A mission for the beast

A mission for the beast
Date of Scene:	25 March 2014
Location:	Hollow Bastion - Courtyard
Synopsis:	Seith and Disarray converse about the future of a certain country's Belle.
Cast of Characters:	Seith, Disarray
Tinyplot:	Seven

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Seith has posed:
Having just met the Viera known as Chita, Seith is in a rather strange mood as he pours forth from a Portal of Darkness within the courtyard. Joining him, as is somewhat usual these days, are two leopard looking Heartless with blue stripes going down the length of their backs; One on each side of the Shadow Lord. His right hand on his chin, making the man seem thoughtful as he approaches the fountain and finally sits down upon it.

A weapon implanted with memories, created from a blade made of hearts. What are the implications of such a thing? Never in his time in the library, had he read about something like that. Now it was hardly the case that something not written in the books, couldn't exist. He was ever a teacher - and with that - ever a student. But this did require some kind of investigation.

The armored man reaches out to the two leopard Heartless and pets their heads, before back and up at the castle. Before he'd left in order to meet up with Chita, he'd asked the Beast that roams the Hollow Bastion to meet him here in an hour or so. He is a little early. But somehow he feels like the Beast would come early as well. If not, that'd leave him time to think.

After all, there's talk of a girl out there with strange French beauty, who has been luring the heartless...

Disarray has posed:
The Beast of Hollow Bastian has been in a foul mood as of late. Though she may have failed to acquire the mirror from the cursed 'prince', she had, at least, discovered that he was once again alone in his castle. Well, if you don't count the other cursed inhabitants, but who does really? They don't seem like main-character types.

Even without her prize, there were still things to be done. The war rages on, and Shadow Lords and Heartless alike need equipment. It means that the Beast is only rarely seen at important meetings, or when off terrorizing the countryside. The rest of the time, she lurks in the darkest reaches of the castle, creating more monstrous weapons of war.

Who knows what pull the Elf has in order to drag her out of her dungeon domain, but the monster's arrival is echoed by the sounds of her armor clanking and her heavy paws padding across the courtyard. It's hard to imagine that this monster had ever been human, much less a woman of any great nobility. The few who know of her curse doubt that any human remains beneath the fangs and claws.

"You wanted to talk to me." At the very least, she's straight-forward. None of the politics and posturing that comes with most of the other Shadow Lords. Disarray knows her strength and her purpose, let the others fight for the scraps.

Seith has posed:
Seith is hardly one for Politics himself. But he serves his purpose, and that's all he's worried about. Of course, he has his own agenda. But that agenda is not one that is obvious to others. And it mostly coincides with the Shadow Lord goal after all.

"Ah, you've come." One of the Heartless Leopards gets up from its former sprawled out posture, and glances up at Disarray. Seith turns his head just a little later.

"I'm sorry to draw you away from what you were doing, but I felt this was something that would be up your alley." The man makes a little flair with his hand, and the vague figure of Belle appears in all princessy and yellow ball gown beauty. Running, it appears.

"Do you know who this is, per chance?"

Disarray has posed:
Normally, the Beast is not one to do more than acknowledge a fellow Shador Lord with some measure of disinterest, but she reaches out and pats the Leopard-heartless absentmindedly. At least these animal-type Heartless seemed to be more up her alley than the usual, mindless Shadows that they had lurking about. Useless things.

"Of course. I figured you of all people would at least have a good reason. Many of the others just seem interested in wasting my time. You have no idea the contraptions some of these would-be villians come up with that they want me to build." Disarray growls under her breath and rolls her feline-like eyes at the thought.

The illusion draws her eyes, then, pupils shrinking as her brows knit. "Her name is Belle. Daughter of some sort of lunatic inventor. He claimed that he'd found some enchanted castle and a Beast had taken his daughter." She laughs with a beastial snort. "Who would have believed he was right."

Her tail snaps against the ground, showing far more of her irritation than the rest of her tense, feline form. "The Heartless have been after this one for a while now. We've suspected she might be one of the 'princesses' that Maleficent is looking for, but no one seems to be able to get their claws on her." Her eyes shift to the Elf, then. "Part of why I was hunting that mirror from her poor misunderstood Beast." She simpers at the end, clearly finding the idea that the 'prince' is any different from herself.

Seith has posed:
The Heartless makes no sound, but it does nudge its head against Disarray's large bestial hand. Seith laughs in the meantime, clearly amused with the 'contraptions' she is mentioning.

