The Main Act

The Main Act
Date of Scene:	16 March 2013
Location:	Land of Dragons - Mako Reactor
Synopsis:	Shiki and her erstwhile allies meet up with... some more allies, and they vent their frustrations on the Darkness while trying to save the Tiki Gods.
Cast of Characters:	Tifa Lockhart, Shiki Misaki, Kim Possible, Ping, Myla Mason, Ramza Beoulve, Launchpad McQuack
Tinyplot:	Under New Management

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No title. (2013-03-16 - Now) No description.

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shinra, in the Land of Dragons? Really?

This is weird in the extreme. What's even more weird in the extremer is the fact that, supposedly...

Having found themselves seperated from their fellows, the Enchanted Tiki Room's main entertainers 'The Tiki Gods' found themselves lost, stranded and importantly without any sort of employment.

In a pinch, they needed anyone to employ them... they just ended up finding the worst possible option. ShinRa does everything, right? Sure, they'll employ a band. The Mako Reactor's got social facilities... if they employ some of the native Chinese population, they can certainly justify employing a band.

Maybe they'll even end up playing for the Emperor of China!

Except we hate this idea. We being the gaggle of people out of the ShinRa offices and business facilities, trying to figure out the best way of going in there and finding the Tiki Gods.

Shiki is among them, making the duckiest of faces.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart doesn't like Shinra, even less for starting to put their terrible reactors in every known place like this. She really needs to get the Avalanche gang back together so they can shut those down before they turn the place into a desert or something.

She shakes her head. That'll have to wait for now, there's Tiki-related problems first. Tifa puts a hand on Shiki's head as she makes those faces "Not sure if powering through is the best way here... disguises, or maybe saying we're part of some wandering troupe?" They WERE singing last time after all.

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
Shiki was NOT making the duckiest of faces. There's someone making a much more ducky face. Probably because he's a duck.
Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a bird in a plane! Well, it was, but... suddenly, the plane turned into a giant, paper glider. In fact, it almost looked like a...
"I've flown kites before," the duck quips, "but I've never had a kite fly me!" Strapped to the stringless kite, the duck started heading into a nosedive. Eventually, he hit a canopy of trees, creating a massive 'leaf cloud', completely obscuring the horrible, possibly fatal, wreck.

Ping has posed:
Ping is sitting high on his horse, strolling slowly with the rest of the gaggle. Being a native to this world, he's in a particularly knowledgable position to lead an informative tour.

"On your left, you'll notice the Hill of the Three Happiness where the moon is said to have fallen in love with a goose. And on your right is the Stream of Ten Thousand Voices which is said to have informed on the Shu to General Tsun during the Three Kingdoms Era."

He pauses, of course, when Tifa brings the conversation back to more relevant matters. For one among the troupe, Ping's words were nothing but a babbling brook.

Perched in a tiny wooden cage at Ping's hip is his lucky cricket. At Tifa's question, the little bug stretches out its antenna to hold onto every word she speaks. Nodding agreeably (but who would notice a cricket nodding) to every suggestion she makes, the little cricket is enraptured by her voice.

However, at the sudden and dramatic crash, Ping sets his heels against his horse's flanks and rides off to investigate. Calling out, "Is anyone alive? Are you ok!?"

Myla Mason has posed:
This was the first time Myla had experianced the alternations world jumping could do. She'd found herself wearing some sort of almost bandit like outfit from a martial arts movie really.She found it was somewhat like her normal clothing but differet she was suprised to be sure. Not that she minded she kinda liked the serpentine like dragons designs on some part of her clothing. It reminded her a little of images of Levithan after all. As for Myla on corps? It's a fact of life in her world she feels almost like a character in Darkness Dash doing jobs for Corps and the like. Still this isn't a game after all and here she is. She does seem to be too bothered as she keeps up with group as well as umm someone crashes on a kite.

"What in the world?"

Ping notable information on the region is noted for late, right now there's someone who somehow crashed a kite.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
The youngest son of the Beoulve family knew little of Shinra. Most of what he knew of them related to them ruling over the Machine City of Goug, a city from his world in which the machinists had dug up the advanced technology of their forebears.

He didn't like the implications of Shinra suddenly having the choicest picks of the artifacts of Ivalice's past. There was too much power to be gained from it that could worsen life for the innocents under their thumb.

And so he found himself in China with Shiki. Ramza had borrowed a different set of armor from one of his company for this trip, and altered it to look more like someone in the Chinese military. It had originally been Samurai armor from Ivalice, but it didn't take much digging for him to learn that a Samurai would not be overly welcome in China. Instead of a helm, he'd be wearing a headband. His fair skin and blonde hair might identify that there was something off about him, as would the Katana peaceknotted within a Saya, but he was at least trying to make an attempt to fit in. He'd left Boco behind as a Chocobo would likely be a dead giveaway of his foreign nature. The Chocobo had not been happy about that. Ramza would stay on foot alongside the band.

Along the way, he'd be trying to solicit advice from Ping on how to better alter his disguise, and on the cultural norms of the land. "How do I look, Ser Ping?" A long pause. "How does one address someone in your land?"

As the duck crashed, he'd have a look of bewilderment on his expression. What exactly was that Duck flying? How was he flying? he'd rush over to the tree calling up. "Ser! Are you alright?"

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki's dressed in a rather traditional chinadress, but retains her classic hat! She is not happy about Shinra being here, and has probably explained to Ramza and Myla the history herself and Tifa have had with them offscreen.

