View source for TDA is where you make it

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2013/01/11
|Location=Goug - Seventh Heaven
|Synopsis=Holidays are over, but there's always troubles. Some explanations are given after a wild city chase, on the freeing of the Network.
|Cast of Characters=Zeke, Mercade Alexander, Tifa Lockhart, Lumeria, Rinoa Heartilly, Aerith, Jecht,  Melisandriel
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Its been some busy days, but the bar kept bustling. But some things come to an end, and Tifa's pulling the holidays decorations away slowly, hmming merrily to herself. With the bar and the inn, its always pretty busy here, not to mention the mercenary stuff, saving dwarves from airships digging though mines (wut?) and what not.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith was certainly enjoying herself this evening. Of course the reason would soon become evident as soon as she called Tifa over to the bar. "Hey, you haven't heard the news, have you?" She grinned as she prepared to make her announcement. "You know that one thing we did with Mercade that involved Hearts Intertwined and Legion?"

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Melisandriel pushes past the door into the bustling bar, the sound of her boots clanking against wooden floorboards as gray eyes wander curiously. She breaches past the entrance, taking a step inside, but then she simply stands there somewhat dumbfounded. She frowns, glancing towards that peculiar looking pinball machine for a moment before her eyes settle on Tifa. She takes a little breath and continues onwards, marching to the woman and taking in the sight of her in a somewhat awkward silence. Finally, she declares in a small voice, "excuse me...miss? I...I'm not certain where I am. Does this...does this town have a name, perchance?" Eyes flicker to Aerith and she offers the slightest tilt of her head in silent greeting, until attention realigns upon Tifa once again.

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lumeria finds her at Seventh Heaven once again, maybe her search for information would prove more useful. She quickly finds someone who gets her attention as she notices the elf enter in front of her. She's curious to where she's from, but she seems busy at the moment. Instead she nods to Tifa as she makes her way into the bar, wondering who else would show up tonight.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rinoa yawns tiredly as she steps into the bar for her shift, her faithful dog Angelo, always at her side. But what is this? Looks like the bar is a bit more lively today, dance music playing and even a band in the corner. "Wow, what's going on here? What's the special occasion?" Wow, people are actually dancing on the dance floor and she smiles, swaying to the music.<br /><br />She spies another elf although this one is unfamiliar, and she smiles at Melis. "Oh, yes, this is Goug! Are you new here? Are you lost?" well she must be, judging by the dazed expression on her face. She is momentarily distracted when another elf comes in, and she smiles and waves to Lumeria. "Hi there again!" Angelo barks and bounds over to Lumeria, tail wagging as she nuzzles her leg, searching for treats or pets.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke didn't remember how he got here. Just woke up a few hours ago getting handed a drink while dealing cards. There was a moment or five of confusion, fear, then assessment of where what and all that. The out of place captain looked at his mug then the deck and nodded before dealing. He'd learned the basics to five card poker so... Hey why not? Maybe he'd figure out where and how he got from Traverse to Here.... assuming Here wasn't traverse. It didn't look like traverse.<br /><br />"Hrm..." He frowned at his lack of guns, or sword but hey he could've handed those over when he came inside. No big deal. Not yet.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"That was a hell of a situation."<br /><br />Mercade mentions as he enters the bar. He smiles at the occupants of the bar and takes a seat. "Hey Tifa. Whiskey, neat." He turns, looking to the lost woman. "As Rinoa said, you're here in Goug, called the Machine City. It's a lively place, to be sure. All kinds of people inventing and creating. Hardworking people everywhere... But half of them keep knives up their sleeves. Be careful." He smiles. "This is the Seventh Heaven, the closest thing you'll find to it in a hundred miles. Tifa here will make sure you're well taken care of, so sit down and relax. You look like you've come from a long ways off."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith grinned toward Mercade. "Hey, good of you to join us! We're just having a party to celebrate a buncha good stuff that happened, including that." She lifted her shot glass filled with something a bit stronger than tea toward him. "Thanks for letting me help, by the way! It's nice to see Legion freed!"

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel hears someone answer for Tifa, gray eyes wandering to the source and replying to Rinoa's words with a quizzical, "Goug?" She furrows her brow, "I've never heard of such a place. Are we perhaps on one of the Cardia Islands?" She sighs, reluctantly nodding her head, "yes...I am quite new to...wherever this is, I think. Either that or I am very lost." She blinks when Rinoa turns about and skips away, giving Tifa an inquiring glance. When Mercade picks up the slack, she offers him a small smile, though her brow remains furrowed in obvious confusion, "the Machine City...still never heard of it." She smirks at mention of hidden knives, before glancing Tifa's way when she is indirectly introduced, "Tifa..." She lifts up her chin a bit, "I am Melisandriel." She pauses, and then hesitantly asks, "hey, has anyone ever seen these...strange passageways made of...of shadow?"

