An Awkward Acquaintance

An Awkward Acquaintance
Date of Scene:	09 October 2012
Location:	Fluorgis
Synopsis:	Dark going downs in the city of Fluorgis.
Cast of Characters:	Reize Seatlan, Skoll Ulfang, Shiki Misaki, Zia, Sammy Colt

---

Sammy Colt has posed:
Ah, Flurogis. Truly a place of majesty and beauty. A place like none-other, except for all those other places of majesty and beauty that are kind of like Fluorgis, but you know, not.

The well-kept little man that is Samuel Colt is waiting by one of the local outdoor eateries. Why? Well, business, that's why. Sammy's all about business. Mostly... When on the job... and people are watching.

A warm bowl of noodles sits in front of him, steam rising from it as the young man sits quietly, his eyes down and focused on the small hand-held device in his mitts. His fingers can't be seen pressing the buttons, but comical sound effects are coming out of the little device as he sits there, waiting for the contact to show up - he even ordered a delicious beef stirfry for the unknown acquaitence. The steam rises out of the bowl, inticing all those about with its delectable scent.

'Bwue-bwue-bwue!' the console makes a noise as Sammy's mouth crooks into a frown and he sighs. Another death to the donut worm. Truly this boss was far more difficult than Reno had made him out to be.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The Shard Seekers need money. Shiki and Reize and the like are all looking to complete some quests on the board, where-as Skoll knows far better methods to get a bit of quick cash. You see, he may not have money. But what he does have is a very specific set of skills; skills that he has acquired over a very long career. Skills that make him a nightmare for people like Reize. Now if you let his daugh~... wait, wrong setting.

But still, bars are for more than just standard Quests. If you knew where to look, one could find shadow guilds - and it's them that put him into contact with a particular client that offered a good sum of money. Skoll, dressed in a large black cloak that hides all of his features - only allowing for his yellow eyes to shine through - wanders on past. One might confuse him for a Heartless, if it wasn't for the fact that he's not out for anyone's heart.

The wolfman, hiding even those features, finally passes by Sammy, looks over his shoulder for a moment when he picks up the sound of that little thing, and then moves around - touches his hand against the chair, and then turns the chair around and swings a leg around so he can rest his chest against the 'back' of the chair. "Are you the contact?"

Zia has posed:
It would be easy to assume that a cloaked figure, crouching on one of the nearby rooftops, is someone who might be involved in underhanded dealings. Of course, this couldn't be further from the truth. The gargress is simply keeping a low profile, sticking to the places where chimnies or the change in roof heights offers some shadow and concealment. Oh no, she's not out for anything so shady as secret dealings with 'contacts'. The girl has far more simple persuits in mind.

It's the smell of food that draws her, creeping towards the edge of the roof as the scent of that stir fry catches her nose. She's doing her best not to draw attention to herself, but someone with a keen nose, or a more watchful eye might be able to catch a shift of that cautious movement. Sometimes, she really is a simple creature, and other matters are set aside in favor of satiating her stomach.

The cloaked girl doesn't seem to care about Sammy's console, or Skoll's business dealings, or whatever it is the others are doing. She's far more concerned with food. After scoping the place out, she hops off the roof and into the alleyway nextdoor, peeking around the corner to make sure the coast is clear before making a quick movement to snatch a plate of leftovers off of a table. It would just go in the trash anyways.

Sammy Colt has posed:
"Mr. 'Fang', I presume?." rings the young-sounding voice of Sammy in a response to the man's question. It sounds like a kid commanding authority, too high-pitched to really sound off like the little guy's a threat, but enough to make most mooks pause in their tracks at the presence behind the voice. Rude had taught him well.

There's a pause as Sammy's hidden hands press a few buttons and the lighting on the screen fades, folding up into a small clasp and disappearing into Sammy's over-sized sleeves. The young man's eyes raise up to peer into the cloaked figure's face before he lets loose a toothy grin and motions at Skoll's own plate, the edges of his sleeves hovering a hair's breadth away from the noodles. "Try the steak! It's /really/ good!" He exclaims, that sudden 'presence completely lost in his voice as he picks up his own bowl and commences chop-stick feeding noodles into his gullet.

Okay, well, maybe Rude only showed him how to get people's attention. Either way, the kid's now talking while lapping up some noodles.

"We have forty-two crates of M-powered weaponry ready for distribution, we need them moved and we have a set price." Sammy says, apparently not giving two hoots if anyone is even listening to him. He's ShinRa, they're like that. "Are you capable of moving the merchandise?" Sammy asks, the noodles stopping their flow into his mouth as he looks up from his bangs, his eyes glinting a little off of the sunlight that plays througout the small outdoor shop.

"S'funny." Sammy says, breaking off any possible retort. "I thought with a name like 'Fang', you'd be all toothy and gnarly and bitey and stuff." Sammy says while making faces appropriate with the words spoken before going back to his noodles. This little Turk apparently has not a care in the world.

That being said, it looks like no one around the shop is really adamant on cleaning up their plates right away when the clients take off.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll curiously peeks up - past Sammy's physical being - in order to spot a creature up on the roof. Skoll is immensely capable of noticing things like cloaked people and creatures on rooftops. A skill that Sora and many other spikey-haired protagonists probably wished they possessed. The yellow eyes find a rather /particular/ and to him, recognizable shape. Zia? What is she doing here in Fluorgis? Did she manage to find another portal? Or had she simply dared to travel this far out?

The wolfman is distracted from the girl as Sammy exclaims the steak to be good, and looks down at 'his own plate'. He feels himself drooling a little, just at the scent of said steak. He grabs his fork and is quick to dig in, bowing over and letting the noodles disappear into the hood - slurping loudly. It takes a little while before he gets back up.

