "I could use my clothes," she says, looking down at where her wings are still covering her chest and face red as a tomato. "Back, I mean."

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Waking up a couple of minutes later and seeing the heartless defeated, Synestria takes that opportunity to slink out of the casino. She's still wary of showing her true form in public, especially as large as she is. DEspite what Aerith might think, her people are still considered monsters by most people.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Synestria doesn't pass Aerith's notice, though. Quiet as she is, there are some people you can't sneak past. The flower girl casts a glance at... wow, was that her true self? Aerith smiled as Tifa helped her out the door. She looked splendid, almost graceful. She placed a hand on Tifa's head for a moment. "Hang on... I won all that fair and square, y'know. When I said cash out, I meant it." She turned her head to look at what she know recognized as the owner. "Could you take care of that for me? I'd appreciate it."

:'''[[Oriane Guado]] has posed:''' Vivid green eyes flicker open as Oriane comes to. Ugh. Is she on the FLOOR?! The gothic priestess struggles up onto her feet and dusts herself off. Black is a terrible color for attracting dust. She is entirely filthy right now which makes Oriane quite perturbed. Oh, and she almost died too. Oriane is oddly not so much effected by that. She is rather obsessed with the topic so being so close to it herself is invigorating. Tch. And not one person stopped to assist her. Then again, she was dressed as a commoner (in her mind) so such ignorance of her plight is to be expected. With a huff, the priestess bundles of up the skirt portion of her dress and makes her way towards the exit. Oriane makes particular note of those remaining. When the tides have turned, they shall suffer the same rudeness as she has should they ever pass out at their feet. The haughty and arrogant priestess is then acosted by more Heartless minions at the door. Why would she need such trivial riches? Oriane stands up straight, takes the goody bag, and then proceeds to toss it into the swamp as soon as she is out the door. The less reminders of this embarassing encounter with her own self-destructive pride, the better.

:'''[[Mica Melchiott]] has posed:''' Mica raises an eyebrow at Navya's response, seemingly mentally counting something, before counting something on her fingers, then shrugging. With a snap, the clothes were returned in a sworl of darkness, though there is a mischevious grin on Mica's face. "What, was the towel not nice enough?" Navya would find that a fair chunk of her winnings had mysteriously (or not-so-mysteriously) disappeared. As for Oriane.... Mica walks next to her, patting her shoulder lightly. "Miss. Might I interest you in a stay in the VIP lounge next time you bless us with your presence? Personal tables, high skill games, and a private wait staff... For someone of your upbringing, nothing less." She grins. "For now... I must clean up. Ta-ta!"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith chuckled and pushed off from Tifa. "I'll be fine... let me go do this myself then. Hopefully the cashier's still open. A few moments later, not even a minute, and Aerith smiled as she walked out with her hard-won munny. This should help the bar out a bit, right?

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith chuckled and pushed off from Tifa. "I'll be fine... let me go do this myself then. Hopefully the cashier's still open." A few moments later, not even a minute, and Aerith smiled as she walked out with her hard-won munny. This should help the bar out a bit, right?

:'''[[Navya]] has posed:''' Navya lets out a sigh of relief. Then she reaches around and adjusts the pants slightly. Ugh, wedgie. "Thanks," she says, still red-faced but letting her wings uncurl. "I, uh... it's good to be modest!" Of note is the fact that she has not put Corneo down, because she doesn't want him to run straight back into the casino.

:'''[[Don Corneo]] has posed:''' "...mmmgh..." Corneo, semi-conscious, mumbles in Navya's arms. "...all the girls... dressed... like chocobos..." Never give up on your dreams, Don.

File:Manhattan.jpg

2013-03-17T05:35:08Z

Lifa: Lifa uploaded a new version of "File:Manhattan.jpg": Manhattan is restored from the Darkness.

User:Lunaris

2013-03-11T21:48:05Z

Lifa: Creating user page for new user.

User talk:Lunaris

2013-03-11T21:48:05Z

Lifa: Welcome!

Under New Management

2013-03-10T16:55:50Z

Lifa: Replaced content with " {{Tinyplot}}"

User:Draco

2013-03-10T06:48:27Z

Lifa: Creating user page for new user.

User talk:Draco

2013-03-10T06:48:27Z

Lifa: Welcome!

User talk:MyLundTheMad

2013-02-27T15:56:46Z

Lifa: Created page with "Just putting down a note that we're not supposed to use FC names for our Wiki accounts :) Might want to ask Oath to change the username to something original~ --~~~~"

Just putting down a note that we're not supposed to use FC names for our Wiki accounts :)

Might want to ask Oath to change the username to something original~
--[[User:Lifa|Lifa]] ([[User talk:Lifa|talk]]) 09:56, 27 February 2013 (CST)

French Cooking

2013-02-24T20:29:56Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2013/02/21 |Location=Traverse Town - Cloud Nine |Synopsis=Maximillen offers up some of his own cooking to the tennants of the Cloud Nine. |Cast of ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/02/21
|Location=Traverse Town - Cloud Nine
|Synopsis=Maximillen offers up some of his own cooking to the tennants of the Cloud Nine.
|Cast of Characters=Tifa Lockhart, Rinoa Heartilly, Morrighan Alazne, Maximilien, CADUCEUS, Percival, Ping, Clayton
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is not in the bar for once! Well, close enough. She's outside actually, brush in hand as she's tending to her red chocobo in front of the building, brushing its mane carefully. She smiles, and hmms musically to herself and the chocobo. "How are you doing today Premium?" She chats with it too, which can be heard from outside. The chocobo just 'kwehs~~' happily as an answer, munching on the gyshal greens that Tifa has for her.

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' Percival was rather self-absorbed today. So much so that he just happened to miss the confined Elven woman on his way down from the roof to the first floor. Just as well, as it would have likely led to a comical confrontation with his allies in the Twilight Detective Agency rather than a social gathering at the bar. So instead, leaden footsteps thud upon the stairwell as he descends the building. His wings were already at rest upon his shoulders, akin to a cloak. Upon reaching the ground floor, he notes that Tifa isn't tending bar, and is instead grooming one lucky Chocobo outside. This worked for Percival as getting a drink at the moment was not a priority. Late as it was, he was self-aware enough to know that he was not the best company when drunk. Taking a few slow steps towards the Jukebox, he stops for a moment to peruse the selection, before inserting munny and choosing a classic Jazz selection. Rounding about the room, he finally circles back towards the bar, taking a seat on one of the stools. While the temptation that resulted from sitting near the bar was a nuisance, the stools offered one thing to him that the remainder of the seating did not. They were actually comfortable to his kind.

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' Maximilien Amadeus Renaud-Sylvianne doesn't normally drink. He's not the drinking sort. He's just...not; the (secret) Phantom Thief knows better than anyone that a sharp mind is a safe mind, and a dull mind is a dead mind. But Max also doesn't normally hang around the Twilight Detective Agency or the Cloud Nine, either; tonight is a unique night, though one of increasing commonality as of late thanks to the presence of the TDA's prisoner. Normally, he comes down and cooks when no one else is around; he's immaculate about cleaning up, and given his thief-y skills, is generally quick enough and careful enough to make sure that Tifa (and others) wouldn't even know he'd been there. He washes the dishes, he dries them, he puts them away and everything! Tonight, however, he's done cooking - he washed up, he cleaned up, he left the meal on the prisoner's table. So it was time to leave. Max lands...right in the chocobo stables, actually! He's as silent as a ghost, and lands somewhere behind Tifa, taking a glance at the young woman briefly as his cape flows down around him. Then he glances back at the bar, taking a very long look through the window. "Bonsoir, madamoiselle. I believe you have a customer; you may want to see to him before he becomes...untenable, mais non?" Announcing yourself was for people who didn't have Perfect Stealth.

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' Approaching the building within sight of Tifa is a tall, slender yet athletic man wearing beige clothing. A shotgun is slung across his back on a sling. He holds himself with a slight upturn of the chin, eyes alert, his stride confident. He is Clayton, hunter and adventurer extraordinaire. He passes by Tifa and gives her a mock tip of the hat. "Good evening, miss," he says in a smooth baritone. He pauses to regard the Chocobo with keen interest. One of these days, he ought to purchase one as a mount for hunting. He hears their speed is quite formidable. Then he enters the building and into the bar, taking in a breath at the surroundings.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa seems a bit preoccupied today as she makes her way towards Cloud Nine. She is without Angelo for once which is odd..That dog usually follows her around everywhere. But now? She's nowhere to be seen. Every so often, the girl glances around and whistles, even calling out her dog's name. But no one answers in return. Finally she spies Tifa up ahead, grooming her chocobo and attracting the usual assortment of people. "Ahh, Tifa. Hey..."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles over to Max and Rinoa as they meet with her. She noticed Clayton too, but she's going to meet him in a second. "Thank you sir" she says toward Max "I was about to go back inside." She pets her chocobo with a smile "You stay good now." And then steps out of the stables toward the doors of the Cloud Nine. "Hey Rinny, how are you doing?" She tilts her head a bit when she notices Angelo isn't around "Something up with Angelo?" She wonders, as she moves insdie toward the counter, sliding behind it to start taking up the orders.

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' Percival has his elbows rested upon the bar, his taloned hands laced together. Listening to the background music of the jazz, it barely registers to him when Tifa takes her place. It isn't long after that he notices her, and a polite fanged smile crosses his visage. "Madame Lockhart. A pleasure, as always. Could I please trouble you for a gin and cranberry juice?" Alright, so perhaps a little bit of temptation isn't all that terrible. His hands unfold, as he now turns his head just enough to survey the other patrons for the night.

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' Clayton also takes a seat at the bar, patiently waiting for his turn. He checks himself out in a mirror hanging from the wall, messing with his hair slightly to get it less askew. "I'll take a scotch on the rocks, miss," he says. He doesn't remove the shotgun from his back, but it's plain to see that it's a pretty big one. Double barrelled, flip down to reload, the stock made of hard polished wood worn in small places, the metal kept polished. It is clearly a highly used gun.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa offers a small smile towards Tifa. "I'm doing alright, but..I cant find Angelo anywhere..Where could she be? This is..Really unusual behavior for her." She sighs, rubbing her head, seeming a bit upset to say the least. "But! I see your new bar is up and running, and with loads of customers too! Wow, Tifa! This place looks awesome!" Rinoa cant help but notice all the potential customers milling about outside either, chuckling as she steps aside, "Ahh sorry, I guess now is probably a bad time to ask for help in tracking down Angelo..Need a hand with orders?"

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' Max bows politely. He looks every bit the part of the fairy tale hero, born of the pages of some glittery story. White tuxedo, golden trimmings, big cape, handsome smile, well-kept red hair, long legs, long arms, delicate fingers; everything *about* him looks like he stepped out of a story about a heroic prince. "Of course, madamoiselle; he needs someone to keep an eye on him, after all." Well, now people were going inside, so...he couldn't just *leave*. That'd be too damn suspicious. This way he could just look like a patron. So instead, Max slips inside behind them, closing the door afterwards. He leans there for a moment, then closes his eyes. "Bonjour, Monsieur Gargoyle. Je m'excuse; I decided to take it upon myself to stop you from drinking alone this evening."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "I don't need much help, but I'm also worried about Angelo, you should try to look around. Maybe she's hiding on the other floors?" She wonders about that. She turns around, starting up on the drinks with a smile. Gin and cranberry, scotch on the rocks, all pretty easy things to whip up, and pretty fast too. She slides the two glasses in tandom on the counter toward the two. She's unalarmed by a gargoyle, she's used to them by now after all. "Nice to see everyone ehre, we crossed a few times, but mostly when we were fighting. Its nice to meet when its quiet.

:'''[[Morrighan Alazne]] has posed:''' "...Hmph!" On the floor above, Morrighan huffed to herself, pouting angrily as she sat on the edge of her bed in utter boredom. Max had come by earlier to leave a meal for her. Sure, it was much more to her tastes this time, but still! Why was she still stuck in this room!? Day after day after day! It was enough to drive someone insane! "What right do they have to keep me locked up in this dog house anyhow!? I am not a pet! I am Morrighan Lachesis Alazne, and I DEMAND to be treated with respect!" The dark elf then yelled out at the door on the other side of the room, hands gripping her extravagant dress in frustration. "SOMEONE let me out of here now! NOW!" Alas, her words fell on deaf ears. Literally. As there was no one on this floor. Oh well, thems the breaks! And so with a sigh of resignation, the captive white mage got up off the edge of her bed, taking a seat at the table to eat. What? She was hungry! The food did do it's job of shutting her up though, reducing her loud yells and demands to merely a low grumble.

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' Percival found himself taking stock of the man who sat beside him. Late nineteenth to early twentieth century hunting garb, check. Overly large firearm, check. A very Scottish drink, check. He had to wonder if he found himself drinking beside Allan Quatermain himself. He was half-tempted to raise a toast with 'God save the Queen.' just to see how he'd respond. No need for that though. Best to start things pleasantly, at least, and without assumptions. He gestures with a single talon his way. "Madame Lockhart, the gentleman's first drink is on me." And then there's Max. A bony protrusion above his eye twitches slightly at Max's comment. What exactly was he implying by that? Worse yet, when didn't he drink alone? He considered these questions for a time, and found that he couldn't come up with an answer. The devil's brew had stolen a few more hours from him apparently. Best to play along. "You're always welcome, Max. Have a seat. Madame Lockhart, Max's first is on me as well...."

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' Clayton sizes Percival up with a cool look. Definitely not human. One of those 'Gargoyles', then. He wondered how much their horns and talons would fetch on the markets. This one seemed to have some meat on him, too. The fact the gargoyle is buying him a drink is noted. "You're too kind, sir," he says. Then again, he didn't know how old Gargoyles can be. Maybe he should be saying 'old boy' instead. "It's a good thing one can still find good scotch outside one's own world."

:'''[[CADUCEUS]] has posed:''' CADUCEUS had seen the place opened and such but he always been too busy. Tonight however, curiousity has gotten the better of him and he decides to come check out the place. After all, this was a bar, meaning people drink themselves sick, and he treats sick.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods to Percival "Alright, consider it done, but what will the gentleman choose for a drink tonight?" Talking about Max of course. Although, its hard to say 'night' around here since its a constant. Its never 'day' after all, you'd never know if you didn't look at a clock.

:'''[[Ping]] has posed:''' Cloud Nine has become Ping's home away from home, his "Rosie's Bar" out here in the DMZ. He's been stabling his horse with the chocobos and after brushing him down, he's decided to come in to relax. There's a lot of terrible things happening out there in the War on Heartless but a few hours at Cloud Nine can serve as a respite from that harsh reality. After taking a seat at the bar and ordering a bit of oolong, Ping sips his tea and engages in a bit of people watching. He's a bit of a wallflower after all, and stays to the perimeter of the crowd, getting a feel for the current mood before mixing himself.

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' Max meant that the last time he had seen the Gargoyle drink alone, the Gargoyle had drunk himself stupid and emotional, and Max had no intention of being caught in the middle of someone being Stupid and Emotional again. He shrugs at Percival as Percy makes a motion with his eyes - yes, Max is just that perceptive - and moves over towards the stairs. Maybe he should go upstairs. Check on Morrighan. Not be here. Because he knew how this sort of thing played out. He knew how it went, even as he waved his hand gently as Tifa and smiled and told her "non, merci, je ne suis pas bu ce soir". But...well, Morrighan would probably be in no mood for visitors, and he didn't want to just *leave* - people tended to wonder why you left a party before it even began, instead of in the middle of it when everyone's busy with themselves. So instead, Max spins back behind the counter and moves for the stove. "I am not drinking tonight, madamoiselle, because tonight I will be cooking for your lovely guests and your lovely self, mais non? An evening of fine wine, french cuisine, and beautiful company; what more could anyone ask for, ehn?"