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Goug was startingt to sound less and less like it was part of Traverse. So well he started walking around the bar, eventually settling near Aerith. "So.... party huh?" He looked about. What? Just... His head shook slowly. "I mean what was going on before? I wake up I dunno a few hours back. Usually I wouldn't complain because.... well nevermind but usually I at least am in the same building i pass out in. NOw I hear I"m in a whole different city. Don't tll me i got shanghigh'd...." Beat. "Again."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Hello." Lumeria greets Rinoa in response. She notices Angelo come over to her once again. She's not why sure the dog is so interested in here. Was it her smell? She doesn't think she has anything on her that would get that kind of attention. She leans over and pets the dog a bit. She then turns to Melisandriel. "Yes, this area is likely a lot larger than what you're familiar with."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart turns over to the people entering with a smile. She nods to Meli as she gets answered before she can, sliding down from her step ladder, where she was perched, a handful of decorations in hands. "Nice to meet you Melisandriel. Hey Rinoa, Mercade." She moves to dump the decorations into a basket behind the counter "Holidays are nice, but cleaning up is a bit sad."<br /><br />She disapears under the counter for a moment, picking up a glass for mercade, and then fillis it up with whiskey for the detective "Here you go~

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rinoa smiles at Mercade as he enters, remembering him from that brief first visit here a while ago. "Hello again Mercade. How are you adjusting to Goug these days, or have you found more suitable headquarters elsewhere?" She scratches her head as Aerith talks of 'stuff' going on, and a party.<br /><br />"Ooh?" She smiles, excited. "I could do with a party, but what's the occasion, and who is Legion anyways?" Rinoa makes a face at Aerith, "Sooo what have you been up to this time, the usual trouble?" Rinoa glances over at Zeke and just shrugs and chuckles. "Beats me, looks like a party. Hi, Tifa!"

