Into The Underworld

Into The Underworld
Date of Scene:	13 March 2013
Location:	Hollow Bastion, Phantom Forest
Synopsis:	Seith moves Avira to the Underworld, and is joined by Morrighan in the trip.
Cast of Characters:	Avira, Morrighan Alazne, Seith
Tinyplot:	Manhattan Restoration

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Seith has posed:
When Avira had made her way into the Hollow Bastion through Ember's help, it wasn't long before she found herself at the bottom of the castle in one of its dungeons. Her neck collared and her monsterous hands tied behind her back by more metal. Strong metal. Metal that even in this mutate body, she could not break. How long must it have been? Hours? A day? Longer? It was difficult to tell time within this castle.

But after that time of waiting, the door before her finally opens. And in walks a somewhat older yet non-the-less beautiful elf. He's wearing a silver mantle and walks in a manner that suggests he normally wears something far heavier. Light in his step, as gravity no longer holds him down as it once did. He wears ornate jewelry and even carries a set of small horns atop his head.

"It is time for the dog to be returned to its owner." Seith whispers, grinning at the girl and walking up to her, trying to place a hand beneath her muzzle to tip it up and gaze into her eyes. To see her desperation. Or... is he looking for something else?

Avira has posed:
After being shoved through the portal, the first to follow, or whoever was there to receive Avira, found themselves with a fight on their hands. Though she was unarmed and already very injured by the fight she had just been removed from, she'd been determined to make whoever tried to subdue her really work for their 'prize.' Ultimately, it was no use, and she was collared and shackled.

Since then she'd been very quiet, huddled in the back of the dungeon she was left in. She hadn't slept and had remained waiting the whole time, even though it was achingly slow and almost maddening.

Seith presents himself as the first person she's seen since being placed here. When he enters, she refuses to look up at him and shifts ominously, the metal of the chains clanking as she tugs against the bonds once more.

His words are met with a soft growl before he reaches down and tilts her face up to look into his. He isn't met with desperation, but a steely sort of anger.

A second later, she bites at his hand.

Seith has posed:
Seith quickly withdraws his hand, and then... grins. "Good. You will need that anger and determination where I am going to be taking you." Seith tells the girl, tilting his head up and taking a step back before the girl might decide to snap at his hands again. "Now, before I take you there. I must have one promise. Do not bite me - do not attack me. I /will/ muzzle you if I have to."

The man looks her up and down, before he moves one hand and 'undoes' the chains that hold her to the wall. He makes it look so 'easy'. "Pitiful girl. Yet, your sacrifice won't be in vain. I am certain your friends will follow you to hell and back from what I could see that fateful night we took you." And follow her into hell they must!

"It'll be a good experience for them." The man takes another step back, bringing his hands to his back and folding one hand in the other, patiently waiting for Avira to get up.

Avira has posed:
"Who are you?" she rumbles at him, interrupting before he gives his requests to not bite or attack him. Her voice is rough, though there's a distinct feminine bent to it. Not that she really needs the clues to her gender in this form. "I'm curious as to why you haven't already muzzled me." She pauses, perhaps considering something before reluctantly adding, "...alright, I promise."

Yet she still watches him like a hawk, a fierce, almost predatory look in her eyes as he comes in close to remove the chains keeping her to the wall. ...so easily, no less. "Hmph...you have no idea."

Shifting and using her tail to balance herself, she pushes herself up to her feet with her legs. Her wings start to stretch out, but recoil suddenly, a cringe of pain forming upon her features.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Ah, Hollow Bastion.

Morrighan almost seemed to made it a point to make herself scarce with this place. Especially since the Iifa Tree incident. After all, why bother coming to the Shadow Lord's very lair when Garland, one of the key players, was after your head and seemingly all the worlds knew about it? Nevertheless, one this day, a dark corridor opened within the dungeons and out stepped the Dark Elf.

Now why in the world was she here? Who knew. But considering the fact that she was portaling in from the very bottom, she was clearly intending to sneak around and avoid the attentions of certain tin cans

Of course this all went awry the moment she turned a corner and spotted Seith talking into a cell. "...Hmn?" Morrighan slowed down her walk to a pause, staring pointedly. ".....?" Well this was wonderful. But curiosity was building up within the Elven woman. Despiting the circumstances, she moved to approach casually. "And what have we here, hm?"

