Meeting the Golden Wolf

Meeting the Golden Wolf
Date of Scene:	07 November 2013
Location:	Fluorgis
Synopsis:	Skoll meets a mysterious stranger who just might be the Wolf he's been searching for.
Cast of Characters:	Aura, Skoll Ulfang

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Aura has posed:
THEN:

Things have been... strange lately. For a long time, the Shadow Lords had been quiet, but now they seem to be on the move. There have been attacks more often these days. like a dark cloud threatening on the horizon.

Since the day they rescued Shiki from Castle Oblivion, Zia has been quieter than usual. Contrary to her usual nature, she's actually turned down invitations to play video games, and her demeanor has been distant more often than not.

Any glimpse into the future is enough to startle someone, but Zia has seen two of them, and that is enough to leave her wondering if there is any way of moving forward that doesn't lead to some bitter end. Her mistakes, Shiki's mistakes, the mistakes of others who might now wield keyblades... but what /is/ the right path?

Beyond that, there's other things to come to grips with. The Heartless were still a threat to Atlantis. The one who had lead them to becoming Keyblade wielders was not on the side of light. And... perhaps the one that touches closest to home... she is the Golden Wolf. She might have shaken it off as just a dream, but every time she summoned her Keyblade, there it was... staring her in the face. There are many things she has to come to face and not much time.

NOW:

It's night in Fluorgis. The bustle of the streets has given way to evening's quiet. The world could be asleep, except for the creeping shadows that lurk in the night. No... not shadows, but Shadows. Heartless.

It's easy to follow them as they dart between street lamps. Yet, the further into the city they go, the more it becomes clear that something isn't right. There is a sound of a scuffle.

There, standing in the center of a group of Heartless, is a fighter. At first glance, they could be mistaken for a werewolf. A cloak of golden fur covers the warrior's back, a sandy colored tail moves behind her, and her feet and hands are covered by furred, clawed gloves. Yet, on closer inspection, it's clearly just a costume. It covers most of her features, revealing little. A gold-tinted helmet covers her face, leaving only her lips, chin, and eyes visible.

What's more... this is no ordinary fighter. In her hand is what is easily recognizable as a Keyblade. A swirling pattern of flame makes up the blade, but more startlingly... the hilt is a black wolf's head with it's jaws around the sun.

There's no time to stare or wonder, though. The Heartless seem to have this Keyblade wielder closed off, and while she seems to be able to keep them at bay, there are more coming now that they have found her.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The Shard Seekers headquarters in Fluorgis has been a bit more quiet lately. Many of its inhabitants are travelers after all. Yet, one of their most accomplished travelers is remaining in the city as of late. He's been working hard on his chains and the like - toying with the thunder materia he'd obtained quite a long time ago now. He's been quiet himself though - often out and about looking for signs of Cloisters - and when he's home, he is usually quite busy with things.

The whole change from darkness to light has changed him. It's not that he's not still quite lively, but whenever he's working on his chains, he drowns himself in it. Other time has been spent trying to remaster his own combat arts. It's been a long and grueling process filled with aggrevation and failure. Zia has most certainly seem him work. Seen how the way he manipulates the chains has changed. But days lately, where things have been working better and better, more brightness has come to fill the headquarters.

---

It's after one of those very sessions, worn and tired, that the werewolf is prowling the streets. In the old days, he would have gone from roof to roof. But these days, he walks the streets like any other. He's recognized by the people, and doesn't need to hide himself or his presence anymore. It's not until he notices the Shadows that flit on the paths between buildings that a 'liveliness' comes back to him.

Often, Shadows didn't really need his attention. They don't really go into houses - and there were few people out except for guards. Still, he follows them with his hands in his pockets, patient, letting his golden eyes scan the surroundings. Where were they going? They almost seem to be converging on some place. Or Some One.