"But we /are/ a wandering troupe!" replies Jose, confused.
"So it should be easy," assumes Michael.
"If we try and get an audience, then they'll recognise us!" hopes Pierre.
"And there are a lot of us to recognise..." mentions Fritz.

Accompanying the regulars are, after all, the other members of the Tiki Room. /All/ of them. Tropical birds, plants and more. And all of them are lurching in surprise as a large kite goes spiralling off nearby.

None of the birds seem to know what's going on, getting their feathers ruffled and commenting about the strange event. Some take pictures.

Shiki takes a sideways glance at Ping as she follows behind him. "Is this normal?"

Meanwhile, some of the birds are wandering over to the lobby to take matters into their own hands. You are free to go with them if you wish!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart is wearing a cheongsam herself, quite the nice red dress with a golden dragon embrodied over the chest, with the tail slinking along her sides, leaving an opening on the side for her legs, so she doesn't have trouble fighting if need is. She nods to the Tiki birds "Well its one possibility at least."

But then the plan crash. She blinks, and rushes over to the sound, looking around for the pilot. The plane itself is easy to spot, so the pilot must be closeby. Normally. "Wonder if he tried to fly through the portals... they do have odd effects. Might want to recuperate the plane for when we go back through." If it works in one direction, should work in the other, right?

Ping has posed:
Ping looks back at Ramza and the strange armor he's wearing. Wearing Samurai armor in China is like wearing a wet-suit to a dinner party. Still, he smiles encouragingly (though the slight hesitation may reveal its not entirely sincere.)

"You look handsome, Ramza." Ping lowers his voice, "I mean, very intimidating. No-one's going to mess with a hard-nosed warrior like you."

He turns his head to the side and rolls his eyes at his own clumsiness, "And you greet people here how you'd greet people elsewhere, with a wave and a greeting, maybe a handshake. A popular greeting in China is 'Ni Hao' and that should serve you well."

But when the duck and kite crash nearby, that's what takes all of his attention. After having ridden off, he swings out of his saddle and sorts through the trees, brush, and wreckage to see if anyone's still alive. At Shiki's question, he calls out his response from within the crash site, "Are things falling out of the sky normal where you're from!?"

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
The leaves eventually stop falling, revealling... the humanoid duck in full pilot gear is completely unharmed, besides being tangled in the wreckage of his kite, and in his own scarf. "Oh, uh, hi there," he calmly says. Answering everyone's worries, he replies, "don't worry about me. I've had much worse crashes." He then rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Although... can't say I've had any weirder ones. Sorry about scaring you guys. Hey..." He then notices something strange....
"What kinds of animals ARE you? Oh um..." He then looks quite embarressed. "I uh... didn't mean anything racist," he meekly says. "Sorry. It's just... nevermind."

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Ramza Beoulve would give Ping a smile of good cheer. "Truly? It is heartening to know that such is all it takes in this land to dissuade violence." As Ping demonstrates, he would clear his throat, practicing a wave. "Ni Hao." The words rolled off his tongue clumsily, so he'd repeat it several times until he was certain he had it down.

When Launchpad tries to explain himself, he nods. "Do try to be more careful, Ser. We're trying to be surreptitious." Tilting his head at him, he'd give him a strange look. "Most of us are human Ser, from various lands. Some say /humes/ instead. These birds are poor souls in need of our aid, and it is rare you will find finer companionship than they."

After he was assured that Launchpad was alright, he would continue onward, following the birds into the lobby. He spoke idly to Shiki and four Macaws that he was more familiar with. "What sort of show did you have in mind?"

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason looks over to Shuki for a moment grinning at her. "You know you look good in that." Would have noted confusion at the idea of a living world. Her world was made from the corpses of the gods who created it in the first place. Still the information was noted and she bets Souji would cut a deal with them one way or another.

"So just what are we looking for this time boys?"

she seems t be taking things in.

"That's very likely Tifa, we should likely do so."

She looks back to Ping for a moment.

"Flying craft were fairly comon on my world but here i'd not expect as such, Ping."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
"Thanks, Myla! I'm always up on the most fashionable trends!"

Oh, poor old Ramza. Will you ever win?

Shiki makes a sort of embarrased noise! "Well, you know! I sort of meant-- the kite! The thing with the-- it's sort of-- I thought it was some kind of extreme sport!"

And she sort of blinks for a moment when the crashee and probably-not-extreme-sport-enthusiast appears, none the worse for wear. She glances at Ping.

"Uh, we're-"

And that's when most of the Tiki Room's patrons go sounding off their various species names, even the plants. It drowns out any attempt to clarify the situation.

Shiki doffs her hat over her ears to drown out the noise, clearly frustrated.

"OK, ok. Here's what we're gonna do. Uhhh. Hey there, we're kinda... well, Ramza explained the situation pretty well. We're trying to head inside this place and-- try and find some friends. I realise this might be kind of difficult with over a hundred of us here, on reflection."

It's also unfortunate when about thirty of the birds have already decided they weren't interested in seeing the spectacle and have already started going inside, perching on every available surface and chair in the ShinRa lobby and loudly shouting at staff about how they want to see the TIki Gods.

Shiki looks at the growing fiasco, blinking worriedly. "C-crowd song?"

Someone should try and explain to the staff what's going on before they start getting annoyed!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart looks over to Ping, nodding at the little lesson in chinese "That's right, you're from around here." She hms and tries to repeat it "Ni hao." Its not quite natural, but then again people in this world must have noticed that things are different nowadays with visitors, should be used to it.