Seith has posed:
"My name is unimportant." Seith answers Avira, placing a hand to his chest as he says this. "All you need to know is that I am a Shadow Lord, and thus your enemy." The man takes another step back as she gives him that glaring gaze, but he doesn't stop smirking at her. This resistance, this 'trust' she has is somewhat amazing to him. He waits for the girl to get up, and is just about to grab at her chains when there's suddenly a sound. The sound of an intruder? No, the Heartless are not attacking.

The man turns around and quickly catches sight of Morrighan. "Oho! Look who we have here. I didn't expect you to dare and show up here, Lady Alazne. Do not worry, Garland never visits this castle. Not in the time I've been here at least." He notes. "So what has you traveling within Hollow Bastion's dungeons? Did you come to see the lost 'dog' of Hades'? Or did Hades send you here to ensure that I transport her?"

Avira has posed:
"I disagree. Your name is very important to me and one day it'll be very important to all of my friends too." Avira glares at him, "I am the leader of VALKYRI. We oppose the Shadow Lords." Seith's continued smirking clearly gets quite a rise out of the mutate, her dark brown fur standing on end like a riled dog. "Name yourself, demon elf." Those horns were real, right?

There's a voice out in the hall that sounds familiar at first. With Seith looming in the way, she cannot see Morrighan right off. Calmly, she tries to look around him as Seith turns her back on her, though with him not paying attention, she takes the opportunity to try and pull her hands free.

Seith namedrops ~Lady Alazne~ and a lump twists in her throat. "Oh /no/." she grumbles miserably.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Oh. Greetings." She replied in kind, nodding her head just slightly. "I came to peruse the library here, but I am sure that you under stand the circumstances regarding..." Trailing off, Morrighan then visibly relaxed at the mention of Garland never visiting. Her posture loosening just a tad. Well, that was one good piece of news for the day, however...

"Nevermind that. What is this about a 'Lost Dog'? And Hades?" She asked, glancing into the cell and at Avira. Pause. Stare. Stare some more. Stare a lot. Stare a whole lot actually. Was there electricity crackling between them? Nah. "What manner of devilry is this? Why is SHE here? And more importantly, why is she a dog again!?" She half asked, half demanded, pointing at Avira indignantly.

Yes, Morrighan was behind on events. This is what happens when you're too busy trying to keep your /own/ head down and out of sight!

"The last time I saw her, she was human!" Taking a moment, the dark elf took a few deep breaths to recover from her outburst, and then composed herself, speaking much more calmly afterwards. "...But my, it is as if time has moved backwards now. Just what DID you do to wind up in a cell here? Did you anger Hades? Is that it?" Not like she had much room to talk, but this wasn't about her!

Seith has posed:
No, those horns are not real. And just like before, it seems that no matter her attempts, those cuffs are simply not coming off. "Oh, I am sure it is. But why reveal the main act - or even his name - when so much is yet to be revealed? No no no, that shall not do, not at all." Seith explains to Avira.

The man then glances back to Morrighan, and kind of 'steps aside' so the two can glare at one another. It seems like Morrighan is honestly not one of Hades' dogs - with the intent of watching him. "She had a contract with Hades, he turned her into a cute little girl again - because apparently she couldn't bear the thought of being an Ugly - Distgusting - BEAST." He grins widely, but doesn't even look at Avira when he says this.

"After all, who is ever going to /LOVE/ someone who looks like /THAT?" He asks Morrighan, and then does one of those nasty villain cackles! "But, she got in Hades' way, so now she's back in this disgusting form, and I am dragging her back to her master." He points at the collar. "I might have to get a leash for her."

Avira has posed:
Their eyes meet. It's clear from the way the two are looking at each other that there's quite a bit of bad blood between the pair of them. If Seith thought he had her riled, he'd probably be surprised to see how agitated Avira would become with Morrighan around in /these/ circumstances. "This doesn't concern you." Avira says briskly, turning her head away from the dark elf and putting her nose in the air. Hmph!