That's when he spots it. The shape of a red heart floating to the sky. A Keyblade Wielder? It's not long before the werewolf reaches the clearing in which the fighter stands with her flamebound blade. The golden armor, the sandy-colored tail. The... golden helm. The werewolf stops right in his tracks. And time just... comes to a standstill.

It's like all of the light in the world suddenly decides to be drawn away by this one presence, creating an immense tunnelvision on her position as she twirls her body along and cuts at the Heartless. And in that moment...

Skoll is absolutely dumb-founded. He doesn't know what to say. His lips feel dry, his chest feels tight, he feels like he can't quite breathe right...

Aura has posed:
At first, the Golden Wolf doesn't seem to notice Skoll. She has her hands quite full with the array of Heartless around her. While they aren't particularly powerful individually, it doesn't take too many to become overpowering. It's clear that she's being driven back, though she is certainly giving them one heck of a fight.

Fire flickers from her fingertips as she touches them to the ground, expanding it in a ring around herself to keep them at bay. Her chest rises and falls as she tries to catch her breath, the Shadows testing the wall of fire. Finally, a few rush forward through it. Heartless, afterall, are not very intelligent without a Shadow Lord to guide them, and these sense the Keyblade and little else. They even seem to be ignoring Skoll, for now.

Her fighting style isn't one that Skoll would recognize. In fact, Faruja is the only one likely to see his own teachings showing in the way that the Golden Wolf moves. Her blade slices through a few more Shadows as she turns, fierce eyes looking out from behind the armored helmet as she catches sight of the werewolf nearby.

"I know this is quite a show, but I could use a little help." Her voice rings out, followed by a grunt of effort as she sends a wave of flame outward from the Keyblade, toppling over some of the Shadows around her. There's something odd about that voice, almost as if it were familiar, but wrong somehow. It's that sort of familiarity that nags a little at the back of the mind. Then again, he's heard her speak to him before, hasn't he? His Wolf did talk to him in his dreams...

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The display is awe-inspiring and interesting. And though Skoll certainly does not recognize the combat techniques, he does note that it lacks a certain element of... perfection. And in a ways, that was just a mirror of what he was like right now. Her words draw him back to reality, and the werewolf quickly grabs for his belt. "Right! S... sorry!" He bumbles. Zia might realize just how so not-himself he's acting in that moment, and just how affected he is by her appearance and presence.

Mentally, her voice is just another thing on top of a whole boatload of thoughts that are running through his mind. The way he recognizes her voice, the way she's dressed up, the fiery method of combat. He'd never even considered someone like Maira to be the Golden Wolf -- yet this flame-bearing fighter seems to defy all other logic. Has he found her? As much as he might feel deep guilt about that in the future, he doesn't even think of Zia in that moment.

The werewolf dives into action, sending his chains outwards from his hands, sending a beautiful sweep of yellow and blue lightning along the chains that cuts through a good chunk of the heartless, before jumping up and into the circle of flame and stepping behind the wolven fighter. From there, he draws the chains back. "Sorry... I think I must have been daydreaming. Because I think I just found the woman of my dreams." The werewolf whispers. It's a terrible pickup-line. But the wolf currently is having a bit of a problem with having a fate-addled brain.

"I'll guard your back." He follows this up with quickly, and wraps his chains around his two fists, bringing forth both Ice and Fire - each for one first - ready to strike at any heartless that might dare to come close.

Aura has posed:
The Heartless may not have considered Skoll a threat at first, but once he begins to dispatch some of their number, it becomes clear that he is a danger as well. One single Keyblade wielder they might have been able to take, but two fighters? Unfortunately for them, they aren't intelligent enough to know when to retreat.

The Golden Wolf turns, watching him through the lupine eyes of her helmet. There is a slight pang that is hard to ignore. All he sees is what is on the outside, and that hurts the girl beneath it. It's exactly how she thought he'd act, but, she'd hoped otherwise.