She glances over to the tiki birds "Well, I guess we'll need to do something. Anyone has a good song before we get in there?" She asks up, a bit concerned there.

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
The duck seems glad to have not caused too much trouble. "Humans, huh. I think I knew a human once. Harry Heady Joe... no... Hat Hut Bo... nah, that's not it.... uh, Hard Haid Moe! That's it!"
He then realizes that everyone is about to leave. "Um... guys, I hate to ask you, but... could someone help me down?"

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
The young man saw that a potential disaster was in the making, and set about to diffusing it before it happened. Marching into the lobby, he'd motion to one of the fretting staff before offering an explanation. "Ah, Ser. An officer in the army is about to attend the performance. Our apologies for not informing you in advance. All of these curiosities are his companions. They have a tendency towards rowdiness, so if you have suggestions on how we might arrange them in a more orderly fashion, we'd be happy to hear them. If the officer is pleased with the performance of the Tiki Gods, then perhaps he might be able to persuade the Emperor to a grant an audience your performers."

Ramza Beoulve always hated to deceive, so he made most of his words half truths. He didn't identify Ser Ping by name, all he did was inflate his influence a touch.

Ping has posed:
Ping nods his head to Tifa and smiles, "That's right. It's usually a bit more welcoming, but ahh, evil super-conglomerate corporations and stuff moving in. The neighborhood's really gone down hill." He shrugs his shoulders and enters into the lobby as he discusses the current social climate in China with Tifa.

He has no idea what Ramza has planned and doesn't realize he's been set up as the face for an A-Team infiltration op. Though he is every bit the shy, clumsy, and sincere soldier, he does have some experience pretending to be someone that he's not.

The place is crowded with birds and he quickly ducks several times as a colourful macaws swoops overhead.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason grins at shiki for a momentt "Well I'll have to come to you about fashion in this world won't it?" She now falls in with the rest of the group as they are seeking out the birds. "It could br worse honestly right?" What is the worser that could happen here.

Shiki Misaki has posed:
It's a well known fact that if several birds grab onto something, if it looks funny, they can subsequently lift it and move it around. Rule of toons. That's how some of the toucans get Launchpad down, anyway.

"Hey, if you're not busy, you might as well come along with us!" Shiki offers, since she knows the value of reaching out to people for support on adventures. "Something interesting might happen!"

Ramza comes through in the clutch with some supreme cunning, although he might have to give some stern looks to stop the seventy-odd voices of assent and agreement with the veracity of his statement.

"Maybe," Shiki says quietly to Ping and Tifa as they head inside the building, "We can snoop out something that could help us do something about this."

Regardless! Eventually once things are calm and collected enough, it's time to head inside to the social facilities built near to the reactor's offices. There's even a poster up for the Tiki Gods already! Let's head to the green room!

Shiki has a toucan on her head. "I could think of ways this could be worse, Myla."

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
And so he would. Ramza put on his commander face. Sweeping his gaze across the room at each assenting voice, he'd put two fingers to his lips, and whistle. "Order! This is disgraceful. Do you want our commander to be wroth? Line up for inspection."

He'd pound a fist upon a nearby table, while looking at Ping to motion for him to play along. "Now, not later."

It was not a style of command that he was personally fond of, but it one quite common to most militaries across the world. "Be ready for a song, on her mark." He'd gesture to Shiki, making her Ping's second in this faux military visit/inspection.

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
"Thanks, guys," the pilot duck says to his new birdy friends. "I appreciate the help." He then turns to the group. "I'd love to come with you guys," he says happily, "I'm pretty lost. I thought I was in China, but things don't look right." He sticks out his right hand/wing to whoever will accept it. "The name's Launchpad McQuack. Nice to meet'cha."

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason is just keeping alert now and she's pulled back the hood her outfit has gained as he tries to keep in mind. "Well we are land locked at the moment so I guess you have a point." She'll drop the topic before she tempt fate any more. Then SGT Ramza gets to work getting the birds in order hopefully as for the humanoid duck he's not the first one she's see. "Myla Mason, and good to meet you as well. Well your in Phantasia if that helps at all."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart waves to Launchpad with a smile "I'm Tifa. And we're humans, to answer your earlier question. You probably didn't meet any yet, but we met a few of your kind before, you get used to it." She leaves it at that for now, what are the chances all those ducks know each other anyway?

She looks over to the others, and waits on the signal. She takes some of the birds on her shoulders too. "I can't perch all of you, but you can use my shoulders all you want." She smiles to the tikis. "You have any song you think they would like?" She looks over to PIng for that one, since its his home country.

Ping has posed:
Ping is an interesting enough fellow: kind, generous, brave. But the truth of the matter is that Ping is the Rocinante to his Lucky Cricket's Don Quixote. The little cricket rides on Ping's shoulder and all around him are the hungry eyes and snapping beaks of one thousand carnivorous birds. He is in mortal danger, certainly, those bug-eating birds would swallow him up in one gulp. But they are no danger he hasn't face before and as long as his true love requires it, he would march into a city of one million ravenous condors.

For if Ping's Lucky Circket is Don Quixote, Tifa is Dulcinea. Every knight needs his lady, after all. The cricket looks wistfully at Tifa, though murder swoops continuously overhead.

Of course, Ping is completely clueless to all this surrealist drama. He huddles in close to Skiki and Tifa and nods his head in understanding as plans start to come together. That is until Ramza hammers a fist on a table and startles him out of the conversation. Those conspiratorial eyes immediately convey what is required and Ping clasps his hands behind his back and assumes a tall, rigid posture. His eyes narrow and he inspects the disorderly crew around him. He marches up to Ramza's side and casts his gaze about the room. He's still not sure what the game is, so he says something very generic (but in a rather foreboding tone.)

