A Gathering of Lords

A Gathering of Lords
Date of Scene:	16 October 2012
Location:	Hollow Bastion
Synopsis:	The Shadowlords gather to discuss puppies, orphanages and other nefarious plans.
Cast of Characters:	Riku, Negaduck, Oswald, LEXUS, Hati
Tinyplot:	In A New York Minute

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Negaduck has posed:
Hollow Bastion.

This strange landscape of water and ice offers a very beautiful, yet somber appearance. The crystalline water pours from the massive waterfalls to the courtyard.

The presence of the place offers a grand beauty that is the Shadowlord's home.

Stepping stones are abundant here and there. A clear path is lead to the castle itself.

This courtyard is a long pathway.

One person who is making his way through the stepping stones, nearing the castle. Over his shoulder is a sack, whimpering noises are heard. Puppies. All of the puppies.

And in his hand is another bag, filled with candy stolen from kids.

'Darkwing Duck' gives a manical cackle. Oh, it has been fun, but it was not just fun and games defaming Darkwing Duck, it was reconnaisance.

"Heh... heh hehheh.... So many people in this world. Many of them are strong..." He snorts, "...I think it's time to gather the others together."

As he nears the castle entrance....

He pulls out a megahorn.

"HEY! ATTENTION ALL SHADOW LORDS! BRING YOUR BUTTS DOWN HERE!"

The obnoxious dark voice travels all through the bastion. It's loud enough to gather the attention of all of the Heartless.

...When a Darkside slowly emerges from the ground....

Negaduck slams the megaphone on his head and repeatedly hops on his head, "I!" STOMP. "SAID!" STOMP! "SHADOWLORDS!" STOMP! "GET BACK DOWN THERE!!!"

Negaduck grumbles. "Doofus."

LEXUS has posed:
There happens to be a computer in Hollow Bastion, connected to the Dataspace. Within it, the systems whirr as the call is registered, and with a crackling flash, the local digitization systems produce the suited man known as LEXUS. He does not appear in any flashy manner. He simply appeoaches through the courtyard, the wake of his passing causing the air behind it and things seen through it to seem... odd. Overly crisp and unreal. The Uncanny Valley, they call it. That instinctive repulsion from artificially-rendered things that look a little /too/ accurate. That's what it is.

"Your summons has been heard and registered. What do you require?" His tone is even and smooth. Pleasant to listen to, and yet lacking in the emotion that one might consider attendant to it, further underscoring the strangeness of this man.

Riku has posed:
Riku slams a fist into a stone wall, as much because of his own thoughts as the sudden intrusion of a very annoying voice into them. Diablo squawks from it's perch on his shoulder, biting at his ear which causes Riku to flinch. "Gak-- cut it out, Dee. I know. I know. I'll be good." he rubs at his ear, the raven chuckling low in it's throat as Riku calms himself down and quickly makes his way through the castle to see what the commotion is about.

He slams one hand into another as he walks, ignoring the heartless peering around every corner and watching him pass by. Diablo gives another low rumbling warble of warning, and Riku stops even that sign of irritation after a moment of steadied breathing. He leans out the window to see Negaduck beating a darkside back into the ground with their feet.

Riku groans faintly, sagging against the window ledge with an expression of 'oh, come on. Really?' Diablo peers over the edge of the window, looks back at Riku, and the familiar snickers. Riku mutters. "Shut up, dee." He straightens, arms brushing at his hooded jacket as he makes the rest of the way down the stairs and out to the courtyard.

"You know. There are servants for that." he says to Negaduck dryly as he walks out into the courtyard. He looks towards Lexus, but doesn't add anything that he wouldn't have already said. "A megaphone isn't neccessary." Riku adds with a chill smile. "We know when you are here, after all."

Hati has posed:
Ever since the disappearance of her 'master', Hati had stepped up to play a more active role in the service of the other Shadow Lords. She's not so full of herself to consider herself one of them, but for now she serves as a place holder for her missing father.