In her own daze, a Shadow gets just a bit too close, and she's forced to fend it off by pushing it backwards. Though Faruja's training had helped her learn to fight, she's still not as skilled as a true warrior by any means. Magic is still where her strength lies, and a quick blast of fire turns the Heartless to ash.

"Does that line usually work on the girls you date?" She asks, a smirk quirking at the edge of her lips. She can't be herself just now. Maybe it's a bit dishonest, but sometimes the heart isn't a logical thing.

As he moves to guard her, she sets her back towards his. It's a sign of trust that most people wouldn't give to an absolute stranger. Soon enough, the Heartless numbers begin to dwindle beneath the swing of his chains and the flame that reaches from the end of her weapon. The last few seem to back up, and then fade into the Shadows around them until the night is once again quiet.

The Golden Wolf stands there, catching her breath. Her hand lifts, the Keyblade vanishing with a hint of flame. Where it had been, she now holds a chain with a symbol that matches the one on the hilt. It's quickly slipped up around her neck. "Thank you." She offers, turning around to face him. "They had me a bit out-numbered there, I'm afraid."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I've never used that line before." Skoll answers the girl as his fist of flame strikes a Shadow that dared getting too close, creating the yellow flickering outline of the heartless being consumed by fire - and then disappearing. He has always wondered what it is about the Keyblade that has such a /different/ effect on the inky creatures, that a heart ends up being released.

But the wolfgirl brings up something in that very same sentence that reminds him of what he just said. He never used such a line on Zia - and there had been no need. So why is he suddenly saying such things? Is there some kind of hurry to leave an impression?

Yes... yes there is. But even more-so, it's the words he'd spoken. It wasn't really just a 'pick up line', it held a message. A very important one. He wanted to know... am I not also the man of _your_ dreams? Or is he just making a fool of himself now?

Their backs touch, and there's a little flutter that rattles the Werewolf's heart. A shock of ice is sent the Heartless' direction, discouraging them from getting closer. And it's not long before they leave. They may not be intelligent, but they'll still retreat when there's other sources of light for them to feed from.

The werewolf remains standing with his back to hers as she releases her Keyblade, his wolven ears perked and swiveling about like little radars; trying to listen to sounds of further impending heartless assaults. But nothing comes.

When she turns herself to face him, the werewolf first just looks over his shoulder. "You're welcome." He answers her, finally turning to face the Golden Wolf. "Though from where I was standing, you could have handled it." Maybe it'd just been instincts, or maybe he's foolishly thinking her better than she is? It's hard to tell.

Drawing his hand to his chest, the werewolf makes a small bow before her. "Skoll Ulfang, at your service, m'lady." So he introduces himself, glancing up at her with those wolfish golden eyes.

Aura has posed:
It's a strange effect when she turns towards him. The slight tilt of her head is uncannily familiar, like when she would look at him in his dreams. Though her voice isn't the odd timbre that mixed all of the women he'd ever known, it still has that familiar feeling, like he's heard it far too many times in his life, only to have it escape.

"You give me too much credit." She laughs then, shaking her head. The furred ruff behind her helmet shifts along her neck. "I've got far too much to learn, and I'm only just getting started." By now, Skoll would know what the others in the Shard Seekers knew. There were those who, like Shiki, followed the path to becoming Keyblade Wielders. One of those was unaccounted for, and seems to stand before him now.

Her eyes follow his introduction, both curious and wary. It's impossible to tell the color of those eyes behind the shadow of the mask, but they seem watchful. "Skoll Ulfang." She repeats his name, a small quirk of a smile on the corner of her mouth. "You told me your name once, long ago, but I think you've forgotten mine." She doesn't seem about to return the introduction, though her words seem to confirm her identity.

"Took you long enough to find me." Her eyes sweep the darkened streets, then shift back to the wolf before her. "We should go somewhere. I'd rather not attract more attention from the Heartless. Best I keep a low profile as long as possible. I'd rather not become another victim of the Shadow Lords."