Morrighan even asks just what it was that got her in her mutate form again. Her jaws remain closed and it thoroughly looks as if she's refusing to explain the situation to Morrighan. Considering this role reversal, Avira could only imagine the gloating it would bring!

Seith comes to the 'rescue' and aptly explains the situation. Avira's ears fold down. "...shut up.." she growls. "...it's more complicated than that. Hades is interfering with our efforts to restore Manhattan and..."

She trails off suddenly, as if she realized that explaining much more to Morrighan might not be a good idea.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Upon hearing Seith's explanation, Morrighan gave Avira an incredulous look. "Are you serious? You made a deal with the lord of the dead in order to return to your human form?" That look of incredulity quickly turned to one of amusement and she brought a hand to her mouth to hide the growing smile. "Why, I could have sworn you were restored by some other method! Did you really go and do something as asinine as /that/?"

She managed to keep her own urge to laugh haughtily at the Mutate's predicament in check. Though only barely. And Avira's own addition to the explanation only piqued her interest even more. "Is that so? So let me see if I fully understand the situation here. You brave heroes were on the verge of restoring Manhattan. And then...Hades, and apparently /us/-"

Us meaning the Shadow Lords.

"-thwarted what was no doubt to be a glorious restoration. And now here you are; a dog again and hunted as such?"

Now this was too much. "Pfffbt- Ohohohohoho~" Unable to resist any longer, she burst out into a fit of raucous, haughty laughter that no doubt grated on Avira's ears. "This is absolutely rich! Golden! Pure comedy brilliance~!" A glance was given to Seith and she added. "Indeed, I suppose a leash would be quite fitting for this wonderful little situation here! Ohohoho~!"

Seith has posed:
"Oh, and don't forget! The very REASON that the restoration cannot continue... is /because/ of her having turned into a /dog/ and having ran away." Seith adds insult to injury. "It is quite fantastic, isn't it?" Seith asks Morrighan, and then moves to one of the walls of the Hollow Bastion and tears a massive chain down from the wall through the force of his magic.

As he walks back, the man shakes his head a little. "She wants to shove off responsibility to Hades. But she's the one who took the contract from the /Lord of the Dead/. Even Pete knows not to meddle in such things." The man then finally hands the massive chain to Morrighan.

"It would appear you two know eachother. So to you the honors, lady elf." The man tells her, waiting for her to take the chain before taking a few steps back. "We're going to be moving her to the Underworld. I'll open a portal to the World of Ruin for we..." He pauses, letting people anticipate his words... and then adds; "Have a train to catch."

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAH!

Avira has posed:
Quite suddenly Avira /really/ doesn't want to say anything to Morrighan as the dark elf points out the stupidity of making a deal with a death god. Angrily, she looks away from both of them and starts to strain against the chains around her hands until she grows exhausted again.

"Alright!" she blurts out, "I know it was a stupid thing to do. But knowing you, Morrighan, if someone had rendered -your- form into something different, you would have done the same and worse."

It does little to stop Morrighan from eventually unleashing that haughty laughter she learned to despise long ago. A low growl escapes her, peaking as Morrighan gleefully supports leashing her.

Inside, her guilt returns. Each of Seith's words is like a punch to the gut. If only she hadn't ran. They could have protected her, couldn't they? Shoulders sinking, she keeps her head turned away from them both.

"Tch, I knew it." she murmurs as Seith mentions the Underworld. The mutate takes a step backwards away from the pair, resisting against the chain used to leash her.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Ah, but the difference between us is that I would never find myself in such a situation that I would be turned into a dog, unlike you!" Morrighan gleefully replied to Avira, taking the chain from Seith. "My, my...I only intended to go to the library above, however..." She grinned, staring over at Avira with an utterly entertained look. "I suppose this is a welcome detour as well~"

That said, the dark elf turned her eyes back to Seith, nodding politely. "Well then, shall we catch this...train?" A chuckle escaped from her then and she went on. "Far be it for us to keep Hades away from his precious dog now, hm~?" The elven woman asked, pulling against Avira's chain meanwhile.