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' Percival looks over Clayton stoically. He wasn't sure what to make of him, but he didn't exactly like the first impression he received. The man had a lean and hungry look about him. Still, he was polite, and he couldn't answer that with brusqueness. "I've found that Scotch appears to be a universal truth here. Much like Gin or wine. It matters not what world you travel to, you'll find that the finest sorts of liquor have survived to see the end of days." Chuckling at Max's flamboyant display, he gives the man a wry smile. "I could ask for a Cornish pasty or an Arbroath smokie, rather than your very French cuisine, but it seems that it will have to do. Let's see if you can manage a sirloin, medium rare." Its clear from his tone, that while there is a hint of rudeness, it is a sort of affectionate rivalry, or game between the two of them.

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' "Would you prefer a Cornish pasty or an Arbroath smokie? I assure you, monsiuer, I am most capable of either, and more besides," Max replies idly.

:'''[[CADUCEUS]] has posed:''' CADUCEUS approaches the bar and looks to the various drinks before looking to Ping. "You look as if you have the world on your shoulders. I believe I saw you fishing the other day and caught a boot?" He asks curiously.

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' "Mmm. I may end up regretting it, but take your pick. Whichever is to your own liking."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart tilts her head a bit at Max, but hmmmms in thought "Well if you would like to cook, I can let you use the cooking plate. I wasn't expecting that but I don't mind it either." She smiles "What are you going to cook then?" She moves a bit to the side.

:'''[[Ping]] has posed:''' Ping is quietly watching Max and Perci and drinking his tea when CADUCEUS greets him. His eyebrows raise significantly and he nods before placing his teacup aside. "Oh, yeah, that's right." He laughs, a little embarassed, but adds, "At least I caught a nap, too. So the day wasn't a complete loss."

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' Clayton pondered the obviously very British non-human next to him. It was a decidedly odd feeling. Then again, if the Empire can make the savage Indians into a halfway respectable people, then perhaps it was possible for such beings as gargoyles and elves, he muses. A cross, too. Now that really threw Clayton for a loop, considering he wasn't exactly a pious man. He certainly payed lip service to the Church of England and all that, but he hadn't attended service for years, barring the occasional funeral. The Frenchman is a bit more to his speed. He smirked at Max and his flamboyance. Well, THAT was certainly what he came to expect. He doubts Max has ever really roughed it in his life. The clothes are certainly fancy. "Well, thank God for that," he replies to Percival, allowing a dry chuckle.

:'''[[CADUCEUS]] has posed:''' "Well, that is always good. I apologize if my appearance seems most strange to you. Where I come from...things are completely different." He says as he would look to Tifa. "By any chance, miss, Do you recieve anything from a world called The Grid or Dataspace?"

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' "Apparently," Max replies cheerfully, opening the fridge and rifling through it thoughtfully as he searches for ingredients. "I shall be preparing cornish pasties. Luckily, it seems we do have more than enough beef; I was a touch worried." Max slips his hands in, drawing out the ingredients and immediately getting to work. For an avowed pacifist, he handles that knife /deftly/, slicing up the beef and the rutabagas and the onions and the carrots and the potatos with an almost vicious speed. He's barely looking down, too; it's almost like watching a Japanese chef work, like watching a show. Indeed, he does put on a bit of a show when he gets out the second knife, mixing the ingredients as he chops them. He offers a wink to the ladies (Rinoa and Tifa) as he does so - but his other eye is on Clayton. The big man had his attention; he was an unknown, a very very unknown, and Max had learned long ago that ignoring unknowns got you hurt. Badly. "I suppose I shall have to pick something for a side...mmmm, perhaps something simple. Steamed vegetables should go well enough with the pasties, I think."

:'''[[Ping]] has posed:''' Ping is still trying to get over that reflex of surprise when he sees something unfamiliar to him. Here in Traverse Town, though, there is a very diverse population. He shakes his head. "Not strange at all. I've met a Mister Tron and discovered his tribe to a very brave and generous sort."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hmmms at Caduceus' question "I don't think I have. I never went there, I didn't think you had any drinks either mind you, being all techno and what not. In fact I met some of your kind that were even afraid of water, which I can understand too."

:'''[[CADUCEUS]] has posed:''' "Not all are like our good friend TRON, but he is a...good example to follow." CADUCEUS says as he looks to his own green lights. He then looks to Tifa. "The Sea of Simulation destroys any program which goes into it. And we can eat and drink, though we prefer to either drink a liquid which glows, or go to a special booth for a rest cycle." He says as he sighs. "Food and water here...just doesnt have the instant restoration which our liquid energy has." He says calmly.

:'''[[Ping]] has posed:''' Ping perks up at the mention of glowing water and instant restoration. He nods his head excitedly and smiles brightly, "I'd like to try some of that. I could use some instant restoration!" "You're more than welcome to join me in my oolong. It's not instant but I find it to be rather restorative, especially with a little dip of honey in it."

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' Ah, that uneasy feeling once again. It was as if the other shoe were about to drop. And he didn't even wear shoes. A quick glance towards Clayton was made as he continued the pleasantries. "I don't believe I caught your name, Sir? Though it appears as if you're on the hunt in Traverse Town. I do confess that this puzzles me, unless you consider the Heartless to be worthy prey this season." He cranes his head just enough to catch a glimpse of Max's activities. "They'll serve, I imagine." He takes a sip of his drink. It was clear that he didn't intend to drink all that much, given how he was nursing it.

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' Clayton's eyes glitter as they watch Max. Perhaps he knows he's being eyeballed by the Frenchman, but he handles it with cool disinterest. He glances back at Percival. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is John Clayton. Most just call me Clayton. Ah, you noticed the old girl, eh?" He points his thumb back at the shotgun. "I tend to travel a lot, so I keep my equipment close. You never know what lurks around the corner, I say. Or when a fine piece of game just...shows up in front of you. If there's one thing I hate, it's a missed oppurtunity." He happens to notice Ping, recognizing the Chinese boy from the beach where the red haired girl washed up. What was her name? Aria? Oh well. "As for the Heartless...well, they're always worthy prey. I consider them the next level of beast. Something fiercer than any leopard or tiger. Oh, some of the small ones, they aren't much good. But the bigger ones? Oh yes. Quite dangerous."

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' "Well," Max replies to Percival calmly as he begins actually putting the pasties together; they'll be baking shortly. Or he might do something CRAZY AND OUTLANDISH, because he's a CRAZY OUTLANDISH FLAMBOYANT FRENCHMAN! Indeed, there's that cane of his, carved up with runes and junk; he slips it into his hand as he finishes wrapping the pasties, carefully holding his fingers up. "I admit that it cannot be a *proper* Cornish pasty, for it will not be made in Cornwall, but given the lack of proper geography I suspect it will nonetheless be to your liking, non? You will have to forgive me. It has been some time since I made a Cornish pasty." The last time had been to infiltrate and steal from someone, but Percy didn't really need to know that. He was one hundred percent with Percy here, though; something about Clayton put him off, and when Max was put off, it generally meant trouble. "Bonsoir, monsieur Clayton. Je m'apelle Maximilien; Maximilien Amadeus Renaud-Sylvianne. Please, call me Max; everyone does. It is far easier." The accent is thick with this one. Max's cane comes down, and suddenly, there's a burst of heat and smoke. Then, his hand comes up, and the smoke just...slips down into his sleeve and vanishes. Sitting there, on the table, are the Cornish pasties. Max takes a step back and bows. They are, in fact, perfectly prepared - despite the methodology he used. Apparently, Max is very, very good at what he does. "Please, help yourselves. Food is made to be enjoyed; there is more than enough for all to enjoy."

:'''[[CADUCEUS]] has posed:''' "Come to the grid and you can have some. Problem is the entrances to the grid are either lost or being used by those which commands those dark monsters you see wandering the worlds." CADUCEUS says as he sighs and then nods. "Sure I wll try some oolong." He says and raises a hand to let tifa know he wanted what Ping had.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart waves to Ping and a smile, and goes to get some plates so that everyone can get some of the pastries "Those look very delicious, thank you for the meal, mister Max." She smiles, and moves over to get Ping's tea so she can prepare it "That won't take long."

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' "Non, non, madamoiselle; just 'Max'. 'Monsieur Max' is far too formal."

:'''[[Ping]] has posed:''' Ping shares what's left of his oolong with CADUCEUS while Tifa prepares a fresh pot. There's a little dish of honey nearby, too, with a small spoon for adding it. "Please help yourself." As Tifa comes near, Ping's constant companion, a tiny cricket, can be heard. A quiet cricket song leaps up in tempo at Tifa's approach, mimicing the tiny bug's racing heartbeat.

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' "John Clayton is it? It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Percival, esquire." Something about Clayton raised the hackles on the back of his neck, but the man was polite enough, and British. There was nothing to fear, was there? If Percival had taken a moment longer to consider the matter, he might have realized that he hadn't exactly met that many of his countrymen. And even fewer that treated him this politely. But the thought didn't even cross his mind. Max's flamboyant method of serving the dinner entree raised a chuckle out of the Gargoyle. "Always the showman, Max?" He took a bite of the pasty. It was....good. Very good in fact, but he couldn't let Max hear that. If he did he'd never hear the end of it. "Its...satisfactory, Max. I suppose I'll just have to accept your geographical deficiencies." He winks at him, with a good natured chuckle.

:'''[[CADUCEUS]] has posed:''' CADUCEUS nods and adds a spoonful and mixes the tea before sipping it. "This is delicious. One thing I will admit, the different flavors users have created for things is remarkable." He says calmly as he offers the cup back to Ping.

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' "A pleasure. I've yet to meet a fellow Brit outside my...time period, I'd guess you'd say. Even a non-human Brit as you seem to be." Clayton decides he will just roll with this. Sentient non-humans are fortunately low on his hunting list. Clayton finds hunting complete beasts and monsters much easier to justify, after all. He nods to their chef. "Certainly, Max." He looks back to Percival. "I was in the jungles of Africa with a team of animal researchers. The year was...or IS, 1882. That's when we were cut off from the rest of Earth."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart serves up the tea to Ping and the program, quite happy to give them something she also likes. She's always drinking tea herself, not risking alcohol in her own bar after all. "Here you go, enjoy." She adds the drop of honey as well to it. "Not instant, but definitely good I'm sure." She winks, and moves back to the counter, starting to eat up what Max prepared "Yummy~ You're pretty good at this, I should get the recipe from you.

:'''[[Ping]] has posed:''' The little cricket playing its heartfelt song for Tifa thinks that the bartender has brought the tea for him of course. When Tifa passes a cup to Ping, the little bug hops in discreetly for a steamy soak. Ping lifts the cup of tea for a sip but notices the insect at the last moment. He furrows his brow and puts the cup back down, looking frustrated. Rising up from his seat, he bows to CADUCEUS and Tifa and smiles, "Thanks for the tea, Ms. Lockhart and it was a pleasure to meet you, sir. But I think it's about time that I fell in. Be well!" With that, Ping takes up his sword leaned up against the bar and heads for the door, waving behind him.

:'''[[Maximilien]] has posed:''' "Happily, madamoiselle; I am certain it is easily available, or monsieur gargoyle likely knows of it. Though I confess - the English are /tricky/ and /proud/, and do love to refuse credit where it is due." Max's grin is wide as he moves back over, brushing his fingers across Tifa's hand. "I could, alternatively, simply teach you, madamoiselle...a recipe is /very/ easy to remember if you give someone something.../memorable/ to associate with it, non?" Then he slides out from behind the counter, moving over to the wall to rest. His arms cross, his cane disappears up his sleeve (how's he doing that?) - but before he does, Tifa might catch a hint of materia on the tip of the cane! Huh. Max watches Ping leave, then frowns. SOMETHING was off about that fellow, too. Not like Clayton; Clayton was WORRYING, Ping was just...different. Put him off, but not ill at edge. But he conceals the frown swiftly enough. "1882 in Africa, monsieur? That sounds quite hostile."

:'''[[Percival]] has posed:''' "It certainly would seem that way, given it was 1996 when we were...cut off. An apt way of putting it. Strange that. It seems some of us are out of joint with time, and others with space. You were serving as protection for these researchers I presume?" Percival takes another sip from his drink, before he takes another bite of the pasty. Dabbing off his mouth with a handkerchief in an overexaggerated way at Max's statement. "Oh yes, I make it a point of refusing to dole out credit where its due." Most of all when its due to himself. The materia tipped cane completely escapes the Gargoyle. And his prickly and competitive nature did make him like to challenge Max to a cooking competition at some point in the future. He'd have to have some time for practice, however.

:'''[[Clayton]] has posed:''' "Very hostile. That's why they hired me, of course. I'd braved the jungles before, you see. Professor Porter and his daughter Jane. They were looking for a guide, they came to me. Went there to study gorillas or the like, I frankly wasn't terribly interested in it." Of course, this is a lie. Clayton is VERY interested in the Silverback Gorillas. One day... "I will say this, the French know how to cook. I can't recount the days spent living off dried meats, hard crumpets and water. Then I came back to English cooking!" He lets out a good natured guffaw at his little self-deprecating jab. He is quick with a laugh, though, and a toothy grin. Very quick.

Barmaid and Mermaid

2013-02-24T20:27:02Z

Lifa:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/02/23
|Location=Traverse Town - Cloud Nine
|Synopsis=A barmaid, a mermaid and a crab walk in a bar. No punchline, just a social.
|Cast of Characters=Zeke, Tifa Lockhart, Deelel, Emi Dennou, Ariel
|pretty=yes
}}

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Its a quiet day in the bar. Well 'day' is entirely relative considerng that its always night in Traverse. But that doesn't stop the bar from running, they just look at the clcok more often rather than at the sun. Plus its not like all of the worlds are synched with their sun either. Its just all odd, but people get used to it nonetheless. Buysing herself behind the counter, one might miss her being there at all when they enter, as she's bent down behind it, checking on the stock underneath the counter, and in the small fridge there. Though there's a sound of 'hmming' musically, matching the music from the radio.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel decides to check out the bar. She's passed by it a few times, but hasn't stopped in yet. She now has a little extra pocket munny, though, and aside from that some new clothes to wear for different occasions. Today, however, she hasn't seen any reason to change out of her blue dress. Sebastian has been tagging along with her. It's partially since he still feels it's his job to keep her out of trouble, and partially because he really doesn't feel safe around most humans. Mostly, he stays hidden somewhere. Ariel has gotten used to having a babysitter since he can't really stop her from talking to people. When Ariel enters, with crab crawling slowly behind, it looks like there's no one in the bar at all at first. Maybe it's not open yet. It's so hard to keep track of time here.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hears the door though, so she doesn't miss it. A hand appears behind the counter, pointing a finger up "One second~" announcing that there is someone there at least. A few seconds later, the barmaid bounces up, lifting a box up on the counter ro rummage in it later, pushing it aside as she sees the lovely red-haired girl sitting there "Hiya, welcome to the Cloud Nine." She smiles, quite the friendly girl.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ah, someone is here after all. This only startles Sebastian SLIGHTLY. He's getting better about this. He crawls up onto a stool, but, one in the corner. Ariel on the other hand just walks right up to Tifa. "Hello! I'm Ariel! I guess this is where people are buying the ice creams from!" She noticed the sign. She also noticed the Detective Agency sign, which means Emi must work here, but right now she doesn't need a detective.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles, taking a rag to clean her hands a bit from the rummaging "Well we have sea salt ice cream, yup. But we're also a bar and restaurant, we handle all kinds, since we're also an inn. There are rooms on the upper floors." She glances over to the crab, tilting her head a bit "Friend of yours?" She's used to talking animals and such, so it wouldn't surprise her all that much.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Ohhh. That's good to know," Ariel says, though she isn't in need of another inn right now. "I bet you get all kinds of travelers from other worlds here." Ariel looks at Sebastian, and for a moment there's a silent communication. She sits up at the bar, crossing her legs, and then she squints at him. Finally, he speaks up. It's kind of quiet. "'Allo." "Yes, that's Sebastian." Ariel sighs, and rests her chin on one hand. She still wishes he'd get over his fear of humans but he especially dislikes restaurant locations. She tries... "I... don't suppose you serve fish here."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart tilts her head "Serving fish, as in a fish meal, or serving fishes like serving your friend there." She plays a bit on the words there, without ill intents, just giggling a bit. "Because we do have fish for those that ask of it. In filet mostly." Of course, she doesn't think that might pass off as a bad thing for the two, but there are many kinds of people here as well. Just the first time she meets a mermaid, even as a human shape. Not that she'd known Ariel is a mermaid at first glance, and she has no special powers to guess those things either. she waves to the crab nonetheless "Hi, if you wish for anything, let me know~"

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Sebastian looks at Ariel for a second, as if to say - you SEE? He points a claw at Tifa. Ariel sighs again, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, no, it wasn't a joke. He's just afraid of..." Ariel leans over as if it's a secret, but knows very well Sebastian can hear her. "Being eaten." She hasn't let anyone in on the fact that she's a mermaid. She's not interested in being a mermaid anymore, anyway. But at some point she's going to have to figure out how to get back home just to see if everything is okay... "I think I'll have an ice cream, though."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods, moving over to the ice cream bin to fish out a stick with the frozen treat on it for the ex-mermaid. "Here you go. Check the stick for possible prizes too." Sometimes you get a free one after all. Then, she moves over to the crab, leaning down to his level "Don't worry, we don't eat sentient, talking one. You have to understand that in every world things are different. In my homeworld, fishes weren't talking or even intelligent, they were simply food. For that matter, so are ducks. But in this world, there are many kinds of talking animals. I ever turned into a jaguar myself, you know." There's a story behind that. She pats the crab on the head before moving bck to the counter.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "A.... jagwar?" Ariel has never seen one. She looks like she wants to learn more of the story. But she also looks gleeful at getting the ice cream. The novelty hasn't quite worn off yet. "In our world, fish are not for food, and we t'ank you to respect dat--" Sebastian suddenly pipes up. Then he realizes he's talking to a human, and adds... "ma'am."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "You've seen the portals, no doubt, that leads to different worlds? Well apparently when crossing certain portals, you also adapt to it, like how your money is converted to the local currency on its own. Same with bodies. We are still investigating it, but when we crossed a newly opened portal, we were in a savannah, and everyone had turned into animals." She nods to Sebastian "Don't take any offense when we say we eat fishes. If we captured a fish that would talk to us and beg for release or something, we wouldn't be able to eat it. Heck, I wouldn't be able to eat it personally. But the fishes we capture are... nothing. They are lifeless, no intelligence, they just stare in space, unfeeling. I understand you wouldn't want to eat any either way, just like I wouldn't want to eat human. Its just... a different way of thinking in this world, you need to adapt."