The sound over the megaphone draws her from her research, causing the girl to slam a book shut and growl under her breath before getting to her feet. Hati shrugs into a leather jacket, tail irritatedly twitching behind her as she steps into a portal, only to reappear in the courtyard a moment later. Walking? Pssh, that's for losers.

Her mismatched eyes focus on the duck, trying to supress her natural instinct to consider him as 'food'. The werewolf folds her hands over her chest, claw-tipped fingers tapping impatiently.

"What's all the noise about?" She asks in a dry voice, the sound of the squirming in the duck's bag is enough to draw the wolf's attention, causing her to display a flash of teeth. "Did you bring a snack?"

LEXUS has posed:
"Indeed. We could hardly miss such an arrival." LEXUS says, an edge of dry wit and sarcasm entering his voice.

Oswald has posed:
Oswald had never identified himself as a Shadow Lord. His years of solitude inside the curious anti-space known as the Wasteland, however, had gifted him with abilities that meant he was unable to shake the title. Anyone he showed his ability to control Heartless outside of Hollow Bastion was afraid, and within the castle's walls he was comfortable. Oswald enjoyed castles. He would have his own back, one day.

Oswald looks around at the commotion, ears peaking up in interest. He begins to walk towards the source, hands in his pockets, occasionally batting away interested Shadow Heartless with a glove of dark energy forming around his hand. "Yes?" the Lucky Rabbit asks, nodding politely to others who have heard the call.

Negaduck has posed:
A large degree of satisfaction came after planting the Darkside into the ground. Stupid Heartless. Good. The people had started to gather together. This is something that Negaduck wanted.

First comes the fiend of the Dataspace, LEXUS. Negaduck follows the trails behind him and the digitization of the atmosphere. Emotionless. A good sort of attribute. Doesn't let the stupid emotions get in the way.

Riku's arrival is noted, hearing the boy's quip.

"If you want things done right, you have to do it yourself, kiddo!" Negaduck warns. About his overall presence being loud and clear, Negaduck has a smile growing. "I never rely on symmetric warfare. I don't even know what 'overkill' that those idiots blather about even MEANS!" He grunts, lifting his shoulders with a shrug.

When Hati arrives and asks about a snack, Negaduck rummages into his sack and pulls out a puppy doberman. It looks at Negaduck with pitiful eyes, before the duck growls and tosses the puppy towards her.

"There's your snack. Bon appetit."

Oswald's presence is noted with a glance. "Hrmm..." With this one, Negaduck looks quite thoughtful.
However, back to the subject at hand. Negaduck finally brings his hands together, giving a fiendish smile.

"I gather us all together because we have long been doing our own thing..."
"However, in my travel and I am sure many of you have seen as well, there are SOOOOO many good-doers..." His expression falls into a sneer, almost spitting out the word 'good-doers'.

Oswald has posed:
Oswald's brow wrinkles and, with a gesture, the puppy stops in the middle of the air. Just stops, frozen in spacetime, with that familiar look of canine idiocy on his ever-forgiving face. You know the one I mean. He sighs. "I don't think there's any reason to be mean," the lucky rabbit comments idly, but doesn't directly reply to anything else Negaduck has said.

Riku has posed:
Diablo makes a low warning warble to Riku before taking flight, flying onto a high perch to overlook the gathering while the teenager folds his arms. His eyes flick over those who assembled for the call. He hasn't been home long enough to really aquaint himself with any of the assembled.

No doubt she called them here through one method or another, and now he had to put up with them. He watches the puppy exchange with a chagrined silence. "Really?" he has to ask. "A sack full of--" he blinks, as if remembering something. He looks at Negaduck as though disbelieving what he is seeing. Riku glances to where Diablo is perched, then at Negaduck.

"Can I take those off your hands?" he says in an offhand manner "Those things can be a distracting hassle while good-doers run amuck and it sounds like we've got better things to speak of."

LEXUS has posed:
LEXUS watches impassively as Negaduck tosses a puppy over to the werewolf for consumption. "So you are saying we need to work together? I thought that was the purpose of our organization."

He raises a hand, and digitized light swirls around it as holographic projections are created, data scrolling through them as fast as the eye can see. "Analysis of current information indicates a lack of cohesive goal-achievement structure. In other words, no one is effectively setting a goal to accomplish and setting us on task."

