Party Crashers

Party Crashers
Date of Scene:	23 December 2012
Location:	Deling City - Sewers
Synopsis:	A group of Manhattan refugees flee to Deling City, but it seems a heartless has followed them and now lurks in the sewers below. Anxious of drawing its ire, the refugees are hesitant to celebrate an upcoming birthday party, and so they hire some mercenaries to deal with the problem!
Cast of Characters:	Tifa Lockhart, Rinoa Heartilly, Aerith, Seifer Almasy, Neviril

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Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Deling city seems more or less the same that it was before the heartless..Except of course that it is a lot more crowded than it used to be. Many refugees had gathered here after Manhattan was destroyed, just like with other cities. Perhaps it was the promise of protection under a powerful army and an enigmatic sorceress that let many feel as if they were particularly safe here.

Even though, like elsewhere, the city had been attacked by heartless, at least its army did a good job in pushing them back. However, even here, the galbadian army had shrunk in size a bit, what with the destruction of much of Galbadia's own world and army reserves.

Still, there is an unbreakable spirit in the people, and they gather around, chattering amongst themselves. They seem particularly active tonight, determined to put on their party, but there are murmurings and rumours of a huge heartless who has been assaulting the town folk recently, and the galbadian army has been unable to defeat it thus far.

And so, they had called in reinforcements, mercenaries, specialists to help get the job done. Afterall, the army already had its hands full keeping the town safe from various other outside threats, they had little to spare on this particular mission.

Rinoa is here of course, having taken up the call. She's been doing a lot of mercenary jobs alongside Tifa, Aerith and Pixi of late. Hopefully this one would turn out better than the one in Cornelia..

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Seifer Almasy, Knight of the Sorceress Edea had been spending much time away from Galbadia. His absence had left other, possibly more qualified people in charge.

Needless to say that when he returned to news of a monster in his city as well as a call for mercenaries, he was not pleased.

Still, a well placed word and a bit of cajouling from his lieutenants had kept him from putting a kibosh on the entire affair... Because he could have done that. He's a big deal here, seriously.... Don't Test It!

Seifer mills about here and there, the festive mood unable to alleviate the deeply set scowl from his features as he roams here and there, a unholy terror to any, blue-suited soldier that would dare let Seuifer catch him slacking at his post. He has no pity for the soldiers of Galbadia, bumbling and idiotic, he had cut down at least twenty of them just because they were in his way during a test.

Aerith has posed:
From atop one of the buildings, she could see the entirety of the street below.

A pair of clear green eyes scanned the area, observing the patrolling guards, the chatting people, taking in the size of the available forces. It wasn't long before she saw the quite obvious gray coat, her features taking on a slight frown. She was fortunate that he couldn't see her. The last time they'd met, she didn't have a very good first impression of Seifer Almasy, but at the same time she wasn't keen to get into a fight with him.

Not when she was still in training to defend herself.

Thus was she content to observe for now, prepared to offer support from her vantage point if necessary.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart is always happy to help out when her friends are involved. She had been summoned up by Rinoa as reinforcements. Since she's been doing mercenary jobs it works out either way. Gives her more reasons to be here at least. She paces around, not staying close to the others for the moment. Not that she wants to be alone, but covering more ground for now, just ensuring that everything is okay.

She even crossed the white-coated man a few times, Rinoa's ex. Well not that she hates him or his presence, but she can't understand him very well. How he always to be saying he wants people to stay out of his business, how he wants nothing to do with them, yet continually manages to find himself around them.

Maybe he's conflicted like Kaydin? Who knows.

Either way, she akes her way toward the gates. She doesn't think it will appear right in the middle of the city, probably more toward the entrance given the space, if the reports are right about its size at least.

Neviril has posed:
Neviril was in town, hearing of festivities going on so came to check them out. Minding her own business as she walked along, but watching the people, have their fun and various other activities. Herself trying to stay aaway from them the best she can, not wanting to dirty her garments, lest she not look her best. But keeping an eye on as much as she can in the streets, the soldiers, lots of soldiers she'd have to remember that for later. But she was here to have fun, and the smile on her face shows that.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa smiles, walking up to the many refugees. She offers them words of comfort, and Angelo's presence helps ease their minds too. When Tifa arrives, she smiles and waves at her, happy to see her. "Tifa! Over here! You're here to help too?"

She sees Neviril too, wondering if she's a refugee too and she smiles at her. "Hi, are you from out of town too?" Finally Seifer arrives and her smile fades a bit, unsure as always how to respond. "Oh, Seifer..Are you here to take care of the heartless then?>"

Seifer Almasy has posed:
If Seifer looked sour before, he looks even more so now that he has seen Rinoa Heartilly. The blonde slashes of his eyebrows launch upwards in utter surprise, she had said that she wanted to see the city again but to come so openly where anyone could recognize her and inform the guards? That's, that's... That is exactly what Rinoa would do. The thought sank in and Seifer could only glower, angry with her for her lack of caution and angry with himself for not expecting it.