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel has heard about the place while she needed to aquire energy she didn't consume material for it as often as a human or another organic creature might still it was an intereting social thing. They had bars on the grid but that was it no real eastery the Users eating their local version of grid bugs for power was something she tried to not think about too hard. Still she needed to reachrge right and so here she wa wndiner into the pub looking for a place to at a converstion about food she thinks? The basic listens for a moment and then speaks up. "Also the natives of this world seem to need to consume other creatures to surive. It's the way of things even if it is ... disturbing at times. Generally the consumption of people is not taken well by most I seen." That may or may not have been the basic's attempt at humor

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel thinks for a minute about what Tifa said about portals. That... makes sense. She came through one, too. She looks at Sebastian for a moment, and there is another silent comment as if a mystery has now been solved. "Ahhh. I didn't... know that portals did that." About the fish, she frowns a little. "That's... really sad, actually." She looks over her shoulder and sees Deelel come in, and waves. But she's still being sad about the fish. The 'consumption of people' part just makes her look horrified. She didn't get the joke.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods, smiling "Don't worry anyway, we won't eat your friend there. As I said, its only because animals seem without any intelligence that we do. Some animals are smarter for us, like dogs and cats, and we don't want to eat them." She waves to Deelel "Its generalizing alot here, but if we were able to sense the animal's emotions we probably would be alot less inclined to do so. And different worlds showed us the possibilities. Talking animals, mostly ducks around here even. Walking on two legs, wearing a top hat even, those are traits that would be entirely human in our world. So you get used to the idea that its not humans, but any living creature with intelligence instead.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel considers that. She's eaten a few meats since she came here to this island. None of them were fish, but... what kind of animals were they? At home she always ate seaweed and such and it was so dull, so nice to have ice cream and other amazing human food. She nibbles on it a bit, hoping the ice cream didn't come from any animal that was upset by it. Maybe she should stick to vegetarian food. "I guess it's really a lot to think about. So what is your world like, other than no talking fish?"

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel seems to have failed at humor. "It is a chaotic world. To be sure and a veyr alien one to be honest." She looks at Tifa and nods a little bi "I'm sorry I'm still coming to understand some aspects of this world. "I was trying to make a joke I asn't trying to ... err." She didn't figure humor of her own people would be funny to many so prehaps she was trying too hard. She'll move to sit down and join the coverstation. "Oh! I'm sorry I should have introduced myself. I'm Deelel.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles, leaning on the counter a bit "Well, if you ever go to the world of ruins, you'll know how my world looked like, more or less. Around Goug at least, otherwise known as Midgar in my world. It was a big metal, mechanical city in fact." The new world did have some advantages on that side. She nods to Deelel "its alright, sometimes humor also has different shapes, and what sounds funny for one person doesn't work on other people. It depends alot on their minset, like if they are distracted, angry, or otherwise not receptive. Also, it depends on other factors." She looks at Sebastian "Like mr Crab there, if you tried a fish or a crab joke, he might not find it amusing at all. Its hard to guage of the proper audience and timing for humor."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Ah, Sebastian used to be a lot more fun. I'm sure you'll be back to your old self in no time," Ariel asides to him. The crab starts to reply... "Well, if YOU were b--" I'm NOT gonna talk about it," Ariel says to him, cutting him off. Then she looks at Tifa. The talk of her world is fascinating. "That sounds so incredible! Is it still possible to get back there?"

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel says "I have been to the world of ruin on and off given I'm ith the Shard Seekers at the moment." She still had a hard time grasping few users could even understand what a computer was let alone operate or code with one. It was a sobering experiance to be sure, as for Goug I travel there very often given my current life situation at the moment." IE it was the Shinra or LEXUS with the grid box and thankfully it was the Shinra who while appear to just be notehr company well? Are not a elrich horror that has no place in the user world or the grid itself. "I'll get it some day, I'm doing better than some of my friends at adapting to here it would seem. Anway how much is the special?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods to the red-haired girl "Of course, I have another bar over there too. Its not too hard to get there once you get used to things. We have maps to help out as well." She smiles softly, Midgar can be fascinating to people that aren't new there, but the novelty wears off when you realize that people live in the slums. "Its always fascinating for people visiting for the first time, every world is like that. Like being transformed into a jaguar was pertty interesting." She looks at Deelel, "100 munny for today." She smiles "Here, let me test something about humor." She walks over to Sebastian again, sitting on the side of the table "Let's see if this kind of humor works on crabs." She clears her throat "Ms and Mr Lobster were at the beach, when mr Lobster decides to go get some ice cream cones. On the way back, since it wa sa hot day, he pauses to eat some of his ice cream. But meanwhile, his wife's cone was melting, so he licked his claw clean, and then ate the ice cream too because it was too melted. When he got back to his wife, she asked where's the ice cream, so he explained that he ate it. And she says 'You shellfish bastard'." Maybe not the best kind of humor either, but its a fish pun. At least its not stereotyped. She waits for a reaction before going back to ready the day's special meal for Deelel.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Well... Sebstian laughs. And so does Ariel. She covers her mouth as if choking back a guffaw, whereas his is more of a chuckle. Tension... slightly diffused. "I guess that's all right, girl," Sebastian says to Tifa. "I really want to go visit," Ariel says. She seems to be almost thinking, right now, but... she should at least finish her ice cream. It's dripping. She licks at it for a moment. Then she considers something. "Who are shard seekers?" she asks Deelel.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel forks over the money without much issue as she listens to Tifa's joke she 's not sure what to say to teh joke but she'll look at Sabsitan for a moment then to Ariel for a moment as she gets the joke it takes her a momen but she laughs. "A group of Adventurers who operate out of Fluorgis."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles as she starts to cook it up. Its chicken rice today, with a side of vegetables. Nothing too fancy there, but its yummy smelling right now in the bar. "Shard Seekers devoted themselves to find the world shards, which are keys to finding new worlds. We saw one world get unlocked, the one we turned into aninals. We also saw one get locked down, Manhattan, which we are still trying to recover the world shard for it. They announced it was the first prize of the Hades Tournament, which I'm part of.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Manhattan. Ah. I've heard of that place. I hope you do restore it. I... wanted to see it!" Ariel says. "Big buildings, with metal and glass. It sounds amazing." The food does smell good, too. And it's not fish. She could probably have some. She finishes the ice cream as, well, maybe it's an appetizer.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel says "As am I our teams still need to face eachother Tifa." She nods to Ariel for a moment "It's the cloests I seen to my home outside of it to be honest." Given there seems to be some sort of connection between the grid and the world o it's creations it might not be that suprising to someone who'd seen both worlds. "I'm still concerned given how the election went."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles to Ariel "Want some too? Its not much harder to cook for 2." She hmms musically, she seems to enjoy what she does really. "Manhattan was quite special, even compared to Midgar it was somewhat cleaner. It had alot more cars too. It was different, but similar at the same time, preffering glass towers to metal ones." She nods to Deelel "Should be next week, I'm looking forward to it." She smiles. She's competitive, but not mean.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Sure! It smells really delicious." Ariel has to ask, though... "What meat is that?" And what's a car? Oh no. She should know what a car is, shouldn't she? She tries to imagine it.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "This is chicken." She lets Ariel smell the plate she's readying. She would help about cars, if she knew of the confusion of the mermaid of course. "How about mr Crab, anything to eat or drink?"

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel says "It was an interesting city, but if we succeed it will be so again. I still wonder if it is restored what it will do about baron. Given some of the armorments they may have access to or be able to construct it could get bad. Can't worry about that right now and as for the election a I said I'd be careful Tid be very wary of the Black Guard...err DPS."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Sebastian seems willing to consider, but still a little uncertain. "M...maybe some udda time." Ariel gives him a kind of crooked look. Then she explains to Tifa. "They don't eat much anyway." She tugs on a piece of hair for a moment. "Well... I haven't fought a Heartless. But I'm willing to learn and help," she says to Dee. "With, uh, the Black Guard or whatever." Not sure who that is. So much to learn!

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' Two Dennous are coming downstairs. Umi walks right up to the counter and says, "I desire a beer! A root beer!" Emi gives Umi a look and Umi waits a few moments and then adds, "The Network ammends the word 'please' to that statement a bit belatedly." Emi continues looking at Umi. "...This one will tip extra for acting out." She hangs her head. Emi nods once and then approaches Ariel, reaching into one of her pockets as she gets closer, a look of--yes!--determination on her face.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' The odd thing about tRaverse is it's always night. On the downside this makes a personal carcadian rythm pretty well go haywire unless you find other cues to go to bed, wake, go about your routine. On the plus side there's always someplace open to get a drink at. An this particular bar has so many interesting people in it. Zeke came walking thorugh smelling of sea and sun. He looked a little more tan than usual and there wre fresh patches here and there 'pon his coat."Miss Deelel." He nodded to Deelel carefully. "Ariel." He smiled to the redhead warmly. "Good to see the two of you around. How've the winds been blowing here as of late?" Somewhere else in the bar a trio of two foot and some odd change oddly dressed fellows chittered amongst themselves incomprehencably. In reality they were arguing over what to get to drink but from the outside what with the three stooges slapping and eye poking and whatnot it was so much violent comedy in the background. Well, mostly the background, Zeke noticed this and sighed theatrically. "Oi! You three!" The three shorties were suddenly at attention. "Behave." Then he looked around for whoever, or perhaps whatever, might be the bartender here. "Those three," Thumb jerked in the direction of the midget-stooges, "Nothing overly strong and none of this caffine business. They're... Exciteable enough as is."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart waves to the newcomers to the bar today, smiling. Yes, its always night in traverse, but the clock says its around 5pm right now. That's why its there at least, because otherwise good luck with it. She serves up the two plates of chicken rice and vegetables to Deelel and Ariel, nodding "No worries, that's why I was asking. Didn't expect him to want rice, but he could have wanted something else." She turns over to serve up the root beer for the network with a grin, and then turns back over to clean up the large, black cooking plate.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel notices Umi and Emi who get a wave from her perch at the bar. Zeekek gets a wave as she goes bck to her order. "Found shard of a city called Tokyo. Well part of it eitehr way. Still it's up to those who know how to deal with it. "They are not heartless they are form my world. I originally came here to seek help. i'm not sure what they are up to right now but they haven't broken any laws yet but I'm very wary." She shudders tot hink if the GAMES were ever implemented here.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel can definitely smell the sunshine and ocean when Zeke comes in. She'll have to go somewhere with sunshine again soon. "Hello! You've definitely been on an adventure! Hello, Emi!" She pauses, and then looks excited about something. "Oh! You should give me your... your number!" She grins. "So I can call you on your Telling Fone!" "What's Tokyo?" she asks Deelel. She has a hard time keeping up.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke had no clue of the Games or CLU or any of Deelel's homeworld but with a name like Black Guard these fellows sounded... difficult to deal with. That or they were ramatures taking on a grand name. Trouble is Deelel's so human you'd think she were lying by claiming to be a program involentary responses hinted ot zeke that she at least thought they were bad news. "Kokyo eh?" He looked sidelong at the Program. "Got a cook offn somewehre 'roundbouts there. Way he described it lots of tal lbuidlings, odd sounds... something called an arcade." Shrug, the word meant nothing to him. "Said all he was was just a food vendor before things went bad but... bah seeing th'man carry himself I canna believe it. He's a scrapper that one, and one of the best cooks this side of the carribean." Again he looked over to Ariel and quirked an eyebrow. "All I've got lass is this earpiece linkshell thinggie." He pulled the apperatus out of his ear and held it up for Ariel to see. "Seems whoever has one so long as y'speak theri name clear it'll give ye a connection and sounds just the same s iffin they be right aside ye. Downside is they haffta have one too else it dun work." Then his attention moved to Tifa. "Ale if you please missy and." Hrm. Chicken and rice. Something about that interested in. "Same as these two had if that's no trouble." Without much further preamble he founda seat for himself near enough to keep talking. "Sadly my own week hasn't been nearly so grand. Merely a village getting shelled by pirates diverting me from a routine run twix here an there ferrying supplies. Thankfully no more an we could handle an most've my crew have stayed behind to aid in repairs and defenses while I came back here to gather supplies to ferry back through."

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' Umi dejectedly puts some extra cash down for the root beer. Emi is being a little more generous than normal due to all that cash pinata money from Fluorgis. Though hopefully now they'll be able to recover what their city has lost. It should be over. It's over, right? Right. Emi glances over to Zeke. She nods to him once but remains silent otherwise. She assigns Umi to wave to Deelel and Umi waves to Deelel. "Strange, all this work to restore Manhattan...and yet we've found so many world shards in that pursuit, The Network supposes this is akin to irony." Emi is about to offer something to Ariel but she was distracted and--ends up having her Telling Fone number asked for. It takes her a moment to realize what she means by Telling Phone. "...Ah...Alright. This one has something for you as well." She reaches for a napkin and presses it down on a table, writing down the number. "Though on that note, where have you been staying, Ariel?"

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel tries to look at Zeke's shell. She has the regular phone, but that looks very interesting. "Okay. I can call you on the Fone too." She looks at Emi. "I'm staying with Rosemarie now. In fact, that's where I left my Fone and my other stuff."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles, sliding her phone out of her pocket "There's also MaBelle phones to communicate around, just need a number to reach someone." She's had her own for a long time now. She turns back to the cooking plate, readying another batch of chicken rice, looking all merry as she works. She always seems to enjoy herself when she's in the bar, no matter what she's doing really. While its cooking, she serves up Zeke's ale in a large mug. She knows that people enjoy the authentic feeling.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel is now just slinging into her drink and little bit of food really. She's looking at Zeke, CLU if he's not derezzed is likely doing something to ruin SARK's day at the moment. As for Deelel she's just enjouing the drink and she says "Arcade? Generally those are a shop that rents out time on videogame units." She notes looking at Zeke for a momen longer before turning her head again to look over at the tins she thinks. "Prehaps but anything we can system restore I think is worth it, right?"