"I can move it all easily." Skoll then answers. "Is there extra money to be made for quick delivery? And where does it need to go?" He's quick to add, clearly noting the fact that Sammy is discussing this without whispering, so seeing no reason to keep his voice down either.

"'nd for my name - don't be mistaken. Plenty of tooth, gnarl, and bite to be had if you try to rip me off." A glance then heads on back to see Zia stealing some of the food. And apparently the restaurant owner remains clueless. Seems like she's not attracting any undue attention to herself. Still, his yellow eyes continue to gaze at her for a while, enough so that she might recognize the owner simply be those.

Zia has posed:
The plate full of leftovers is barely a mouthful or two, and it is quickly finished off without much thought. The girl has lived long enough without getting noticed to try for a second plate - the last thing she wants is to end up getting arrested, or worse. While she'd seen quite a few creatures who certainly could be considered inhuman, there is still that caution around human beings, since the last thing she wants is a mob chasing after her with pitchforks, or worse.

Normally, she wouldn't bother listening in to the conversations of others, especially the kind that would get her into trouble for prying. Yet, in this case, it isn't too hard for her ears to pick up a familiar voice, and that has her tuning in. Smuggling? Well, it's not all that surprising, the wolf is involved with some pretty dark business. The other one, though... Zia peeks out again, squinting to get a look at the man across the table from the Werewolf.

That look she recognises. Great. One more human who obviously wasn't telling her quite the whole truth. If this one is running weaponry, then just what had the sunglass-wearing katana-wielding one been doing? What is it with her ability to attract the sleezy underworld types? Next thing she'll find out that Reize is some kinda pimp with a harem of women or something.

Of course, this is just at the time that one of the city guards decides to wander down the alley, so Zia has no choice but to come out of her conealment, wandering idlely up to the little restuarant, scanning over the 'specials' outfront, and failing to look inconspicuous. A darkly cloaked figure with taloned feet... definitely stands out. The fact that she stiffens as the guard walks past - probably a sign that she isn't expecting to be on their good side.

Sammy Colt has posed:
Where? Sammy doesn't answer that at first. The original plan was 'any', but there were some specific targets in mind who were rather keen on the idea of wrapping their hands around these weapons. Most of which were a world away, but with those handy-dandy portals, well... it was just a matter of secrecy.

"Whomever you can find, Fang." Sam says with a coy little grin as he looks over to the side, still not seemingly noticing anything amiss with the female gargoyle running about.

"Though I hear there's a bit of a revolution happening in a place called Figaro, some kind of war going on. Heard a group called the Resisters, or some such was interested in getting their hands on some." Sammy says with a slight shrug, "Could always go to their competitors if they offer more." The little guy gives a bit of a side-glance as Skoll as he sips up the rest of his own noodles.

"There is a bonus for quick delivery and return. We always tip." Sammy says with a halt in his speech before leaning forward. "So long as the services were good." He states with a wink before lowering his face into the bowl and slurping up the last of the juices.

For an executive-looking type, this kid's got very little in the way of table manners, it would seem. The kid apparently timed the head-dunk right when Zia walked by, his vision obviously not able of taking into account anything other than the contents of the bowl. Pulling his head free from the delicious remenants and raising a sleeve to wipe his mouth, Sammy looks up and to the left, as if he was listening to something, even his little fleshy ears twitching for the slightest split of a second before he smiles. "The deal is twenty percent for the courier, and an extra ten if the merch is sold off within the week." He says as he extracts a small card from a long sleeve, tossing it onto the middle of the table. Details on the required price of the weapons, their functions and a small animated cartoon of a smiling Sammy.

"We'd prefer if it went to a 'noble' cause." Sammy finishes as he leans back in his chair, his sleeves patting his stomach. "So, do we have an agreement?"

Did he not notice Zia?

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The Guard glares at Zia as she comes by - clearly, 'thieves' are in no shortage around Fluorgis. The large Bangaa decides to cross his arms in front of her for a moment, staring at her. But since he's not caught her doing anything, there's nothing he can do about things right now. And it would also appear that whatever going-ons between Sammy and Skoll are not of his interest. The guard in fact, seems to be far more interested in something that is happening in the alley behind her.

Skoll's expression in the meantime, turns to a squint. "I think you have me mistaken, sir." He leans back and crosses his arms in front of his chest. Or at least, that's assumed to be the movement beneath his robes. "You see, I was asked to come here with the promise of a transportation job. Don't confuse me for a warmonger - kid. My code of honor doesn't let me go as far as seek out my own targets to sell to. I will move your stuff, but I will not be the one to decide where they go."

Seems Skoll has some serious priority issues.

"Give me targets, and I can get your merchandise sold within the week. After all, your offer is a good one. I would not be here if I didn't think so. But I will not move on this subject." He then grabs the small card quickly and looks at it, before looking up from the card. But he isn't looking at Sammy this time. He's looking at the same alley the guard had just disappeared into...

For those who look up, they might notice shadows moving. And far more, a glowing red 'heart' floating up into the air from the alley. "Tssk... trouble." Skoll mutters. How's he supposed to fight while hiding his identity!? Sure, he's mostly doing it because the Shard Seekers are around - and mostly again in case /Ivo/ is around of all people. (After all, Ivo is the 'smart guy' of the group).

He's just about to say something, when a large... black... Panda steps out of the shadows, with yellow eyes and a shadowy black-and-white body. And said Panda suddenly swings both hands into the air - and then tries to come down upon poor hapless Zia! With his butt...

Heartless...

Queue people screaming and running!

Reize Seatlan has posed:
MEANWHILE...