Seith has posed:
As Morrighan explains that she'd never be in such a situation... Seith finds himself disappointed. Instead of saying that she would never agree to such a thing, or approach Hades - she deflects it by claiming that she'd never find herself in such a situation. This... annoys the elf. He glances back to Avira, and lets out a momentary sigh. "You know now that it was stupid. But will you learn from your mistake?" Seith asks her in a curious tone.

"Oh, and do remind me. Is it not true that one of your dear friends has recently gotten themselves 'chained'?" Seith watches the Shard Seekers after all - from afar. He gets flashes here and there. "It must be nice to finally be able to be in that person's shoes for once. No?" The man then waves one hand towards the wall and opens a dark portal into the Phantom Forest.

"As for the library. You should visit when I'm there, miss Morrighan. Perhaps I can help you find what you need." He is after all, basically the person who 'lives' in that room - much like how Maleficent remains in her throneroom or tower.

The man then walks through the portal, coming out on the other side, right atop of the platform. The train is already there, waiting for them. Ghosts are slowly walking into the train, a conductor taking their golden tickets. Seith simply walks past him, waving a hand dismissively.

Avira has posed:
In all her verbal sparring with Morrighan in the past, answers such as these are actually expected by Avira. Nevertheless, it still brings an unhappy growl from the mutate, "Please, as if you actually have control over all that happens to you. No, I know a thing or two about you, Morrighan." It's the most she can do to keep from feeling utterly defeated as the dark elf is given full reign over her leash.

Just like 'old times', then. She stumbles along after Morrighan when it becomes clear that she can no longer resist. Resigned, she glares down at the floor.

Dark eyes flash over at Seith, "...well yeah. Despite what both of you might think I'm not an idiot." Then the elf starts asking probing questions about her friend in a similar situation, which clearly means Skoll.

Pointedly, she doesn't comment on this, keeping her sympathy to herself. "Your questions are getting awfully nosy, Shadow Lord." she warns, peering around at this train with its myriad boarding ghosts.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"Hmph! As if I do not know a thing about you either, /Avira/." ...How long has it been since she had actually called Avira by name? "I suppose I will return and take advantage of your generous offer some other time then." Morrighan spoke evenly as she passed through the portal, pulling Avira along. "Ah, but this is rather nostalgic, is it not~?" She asked, glancing back at Avira as they stepped out into the Phantom Forest. "If only you were human and in a maid outfit." She smiled rather terribly at that, reminding the other of that nonsense she went through at Baron castle.

"But I suppose a dog will do as well~" With that, she led Avira onto the train, following along with Seith. "I don't suppose we should be expecting those same brave heroes to come barging foolishly into Hades' realm now, should we?"

Because let's be real; brave heroes are idiots.

Seith has posed:
Seith quiets at first when Avira reminds him that he's getting Nosy, waiting for Morrighan to lead her onto the train. He walks a few steps through the train and then motions towards one of the more comfortable seats. "She'll need the full seat, as she is now." He remarks in an amused tone. "Something she could not live with." No, seems he's not quite done making fun of her for her choice yet. Seith can be a terrible man at times.

Or maybe it's just because Avira claimed not to be an idiot - and he's reminding her what got her into this trouble in the first place - once again.

"I am curious though. Avira. Are there any last words you wish to share with your friends? Something you wish for me to deliver to them? After all, you will likely never see them again." It seems he answers Morrighan's question on the heroes with just that.

Avira has posed:
How long indeed? Avira can't actually remember the last time Morrighan used her name. It'd always been harpy or 'you' or fool. Or in the case of certain memories, 'My lovely maid.' "Why you-" she grumbles as Morrighan brings up just that memory. A shiver travels down her whole body at that, ending with a floofing of her tail.

Pulled along, she glares at the dark elf's back, realization dawning upon her of the nature of their 'rivalry.'

That she is given her own seat provides little comfort to the mutate. Awkwardly, she sits, unable to get really comfortable with her hands chained behind her.