"This is my city now, Rinoa." he states bluntly, a sweep of his arm encoimpassing gthe surrounding area, "Part of my duty of defending the Sorceress includes defending her city. Of course I'd be here." ignore the fact that he's spent the last few weeks away from it on some manner of sojourn across the gathered reality.

"What's important is why you're here." he cuts to the point, turning his body away while still pinning her with those eyes like blue sky, a accusing finger lifted and brandished, ":Shouldn't you be somewhere more... inconspicuous?"

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart walks over to Rinoa as she calls her over, smiling "Hi Rinoa, of course I'd be here, you asked for my help after all."

She crosses her arms and frown a bit at the words Seifer says. Okay, he has a reason to be here, but not to be so blunt toward Rinoa. "Why would she need to be inconspicuous? She has allies to protect her. Unless there's a reasonf or her to be hiding that you're not telling us about?" She has to wonder about this intentions after all. She's sure he won't try to bring any harm to Rinoa directly, but he might know things...

Aerith has posed:
The slight hesitation from Rinoa, Tifa's doubt, Seifer's roughshod nature. Even the presence of the one she'd never seen before. She felt it from where she stood, and she filed it all away for later even as she observed from her rooftop position. Aerith preferred not to interact for the time being, she wanted to make sure they were all aware of the threat long before it came.

Neviril has posed:
Neviril ers and ums as she's noticed and talked too, well that wasn't what she was expecting. She cautiously shakes her at the question, clearing her throat as she speaks, "No.. I'm just visiting from out of town. I just wanted to see if there was any exotic shops that had something of interest." making no mention of the who knows how many dirty individuals clamoring around the area. Though she stops to watch the now discussion, noting this womans name, and her face. Having no idea personaly who she is, obviously someone else does, and a grin spreads across her face, perhaps it was a good day to go shopping.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Rinoa nods and sighs, "Of course. I suppose it's your city, but..." But I had reason to come here too, she thinks. She had seen how those soldiers bowed to Seifer as if HE were the general! What nerve! Whatever happened to General Caraway? What happened to her father?

"Heh..I suppose a disguise would have worked but..I guess all the soldiers have their hands full with so many heartless all the time that it's not as heavily guarded as it once was. Besides, I couldn't just sit around at home worrying anymore about my dad. Dont worry, I'll try and keep a low profile.." Maybe she'll think up a disguise next time, too!

"For now however, I...We need to find that heartless. They say it's pretty big, far too big for one person to take on." She holds up a map, "They gave me this map, said it usually lurks in the sewers, sneaks out at night and preys on people then. They want to have their party in a couple of nights but they're afraid of attracting its ire. So we should head down there now. Good thing I know this city pretty well.."

Y'know, comes from all those nights of sneaking out from her dad's place. She glances over at Tifa, and quickly puts a finger to her lips. "Oh, it's nothing, really! Nothing at all to worry about. Let's just..Get this over with, before too many soldiers come back, okay?"

Seifer Almasy has posed:
What happened to General Caraway? He tried to have a woman killed, that's what! In actuality, Seifer doesn't know, nor care. What is important is that he is in charge. Maybe her father took a car... away!

Seifer's ire is only further fed by the fact that Rinoa seems to take none of this seriously at all! A christian in the lion's den and she is thinking about maybe, possibly disguising herself.

Seifer deals out a heat glare towards Neviril and Tifa alike, they've done nothing to offend him, they're just catching a bit of radial heat from Rinoa's shennanigens.

Sorting himself into something more of a low simmer instead of a full boil, Seifer tugs at the lapels of his coat, breathing a venting snort through his nose as he collects himself. "I knew I should have left Raijin and Fujin in charge here. Every single stuffed shirt and arm chair general around here is either useless or a coward." Surely if he had stayed, it wouldn't have been a problem.

Then Tifa pipes up, seemingly entirely unaware of the happeneings before his and Rinoa's world were shattered. He fixes Tifa with a blank stare, "You don't know, do you?" he wondered aloud, attention turning towards Rinoa, "You haven't told any of them... Then again, I can't blame you. If I tried to murder someone and failed, I wouldn't be so eager to let everyone know."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart looks between Rinoa and Seifer at that little bit of 'revelation'. Did Rinoa tell her about this? Yes, she did talk about the assassination of a sorceress. Would that mean that this sorceress is an important person to this nation, which would put Rinoa at risk being here? Wasn't she born and living here?

She might need to get more answers later. Right now there was work to do "Well I don't know every detail, but either way that's not the reason we're here today, isn't it? We have a heartless to take down, and we're doing that for the people here. As far as I know, Rinoa works hard for the people here."

Still, discussion, later, filing that to memory.