He pauses. "Perhaps we should consult Maleficent on the matter." That's right, LEXUS just went there.

Hati has posed:
The wolf's tail twitches as she stands, head cocked with only that small sign of curiousity. She's impatient, the tapping of her fingers beating out the seconds until she can get back to more important buisness. It isn't until the puppy is removed that her instincts hone in on it, watching with narrowed eyes as the canine gets tossed in her direction and then... stops in mid-air.

Hati looks from the dopey-expression of the frozen puppy, then towards Oswald, raising her scarred eyebrow. "Do you mind? I believe that one is mine." She wouldn't really eat it, would she? Well, it's hard to tell with these werewolves. Either way, she seems to pay no interest to the rest of the puppies in Negaduck's bag. Instead, she sweeps a hand around with a bored sort of look. A small Heartless pops out, grabs the puppy, and then disappears back inside.

At least she isn't going to eat it in front of them.

Her mismatched eyes don't linger long on any of them, although they find Riku, and then LEXUS in turn. Hati has always been more of an errand-girl than a full-fledged Shadow Lord, so maybe she's waiting to see what these others do, first. "You sound like you have something in mind." She notes, picking some dirt out from beneath her claws.

Negaduck has posed:
Rescuing a puppy?

Negaduck fixes the bunny with a glare. It is a vicious glare that if looks can kill. How dare someone stops his unnecessary cruelty to animals! He grits his teeth, then he turns towards Riku.

He gives a shrug towards Riku, before tossing the bag the kid's way. "Knock yourself out, kid." And the bag full of puppies were tossed towards Riku. All of them are whimpering. Many may be relieved that they are not within the clutches of Negaduck.

Then, LEXUS looks over towards the man, "You got it. But guess what? What the purpose was and what is actually going on are TWO different things! Can you process that?!"

And then, his suggestion.

Negaduck stares at LEXUS. Twitch. Twitch.

"NUMBER FOURTY-THREE....BRING ME A TABLE!"

And thus, a Shadow appears before Negaduck, carrying a large table. As it struggles with the table, it finally sets it on the ground before Negaduck, right between Negaduck and LEXUS.

Negaduck grabs the table with both hands and he lifts, chucking the table into the air and it lands on the ground hard.

Negaduck just went there. He flipped a table!!

"IN FACT, I DO HAVE A PLAN!" Negaduck is starting to smile, "...It is time that we start kicking things up a notch. We shall remind many of the do-gooders that the Heartless are not the only threats..."

"A fellow Shadowlord has mentioned about an orphanage in Manhattan that she had seen many pure-hearted individuals. ...We can start by wrecking there and several other areas. ...A coordination attack to spread the do-gooders out."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time that we made ourselves known to these dweebs. However, a more important focus: The Princess of Hearts and the Keyholes."

LEXUS has posed:
LEXUS almost looks amused by Negaduck's thrashing. Almost. "You are proposing that we attack an orphanage?" If LEXUS were more open he would be making the 'seriously?' face right now. As it stands, his expression is flat. "This is a low-value, high-risk target that will bring the ire of a large number of opposed forces. I do not consider that a worthwhile use of our time and resources."

He mentions the Princesses of Heart and the Keyholes, which cause him to pay attention. "The latter are objects of more interest. Provide your information as to the value of the Princesses and the Keyholes so we can form a cohesive plan of action. There is also a rumor of an entity wieling the weapon known as a 'Keyblade', apparently a powerful weapon against our goals."

Oswald has posed:
The puppy vanishes and Oswald rolls his eyes, though inperceptably. He's used to cartoon chicanery. A veteran of it, you could say. There's a difference between being cruel and being evil. Heck, why should being a Shadow Lord mean you have to be evil anyway? He senses this isn't the time to get into it. Negaduck's stare is met with a look of cool indifference.

The table sails overhead. Yup, that just happened. Oswald's height means he didn't really have to dodge (one of very few benefits of being laughably short), but he does sidestep just incase.