"Ah, did Cruella ask you make some kind of special cage again?" Seith muses. His opinion of the dalmatian-crazy woman is rather low - he's not even sure why she's a part of the group. But hey...

Whatever makes the combine stronger.

The man turns his focus back onto Belle. "Right. That sounds like her alright." He acknowledges, and continues to hear her out on the subject. There's a sly smirk on his face when she comments about the 'poor misunderstood beast'.

"I was thinking that someone with your... qualities... would be far more suited to track her than the ones that have tried to chase her by now. I would have asked Clayton, but he's been busy hunting some stupid ape in the Jungle or something."

It sounds like Seith has a lead on the princess.

Disarray has posed:
"She has an unhealthy obsession with those puppies." Disarray mutters in her most deadpan of voices. "I'm not even sure why she works with us. Who the heck believes 'bad fashion sense' is a power of an evil overlord." Another low growl seems to re-iterate her opinion as she stalks slightly.

The fountain is not her favorite of places. In fact, the Beast tends to avoid most reflective surfaces. She doesn't tend to even shine her armor pieces, leaving that for others to handle. Then again, if someone had stolen your face and replaced it with an extinct-animal-mash-up, you might not be very interested in your own reflection, either.

"Clayton has an unhealthy obsession with anything that he can behead and stick on a wall. I'd imagine that he'd find it quite amusing to hunt me if he were given the chance. I don't think he'd find me as docile as his apes." Her claws unsheathe. She and the 'hunter' don't get along so well. It might be the fact that certain parts of her monstrous form are worth quite a bit on the black market.

With her negative opinions on two of their allies expressed, the Beast just growls in the general direction of the illusion. Pretty princesses piss her off. "What do you have in mind?"

Seith has posed:
"I'm not sure either. But there must be a good enough reason for Maleficent to have let her into the fold. Something we're perhaps not seeing." Or perhaps it's just a plot-hole. Nobody will ever know. "As for Clayton. He's not a Shadow Lord yet. If he dared hunt you, he'd soon find himself in a bad place. Some of the Shadow Lords might not care much about their allies - but I'm not like them."

He pauses for a moment, looking at the great beast, before adding; "Not that you'd need the help." It's a rather serious statement. Not to mention, Clayton isn't really one capable of controlling the darkness. It's quite obvious that he's the one controlled by /it/.

Coming back to the topic at hand, the illussion disappears and is replaced by a vision of the french countryside. "The mirror was a flop. But I think this idea might suit you well enough. Why don't you go pay a visit to the 'crazy inventor'?" Seith pauses for a moment, before adding...

"I hear the girl does so love her dear pa-pa."

Disarray has posed:
"Well, until she's able to do more than terrorize small fuzzy animals... you'll have to excuse me if I don't treat her with much in the way of respect. Even Negaduck can do more than that." Her long ears flick as if listening to other sounds around the castle. Maybe someone is fliping a table somewhere.

"I'm not particularly worried about Clayton or any of the other pathetic minions who seem to be begging for scraps at the heels of actual Shadow Lords. You don't get power by simpering in the shadows. You get it by going out and taking it." Her hand closes in a cage-like grip, with her claws pulled inwards like a trap. She had never begged for power - Disarray had stood up against the hoards of Heartless during the fall, and driven them back with her own inner darkness. That is why she'd been chosen. She'd earned her place.

"So, you suggest we target the looney old man?" She straightens a bit, scratching a claw just below her chin, thoughtfully. "He would be an easier target than the girl. She's clever enough to have gone uncaptured for this long, but... with suitable bait." The plan is already forming in her mind. "We could pay off the local asylum. Get them to pick him up nice and clean, and when she comes to defend him... we close the door on this little trap."

Seith has posed:
This is why Seith likes working with the competent Shadow Lords like Disarray. They actually know what they are doing. They don't need to be taught the value of Darkness, and the power that comes with it. But even more than that, they don't need to be taught about the danger. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Seith acknowledges her comment about the 'looney old man'.

He nods when she notes that he would be an easier target.

"I feel I should leave this task to you. You have far more involvement with this - and you know the lands better than the others." Seith points out, while grabbing for something beneath his armor and takes out a small item of sorts. "Though you might have trouble getting the assylum convinced as you look now." He adds to this, before tossing a ring at her. It's big enough to wear around her own finger. It's not perfectly sized, but it'll do.