Aerith has posed:
Flowergirl could hear nothing that went on down on the street, but she could still sense the emotions running along the crowd. However her specific points of interest were fascinating to observe. Tifa, she knew already. Seifer however she did not, and while she could still feel this sense of something being suppressed in him, there was just discontent, not malice. At least, not yet.

She would have to watch him closely, as well as this new one.

All the while though, her senses were spread elsewhere, all across the street and a bit beyond, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Heartless if they decided to suddenly strike. At the same time if they had to move to another area to reach whatever the problem was, she was ready to go.

Neviril has posed:
Neviril listens to the very interesting things this soldier is saying, wondering if he's realising at all that he's certainly blathering about this lady being a wanted criminal out loud in front of lots of people.. She grins more, wondering if theres a reward of some kind. she softly clears her throat, glaring back at the man, who does he think he is. She opens her mouth to speeak but stops, remembering certain facts about the current situation. She unconsiously rubs her metal stump, with a bit of an annoyance. Though paying attention to the heartless talk, chewing her lip, that could be bad.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa glares back at Seifer. "I told her. I didnt tell her minute details, but I told her enough. It doesn't matter. It happened. I cant change the past but maybe I can make up for it.." She sighs glancing around warily, lowering her voice so that people cant hear. Why'd Seifer have to advertise that to the whole world? "And Garden still fears that she may be a threat. You should thank me, Seifer, I did some more research on the sorceress, said I'd find evidence to try and prove that the sorceress is not a threat, that they dont have to go to war with you. If I sneak in here and get caught, wouldn't it look worse than if I walk in with a white flag waving? I have a plan, you just have to trust me. I'll make it so we dont have to be at war anymore.." Lofty ideals, sure, but Rinoa has been known to accomplish some surprising things in the past.

She nods to Tifa as she sets Seifer back on track. "that's right, we're here to fight a heartless, let's focus on that, okay?" Finally, she looks back at Neviril, smiling apologetically, "So sorry about that! Yes, this is my city.." and hopefuly she didnt put two and two together and think Rinoa was a crazy murderer or something! "Yes, there are lots of good stores around here, unfortunately, most of them are closed right now, since there is a big threat going on, rumours of a heartless, you know? If you're not one of the people who offered to help fight the heartless, it might be safer for you to go indoors. It seems that this heartless preys at night. And with a bit party on the horizon, it's attracted by all the people gathering here.."

The words are barely out of her mouth when the earth starts to shake violently underneath their feet? An earthquake? No, Deling never had earthquakes..It sounds like some sort of massive monster right under their feet - in the sewers! As night rapidly falls on the city, the heartless is already stirring!

Aerith has posed:
The very air seemed to shift, moments before the tremors. Aerith's eyes narrowed as the Voice whispered danger to her just before she had to struggle to stay on her feet. The hunger, the darkness, the sense of a void that yearned to be filled... it hit her like a brick to the head.

"Here we go," she muttered. Aerith whirled her staff into a combat position, even knowing that she wouldn't engage the creature directly. No, too big for that. She preferred being here for now.

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Hostile, aggressive, telling Seifer what he should or shouldn't do is the absolute best way top make sure that he would do no such thing. His jaw tightend, his hands curled into fists. It was a rant, a rant was coming, loud and verbose. You will sit there and listen to him explain in very fine detail how he is right and you are wrong in every possible way.

The world goes dark, it is just him and Rinoa. She will be told... she will be very told!

Thankfully, the telling off of Rinoa is forestalled, the earth trembles beneath Seifer's boots, causing him to jerk and sway, arms lifting up as he fights for a moments balance before the world beneath his feet decides to settle.

His railing diatribe is put on hold for now. Something more important shouldering it's way into the foreground of his thoughts.

"Alright, let's get this over with then." he utters bitterly, his long coat flipped away to one side, revealing Hyperion sheathed and holstered at his hip.

"If you're scared or weak, you'd better scurry of now." he addresses Neviril, thumbing the buttoned strap that held Hyperion in it's holster. "If we have to cover up for you, it will just slow everyone else down."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart tightens her gloves "Who's scared or weak here?" Well, none of those in her small group. She knows even Rinoa is tough when it comes down to it. And with Aerith's magic, she's well surrounded. Seifer and her and handle the front line with this kind of backup at least.

She would comment on Nevi if she knew her at all, but first time they meet, so we'll see what she can do today it would seem.

"So its in the sewers? Where's the entrance to it?" She didn't have time to look at that kind of detail on the map, but she'll follow there without a fuss.

