Shopping for shadow lords

Shopping for shadow lords
Date of Scene:	06 January 2013
Location:	Agrabah City
Synopsis:	Katyna takes Riku shopping for a new jacket after accidently burning his last one in a sparring match. Kat tries to understand Riku better and they ultimately spend the night watching the stars and pondering things..
Cast of Characters:	Riku, Katyna

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Katyna has posed:
So, by some miracle, Katyna had managed to successfully drag Riku out of that gloomy Hollow Bastion, and took him (probably kicking and screaming) all the way to Agrabah, one of many desert cities which, being the hothead that she was, she enjoyed immensely.

She had ditched her heavy armour for cheerful flame red gypsy pants and a simple black silk haltertop, making her look more like a fun lovin' gypsy girl than the badass, dedicated mystic knight/dark knight in training that she is.

"Wooo! Alright then!" She grins cheerfully at the somber Shadow Lord as she glances around at all the busy stalls. "I'm sure we'll find an awesome replacement for your jacket here.." And maybe she'll find lots of treasure too! "What do you think?"

Riku has posed:
The only actual kicking and screaming involved was because Riku had been about halfway through breakfast when the dragging occured. He also looked pretty much like he had been dumped into a sack and beaten with reeds for a few hours or so.

However, with these energy levels so low he had no particular desire to fight Ember's wishes and so had followed her somewhat sedately out to the desert kingdom. He had ditched his usual outfit for lighter clothing, having at least enough common sense to know that he was going to be around a hot head long enough to probably catch heat stroke just by being around the,

"I think that you have entirely too much energy for this time of the morning and that I am regretting my words which you have fed to me instead of the waffles and or bacon that there should be." Riku looks around the busy stalls, noting here and there the signs of fear and the aura of tension from the occupied city.

Katyna has posed:
"Bah!" She makes a face, "You looked like you could use the heat and cheerful sunlight..Besides I'll get you a better breakfast here! C'mon, it'll be fun, waaay more fun than lurking about that creepy castle and moping all day!"

Kat seems too cheerful to really notice the fear and tension in the city. Was this new vizier really so bad? He seemed to be in good with the heartless at any rate. These people should be happy that their city wasnt destroyed the way manhattan was! She peers around at the stalls, scratching her head thoughtfully. "Wow, look at all that gold!""

She darts towards a stand full of gold jewelry of all sizes and shapes atlhough, being the tomboy she is, Kat's not that much into jewelry really. Still it's pretty and shiny and can be melted down into gold or something else that's useful..Armour perhaps? Heh.

"Ooh ooh...I wonder if these fly?" She darts away towards a bunch of carpets, running her fingers over them. Seems she's almost forgotten what they really came here to find, although the smell of freshly cooked choco waffles from a nearby stall catches her attention, and she pauses in mid air, turning her hungry nostrils towards the delicious smell. "Wow....What's that? You feelin' hungry still, Riku?"

Riku has posed:
Riku nods ruefully. "Yeah. Angantyr beat the crap out of me. Thankfully, I get pulled away when that happens instead of waking up in jail somewhere-- or the morgue." he makes a face at that, shaking his head.

"Scary Armor the lesser is certainly not someone to mess with." he draws in the smell of chocolate and spices as the vendor from the cart notices their attention, giving them both wary looks as if trying to gauge what response would be seen as favorable. Outsiders, and outsiders unmolested by the looming threat of this cities guardians are not to be trifled with.

Riku is nevertheless very polite in his dealings, digging out more than is required to get himself some of those pancakes. "I don't know if they fly, put I don't think it would surprise me if they did. I don't think I can be surprised like that much anymore."

Katyna has posed:
Kat smiles cheerfully at the vendor as she buys herself some waffles. "Thanks!" And she proceeds to stuff her face, clearly having not eaten herself since getting here...Where DOES all that extra energy come from? She peers back at Riku, mouth open waffle half eaten when he mentions Angantyr...She frowns, mouth snapping shut quickly.

"Ugh, that guy again! He's so...So full of rage and hate, and yet he fights with the good guys.." She grits her teeth. "I think he's a liability, why does Garland continue to be his mentor and show him dark passageways?"

Kat only ponders over that a second or two before her gaze wonders towards those carpets again, "Hmm, I'll bet they might..Anything is possible in this world, afterall. I hear there's some sort of magical cave out there in the desert somewhere, probably full of treasure..." Oh yeah, that's where she ran into Riku the first time, and fell into a hole of sand. But she hadn't found the actual caverns..