"Your plan is sound. Take the ring. If you so wish, it'll allow you to draw an illussion around yourself for 24 hours from the moment you break the red gem on it - however you imagine yourself." He pauses for a moment, before adding; "But know this - it's just an illussion of Vision, Voice, and Touch. Take the ring off, or wait past the 24 hours, and the ring will dissolve; taking the illusion with it."

Disarray has posed:
The world where she once lost everything important to her is the same as the one of this Beast and his Belle. This fact is not lost on her, nor the irony of it. She is a Beast that fell to the curse, and he is a Beast who will fall. Whatever hope he might have of redemption - no one can learn to love a monster. Right?

Her hand reaches out and snatches the ring, looking at it carefully. Disarray has always been wary of magic. It is an enchantress that placed this curse upon her in the first place. She heeds his warnings, though. This sort of enchantment always seems to come with a time limit. "I understand." She would have one day to bribe the asylum. That shouldn't be a problem. With a growl, the Beast closes her eyes, sliding the ring on one clawed finger before smashing the stone.

The moment the spell is cast, the Beast's form changes. Or, more precisely, it is hidden behind the magic. Where the Beast had stood a moment before, there is a girl in the finery of a noble. She is fair of skin and fine of features, with auburn hair and the faintest hint of freckles across her nose. In normal circumstances, she would be considered a beauty, herself - though not the typical princess sort. The only thing that is the same between the Beast and the woman before him is those cold green eyes.

She looks at her own hand for a moment, flexing her fingers. It seems to catch her breath for a moment to look human, even if it is just an illusion. She had lost all this, and having it back, even for a moment, seems like a miracle. "I'm not fond of magic, but yours is a wonder sometimes, mage." Then, she seems to realize that her voice, too, sounds human. Thin fingers touch her throat, but there is no growl, no beastial sounds.

Seith has posed:
Seith watches the Beast 'transform' before his very eyes into a fine looking lady. The man's gaze 'catches' on the auburn hair, the freckles, and those green eyes. Even if she may not be a princess like beauty, she is indeed a beauty none-the-less. The man makes a little noise, before he turns away. He feels it might be rude to look at her longer than he needs to.

After all, people always averted their eyes when she was a beast. To change behavior based on her being human now hardly seems appropiate. Though he is amused a little that a woman like this is amongst their ranks. It reminds him of the 'mutt'. Avira. A girl who'd turned beast, and had made a contract with the God of Death himself in order to turn beautiful again.

Disarray was no such fool.

Seith lays his hands to either side of himself and pushes himself up from the fountain's edge and turns towards Disarray like he normally would. "It has its uses." He comments, and then begins to move past her towards the castle. "It can be a bit disorrienting, I admit. You may want to practice doing some common things like heading up stairs and going through doors. Because your own eyes will fool you now."

He's inviting her to come with him - if she so wished.

"If things go wrong, I can make another one of those rings. But it takes some time."

Disarray has posed:
Seith may be right in that regard. Disarray is no fool. Hades would have bound her into a worse contract than the curse she now lives under. Perhaps the only one with any ability to help her is Maleficent, herself, and there is too much pride in her to go begging for a life she can never truly have back. Even if she were to become human again, Disarray would always be a beast inside, and she would always hate those who turned her into one to begin with. They made her a monster.

As he moves towards the castle, Disarray follows. "Nothing will go wrong. Humans are easily swayed by money, and that's something we have plenty of. It won't be hard to convince them to lock away some crack-pot old man." Her armor has been replaced by a dress which swishes realistically as she walks. Even her hammer has vanished, which probably gives a whole new meaning to 'hammer space'.

"I want to try to keep this looking as normal as possible. The more mundane things are, the less they'll expect that we're involved, until it's too late for them to do anything about it." Her footsteps echo on the stones behind him. "That reminds me. I have a prisoner that I think might interest you. Another lead on a potential princess, but... not exactly my area of expertise." She stops as they come into the castle, lingering near the stairs into the dungeons, a brow raised to see if she can entice him to follow.

Seith has posed:
"That they are. But be careful. As much as most humans are easily swayed by money - there are always those who might be a bit smarter than the average." He also wonders if Negaduck has realized by this point that his funds keep disappearing. Not that Negaduck is the only source of money. Seith himself is capable of presenting quite a lot of wealth himself. Illussions help.

The man continues after Disarray as she tries to 'entice' him to follow her. "Oh?" Is his simplistic, but rather obvious response. It's hardly in character for Seith to deny learning something new. While they step down the stairs, Seith continues to speak; "You are right in speaking of mundane things though. Though I'm sure that this... form will sway some mens' petty little hearts as well."