Neviril has posed:
Neviril feels the tremors and shakes with them, she'd sigh if she wasn't in present company, she's not prepared for this and not ready, nor has she ever seen one as big as this persons leading on to be. She looks at Rinoa, "Perhaps.. maybe your right. I should run away and find some nice place to hide from this horrible creature." She begins looking around to find someplace 'safe'? That is untill Mr. Soldier goes and opens his mouth, oh the nerve, she looks at him, "How dare you! You just assume that I am some weak or scared nothing that can not fend for herself. You soldiers are all alike. Because someon does not wield a sword or is a man, they must be weak and trivial." she grits her teeth at him, in very much robust anger. She's a pretty princess with an anger issue, oh how cute.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa stares silently at Seifer, arms folded as she gets ready for another lecture from him. Oh, she's so ready to put him in his place this time, after all the trouble she's gone for his sake..But that tremor comes and she gasps, glancing down at the ground. "It's awake. Come on, we have to stop it before it comes top side! Follow me, I know the sewers like the back of my hand!"

Odd that. Rinoa doesn't wait to see if Nevi will follow them or stay behind, nor does she notice Aerith, hiding up on a rooftop somewhere. As far as she's concerned it's just the three of them. And maybe whatever brave soldiers that decide to accompany Seifer. Well then, so be it.

She darts off down some back alley, proving to be quite quick on her feet, turning this way and that as she leads the party towards what seems to be a dead end..But there's a manhole there, and she expertly removes it, which seems quite easily removed once you get the hang of it.

"Come on, I think I know where that sound came from. Down here, it's not far.." Hopefully no one has an issue with sewers!

Aerith has posed:
And so they were on the move.

Aerith trailed them as they headed for a nearby alleyway before she leapt down from the rooftop, bounced off an awning, and landed on the ground as if she were taking a stroll. She jogged toward the others, hoping to follow them toward the sounds of chaos and terror just underneath them. People scattered as the rumbling shook the streets once more, the guards heading toward their assigned stations. She already had a plan for dealing with this thing, and now she'd have to revise it for close quarters. Not difficult to do, considering.

Then again, in light of present company , two of which she didn't trust, this plan wasn't shared with everyone else. There was no time for that anyway.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart doesn't know what Aerith has in mind either, but she can trust her anyway. She moves after Rinoa down to the sewers.

No, she doesn't like sewers, but not like you have the choice of the terrain when fighting these. Plus, she has been in worse... Thinking about to Haloween Town, or the serendipity artifacts, or the midgar zolom swamp... there are many many situations that weren't pleasant, almost on the scale of sewers. So she'll live.

"Its good that you know this place Rinoa, because it looks like a maze."

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Seifer reeled back around, ready to feed Neviril a piece of his mind, something that would be considered a delicacy considering how difficult it is to find.

He was ready to lay in, instead, Rinoa bolted. His attention snapped back and forth between the two. He was having no luck with his monlogues tonight. "Damnit.." he bit out, watching her weave into the crowd. His teeth bared in a sneer before he uttered another groan of distaste before he darted off after her himself.

He did not enjoy the portent of their journey into the sewers beginning with a dead end. Never the less, he readily descended the ladder beyond the hole of men.

Neviril has posed:
Neviril mutters and grumbles, as they take off to the manhole. She was expecting to further lay in to him, thinking she was but a weak and scared little girl.. But, realising where they are heading there is no way she is going there, into the sewers and getting her clothes all disgusting and dirty, oh yeah hell no. She stamps a food and curses into the air. She's stuck, she can't return for her armor, and she can't follow them. Making a disgusted sound, she trods off to atleast pretend to be a normal person in this miserable city in the midst of this tiny disaster.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa pauses for only a moment to make sure she didnt lose anyone through the chaotic crowds or winding paths that led to the sewer entrance. Finally she notices Aerith following them while the other girl she doesn't know seems to hesitate. "Sorry. I guess you'd better stay here where it's safe!"

Although Seifer's being a jerk about it (as always), Rinoa knows he's right. They cant be slowed down. She smiles as Aerith follows them, "Hey, Aerith, nice of you to join us. Come on, we dont have much time to waste!"

There's another rumbling that nearly shakes her off the ladder, although she holds on for dear life, proving to be quite agile down in the sewers, and only jumps off before hitting the last few rungs.

"Phew..." she wrinkles her nose, trying to get used to the stench down here, but really, Delin's a pretty well kept City usually. She'll get used to the smell as she has many times before. She doesnt have a flashlight, but she does summon a small ball of fire to light her way.

"Alright, I think it occured just below the central park. It'd make sense since that's where most people gather, so we should head that way.." And she starts to walk confidently down the tunnels, seeming to know exactly where she's going.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith smiled toward Rinoa as she was acknowledged, then allowed everyone else to go down first... Before she just jumped down the manhole, landing with one end of her staff first, her boots touching the ground a brief moment after. Nope, no ladder for her, she was fine. Aerith trailed after the others, eyes closed, each stride confident, as if she'd been here a thousand times. Perhaps it was because she knew exactly where the Heartless was, but she wouldn't tell anyone that just yet. It wasn't everywhere, like the usual swarms. No this was just one, and that meant she could pinpoint its location to the inch.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart looks over her shoulder when Aerith lands down, just making sure she's okay. She knows the girl is tough, but not as tough as she is. Sae with Rinoa in fact, but she's sure Seifer is keeping a close eye on her despite all he's saying. "Below Central Park huh, that means pretty much right in the center of the city. Any idea why? Can reach more people at the same time from there or something?" She puts a hand on the wall, walking along the path lining up the sides of the tunnels.