"Cooties stinks."
That complaint comes from the little teenager who is sitting on the
bed, covered upw ith an ice pack on his head. Lily was sleeping on him,
finding him like a pillow. The boy just busies himself with just mentally
thinking of things for the group.
They will have a lot that needs to be done.
!!!
He hears some screaming.
Pulling out ofthe bed, he looks out of the window.
!!!!
People are fleeing. The boy isn't sure what's going on. He turns to see
Lily, who is still sleeping...
The covers are placed over Lily's shoulder, helping to secure her
warmth.

Pan to Reize, now swinging across the town. He had jumped out of the
top part of the building. However, he has been using a new tool to help him
swing across: The Hookshot.
"Thank goodness for this tool!"
After he makes it towards the top of one of the buildings, Reize runs
along the top, springing off into the air to hop over the obstacles. Some
modernized folks would likely see this as parkouring.
When Reize makes it, he can see that there is a giant panda Heartless.
"Wh---what the..?" Hookshot placed into his pouch, Reize shouts, "HEY
UGLY!" Reize is already coming down towards the black panda Heartless's head
with both feet diving down at it.

Zia has posed:
The glare from the Bangaa-guard is enough to have the gargress freeze in place in her best attempt to look innocent. It isn't a very good one. Clearly, she's more used to stealth than subterfuge. She can still hear a bit of the conversation, but the last bits of it - something about targets maybe - ends up a little muddled by the sounds of screams from somewhere nearby. The girl blinks, watching as the guard leaves her behind in favor of making off towards the sound.

The quick look of relief is replaced by widened eyes as the... panda appears from within the alley. "Wha the...?" The first words from the girl's mouth end up cut off as the thing rears up, and then ends up targeting her with it's oversized rear-end. She's just not quite quick enough on the reaction-time. Maybe it's just the assumption that big-fat-pandas aren't very quick. Apparently the Kung-Fu variety don't exist in her world. In either case, the gargress ends up slammed into, which tosses her over into the tables.

It's at that moment that a 'hero' in the form of Reize appears, and the distraction of him attacking the Heartless is enough to give her time to leap up onto the wall of the shop, white wings extending, bat-like, from her back before she takes to the air. It would be all too easy to just use this moment to escape, but ... damnit, there were people she knows down there, as shady as they might be. This whole 'starting to get to know people' thing is bad for her health.

"Oye, ye great fuzzy beast." She circles around, wings kept aloft by the winds, which seem to start to swirl through the area in a quite unnatural fashion. "Ye want to sit on me, try te do it up here." At the very least, while she might not be a great toe-to-toe fighter, maybe she can at least distract the thing. Little hints of electricity flow from her fingertips, a sweeping motion as she dives down sending the static she's built up from the air down towards the 'panda'.

Sammy Colt has posed:
The client as asking /him/ to make a choice? This was new. Usually it came down to 'how much, where, and when'. Now we're getting into moral areas and decision making? Sammy doesn't like that. The last time he was asked to choose something, it went really badly, especially when Reno got stuck in the Charl-e-cheeze's kiddy slide.

"Well, if I had to choo-" A commotion begins. What a reprieve. Sammy almost had to make a decision by the seat of his tailor-made pants. Lucky him. The little guy turns his gaze to the panda and the blur of whatever it was that was already assaulting the heartless abomination. Rufus had requested that some be brought in for extensive testing, but in Sammy's experience, they usually exploded into little orbs and munny when they were knocked out. It was a real hassle to deal with Hojo when things went a little wrong.

There's a gust of wind and Sammy doesn't turn to look at it as his eyes remain on the panda-thing.

"I'd prefer it if the sale was made to a certain baron in charge of the resistance. If you drop by Figaro castle, I'm sure you could 'sniff' out a lead to where you could deal with him." Sammy says suggestively as his hands move to the rear of his pants and withdraw ....

His wallet, which he leisurely withdraws some munny from and places on the table as if expecting the waiter or waitress to come by and pick it up while a Heartless is running rampant. He even left a twenty two percent tip!

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The Heartless slowly looks up when it is called for, apparently knowing it specifically is being called Ugly - even though Heartless really don't have any sentience. It's more of a... comedic reaction, just before Reize's both feet ram into its head and... make its body wobble a little before Reize is deftly pushed away by Newton's third law.

By this time, Skoll has gotten up and decided that hiding whom he is a possibility. He just needs to... not be in the public eye. His hands quickly grab tightly onto the robes as wind starts being tossed around not moments after Zia has made it to the air, and he ducks his head down a little and grabs for something in one of his pockets.

A nod then goes out to Sammy. "Very well. I will see what I can do on short notice. And if he'll be willing to buy." After all, said Baron isn't actually played - so there's little chance Skoll can actually make that deal. What's more important though... Figaro Castle is kind of missing.

The man in robes then suddenly... runs off. He wonders if Zia had recognized him. Would she think badly of him for running away like this? But he really rather not be seen. He hated doing this... it was bad for his image. But his honor told him - he would be tehre in moments to help out the group of heroes. And so, Skoll disappears into an alley... and pulls out what he's been hiding underneath his robes. A mirror...

The panda in the meantime, is smashed into by the winged girl's static electricity, which literally electrocutes it for a moment. Sparks come from its body, its eyes go 'tilt' for a moment, and its shadowy skin seems to 'fluff out' for a moment... before it wobbles a little, and then suddenly slams both hands onto the ground, sending plenty of chairs and tables up into the air, and shakes the ground beneath anyone standing.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Both feet make an impact against the large Heartless. Reize twists
himself to deepen the impact of the kick, except that his body is soon flung
by the Heartless's weight.
He lands on his feet, then he grumbles to himself. Then, he looks up to
see a familiar face: That gargoyle. "Oii! It's good to see you again!" ...What
was her name?
When the Heartless slams both hands to the ground, what was beneath him
is rising up into the air. The shuddering ground has Reize clinging ont a
chair, "Gah!"
He loses his balance, face hitting the pavement.
"...Guh, this is what Lily meant when she said the ground was out to
get her." He grumbles, then he staggers to his feet.
Time to deal with this thing. Shifting to his fighting stance, Reize
withdraws both boomerangs from his side and he leans forward, the weapons are
held invertedly. When Reize charges towards the creature. He brings both arms
up to swing the boomerang up, and then the other boomarang comes down. And
then he twists his body to launch a crescent kick, and then the other leg
swings across towards the panda's head.