"What is a Tiki anyway...?"

Kim Possible has posed:
Meanwhile, Kim Possible has been tagging along in the background for the most part. She's kept to herself which is odd given how generally social she is at times and how chatty and friendly she is. Nevertheless, she's decided to make herself known at this very moment. She greets the others with a big friendly smile.

"I'm Kim. Kim Possible. Nice to meet you all," She says with a big wave.

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Since nobody specified what song to sing, the birds (and flowers) gather on their friends' shoulders instead, and launch into a rousing rendition of the Hawaiian War Chant, which should surely impress anyone listening! It's not something you know, but it's effective nonetheless. Very moving.

In fact, it gets some attention after all!

"Did someone say Tiki?" calls a voice from over in the distance, as someone opens a door nearby. Walking out come first one, then two, then half a dozen small wooden figures wearing- or with the faces of- elaborate wooden masks, similar in fact to a more rambunctious tiki goddess you may have known. "That's us!"

"Friends!" calls Jose, flapping over to greet them. Each of the Tiki Gods is a unique figure, and they greet the assembled people in turn.

"What's all this singing about, anyway?" another voice asks, following the Tiki Gods out. He is a human; probably local, although his clothing is a combination of the more modern ShinRa asthetic. He looks with disdain at the gathering. "My name is Long Nan. What is the meaning of this enormous gathering, exactly? Is this something to do with my new hires?"

"You could say that," Shiki replies, moving one of the orchids out of her line of sight (it was drooping over her head). "Wait, new hires?"
"Yes. These Tiki Gods are now under ShinRa employment."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart stares at the man. ShinRa really extended all the way here. This can't be good. Not just the reactor, but the people too. She shakes her head.

Not that she's ignoring the cricket in love, but right now there are other things at attention. She waves to Kim "Nice of you to join us Kim. Looks like we won't have to sing..." She leans in to whisper to Kim "But we got bigger issues here I think."

Ping has posed:
Ping really didn't know what a Tiki was, but here is his answer. Each wooden character bounces by and all he can do is watch wide-eyed. That is until he realizes he's watching wide-eyed. He's under cover here and he narrows his eyes, again, looking as gruff as he can. He looks to his side, to Ramza, waiting for a bit of direction.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
As Ping would range closer to him, Ramza would notice the amorous cricket swooning over Tifa. A single eyebrow would be raised in bemusement. He had an affinity to animals but perhaps he didn't really think the cricket was in love with her and was merely fond of the woman.

The birds would remain their rambunctious self, and while he wasn't truly irritated, he still acted like he was. Clearing his throat. "A Tiki, Ser, is..." And then the half dozen small figures would reveal themselves. "....they are Tikis."

When the owner comes down to check out the commotion, he decided to try and head that off at the pass. "Ser. This gentleman here is an officer in the Imperial Army. These..." He would sweep his arm over the room, to indicate all the plants and birds. "...are his comrades from his ranges far afield. He's here on a state visit as the fame of those in your employ has already reached the Imperial City. Depending on whether they are up to his standards..." He would smile, allowing the implication to do the rest.

After a moment, he would change the subject. "What are the terms of their contract and employment, if I might be so bold to inquire?"

Kim Possible has posed:
Kim nods to Tifa. "Looks like we got a major sitch right now," She whispers back to Tifa. She then looks at the Tikis and does a double-take, taking in just how uniquely crazy they are. After a moment she shakes it off. Then she looks to Ramza as well, listening to what he has to say.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason looks out as she sees Tikis and she's not sure whose side the tikis are on but for the moment they don't seem to be turning hostile so they hopefully are no in league with the other god that's causing problems. The chant was found to be quite interesting to her. Also the workers seem to be showing up as well. "I'm curious I have to admit what have they been hired for?"

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
So, Launchpad sees humans as strange but doesn't think anything of the tiki gods. More importantly... "What's all this Shinra business," he whispers to the nearest (non-Shinra) person. "Isn't getting hired a good thing?"

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Yes, this could certainly be a problem.
Rongo gives Ping a thumbs-up. Offers him some Dole Whip. Don't be shy!

Shiki speaks in sotto voice to Launchpad. "These guys have some questionable ethics when it comes to the little people. Not really good employers."

Of course she won't say that out loud when we're here. The Tiki Gods look a little awkward, some of them unable to meet their friends' eyes as the explanation comes out.

"We didn't think we'd be able to find you again... but we needed room and board, you know?"

"The Tiki God band is going to be serving as in-house entertainment for the forseeable future in the Imperial City," explains Long Nan. He has a rather stormy expression, as he launches into an explanation. It's... pretty obvious that the terms of this contract aren't exactly... favourable, and exploitive at worst. Michael can only groan and cover his face with his wing. "You boys might be gods, but you were never all that good at business, were you?"

"Well... they don't need it now!" Shiki says back to Long, insistent. "They... ah... we've been trying to reunite all of them, so they should come with us... they... we, we're going to..."

"Where, exactly?" Long replies, folding his arms. "Did you ever stop to consider what happens afterwards? This is a considerable mob of people here. WHo is going to accept all of this menagerie?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart has a picture in her mind, 150 birds, lined up with a sign "Free Tiki to good family", with a little girl hugging the one she just received half to death. Then another where they are are riding a conveyor and on the other side comes out roasted chickens. Not sure which one is better in this case. But Long is bringing up a good point. She whispers to the birds on her shoulders "... we've been gathering you guys but did you plan anything for what comes after?" Maybe they did after all.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason looks over shiki for a moment "Most Corps are looking out for the bottom line it's just a fact of life."

