View source for Confusion! Who Are You Again?

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/08/24
|Location=Palumpolum - Port
|Synopsis=Following an incident in the port of Palumpolum, new arrivals disembark from their designated ships only to find themselves in a peculiar discussion of of "Guess Who?".
|Cast of Characters=Zeke, King Mickey, Aerith,  Chita
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> The port of Palompolum remains steady in terms of activity this evening. A small but growing crowd appears to be drawing civilians in the port to the pier following a recent incident involving a near potential collision between a civilian cruise vessal and a tanker. News crews appear to be on scene reporting about the event with a few commenting on the rumor that the captain of one of the ships called out the wrong orders to crew members following a wardrobe malfunction.<br /><br /> Nevertheless, the ships managed to avoid collision and both have made it safely into port. Passengers begin to disembark from the cruise liner, eager to leave and get to their desired destinations. Much to their dismay, the passengers are swarmed by news reporters eager to get a piece of the action first.<br /><br /> A small squeaky voice murmurs beneath the crowds of much taller individuals, "Excuse me.. Pardon me.. Please let me through."<br /><br /> A frustrated form of Mickey Mouse manages to successfully navigate through the crowd and luckily, avoiding the news crews. The last thing he wants is more publicity.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>It wasn't long before one of his hands was taken by another, and he suddenly found himself being pulled away to one side. "Come on, this way." They started to cut through the crowd far easier as people parted ways for the two of them. "Coming through here, pardon us! We just wanna get to our hotel!" A lie, but a convenient one.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke is the unfortunate captain of one of these ships. He... well to say he wasn't happy with getting reporters swarming him would be an understatement. Yes man of leathery sunbaked skin and loaded to the gills with guns. He was trying to just get through make sure the passengers on the cruise liner was alright. "Excuse me. Pardon. coming through." Soft voice no matter how annoyed he was.<br /><br />Frank the eight foot tall cyclopse however was less subtle stomping down in front of him to scare the immediate members of the crowd. "EVERYBODY MOVE!"

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> One such other who had happened to be on the passenger ship that was headed to this place was a male Viera who had mostly kept to themselves in their cabin. Crash avoided and forms exiting, he took it upon himself to simply hop and leap straight over the crowd onto a nearby rooftop before hopping down into the alleys nearby and walking out on foot to look around. With a whistle a portal opens next to the Viera quickly and a red chocobo trots out before it closes again. Convenient things, Judges methods of getting their Chocobos to them.<br /> "Hey there. Bet you'll be glad when we get to Serendipity hm?" he asked the Chocobo who simply leaned down to rub at his cheek contently. As far as the others present, he didn't even notice anyone, even the extra tall cyclops thing.

:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> However, it appears the mouse's suffering is not meant to be prolonged for long before he is taken by the arm and pulled along, following with a surprised , "Woah!", escaping from his lips.<br /><br /> As the pair begin to make their way through, Mickey tries to glance up to notice the one who is forcing him along, not that he isn't grateful for the assist. After all, people can be so mean to those who are shorter than them.<br /><br /> The goodly king manages to catch a glimpse of the female, seeing green in her eyes as light flows over them briefly. A pecuilar look comes about his face, almost as if he has seen the woman before though he is unable to place her. Curse his faulty memory with names!<br /><br /> It appears Mickey's attention is not set on her for long before hearing the sounds of the large cyclops and shifting his gaze back towards the ship! <br /><br /> The brash entrance of the cyclops begins to cause a panic, as passengers and civilians a like begin to scatter! News reporters keep their distance but continue to film the event!<br /><br /> Seeing the panic, Mickey jerks back to pull his savior to a stop, "Uh, excuse me, miss. While I am grateful for you saving me, it looks like I may have to return to my original destination, as there appears to be a little something I need to take care of."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Thing was, he wouldn't be able to see past those mirror coated glasses she wore. There was a reason she had them on in the first place, after all.<br /><br />The woman glanced toward the disturbance and frowned. "I've noticed. But they're filming... you sure you want the attention after I just got you away from it?"