Zia has posed:
It's a little hard to manage everything going on at once, so while she might miss out on noticing the suit-wearing man paying for his bill, she does catch sign of the familiar form ducking away. So much for honor. Any attempts at actually keeping herself hidden have been abandoned, since the flight easily draws back the hood of her cloak, and those wings make her fairly recognisable. "Aye, lad. Jus wish it'was under better circumstances." It does seem as if trouble follows her everywhere.

She manages to avoid the flying tables and chairs, using her wings to weave between them and come out again on the other side. Sweeping around for another pass, the gargress flaps her wings, somehow managing to hover with the force of her own magic as she chants in latin under her breath. From beneath the Heartless, the wind seems to solidify, throwing large blades of condensed air towards the lumbering monster.

While it seems that all the girl has to utilize is air-magic, there is a bit of a dark aura around her fingers. And the same power seems to merge into those blades of air, turning them into something far darker. Her normally blue eyes flash into a brilliant red as she hisses a warning.

Sammy Colt has posed:
Up and away - The cloaked figure just takes off after a few words. Hopefully he'd be able to offload those weapons. It was always such a bother to come and track down dealers that didn't fulfill their end of the - How interesting. Sammy's eyes adjust as a shockwave of force comes towards him. The chairs and tables infront of him rise up from the cascade of air and before Sammy can react, his person and his chair are up with the rest of the furniture.

The kid hits the ground with the rest of the objects. The pain is tolerable, but it certainly didn't make Sammy want to bring this thing in alive. There's a tap behind his ear and a muffled code spoken into the air before a retort buzzes quietly - giving him permission to engage.

"Drat. Was hoping I could just leave. I'm gonna miss Super Alien Samurai." He says in a whimpered sigh. Truth be told, Sammy wasn't too keen on fighting Heartless. They were generally lumbering morons. Can't talk to them, can't reason with them, can't even confuse them with the most simplistic of things.

There's a pause as Sammy adjusts his sleeves, dusting them off as he takes two steps away from where all the different furniture hit. He can see two people have already engaged the target. With just a snap of his fingers, Sammy looks to Reize and the gargoyle in the sky and proclaims. "Keep it up, you two! Show 'em how heroes roll!" He exclaims. There's something behind his words: something almost invigorating. The kid's got magic backing him up... Or he's just so damned stylish that you wanna fight with him... It's probably the magic. Yeah. Most likely.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Reize's Boomerang comes down on the Panda's head hard, and bounces off - only to give him the ability to twist about and crush it beneath his boot, and then slam its head. The large heartless panda-thing's head seems to be like jello beneath Reize's attacks, indenting with each strike, only to spring right back into form after the strike, and stares kind of dumb-founded at him. Or rather, its two yellow eyes give him a confused look, before raising both arms at him and trying to 'whap' him down to the ground.

In the meantime, within the alley, without anybody to see him, there's a sudden white soft shine that is mostly hidden beneath the cloak. Then... silence and dust poofs out from the sides...

Mere moments later, on one of Fluorgis' rooftops, there stands something completely different. Staring out over the streets is what can only be described as a Werewolf of sorts. Feathers in its ears, arms hanging down showing viscious claws, and large golden eyes that stare out towards the heartless. A sudden howl resounds through the area, which gets the Panda to momentarily look its way - reacting naturally to a strong heart. But Skoll still is no spikeyhaired protagonist. No, that would be /Reize/.

But it hasn't much time to contemplate Reize's attack as it suddenly finds a deep darkness calling out from it from Zia. Its yellow eyes rapidly find her, and widen as the dark air magic cuts down into its body, and then force it into the air! Whilst in the air, the attack continues - literally /slicing/ through its body, carving parts of darkness off of its body. The heartless ends up 'shrinking' a little, beneath the force of the attack - which end up exploding into small green bulbs of health and blue bulbs of mana - while it remains hanging in the air for that moment.

The werewolf then suddenly bows through its legs, and then howl he calls out begins to... take form? It becomes louder, descending before the werewolf like a black aura extending from its body, before it suddenly jumps straight /through/ that very darkness and becomes enveloped in blue flame! The metamorphed Skoll in that moment, takes in the aspect of Fenrir, summoned around himself, just as it pushes off towards the Heartless and makes to lay the now wolf-like forms large teeth onto the heartless - to tear at the airborne Heartless' neck before throwing himself back again into the air and letting the blue darkness-flames disappate again.

But what comes up, has to come down. And the Panda suddenly wraps itself up into a ball and makes for the ground, and begins to literally /bounce/ through the area like a damned bouncey-ball. Who knows where it will stop!? One thing is sure, this will hurt!

Sammy Colt has posed:
Excellent, another hero has come in to fight. How advantageous for Sammy and the rest of the crew. The attacks seem to only barely phase the large heartless and with a wobbly-woo, the goo-ey blob-thing decides it would be best to play pinball.

Oh good. It's a bouncy one. Oh bad, it's coming right for Sammy. The kid braces himself for the impact, but the gelatinous orb doesn't seem too phased by Sammy's attempt at defence. There's a 'bound' sound followed by a crash as the little guy goes flying back into the ground. Dust rises up as Sammy lets out a cough and stands himself back up.