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel looks to Zeke and tilts her head, "I don't understand...what area? Goug? Is this city so grand?" She offers a smile Tifa's way and replies, "nice to meet you as well, Tifa." As yet more people are indirectly introduced to her, eyes travel first across Rinoa and again over Mercade before finally settling on Tifa once again. She shifts a bit on her booted feet, "so...your...establishment is called Seventh Heaven?" She looks about again, taking in the sight of the bar, "certainly a pleasant place. Though..." She turns somewhat in the direction of the pinball machine, lifting up a gauntleted hand while asking, "what is that?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart smiles "Its a gaming machine. You put a quarter into it, and try to keep your balls active as long as possible, without it falling down at the bottom. You hit the balls with flippers that you activate with the buttons on each side of the machine, go try it if you want." She flips a quarter Melisandre's way with a smile. "And yes, I try to make it pleasant for everyone." She reaches down to pet and scritch Angelo "Been a good girl, Angelo?" She pats the doggy treat she keeps in her pocket.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You don't understand lass." Zeke's voice was soft when he addressed Melisandriel. "Last I remembered I was settling down for a game of stones with Miri in a small tavern in Traverse town." Miri? Who was this. Zeke ordered a stout. "So contrary to sailor's reputation we don't wander the world stone drunk.... which leaves my current predicement rather uncomfortable."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's more like several worlds have been fused together. Including the one you're likely from." Lumeria does her best to explain "Goug is a part of that." Her attention turns towards Zeke, "Maybe you trigger some kind of teleporation device without knowing?" Stranger things have happened.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke shrugged at Lumeria. "Mayhap, but that still leaves me far from my crew in unfamilliar territory." Interesting. This place, while.... 'homey' was quite nice in spite of it's unfamiliarities. Plus, on the idea Tifa worked here, the serving lady was rather..... fetching.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Melisandriel catches the quarter in mid-air and promptly plays the little disc along her fingers, despite the certain difficulty of the task with gauntleted hands. While the coin rolls along her knuckles, she smiles and offers Tifa a, "thank you, Tifa...that sounds quite the intriguing contraption. Though...I must say I am rather more thirsty at the moment..." She turns towards Zeke, still fiddling with the quarter over her steel-clad digits, "please, I'm still trying to understand where I am, exactly. What is Traverse town? And who is Miri?" She pauses, "...who are you, for that matter?" She blinks at Lumeria, "fused? As though...two pieces of iron in a furnace?" She sighs, shaking her head, "I do not know of this teleportation, but I can say for certain I stepped through some sort of...of hallway. It was very dark. And...I had to walk through it, lest these strange creatures attack me. I have never seen their ilk." She shrugs, "but at the end of the...whatever it was, I arrived here. Just outside this...bar." She plays the coin back over her thumb, flipping it into the air and catching the quarter in her gauntleted fist.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Here's to your health, Miss Lockhart." He smiles, holding up the glass in a toast before drinking some. He sighs, letting the alchol burn for a few moments before he turns back to the others. "Passages of shadow, you say? There's these portals that connect different worlds sprinkled all over the place throughout the lands. You'll see amazing sights... And some quite dangerous ones as well. But it's never, ever boring." He chuckles. <br /><br />He glances over to Zeke. "Sounds like you hit on some rough times. Thank goodness you ended up here and in one piece as opposed to penniless and missing important things in a ditch out in the swamps. Good fortune, eh?" <br /><br />Mercade rubs his chin. "Goug is a pretty lively place. Biggest city for a good ways out. Next closest is... Junon, the port city, I think?" He nods. "I'm pretty sure that's it. The trip's a killer without a Chocobo, though." He frowns. "I mean it. You could die. There's a ranch out on the plains near the city that will teach you how to catch and ride one though." <br /><br />Mercade finally turns back to Aerith and Tifa. "Remember that car chase through the city you both helped with? You ended up sort of in the middle of it. Perhaps I should explain what happened there from the beginning..." Mercade looks up. "It all started when we met a young girl. She called herself the Network, or Legion. I found out she was caught up in the middle of a murder problem. See, she wasn't just any girl, but a set of near-identical young females who shared their minds, feelings, and thoughts with one another in a sort of hive mind. And someone just murdered one of them."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart frowns, releasing Angelo with her doggy treat, and then leaning on the countertop on her elbows toward Mercade, listening to the story "That's terrible, whatever leads to a murder can't be pretty. So we were chasing the murdered or someone linked to him?" She wonders, tilting her head a bit.<br /><br />She looks to Meli again, smiling "If you want a drink, just tell me what you'd like. Alcohol or not, we offer all sorts of drinks, this is an inn as well you know."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "I met one of them in the bar. Called herself the same thing. I think that's when I got interested in this." Don't ask her how she got interested, that was a story for another time. Aerith turned back toward Mercade. "So then, it was this Cronus guy, right?" She ignored her shot glass for now.

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke raised a glass to Mercade and managed a laugh. "I s'pose so." Then he canted his head to one side. "Hm... From Manhatten right?"<br /><br />MErcade looked familiar. Nevermind he only saw the man a couple times. It was a memorable face and so the wayward captain was trying to figure out why. "If so my condolences friend." He reached into his pants and, hey he still had money. He pulled out a fat gold coin and tossed it onto the counter. Nevermind he wasn't sure if said money was good here or not, but if for no other reasn than it was an interesting piece they might keep the drinks going. Maybe. He hoped so.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel blinks, shaking her head in surprise and bewilderment at Mercade, "wait...are you saying that...that I'm not on the world I came from?" She glances towards the door, as though aching to find out for herself. She nods her head slowly in understanding, returning her attention to the man, "so Goug is not the name of this...world. But rather the name of the city?" She waves her arms momentarily in the air, "what is this world called then, precisely?" She frowns, "what's a Chocobo?" She turns to Tifa and sighs softly, "I would if I could, but I am quite penniless myself at the moment. The only wealth I have is this coin...though I should really give it back. It's hardly mine."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "Don't worry about it, drinks on me if you need one. I wouldn't let someone out in need either. Are you hungry too? I'm doing good enough business to spare a meal and a drink you know, I prefer that to leaving someone in need. I'm sure my helpers would do the same." She thumbs to Aerith and Rinoa.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith chuckled and braced her forearms on the counter. "So I'm an assistant now?" She cleared her throat. "If that's the case, I might as well get paid for those flowers upstairs, and the planters down here, and the color coordination in the rooms..." She grinned. "Yeah, I do plenty already."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Lumeria's attention turns back towards Melisandriel with that. "A passage of darkness?" That certainly got her attention. She doubts creatures of darkness would attack her, they wouldn't last very long if they did. Oh yes, I should introduce myself. "I'm Lumeria. You don't have any money with you?" She hestiates a second then speaks up again, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"<br /><br />She then turns towards to Zeke again, "It sounds like you have a long walk back to Traverse Town." She knows how to get there from here, but she certainly wasn't interested in going back there right now.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rinoa scratches her head in confusion as she listens to the story. "Wow..That's confusing." She scratches her head. "So..Some sort of computer hologram that has multiple copies or something?" Thankfully, technology was no stranger in her homeworld. She smiles at Zeke and Melis. "Try not to think about it too much. It's a crazy mixed up world. Just take it one step at a time. This is a safe place though." Angelo barks as Tifa, nuzzling and sniffing her for treats. "Hmm, is everyone good with drinks and food? Anything else you need? Please relax, take a seat if you haven't already."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel shifts uncertainly on her steel-clad feet, "are you certain...Tifa?" She sighs, nodding her head and gracing the other woman with a grateful smile, "thank you. I...I am hungry as well. That is, if you are certain you can afford it. Perhaps I can repay you in some way. I'm...I'm actually a mercenary." She shakes her head, "but no matter. Perhaps I'll have Seventh Heaven's specialty drink and meal then...or rather food and drink of this world...if such is possible." She looks to Lumeria and arches a brow, "my, this city only has generous people, it would seem." She smiles again, "it's nice to meet you, Lumeria. Though no I...I have no money. I left it back home in...well, in another world entirely, it would seem." She chuckles at that, before shrugging her shoulders lightly, "I would appreciate some work, if you know where I might find such. I am a skilled...well, I know how to fight." Hesitantly, she takes up Rinoa's offer and marches lightly towards a nearby bar stool. She slips up on the seat and leans back, facing the crowd and listening in on varied conversations from afar.