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke pulled a pad of paper from somewhere in his coat and a pen and started writing addresses down. Then did the same to a second sheet of paper before offering one to Emi. "In case this network of yours be needin me." He sortof understood Legion being a bunch of differing people that essentially were in constant commune to the point that they might as well be of a single mind with many bodies. "I realize mine isn't what you were after lass an more's the fool of me, but never know when you need a fast ship 'sppose."" The second slip he slid over to Ariel. Why he bothered even the 'good' captain couldn't answer. This time no words were said. Though he did make a note of finding one of these 'fones' to keep in touch with the lass. "We can only do so much at any given moment Miss Deelel and anywhere is better than nowhere." Zeke tried to smile even though for a moment, just one, his mind flitted back to a small fishing village back in England he wasn't sure if he'd get to see again. "Plus way I understand it Manhatten has a ton of resources that can be used to help free other places still under shadow's dark sway."

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel thinks she might stop trying to listen to Dee. Not that she doesn't seem like a nice person, but every sentence from her drops out at least two terms Ariel doesn't recognize, and she'd hate to embarass herself by not knowing a perfectly innocent Obvious Human Term like whatever a Vidyagame is. Ariel smiles a little as she takes the slip from Zeke. She nods. Then she pays attention to the food. She has already learned from previous shenangans that the dinglehopper is not for hairbrushing. But boy, that really annoyed people in the hotel dining room. Sebastian seems to be trying to get Zeke's attention a moment later but... semi-discreetly, as in tapping toward his hand. He might have not noticed the crab on the table before that point.

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' "Is that so..." Emi says after some thought. Rosemarie--she supposes that makes sense, she seemed very infatuated with that store. Emi is a bit more suspicious of Rosemarie. Still--even if in the past Rosemarie's been a nasty, and even if in the past they were calling her, well, a witch. It doesn't mean that she hasn't turned her attention to helping poor unfortunate souls NOW. She offers the napkin to Ariel. It has her number on it! Emi also uses a regular Telling Fone. Umi dejectly drinks root beer. She's like the town root beer drunk! Emi takes Zeke's number too while she's at it, she doesn't even act surprised to be offered it. She says, "Thank you." sincerely to him, however. She writes down another one of her numbers on a napkin and offers it to him as well. She really needs to get those business cards and just throw them everywhere. Emi then finally reaches into her pocket and sets down a bottlecap near Ariel's plate. "It's a good luck bottlecap." She tells Ariel simply enough.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel says "That is a good way to put it really, if we can restore it yes. It's technological level is higher than most other worlds. Not to discount magic but technology is something you need not be born with the ability to use to make use of it unlike magic." She seems to have been thinking on that a little bit. She goes back to her meal

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke nodded to Emi then looked over to Umi. "Uh... beg pardon but she alright? I stil ldon't quite get the right of this hive mind thing...whatchimacallit ye have goin so i dunno if askin you is th'same as askin her but if nothin else you two are 'round eachother oftn." Was he concerned? He's seen 'professional' drunks go at their drink in similar near mechanical fassion so yes. Concern seemed appropriate. Then.. wait what's this? Crab? He looked at Sebastian curiously and scooted over. "What is it small-" Fry? no that'd be an insult.. or a threat. "Guy?" Still somewhat insulting but less likely to be taken as such. "Something on your mind?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart serves up Zeke's food shortly after, sliding the plate over to him "Here you go. Chicken rice and vegetables." Its balanced and yummy smelling at least. There's alot of technobable going on, which she's not very keen upon, even if she knows of the programs. Well she understands more than knows about them, since they are electronic and stuff. She looks over to Ariel, checking if she finished her food to clean out the dishes.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel takes the cap and looks just as excited about this as if Emi had handed her a diamond ring. "Oh! I used to have one of these!" ... Wait, it's called a Battlecap? Nuh-uh. Well, okay. Emi will probably see that little uncertainty, then, return to happiness, flicker across Ariel's face. She isn't quite finished eating, though, so collecting of the plates may wait a bit. Sebastian makes a 'a-hem' noise, and gestures for Zeke to lean over. He may be counting on Ariel being distracted by the Battlecap.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke shrugged and leaned over to let the crab have his say. After all he seemed to be the chapperone here. Idly he waved to Tifa before tossing a few coins her way, hoping the lass was deft enough to catch them. If not he'd pay her proper later. Come to think of it he'd pay her proper anyway this was just the tip.

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' "She'll recover." Emi tells Zeke. "She is looking for someone to eat her shoe." Indeed, it seems that Umi has been walking around with one shoe on one shoe off for some time. She does have a sock on, at least, but this is what hapens when you eat one of your shoes, you end up missing a shoe! This might not be the full story of the matter, however, as Umi takes a long swig of root beer. "I whuz jusss tryin' to be friendly." she says, drunk on root beer. "The Network thinks you've had enough, Umi." Emi says. "I'll tell you when I had enuff!" Umi waggles a finger at Emi who stares at it unflinchingly. "...Okay I'm done." Umi says, finishing off her root beer. "I'll find someone to eat my other shoe if it kills me! No hero gives up at first failure. You!!" She takes off her shoe and points at Zeke. "...Will you eat me shoe????" Emi observes Ariel's reaction. Definiteyl something going on here, but she does smile. "You can do with it as you'd like, I have another bottlecap that is of that variety." Yes Emi actually has a battlecap collection apparently. Perhaps with which... TO DO BATTLE?! "You seemed like someone who would like them." She looks on over to Tifa and adds, "Is Ping still staying here?" She asks of her.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks over to Emi "Yeah, still has a room here. The cricket he carries around seem very fond of me too." She scratches her cheek at that a bit. Cricket been playing music to her and what not. Quite odd.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel pauses "Ping? I know that name." he was the Imperial Solider who'd helped them recover one of the manhattan shards and she felt she owed the man one for his efforts. "I'll have to speak to Ping later." Though something about the Imperial Guardsman's name seems to be midly funny to Deelel. She can't help it given what Ping means to her in normal use. Well the word, antway.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Sebastian mutters something to Zeke. "Sorry to interrupt, but, ahem-- Dese are somewhat desperate times for me. I was wondering, ah - seeing as you: are a pirate, then you must have a pirate ship, and you must like de t'ings dat pirates like, such as jewels and pearls and so forth. So, while I do not normally make a deal, with a pirate, would it be possible perhaps to find de girl's home... out... over da wata--" Over seemed like it wasn't what he'd hoped to say. "And return her?" Ariel meanwhile is finishing her food. She puts the bottlecap into a pocket in her skirt. "Where does he keep the horse?" she asks, which might seem out of the blue. That's the main thing she remembers about Ping. And she wants to see that horse again.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hs "Well the stables are in front of the inn, so it should still be there if Ping isn't out with the horse at least.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke made a shushing movement with his hand to Sebastian. "I'm not a pirate lad." Sure right now to try getting to proving that. "Just a merchant that goes as he pleases. No uniform no boss.... usually." He tried keeping his head voice down but hey he needed to keep Ariel from going 'what the fin' about all this. "However ifin you need to get the lass home I kinda want t'know a little of what she be goin back to. Much as I dun want t'keep lass from family an home I need t'know her da isn't gonna flay her to strips." He's seen parents do that to their children for misbehaving. "If needs be I'd go back with her... However constant pressure innt always the best way."

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' Emi nods slowly. She hasn't seen Ping in a few days, she just might be missing him. She nods to Deelel. "That's right, he helped us with one of the shards." Though granted he was also a bird at the time but that's besides the point, Ping is still Ping even if he's a bird. THE MANLIEST OF ALL BIRDS? Sure why not. Emi seems to to be put at ease by Ariel's battlecap acceptance. She nods once and then steps away a bit so she doesn't bother her while she's eating. Emi glances towards the crab and Zeke but doesn't seem to hear what they're telling one another. HOWEVER! Umi approaches noisily and waggles her shoe at Zeke. "It's...it's not that bad once you eat it. Honestly. I'll show you how." Desperate times.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel, with her plate mostly cleared now, stands up suddenly. "I want to go see the horse!" And she starts to head in that direction. Though she'll probably be back. Sebastian is actually a little glad she got distracted. "Ah, well, it's--" And then he mutters something that sounds kinda like 'terrible wrath' but maybe that's your imagination. He gestures with open claws and tries again. "If de girl were to have been, kidnapped by pirates, say, den it would be understandable, to de king, where she had BEEN, and maybe de terrible wrath would not be directed at me. So much." A-hem. "Oh, and not at YOU, because he would be so happy and give you a ransom or at least dat is de idea." Somewhere 'king' slipped out in there and he didn't seem to notice.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke snorted dismissivly. "King eh?" This talk of ransom and Wrath and hrm. Then Zeke shook his head. Kings do not usually take such an interest in the affairs of nobility or especially well to do merchants. "So this girl is a princess that ran off from home because she felt a mite too confined." Shrug. "I care not about treasures. A thousand fortunes have come and gone in my hands in a few short years since I"ve been master of m'own ship. If Money is all I sought in the world I could have settled at the first windfall that blew my way. Seeing the lady safely reconciled with her family?" Headhsake. "Would be a waste were her last memories be arguin with kin. I'll make sure she finds her way home don't you worry."

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' "I'm a pirate!" Umi says. "I'll kidnap her for you!!" Sure she said she was a hero earlier too but now she seems to be a pirate. "But in return," She aims to place the shoe on top of Sebastian. "My shoe--is yours!" And then she jogs on out as well, perhaps intent on kidnapping Ariel now. She slows down for a moment after however as she nears the door before turning on her heel and looking back to Shoebastian. "Hey! Where is her home and family anyway? The Network inquires." Emi murmurs, "Never heard of such interest in horses either..." She's starting to get perhaps a bit SUSPICIOUS??? "Mm...then again, it is a very nice horse." OKAY MAYBE NOT. THIS IS A TOUGH INVESTIGATION.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart crosses her arms as she listens to the crab and pirate talking "I suggest you keeps your paws off her. If she wanted that liberty, I don't see why you'd need to deprive her from it. And on top of that, there's many capable fighters around here to keep her safe, should the need arise." Yeah, she heard the two from her side of the counter, but she's not too happy with it.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel is now outside to check out the stables. Though if there are no horses there, she'll be back pretty quickly. She just has yet to see them up close, with all four legs and everything. Sebastian looks torn for a moment, because he's not sure how to properly answer this direct question. Of course they would NEED to find out where it was in order to find it and take her back. But she'd probably be... well, she'd be really sad, she'd do that pouty thing and weep. But then again, horrible wrath. "De girl's home is de kingdom of Atlantica," he compromises, "and I don't suppose you know how to get dere from here?"

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel listens in on the convstation for the moment and tilts her head a little bit she's not trying to listen in too hard but she's sure curious abotu what could be going on. This could not be going anywhere good she thinks. "Try to control something too hard and all you'll lose total control in the end." She goes to finish off her meal. She doesn't heat much maybe once a day at the most but it's at least a social thing right? She can watch and learn about abotu the beings that made her. So strange these creatures of meat and bone....

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke hrms thoughtfully at sebastian, interrupted as it were by the sudden addition of the shoe. "Atlantica. Not a clue, but I hae heard rumnor of the night she first showed up in Traverse includin a near case of Drownd so I'm guessing some sort of underwater thing with some kind of shell keepin air in an water out an such like." Oh if only ye knew mate. If only ye knew. "Might explain the isolation a fair bit more. Hard t'get word an such when ye stuck on the seabed next door to davy jones's locker."

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:''' Zeke grumbled darkly. "If you'll excuse me." He tipped his hat to Sebastian and left a small stack of coin on the table before heading to the door. "Do plan on bein back but just in case business sweeps me away." He whistled a merry tune as he headed for the door.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' It is a kingdom under the sea, if you will. Though Sebastian is relieved in a way that he's leaving now, as he won't be torn with explaining any more about it.

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' "Yeah, that's right! Plenty of people here to protect her!" Umi adds, jerking a thumb towards her chest. "You are kidnapping her, The Network has nothing to do with this." Emi says, trying to make herself small. "Oh yeah..." Umi says, on the verge of an existential crisis. "...But I am a hero pirate so I will save her again at the last moment!" She laughs like, well, a pirate. She hrms lightly at the name though. Atlantica? Atlantica... She asks the Network for information and...aha! "Yes, This one knows all about Atlantica..." Umi grins. Note, this is not true. Also she is mistaking it for Atlantis. Emi writes down a food order.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' About this moment, Ariel walks back in, looking a little disappointed as apparently the horse has gone. She moves back to her seat. Sebstian tries to mouth 'we'll talk later' at Umi. He at least has a pretty expressive mouth for a crab. Then he says "Oh, yes, that's very interesting-" as if the conversation had been something else. Ariel seems to cheer up right away at least, seeing he's... making friends! She gets out some munny and passes it to Tifa. "I owe you this for the ice cream and meal! Thank you so much."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles to Ariel "My pleasure, you can come back whenever you want, we're always friendly here. I also have a bar in Goug if you ever stop there. You wanted to see it, I could show you the way there too.

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' Umi Dennou may not even know what her own plan is so it may be difficult for others to know what her own plan is. It's something to do in any event. She's not terribly worried about this going pearshaped though. Confidence is the measure of a pirate hero / pirate / hero after all. Especially if they are self proclaimed at that. Though...the city was saved, wasn't it? Emi thinks that one over. They saved a city. A full city. A city of flowers and water in the middle of a desert and--it's going to be okay there. And it's in no small part thanks to them. Emi glances over to Umi for a few moments. In the span of seconds the two have a full conversation about what they're up to in order to achieve consensus and, ultimateley the two turn away. "Ariel..." Emi speaks up finally. "Would you call yourself something of an explorer? Or perhaps--an Adventurer? If I called you one, would you agree--and say that's how you see yourself? The Network inquires subtly." Umi nods to Sebastian, grinning widely. "--And that's how you boil a shoe!" ...

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel nods to Tifa. "Yes, I really want to see it. Thank you!" She looks at Emi next. "Yes! I think I've always been, or wanted to be, an adventurer." A little of column A, a little of column B.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "Well you just need to wander around. And you'd be a shoe in for Shard Seekers, Reize is an adventurer too, and exploring, although don't let him be the one to hold the map.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart thinks about something "You ever rode a chcoobo?" She asks Ariel, she doesn't even know her name yet, she wasn't paying attention if anyone mentionned it earlier at least.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' Ariel shakes her head. "Reize, hm. Well, I guess I'd have to meet him. I don't ... know what a chocobo is," she confesses. "It's like a horse?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods and smiles "But its a bird, you can ride it like a horse. Mine is in the stable over there, if you want to see it. Premium Heart is a lovely, friendly red chocobo that I've been raising.

:'''[[Ariel]] has posed:''' "Oh." Ariel nods. "That would be great. Maybe we can go for a ride some time, too." She looks at Sebastian and seems to wonder if he's up to something. "You can come too." "...Oh. Goodie?" Much sarcasm. But she remains cheerful.