She looks at Long Nan for a moment and listens abotu the contract. "There are places that might, humm what about back in Traverse Town?" There's still places there that could be claimed after all.

Kim Possible has posed:
Kim envisions what the Tiki might be capable of, albeit in a manner that you probably couldn't see since she's got some unusual teenage thoughts. Then she looks to Launchpad and nods in agreement. "Shinra's one bad company. Trust me, I've encountered them once, they're totally uncool!" Then she looks at the Tikis again and frowns a little, still a little uncertain about them.

Ping has posed:
Shy is probably one of Ping's defining characteristics. When given the option, he tends toward reserved. When one of the tiki gods offers him... Dole Whip?... he lifts an eyebrow and wrinkles his nose, leaning away.

All this contract stuff, it's a bit over his head any how. If he weren't surrounded by some very intense and very serious people, this kind of conversation would be the thing to put him right to sleep. As it is, all the table-talk sounds like Charlie Brown's mom to him, right now.

He doesn't seem to upset about all the birds perching on him, though he does seem a little concerned about potential bird droppings. His little cricket has leaped back down from his spot on Ping's shoulder and into the little wooden cage at Ping's hip. There is even a curtain that's pulled closed. Perhaps there is an extent to the cricket's bravery and that's slathering birds perched on his Rocinante.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Ramza Beoulve's expression would darken as each clause of the contract was explained. He decided that he'd prefer not to negotiate any further. "This is most distressing. When I learned of Shinra's reputation, I had hoped that they had spoken false. It is obvious that your notoriety is deserved."

Adjusting one of his gloves, he would smile darkly at the man. "Unfortunately for you, Ser, I don't see any good in exploiting people. I've decided that if you will not relinquish them from your contract, then I will be taking them off your hands. My name is Ramza Beoulve, perhaps you've heard of me?"

He'd point to each individual in the room in turn. At Shiki. "Sheryl." At Tifa. "Helena." Now Ping. "Theodore." Myla. "Adela." Kim. "Alicia." He named them each as a wanted member of his company in order to shift the blame away from each of them, except Launchpad, since he seemed a hapless passerby and he didn't want to endanger him.

"Please grant the Tiki gods succor and see them and the Duck away safely. Their contract is rescinded on behalf of the New Zodiac Braves."

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason says "I'm Myla." She tilts her head a little bit and says "Look think about the PR you'd get about helping them out it would do some wonders for your image wouldn't it?" She's still trying to Parley at this point but it could be going south real fast, but who knows. She however pauses at Kim, a single encounter? Must have been a hell of a bad encounter.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Ramza Beoulve would stare at Myla. "Adela. The game is up. There's no point in concealing who we are any longer."

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
"Gee," Launchpad says, confused, "tiki gods, brave zodiac signs? Secret names? I think I'm way over my head here. I wish DW was around, he'd know what was going on..." He then sighs and looks crestfallen. "But my world is clearly gone, and everyone with it..."

Kim Possible has posed:
At first, Kim is about to question her new name, but then she thinks better of it. After all, she is a secret agent and all, and she should know about how these things work. So Kim simply smiles and nods as she's introduced. The concept of going under a pseudonym is cool-sounding... That is, until Myla gives away her real name, and Kim can only shake her head in disbelief. "Totally uncool," She whispers to Tifa. "She blew our cover before we could even get started! That's even more uncool than it should be!"

Ping has posed:
Ping likes that name, 'The New Zodiac Braves.' It's got a ring to it. He repeats it several times in his head. He wants to be brave, so that part he especially likes. Then there's the Zodiac bit, very mysterious, but it reminds him of the Chinese Zodiac. He'll be the Dragon, of course. And then there's the 'New.' He's definitely new at that, so that fits, too. He nods his head, quite pleased with the new band he's fallen in with.

Ping reaches out and slams his fist on the table, mirroring Ramza's earlier interjection. "That's right, name's Theodore, and we don't put up with any sort of silliness... like... exploitation and stuff." He glances to his side, at Ramza, and makes an apologetic smile. Then back at the ShinRa man, Long. "That sort of thing makes us very upset."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart looks over to Launchpad, hearing his lamentations. She suffles over to him, whispering "There are several duck people in Traverse Town, I'll show you around once we're done here." She offers sympathetically, turning back to the others. She's Helena. Alright, she can live with that. She nods to 'Alicia', whispering back "I think we're clear, Ramza bluffed it."

Thens he tops whispering so it doesn't get suspicious either. She doesn't know who or what the zodiac braves are, althought Ramza mentionned them before. "Shinra is bad news, definitely. They try to pacify the masses with lies, creating a truth that suits their business."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
First idea: good idea. Second idea:

Pierre pecks Tifa to pop the proverbial dream bubble in her head. Hmmph! Poor little cricket, can't get close with that beak to think about.

Michael, Jose and Fritz look at one another quite awkwardly for a minute, and there's a similar murmur among the other birds. Shiki sweatdrops.
"You really didn't, did you?"

She wants to just burst out and flail her arms, do something crazy and bust everyone out and run for the hills! But surely that wouldn't be possible under the circumstances.

Long listens closely to Ramza, or so it seems. His expression is firm, but it seems as if he's listening but not really absorbing the things he's saying.