"But what really confuses me, is why these people look so...So glum.." Honestly, she doesn't know too much about what goes on in Agrabah.

Riku has posed:
Riku takes this time to eat pancakes. This is usually what he does to avoid having an awkward but obvious conversation and it has worked for him very well in the past. When he has stalled as long as he can he wanders back towards the carpet stall.

"Scary Armor the Greater probably has his reasons. I'm actually sort of glad I don't have to know what they are. He's Ang's problem." He pauses for a few moments, then shrugs. "Why don't we go looking for it? That's as good a use for the morning as I feel up to right now..

" He pointedly doesn't answer her about why the people look so glum. See above awkward but obvious conversation avoidance techniques.

Katyna has posed:
Gah, he's taking his time to eat those pancakes, that by the time he's finished, Kat with her short attention span is busy eating her own and then busy trying to figure out what this scary armour is, and then the flying carpets, and the treasure and...Gah! Too many things to keep track of!

"Hah! Scary Armour? What the heck is that? His bodyguard? Ugh, that guy gives me the creeps. I cant imagine how he could possibly be 'in love' with Avira.." She makes a face at the word 'love' obviously a sore spot for the girl. "Hmm. But, it'd be fun to look for treasure, but...Maybe after you've finished we should actually, 'yknow, look for that jacket for you first? I mean you seemed pretty attached to it.."

She smiles, "Hey, there's a lot of good clothing stalls on the upper levels. Wow this city's so cool, it's all made of clay and you can climb all over the place instead of taking a highway or something. I wish I could explore the castle, it's so pretty...But I REALLY wanna search for that mysterious cavern, so let's hurry and find your jacket!"

Well Kat's obviously a fast eater and she is ready to go, as she wanders away from the stall. "Later! Let's get that jacket!" And heads for the stairs that lead to an upper clothing shop.."Ooh.....Pretty...." She's lost f or a moment or two, peering at this and that, searching for something appropriate. "Oh! How's this?" And she pulls like, ten different jackets from out of nowhere. How'd she find those so quickly? Crazy girl..

Riku has posed:
Riku is mildly surprised by the sudden 10 jacket trick, giving lie to his easy exclusion of surprise from his life. However, he mostly blames it on the fact that Katyna spins and turns the conversation back and forth in such a tight space that it gives him a headache to think about anything for more than a few seconds.

Apparently thought, he doesn't have much difficulty in choosing because of the absolutely lack of interest he actually has and the idea he already has in his head. "No. No." he relieves Katyna of two, then picks a third at random, looks at it to assure it will work and isn't-- you know-- a trap of some kinds (Because you never know) and then shrugs.

"It'll do. And I was attached to it at the time in a very physical way, Ember. " he smirks faintly at her. "Try not to char this one to cinders as well?"

Katyna has posed:
Kat blinks at the jacket he chooses and sadly, does not even get the slightest smile out of him. "Aww...Really? That one is so drab..You need something more cheerful..Like...This!" She holds up a blindingly bright neon green jacket to his face. "There, much more cheerful! Y'know, isn't there anything that gets you excited? Or at least a little..Passionate about?" actually she pouts a bit, "This is supposed to be fun, so..." Smile already!

"Ooh I know, I'll bet you dont get to go on shopping trips much, but. It can be fun too! Ooh, how about this one? It's pretty nice, gives your face some color!" A bright red one is held up to his face and she turns towards the nearby mirror. "See? How's that? I think it's perfect!" Kat smiles faintly when he asks her not to burn it again, nodding slowly. "I'll try..Maybe you should get a fireproof one, y'know? Maira once gave me this really handy fireproof potion, I'll bet I could integrate that into the fabric.."

Riku has posed:
"Or I could simply not allow you to get that close again." Riku takes the red jacket out of Katyna's hands, puts the other one away as apparently a curse on the land of drab. He holds it up inquisitively, looks it over and then chooses his one over the last, although with the absolute same lack of actual caring that he made the last decision with.

"No." he says to the brilliant neon green jacket. "There is not enough no in the world to fill into the hole that jacket burns into the world." he smirks at Katyna. "So-- where is this treasure cave? Do you know even that much or is it--" he waves vaguely. "Somewhere in the desert out there."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna smirks, "What, afraid that I actually got a good hit on you, huh? But maybe next time I'll get better and you'll actually respect me...But I guess no one's ever been able to best you..Yet. Still, I think being the best at something requires a certain amount of passion..And drive. You got the skill and the know how, but where's the passion?"