:'''[[Jecht]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> There's thumping on the stairs; heavy bootfalls, thump-thump-thumping their way down the stairwell. A tall, dark-skinned man with a black tattoo scrawled across his chest, a red bandana wrappd around his forehead, and a weird gauntlet on his arm holds up his hand at the group. "Evenin' Tifa. Looks like a busy night. Not gonna bother you folks; just looking for some milk." <br /><br /> Jecht moves behind the bar on his own, going for the storage like he knows the place pretty well. <br /><br /> Anyone who lives in Spira or has lived around Spira for a significant amount of time may recognize him as one of the best Guardians /ever/. Everybody else...well, he's an old guy going for milk.

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"That's right. You're not in the same world you were from, sounds like, because I never heard of those islands you mentioned. A Chocobo is a large flightless bird, useful for both food and as a beast of burden. Right, Goug is the name of this city. If you need directions, I can help you with a map." Mercade smiles. "I have one I can copy for you. I've been working on mapping out areas for a while. These nice ladies know Goug and the environs better than I do, though. They'll probably know some things I don't. They could also help you with gainful employment." <br /><br />Mercade gestures. "Relax. Everything will work out fine. This is the safest place in the city, to be honest." <br /><br />He nods to Zeke. "Yeah. From Manhattan. Don't worry about condolences." He gets a glint in those eyes. "Nothing you love can be lost forever, right? A good person said that to me once."<br /><br />He shakes his head to Rinoa. "No, like six young women with psychic powers that are connected to each other. And one of them was brutally killed." He nods to Aerith. "Yes. It was by a man named Cronus. He was apparently a psychopath who could control time. The Legion was supposed to be set to destroy Cronus, but Cronus was far stronger than any member of Legion, and every one he killed apparently augmented his power in some way. What's more, each member of the Legion was scheduled to be murdered at a certain time."<br /><br />He takes a drink, not blinking an eye at Jecht. He looks like a big burly guy to Mercade. The kind of guy you don't screw with. He hasn't gotten the skinny on the Guardians yet. He focuses instead on the story. "Given Legion's problem, our Agency offered our assistance to track down the culprit. Turns out Legion was getting communications from a third party who was coordinating her scheduled... demises. Legion and our resident wizard managed to track down the source of the communications, which was a scientist hanging out here in Goug." He looks to Tifa and Aerith. "That's when the two of you joined in, when we went to go shake him down for information on what's behind these people."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart smiles and nods, dropping the treat for Angelo with a giggle, as she moves to the kitchen area behind the counter. Its not hugely furnished, but its enough to ready food for those that spend the night at the inn. She looks over at what she has ready, and takes out from the fridge a plate of chicken legs, ready to be fried up. She puts one on the stove to cook up in a pan, while she moves over to get the rice cooker, preparing the side dish. <br /><br />She hmmms as she works on the food and waves to Jecht with a smile "Hey there." She's used to him getting his own milk, he's been around for a few weeks now. She listens to mercade's story though, nodding. "Well looks like we got to shake him good at least. That led us to those scientist under Hearts Intertwined right?"