With all that, she doesn't know who that Neviril is or what she's doing here.

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Of course Seifer is right! He didn't care if she only had one arm or if she had a extra one. Those with unsure hearts and weak resolves should keep themselves well away from danger so as not to hinder the bold and the brave!

His face wrankles in distaste of the ambient nasal offense of the sewers, his heart leaping for a breif moment when Rinoa brought a ball of flame to life... but as moments passed and they were not consumed by a horrid, fiary conflagration, Seifer decided that his worries of methane gas were unfounded.

"Is it really important?" wondered Seifer to Tifa as he followed along behind Rinoa, a ring of steel bouncing off of the tunnel walls, he having drawn Hyperion from it's sheath. "Whatever reason it's there for, it won't be for much longer." he proclaimed, hefting his weapon up and resting it across his shoulder.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa arches a brow at Aerith when she leaps down into the sewer from the top rung. That's a long way down! She knows that Aerith had been absent from 7th heaven for a long time due to training, but even then she's surprised that the usually frail looking flower girl is able to make such a jump.

"Wow Aerith, where've you been training for the past several weeks?..Impressive.." No, she doesn't know of whatever secrets that Aerith held recently. She's always been a bit mysterious. she's certainly piqued Rinoa's curiosity however! She'll have to ask later..

"Hmm, that's right. Central Park. Lots of people there. I guess if heartless like to prey on lots of warm hearts, that's the center of town. It shouldn't take us too long to reach it.." She turns down another corner and down another long corridor, before reaching a little bridge between the water way that leads to another walkway. After about 15 minutes of this stuff, all the rooms and walkways seem to look more or less the same.

Is Rinoa lost? Let's hope not! That rumbling comes again, this time sounding a lot closer than it was a few minutes ago! "No really, we ARE almost there...I think.."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith's eyes snapped open, not at the rumbling, but at something else. "We're closer than you think..." Her hands tightened on the staff. "It's stopped moving." That could only mean one thing, and it wasn't good. "Everyone get ready."

Seifer Almasy has posed:
With the world around them still seemingly unable to sit styill, Seifer eyed the walls around them and the ceiling above warily. Buried alive in a sewer collapse is not how his story should end!

"Well, if nothing else, it's a convenient monster." uttered Seifer, Hyperion lifted from his shoulder and allowed to dangle by his side at the end of his arm.

"Since we can't find it... it might be coming to us."

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart stretches an arm a bit, warming it up. She doesn't have a weapon to crack up or pull out after all, what she has are those fists. Its a bit more quiet than the others in that aspect at least. When she reaches the end of the tunnel, before it opens up, she carefully slides against the wall, staying in shadows, so she can peers inside for any signs of it. She trusts Aerith's feelings on that too, so might as well be twice as careful.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
"Well, aren't you a smart one.." A smooth, feminine voice murmurs from the shadows somewhere. But..Heartless don't talk..Do they?

Rinoa blinks, peering into the darkness, waving her small ball of fire around, trying to figure out where the voice came from. Suddenly there's a large splash of water as the black form of a large creature of some sort emerges from the water way before them! How strange, it seems to take the form of a beautiful woman in a long flowing dress.

Long black wings sprout from her back, and strange ram like horns curl from her temples. Her face and body and dress are all in the inky black shadowy color of the heartless although her eyes glimmer gold. In a past life she may have been something that both Seifer and Rinoa might recognize - A sorceress...but now she is merely a shadow of her former self..

Rinoa gasps, staggering back, preparing herself. Angelo didnt come with them as it was a pain to carry her down the ladder. She's on her own this time. Just herself and her magic. And those that chose to fight at her side. Would it be enough?

"Is that..What I think it is? It cant be.." She shakes her head, but readies her blaster edge. The Heartless cannot talk, does not have any consciousness but it does give an ear piercing screech, blasting the party with a devastating blast of wind and ear piercing screech that reverberates against the walls of the sewers, shaking it to its core. Yes, let's hope it doesn't bury them alive!

Aerith has posed:
Aerith was immediately knocked back by the blast of wind and the screech before she could make her first move, and her back rammed into the wall behind her. She managed to shake the pain off and pointed her staff toward the human that was definitely not human. No, she could feel the same feelings that radiated from the Heartless, and thus she had no qualms about retaliating.

Aerith's eyes narrowed as she pointed her staff toward the creature, the materia now in bangles lighting up like tiny stars. Moments later, a shockwave of sound burst from the tip, akin to a shotgun.