Sharply, she looks up at Seith, "Don't you think for one second that they wouldn't-" she starts angrily before she calms, just slightly. She draws herself up, sitting tall despite being shackled like an animal. "Tell Mercade that I hope he is prepared to keep his promise."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Chucking at Seith's comment, Morrighan led Avira to her appointed seat, moving aside to give her space. "How sad. Look at all this weight you put on now. Mhmhmhm~" She jabbed, looking Avira over casually.

Seith's statement regarding last words were all she needed to determine the answer to her question, but Avira's sharp response has her smiling in amusement all over again. "Oh, I am most certain that they will try regardless..."

Keeping hold of the chain, she crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly. "A promise, hm? I would not hold on to such a thing now..." Morrighan shook her head actually seeming to be serious about what she was saying. "Promises are doomed to be broken anyhow."

Seith has posed:
"Oh?" Seith comments. "A promise with a man? A loved one perhaps?" Is he starting to hesitate? There's a small twitch at the corner of his eye - barely noticable. The man pushes one of the benches back and sits close to the mutate - before her.

"I want to know... what is that promise?" He actually moves a hand outwards, flat, as if he were trying to stop Morrighan from talking. Somehow, this seems important to Seith.

"Promises are not doomed to be broken, Morrighan. However - many create promises they cannot keep - or make them without 'truly' promising a thing. A /true/ promise however..."

"Tell me Avira. What is his promise?"

Avira has posed:
The petty jab about weight is quickly ignored. "Well I suppose you would know a thing or two about the Twilight Detective Agency now." Avira says casually, keeping her head held high. It's all she offers in regards to confirming or denying whether or not people will be coming after her. The last thing she wants to encourage was the arrangement of a trap.

She turns her head, seeking to look Morrighan in the eyes, "Did you learn nothing from your time with us, Morrighan?" Avira actually seems genuinely sad as she considers this, "Those of the TDA know how to keep a promise. Think of all the things they promised you and followed through on."

Seith asks for details on her promise with Mercade and she looks uneasy. "...well the details are meant to stay between the two of us. It is, more or less, a promise that we would support each other." Elaborating on the true scope of that promise could endanger certain things.

"So no matter what happens to me, no matter what I might do or what might become of me in the future, I know he'll have my back." she squirms in her seat, chains clinking as she does.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"..." Morrighan pointedly looked away when Avira asked her about the TDA. "...You people are anomalies. Not the norm." And that was all she had to say on the matter. These people and their promises...It was ridulous. People were greedy, conniving, and self serving. It boggled her mind how much they worked to help each other.

Will's words echoed in her mind then, which only kept her silent even further.

'We just want you to be happy.'

...Even now, it seems like some sort of impossible task. "...Knowing these people, I am quite certain that Mercade and his crew actually will come barging into the Underworld, against all odds." She said, glancing at Seith. "I would recommend remaining vigilant and keeping eyes out for them. They most definitely will be coming."

Seith has posed:
The traincar jolts, and then finally begins on its journey. "Merely support eachother? What a boring little promise that is." Seith decides and leans back for a little, before he decides to get up once more and moves to the end of the car and opens the door to another car.

"Good luck in hell." He calls back towards Avira, and the man remains standing at the door - holding it open. The loud noise of the wheels on the tracks rather audible due to said open door. Cold air rushing into the cabin.

"Oh, I am sure they will. But... will they manage to come back alive? Or will they merely walk to their death - and doom themselves. Or... maybe I should say - has Avira doomed them by being captured?"

"I leave her to you, Morrighan." And so he walks through the door and lets it close behind him.

Avira has posed:
"And...?" she prods as Morrighan looks away from her, speaking of the TDA and their nigh-Herculean efforts to try to get along with that dark elf harpy. It was enough dedication that even Avira got a little exaspirated about it.

A sigh escapes her as Morrighan continues to point out that Mercade and the others will come into the Underworld after her. It isn't just them too as she's quite sure VALKYRI would do the same. Maira would no doubt be amongst their numbers. Sweet, innocent Maira.

Her shoulders sink and, very quietly, a small whine escapes her. "They'll overcome." she says at Seith's retreating back, "I believe in them. They are strong." Part of her is glad that the elf with the scary probing questions has abandoned them.