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke put a hand on Frank's arm. "Easy there Frank. Ease just tryin to do their jobs."<br /><br />Frank snorted at Zeke then helped a terrified young man up. "Sorry just... have a bit of a problem with crowds. Wanted a little space."<br /><br />As Frank trundled off Zeke spotted someone he'd only seen once before, but given Mickey is a very very singular in appearance it caught his attention and caused him to follow. "Hello? Excuse me. Pardon. Hello?"y man theyr'

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Those tall ears, despite the crowd, pick up something that caused him to turn. A familiar voice, though he couldn't place it.<br /><br /> "..."<br /><br /> Why did it sound so familiar? And where had he last even heard it? Chita stood there, quietly, trying to recall as he listened to the words. '..to take care of.' God, this was going to bother him so much. It didn't seem like a BAD memory so much as confused one. Something wasn't adding up. Surely it couldn't be...<br /><br /> The one from the mine shaft? The one who had saved him from dying there? He had never even heard said Kings name, and only fuzzily recalled what they looked like. Hence why Chita walked towards the voice and started looking around, trying to figure out to whom it belonged.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tall ears.<br /><br />She'd seen those before, and two different sets at that. Since these weren't the kind of ears a Viera had, that could only mean this was a Burmecian. No time to really discern who this was, though. "This looks like it's turning into a regular old get together," she muttered. The woman looked down toward the mouse king. "We need to get someplace a bit quieter so we can figure out who these two are."

:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> The crowd quickly disperses and things begin to calm once again with Captain Zeke's reassurance, along with Frank taking his leave.<br /><br /> With the cyclopse's departure, Mickey begins once again to relax. The Mouse takes heed of the young lady's words, really not wanting to get involved unless absolutely necessary though he always ready to jump in to help on a moment's notice. He turns back to the lady before him with a smile, "You're right. After all, crisis averted! No harm done!", which is followed with a thumbs up and a wink.<br /><br /> "Nevertheless, thank you for pulling me through that crowd. People in this city are quite busy it appears. Say... Have we met before by chance?", The King asks inquistively.<br /><br /> Then, Captain Zeke approaches the pair, pulling Mickey's attention towards him, "Oh, Captain! Appears another crisis averted, no?", to which the mouse glances behind the captain to check for another wardrobe malfunction. <br /><br /> The King looks back towards the lady before him and smiles, "You know that might not be a bad idea.", then looks across the street, "There appears to be a small place over there we can rest at. Shall we?"

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke had only ever seen Mickey once before in the desert, but the ears was a definate stand-out feature. Sure he might have been taken for a very deformed Burmecian but Zeke had his doubts. One way or another though he just found Mickey's voice reassuring. "Aye Ser Mickey aye indeed." Then his gaze went ot Mickey's companions and tipped his hat, "I do pologize for the rough ride but the sea does what it will and I had wanted to convey to the liner's captain he acted quite appropriately given everything." Really about the only thing that had averted collision was both captains being skilled and figuring out what the other was trying to do.<br /><br />"Can I interest the lot of you in drinks? I hear there's a nice..." There was a look of confusion as he dredged memory for the right name, "Fountain Shop... Nonalchoholic drinks, fizzy, bubbly. Some sweet others not. Rather partial to their root beer."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Oh, wait. Perhaps it wasn't whoever rescued him in the mines. It seemed it was someone else though. ... ... why does Rabanastre ring a - AHA, they were in that pub where he had stopped to get something to eat. ... but they still sounded familiar from something else. Well, no reason to bother him. That woman he was with looked familiar too though. ... why did everyone sound or seem familiar?<br /><br /> Sigh.<br /><br /> "Pardon my asking." Chita says aloud towards the King and the woman with him, not quite knowing the man who was talking to them or talking to him either, "Do I... somehow know either of you? I have this nagging suspicion I have heard your voice before somewhere."

:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> As Chita approaches the group, Mickey looks on perplexed and crosses his arms. The new individual looks familiar as does the lady though the only person he knows for certain is Captain Zeke! With a quirk of his lip, the mouse looks on and says, "Perhaps! I mean that appears to be the general theme we have going here! Wow, this is certainly a pickle of sorts, no?"<br /><br /> Well, when a problem presents itself, it will never keep the mouse down! He's always been considered to be an innovator of sorts and when in doubt, go with the easiest solution! He looks to Captain Zeke and then to the pair before him before moving forward between the two, "Well, let's keep it simple! My name's Mickey!", then with a point behind him, "... and this is Captain Zeke!"<br /><br /> The King extends his open hands to the two individuals before him and asks, "Who might you two be?"

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke just kindof let the two people he sortof kindof recognized make introductions. Deep tan skin, dark blue greatcoat. He looked the very model of a seventeenth century sea captain of the carribean. He also was mentally mapping out what he was going to do once his ship was unloaded.