Disarray has posed:
"Some might be smarter than average, but I've found that the average human is a lot stupider than he thinks he is." Disarray generally has a low opinion of people, although some have proven to be exceptions to the rule. "I doubt it will be a real issue. That asylum is a terrible place. The man who runs it is probably just as wicked as we are, but without the power to back it up."

The sound of clanking metal can be heard as they descend into the dungeon. There are a few prisoners who are chained to the forges, repairing various bits of Heartless armor. They have that 'dead' look in their eyes, as if all hope of escape ha left long ago. They don't even look up as the two enter.

"I'm not interested in swaying men's hearts." There is something icy in her voice, then. It's a ghostly hint of the Beast showing through the human exterior. "The last man I was close to betrayed me and sold me out to hunters after he claimed he loved me." She clenches a hand into a fist. "He tricked me, fooled me, and left me to cursed as a monster forever. I'm not interested in hearts, mine or anyone else's after that. The Heartless can have them all, for all I care." It's probably not true, bt there is enough anger behind it to make her sound convincing.

A few more steps lead them before one of the cels, and from one of the pouches the waist of her dress, Disarray produces a key. "Barbossa picked this one up in the waters near the Serpent's Trench. He claims to be from some place called Atlantis, and he also told me that they have a princess who might be just what we're looking for."

Seith has posed:
"Asylums are rarely good places." Seith answers Disarray. He doesn't continue to speak on the intelligence of man. He knows she's right after all, and she knows it too. "But I wasn't talking about swaying their hearts in that way." Seith continues on, and shows this little smirk. "I mean more... like playing with them." Disarray comes across as a bit of a 'human man' hater.

That smile disappears when she explains her past further. A man who betrayed her and sold her out to hunters. "I once had someone who truly did love me. A daughter and a wife. But that was all ripped away from me. I can't say I know your pain - but I know that love isn't always all bad. But... the people involved..." The man shakes his head.

"Perhaps it's better you never found actual love." Seith decides, and steps down the last step and lets his gaze wander towards the prison cell. "Barbossa you say? The Pirate?" He follows her along. He'd heard of Atlantis of course. Who hadn't? But to have found a way /in/?

"I heard that place had been cut off by the last group of adventurers that went in there."

Disarray has posed:
Maybe it's the conversation that draw's the attention of one of the men working. He can't seem to make much sense of it, though. The expression on his face is one of confusion. Shadow Lords have feelings? OMGWTF? "Get back to work before I report you to your mistress." Disarray levels a look at the man, who quickly scrambles back to his duties. They don't seem to recognise her in this form - all the better.

Her voice quiets a bit, though, likely not wanting her past put on display in front of these prisoners and slaves. "I won't say 'better to have loved and lost', because we both know that that's bullshit." At least her straight-forward nature seems to linger in this form, even if her voice seems to give it far less edge than when she speaks it with a monster's tongue. "Whatever the case, I'd rather men respected me for my strength than for my beauty. This beauty is just an illusion, anyways. Power is real."

That said, she leaves the key in his hands. "Yes, the old ghoul has been patrolling those waters, looking for that lost piece of Aztec gold of his and stumbled on this one floundering in the ocean. Apparently the Trench washed him out from somewhere." The man is white-haired and young, probably still a 'teenager' in relative terms, though that may mean that he is thousands of years old. He seems to be missing the 'crystals' that these people are rumored to posess. Pity that.

"The Heartless have been searching for a way in for weeks now, but this one must have come out from somewhere. He refuses to tell... his jailor about it, but I thought you might have better luck with your brand of trickery. He's all yours." With the key handed over, Disarray walks back towards the stairway, giving only fleeting glances at her prisoners. "Afterall, water-expeditions are hardly my forte." You know. Cats and water don't mix.

Seith has posed:
Yes. Unlike the creatures they control, not all Shadow Lords are Heartless. Seith sneers at the man as he looks up. All these men have power... but they are too afraid to use it. He'd spoken about it before when he was here. And they still quiver in fear.

Seith finally nods. "An Illussion indeed. In more than one way." He agrees with her and tkaes the key from her, before wandering to the jail and looking upon the white haired youngster.

"I'll see what I can do." He answers her. "But no promises. I'm not much of a torturer." He points out, before looking at the young man and grinning.

"Well... not physically."