With a swish of her cape, the Golden Wolf darts towards some stacked up crates, hoping onto one, then across to an overhang of a shop before heading for the rooftops. Maybe finding her wasn't the end of the chase, afterall. She seems to be expecting him to follow.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Yes, Skoll is indeed aware of the Keyblade Wielders - including Shiki. He'd caught rumor than Mercade Alexander and Angantyr Vespar was in a similar position. But who would have thought that the Golden Wolf would have been in the same position? It's strange, how things just... turned out like this. How he seems so incredibly certain that she is without a question /her/. It's not just that voice, or the way she looks. Is that a tugging he feels upon his heart? Or is that but imagination?

Her comment about him giving her too much credit goes in one ear and out the other, and the werewolf ends up shaking his head just a little; it's a subconscious motion. So this girl was the 'final subject' that was spoken of? The werewolf glances up immediately when she speaks his full name. _She KNOWS his full name_ is the immediate realization. And as if Pavlov just rang a bell, she has his full attention. The werewolf turns his head down at a little away as she points out that he's undoubtedly forgotten her name.

"I came to call you Aura." He answers her. Though everything is kind of a blur. Aurum - Gold. Aura. He then turns his gaze up again, like a guilty dog - though his expression is filled with warm and young hope. He doesn't even dare to ask her the question that is burning deep within him; 'it's really you, isn't it?'. It seems like a fool's words with so much evidence piling up for every second.

"I... stopped looking for a while." He answers her, feeling guilty. How could he not? The very entity he was promised by 'destiny' stands right here before him. "... hoping that fate would put you into my life's path." He adds as his excuse. The werewolf glances along the streets as she does so, and then begins to finally move his body; it's feeling lighter somehow. "We should." He agrees with her, and he's just about to suggest they head to the Shard Seekers' headquarters when she darts towards the crates.

His own motion doesn't even stall for a moment. Like a shadow, the werewolf chases her; it's the most natural state for the werewolf. To chase it...

To chase the Sun.

Aura has posed:
While Skoll's confusion plays out across his features, it's just that much harder to read the woman in the wolf armor. With her face mostly covered, it is hard to tell if she feels much the same uncertainty and confusion as he does. In truth, there is a bundle of mixed emotions beneath that mask. It is difficult to test someone you care about like this, but if she is to play this role in his fate, then she had to know if he would choose her for the right reasons, and not just because some legend fortold it.

"I told you my real name once, but it was a very long time ago." She laughs again, the faintest quirk of a smile on her lips. He wouldn't remember. Zia hadn't even remembered those dreams until recently. "It's alright, though. I suppose 'Aura' will do for now, until you remember." She sounds so certain that he would remember, given time. This strange fate meant that all those dreams that lay between them would come to the surface again, and his memories would return as clear as her own had, once he came to know the truth.

The Golden Wolf just tilts her head at his admission, "I can't blame you for that. I didn't remember any of it until recently." The wolf's tail behind her sways once, but perhaps it's just a play of his imagination. "I warned you that I probably wouldn't remember you when I woke up. At least you remembered that you were looking for me."

That's when she turns and makes her way up onto the rooftops. There is no chance for him to suggest going to the Shard Seeker's Headquarters, and she isn't fool enough to go any of the places in the city that would give away more knowledge than this 'stranger' is meant to have. Eventually, she ends up at the city wall, where one world had collided with another, creating a twisted looking spire with no entrance on the ground level, but windows etched out higher above.