:'''[[Zeke]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Zeke frowned at this whole crnos thing. "So a magus that gains power through murdering women that are bound by their minds to eachother." He drained his drink and sat it down. "Disturbing." He mentally reviewed his calander. Nothing... Nothing.... Getting questioned by the inquisition. Nothing nothing. HOpefully not getting burned at the stake. Nothing. "Is there anything a salt and his merry crew of misfits could do to help Sir Questioner?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "And one of them was downright crazy. Talk about any means necessary..." She shook her head and drank that rum in one shot. "They were trying to turn him into a weapon of some sort, weren't they? Figured it'd be the way to get their world back. I think the worst part is that lady got away..."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel glances at the old guy going for milk when he steps within view, looking him over curiously for a moment before her attention is grabbed by Mercande once more. She nods her head thankfully, "indeed, I would greatly appreciate a map. This place is both...strange and yet almost familiar...other than the contraption that requires a coin over there a ways." She looks over Mercade's indicated women and nods her head happily, "so if this is the city of Goug, what is the name of this world? Does it have one?" She smirks, "though I must say, these Chocobos certainly sound like they are a sight to behold."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"A mercernary?" Lumeria ponders for a moment, "Well, we could always use more servants back in Alexanderia, but that doesn't sound like your kind of work. If anyone knows knows an old library full of monsters or somewhere else dangerous and full of knowledge, I might hire you to clean it out." The girl's greedy but she does need information too. She listens in on the others, this certainly sounds interesting.

:'''[[Rinoa Heartilly]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Rinoa frowns a bit at Mercade's story. "Wow..That's awful. A psychic, huh? Interesting.." She nods slowly. "Well..I'm glad you found the culprit. Did you find a place to set up office, Mercade?" Rinoa asks as she writes down everyone's orders, nodding to Tifa when she says it's on the house. "by the way, since we have an inn here now, if you're all tired, feel free to get a room.."<br /><br />She blinks at Aerith and Zeke and nods. "Yes..That's...Scary. But you did manage to catch him in the end, I'm assuming? Otherwise you wouldn't be celebrating." When Jecht comes down the stairs, she smiles and nods to him. "Good evening, Jecht. Help yourself! Alright, I'll grab the drinks!" And she heads behind the counter, busily mixing the drinks. She'll be a while.

:'''[[Jecht]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Jecht holds up his hand. "Hey," he observes at Tifa and Rinoa. He pops open his milk, leaning against the bar to listen to the guy start talking about Cronus. Jecht can't help himself; he's quietly looking over the new inhabitants, people he's never met before. Also Aerith, whom he knew at least passingly. Jecht is smarter than he seems; big and bulky, but with a trained warrior's eye, making sure no one in the bar is dangerous. Being a part-time bouncer has sort of become Jecht's part-time job; sure, Tifa could handle herself, but Jecht liked to be useful. He did a lot of things part-time around the bar. <br /><br /> Some of them better than others. <br /><br /> ...don't ask him about that chair in the corner with three legs, that's all.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel frowns at Lumeria, replying in a monotone, "I will not clean dishes and wash clothes." She tilts her head, monotone gone once more, "monsters? I can handle that, certainly. Of course, I would expect proper payment for my services." She arches a brow, "though I should tell you that I do not come cheap." She glances to Rinoa, sighing softly, "perhaps I would purchase a room for the night...would I to have the coin to pay for such a transaction...mayhap a temporary loan would be acceptable?" And then her eyes are drawn to a certain chair as though Destiny itself guided her perception. She peers forward and cranes her neck just a bit, eyes bright with curiosity, "does that...does that chair have three legs?"

:'''[[Jecht]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> "Don't ask," Jecht growls over his milk. Sore spot, apparently.

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart smiles "Don't worry so much about money, we all started like this after all. Its not like we're going to kick a paying customer out for you, you know. You're not going to take a space anyone else was going to use right away." She smiles, finishing cooking up the chicken leg, adding the side of mushroom-flavored rice, sliding it over to Meli with a smile "Here you are."