It looks like everyone took quite a beating from that last attack, well, attack is rather an odd word for what just happened. With a moment to collect his shades, Sammy blows the dust specks off their black lenses before putting them back on and focusing - a white light emiting from his sleeve. With a sudden upward thrust, Sammy spreads light over the entire area, trying to ensure the heroes have a chance against this blasted thing.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
A better circumstance of the meeting would had been a good idea, yeah. Unfortunately, they are receiving a pep talk from a guy in a suit. The boy looks over that the shorter young man, quirking an eyebrow.
The guy's a teenager like him.
He blinks with a curious look, "Buh...?" He scratches the back of his head. After his pep-talk, Reize nods, "We won't let this guy hurt anymore people." Reize shifts his stance, now taking a more defensive one. Both boomerangs are risen, the weapons now ready.
When the arms lumber down to swing at his form, Reize's eyes widen and he starts springing back, letting the arms smack against the ground. Yet, the moment his feet touch the ground...
Reize is now a blur as it looks like he 'teleports' behind the creature. His form materializes through sheer speed behind the monster. The sight of the werewolf catches Reize's attention. "Buh..?!" As the werewolf sinks into the Heartless, Reize now finds himself in the position of dealing with a bouncing ball.
That is when Reize shifts his stance and disappears from the impact again. This time, he is positioned where he can spring forward strike down at the creature. Reize twists over and he shoots the boomerang at the Heartless. That boomerang is ricocheting all over the place, seeking to samck against he creature. Then, Reize lunges forward, while the bouncing ball comes down...
To give it a nice punt into the air. That punt is in the form of a backflip that whips out a leg for a nice kick.
Along the way of that kick...
A light sweeps across him. He can feel a bit of that pain is ebbing along him. It feels nice and invigorating.
However, he can't help to curiously look Sam's way in the midst of the kick... His form upside down as he glances over.

Zia has posed:
Maybe it's the sight of a /real/ werewolf, or maybe it's just bad timing, but the gargress ends up right in the path of one of the bounces, and it manages to catch her wing, dragging her down with it. The fierce light in her eyes goes out, replaced by a groan as she forces herself up, ducking out of the way of a second bounce that nearly flattens her in the process. The gargress wraps one arm around her chest, hissing as her ears duck bacwards, giving an ineffectual warning to the panda-ball.

With her hand still pressed to the ground, the dark magic seems to to dissipate into something else. Ice clings to the pavement, creeping towards the Heartless, where it could easily get picked up from all the bouncing around. This is a slower sort of magic, but hopefully enough to slow it down a bit. With a glance to her wing to make sure it isn't too damaged for flight, the gargress is quick to scramble towards one of the nearby buildings, despite the pain in her side. The healing light draws a glance towards the man in his suit, but she doesn't have time for thanks.

Clambering up to the rooftop, the girl uses the height to launch herself back into the air, knowing that she's got far better maneuverability there. But what to do? Her eyes sweep the battlefield, looking at the others, trying to catch her breath. At the very least, she can try to draw some of it's attention. So, with a quick murmur of some words under her breath, the gargress flings a ball of condensed lightning where she believes the panda's arse to be.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Staying in the air was a bad idea to begin with. But when the Heartless ends up smashing to the ground, and then bouncing up - it only shows that much more to the Werewolf summoner, why he is supposed to remain in the 'back row'. The thing smashes hard into his body on its way down again, crushing him and SMASHING him straight into the ground. A painful 'craack' can be heard, followed by the thing having jumped up and come down upon him once more... and continues its rampage throughout this small part of town.

The werewolf... yet moves though. And when Light eminates into the area and healing magic covers the werewolf, it slowly gets up and... brushes itself off. No broken bones, barely a piece of fur out of place. But the werewolf does look quite the bit /annoyed/ at what just happened. Its fur seems to rise in that moment, especially as he sees the state it forced Zia into. He may be an unlimited, but one must not confuse that for not knowing what suffering is.

Still, he dares not speak in this moment. This is not a form in which he'd like to be recognized. Blame that to the shame and mental command that was forced upon him by his masters. He remains standing, trying to get himself collected, as the Heartless is finally stopped by Reize kicking and throwing his boomerang around - finally SLAMMING into its head and knocking it down to the ground. It's like teamwork magically begins to spring from this group as ice suddenly covers the ground there where Rei lays it, freezing it momentarily into the air, before lightning-charged orbs crash into it and one of Reize's attacks then continues to force it into the air.

The werewolf quickly glances back to Sammy, nodding his head for a moment in thanks, before jumping straight back and letting out another massive howl - earsplittingly so! At first... nothing happens... until one might realize that the werewolf is howling at the skies. And said skies are darkening. Greying. Lightningclouds form whilst the werewolf becomes enveloped in a dangerous black and dark glow. The heartless slowly tries to turn to try and bat off its assailants, onto to end up on its back in the air and glaring up into the air.

Then suddenly, out of the air, a /gigantic snake/ begins to descend. It looks viscious, dark, and malificent. Not something you expect to be summoned by one of the /good guys/, that is for certain. It descends, its maw opening, blazing in a dark blue flame as it tries to swallow up and that 'crash' and 'disappear' into the ground...

Only for the ground to split up not seconds later, and a gigantic phoenix of blue flame casts up from it and attempts to ravage and burn the black panda creature!

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The heartless finds itself under all this assault, and ends up coming out... well... singed. Its body seems to be far smaller now, wobbling a little, its eyes dizzy from the attacks, before its shakes its body and those yellow beady eyes become an enflamed RED. Oh boy... seems Skoll seriously pissed it off. There's even a little 'annoyance' mark at its head. It's also somehow covered in bandaids. Don't ask.