It seems almost like one of those jumping puzzles, the sort that you have to balance and leap at just the right moments to get through. Of course, her feet seem certain of the path, climbing and edging around as she works her way upward. Then again, the Wolf also seems watchful, there to lend a hand if he should make a mistep. "Be careful. It's a but dangerous up here. Things don't stay stable when two worlds merge like this." She's clearly heading for an opening a bit further up. If she were being herself, she'd just have climbed with her talons or glided up. This way is harder, but it also doesn't give her away.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
On a normal day, Skoll would be more perceptive to the world and people around him. He might try to sniff out her emotions. But right now, his mind is in a hazy sort of state. Chasing her blindly, the werewolf follows the mysterious masked girl, jumping from roof to roof, not missing a single step in his chase. Faint mental processes continue, trying to rack his mind for any name besides Aura. But rigyt now, it's the only one he can recall. It's a name that had almost fallen in his memories. So much had almost been lost.

"Many things have become hazy since my former time with..." With the Gaudium Lords. "-- some very bad people." He admits. "So I can hardly blame you either." He continues to point out. At least he'd been looking for her.

The werewolf gracefully ramps up the spire the moment she arrives and follows her with fluent motions. Though he may not know this tower as well as the Golden Wolf appears to, his athleticism and ability to move around fluently easily outdoes her. There is an unnatural beauty to the way he follows her, his feet touching in just the right places, with just the right amount of steps.

"I've heard of places like these. There a lot of them around the World of Ruin." Twisted places where the borders between worlds came crashing down. Faultlines in a ways. If the World of Ruin underwent some sorts of split, it would be these places which would suffer most.

The werewolf remains right on her tail.

Aura has posed:
The armor-clad girl looks down at him momentarily when he mentions his time with 'bad people', almost as if she understands that feeling all too well. There's something in her shadowed eyes that seems to speak volumes. Afterall, hadn't he seen some darker force come between them? It wasn't just the Gaudium Lords, but something that had stolen her away as well. The closer to the light, the greater the shadow becomes. "It's not your fault. Darkness has a way of finding people like us, and lately, there's more than enough of it to go around."

With a tug of her arms, the Golden Wolf disappears up into an alcove above, her tail the last thing that tucks over the edge. It wouldn't take long to follow. The inside of the tower is just as strange as the outside, with the walls mashed together at odd angles. The bricks are twisted and the single light fixture hangs oddly askew. Yet, someone has clearly made this place their home away from home. There is a bedroll and a few tools here and there. Scraps of fur and metal lay across a table that seems to have half-vanished into the wall, held up by only two legs and the odd magic of a combined world.

The room smells mostly of candles, metal, and wolf fur. It covers her true scent, leaving little for his nose to sniff out. "It's not an ideal place to live, but I don't mind spending time here. The view of the city is amazing." And she's right at that. Unlike the guard tower the others call home, this one is far taller and it's crooked spires are high enough to see almost the entire city. Of course, there's the solitude, too. It's quiet, save for the creeking of the building itself in the breeze.

It's a strange duality that wars in her mind. There are parts of herself that remember the dream state, and others that do not. Trying to reconcile those things is difficult, especially when there are so many memories to merge together. "It's strange. I remember things now that I'd forgotten. One crack and then the entire wall crumbles. I'm still trying to make sense of it. How I can be two people at once?" She doesn't look at him as she asks this question, as if she weren't really looking to him for an answer. Instead, she just walks over to the wall and flops down against it, leaning back.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The werewolf's metal tipped boots tap against the objects found on the path, each step propelling him up and further, until he reaches the alcove and puts a hand on the side of its entrance. His yellow eyes find little light, but need very little in order to get a good view of the room before him. There's already a bedroll and tools here. It's clear that the girl has been here for longer than a day.

To think that the Golden Wolf has been this 'close by'. And for how long? He doesn't dare to ask.

A rather twisted and dark place for someone who is meant to represent the sun, is it not? The werewolf releases the side of the alcove's wall and carries himself towards a window and sticks his entire head out in order to appreciate the view. "You're right." He admits, "... the view that is." Skoll pulls his head back in, turns around, and leans against the windowsill. Or what tries to pass as one.