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade nods. He looks over towards Tifa. "Got some paper and a pen or pencil I can borrow?" He asks. <br /><br />Rinoa asks about his setup. "I was thinking about opening up a place here in Goug, but it isn't quite central enough. Getting to other worlds from here is kind of a pain, sadly. No offense, of course, this place is nice. But let me finish the story!" He sighs.<br /><br />He nods to Tifa and Aerith. "That's right. We chased them through the streets, and found out they hired a driver by the name of Goofy. Apparently, he becomes quite the devil behind the wheel. After catching up to him and bringing him down, we found out from him that they were hiding out in a Hearts Intertwined shelter." <br /><br />He narrows his eyes, bringing his hands up in a slightly dramatic fashion. "So what happens is that we find our way in there, Max and I infiltrating the area and gathering essential information and acquiring a key to the lower area. We enter the area and clear out the place of innocent people, and head down into the basement." <br /><br />He pauses. "And lo and behold, the place looks like the den of a mad scientist. Stark white walls and floors. Harsh lighting, beating down on you with no shadows. Machinery, churning away for no apparent reason. Crackling lightning. Experimental areas. We meet the scientists responsible, and we find out the truth." He takes another drink. "So what happened is that these people, all of them, were from a world that was destroyed. Consumed, by the HEartless. One of them, a man named Chambers, was the man in charge of the project. He wanted to see his family again. He was willing to kill these girls to do it, in order to give Cronus the power he thought they would need to turn back the clock, give them a way back into that fallen world." <br /><br />Mercade looks away. "The other woman, however, was cracked. She was crazier than a cat in a dog pound. She was brilliant, but she had some ideas about how to use science. She called it 'evil science', and she was pretty dedicated to her work. Somehow, she managed to hide the fact that she's insane from Chambers. Abramson was her name. Feige Abramson... But I knew she was really called Trouble. She laughed, and put on this armor suit that had all kinds of crazy weapons on it, but we managed to stop her. She got away... But then we found out Cronus was moving to kill another member of the Legion."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel smiles up at Tifa and replies, "well, thank you. I very much appreciate allowing me both a room and a meal. I'll certainly find some way of repaying such generosity." She watches the plate of chicken leg and rice slide her way across the bar, nodding her head and offering another, "thank you, Tifa. It smells delicious." She sets that single quarter to the side before casually tugging at each finger of her gauntlets in turn. With two great pulls, she releases either arm from the hefty gauntlets and sets those two steel casing on the bar beside her meal, revealing slender arms and dainty little fingers. Being told not to do something inevitably leads one to wish to do it all the more. Curiosity flares, intrigue arches one lofty brow. She turns towards Jecht, expression innocent as she inquires, "oh? Why? What happened to the chair?"

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "And then we reach the reason why we're here right now." The smile returned. "We were lucky enough to stop Cronus, without killing him. I say we got lucky, but a win is a win, right?" She tapped her shot glass twice on the counter. "Another shot of rum, please!"

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You didn't seem like that type, anyways. I'll pay you of course don't expect the moon and the stars. I have to find somewhere worth looking first." Lumeria's not the type to join hand out loads of money. "That sounds rather sickening." She can't help but to comment on Mercade's story. The elfin was glad she hadn't been dragged into that mess.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel takes up her chicken leg and experimentally swipes a bit of meat from the bone. She chews it gently, gingerly, tasting the flavors that fill her mouth. Letting out a heavy sigh she did not recall breathing in, she declares, "this is delicious!" She tries a side of mushroom-flavored rice, dipping her fingers into the mass and lapping up the meal with delight. She smiles, hands a mess, and tells Tifa giddily, "you are quite the chef, Tifa." She grabs another bite of the chicken leg before returning the meat to her plate, glancing in Lumeria's direction to nod her head definitively, "I would welcome the opportunity...and the chance at having some spare coin on hand."

:'''[[Jecht]] has posed:'''<br><span></span> Jecht is apparently really clamming up about the chair. He just gets into a fouler mood, taking a really long swig of his drink and moving around to sit down in his chair (which is not one with three legs, and is at a table off to the side). Jecht leans back, kicking his legs up on the table. "Sounds rough," he observes idly between sips. <br /><br /> "Tifa's cookin's top notch. Best bar in the place, tell your friends."