"Hmm, intimidating tactics, eh?" Long says, after slowly and surely considering what everyone else says after. He actually notices Launchpad critically, looking at the duck for a moment and scratching his chin.

"I have a counter-proposition for all of you. In fact, it includes you, sir, who also has the burden of a lost world."

"There is a place that offers succor and refuge for all things that have become lost and cast adrift. It's enormous, and it always has room for wayward souls. You could all attend comfortably, and be welcomed..."

And that's when things turn unpleasant, as wisps of black-purple smoke begin to rise off of Long's body. Dark fires burn in the palm of his hand, as a honeycomb barrier appears to seal off the exits to this small area.

And then, the Heartless appear! Soldiers, Shamans, Aerial Knockers and Green Requiems in copious amounts: all surrounding Long!

"That place... is within the Darkness!"

Shiki gives a shout, Mr. Mew appearing in front of her! Looks like they might have to raise some chaos after all!

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
"Thanks, Helena," Launchpad says, before looking at the Shinra guy. "Bad news, eh," Launchpad growls, toughly, "sounds like something I need to deal with, then. Back home, I was partners with a great crimefighter, and he wouldn't stand for this, so neither will I."
Then, the Heartless. "YOU!? YOU DESTROYED MY HOME, MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY! I AM ONE MAD DUCK!" He calms down, and cooly says..."Let's get dangerous..."

Kim Possible has posed:
Kim looks around and then spots the Heartless. Almost immediately she scowls as well, before looking to Launchpad. "They destroyed my hometown too. I don't even know if my family made it... or even my friends!" She begins to crack her knuckles as she cracks her knuckles. "But they can't stop me. I can do anything, and if that includes kicking these uncool beings' butts back to where they belong, then I'll do it!" She spins around then assumes a mock Kung-Fu stance. "Let's get this started!"

Ping has posed:
"Now that makes us very upset!" Ping says with a loud gasp of surprise. He is suddenly surrounded by all sorts of heartless creatures and he bounces back a step to fall into a martial arts stance. At one side is Tifa and at the other is Kim. He looks to booth and nods his head with certainty before fixing his gaze on Shadow-Long. The camera does a freeze frame and the battle music starts.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Ramza takes it all in stride. He wasn't exactly suprised, he was used to getting his company into situations like this. Shrugging, he'd raise a hand. "Precious light, be our shield to protect us!" Nearby, shimmering enchantments would appear over those closest to him.

He'd start to call out commands on reflex to each of them in turn. He tended to be good on the fly. "Theodore, Sheryl! Run interference for the Tiki Gods. Helena, Adela on the floating ones. Alicia, Ser Duck, take care of the footsoldiers!"

And then on a whim, he'd call out to the birds and plants. "And if you could sing something suitably inspiring I'd appreciate it."

While he was facing away, he'd suddenly throw a haymaker punch at Long's face, slugging him. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Ser."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart slides into righting position, the chinese dress made for martial arts, fortunatly for her. Its not uncommon for them to be fighting after all, what with kung fu and what not. It does look great on her too. Although her martial arts are not kung fu, people probably wouldn't tell the difference right off. Its still punching and kicking, although other martial artists will probably notice.

"If you like the darkness so much, we'll make sure you have a nice cozy place there. Because we're about to send you back there butt first!" She moves behind Ramza, a high round kick sweeping out a few of the smaller critters that were jumping at him "I got your back!" Ramza can handle the baddie, most likely.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason isn't sure if the company is actually using hearless or someone who was one of their allies had snuck in. It could be the latter from what she knew The Shinra's world had been destroyed by Wutai using the Heartless. Either way it's time to fight she narrows her eyes, and her look changs. She becomes hard and there's not much mercy in her eyes.

"My entire world was consumed, and you deal with the spawn of chaos?"

She says nothing else and that's when she starts calling upon the water seem to come from everywhere moving to well assault the man.

"I will drown you in the tides of Levithan!"

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Dangerous indeed!

Everyone puts up their jukes, but Heartless have no need for posturing! Instead they're going to go wild!

This is going to be a crazy melee considering how many participants there are, even if the birds can't do much relatively. Things are going to quickly turn into an enormous free for all.

Long acts as a focal point for the Heartless, using the darkness flowing around his body to charge up and heal them.

'Sheryl', AKA Shiki, is going to follow Ramza's lead. She can't make a cool combat pose like the others, but Mr. Mew certainly can! The stuffed cat goes into the fray, running around the heartless' ankles with that ol' machete from a few days ago. Shiki needs to confiscate that thing!

It's going to be a pretty wild fight, since the Soldiers are all about the herky-jerky, flailing combat. The Shamans are at least a little more composed, but they've got their staves to fight with and fireballs from a distance. If you're looking for a good old punch-up, you're probably best off going after the Aerial Knockers.

However, the Tiki Room's inhabitants aren't defenceless! The birds are going to peck and claw the floating magical Heartless, and the Tiki Gods can certainly bodycheck and bash 'em too!

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
Launchpad nods as he is told to take out the footsoldiers, and glares at the Soldiers with such intensity that any more intense and they would combust. He then adopts the Crane Style stance. "Let's see what I can remember from DW's training. Heeeyaww! He attempts a number of kicks, before losing balance and falling. "Okay, Quack-fu is out of the question. Good ol' brawling style, I guess." He charges into the fray, throwing punch after heavy punch, throwing in the odd elbow or headbutt. "Take this, you pathetic lackies of darkness!"