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Chita." comes the reply from the Viera, before he adds, "Though... until recently I would have told you my name was Evja, if we had met. Does that make a difference?" Zeke is nodded to as Chita's Chocobo stands there looking might red and calm, eying those around curiously. He was a bit smaller than typical Cocoon Chocobos and thus smaller than those that were around here. Not that there was many around anyways. Not to mention he was RED. "I do hope neither of you were hurt with the near miss?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>The woman chuckled. "Well now that rings a bell." She finally removed her glasses, and now the unique, telltale sheen of her green eyes could be seen. "Didn't recognize you for a moment there. You do remember me, right?"

:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>King Mickey nods to the Viera as he introduces himself though his former name does appear to ring a bell. He takes a couple moments to himself to ponder the possibilities, allowing the others to converse freely amongst themselves.<br /><br /> However, when Aerith removes her glasses, Mickey looks up and suddenly it clicks with him. Throwing his arms upward, the mouse replies with an ecstatic tone, "Lady Aerith!"<br /><br /> The King looks the sage over for a moment and comments, "Wow, it has been sometime. You look so different from the last time I saw you!"<br /><br /> Then, Mickey turns to Chita and says with a smile, "That being said, you too are looking much better than the last time we met, Ev-- I mean, Chita was it? Much better meeting here than in a damp, dark cave thats for sure."

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke smirked, "It looks like a reunion in the making. Glad t'see everyone survived our little misadventure." Zeke offered his hand to Chita, "Ezekiel Fawkes, captain of the Talisman." Thumbjerk to a ship that might be recognized as the thing they almost collided with earlier. "I'd like to offer my apologies for the trouble to yer trip."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> So it was him after all. Chita starts to speak before suddenly he realized that the mouse person said 'Aerith'. He blinks and looks towards the woman before suddenly feeling rather guilty for a moment. He hadn't even recognized she was here. He hadn't seen her in quite some time, since right after the ordeal with those living stuffed animal things. "So it would seem. Quite the reunion. As I think someone suggested we should all aside somewhere to speak further? Or were you all about to depart for your destinations? I am on... pleasure, not business, so."<br /><br /> He left that to linger, not quite bringing up the issue of his gender yet. If someone wanted to bring that up he could deal with it then. "Thank you for noticing that. I never got the chance to properly thank you as it was for... finding me, and saving me."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>A grin followed his observation. "I figured a change fo wardrobe was in order. You know, different worlds have different styles, and I liked this one so much I figured I'd keep it for a bit longer." At Zeke's apology, she shrugged. "I suppose since there's no harm done, we can say it's no loss. Dunno if I can say that about the other passengers, though." She chuckled. "I'm sure a few of them would like to have a word or two with you, if it weren't for your friend. Where is he, anyways?"

:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> The King turns back to Zeke for the moment, offering a smile, "None to worry here, my good captain.", though he keeps quiet about the Captain's pants incident and having to save the day last minute.<br /><br /> Mickey turns back to to Aerith and continues to comment, "Well, I must say it is a change. I like it though. I think it suits you though I hope you have been continuing to train and seeking 'it' out."<br /><br /> Amist the conversations, Mickey finally turns to Chita and smiles to the Viera. He reaches out, clasping Chita's hand into his and shakes his head, "There is no need to thank me. You were in danger and I just happened to be there to lend a helping hand. However, your graciousness is nevertheless appreciated. I am humbled by your words."

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke gave Aerith a warm smile, "Frank? He's off suervising unloading. Very hard working man, honest and a gentle sort. Very much a more bark than bite sort." Which is potentially terrifying given how big the cyclopse is.<br /><br />Then his attention turned to Mickey, "Don't worry all of my crew know how to behave. Frank just happens to hate crowds. Y'know grab yer pitchforks and torches raaar." He made half-hearted gestures to the effect of miming a village mob. "but I dunno the offer of drinks still stand. I'm good in munny an' have a few favors besides the point."<br /><br />Then he gave Mickey a once-over look. "Pardon Ser but ye have no look of any bermucian I know of. If it isn't too personal where are ye from?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith's features turned solemn for a brief moment. "It's been all I can think about, really," she muttered. "Training, getting better... feels like there's something else I could be doing." The smile returned at the mention of drinks. "I could really go for some fizzy soda right now."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Chita smiles as his hand is taken and shaken and he nods. "Sure. Let us go somewhere then. I do not know this city too well though, so you may have to ask another here, or perhaps simply explore around. And... Aerith, I eventually need to ask you a question in regards to Merlin. If you've the time." He had no idea Mickey knew anything of Merlin, or if he did for that matter, or anyone else. He simply knew she did.