The creature would find that there was no more doing that little trick.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart blinks at the voice. No, heartless shouldn't be talking, but those that control heartless can. "What's going on?" Clearly not a friendly spirit though, with an opening attacking like that. A half-broken, discarded sewer plate is kicked up as the ice spikes and thunder come her way, her steeled boots tossing it up and serving as a shield for the incoming magic. At least she went through the surprise attack unscathed "Is that a way to welcome people?"

Not that she expected a warm welcome obviously, they were heartlelss hunting, but still not quite pleasant either. She moves in for the counter, opening up with her 3 punch and water kick opening, a standard with her it would see, as it always helps mellow down her opponents some before it gets too serious.

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Damnit, it got the drop on them!

Seifer refuses to give up the offensive however, Hyperion's tip thrusting into the concrete walkway, anchoring him in place as the shriek batters him, rattling his bones and abusing his eardrums, leaving them ringing painfully for a few moments. He grits through, teeth bared as he surges forward, snapping Hyperion free of it's mooring duties as he charges the sorcress-like... thing!

"Shut your damn mouth!" he barks as he lashes out, Hyperion whipping around as he sends himself flying towards the monstress.

He won't stop there of course, again he turns spinning in the air before her, Hyperion sweeping out with every revolution he makes, each strike punctuated by a snap of gunfire, spent shells kicked free as the slide jerks back, expelling the casings and chambering a new one with every pull of the trigger.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
The creature screeches, reaching up its long clawed hands to swat at Aerith's magic like it was nothing. Flapping its wings it flies higher in the room, then lifting its clawed hands above its head it releases balls of white, holy energy upon the party, filling up the area with shards of light.

The mysterious voice does not answer their questions but continues to chuckle softly in the background.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa ducks and rolls out of the way of most of the balls of light, although one or two of them clip her in the shoulder. However, glancing up at Tifa and Aerith she sees that they're in pretty bad shape. "Tifa, Aerith! Hang in there!" Summoning protective magics, she surrounds them in shields of energy.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith grimaced as the attempt failed, and she made her best attempt at evading the resulting counterattack. One of the wayward spells barely kissed her right cheek before it slammed into the wall behind her, stone and debris flying from the explosion. Sadly, the third hit home, right into her gut, and promptly exploded, making her stagger backward for a few steps.

Right, not good. Time to get serious.

As the supportive magics surrounded her, Aerith whirled her staff and prepared another assault, this time one that carried much more weight... due to the fact that she channeled spirit energy into it!

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Seifer Almasy is just too spry for the beligerent witch. Darting away after his first encounter with the creature, he finds himself on solid ground once more. No time to rest of course, orbs of holy power come smashing in. He bounds left right, ahead and back, deftly weaseling his way around all three as they smash themselves into the places he just so happened to be a half-second prior.

So he continues his little sprint, a hand extended to the beastess, teeth bared and attention... woefully divided.

The voice did not belong to this woman. Then who?! WHo would dare to invade the city of the Sorceress Edea.

Balls of fire flew from his hand as he wen about his idle wondering.

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart blinks as the next attacks come her way. Holy? Isn't that supposed to be Aerith's turf? Why would a heartless be using Holy? This shouldn't be happening. She grits her teeth, as all she can do is brace herself for the magical power, whcih hits her pretty good too. She is slammed back against the wall with the force of it, making her grunt as she loses her breath with the impact. "What's going on here?" She voices herself as soon as she can breath again, moving in to attack again. She's never been a quitter, not about to start either.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Who indeed? This was strange, someone else was pulling the strings. Rinoa glances around as she rolls out of the way of the holy magic. "Huh? How odd..There's someone else here too, but where?" She aims at the heartless first however, best to take it out before dealing with the mysterious visitor.

She releases her saw blade at the monster, and it spins and twirls in the moonlight, slashing at the heartless, causing it to shriek and fall back for a moment..

Again it attacks, this time with bolts of lightning, and balls of flame that rain down upon the party.

Aerith has posed:
The spells rammed against the defenses Rinoa had given her... but they could only keep so much of the damage away.

Aerith was forced to her knees as the assault battered down on her, and she had to use her staff to get herself back up. Okay... this was not a good day for her at all. Not by a long shot. Time for a different approach...

Aerith lifted her right hand and began to administer some much-needed healing on herself. Hopefully it'd be enough to keep herself... somewhat whole. Then, since whatever this was liked magic so much, she decided to bolster her defenses even more. See if it could crack through two walls instead of just one...

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Again, Seifer is all but untouchable to the beast. Bolting and leaping this way and that, cart wheeling out of the way of one bolt of lightning as it streaks towards him, blinking away the spots it left in his eyes from the dazzling light in the dark chamber.

He recovers just in time to see flames rushing towards him, bright and hungry, eager to consume the grey knight.

He'll have none of it!

He steadies himself, boots scraping as the place him in a wide, braced stance, Hyperion transfering away into his off hand, freeing the right to thrust forward, empty of all but his intent.