It suddenly lets out a voiceless shout, makes some karate-moves (it looks kind of cute while doing so), and then suddenly springs at Skoll, trying to karate-kick the Werewolf into the face, using him as a springboard, and then darts right on towards Reize and Zia - only to then finish by trying to 'land' down upon Sammy!

Shiki Misaki has posed:
I just got here, to Fluorgis. It's not a place I want to spend the rest of my life but it's nice for a vacation.

And now what, we've got Heartless running around screwing it up? Cha!

No, no, not gonna happen today, thinks Shiki Misaki. She's been /busy/. She's been scoping out fabric and fashion and looking at the guild job board. She's being responsible and making /plans/.

I am not going to have a giant panda ruin anyone's day!

Making a dramatic entrance to one side of a waterfall, with Mr. Mew sat there with a handkerchief around his neck like a cape, Shiki just gives whatever this random encounter monster is that decided to show up a deathglare.

Nobody kicks around /my/ clan without messing with /me/.

Clutching up a sky-blue Natural Puppy pin- the Love Me Tether, with a picture of a chain and a birdcage on it- she slashes her finger across it and unleashes a winding chain of thread!

"Reize!" she shouts, scraping down the side of the building. "Pact!"

Sammy Colt has posed:
It looks as though the group of heroes are finally gaining ground on the heartless. What a bountiful amount of info Sammy is gathering on these fighters. The gargirl is able to summon ice and darkness, the kid with the hair is some kind of jumping speed-ninja boomerang-boy. And the werewolf can... How-ow-owo-wowowow! Sammy has to cover his ears when the creature releases his howl. It certainly is painful.

The little turk pulls his head up after the ear-splitting howl finishes, only to see a band-aid wearing Heartless with a pissed off attitude. Truly... Now was not the time for Sammy's reminder about Super Alien Samurai to go off in his pocket.

Sammy reaches down to silence the device, but by then, there's a giant, fat, rolly-polly ass coming down towards him. As best as the ShinRa employee can, he leaps aside, only to be flung by the sheer force of the impact.

The discarded tables and chairs go skyward as Sammy clatters through them. The kid is quick enough to slow his momentum to a grinding halt, but the goo that has splashed over him really has done a number on his hair - making it spike straight back like some kind of speed-freak.

There's a pause as Sammy moves his sleeves to his hair and calmly, ever so calmly, brushes the two sides of his hair down into the proper look. As the comb is put away, Sammy dusts off his long sleeves and reaches into one of them - only to withdraw a ShinRa brand rifle with an underslung grenad launcher. The weapon seems far too large to have fit in his sleeve, but before a question could be raised, Sammy promptly aims the weapon at the Heartless and pulls the trigger. He had hardened himself long ago for combat, but he still wished he had some of his fellow Turks with him. They usually shouted words of encouragement for the kid to get into the fight. Now, he was just with these other guys. Not the same unit cohesion at all.. Tsk. Tsk.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
There are some people in this battle. The allies are currently Zia, the strange kid in the strange suit, and the werewolf. At least, the werewolf is attacking the Heartless rather than THEM.
When the gargoyle springs off int the air once more, Reize turns towards the Heartless, who is under attack by their combined forces. The boomerang does its job, ricocheting around to smack at the monster's head and having it land on the icicle Zia created, and then the lightning charged orbs smash it, and Reize sending it punted.
The giant snake's appearance, however...
Eyes widen, "WHAT THE?!" For some reason, that snake appears to be familiar. Almost like its the Midgar Zolom.
...Ohgoddon'trecogizeimdon'teathim.
It is, thankful, that the maw creating a blue flaming phoenix that incinerates the panda.
However, the panda Heartless is pretty annoyed. The boy yelps, catching the boomerang in time to roll back and to get away from the panda when he decides to dart his way towards him and Zia.
But then, he hears a voice calling him.
"...Shiki..?"
His head lifts up, a smile is brightening, "You got it!"
The boy springs off of the ground, feet hitting each part of the building.
He bounces from wall to wall of the building.
Then, he moves up to meet with Shiki.
The young man extends his hand out, offering her that pact.
As both hands touch the Pin for the pact...
He soon grabs her hand and tugs her with him.
"Wh--what?!" This action catches Shiki by surprise.
"Let's do this! The fusion!"
As it come to her, Shiki gives Reize a slow nod. "...Lets."
Reize may not have his pendant....
But he has his friends. Right now, he definitely has his partner.
Then, that is when Reize, holding onto Shiki, are now divebombing towards the panda heartless at an angle. As a bit of protection, through the use of the psychokinetics, Shiki forms a projection of an aura around the two. The visible aura manifests around them both as they dive bomb the Heartless.
Impact for the Heartless, however, will be devastating.

Zia has posed:
Meep! Giant sky-snake! This is the first time that the gargoyle has seen summons, especially ones like this. Maybe the wolf-summon she could mistake for just a trick of magic, but she actually has to weave around the giant serpent, blinking as it moves out of the sky towards the Heartless. It's could be the reason that she ends up taking such a hard hit from the Heartless. This is going to hurt hurt a lot later. At the very least, she might be able to find someplace to hole up and stone sleep.

Barely managing to stay airborne, the girl wobbles a bit, one wing sail torn and the other having trouble compensating. "Damn ye back te wha'ever hole ye crawled yer sorry arse out from." The gargress raises one hand up, closing her eyes as she tries to focus, using what strength she has to pull down the power of the storm around her. The hardest thing about fighting in a group, though, is keeping that power from going out of control and harming others.