:'''[[King Mickey]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>King Mickey chuckles lightly at the question posed by Captain Zeke, "Well, that is a good question, Zeke. I guess you could say that I hail from the lands of the Old Kingdom. That being said, the King of the Burmecians is a good friend of mine. I have been meaning to make a trip to see him now that you mention it."<br /><br /> Aerith's response pleases The King to hear, particularly that she is remaining eager to seek her desire out, "Keep training and I'm certain it will continue to come to you."<br /><br /> However, as the group has decided to make take a break, Mickey's gaze manages to catch glimpse of a nearby clock, along with the time. With a deep sigh, Mickey turns to the members of the group and continues, "While I surely appreciate the offer, my good captain, I must graciously decline for now, as unfortunately there is other business I must attend too. However, do not let my business ruin the festivities. You all please continue on and have fun. Its been great to see you all and I hope we get the chance to meet again here soon."

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke saluted Mickey with a couple fingers on his right hand before offering Chita and Aerith hands, "Shall we then? It'll take time for my crew to do their work."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded and gave Mickey a grin. "I guess I owe you a drink." She gave Mickey a brief, cordial bow and headed toward the shop. "Well then, let's get moving, guys."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Ah... you would have to go. But, be well and safe. Perhaps we will have a chance to speak at length one day." Perhaps eventually Chita would actually find out /who/ Mickey was. He knew nothing of him. Until then... he simply took the moment to follow Aerith. Might as well see where that leads and see if he can glean any new information from her. Possibly of important things happening.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke shook his head as Mickey made his leave, "He has his mysteries but seems a nice enough fellow." He gve a small bow to Aerith and gestured away from the docks. "Drinks then. Talk of what brings you two here if that's not too far an imposition?" <br /><br />Where he's headed seems to be a nice-ish faux fifties era malt shop. Soda-jerk, icecream, food. Yes it was totally out of place but apparently the people that ran the place seemed to have a thing for americana.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith took an empty seat, her mirrored shades having vanished into one of her inside coat pockets by now. She stretched her arms over her head for a brief moment before speaking again. "So then... Chita, was it? Why the name change?"

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Once inside the building, Chita looks around then sees Aerith take a seat. Zeke seems to have gone elsewhere to take care of something for the moment. "Hm? Oh... long story. To... make it as short as I can, I can elaborate if you wish... my name at birth was just this, Chita. I took a false name to hide for many years in Jylland. Recently I became unable to maintain such a disguise anymore so I... have reverted to my birth name for lack of ability otherwise."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith blinked at the explanation. "I see... so why exactly have you been hiding your truth for so long?" She scratched the back of her head. "I'm not talking about your true name... just your truth. Because if you hide your name, you're obviously hiding a few other things."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Viera... have different views. Men are extremely rare. It is a traditional view that menfolk must be protected, horded away. Some simply do not care. Some do. I... hid from them after I escaped such confines. I had to pretend to be female to escape such traditionalists. I... am sorry I lied to you. It was simply the way of life I adopted, though. There was no mal content regarding such things, nor did I mean to deceive you for any gain." And with that, he closes his eyes and bows his head a little as if expecting some scolding or anger.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith paused for a moment, the gears turning in her head, then she smiled. "You know, I had a hunch about that. Never ventured a guess, but there were clues." She giggled. "Thanks for the reveal, though!" Flowergirl placed a hand on his right shoulder. "Listen... I don't want you to ever hide your truth again. The worst thing you can do, even worse than lying to someone else, is lie to yourself about yourself." She gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I bet it took a lot of courage to tell me that. So what if you showed that elsewhere?"

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Chita smiles a bit before saying, "Funny thing that. I cannot. Courtesy of Hades... taking something from me. I do not know just what but it may have been a piece of my soul... or heart or something. Can never deceive others again." There was a weak laugh at that and to the question he responded, "Do not know. Some Viera would not care, like one I met named Pixi. Others... could have tried to capture me, throw me back into the menfolks settlement for protection. Lock me away... possibly adle me to ensure I could not escape again."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith blinked for a moment. "Hades..." She shut her eyes for a moment. "Tell me about what happened." This sounded like something she needed to understand.