"FIRAGA!" he barks, answering the last burst of fire with one of his own, a hellacious wash of heat and light that overtakes the witches spell! And then another! Flames erupting around the creature to further wear her down before he readies his next strike.

Hyperion nearly leaps into it's proper hand before Seifer begins to set the sword to dance, twirling the gunblade at the end of a finger, light trailing after the weapon's edge in a vibrant, green streak. Gathering himself and focusing his heart, the blade comes to a sudden halt, extended back and away, a gleaming light suffusing the blade. He strikes, sweeping the weapon through empty air, loosing spiraling discs of wind that rush toward the beastess with every sweep of his arm!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart is fine when it comes to physical attacks, but she doesn't have much luck with magical attacks. She wish she had Aerith's knack for magic in cases like these, where she feels she's at a complete disadvantage, getting a pounding much faster than she should be. The combination of fire and thunder leave their mark on the barmaid, singing her skin and clothes here and there all over her chest and limbs. But really, what else can she do but endure it up, and keep ont he offense? At least she's not alone, she has backup, people on who she can trust. Yes, even Seifer has shown dependable in these fights.

She leans against the wall, and pushes herself forward, toward the magess, picking up speed as she moves forward. That's when she does some of her favorite tricks. The moment of a blink, a moment Tifa doesn't miss, she disapears from sight. For the untrained eye at least. She actulaly slid down in front of the sorceress, and sent a powerful uppercut toward her head, aiming to make her fly out. And before she can realize she's not touching the ground, Tifa is already OVER her, hands grabbing at her shoulder. A graceful flip, using the sorceress as a counterweight, she uses all of her arm strength to throw her to the ground in a loud crash.

Its a good thing the ceiling is high enough here.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Rinoa smirks at Seifer's cockiness..Although she cant help but admit that he's been a big help thus far..If only he could keep his ego in check. Aerith and Tifa seem to be having a streak of bad luck however, and so Rinoa once again focuses upon protecting them as much as she can. She waves a hand and surrounds them in more protective energies. "Hang in there, you guys!"

Meanwhile, the heartless sorceress glares back at them with its beady gold eyes and this time as it reaches its hand to the sky, it summons a colorful array of colored light and streaks of energy to rain down upon the group that crackle and pop, something akin to brilliant fireworks.

Aerith has posed:
The assault rammed against her defenses... and they held!

Aerith glared at the Heartless as she stood again, her gaze defiant. She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out a vial filled with gleaming yellow liquid, taking a swig before smashing it against the wall behind her. "Right, you've made a mistake." She pointed her staff toward the Heartless. "You've made me angry."

She fired, and a burst of flames unleashed itself upon the witch...

Seifer Almasy has posed:
Seifer's lucks and uncanny good looks have saved him from the worst of the witches efforts so far. It seems as if his luck has just run out. Not his good looks, however. He's still got plenty of those.

Stars rain down in a pyrotechnic display, Seifer bobs and weaves as best he is able but with all of the stars in the sky seemingly intent on finding him, Not even Seifer Almasy is capable of fully escaping. They pound away, blast after blast hammering the Knight, knocking him astry from one darting escape or another and leaving him vulnerable for the following falling stars.

It leaves him slightly worse for wear... but still good looking.

Gathering himself, Seifer raises up into a hunched stoop, trying to shake off the sudden beating. If this witch wants to play rough...

His hand thrusts forward once more! A wash of flame erupting around the witch to keep her on her heels, allowing Seifer to launch himself skywards, nearly scraping the roof of the high chamber.

There, hovering above all, Seifer works Hyperion in two fine slashes, causing bisecting lines of light to form beneath the magess, forming a sort of crucifix... one that will shortly explode! The eruption leaves a gaping hole for the witch to plummet into where she will then be dropped right on her head in the same spot she once stood!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
The repeated magical attacks on the barmaid have taken their toll, and she's not in a state right now. In fact, her conciousness feels like its only an inch from giving out. She groans as she picks herself up. Even if she got mad it wouldn't help, she's always keep the same focus from begining to end, unlike Aerith that seems to be ready to unleash it only when the time is right.

She doesn't trigger this way, which is a good and a bad thing. In this case, not a difference in the outcome.

But as long as she has a bit of energy she can stand up and hack away at the sorceress at least. Even if that hasn't been very effective this time. Guess lady luck doesn't favor her today.

If she was able to endure the eteor Strike, let's see how she likes the other meteor, the Meteodrive. No less dangerous from the barmaid at least, when the slender arms grab you from behind like that, you can feel the full strength she's hiding in her apparently light body.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
The heartless sorceress shrieks, stumbling back, slamming into a nearby wall as Aerith's fireballs rain down on it. Seifer and Tifa's combined flurries of kicks, slashes and fire magic follow, pounding it hard but it still holds strong. With a shriek it unleashes more fireballs upon the heroes..