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Mercade points at Aerith. "Yeah, more or less just like that." He leans back in his chair. "We pursued Cronus to Bodhum in Traverse Town. Faced him down in the train station. The place was wrecked. Trains were smoking and people had all cleared out if there was any sense. It was complete chaos. One kid, Will Sherman, or Hobo Lad to his friends, managed to get there in time to hold off the guy just long enough for us all to arrive. Now, this guy was a psychopath. We tried to talk him down. Any control over him was broken, so he wasn't getting orders anymore. He didn't care. We barely managed to save Emi, one of the members of Legion. He fought. He foguht hard. Space and time twisted around him as he used his power. And he had a ton of it. He could have killed any of us... But he didn't have any control. I managed to use a couple things I learned to stop him from blowing my guts out all over the station. Messy as hell." <br /><br />He shakes his head. "Still, we managed to take him down. And just then, Heartless tried to come and take him." He looks away at that. "We could have let them take him. We could have just let him die, vanishing into the Darkness." He pauses. "But you don't make up for evil by dying. You make up for it by living. We fought the Heartless off, and finally, everything calmed down. We came to an understanding, and everything settled out. Legion joined the Agency, taking the name Emi Dennou." <br /><br />He pauses, tapping his chin. "Oh right. Our wizard managed to apparently bring back the dead member of Legion by making a deal with the Lord of the Dead, Hades. Seems stuff gets all Greek out here. That basically covers it."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith blinked for a moment. "You know..." She frowned, her brows furrowed. "...I don't like that last part. Too many bad things could happen."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Curiousity returns again to her thoughts as Jecht walks further into view and sits in a four-legged chair. Melisandriel lifts up her chicken leg, takes another bite, and waves the leg in the old man's direction, "indeed though. Whatever happened to that chair...Jecht?" She lifts up her chin, "also, my name is Melisandriel, if you were curious. I'm looking for work, if you know where I might find some...though I have yet to repair a single chair, so I unfortunately cannot help you with that..." And then she hears tell of another bewildering comment, gray eyes darting to Mercade to ask, "bring back the dead? Someone can truly accomplish such a task?" She licks her lips, "who is this...Hades?"

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Top notch? I haven't had many meals I would call worthy since leaving Alexandria." Lumeria could go for a decent meal, even if she doesn't look like she eats much. She rolls her eyes a bit as she hears Mercade's comment. "Someone made a deal with a Lord of the Dead? Those kinds of exchanges never end well."

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Hades." Mercade repeats. "I don't know much about him. He's going to be super dangerous though. Isaac's good at dealing with this kind of thing, but, well..." He trails off. "I wouldn't go seeking him out. I wouldn't have advised it."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel glances towards Lumeria, "why? What happens when one makes a deal with this Lord of the Dead?" And then she glances in Mercade's direction yet again, pursing her lips and furrowing her brow for a long moment. Finally, she asks, "what's this Agency you're a part of?...Mercade, right? Does this Agency pay well?" She waves a hand in the air, "for whatever you do, anyway?"

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"My apologies. I never introduced myself." Mercade replies. He flicks a hand, producing a business card and tosses it over to Melisandriel. "Mercade Alexander. Detective with the Twilight Detective Agency. We take jobs to solve mysteries, protect against the Heartless, and gather information we need to survive the ongoing war against all we know and love. Payment is sort of... catch as cat can." Mercade shrugs. "For some reason, Heartless drop Munny, so it pays for itself over time."

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You don't read many books do you?" Lumeria can't help but to comment on that. "The Heartless I've fought, have never dropped any munny." Maybe she's been fighting the wrong kind of heartless. "Any type of mysteries at all?" She might have a few of them to solve.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel takes the offered business card out from the air and glances over it momentarily, before depositing it within a pouch at her thigh. She smiles, "Melisandriel. Does this Twilight Detective Agency have need of others to join the ranks?...if on occcasion, anyway?" She tilts her head, "what's a Heartless? And is Munny like that coin Tifa passed me?" She picks up said quarter and holds the circle aloft, "like this?" Setting the coin back down, she listens to Lumeria's question, before gray eyes are drawn to the man, curious as well.

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith figured she would answer that whole Heartless question. "The Heartless are... or rather, they used to be people. But for one reason or another, they let the darkness in their hearts consume them entirely, and lost all sense of who they were. When that happens, you want that piece of yourself back... you want your heart. And since you've lost yours, you go looking for others the only way you know how..." She grimaced. "Tearing it out of their chests."

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"It's a bit gruesome, but it's /slightly/ more metaphorical than that. I'm pretty sure it's more of a 'stealing your soul' thing instead of literally ripping out a hunk of muscle from you." Mercade says. "And Munny is a sort of universal currency." Mercade pulls out some small golden orbs, and holds them up. "It's like this." He gestures. "The quarter you have will change form to other worlds' currency. It's not much, but it will get something minor." He leans back in his chair, and drains off his whiskey, setting the glass down. "As far as what we need... We're always interested in talent to help out, Melisandriel. What do you do? What's your story?"