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
Launchpad nods as he is told to take out the footsoldiers, and glares at the Soldiers with such intensity that any more intense and they would combust. He then adopts the Crane Style stance. "Let's see what I can remember from DW's training. Heeeyaww!" He attempts a number of kicks, before losing balance and falling. "Okay, Quack-fu is out of the question. Good ol' brawling style, I guess." He charges into the fray, throwing punch after heavy punch, throwing in the odd elbow or headbutt. "Take this, you pathetic lackies of darkness!"

Ping has posed:
It quickly turns into a barroom brawl. A table is flipped, a chair is broken, and bottles are shattered. There's even a heartless swinging on a chandelier with a lamp-shade on his head.

Ping quickly finds himself in possession of a table leg and he uses it to head-bonkingly good effect. He leaps and spins and introduces heads to fine chinese carpentry.

Nearby, he notices Launchpad's very unique fighting style and attempts to emulate him. He grabs ahold of one of the heartless by the shoulder and headbutts it. But the blow to his own head knocks him silly and he spins uncertainly amongst the melee.

Frazier's on the ropes!

Kim Possible has posed:
"Prepare to see a demonstration of Kim-Fu!" Kim comments, not letting her green Cheongsam get in the way of her stance. She looks at the nearest Heartless and says, "Let me show you a little something!" She demonstrates what could easily be a kata or something similar. Her moves may seem comical and silly, but they are very effective, especially when dealing with Heartless!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart first protected Ramza, but then she follows his lead. The aerial ones are not flying high enough to get out of her reach either. She jumps up, using her sense oce balance to kick down and rebound off one of the wyvern types, uppercutting the one right behind it, landing atop of higher grounds to send a few kicks at the Operas nearby. She's seen her lot of heartless, none of them pose any real threat. There's alot of them, but they would need a higher degree of coordination than they usually have to take down the kung fu barmaid.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Adaptible as he might be, he's not used to directing nearly a hundred flying birds in battle. Taking out a small orb from one of his belt pockets, he'd actually lower himself down to the floor, kicking Long's shin, before rolling the orb over to a shaman's feet. The orb would explode, causing rime to begin to trail upwards on his body.

Elbowing the man is his unmentionables on the way up, he'd then repeatedly pummel him with fists of fury. For some reason the compulsion fell over him to state that he was fighting for justice. Thankfully he didn't act on that compulsion, as that would just be silly.

Once he was convinced that the man was at the very least, stunned, he'd raise a hand. "Strike the ground with glistening blades!" Electricity would arc from his hand over to the same Shaman heartless he'd frozen earlier.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason is already ready to fight as she calls upon the waters her pistols come out and she opens fire. She's aiming to cut the heartless down as quickly as she can but she's not getting away inharme there's just to many of them to deal with.

She does however fire several flare shots into the ranks of the heartless followed by some sort of explosive one.

Shiki Misaki has posed:
TABLE LEG OF TRUTH, WISE AND TERRIBLE.

Yeah, this is totally crazy. Heartless with beer bottles, levitating chairs, birds pecking things right in the yellow eyes, and Mr. Mew with a halberd, somehow, in his size.

Shiki clutches The Eyes Have It to run interference, freezing Heartless' feet to the floor and slipping them up to help Ping and Kim.

Launchpad's chaotic fighting style is just as wild as the Aerial Knockers', slugging back and forth and even taking Long by surprise with a smack in the chops, which gives Ramza the opening he needs. Long is not a good fighter by any stretch of the imagination, but the dark power surrounding his body moves with a life of its own. In fact, it's almost like he's fighting like a... man possessed?!

With the help of Ramza's magic they're getting the upper hand. Meanwhile, Tifa's just leaping back and forth from every available surface. Don't crash into any of the birds! Actually, they fly alongside her and run interference as she goes totally acrobatic. The coordination efforts are working pretty well!

Fortunately, Jose has some experience with fireworks displays and has trained the Tiki Gods, Birds and Flowers in proper safety routines. This means none of them end up as roast chickens when Myla makes with the gun kata. She can shoot healer Heartless right out of the air!

Press on and knock the stuffing out of these guys! A second wave appears reinforced by Long's purple lightning. He looks frightened despite it all!

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
Launchpad has only just begun his assault! When reinforcements arive, he redoubles his effort. With fists like pistons and a head like a hammer, he just keeps going. He even tries to hit enemies into each other through powerful punches, throws, and the old 'grab two baddies and hit their heads together' routine. "You want some more? There's plenty where that came from! For Saint Canard, Duckville, and all those lost to the darkness!"

Kim Possible has posed:
Kim isn't going to slow down anytime soon. "So, is this the sitch? Come on, I've got plenty of time for all of you. You'll help me warm up for cheerleading!" She says as she continues her Kim-Fu assault.

Ping has posed:
Ping comes out of his daze just in time to see Shiki clutch one of her Tin Pins. He's seen her do it before, but doesn't make the connection between the Pin and the seemingly magical powers that she is able to manifest.

He is wearing a Tin Pin, too, 'One Grain, Infinite Promise.' He tugs it off his sleeve and clutches it as if it were a charm to ward off the heartless. In his opposite hand, he's got his table leg and he unloads a furious barroom beat down with it. Following Ramza's instructions, he keeps close to the Tiki Gods, intercepting attacks and fascilitating their escape.

"Gogogogo, Teak Gods!"