Still, seemingly out of nowhere, the skies begin to darken, the air sizzling with electricity before a huge bolt of lightning streaks down out of the sky, threatening to turn the Heartless into extra-tasty-crispy-panda.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The heartless ends up chained down by... well... chains! They come out of nowhere, and grab onto the thing, binding it to the ground and even going so far as tripping it over. This leaves more than enough chance for Sammy to blast the thing with the grenade launcher. Of course, Skoll somewhere at the back of his mind, is staring at those chains in a manner of desire. Awesome chains that appear out of nowhere!? Why can't he do that?!

The heartless ends up covered in more bandaids as the earlier fog settles of Sammy's attacks, and further green balls fall from its body while it shrinks further. But the chains do not relent, and keep it bound in place! Just keep on scratching Shiki! Keep on scratching hard!

And then Zia makes for her attack. With the skies still darkened from the gigantic snake-summon of Skoll's, they are more than thundering already. And with those chains wrapped around the Heartless, there is only one thing that can happen from here. The mighty lightning descends upon the thing and ZAAAP! the thing. The heartless' body's outlines can be seen turning into repeating triangles. Not seconds later, its body is hissing, grey steam coming off of its body.

It wobbles a little more, then looks up as Reize and Shiki come right down on it along with their magical aura. There's a sudden very satisfying 'PLOP' followed by the Heartless exploding into hundreds of little green orbs. "blop -blop-blop-blop-bloooop." The little things go as they bounce on the ground. And amidst it all is a little Plushy Chocobo!

Don't mind the werewolf, quietly trying to stalk away while nobody is looking.

Sammy Colt has posed:
Business is concluded. The contact is gone and the heartless is down. Now is the time when a well-seasoned Turk would simply vanish from sight, leaving all those around to be flabbergasted by the simple trick of deception. Of course, this is Sammy Colt we're talking about here and the little guy is far more interested in the Plushy Chocobo than being cool.

After all, he had collected ten out of the seventeen collector plushies and this little number hadn't been a part of his collection - yet.

Tip-toeing through the blopping orbs, Sammy makes his way towards the chocobo while the panic starts to calm down.

A little closer.... A little closer...

Shiki Misaki has posed:
"Alright! We did it!" Shiki says, as the smoke clears and it's obvious they're surrounded by lots of balls rather than lots of fur. Who says you should never mess with panda?

Gonna fistpump the air a little bit. Mr. Mew dusts his paws.

She looks at the little Chocobo, a little confused as Sammy scurries up to grab it. "Did it take this thing from you? Man, is there anything Heartless won't stoop to?" she asks.

Zia has posed:
"Thank the stars..." Zia whispers to herself as she sees the Heartless finally explode under the impact of so much onslaught from the collected group of would-be heroes. With her wing damaged, the girl glides down what remains of a damaged building, landing on what must have been a the roof before a very fat Heartless sat on it. She tucks her wings in, caping them beneath her cloak trying to catch her breath while looking distinctly worse for wear. This combat thing is not really her strong suit, and she's gone from having a fairly quiet life, to one that seems to involve fighting for her life on a regular basis.

Normally, she might have just crept off like the unnamed werewolf, but the glint of a few little multi-toned gold balls amongst the green ones is enough to drag her down from her perch, landing in a crouch. For someone who doesn't have any funds, getting a handful of the munny from the Heartless would at least make sure that she didn't go hungry while trying to find her way back to New York.

The gargress gives one look towards the retreating form of the summoner, and then starts to collect some of the fallen currency, wincing as she does so. As silly as it is, though, she does pull her cloak back up over her head, trying to keep to the outskirts and away from the others. Too many humans, and only one that she even remotely knows.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
After the smoke clears, Reize rubs his forehead and he staggers slightly. "Hee." Despite of the landing, he is rather cheerful. In fact, he is cheerful enough to lift bothhands up in victory.
While Mr. Mew dusts off his paws, Reize idly gathers a bit of the munny around.
The chocobo doesn't matter too much, but he does ask, "Is everyone alright?" Then, he blinks, looking around, "...Buh? Where did that wolf-man go?"
He looks towards Zia, "...I don't think I caught your name before, but it's good to run into you again!" He scratches his head, "This is pretty far from Manhattan."

Sammy Colt has posed:
Fingers within reach aaaaaand - someone talks at Sammy. The turk pauses in his attempt to abscond with the plushie, standing upright and clearing his throat as he adjusts his tie and looks away from the chocobo. "N-no, it just... popped out of thin air!" Sammy proclaims to Shiki as he tries to act cool - a girl was /talking/ to him. He had to be cool, Reno said that being cool and totally uninterested was the key to getting 'the girl'.

Whatever that meant.
Hey, if Reno gave advice, it was obviously important. Pretending like he totally wasn't going to take that /kid's/ toy, Sammy scratches the back of his neck casually and puts on his shades. He simply had to wait, wait and the heroes would all just, gather up the orbs and leave. There was no way someone had an eye out for collectable number fourteen: The Chocobo King Plushie, right?

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki Misaki is practically holding it out for you, just... just take it, really.

I don't need another, Mr. Mew would get jealous!

"I'm fine, Reize, looks like I arrived just in time," she says. "Managed to pin that guy down... it's terrible that they can just show up in town like this. Someone should do something about it or people won't feel safe..."

At least with Noise you knew where they were going to show up, even if the graffiti was ugly.

Sammy Colt has posed:
Offering the rare number fourteen!? Sammy wasn't one to ask question, especially when it came to his collections. There's a hesitant pause with the boy as he tries to figure out whether or not this is a trap. The auburn-haired turk takes a moment to adjust his tie, look to both sides and swipe the chocobo in an instant, the stuffed plushie disappearing in his sleeves.

"It's... uh... f-for research." He says in a *Totally cool manner before clearing his throat and wandering off out of view. Simply ducking down behind a corner and waiting for everyone to leave so he can call in for a pick-up. Hopefully no one decides to talk to him further - he's not suspicious or anything, especially the way he keeps peeking around the building from time to time.