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart cleans up what she had to use for the cooking, smiling and hmming to herself musically. She's always in a cheerful mood it seems, especially around the bar. She's happy to see smiling faces after all. She listens to the chatter as well. She pats Aerith on the shoulder as she says that too.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel winces at Aerith's explanation, "that sounds...messy. I have never seen nor heard of such a creature though. What race can Heartless come from, to become so monstrous from such strange magic?" She looks on when Mercade reveals some Munny in his hand, gazing at the golden orbs with bright curiosity. At his question, she replies, "I'm a...I'm a mercenary. I sell my skills to those that pay the most. If well-paid, I would be happy to help uncover...mysteries with the Twilight Detective Agency. Or at least help stop dangers like those you spoke of earlier."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart hms "We're all a bit of mercenaries around here really. We help out where we can, get paid for it often. With the state of the world, and heartless abound, there's plenty of people trading money for safety. Even if you don't get paid, heartless seem to carry munny around too, si you're not exactly losing out on helping others anyway. I guess it depends on what you want to do, how you want to look at it.

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Yes, there's certainly an oppournity to be made. I doubt the Heartless are going away anytime soon." Lumeria figures she might as well make the most of it. "If they're everywhere, I'm guessing most races can be become. Or at least those with souls."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel arches a brow, "every one of you? Interesting. I had not thought so many had the same profession as I. Certainly fewer where I came from. Still...how do you know who is Heartless and who isn't? Do they have...have some hole in their chest...or the like?" And then she turns to Lumeria, furrowing her brow, "I don't understand. Most races can become Heartless? Strange. I have never heard of such a term before myself..."

:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "Most of them, yes. And Heartless... are pretty difficult to mistake. They're living shadows." She finally took that shot glass, emptied it, and turned it over to signal she was done. "They have no pity, no remorse, and act with a single-minded determination to get at your heart in order to replace what they lost. It's why they're called Heartless; they act without any sense of emotion at all."

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"A mercenary, huh? What do you do? Fight? Do you have any special skills?" Mercade asks. He looks at his empty glass, but doesn't ask Tifa for another. "All right then. This should be interesting. There's definately tons of opportunity out there. As far as the Heartless... No one is safe. No one."

:'''[[Tifa Lockhart]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Tifa Lockhart brings Mercade a refill, but of tea instead. She grins, not wanting to knock him out either.

:'''[[Lumeria]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"I'm not a mercenary." Lumeria can't help but to point out. "Yes, if you run into them they'll likely attack you." It shouldn't be too hard for her to figure out if someone's one or not.

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel blinks at Aerith, "wait...made of living shadows? But...then that means...the creatures that attacked me in my world were actually Heartless. And...the passageway I walked through was where they came from..." She licks her lips, "interesting..." She begins gorging herself on the mushroom-flavored rice and the remainder of her chicken leg, swallowing the food down gulp by gulp and getting her hands completely messy. Licking the sauce and grease from her digits, she sighs out heavily and leans back a bit, "that was certainly the best food I have eaten in a very long time." She turns to Mercade, replying lightly, "I can fight, yes. But I can also slip behind enemy lines without being noticed."

:'''[[Mercade Alexander]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"All right." Mercade finishes writing up and sketing out some information on some paper, consulting a handheld device he took from his coat. He slides the paper over to Meli. "Here's a map of the surrounding area, and information on how to get to Traverse Town. You should be able to pick up more information there. Is there anything else you need at the moment?" He looks up at the clock. "If not, I should get going."

:'''[[Melisandriel]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Melisandriel notices the piece of paper sliding her way, gingerly picking up the map and peering over its contents. Her eyes widen and she nods her head gratefully, "thank you, Mercade. With this I should be able to get around...at least a little, anyway." She pulls up the flap on her pouch and slips the paper inside, before smiling at the man and adding, "this should be all for now. If you need me, whether for a job or any other reason, It would seem that I'll be staying here for a while, if Tifa allows it." She stretches, letting out a little yawn, "I should get my own rest for now anyway. It was nice to meet you..." She looks around, "meet everyone." Her eyes settle on Tifa, "and thank you again for all your generosity, Tifa. I will repay you as soon as I complete my first job in this...other world." With that, she begins to rise, picking up her gauntlets from the bar and asking, "where can I sleep, Tifa? You can place me in your smallest room. I don't need much." She lets the other woman lead her off, stepping away from the main area of the bar and finding a comfy bed for the night.