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Long story time. Chita sighed a moment before explaining how he had, at one point, made a contract with Hades to gain entry into the Hades Cup, in exchange for a single, legal favor to be called upon at a later time. And how Hades waited until he was standing upon the lands of the Lord of the Dead before going 'Hey. Kill Mercade.' and it was 'legal' in his lands. And with the magic that was set upon him that forced him to obey his contracts due to being a Judge/outstanding issues unrelated, he was forced to. Eventually he explained he was finally able to break the Law Magic upon himself and when confronted by Hades for not killing Mercade... told Hades he would never kill him even at the cost of his own life. His punishment was seemingly just that... damnation to no afterlife and being unable to lie or deceive others or himself ever. Forced him into the 'sun' permanently like everyone else.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith grimaced, her eyes still closed. "And so you stop him from using you as a proxy to get rid of a threat, in exchange for being unable to conceal your methods and means." She smiled. "That took quite a bit of courage indeed. The problem, therefore, is with Hades."<br /><br />She opened her eyes. "So then, I missed out on one big party, looks like. Then again, I'm glad I wasn't part of the race anyway. I'm not quite good at that stuff." With a chuckle, she folded her arms on the table. "This Hades is more than likely responsible for other things as well because of these so-called deals."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "You give me far too much credit. Far more than I deserve. I am a lawbreaker, oathbreaker, and by all accounts incapable of being believed due to my life of lies. For all you know I could be lying to you right now." He sounded just a faint bit sad there. "I suppose I am grateful none yet have accused me of such... it is no as if I can somehow prove what has happened to me. And if he is... I doubt there is much we can do of such. He is a god after all. What could a mere mortal hope to do against a god anyways? "

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith chuckled. "Listen... you call yourself lawbreaker. You call yourself liar. You call yourself all kinds of things, but the fact is you got a bad deal on all sides. On one end, the Viera were, and perhaps still are, overprotective. On the other, Hades gave you a deal you could not escape without violating one of your sacred codes." She removed her hand from his shoulder. "But that one action that freed you? It took a strength of heart that few have. But more importantly, you focused on your truth, and chose not to violate it. So the question is, what was your truth when you defied him?"

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Chita listened to what she had to say, but when she finished, he looked confused. "My truth? I am afraid I do not quite understand what you are saying. It was not... a strength of heart, it was me having simply given up any hope of surviving said encounter and accepting what was my likely fate. "

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith shook her head. "I can't accept that. If you gave up just like that, you'd have let him do whatever he wanted without pause. No one makes that kind of commitment to save someone at the cost of such an important piece of themselves without living their truth. So... think back. What was your truth at that moment?"

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> And again she insisted on 'his truth'. "Aerith, I do not know how else to say it... I do not understand what you mean by 'my truth', at that moment or any other moment." A waitress had set down some glasses of water earlier and he takes it upon himself to pour himself a glass and take a long drink of water. "And... pardon me asking, but do you know anyone who... studies controlling darkness? Or at least keeping it controlled?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "I know, it's confusing. Let me put it this way... your truth is that part of you that knows something is wrong and has an innate desire to stop it. It's that part of you that refuses to back down to oppression and fear. It's the best parts of you that others might not like." She took in a breath. "And I would advise against going down this road you're asking about. It's not bad to let the darkness in, but... it's tempting to let it eat you alive in exchange for more and more power. And when that happens, you lose everything." She peered into his eyes. "I don't want that to happen to someone so honorable."

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> The warning is taken with a simple nod, though he says in response rather simply, "I have my reasons for asking such. And I can promise you it has nothing to do with wanting power. While I often do feel rather weak in the scope of things... and I suppose in the end it is a type of power I seek... my reason for that question lies solely with my desire to keep something bad from happening. I cannot speak openly of much lest I risk things spilling out but... you will have to trust me, Aerith. I need to learn such. It could save many lives. Please. If you know someone who could teach me such, or at least give me some kind of... idea, I would appreciate it."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>A nod, before she cleared her throat. "I would love to tell you that I know someone, but... I don't. And you'll have to trust me on that." She took in another breath. "Now back to what we were speaking about... what was your truth?"

:'''[[Chita]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> After several long moments of silence, Chita's eyes close and he sighs, "I do not know. I truly do not. I will have to answer that at another date. I probably should be going, though. There was enough of a delay with the ships that I will have to travel double time to get to Serendipity." that brought another pause as he looked up towards Aerith, "Would you care to accompany me there? It is a ways off, but if you need motivation... you could consider it a date or something. I could pay for you to have a fun evening there. I do have the munny to spare."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "I do owe you for that one botched vacation, don't I?" She stood and paid for her drink. "Don't you worry about me, I can take care of myself." Aerith headed for the docks again. "And don't call it a date. Call it a good time!"