"I can't answer that for you." Skoll tells the girl, shaking his head. He almost doesn't dare to approach her. Like - if he touches her - she'll disappear. Just like she had in his nightmares.

"But if it's just memories that were hidden, I don't know that if you are two people." The werewolf dares to peek at her for a moment, and runs his fingernails against the stone of the 'window'. "Even without our memories, I don't think we ever truly change." Not because of having forgotten _memories_. Unless they are all gone.

"You know... I've been looking for you for a long time now... so much has happened since I last truly... 'saw you'." Skoll whispers.

Aura has posed:
There is a clink as the metal from her helmet touches the warped stone of the wall behind her. "It's strange. When I was dreaming, I would remember everything in the real world." She reaches back, pulling her tail around towards her legs, fingers smoothing down the fur. "But when I'd wake up... nothing. Not until recently." She shakes her head, "It's a strange kind of magic, you know?" Her eyes wander towards him, cautious as she watches him lean against the window.

The Golden Wolf nods her head then, "I know. I wish I could have made it easier on you, but I'm not even sure what this all means." She flicks the amulet around her throat, the one bearing the same symbol as her keyblade - the wolf holding the sun. "I've been around, though." She had been in his dreams more after the darkness of the Gaudium Lords had faded. Little things that suggested that she might just know where he is and what he's doing.

Her head tilts a little in his direction, a small smile on her lips. "Besides, it's not as if you haven't had distractions keeping you busy. Girls, and Guadium Lords, and Heartless. It makes it harder sometimes to see things, even if they're right in front of your nose." Her voice seems to carry a hint of wry laughter without much humor to it.

"But I guess the question for both of us is... what happens now?" It's what Zia has been struggling with so much these past weeks. It's the reason she'd rather let him see the Wolf before making the connection between the two.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll had always considered that this moment - the meeting with his Golden Wolf - would be this amazing thing. Like the very stars would explode above him. Like the two would just meet and kiss and it'd be this moment that could never be forgotten. But what is he doing right now? Talking! Feeling glum and gloom because of the Gaudium Lords in his past. Feeling uncertainty because... so many reasons.

"It's very strange." The werewolf answers her, trying to shake that darker feeling and turning that little frown upside down. "I know you've been around. I remember my dreams." He slowly approaches her, appreciating the little smile on her own lips. "To think I'd meet the Sun during the Night." He whispers to her, and halts within arm's reach of her.

Tilting his head down a little, Skoll agrees with her statement, "You know about that huh? Yeah, I've had a lot of distractions." The werewolf draws his fingers back through his hair. "~ but I don't know what happens now..." He admits. With little wry laughter of hers has his smile drooping a little again.

He looks down at the little amulet at her neck, and reaches his hand out towards it. "... must I always be to 'think' about what happens now? Can't I just let things go like things are meant to go?"

Aura has posed:
Skoll had had plenty of time to think about this meeting. For Zia, it had been different. It had taken so long for her to even open up to the possibility of anything, only to have this dropped into her lap. Really, she should be greatful for it - for some affirmation that she didn't have anything to fear. Yet, there's still fear. Maybe he would only care about her because she's his wolf, not because of anything else.

With a slow breath, she leans her head back, easing some of the tension off of her shoulders, "The sun still exists, even at night. It just means it's that much harder to find." As he halts so close to her, she looks up a bit, head tilted wolfishly to the side. "I know a lot of things, but don't worry too much. Things had to happen the way they did. If the Guadium Lords hadn't taken you, you'd have been destroyed along with your world, and then we would never have met."

With a gloved hand, she pats the ground beside her, "Come on. I'm not going to bite. Not unless you ask me to." Her small hint of a smile is wolfish at best, a bit of hidden fangs. Maybe they're part of the costume. The Golden Wolf goes very still as he reaches out for the amulet. Luckily, her outfit covers the blue crystal she always wears, which would be a dead give-away to her identity. "It's part of my Keyblade. All part of the same package, I suppose." Normally, it hung off of the end of her keyblade, but when not active, it rests against her chest.