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Shooting stars rain down upon the party and Rinoa darts out of the way, barely getting singed again, but still holding steady. She staggers to one knee, but glancing around sees that the others aren't faring so well. Seifer's been lucky so far but suddenly he's hit hard. "Seifer!" she gasps, obvious concern crossing her face. That's it, now she's mad! Her form seems to glow suddenly as she steps forward, clasping her hands in front of her..

"You asked for it..Now you'll be begging for mercy!" Her eyes seem to glow, even the winged symbol on her dress glows brilliantly - strange, it's never done that before. She steps forward, kneeling on one knee, clasping her hands in front of her. "Hyne, help me defeat this heartless wish...Angels Wish!"

Columns of brilliant holy magic suddenly come raining down upon the heartless fiend, shaped like hundreds of arrows that pound relentlessly down on the shrieking witch..

Aerith has posed:
Apparently, that was not enough.

Aerith slipped to her right, avoiding the first fireball, her eyes still narrowed. The second one was just as easy, and Aerith's mask of determination made what she was doing all the more severe. The third, she simply knocked away with the front end of her staff, not even holding it with both hands. It diverted and rammed into the wall just behind her.

"My turn."

Aerith lifted her right hand, a light glowing from within her ribbon. That holy spell that it'd thrown at her in the beginning was nothing.

This was a real one.

Seifer Almasy has posed:
The others have reached their limits, lashing out wildly, desperately. Is this the line that defines what it is to be a brawler, a renegade a flower girl, and a Knight?

He would like to think so.

Rinoa and Tifa do their best, Rinoa calling upon a power he did not expect of her... she's changing.

That's okay, so is he.

Fire washes towards him, the Knight, still, somehow suspended in empty air, just barely manages to escape the worst of it, jetting this way or that, brushed by the flames, feeling the hot agony dance crosss him as he cuts one escape a little too close, leacing him to beat a fire off of his sleeve with the other hand.

The witch wanted to play with fire... so beit!

Steeling himself, Seifer held a hand to hsi face, his eyes falling closed as he reached deep within himself to something that lay sleeping. With pure, stubborn effort, he called it out, the summoning orbs that herald the appearence of a Guardian Force orbit him... these somehow different than those of normal SeeD, the markings are wrong.

The air grows thick and hot as Seifer draws the beast up, flames burts into life upon him, tongues of flame burning like a candle here and there as something surges emerges from his back, leaving him. A grand, horrid serpent of fire, it writhes and twists in the air, casting a baleful gaze upon the gathered before setting it's sights on the witch. A forked tongue flicks into the air as the monster considers it's task, mulling it over for just a moment before, abruptly...

It dives.

Like a snake's strike, it lunges for her, maw gaping open as it crashes down upon the witch, only to vanish in a hellacious conflagration!

Tifa Lockhart has posed:
Tifa Lockhart has been pretty much at the end of her rope in this fight, Even a few potions she's taken barely kept her concious. Why did it have to be magical attacks one after the other? What luck.

Let's just hope she never has to fight Aerith.

But she doesn't have much energy left, but she charged up enough 'anger', or should be be focus forher, to be able to unleash this last attack. She's going to pray it hits though, since she doesn't have fuel left. She watches Seifer's and Aerith's attack crash into the sorceress, and before the last blasts from Seifer dissipates, a glowing fist charged with her ki energy emerges from the explostion, at least from the sorceress' point of view, moving straight to connect with her face, releasing the explosive energies of her Final Heaven. No, she has nothing witty to say about this point, she just wants to go home.

Rinoa Heartilly has posed:
Holy arrows and balls of holy magic rain down on the heartless witch, followed by the combined might of Tifa's powerful martial arts attacks and Seifer's fearsome gunblade strikes, followed by the summoning of Salamander! Its body is severely battered, torn, ripped to pieces. With a last sigh it crumples to the ground, tattered wings wilting around it as it fades away, leaving nothing but munny and hp balls behind..

The voice in the darkness draws a gasp of surprise and dissapointment. "You defeated my pet? Impossible! No matter..I will just have to make more. That one.." She points a shadowy finger at Rinoa who slowly, tiredly rises to her feet, glaring back at the shadowy figure.

"I wonder. Just now, I sensed..But no, not yet awake..Still, I will come back for you! But first, to deal with that Ambassador Witch..Until then..Farewell!" With musical laughter she summons a shadowy portal and steps in, unfurling her glimmering white bat wings, long hair whipping around her as reindeer antlers frame her silouetted face..Then she suddenly vanishes from view, leaving a chill wind in her wake..

Aerith has posed:
Aerith sighed as she lowered her right hand.

So they'd done it... but that left the question of what exactly that thing was. It was unlike any Heartless she'd seen before, that was for sure. She glanced around, checking everyone out. "Hey, you guys okay? Nothing too hurt?" Sure she seemed all right, but she felt like crap. It was tougher than it looked. Flowergirl turned toward Rinoa with a smile. "Never seen that from you before... it must have been tough without Angelo."