:'''[[Emi Dennou]] has posed:''' "Well, staying around Traverse Town is no good, then." Emi says. "If you'd like, we could go on adventures with you. There are a lot of worlds out there, and of course some of it is dangerous, but exploring..there's nothing wrong with that. And with adventure comes experience, The Network says in a totally non-suspicious manner." She nods to Sebastian. "We haven't ridden chocobos either."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart turns around back to Zeke as some of the other tennants leave "So what's your story then?" She asks, making small talk since its so quiet.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel looks over at Zeekek for a moment tilint her head a little bit at the ship captain. "Wht at about her? Oh I see your considering that ort of thing?" She tilts her head a little bit "I heard him talking he sounds more like some other basics I know that are ahem employed in lacky functions more or less he seemed woreied about his contiuned well being."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "I can tell she's friendly. She looked interested in horses, so I thought that a chocobo ride might be fun for her. I have a pretty tame chocobo for that." Except for the time she got ejected after it started chasing after Reize's hair, but that's another story.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart giggles "Hard to resist being around rpetty girls anyway, right? I mean, its not everything, like personality and talents, but being pleasing to the eye is a bonus hm?" she smirks.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart grins "She got you curious then. Well if a king wants her back, and she has a crab following around that acts more like a butler than a friend, there are chances she's from some high class huh? She's probably up and about because she couldn't get out of the house back home.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "Yeah I'm the same way, payment has little importance over the well being of someone. And she seems to want to stretch those legs of her for a while before having to go sit back home doing nothing, why not give her a bit of that pleasure while checking over her really. She'll go back home when she's ready.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hmms and nods "Yeah, I see what you mean. That'd be interesting if their world wasn't touched at all, but doubtful if she's here. That means her world got disconnected, or she got displaced, or either way there's a portal that goes there, or her world got merged into ours somewhere, like how the cities are all jumbled together in the World of Ruin.

:'''[[Deelel]] has posed:''' Deelel says "I admit somethings till confuse me greatly." She finishes off her drink and leaves some mummy on the counter. "Thanks for the Drink, I best be going." Hopefully she'd not need to recharge for another day or so...

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods to Deelel "You take care and come back soon then." She takes the bag of money that Zeke left for Ariel, putting it aside for later giving.

Barmaid and Mermaid

2013-02-24T20:26:47Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2013/02/23 |Location=Traverse Town - Cloud Nine |Synopsis=A barmaid, a mermaid and a crab walk in a bar. No punchline, just a social. |Cast of Char..."

Of Princess and Gilgamesh

2013-02-21T06:00:13Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2012/12/15 |Location=Goug - Seventh Heaven |Synopsis=Princess Sarisa visits the bar for business with Mercade, while Gilgamesh, still self-narratin..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/12/15
|Location=Goug - Seventh Heaven
|Synopsis=Princess Sarisa visits the bar for business with Mercade, while Gilgamesh, still self-narrating, shows off his new (Totally Real) Keyblades.
|Cast of Characters=Mercade Alexander, Tifa Lockhart, Faris Scherwiz, Gilgamesh, Sarafina Carenze, Kaydin
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Its a day like most others in the Heaven. Nothing too special except that there are a few workers around the place, working on taking down walls and rearranging the place. The bar is still open though, she made sure to leave herself enough space to handle that, the workers on the back side of the house, although you see them walking through the place often with tools and materials, when they aren't stopping for a drink or just to flirt with the barmaid. Of course none of them are given a chance, but its a barmaid's job to be flirty, just enough to keep the interest up. Tifa's in front of the counter with the plans, just looking them over to make sure she's not forgetting anything before its too late.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Sometimes,being a cross-dresser is a uniquely useful thing. Of course, there aren't that many people with purple hair and green eyes, but when you have a crown on your head and a attitude, most people just don't question things. This also helps when people are on the lookout to throw her alternate self in jail. Faris was informed by Jasmine that Lenna had been in Goug just a few weeks ago. Faris doesn't know Goug all that well, but she figures if anyone might know a wandering Princess, someone in the bar might, considering the activity there. Of course, well... Faris walks through the slums, her yellow dress carefully flowing along with her. Her long purple hair is done up in a ponytail, with a small golden tiara peeking out around her hair. She wears no jewelry save a pendant; the matching one to Lennas'. The long sleeves are split open from the gathered wrist to her shoulder, held together by small silver chains inset with garnets; the bodice is tight, and, uh, well. She's not comfortable with this. Of course, considering what she's trying to do, maybe it's for the better she's Sarisa today. She walks into Seventh Heaven without a second thought. Meanwhile, her guards: (the ship crew): All comically sweat drop as they remain outside.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Showered, shaved, and with some new clothes, Mercade Alexander is back in action. Unfortunately, he's still undergunned, but not everything requires the use of ballistics. Right? He's given Goug a lookover, and he's familiarized himself with the lay of the land. Goug isn't /that/ much different than Manhattan, when you think about it. But word has gone out that Mercade can be found at Seventh Heaven, for those who wish to find him. What he wasn't expecting, however, is a princess walking through the door. An honest to God, storybook princess. Mercade has his best surprised face on. Whaaaaaaaaa! :o

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' And behind the princess comes her knight! ...sort of. The massive man who makes his way through the door is well-known to Mercade; hell, he's well known to everyone in the building, since there are only so many twelve-foot tall grey-skinned men in red cloaks and polka-dotted pants in the world. Namely, one. The massive green hound at his side all but confirms it, though; even a doppelganger would have trouble mimicking that particular aspect. Also then he opens his mouth. "The brave knight Gilgamesh made his way into the tavern carefully! Who knew what sort of traps might lurk in this seemingly-harmless environment? Though his princess was insistent, Gilgamesh was uncertain - walking about without weapon or armor, she was in gravest danger, and that was something the knight could not allow! Still, with his boon companion Enkidu there, there was no true danger they could not face, no foe they could not overcome! The knight cases the area swiftly, his eye darting back and forth behind his heroic veil; once he has ascertained there is no danger to be had here, he straightens and bows to the owner politely, as always! The buxom barmaid is also well-known to the brave knight - and so too is the other occupant of the bar! The knight bows also to the detective, hurriedly straightening as Enkidu pads over to the bar for his usual spot! 'Hail and well met, detective and barmaid, as always!' The knight declares cheerfully as he shuts the door behind him!" He's narrating his own life. Enkidu rolls his eyes, lowers his big rock hound head at Tifa and Mercade, and then makes his way over to the bar, just as Gilgamesh descrbed. The big man instead sits down at one of the tables - or rather, two of the tables, because he is *massive*. "The knight takes his seat nearest the door, that he might keep a careful eye out for danger! Every samurai knows that even in the safest of locales, danger can spring from any shadow, like a well-placed ninja ready to leap into action and danger at the sign of a samurai keeping watch for ninja ready to spring into action against the samurai whose keen eye kept careful watch for the ninja preparing to assault the watchful samurai from the shadows like some sort of ninja!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart has been aware of Mercade being around the bar more often, she offered the space after all, since he's out of a town with recent events. She waves to the princess entering though, she's met her once. She doesn't know her 'alternate persona' yet, so for her its just a pretty girl walking in. Although... "What is a princess coming back here all the time, I wonder." It shounds like Goug would be a dangerous place for a princess to wander around alone. She shakes her head at Gilgamesh though, still stuck on his self-narrating since he fired his 'little yellow boxes' in a cutscene noone could physically have seen. She moves over to the side where Enkidu is, and hmms "What do you eat anyway, Enkidu?" She has doggy treats for Angelo, but she wouldn't want to insult him either.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' "Buxom?" Sarisa asks Gilgamesh, her warm voice soft as she arches an eyebrow at her guardian force. While Tifa is busty, there are smart things to say in front of the Princess, and that is probably not one of them. She takes a seat, carefully, of course, close to Mercade, leaning over towards him. "You're a detective? Fantastic. You've solved about half of my problems and caused twelve more." She tilts her fingers. "Hello, miss Tifa." She does greet the dear bar keep, because Sarisa remembers her manners. "I need to find something that's been lost." She finally informs Mercade.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade gapes some more. Is Gilgamesh narrarating himself? He says quietly to himself, "Is that what it's like when I do it?" He sighs, and waves in greeting to Gilgamesh, as he facepalms with the other hand. The Princess sitting near him is unexpected. He didn't think that he would attract... royalty? Where is she even from, there isn't any royalty in Goug! Mercade blinks, and then looks over to the Princess, breaking the facepalm to lean back in his chair, reaffecting the casual ease of the private investigator. "Well, miss, I'm more than happy to sleuth your problems for you." He nods his head, gesturing as if he is going to tip a hat that he does not wear. "So what can I find for you?"

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' Enkidu...doesn't eat. He just bows his head, holds up his hand politely at Tifa like a proper customer saying No No I'm Fine Thank You But That's Alright If You've Got Some Water. Indeed, the dog is sitting politely like a person, straight up and down with his paws on the bar and his other paws hanging down under it. If you gave him some poker cards (and he wasn't like the size of a human being) it would look exactly like that picture of dogs playing poker, except he's a giant green rock hound instead. Gilgamesh stretches out, relaxedly. "The brave knight Gilgamesh relaxes quietly in the bar, carefully pretending not to have heard his beloved princess's question! A careful maneuver to be sure; a bad move might bring undue blame on the hero knight, as if he were straying from his honor - which is of course not even remotely the case! A knight cannot stray from his bushido, otherwise he would cease to be a chivalrous samurai! Of course the princess would well-know this, for the brave knight's mere stance - relaxed, read for anything - tells that much! He has yet to fall from his position-" And then Kaydin comes up out of the floor. In literally an instant, and with truly shocking speed and grace for a twelve-foot tall grey-skinned man in polka-dotted pants, Gilgamesh rolls over the chair(s) he's sitting on, landing in front of Kaydin with two very long blades drawn. One of them is way, way too big for a normal person - Tifa would know it quite well, since it's a Buster Sword. The other is a Seriously It's A Real Keyblade (TM). The blades just manifest magically in Gilgamesh's hands without him even making a motion. "The brave knight anticipated a ninja attack from the shadows! A true samurai never lets down his guard, not even when he relaxes! Quickly, the knight springs over his chairs, drawing forth his mighty Buster Sword and the legendary Keyblade in reaction to the foolish ninja! His surprise attack is already defeated - as if he thought he could attack the princess of the greatest swordsman in all the realms, Gilgamesh! Ha! Gilgamesh's eyes are as mighty as a hawk's, his ears as sharp as a thing with really sharp ears, his reflexes swifter than a jungle cat on performance-enhancing drugs! He can never be surprised!" "'Speak swiftly, ninja, and try to buy your life - for before you stands the hero Gilgamesh, well-known across the worlds! Know that to face me is to face your doom, and beg for your life, that I, Gilgamesh, might feel some stirrings of mercy in my soul' THe brave knight declares loudly, his powerful voice booming across the room in a decidedly attractive and enticing manner!" No, Mercade, that's probably not what it sounds like when you do it.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is fine with comments her curves, she's used to it. Just not in that style usually. People don't go and outright say it unless they are passing compliments about her figure as they are flirting, but narrating it... just seems to drive the point in much more strongly, as if it was a fact rather than an opinion on someone's features. She scratches her head, but waves to Sarisa in return "If you want anything to drink, let me know!" She lets Mercade conduct his business since that's what she's here for. She moves to get Enkidu some water though. She's almost starting to understand the rock hound, after being around it often enough. She lets Gilgamesh to his desillusions of being a storybook hero, as kaydin appears. She's been there before, on the receiving end of his shadow portals "I would have thought you wouldn't be using those means of travel though, Kaydin."

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' "It's not so much a what, as a who." Faris slides her hand into a small purse tucked into her side; she withdraws a picture of Lenna, and she sets it on the table between them. "She'll have one of these -" She shows off her pendant, the one that Lenna has as well. "It is deeply urgent; her name is Lenna. I was last able to track her out here to Goug." Sarisa-Faris sighs as Kaydin pops out of the Shadows and Gilgamesh leaps to her protection. She rests her hand on his shoulder as she stands; this is mostly to calm him down as much of it is for balance. (Heels.) "Be still, Gilgamesh. My dear, why are you using the darkness?" She asks Kaydin, mildly distressed. (Jasmine. Blame Jasmine for this.)

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade takes the picture, and looks at it, memorizing the image. "I see. Do you mind if I keep this?" He pulls out a pad of paper and a pencil, and makes a quick sketch of the offered pendant. "And her name is Lenna. Any other habits or defining traits we..." He pauses, sighing for a moment. "...I should know about? And what should I do when I find her?" He glances over as Gilgamesh begins booming out, and squints. Is that a real keyblade? Surely that's not a badly-scored mold line on the center there... "Keyblade? Seriously?" He says, looking to the princess in confusion, but then back to Gilgamesh. "Didn't you say you were looking for one? Is that the one you found?" Kaydin's appearance (or lack thereof) is more or less pushed to the side in favor of inquiry into this.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "I wont forsake my abilities if they can be used to help others." Kaydin says as he looks to the being with the swords at him. "I am not a ninja. I am a Dark Knight. Was trying to find Mercade and here he was." Kaydin says as he stands back up and keeps his sword between himself and the one with the two other swords before looking to Mercade. "Found a few friends of yours, the winged ones with the bad tempers. I think your world called them Gargoyles. They should be coming here sometime. I used the corridors to get a headstart to let you know." He says to Mercade. "I been keeping an eye on traverse town.

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "The ninja had best be aware - the princess's gentle hand on Gilgamesh's shoulder is all that saves his life this day!" Gilgamesh doesn't actually retract his blades or sheathe them or put them anywhere; he just lets his hands hang to his sides, the Buster Sword(?) and Totally Real Keyblade(TM) far larger than the bar should be accomodating. "The trickery of ninja is well known to the knight, who has spent much time as a pirate in addition to his top-notch samurai training! He will be watching the ninja fiercely!" Gilgamesh also doesn't actually move away from Sarisa; he just looms there, twelve feet tall, hunching down against the ceiling somewhat uncomfortably (yes, he could shrink, but why bother? He's looking intimidating!). Enkidu puts both paws around the glass of water and drinks from it in a most sophisticated manner. Certainly not at all what one would expect from a giant green dog made of rock. "The knight carefully keeps his eye on the crafty ninja! Who knew what sort of assassination tools he held, what sort of weapons he might wield? An ocular patdown would not be enough against the lies of the ninja...Gilgamesh would be forced to be wary!"

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris gets a poker face going when Gilgamesh claims her as 'the princess of the greatest swordsman', thus she's his princess. She's not even going to touch that one with a ten foot pool. She does, however, look at Kaydin as he interrupts her conversation with Mercade, her green eyes dark and thoughtful. "Hmh." She says, deep in her throat. Then, to Mercade: "Keep it, of course. I have otherpictures. She's rather active and she prefers to do things for the greater good; here is my communication information. Contact me when you find her, please." "... Gil was looking for a princess?" Mass chaos? Mass chaos.

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' Sarafina walks into a bar. THERE IS NO COUNTER. But there is a Mercade. And Mercade seems to be talking to an eight armed, two eyed, green purple people eater. Or possibly two arms. It's a mystery. She looks at Mercade for several long moments because, quite frankly, she has heard zilch from him since he vanished and then Manhattan fell. She had assumed he was, perhaps, somewhat deceased. She slooowly raises a hand and waves a hand towards him. She sloooowly lets her hand drop. She looks towards Gilgamesh for several moments. And then--slooowly back to Mercade. "...Mercade." She says.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade looks up, over to Kaydin. "Some of the people from Manhattan survived? Who were the Gargoyles? Did you get their names?" He asks. He doesn't even touch the Darkness thing. He's not up for that kind of argument right now. Much more concerning is the information from the Princess. He slides the picture into his coat. "I've actually seen her before. In Manhattan, for a short time. I don't think she stayed long. She mentioned she was looking for her father." He takes the communications information, and he nods. He still needs to acquire a new Ma Belle phone, dammit. Siiiiiiiigh. "No, he was looking for a Keyblade." He clarifies to the princess. "He said he wanted it to unlock the greatest treasure in the world? Something like that." Gilgamesh seems to have things well in hand, though so Mercade relaxes, then remembers something as he speaks to the princess again. "I forgot to introduce myself, though you seem to know more about me. "I'm Mercade Alexander, of the Twilight Detective Agency of, well..." He pauses. "Goug, at the moment. We're in the middle of relocating." Then Sarafina walks in. Mercade looks surprised at this, and then his expression sort of crumbles as he sees the captain. "Sarafina..." He says. "I'm, uh..." He scratches the back of his head. "I'm sorry about all of this. I heard about Manhattan, and I couldn't get back in time. I don't know what's happened to everyone."

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "I believe was one called Brooklyn and the one which often helped you, the one with the magic." Kaydin says calmly. "There was another I didnt recognize, a female one, a man with a long coat with pistols that looked like that could fire only single shots." Kaydin says as he would nod to Mercade. "There are numerous people survived thanks to some people who managed to help them through the portal. Sarafina for one, and Xanatos." He says calmly.