His question has her halting, though, head cocked, "How do you think things are meant to go? I've tried to figure it out, myself, but I'm not really sure. Is it like love at first sight? Mostly, I just feel ackward." She sighs again, "You've got people in your life who need you, and I'm not sure I'm ready to be part of that life just yet. Everything is too new, and I'm not sure where you and I stand. Are we... childhood friends? Destined lovers?" Her eyes close as her head leans back. "Fairytales are all well and good when you're a child, but things don't always seem to work that way in real life, does it?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"If the Gaudium Lords hadn't come, my world would still be in one piece." Skoll corrects her. He's hardly one to ever admit that thanks to the Gaudium Lords, he is here in this place today. They'd done so many horrific things in the name of their 'earl'. The werewolf tilts his head in a similar wolfish manner and gazes into her eyes. He didn't comment about her words on the sun and the night. It is true enough. And there isn't even a hint of a doubt about who she might be.

"Sorry." The werewolf utters, playing with the little amulet. "I guess I am still afraid that if I get too comfortable... you'll disappear again." Time was strange for the werewolf. For all the countless hours of wandering. The time spent going from place to place amongst the Gaudium Lords. He's not even sure about his own age at this point anymore. A way to tell time was rare, and world specific.

He finally allows her amulet to drop free again, and moves to set in the spot indicated by her. Skoll drops down along the wall and ends up with his legs sprawled on the floor and his head laid back. He's staring at the window again, even if it's just for a moment. After all, the Golden Wolf soon draws his attention back to her. He's not even sure why he keeps staring at the horizon. As if he's expecting the real sun to come out and take her away?

Her question has the werewolf silent for a good long time. "I don't know anymore." He answers her. "I know what I felt the moment I saw you this night." Within the silence of the night, the fabric of his clothing rubbing against further fabric is quite audible. His hands comes to rest over his heart. "My heart beat fast, fair lady Aura." He notes.

"But my mother never told exactly what part of my life you would be." And she's right. There's people in his life who need him. "Dreamwolf friends... destined /something/. But what? I think that's up to us."

Skoll nods in agreement to Aura's statement about how real life never really seems to work like the land of dreams. He'd made countless promises as a child to her. And she's not even sure where they stand now. She's not sure she's ready to be part of his life yet?

"As long as you don't disappear... I think that we can use time to figure this thing out." What would happen? Would he stop traveling all around and just keep visiting this tower every night?

Aura has posed:
"You don't know that, not for certain, anyways." There is a pained edge to her voice as she replies with a shake of her head. "Even if your world hadn't been destroyed, the Heartless would have come, like they have to so many others." Something in the tone of her voice reveals that she, like so many others, has seen the loss of her home to the Heartless. One small clue that sneaks from behind the mask and costume that hides her identity.

"There are still so many worlds that need help." In her mind, the scene at the gates to Atlantis plays out. Their defenses were barely hanging on, and without some sort of defenses, they might soon find themselves overrun. "If becoming a keyblade wielder has taught me anything, it's that we can't just stand by and let it happen. We can't just protect our own, we need to fight back." Her own dream had shown her one possible future, and she had seen another through Shiki at Castle Oblivion. So many possible mistakes and missteps. "I just wish I knew where to start."

As the amulet drops back onto her neck, it clinks slightly, as if against something else beneath the fur of her wolf armor, possibly some other layer of metal beneath it? "I'm not going to disappear." She murmurs. With her face hidden, it's hard to read her expression, though. "I know the feeling, though." She touches her own chest, and then looks out the window, watching the sky lighten in the distance.