"I guess that's Negaduck's point," Oswald observes, tilting his head. Then he looks at LEXUS suddenly. "A Keyblade? I've heard that word before... is it important?"

LEXUS has posed:
"I would not have mentioned it if it were not a significant threat." LEXUS replies. "His observed battle prowess against Magica DeSpell was... impressive, and the weapon appeared to react powerfully to use against Heartless forces."

Riku has posed:
Riku snorts, muttering. "Go ahead. It's your funeral." under his breath. He catches the bag, not bothering to look at the squirming mass inside. He gestures, the bag vanishing as he refolds his arms. He looks at the swirling projections, starting to get a headache as he tries to keep up with the scrolling data. He looks away briefly towards Hati, but only turns a cold and dismissive smile in her direction before Negaduck flips a table.

"No." he agrees with Oswald quietly. " You're right. There is no reason to be mean. We can all afford to be civil, at least." Diablo cackles, watching the arc of the table until it comes to rest. Riku then turns to Negaduck. "Do you really think kicking a hornet's nest is going to get you anything but a sore foot though? Think about it." he steps forwards, gesturing for the table to be brought forwards. It skitters over and rights itself of it's own accord.

Riku pulls out his journal, flipping to one page in particular. A map of Manhattan appears on the surface of the table, which bleaches to the color of paper as he searches for the correct notes. " If we do this, then at least set it up as an ambush. Since it's such a high profile risk, make the whole thing a series of traps. The more heroes we bind up here, the more are not other places we can hit harder. We might even snag the keyblade wielder."

Riku grits his teeth as he says this. He explains to Oswald. "And yes. It's kind of a big deal. Whoever has the keyblade has a great amount of power and resistance to darkness, as well as being able to open and close keyholes which can make access difficult for the heartless. Basically, he's a giant thorn in the side."

Hati has posed:
If nothing else, seeing the duck twitch is enough to sparks some hint of amusement from the wolf. Hati smirks with a show of one fang, her ears lifting as she takes a careful step to the side, as if fully expecting the show of fury that follows. If it were her, there would be only splinters left. Luckily, for all her impatience, the girl seems calm at the moment, her tail swaying behind her lazily.

"He does have a point." She notes, one ear flicking in the direction of LEXUS. "I've been to this Manhattan. Attacking heedlessly could earn us the ire of the king and his guards." Well, Xanatos does live in a castle, so it probably isn't a great leap to assume that he is somehow the 'King of Manhattan'.

She does catch the look from Riku, returning it with only a lift of her scarred eyebrow. There isn't much to say on the matter of being 'mean' or not, whatever his plans for the bag of puppies, she has her own ideas at hand. As he begins to show the map of Manhattan, though, the girl steps forward, her hands dropping to her sides only to be tucked into the pockets of her jacket. Interest? Possibly, getting the layout of any world is to her advantage.

"So let's say we do draw them in to this orphanage of yours, what target should be our real objective while the 'do-gooders' are busy there?"

Negaduck has posed:
"THAT IS THE POINT OF IT YOU DIGITAL DORK!"

Negaduck snaps towards LEXUS. Must resist the urge to pull out both rocket launchers. He is trying to keep his cool. He smiles, "What better way than to get everyone's attention, than to attack where their hearts lie. Besides that..." He pats the Shadow on the head, bringint it to his face while he looks over to LEXUS.

"Heartless gotta eat too, you don't want them to STARVE! DO YA?!"

And... Negaduck drops the Shadow. It's pretty much dizzied from the fall.

Shrug, "They provide a link to the keyholes, I guess." He turns towards Oswald, "It's been the talk of the town, long-ears!" Negaduck adds with a grin, letting the others explain.

The mention of the King of Manhattan earns a snort. Though, he is trying not to get the dollar signs in his eyes. That small essence of greed is trying to linger in his mind. Keep the objective.

Keep the objective.

"Send the Heartless where majority of the population gather. Downtown. Let them go nuts for a harvest."
Negaduck pulls out a small box with a button on it. "This gives me a chance to try out my new purchase." He sighs, "I worked so hard in getting it." Stealing it.