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' Sarafina Carenze looks towards Kaydin with a raised eyebrow but seems less troubled by his presence in a bar than outside a medical hut. She shortly returns her gaze to Mercade. "Why were you gone?" Sarafina asks. "...Though I suppose all things considered, it may have been for the best. We were outclassed. They seem capable of bringing powerful vehicles from other realms to this world--we cannot. They can move between worlds as if at will--and we cannot. It is a significant disadvantage. It will be difficult to fight these Shadow Lords." She crosses her arms after, however, wings flexing backward. "The evacuation efforts went as well as an evacuation can go, however. We got out many people. Unfortunately Manhattan...was also a very large city." She frowns deeply. "As for your friends ... I believe most made it out, but I have not seen or heard of Will Sherman. Apparently there was some strange trouble at the World Heart." She shakes her head. "But as appropos as dwelling in a bar and focusing on the negative is, do you have a method of communicating with them? I imagine they'd like to hear from you. You can use mine for the moment, it would be of more use to you than myself for now."

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' Gilgamesh's harassment of Kaydin comes to an abrupt end the moment Mercade mentions 'keyblade' and 'treasure'. He strikes a mighty pose, swinging his keyblade up into the sky. This is thoroughly impossible; it just bounces off the ceiling harmlessly. Gilgamesh coughs into his hand, recovering himself. "'Hah! This is indeed the Princess I, Gilgamesh, was seeking, but that is unrelated to the treasure! And this keyblade is only the first of many I require to unlock the greatest treasure in the universe!' Gilgamesh brings his keyblade around to point it at the heroic detective Mercade, allowing him to bask in its brilliance! For the moment, the crafty ninja is ignored; if he is going to ignore the worlds' greatest swordsman then so be it! Surely the beautiful barmaid would stop any violence regardless - and he has already been warned, so there is no need to demonstrate the swordsman's fearsome prowess! 'This keyblade,' Gilgamesh declares, tapping it against his shoulder, 'Is the real thing! Pretty amazing, isn't it? Where did I find such a thing, I bet you want to know! Well, the truth is...I don't remember either!'" "'It's been so long since I acquired it that my memory is beginning to fail! But do not worry - it is assuredly real and very powerful!' The knight dismisses his great Buster Sword, returning it to the Gate in an instant. Then he turns to face his princess, setting his hands upon her shoulders!" He does. "'Princess,' he declares, 'Do not worry! I sought you out as hard as I could when we were separated, and eventually I found you again, so all is well in that chapter of the story!'"

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' "Oh." Faris says, about Gilgamesh and keyblades. She's not bothered asking, she figures he won it off of someone somewhere, because... well, she doesn't quite want to think about his claims of it being magic. Weird things are down that pathway. "A pleasure, monsieur Alexander, I am Sarisa Scherwil Tycoon, heir to the throne of the land of Tycoon. Lenna is ... looking for our father." Yes, Mercade now gets to deal with -two- princesses. Then she gets Gilgamesh'd, and she stares up at Gilgamesh with a solemn, calm look on her face. "I know, Ser Gilgamesh. I thank you for your extraordinarily good years of service as the captain of my guard." Poker. Face.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "Greatest swordsman. Then I guess it is my destiny to fight you for it is something I strive for as well. Another time though. Tifa would kill me if I did anything to her bar." He says as he unwraps the chain wrapped about his arm and goes about wrapping the black blade with the chain. He then lets them continue talking, just remaining silent for now.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' "So she's alive." Mercade says, looking down for a moment. The needs of his profession bring him out of momentary reverie, however, and he nods to Sarisa. "It's a pleasure, Princess." He thinks for a moment. "If you're willing, Princess, I might need your help with another client of mine, if you're interested..." He's going to have to ease her into this one, he thinks. Gilgamesh shows off his Totally Not Fake Keyblade (TM). Mercade looks it over. "So you're going to collect all of the Keyblades?" He asks. "So you're going to have to take Sora's and Mickey's." He says. "You may be the best swordsman in the world, but... we kind of need those to help fight the Heartless, too, Gilgamesh." Mercade points out casually. He has no idea what the deal is with keyblades. That's something he needs to get looking into again... Even moreso with the fall of his world. Sarafina's question causes Mercade to frown again, leaning back. "I was caught in a trap. Apparently, Riku predicted I would go looking for him, and he lead me into the hands of Mica Melchiott, the Mistress of Games. She kept me prisoner long enough to keep me from interfering in the destruction of Manhattan. When I was released, it was far from civilization... And I had lost my Ma Belle. Not that I would get signal out there anyway..." The news of Will causes Mercade's shoulders to sag. "Will..." The hand holding a pencil clenches at the news, shaking for a moment... But he forces it still, relaxing. "How many of the others... survived, Sarafina?"

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "'That's right!' The knight declares, levelling the keyblade at Mercade once more! 'I will collect all of those keys, and with the weapons I acquire from that legendary lost treasure trove, I'll defeat the Heartless single-handedly! The power that lies in that vault is the stuff of legends so old I don't even remember where I heard them! You need not fear Heartless when I am present, after all! Ha ha ha ha!'" Because that's a good sign, right there. Enkidu has since turned around, sitting directly upright against the bar, to sip his water and rol his eyes as heavily as physically possible for the rock hound, which is turns out kind of sounds like stones scraping together every time he does it. Most people probably didn't even know Rock Hounds *COULD* roll their eyes like that! "The brave knight nods, settling his hand on the Princess's own! His many years of brave service and chivalrous love have kept her safe despite the advances of many terrible creatures - like the annoying ninja who currently stands behind them! - and his blades have been soaked in the blood of all who would dare to wound her! Or other vital fluids! Sometimes none at all, because Heartless don't bleed, much to the brave knight's annoyance - there is something unsatisfying about that!" Gilgamesh sheathes the keyblade finally, which is to say that he opens his hand and lets it fall to the floor; it vanishes mid-motion, disappearing as the world closes around it with a quiet 'click'. "Dismissing his keyblade back to the Genbu Gate, the knight disarms for now - rather than escalate hostilities with the persnickety ninja. He bows politely to the newcomer, flourishing his hand over his chest. 'Greetings, madam! I am Gilgamesh, master swordsman and sword-hunter of the worlds. Any friend of the great detective's is someone I must keep myself aprised of as well! Do not fear the ninja in the corner; I suspect he is all talk, and nonetheless, I have him locked down with my superior bladesmanshipping!'" Gilgamesh calling /anyone/ all talk has to be some kind of monstrous backlash of irony. The universe is probably scrabbling to accomodate for it by knocking over a building on some guy who just recovered from a terminal disease or something.

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' "Lenna? A familiar name." Sarafina thinks it over. "Ah yes, but she is not a princess, her father is a dragoon, she said so herself. Unfortunately, I have not seen many dragoons. There seem to be many 'fathers who are dragoons' that have gone missing, it's quite strange, really, now that I think about it." She pauses to think about the strange coincidence. She'd have likely been rather suspicious if a pirate claimed to be a princess but, well, lenna has claimed not to be. "Of the TDA? Well, my family made it out, thank the light, Faruja and Avira, Maira--I don't know of any TDA officers who are missing aside from Mr. Sherman. As for the city, well...it's probably best I not start going into numbers, Mercade, especially since any tallies would likely be inaccurate at this moment. The people of Manhattan are presently staying in Traverse Town. Unfortunately with Twitter down as well as the building, keeping in touch has been difficult." She pauses. "There has been something I wanted to tell you about, however. Are you still a detective?" This may be a mild trick to try and get Mercade riled up.

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris sighs. "We had agreed to refer to Father as such; he is a talented swordsman and before he ascended to the throne, he -was- a dragoon. We prefer to keep our true titles quiet, especially in the world of ruin that we live in, lately." Faris is good at lying, a little too good. She then pats Gilgamesh on the shoulder again. "Yes, my brave knight, blades covered in the blood of our enemies and my assassins, and everything else." She takes a seat again, ready to facepalm. "You need my help?" She asks Mercade, blinking.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "Last I heard Lenna was princess of Tycoon, ruling over it with the wind crystal." Kaydin says as he finishes wrapping his sword. "If she has gone missing then I am sorry to hear that. Do you have someone in Tycoon to tell you if the princess has returned?" He asks curiously.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade isn't really even capable of taking Gilgamesh seriously at this point. "You... go right ahead and get on that, then. Live the dream, man." He says, being somewhat supportive. He even gives him a thumbsup! Sarisa and Sarafina get a nod at that. "Oddly enough, I had another request from someone to find their Dragoon father as well. It's... become something of a pattern, I suppose." He shrugs at that, then gestures to Sarisa. "Yes. You see, there's a prince I know, who has fallen under a terrible curse. He needs the help of a caring Princess to break it." He's telling it /mostly/ straight... The mention of the state of the people of Manhattan causes Mercade to get grimfaced again. "Millions." He says. "Over a million people... There's no way they could have evacuated them all in time. Not even Xanatos could do it." He looks back up to Sarafina. He is quiet for a moment... And then he nods. "Yes. I'm still a detective. I'm still going to help people." He's not getting riled, but at least he's holding together.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "I am going to see about heading back to baron, see if I am a traitor there or not. If baigan will listen maybe I can convince him to stop this madness." He says as he goes to leave, moving to the door now.

:'''[[Gilgamesh]] has posed:''' "'Try not to die!' The brave knight observes cheerfully in the ninja's direction as he prepares to march back to Baron, a country known well among the worlds for its forgiveness and kindness!"

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' "I suppose I asked you to look into my family, and my husband's a dragoon..." Sarafina murmurs and then shakes her head. Perhaps they shouldn't go down this road, she thinks. Dragoons are epic knights that have mastered the power of the wind itself, flying through the air like the dragons they dress up as. They're basically the world's best furries. Instead Sarafina focuses on Manhattan and its people. "Mm, in fact there may be more news you are unaware of. Xanatos, your benefactor. While I suspect his desire to help Manhattan was just while it was under attack...he seems to have quite the rap sheet of his own. Granted, perhaps I should not be trusting this source of information..." She frowns for a moment before adding, "What I am saying, is that there are these groups of ... 'mutants' living underneath Manhattan. Or at least there were. Part of why Manhattan fell appears to be Xanatos's sins coming back to bite him. They call themselves the Mutates and one of them, along with a Dr. Sevarius, brought the initial wave of Heartless to Manhattan. And apparently Sevarius was working with or for Xanatos...and created the Mutates at his behest. And against their will." Admittedly some of them are happy with being Mutates, but she does not mention that. "Sevarius got AVira with something, she may have ... been changed as well." She can't say that for sure of course, having not caught sight of her in some time. But she racks her brain, trying to make sure she's giving Mercade everything she knows. "While I am a proponent for being proven guilty before deciding someone is a monster--these Mutates are understandably not always rational--I think it bears some looking into." "And there's something else." She adds. "One of the villains attacking Manhattan, a 'Captain Hook', managed to bring a large ship to the city. Unfortunately, I was not able to bring a sample of the ship, but it seemed to have been composed of 'lego blocks'. Impossible, of course, but it's possible the strange composition allowed it to travel to Manhattan. This sort of thing--also bears looking into." She looks towards KAydin and informs him, "He has snakes for arms and is devoutly loyal to Golbez."

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris gives Kaydin the sharpest look anyone in the room has probably ever seen (excepting maybe Gilgamesh.) Her green eyes blaze, anger biting in them for a brief second, before she takes a deep breath and calms herself in a smooth motion. "I have my resources." "Well... I don't know if I'm very caring.." She drawls. "But give me the full details and I'll see if I can do -something-." Sarafina gets the -next- look, at the mention of Captain Hook. "Huh. So he's still active."

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "He is loyal to Baron. It is just golbez is using that loyalty to his advantage, like with me, only baigan doesnt look beyond Baron's borders.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' Mercade just shakes his head at this whole Kaydin thing. It's confusing to the Detective, really. Faris asks for details. "Well, see, this prince has been cursed with magic and transformed into, well..." He pauses. "A frog. The legend goes that the kiss of a princess will be able to free him from his curse. As the frog can talk and play guitar, I'm kind of inclined to believe him." Sarafina infodumps. Mercade sort of blinks at this and absorbs it, processing the information. He sighs, and slumps back in his chair. "This... is a really bad situation. I suppose it was too much to hope for Xanatos to be clean himself. This kind of thing..." He sighs. "I guess I will have to actually look into what he's done and will be doing." The news about Avira causes Mercade to look up and stand, slamming his hands on the table. "Avira? She's in trouble?" He grimaces... "I need to go find her." He forces himself to sit down. He can't go flumping about in front of customers! He folds his arms and leans back. "These blocks... They looked like legos, you said? I guess... We'll need to look into it. So we need to figure out where this Captain Hook is from and where his ship is going to be." He then pauses. "And then maybe steal it. A little." No, not really a little. More like 'a lot'.

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' Sarafina does not go into how Baigan has snakes for arms again. "Yes, I'm afraid I don't know much in th eway of details. I tried to take some as samples but they disintegrated in my hands." Strange that something so formidable would leave no sign of its presence. She shakes her head a bit again. It's hard to keep one's spirits up with the situation, another world falling. And many of these people have lost their worlds before. Losing it a second time--well... "Seems legitimate." Sarafina says. "I admit as an engineer I'm interested in this too. With luck, we may be able to have such a vessel ourselves. ANd that opens up our possibilities considerably."

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' "You want me to... kiss a frog. A prince that's been turned into a frog." She sighs, and rubs her face with her hands. "That's all?" She asks. "Because there's probably a specific princess, you know." Faris is sort of knowledgeable about Princess stories, and the like. The Manhatten infodump, well, she doesn't care much, which is terrible, but she's got her own world to save... although she might, she suspects to herself, have to help them as well. "The Captain Hook, a known pirate, is part of a grande rule, a group of pirates that all nominally agree to not kill each other, based out of Port Royale, for the most part." Faris smiles slightly.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:''' "Well, I don't know about the specifics. He didn't mention any specific princess that would be required. So I'm guessing he doesn't have any True Love to help him?" Mercade shrugs. "So you're saying he's in Port Royal..." He rubs his chin. "I've been there before." He looks to Sarafina. "We could get everyone together and head over there?" He suggests... Before he tilts his head. "Is it just me, or is something going on outside?" He asks.

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' "Sounds like a plan." Sarafina pauses and then turns her head. "Lets--take a look." OPENING CREDITS?!

:'''[[Faris Scherwiz]] has posed:''' Faris waves a hand. She's ain a dress, there's no way -she's- fighting.

:'''[[Sarafina Carenze]] has posed:''' "Worry not fair princess, we will keep you safe." Sarafina says, obliviously.