It's hard not to feel torn at a moment like this. Her heart wanting nothing more than to just accept all of this for what it is - a place she was always meant to find. Maybe... "I should get going soon." It sounds odd for her to say, figuring this seems to be her home, at least temporarily. "I need to look into some recent Heartless incursions near the ship graveyard and the forest near that old castle." Likely, it's just an excuse. Hadn't she just asked him to sit? "I'm sure you've got things you need to do, too. People to talk to, adventures to find..."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I guess not." Skoll decides, nodding his head a little and glancing sideways. "But maybe more would have survived." Though he knows that he is not alone, it's been a long time since he's interacted with Sasseral and his sister, Hati. Perhaps he should do something about that. They're the last of their kind after all. He looks back towards her as she reminds him that there are still - indeed many - worlds that need saving. That need help. Even though Skoll isn't clued in on the specifics of her plight, he's seen a world fall once already. It's not an event he'd like repeated.

"I don't have a world of my own to protect - so I will try to protect those of others." He declares. It's always been like that, hasn't it? But it's more than just that. It's also the desire to make up for his mistakes in the past.

His eyes catch onto the spot where the amulet touches with something solid, and then looks up again; it was naught but an instinctive glance. "You better not." He whispers to her. It's rare for him to make claims such as that. "I just found you." The wolf reaches his hands out towards hers - just as she touches her own chest.

"You have to go?" He asks in surprise, confusion dawning on his expression. "I..." No, he can tell this is just an excuse. The wolf is no fool. But he dare not do anything that might see his precious Golden Wolf fleeing from him.

Aura has posed:
The Golden Wolf doesn't actually move to get up, at first. Her comment seeming like little more than an idle thought. Yet, there's some sort of longing in what little of her expression is visible. When her eyes finally look in his direction, they have a softness to them, their color hidden in shadow. "I imagine that once, there were people who would teach keyblade apprentices like me and your friends. Yet, here we are, trying to figure out what this power is, and what it means on our own." She shakes her head from side to side slowly.

"Soon enough, I'm going to need friends. I'm going to need you." She states this plainly, even as she places a hand on the wall and pushes herself to her feet. "But not yet. I've got... a lot of mixed up things in my head just now." The smile on her lips is a wan one, without any joy behind it. "I imagine that you'll have settled your own heart by then, too. We can always figure out where to go from there." Her words drop into a whisper, feet shuffling over to her makeshift bed, plucking up a dufflebag which she slings over her shoulder.

"Do me a favor, though. Tell your program friend that there are other truths besides the ones the Seeker showed us. He's not the only path to a keyblade." Though the Seeker had certainly given her the key, he hadn't been the one to guide her journey like the others in Castle Oblivion. The end of the Seeker couldn't be the end of the quest for others who would someday have to walk the same path.

"And if you need to find me, use this." She tosses a small data chip, the sort that carries a phone contact on it. "I'll be around." The Wolf smirks then, "I imagine that finding one another isn't the end to our troubles. The world is full of them. We just need to find new ones."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"It sounds like a right-ol' mess." Skoll comments to the Golden Wolf, Still, a smile finds him when she says she'll need him. Not yet, but she'll need him. "My own heart?" Skoll asks. But he knows exactly what she must speak off. He isn't a fool, he isn't clueless. Things are starting to come together.

This person must have been watching him for a while now. To know Deelel, to know of his relationship with his friends - with Zia. The latter was hardly really a public thing, since they'd spent so very little time together. But still...

It feels weird. To have been watched like that. How long must she have known? The werewolf bites the bottom of his lip. "I will tell her." The werewolf picks himself up from the floor as well, and leans back up against the wall. He catches the little memory-card with fair ease.

"Trouble always finds me. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Skoll whispers, and glances aside. He recalls her expression from moments ago - that softness. Damnit, it's not supposed to be like this at all. "I think I have a lot of thinking to do myself." Skoll adds, before he walks to the entrance of the tower, and touches the edge of it.

"I should go." He pockets the little digital card - he'd plug it into his MaBelle later. He trusts that it'll work. His fingertips grip into the stone, and he looks down - gauging the path down.