LEXUS has posed:
LEXUS simply watches in the face of Negaduck's fury. Maybe it's because it seems to annoy him more than reacting like a normal person would. Even programs can be trolls these days. "The care and feeding of Heartless are not my concern at the moment."

LEXUS looks to the others, watching them with those black-with-purple-circuitry eyes. "Care must be taken in our attacks. If we attack a location that evokes powerful emotions in our opposition they may be more effective than one expects. Life often fights hardest to protect their reproductions." He looks back to Negaduck. "If you insist on this course of action, then at least account for this instead of your blind insistence on cartoonish buffoonery."

Oswald has posed:
"Strong and pure hearts," Oswald says, remembering something. "Are those that can wield keyblades." He intones with interest. "I remember Master Yen Sid talking about it, once upon a time... that could be a problem. Show us up for sure."

Oswald stretches. "I haven't had many encounters with people like that anyway. I keep myself to myself, and my plans." He regards LEXUS. "I agree with this one after a fashion. I don't see the point in showing our hand so completely, especially if a Keyblade Master has appeared."

Riku has posed:
"Somewhere that isn't a direct portal nexus like Traverse Town or recently well traveled like Manhattan." Riku almost finds himself suggesting the french countryside, but when Negaduck bowls forwards with his overkill ideas, he takes advantage of it to turn the thought aside.

After all, the princesses were his mission. He could handle things himself, and without tables, puppies, candy or any other ridiculous over the top antics. " But that can come later. The point of the attack--" he adds to Oswald. "Is that it IS obvious." he gestures to the map, black blooming over the first location on the map, then a much larger explosion of ink smothering downtown. "Here. Come and get it." he pauses, then continues.

"But the orphanage is a trap, and the /harvest/ in downtown is also a trap. I suggest a smaller group go in search of a way to find the heart of Manhattan. If we can gain control of Manhattan, and plunge it into darkness while a number of heroes are still fighting the heartless there, we could remove a lot of later complications in one shot."

Hati has posed:
"If they cared so much about those kids, they wouldn't be in an orphanage to begin with." Hati murmurs, eyes narrowing slightly as she looks over the map. "But that doesn't mean they won't come out of the wood-works to protect it." The wolf isn't the one to come up with grand schemes or plans, but of those gathered, it seems that the pale-haired boy might have the best idea of how to move forward. "We can cut them off if we place heartless here and here... keep one group from helping the other."

Tapping a clawed finger on the map, the girl growls under her breath, trying to follow the thread of the plan. "I am sure you should be able to handle the orphanage. You are a master criminal, afterall." She looks to Negaduck, her words one part praise, but more-so the sort of thing aimed at getting him to take on the far more dangerous target.

"If I were to guess at the heart of the city, it would be the castle." Hati steps back, thoughtful. "A small group could get in, investigate, and out again easily enough. Especially with all the attention drawn elsewhere. I hear there are some priceless artifiacts in the King's collection, maybe one of them is what we need to find the key to Manhattan." Of course, this is also the thief in her, looking for an opportunity to use her skills and possibly snatch something powerful for herself.

Negaduck has posed:
Negaduck is glaring daggers at LEXUS. In fact, one could swear that daggers are literally shooting out of his eyes, all of them unfortunately missing the digital Shadow Lord.

Gritting his teeth, Negaduck turns his eyes towards Oswald, grunting. And then...

Riku brings forth the point of the idea.

"EXACTLY! And that is the idea that I was bringing up! This is the best idea that I've came up with YET!" Oh Negaduck, you and your ego of taking credit. "Gaining control of Manhattan and plunging it into the darkness while the 'heroes' are fighting them off, we can remove them all in one shot! My greatest idea ever!"

Negaduck. Egomaniac.

Hati's praise earns a smile her way. "Now THERE is a person who recognizes greatness!" He nods, "You'll go far in life, kiddo."

Negaduck starts to bring his hands together, that fiendish look coming up, "I shall take on the orphanage, you all make sure that Manhattan is brought down..."