Luso visits the Chocobo Ranch

2013-02-21T05:57:03Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2012/12/09 |Location=Southern Continent - Chocobo Ranch |Synopsis=Today Luso and friends (none for now actually) stumble upon the chocobo Ranch, wh..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/12/09
|Location=Southern Continent - Chocobo Ranch
|Synopsis=Today Luso and friends (none for now actually) stumble upon the chocobo Ranch, where he gets to ride one for the first time! After retriving his hat of course.
|Cast of Characters=Tifa Lockhart, Kaydin, Luso Clemens
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' The ranch is one of the most quiet places in the multiverse. While not as secure as other places, with the lack of guards or whatever, its also not a very attractive place for the heartless to attack. There's only a few caretakers here, and chocobos. Tifa has been visiting the ranch quite a bit since she helped open it, standing near the outside pen, she has a bag of feed for her adopted chocobo, offering some to it by hand with a smile, along with soft pettings along its feathery mane.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' At this point in time a certain unsuspecting boy was about to have the surprise of his life. Having noticed the Chocobo Ranch in the distance, Luso veered off the well beaten path, approaching the rather quiet place out of curiosity. As well as to have a better look. "Wow, check this out! I haven't seen so many Chocobos in one place in a long time!" He spoke up excitedly as he stepped onto the property, missing Tifa initially as he approached the fence. A single curious Chocobo approached and seemed to initiate a staring contest with Luso, leaning closer and closer downwards until it's beak was almost touching the boy. "Ahahaha...Hey there!" He greeted the bird, reaching up to attempt to pat it's beak... ...And then suddenly, WHOOSH. There went Luso's hat, into the mouth of the Chocobo. "H-Hey! Hold on a second! Give that back! Hey!" He called out indignantly at the now retreating animal. "OH COME ON! HEEEEEEY!" Seems that luck was not with him today.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart blinks as she watches what happens to the boy's hat, and giggles. She hops on the fence, and then unto her chocobo. She's had it for a few days, so it got used to the friendly manners of the barmaid. She pats its head, leaning as if to whisper something to her mount, and then strides off toward the thieving chocobo. When she's close enough, she takes out her bag of feed/treat, putting some in her hand, attracting the other chocobo over "Come on, here's for you, just give him back his hat, hm?" The chocobo kweh~ sing-singily, and comes over to get the feed from the barmaid's hand, dropping the hat down. Tifa's other hand snatches it from the air, and puts it on top of her own head with a grin.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' Luso watched as Tifa approached and managed to lure the chocobo over with the offer of food. How simple. How effective. ...Why didn't he think of that? A sigh of relief was given once the hat finally left the bird's grasp and then landed into the young woman's grasp. "Phew...! Sheesh, what is it with chocobos and my hat? It's not even funny anymore." Luso moaned to himself for a moment before glancing over to Tifa again and grinning, regaining his energy. "Anyway, thanks! It's not the first time my hat's almost become chocobo feed, but I appreciate it!" A sheepish chuckle was given after as the boy observed his hat nestled upon the other's head. "...Pffft--" And a hand was brought to his mouth to keep himself from laughing, which he failed at regardless. "Ahahahaha! Oh man, it really doesn't suit you!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart grins as she strides back to Luso with the hat on her head "That's why its not my hat. It suits you better though." As she moves back to the fence, she slides back down from her chocobo, and offers it more treat with one hand. The other hand takes the hat off her head, and puts it on Luso's head directly, but in the wrong direction. "Here you go, all yours." Tifa's chocobo kwehs~ and eats his reward.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' The sound of heavy armor clanking is heard as a chocobo comes walking in, wearing black armor and bearing a black rider with metal armor as well. He moves off the chocobo and begins to unfasten the armor, first removing the chest piece off of the Chocobo.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Ahahaha! That's right, it's my hat!" Luso replied, smiling up at Tifa as she approached. "I guess I owe you one now, huh?" Glancing off at the other array of chocobos milling about in the enclosure, Luso tilted his posture to the side, crossing his arms behind his head in his usual lazy fashion. "Thanks!" He offers Tifa as the hat is put back onto his head. "I guess I should introduce myself then!" Stepping back and jerking a thumb towards himself, he began to launch into it. "The name's Luso! Luso Clemens! Member of Clan Gully and all around good guy!" With a grin, a two fingered salute was then given to the young woman.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart watches the approach of Kaydin, hmming a bit. A plated chocobo huh. Well, if the chcoobo doesn't mind. She prefers hers with the lovely yellow feathers. She smiles to Luso "I'm Tifa Lockhart, I run a bar in Goug, the Seventh Heaven. I'm also a hired hand at times, helping people out where I can." She reaches up to pet the chcoobo's mane a bit "And this is Premium Heart."

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Tifa Lockheart..." Luso mused, repeating the name to himself. Once he got it down, he grinned, rubbing the underside of his nose with an index finger. "Gotcha, nice to meet you then Tifa! And thanks again for saving my hat! I'm just not complete without it now, you know?" He chuckled lightly as he made that stupid joke and then finally, his attention was drawn to the armored man and chocobo that had arrived. "...Eh?" Luso sounded out in curiosity, tilting his head a bit at the sight. "You know them?" He asked, glancing at Tifa inquisitively.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods to Luso's question "Yeah, that's Kaydin, he's a dark knight form Baron. He comes to the bar often." She's not very comfortable around him, with his allegiance and actions and all. She understands he wants to do well, but he has to start showing it with actions too, not just blind following of orders. She shakes her head and smiles "So what's your story? Wandering around the new world?"

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' Kaydin had glanced to Tifa and continues undoing the armor from the chocobo before moving to try and pull the armored helmet off of the chocobo. It however lets out a loud WARK and keeps moving it's head away. "Alright.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Me?" Luso asked, pointing to himself momentarily before lowering his arm and resting it at his side, over the grimoire lashed to it. "Yeah, sorta something like that! The clan and I split up and are exploring this new world. We're hunting marks and taking on quests to help the people!" Arms crossed again as the boy pondered even further, his eyes locked onto Kaydin and his chocobo. The fact that the bird didn't want it's helmet removed got a chuckle out of the young adventurer before he continued to speak. "I'm also looking for my friends. I think we got separated when this craziness first started. 'Cause I haven't seen them since I got here...It's weird."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart keeps an eye on Kaydin's chocobo, giggling a bit too. Chocobos can be odd sometimes. She smiles, nodding "Yeah, I know what you mean. Many friends were lost to the darkness too, so finding them again is a challenge. But I've made new friends along the way, so its not as lonely at least." 5r She pats her chocobo, smiling "All done with the treats Premium, go play now." The chocobo kwehs~ singily, and trots away in the fenced pen.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Yeah, I know what you mean." Luso nodded in agreement with Tifa's words, crossing his arms and looking up to the sky. "I've still got the clan and I've still got myself! So in the meantime, I'm gonna keep doing what I can do!" The boy's gaze left the sky and went back to the young woman, smiling in a silly fashion. "If I go around helping people and making a name for myself, they've gotta show up eventually, right?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hms and nods "Of course." She leans backward against the fence, looking away on the fields at all the chocobos roaming there "If your name spreads, it will be heard by people that know you." Of course, she only knew a handful of people before this whole mess. Jessie, biggs, Wedge, Barrett... Cloud too. The rest of the people she knows are already dead, so it doesn't help there. "It's more of a blank slate for me though."

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' Kaydin just gives his chocobo some treats before making his way over before lookin to those present and he came over to hear Luso and Tifa's conversation. "I just seem to make enemies." Kaydin says, his voice having a metallic echo thanks to that helmet he wore. "When a world is consumed by the darkness, time and space is warped. people with strong enough will can make it through if they dont give in to the darkness. What may seem like their world just being consumed, will be months or days here." Kaydin says as he watches Luso.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Blank slate...?" Luso inquired, raising an eyebrow at Tifa's words, he wondered exactly what she could have been talking about, but...he shook his head after a moment. "Well either way, Even if things look bad now, I think they'll get better! We just have to keep our heads up and our eyes forward!" Saying that, Luso raised a fist, clenching it confidently as he joined the young woman in leaning back against the fence. It was then that Kaydin approached. Hearing his words regarding the darkness, Luso couldn't help but frown suspiciously. "Huh...? Really? But...how do you know that?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart shakes her head, looking over to Luso at that "Kaydin lives in darkness, he knows alot about it, and the heartless." Which is part of why she's not comfortable around him either. She doesn't understand his stubborness about staying with Baron if they aren't doing the right thing. He needs to make up his mind about it.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "In my homeland we have what are called the Dark Knights. We learn how to wield the darkness as a weapon. True the power corrupts and can have fatal results and more often then not, those who use the darkess are consumed, however the benefits are still there. We gain a knowledge of how the darkness works, what attracts beings of the dark, and we can become stronger from the negative things that happen." Kaydin explains. "We also get black weapons and gear which is handy." He says as he then looks about. "There is a reason why people are enemies with me, instead of my friends."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "You don't understand, its not because you're a dark knight or wielding darkness that I am uncomfortable around you. Its the people you willingly choose to work with that is the problem. You are a mass of confusing contradictions, you say you want to save people but you put yourself on the front line when your country attacks them without reason, but you let the information leak first as if that made everything better." She stands up, crossing her arms pointedly "You need to make up your mind, you cannot be friends with your 'ennemy' while staying loyal to your country when all they look for is strife."

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' Luso listened to Kaydin's explanation regarding Dark Knights. And then his gaze was drawn to Tifa who refuted some of his words. He wasn't familiar wirh Baron and Dark Knights and such, so this was rather alien to him. "Uh....What's going on here? You two sound like you've had some big problems before? Or am I totally wrong?" Indeed, Luso was more than confused. Maybe he should take a couple steps away. And so he did that.

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' "I leaked information hoping it would be used to get people out. Instead it was used to fight against our forces. Tifa, I walk a fine line in regards to using the darkness. Ever heard of the saying that once you start running you will never stop? Well that is probably one of the best lessons when using darkness and dark power. The moment I begin to do something bad, stopping myself will become that much harder. If I betray my home, my nation, when will I stop? It may make betraying you and Aerith that much more easier, something I do not wish for." Kaydin says as he then looks to Luso. "Baron sides and uses the heartless. As such I am most often sent to fight against those who wish to protect people from the heartless."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart crosses her arms "The only think you shouldn't betray is your own feelings and convictions. Which you are doing if you are unable to move on." She shakes her head "Leaving Baron is not betraying Baron. Not if you think Baron is walking the wrong path. You can help Baron from the outside. By staying inside, you might be going against what you truly believe in." She glances over her shoulder as she turns around "You tried to help, I understand that, but you're NOT helping by staying with Baron. You're only helping THEM in the end. If that's what you really want, help Baron walk down the path of evil that slay everything opposing them even the slightest, then we are not friends." She moves toward the barn, wanting to get some distance from the man of darkness.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Uh...you guys..." With every word the two of them threw out at each other, Luso found himself more and more lost. This was no his situation. Not his problem. And thus, he couldn't offer much insight on the matter. It was too complicated and there was too little material to work with. What was he supposed in this situation? There were no words he could offer to any side. There was no side he could take. He was utterly neutral, watching two sides clash, figuratively at least. And so, scratching his cheek sheepishly and shucking, Luso just stood by and continued watching, wondering if perhaps he should just leave while he had the chance...

:'''[[Kaydin]] has posed:''' Kaydin sighs. "If I leave, They will get someone else, someone who may not care if innocents get killed. Atleast in my position I can keep our forces from raising the death toll." He says as he would then nod. "I need to get going." He says before looking to Luso. "I am sorry for making you uncomfortable." He says as he goes to his chocobo to leave.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart sighs, shaking her head. She can't stand Kaydin with his constant flipping back and forth under the guise of following his own ideals. It doesn't work like that. She moves to the barn, checking out on the chocobos there. Its always relaxing here at least, the chocobos are a peaceful picture.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Nah, it's...." Luso started, watching as Kaydin got onto his chocobo and rode off. "...okay? Huh." Huffing in exasperation, the boy crossed his arms, watching in confusion for a bit longer. Once the dark knight was out of sight, he turned away, facing Tifa again. "Well sheesh, that was completely awkward! Is he always like that?" Luso approached as he asked, smiling now that the stuffy situation had finally cleared up. Man, he'd have to stay away from Kaydin if it was going to like that all the time. Nothing ruins a day faster than needless drama after all!

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods to Luso "As far as I know, yes. He's always a mood killer, whenever he appears. He's a social-antisocial, he shouldn't be with anyone, doesn't want to listen to anyone's advice, yet offers his as if he was the world's only source of wisdom. Honestly, I can't stand him." And that's a rare thing since the barmaid is a 'likes everyone' type, seeing the silver lining in everyone. Kaydin jsut keeps trampling all attempts to help him find his path. "We tried to help, but he won't listen, he's sure he's right in everything he does."

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Ergh! Sounds like trouble! ...I mean..." A sigh was given as he glanced off in the direction the knight had left in, furrowing his brows after. "Somehow...I don't feel like he's a bad guy. Whatever he's saying about darkness and all that...despite that, It doesn't feel like he himself is...? Am I making any sense even? Ugh!" Grumbling in frustration, Luso took both hands to his head, mussing up his hat and hair before moving on. "But if he's done all that you said he has, it can't really be forgiven. You guys tried your best and that's that!" Grinning widely, he reassumed his previous lazy posture and added. "Sometimes, you gotta figure things out the hard way before they sink in, yeah? Maybe that's what he needs!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "Well I hope he hits the bottom soon, before he does anything he will regret. And that's what saddens me the most, he knows its not the right thing to do, but he argues stubbornly that its the only thing he can do. It doesn't make sense to me." She waves a hand, stopping near the pen of one of the chocobos, checking on it with a smile "My, aren't a big one."

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Gah, well, we don't have to keep talking about him! Anyway!" Following after TIfa, Luso looked in on the chocobo she was checking on, a curious look on his face. "Oh right, I guess this is a good time to ask as any! Do they sell chocobos here? I think I could use a mount! Walking across the continent is hard work after all! A lift would save a ton of time!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles "Actually they do, you just need to ask them, they will capture one for you, there's lots of them in the fields. Then they take care of it for you whenever you don't need it. You can travel with it of course, but it always has a place waiting here too, when you don't have time to take care of it.

:'''[[Luso Clemens]] has posed:''' "Awesome! So I just have to ask then? Sounds easy enough!" Giving Tifa a comical military salute then, Luso grinned and spoke. "Thanks for the info Tifa! I'll catch you on the flipside!" And with that, he turned and ran off in the direction of the residence, waving at her as he did.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and waves to the boy. Well he's agreeable enough at least, not like that dark knight "If you ever need anything, come to Goug and seek out the Seventh Heaven~" She chimes in, moving back toward the exit. Now that Kaydin is gone, she can relax again. That's why she came here in the first place after all. There's enough troubles in Manhattan, and there will be more soon.

Xanatos Business Proposal for a Barmaid

2013-02-21T05:54:15Z

Lifa: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2012/11/16 |Location=Manhattan - Xanatos Tower |Synopsis=Xanatos has invited Tifa for some business proposal. Aerith and Rinoa tag along, taking th..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/11/16
|Location=Manhattan - Xanatos Tower
|Synopsis=Xanatos has invited Tifa for some business proposal. Aerith and Rinoa tag along, taking the chance to all dress pretty.
|Cast of Characters=Tifa Lockhart, David Xanatos, Synestria, Rinoa Heartilly, Aerith
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart stops in front of the building, lokoing up at it. She's still impressed by how tall it is, really. Even Shinra's building didn't reach that high up, you'd think you need a space rocket to reach the top. She shakes her head, and slips out of boots and into her high heels. She decided to dress up, he is a rich man and she didn't want to look like she was in rags either, if other people were there. Well, not that she wears rags, but her tanktop and skirt doesn't really count as fashionable either. But those high heels kill her. Once she switched footwear, she steps in, moving to the counter to announce herself. She did have an appointement after all, the richman said that he'd be waiting, so there she in, a few minutes ahead of time, just in case she needed to actually climb up there too.

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' A tall blonde man wearing glasses is evewntually brought out and greets Tifa. In a clear even tone he asks, "Miss Lockhart?" Not waiting for an answer he continues to speak. "If you will please follow me. Mr. Xanatos has been expecting you." He then turns and walks toward the elevator. Once he's there he pulls out a card form his pocket and waves it in fornt of a sensor. The elevator door opens and he steps in. Once Tifa is in the Elevator he waves the card in front of a another sensor and the door closes. He presses a button and the elevator begins to move upward. The entire time he remains silent and watches as the number steadily climb upwards. RWith a ding, the door opens and the Blonde man steps out into a hallway. This hallway has no doors, and is very short, ending after about ten feet. He waves the card in front of the sensor again and opens the door. "Mr. Xanatos, Miss Lockhart is here to see you." Facing a rather large window giving him a supreme look at the city's skyline, Xanatos raises a hand to indicate Owen should wait. "No Commissioner I do NOT think the Polie force is adequatly prepared. This is why I am offering to outfit them. For free." There is a moment of silence as a muffled voice cna be heard from Xanatos's blue tooth. "Yes I not only believe automatic weapons are needed, but I think they need to be energy based, and you need to stop treating this like it will go away. I'll come down personally and discuss this with you tomorrow." With thsoe words he presses a button on the device and then Xanatos raises his hand once again. The blond man nods and speaks. "Mr. Xanatos, a Miss Lockhart is here to speak with you." "Excellent. Send her in Owen."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart is a bit loss in all of that fancy world. Its definitely a level above her. Well, maybe she'd like to be treated like a princess sometimes, but this is not something she thinks she'd get used to either. But each their own really. She smiles as she steps in after Owen opens the way, bowing her head to him "Thank you.", and then turning to the millionaire, stepping through the large room toward the desk and window. Its only when she's close enough she realizes that the huge window is making everything look even bigger. "Hello Mr. Xanatos, nice to meet you again. hope I am not disturbing anything too important with my little appointement today."