Zia has posed:
Unlike Sammny, Zia isn't shy at all about what she'd come down off the rooftop for. She doesn't have any need for a plushie, but a few more of those little round 'coins' are tucked away into her pouch before she stands straight, wincing slightly and offering a small, rueful smile towards Reize. "Aye, lad. Nothin a good rest willnae cure." while he might know about gargoyles, she still isn't going to risk blabbering the fact that her kind have a certain, very distinct weakness. Then again - she walks around during the day, which is more than a little unusual for her kind.

"Ye and yer friend are quite impressive. Then again, ye always manage te surprise me." She tries her best to just look normal, taking slow steps. There is a wary look towards Sammy, for all that he might look young and be interested in a plushie. She doesn't really trust Reize, but he seems mostly harmless, where as the suited young man had been selling weapons. "Ah've been trying te find m' way back, but these portals dinnae seem that simple te navigate." She folds her arms over her chest, giving another small wince as she does so.

"If ye must use a name... then Zia will do, ah suppose. Who is yer friend?" She also gives a glance of shadowed blue eyes towards Sammy, but she doesn't ask anything about him. That would tip off that she'd been listening in on his conversation earlier.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
With news that Zia is alright, Reize offers her a brigh smile. "Good!" If there is one thing that may seem off about Reize since Zia met Reize...
His pendant is missing.
Nevertheless, Reize looks towards the gargoyle, rubbing the back of his head. "Hee, thanks! She is wonderful!" Then, he listens to her tale, meanwhile not minding the exchange between Sammy and Shiki.
But when introductions are given, "Hee, pleased to meet you, Zia!" His hand moves towards his partner, "This is Shiki!" He smiles, "It's good to finally learn your name. I knew I forgot to ask when I had to go back to the inn." r

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Shiki Misaki has absolutely no idea who you are, strange, strange person. She's happy to see Sammy off with a smile and a wave. Fanboys, eh?

"Oh, I don't think I remember you..." Shiki says, although she really is having trouble remembering. It was dark, and she definitely remembers a Gargoyle she met once, but she's been so busy since then, and, well, you know. Wait, no, this isn't the one she met before. "We got here mostly by foot. Maybe try using an airship or a boat instead?"

Sammy Colt has posed:
Sammy cups a hand towards Zia and the rest of them, masking his voice ever so (not) well. "Pay no attention to the man in the suit! He is gone and not here... Anymore... Now..." The pause grows long enough to warrant Sammy a moment of thought. "You should all go home." Sammy says, trying to disperse the crowd as 'expertly' as possible.

What /do/ they train Turks with these days?

Zia has posed:
The gargress tilts her head slightly, regarding Reize in that same quizzical sort of way she had last time the two of them had met. While he might be a human, and she'd seen him do some pretty epic looking combat stunts, there is something about him that just makes him seem... harmless. "My kind dinnae usually use names, so it is a little strange te be asked for it so often."

The weight of coins in her pocket is an unusual thing, but also a comfort. It means she can manage to at least have food for a few days. "Ah dinnae think so, lass. It is nae a habbit of mine te socialize with humans, but there are others of m' kind in Manhattan. Though ah only know of one other female." She shrugs her shoulders once, blue eyes looking at the girl with the... plushie. Strange thing. "Is tha normal, or is it possessed?" She has to ask, looking perplexed, her tail shifting behind her.

With the suggestion of taking an airship or a boat, Zia shakes her head, taking a half step backwards. "Ah think it'd be be'ter te continue on m' own. Humans are nae exactly the most trustworthy o creatures." She pauses, seems to realize who she's talking to, then clears her throat. "Nae offense."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Reize turns to face the Turk.

...
...
???

Question marks appear on the boy's head, looking rather confused.
However, Reize isn't going to completely dismiss him. "Ooi!" He looks back towards the Turk, "...I want to thank you for your help. You helped us a lot with that fight against the Heartless." Then, his eyes drift owards Mr. Mew, the subject of Zia's attentions.
"Oh, Mr. Mew is Mr. Mew." He doesn't question why the stuffed cat moves. He accepts it at face value. Just like a gargoyle. And a talking rat. And... Man.

Shiki Misaki has posed:
"That's right!" Shiki says. "Mr. Mew is Mr. Mew. Sometimes he does his own thing... I'm just grateful to have him around. I made him myself!"

"It's nice to meet you, though. But I can understand if you have social issues. I know people who are kind of like that."

She rubs the back of her head. People are actually starting to come up to them since they stomped the Heartless, and it's getting obvious they have peoples' attention...

Sammy Colt has posed:
Queue the time for Sammy to leave. Reize's remarks catch the Turk as he slinks away into the shadows. He doesn't want to give away his position anymore than needed and more than likely, the debriefing was going to take a diagram, some minaitures, a tub of ice cream and a trip to the infirmary - probably due to an ice cream headache.

Sammy decides it best to simply sneak away, leaving the other to deal with the whole 'hero' thing.

Zia has posed:
Sometimes, you just have to take things at face value. Zia stares at the plushie for a moment longer, then shakes her head. She's seen a lot of strange things, and likely will see quite a few more as time goes on. As people start to come out of hiding, the gargoyle starts to look more and more nervous.

For Shiki's sake, she mangages a quick glance, and a shake of her head. "It's nae social issues, it's human issues. The sort where they chase ye down with pitchforks, or guns." The gargoyle draws back a bit, "It was nice te meet ye two, but ah should be scarce. The less people know 'bout m' kind, the better."

And with that, the gargoyle turns pushes her way past a group of humans, ducking into an alley and vanishing into the city. She'd need to find a place to rest, and soon.