At seeing the Tiki Gods finaly, he misinterprets the word 'Tiki' for Teak, assuming the name refers to their wooden bodies.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart doesn't ahve much troubles avoiding the birds, they are much smaller targets than the larger hartlesss. Plus, they are black. Just the feeling, the air around them, is different. She makes sure she won't knock out the feathery friends as she leaps and kicks "Thanks birdies, you're doing great!" She's thankful for the interference they provide, its making the clean up alot easier "Just don't get hurt!" She wouldn't wish that for the birds. Even as the second wave approaches, the barmaid is all fists and feet in their face. Small fry, as long as its not a giant armored one of some kind.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Ramza Beoulve had started to look up to survey the field of battle when an Aerial Knocker act its namesake, and knocked him against the bar, pinning him. Groping off to the side, he'd try to reach for his sword, before finally grasping a hand upon a jug of sake. He'd then proceed to bludgeon it against the head, breaking it. A small gout of fire from his hand did the rest, as the heartless began to melt from the lit sake.

Grimacing in disgust, Ramza would then look glare at Long. "Was it worth it, selling your soul to the darkness?"

And then Ramza would proceed to fence with a broken jug of rice wine, making it an all out brawl against the Shinra company man.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason is quiite adapt with those magical weapons of her's from the looks of it as she's not actually shooting bullet,s the water contiunes to also answer her call s she's pretty keen to bring Long down. They need to stop this heartless summoner and hopefully snap control of horde. She's very much so bringing down the healer heartless.

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Long doesn't seem to understand what's going on around him.

Never underestimate the power of people who have lost everything, because they can do anything. Launchpad's got a head like a battering ram and fists like rocks, and with a full head of steam nothing can scratch the big lug. He could take a Large Body on single-handed! And Kim's as fast and dangerous as any kung-fu queen, snapping Shaman staves and knocking out Aerial Knockers.

It's a full-on race as the Tiki Gods and the Tiki Room birds peel off of the engagement, leaving Shiki with the room to bring up some mondo Piercing Pillars. They'll provide more and more things for Tifa to bounce off of, getting all up in the grills of those small fries.

And not a feather was shed!

Ramza is fighting with a broken jug. It's the weapon of choice for all sorts of bar brawls like this, don't you know? Not even being cut up will shock Long... he doesn't even respond to his taunts. But being splashed in the face does the trick, giving him a serious shock.

It's enough of a bashing to clear things up, and-- perhaps to everyone's surprise, the swirling darkness becomes a Possessor Heartless, which floats up from Long's body.

"Uh-oh! Uh-Oa! I'm done for!"

And it disappears into a wisp...


Once this is done the Heartless are on the retreat. They disappear into corridoors of darkness. Long seems to have been controlled, as if you ask he doesn't understand who you- or the Tiki Gods- are.

Looks like the day has been won, more or less.

"But Uh-Oa... she was after us again. We're going to have to settle up with her..." warns Jose.
"I think you're right," replies Shiki. "But can we grapple with the goddess of disaster?"

Ping has posed:
Ping stands in the middle of the room, watching as everyone streams around him, racing for the exits. Even the heartless beat feet to get out of there. He smiles and glances at his table leg and decides to keep it around as a souvenier. As the birds flutter off, his Lucky Sidekick decides to make an appearance, making a heroic pose on his shoulder. Ping pins his Tin Pin back on his sleeve and dusts his hands off.

"Another job well done."

Kim Possible has posed:
Kim stands with her hands on her hips and grins to Tifa. "Another mission accomplished!" She gives Tifa a high five and looks around, looking to Launchpad McQuack. "And you too, with your Quack-Fu style. I like that, it really 'quacks' me up!" She chuckles at her bad pun.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart high fives Kim as she hops down from her perching point, smiling "Good job everyone." She swipes her hands. She turns over to Launchpad "Let's gather the birds and get out of here. Gotta show Launchpad around Traverse too. You might want to get your glider back too, it should get back to normal when we cross the portal again."

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
"Well," Launchpad says while panting and dusting himself off, "That was strange. What do we do with him?" He jerks his... thumb? at the Shinra employee. "You believe his story about not knowing about any of this?"
He then attempts to high-five Kim at her remark. "Thanks, Kim. My Quack-fu is a bit rusty, though. I need to remember when to hit, when to block...heh, and when to...duck, heh heh." He chuckles at his own bad pun as well.
"So," he says to Tifa's statement, "you are really willing to show me around there? Maybe..." He seemed both excited and sad. "I can't get my hopes up, but... maybe somebody I know also escaped. Not sure how I did, but if I did, then..."

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason stares at the heartless which had taken over the man's body her expression softens to the man he'd been a puppet all along. She frowns as she fgoes over to check on his falen form. "We'll have to or this won't stop my friend." She takes a deep breath and sighs. "Things keep geting worse..." She looks at the man for a moment. "His employers will likely want a word with him anyway over this." She looks voer at the duck man. "Thanks for the help."

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
His plane - now a kite - is completely ruined, but duck tape quickly makes it good as new.

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason is quick to lend a hand with the kite now and she looks over at the duck man again. "I know a place you can go and I umm seen some other humanoid ducks like your self there if that's any help to you?"

Launchpad McQuack has posed:
"You guys are great," Launchpad says, glad to see such friendly, helpful people. "I really don't want to be a burden. Are you sure you don't have anything more important you have to do? I'd hate to ruin your plans..."

Myla Mason has posed:
Myla Mason says "No your not, and honestly i'm an orphan of a lost world. We'll get you settled in there they tend to take in strays everyone there is from an world that was devoured."