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Striding in confidently, Synestria quietly leans against one of the walls as she looks to Xanatos. "Believe me, Energy weapons would be enough to bring those airships down. it'll be the Dragoons and the Dark Knights that'll really mess up your defenses, Mister Xanatos." She says crossing her arms. She then tilts her head at Owen. "Interesting. Tifa Lockhart's coming here, hmm? I'm sure you'd want to see her again." She then teasingly winks at Xanatos. He might be a player, but he's got a player in Synestria working with him at the moment.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Of course, with her is a guest, someone whom neither has met before. A woman, five feet and three inches tall with chestnut brown hair and brilliant green eyes that seem to shine like precious stones. Her usual attire was not present; instead, she wore a dark red suit jacket with matching pants, both accentuated by black pin stripes and with a white silk blouse underneath. Her hair cascaded down in waves, a sign of a habit of braiding. A pair of three-inch patent heels, black in color, held themselves nicely on her feet, and a pair of jade earrings graced her ear lobes, completing the look. She said nothing for the time being, preferring to be introduced rather than do it herself.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa is late in joining her friends, although she's quite concerned with recent rumours of another heartless attack. She didn't dress up particularly fancy, but simply listens in the back. Angelo has been left back at the bar, knowing that pets might be a bad thing here. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late!"

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' Turning his chair around from the view of the city, Xanatos nods in greeting to the women who have graced his office. Other men might be flattered, or even flustered, or possibly not sure how to act with so much in the way of loveliness around them, but they are not David Xanatos. He steeples his fingers and nods his head. "Good evening ladies. I understand you all wished to see me, and I see that you have all come together." He gestures with one hand toward the couch and chairs arrayed before his desk. " Please. Be seated." He presses a button and a table rises out of the floor with a pitcher of water, and glasses. Enough for all. He nods to Rinoa as she enters and then smiles that smile fo his. "Tell me, how may I assist you ladies this evening?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart steps over to the sitting offered, smiling "Well I am here because we had a deal that I would come to meet you, after the art auction. But My friends did have a few things to discuss with you as well, so I thought it was a good idea to bring everyone and everything to the table at once." She turns and motions a hand to those following her "This is my friend Aerith, and you already met Rinoa at the party I believe." She looks over to Synestria, that's one she doesn't quite remember of at the moment. Maybe crossed on the battlefield somewhere? She sits herself elegantly, her training might be martial arts, but it does give a nice fluidity to her movements.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith moved to take a seat, her eyes focused entirely on the man before her. She took his measure, making an attempt to read him before saying anything. Her features are relaxed, dispassionate in nature, with only the barest hint of a smile. When she is introduced, Aerith reached across the table with her right hand, the sleeve pulling back somewhat to reveal a silver bangle with several small gems imbedded inside. What, you thought she'd be here without her materia? "A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria trots her way over to her 'seat' and sits, crossing her legs. "It's a pleasure, ladies. I am Synestria." When she does sit down, it's in a rather mobile chair. However, she does take a good, long look at Aerith, nearly staring......and smiles a lot more warmly than to Tifa....as if she knows something.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Wow, what nifty gadgets! Rinoa's eyes widen a bit at the table and chairs that suddenly appear, and she nods and smiles. "nice to meet you again, Mr. Xanatos!" And she takes a seat, glancing at the others curiously, wondering what this is all about. She only heart bits and pieces, but was willing to offer whatever help she can..

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' Nodding to Tifa he gives her a slight smile and takes a piece of paper out of his desk. He hands it over to her. "This is a bussiness proposal for the opening of many bars, as well as increasing yours in Travesre town to an Inn. At my expense, the upgrade to an Inn is a gift from me as part of the bussiness deal I am making. But I need somebody to oversee these bars, and I hear you are quite qualified in that field. I'm planning on opening about four others with possibilities of otehrs if you are interested." Xanatos takes Aerith's hand and kisses it politely. His eyes meeting her's as he does so. As he releases the hand he says evenly, "Enchanted my dear." If he notices the Materia, or even cares, he doens't say. Then he nods to Synestria, "And always a pleasure to see you Synestria. Now. Ladies, as much as I enjoy meeting wonderful and beautiful new women such as yourselves, please. How may I help you tonight?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith placed a hand on Tifa's right shoulder. This was her discovery, she might as well speak of it. "Actually..." She turned back to Xanatos. "It's how we might help you." She presented him with that soft smile again. "Apparently you all were talking about Baron just as we came in. That's good, because it seems their commanding officer, a man named Baigan, got careless in one of my good friend's bars." The smile dispersed. "They're planning an attack on this city. Alexandria intends to support. We have no idea when they're coming, but it'll be safe to assume that they will make a move." She sighed. "And if I'm correct, they're doing it out of petty revenge, on your interference with their attack on Garden."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart blinks at the paper. She picks it up as she's offered, and reads over it while the rest of the presentations are made around her. Her eyes widen a bit Mercade said something about opening more bars, but nothing on this scope either. She takes a moment to read through it on her own, while Aerith explains herself. She nods to her, feeling her hand on her shoulder. Well, beside the fact that her bar is in Goug and not Traverse, the rest seemed pretty solid... an expansion too, maybe she could have an actual room. But then... what about Avalanche? There was still the secret room that noone ever heard about beside her... Although with more space she could probably hide things more easily too. She can ask her questions after Aerith is done exposing the plot though.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria gives a bit of a smile at that. "I....had a feeling about that after I heard you were going to help, Mister Xanatos. After my battle with Rubicante, I put a little something in motion to assist us against Baron, should they decide to attack Manhattan." She says softly, then drinking a bit of water. "Sir Auron is willing to help, when the need arises, Mister Xanatos."

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' "Took them longer than I thought honestly." Xanatos says with a smirk. He leans back and is silent for a moment. "Do you happen to know how big of an attack they are planning on making?" Looking to Synestria he nods. "A knight? I assume from a world where Knight actually means capable combatant? Forgive me, but I have not had the honor of meeting this Auron. What resources does he bring to the table?"

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa listens quietly, sipping on a glass of water. When Xanatos makes the proposal about helping Tifa with her bar, her eyes widen a bit, glancing over at Tifa in surprise. "Wow, really? That's pretty awesome.." seems this girl's on a roll! So much for staying out of the spotlight.. She falls silent again when Aerith speaks of Baron attacking Manhattan. Ahh, will their antics never stop? When Synestria offers help, she nods too. "I'm also willing to help. I have some friends in Garden, perhaps I can get the SeeD's help too. Afterall, you helped them.."

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' Nodding to Rinoa, "If you would, inform them I'd like to Hire them. All of them." Xanatos says witha voice that says he can do just that. "Of course I was expecting some sort of retaliation, so I naturally have plans, but I welcome and cherish any help others can give me."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart looks up from the papers, flipping to the next page. She nods "I'm willing to help as well, I'm with Rinoa and Aerith on this." Her activities are not toward Shinra yet, considering they have been quiet, but she can't really close her eyes over what's going on elsewhere, and with the friends she's made. "This very detailed mr. Xanatos." She looks back at the paper "I can't be in 4 places at once, but other than that... having several Seventh Heavens? That would be... amazing, to say the least."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith lowered her head for a moment. "All this is well and good, but I don't have any idea who or what they'll be fielding. Standard airships, standard troops, whatever Heartless they can call up... I don't know what Alexandria is entirely capable of here." She looked back up at Xanatos. "I'm sure you have plans, and I'm sure you'll carry them out when the time comes. But there's one thing you might have missed..." Something that she herself didn't. "Baron had intentions of bringing a nation called Archadia into their plans. From what I can tell, they have an airship fleet that equals that of the Red Wings, and highly capable commanders of each fleet." She smiled. "Fortunately, I may have nipped that particular issue in the bud."

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' David Xanatos takes a deep breatha nd lets it out. He looks to the side at a monitor and types something on a Keyboard there. It is short, so it liekly jsut a quick note. Which it is. --Investigate who or what Archadia is. ASAP, IMPORTANT. And put a Bat Signal out for the Manhattan Clan. Offer Castle.-- He leans back in hsi chair and steeples his fingers. After a brief moment he nods once. "I do suppose it was too much to believe that this Baron didn't have any other allies. And the Battleship Fleet while fully capable of mixing it up with Baron's Red Wings, I'm not too keen on the thought of taking on a second Airship Fleet." He nods to Aerith. and then opens a drawer. "Do you all have those new Dimensional Phones yet?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shook her head. "I certainly wish I'd even heard of them, I just came here recently, to be honest. And by the way... Archadia shouldn't be a threat. I'm in good standing with one of the fleet commanders, Zargabaath. He seems to have a lot of pull, and once I told him Baron was using the Heartless to bolster their forces, he immediately dismissed the notion of associating with them."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart puts the papers down on the low table as she listens in "That man that was in the bar? He seemed pretty upright, I don't think he'd be able to cross us. But I guess its hard to take people at face value anymore, there's too many kind of people around, and the mingling of worlds isn't helping." She hmms at the mention of phones "No, I don't think I heard about it, it didn't reach Goug at least."

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:''' Rinoa nods to Xanatos. "Sure, I can do that.." Soon as she can find those missing friends of hers. But they must be in Garden, right? "I'm sure they're still shaken from the attack, with the kids there and all, but I'm sure they'd be happy to help. I cant guarantee it'll be totally free, though.." They are mercenaries afterall.. She arches a brow when he speaks of Dimensional Phones. "Ooh? What are those? Sounds pretty nifty!" However, after drinking all the water, she finally stands up, looking uncomfortable. Shouldn't have had that big meal so soon earlier! "Mr. Xanatos, where is your washroom? Please excuse me.." she quickly answers as one of his attendants show her the way..

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' Taking out a Phone for each of the ladies present Xanatos says evenly, "There are sales associates nearly everywhere across the Multi-verse." He shrugs, and with that shrug says silently: I've been busy. "But take these. And these cards." He puts these on the table. "These cards will allow you to purchase at my expense another ten phones each. The ones I am giving you come with instructions, and pre-programmed numbers with how to contact me. Use them, keep me informed. I'll be doing what I can here to beef up Manhattan's defenses and build allies." He leans back again and steeples his fingers. "Is there anything else I need to know ladies?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shrugged. "It's a minor thing... but since you seem to know a bit about seeing beyond what's there..." Not like she could of course, but he probably understood. "...Could you maybe teach me something? I figure I could use a bit of a lesson in strategy." Tifa's already teaching her how to fight... might as well get someone else to teach her how to... not think, per se, but think more efficiently.

:'''[[David Xanatos]] has posed:''' Tilting his head Xanatos raises an eyebrow to Aerith. "I can find time for an intern sure." He nods once and slides another card forward. "Meet me here tomorrow. We'll talk more. But for now, I have much to do."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded and stood from her seat. "I suppose Tifa and I will be staying a while longer, then. We'll find some place to hole up." She turned toward the bar maid. "Shall we?" With a glance behind her left shoulder, she peered over at the woman... that wasn't quite a woman. Not entirely anyway. "Can I... speak with you?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods to Aerith "Actually we can go check the building that he already controls for the bars he wants to open up. We can probably go inspect. He apparently already has all of the buildings but needs managers and renovations to fix up the places and stuff." She stands up, and looks over to Synestria as Aerith talks about her.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' She headed toward the doors they'd just walked through. "Somewhere more... personal, I believe, would be best. I doubt this is the place for it." With that, she led the way out of the office and toward the elevators.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria smiles a bit more and looks to Tifa, before walking her way towards the elevators. As she opened up her strides, the chains started to jingle on her boots and hips. "Is there something wrong, Miss Aerith?" She says as they close in on the elevators.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart slips into the elevators after the others, bringing with her the papers of Xanatos' business offer. Its all very tempting. She also has the phone she was given, poking at it a bit with a finger to check out the features.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shook her head. "Nothing wrong. Just that..." She glanced over at her. "...You're hiding. What or why, I don't know, but you're hiding." One of her brows rose. "And I caught that look you gave me earlier... like you knew me or something."

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria says, "I don't know you, Miss Aerith, but I know of you. Of your kind.....sort of." She says with a deep breath. "I am in hiding, yes. Because my true form tends to inspire fear and panic in most smaller races. Yours included." She then crosses her arms and leans up against the wall. "I can....taste, how different you are from Tifa. You're not completely human either."""

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart just listens at the two... not really knowing what to say about this. Both seem to feel things on a higher level than she can. Well, each their own talents.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith smiled. "Trust me... if I were afraid of you, I wouldn't even go into that room. If you know of my kind, then you know that as well." She looked toward the elevator doors. "So... taste, huh? Not smell, not see... so I'm going to assume your true form is something serpentine."

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria nods quietly, as she looks up to Aerith. Yes, Aerith currently is taller than her. "You would be right. Perhapssssss you could keep it from Xanatossssss until the time is right?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith chuckled. "That depends. Will the time ever be right? It must be difficult for you, pretending to be like us." She turned toward Tifa now, her features still placid. "So then, we gonna get some training in today?"

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria grins to Aerith. "I've been doing it for most of my life, so it's not quite as hard. I defeated Rubicante in my original form......so...."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart hms "I don't know who that Rubicante is either." She steps off the elevator once back on the bottom floor. She's going to change into her boots before going outside. The dress is fine, but the high-heels not so much.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith shook her head. "You'll have to fill me in. Who is Rubicante? Another one of Baron's forces? It sounds like he usually fights on his own..." Or at least, that's what's easily assumed.

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria says, "He's under Baron's control, yes. Rubicante is the Archfiend of Fire." He says as she goes with them down the elevator. "and there are other archfiends under Baron's control. Barbariccia, the archfiend of wind. Scarmiglione, the archfiend of earth. If there's an archfiend of water, I did not see him with Baron's force though."""

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded. "It'll be safe to assume that at least one of them will show up, and multiple units won't be able to handle him. It's going to have to be one person, and highly skilled at that." She glanced at Synestria. "If you say you took one of them down, you can take another, right?"

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria says, "I got lucky against him. he unleashed his full power against me, and I was still lucky to defeat him. He is very very powerful."""

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart nods "I fought agaisnt some pretty tough opponents too. Can't always win, but can stand my ground at least."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith knew all about running. She just refused to do it anymore. Ding. The elevator reached the bottom floor. "So then, now I have two teachers to learn from. I'm sorry if you wanted to leave right away, Tifa... I just had to ask. He seemed helpful enough." She glanced around the main lobby, then at Synestria. "Do you have to go back upstairs now?"

:'''[[Synestria]] has posed:''' Synestria says, "Not right away, but I will. I have my own preparations to get to, alongside of Xanatos'" She then chuckles softly. "Wisdom of the snake."""

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart changes into her boots, putting her highheels in a bag, switching over so she's more comfortable to walk around. "Its alright, we have a phone as well now, so we can reach Xanatos more easily." She smiles "We'll be back soon too."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' Aerith nodded and made her way out toward the reception hall, toward the front doors. "Let's see this new place of yours. I'm excited to see you branch out!"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:''' Tifa Lockhart smiles and waves to Synestria "Alright, we got phones if you need us." She moves along the street, papers in hand as she tries to find the place "It shouldn't be too far from here."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:''' True enough, it wasn't far. Just a few blocks away, and they were in front of the currently empty building that was to be Tifa's newest expansion. Aerith bowed toward the door. "You first, oh great and wise leader." Cue a teasing grin here.