Oswald has posed:
Does Oswald want his first major, public appearance to be helping the Heartless consume an orphanage? Probably not. He rolls his head on his neck with a small sigh. "I would prefer the subtle approach," he says in response to Riku. He looks at Negaduck. "You may want to be obvious but I don't."

Oswald opens his palm, idly watching a flame of darkness dance in his hand. "On the other hand if the keyblade wielder is showing himself I would be interested in seeing him again. VERY interested. We have a lot to talk about, him and I."

LEXUS has posed:
LEXUS does not look impressed with Negaduck's sudden and obvious co-option of Riku's plan. He does, however, glance at Hati and nods faintly. "I could not imagine leaving the orphanage to anyone else." LEXUS says, allowing himself the faintest of smiles. He looks to the others. "We will need to have someone lead the assault on downtown. We might need multiple members, in fact, to draw the required amount of attention away from the true goal."

LEXUS looks to Riku. "I assume you will lead the operation for the Keyhole? If you decide to take some of us with you, choose well. I will contribute resources to the overall operation. The downtown assault is a possibility, but I also am interested in the Keyhole."

Riku has posed:
Riku shakes his head. "I don't think the heart is there. I've been doing a little reading on Manhattan." And also he doesn't want to exchange one definitely high-risk target for something that is potentially even more dangerous. Who has enough money, and power, to build a castle on top of a skyscraper? He doesn't comment on Negaducks flagrant idea theft, but he cuts a glare to Diablo, who is snickering at him from his perch. "Besides, you were right. Attacking the.. the king.. in" he gestures to the map.

"Xanatos, in his own castle is going to buy us A LOT of trouble. I think it's /under/ the city-- not above it." The map changes to a network of ancient tunnels underneath the city. "The subway system used to run to other places. The sewer system underneath Manhattan is very extensive, and many myths and rumors circulate around it being full of monsterous lizards. Possible guards of some type."

he shrugs, then turns his attention around to look at the castle. He crooks an arm, Diablo circling several times before landing on his arm. "I'm being summoned again. Whoever is in the smaller group, I'll pick later and continue this then." The raven shuffles up to his shoulder as he briskly walks back towards the castle, putting his journal away as he does so. The map remains, although it's more lifeless paper and ink than anything now.

Hati has posed:
"Hmm." Hati's head nods slightly, watching as the map changes from surface view to underneath. She'd heard a bit about a Labyrinth beneath the city - a place where the homeless tended to gather at times. It is worth investigating. "If we ever do have to check the castle, stealth would work better than force, but you have a point. Better to exaust the other options before taking that risk."

With Negaduck taking the bait and agreeing to the more nefarious attack, the wolf-girl glances between the program and the boy with the bird. "I will go wherever I'm needed. Simple as that." She plucks out what is probably a cellular phone, flipping it open and tapping a few things with her clawed fingers. "If we're done here, I've got some work to get back to, myself. I need to follow up on a few leads on finding Lord Serrak. I'm sure he'd be most interested in this plan." If she can find him, that is.

The wolf flips her phone shut, "If you'll excuse me." Bowing once, the girl steps back into the same swirling portal of darkness that she'd stepped out of. Of course, now she's got a puppy to deal with on the other side.

Negaduck has posed:
Negaduck is eevviilll.... He is manically laughing. "Yeess.... yess...." Now, Negaduck is within his own world. Everything else, to Negaduck, is no importance. It will be time to make his debut as Darkwing Duck once more.
"Well then, that's my plan boys. Let's get to work! Meeting adjorned!"

And then, Negaduck is disappearing into the darkness.

LEXUS has posed:
"If you wish to investigate the castle, feel free. But it will be heavily defended. Be careful, I would not want to see you lose resources in a fruitless endeavor." An expression of concern from LEXUS? "We will coordinate the assault soon. I will prepare and put local entities I know are present off of the trail."

LEXUS turns to leave. "I am pleased that this meeting has been productive." He heads out, then, returning to the Dataspace for his ongoing work.

Oswald has posed:
Oswald exhales. "If you see the keyblade weilder I'm in. If not, I need to concentrate on getting my own Kingdom back. No offense." With that he steps backwards into a corridor of darkness, and away!