On the other hand, she's now left helpless in the hands of Morrighan. Again. "...this keeps happening."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Seith's words elicit a chuckle from Morrighan, watching as Seith moved off into the next car over. Once he was gone, Morrighan's chuckling just turned into a deep sigh. And then she moved over to sit down across from Avira, just staring at her. "......"

Strange, usually the dark elf would have been overjoyed to be in control of a situation like this, but she just looked...empty. "...I suppose I must apologize. I was gone while all of this nonsense was happening. I did not realize that you people were caught up in this." Did she hit her head?

Avira has posed:
Avira steels herself, preparing for what she fully believes will be gloating. Who didn't enjoy seeing their nemesis laid low like this? The mutate looks away, elsewhere in the train at the departing souls around them. None of them acknowledge the presence of the two very living people.

Stared at, she looks over at the elf, realizing that this was not the behavior she saw moments ago as she wa lead from Hollow Bastion. Confusion settles in.

Extreme confusion. Avira looks shocked as Morrighan apologizes to her.

"...we've been...working towards this for some months now, actually." Avira says cautiously after a long moment of silence. It would be easy to throw in a snide comment about perception here but Avira does not. "But as the other Shadow Lord said, everything has rapidly fallen apart due to my decisions."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"That is what I fail to understand here." Morrighan spoke up lightly after Avira explained her current predicament shortly. "I thought you of all people would be stronger than falling to making a deal with Hades." Averting her eyes, she went on. "I thought you were recovering by some other means..."

There was a poignant pause as the elven woman let her words sink in.

"So why did you do elect to do such a thing?" Morrighan asked then, her eyes meeting Avira's. "Why did you throw away everything when it seemed like your friends were already working hard to help you?"

Avira has posed:
Her shoulders sink and finalnlly, she breaks her gaze with Morrighan. The body language becomes a shade more closed off now. "I had. We had a cure, or we thought we did, but it was only a partial one that eliminated the darkness that was tearing me apart. The mutation remained."

She sounds miserable. "I and my friends had worked hard and sacrified much to get that cure. After it didn't really work, I became...desperate. And...and honestly, we've only just recently learned that Hades was one of the Shadow Lords. If I knew I never would have made this deal."

She looks sad. "Even if it meant looking like this forever."

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
Morrighan listened quietly, nodding in understanding after. "Oh. I see...so the cure only partially worked." She shook her head then, closing her eyes in contemplation. "And you are always telling me about how I turned to desperation so easily." The dark elf opened her eyes, rolling them in irritation.

"Are you not a member of those idealistic detectives as well as leader of that abhorrent group of barbaric women? Are they both not built upon ridiculous notions of friendship and justice, and what have you?" She went on to ask after. "I find it truly ironic that you would turn to such dark gambits in order to obtain an easy end."

She paused then for a couple moments before adding one last thing.

"Or perhaps this is your true 'face' now?"

Avira has posed:
In perhaps the strangest of role reversals, it is now Avira being lectured by Morrighan for her decisions. A small part of Avira actually acknowledges this irony but she cannot bring herself to be at all amused by it. The circumstances surrounding it all were dire.

"I was weak." she admits softly. "In a lot of ways, I still am." Which is why the whole Princess of Heart thing made no sense to her at all. Weren't they supposed to have pure, strong hearts filled with light? Wouldn't they not make selfish decisions like hers?

Her true face? No, that meant more than her beastly appearance. She shakes her head empathetcally. "No! I'm not like that...I'm..."

Avira drifts off, staring at the floor of the train despondantly.

Morrighan Alazne has posed:
"...Hmph." Morrighan huffed, looking away at Avira's admittance of weakness. Not that such a thing was inherently a bad thing, but the circumstances that brought it about were just...terrible. "I thought you were better than that. I find it strange to say that I am disappointed in you somehow"

And she said nothing more, crossing her arms and letting the silence of the train ride fill the air.

Avira has posed:
"...I've been under the impression that you didn't think much of me to begin with, Morrighan..." Avira murmurs softly. Yet somehow, those words have hurt more than anything else said tonight.

Silence follows afterwards. Avira says nothing, not even as the train eventually slows and they reach their final stop.