She presses a hand to her heart as she says that, "That's why I think I have a hope of beating you..Someday. I've got passion, and drive. This means more to me than anything else in the world. Although sometimes I wonder if it's the most important thing to you too?"

Kat seems to be fishing for answers of some sort, but..When he pushes away the other jackets, her attention is quickly turned back to those clothes. She lowers the others, sighs and shakes her head. "Tch, fine, have it your way. At least the red's a bit more cheerful. Here, lemme pay for it, my treat to you!" Kat grins and winks at him as she goes up to the vendor to pay for the jacket. "There, debt is paid! Let's go look for that treasure..Err..."

Right, where exactly IS that treasure? She's not so sure herself, although she HAD searched for a map. "Heh, well I did find this map, but it's a bit faded. Should point us in the right general direction, however. You were out there somewhere with Reize once, remember? But I guess we got attacked by monsters..." Or was that another desert? They all look the same to her, darnit!

Riku has posed:
"Respect you?" Riku raises his eyebrows very slightly as Katyna spills her hubris all over his new jacket. It's almost endearing if it wasn't so terrifyingly straight forwards. He isn't being lead along by crazy scientist lady. Katyna actually believes what she is saying. She actually /believes/ that getting in a good shot leads to respect, when she has done so much else flailingly wrong.

She gets the desert-- wrong. And the world-- wrong. Annnd wow.

There is not enough wrong to fill the hole that Katyna has burned into the floor. Riku frowns at her, reaching up to whack her straight upside the head. Not anything serious, just clipping her.

"Katyna. I went toe to toe with Scary armor the lesser, and by that I mean Angantyr, and I survived." he smirks lopsidedly. "Barely. But I survived. You got hit-- ONCE, and to that is what I am going to attribute all the stupid flowing out of your mouth right now. I am hoping, like poison being leeched from a wound, that you don't attempt to equate respect with beating someone to a pulp."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna blinks as he wacks her, and she staggers back, rubbing her sore head. "Wh..what the heck was that for? Ow!" she frowns a bit as she continues to rub her head. "Gee, that's so harsh..."

With a sigh, she turns away towards the door. "You think I'm just some joke, dont you? Do you have any idea what I went through? What I lost before Lord Fessner saved my life? I just...Wanna be strong enough not to have to watch everybody I care about die around me again, what's so bad about that, huh?"

She turns around again, glaring at him, "Then what's real respect then, huh? Isn't that what 'they' are all about? I just..Dont get you.." He's probably the first shadow lord she's met who didnt seem to think being all powerful was the most important thing. How strange..

Riku has posed:
Riku sighs and shakes his head. He lays this out flat, as if dropping paving stones from a great height onto a hard surface. "Ember. You are the joke that would have stopped being funny long ago if you didn't allow yourself to be used so frequently. You are a canned joke. Someone just taps on your insecurities until you start to flail around and then points you in the direction of the good guys."

He glares back at her with a level stare. "I don't have any idea of what you went through. I only know what I had to do. How I had to fight to remain myself. You tease me about not being active and passionate, but you are the one who is going to burn out." he growls out the words, folding the jacket up into a ball and tucking it under his arm.

"And you know what? I /smashed/ into the same wall you did. Where everyone was so willing to help me. All they wanted was for me to do this.. you know.. one tiny thing. And then maybe something else. Maybe then I'd be worthy. Maybe then. Maybe not. Maybe you can do just this one last thing."

Katyna has posed:
Kat just shakes her head. "Oh, that's real funny..." She grits her teeth, "I'm a joke, because..." but Kat manages to shut up this time as she listens. "Huh, they did that? They used you like that..?" She frowns, "And what did you do in the end, how did you find the 'right way'? by 'respecting the darkness?"

Kat has walked out of the shop and back to the street at this point, after getting weird looks from the shop keeper, assuming Riku will follow. "That's easier said than done. Moderation and all that..I dunno..I dont even get why you're even one of 'them', cuz you sure dont act like the others.."

Riku has posed:
Riku looks like he really wants to whack Katyna upside the head again but he realizes that it wouldn't do any good. It would be like trying to beat sense into Reize. Some things are just outside the ken of mortals.

Riku's politeness does not extend to noticing weird looks and so he continues to follow Katyna as she walks back out into the street. "Sometimes I don't know that either. It's part of who I am, not a.." he gestures vaguely. "Not a .. way of thinking. And notice, /I'm not laughing/ Ember. Because I don't think this is funny. I think this is sad and it's going to end up with you dead-- and I don't want that."

Riku smiles at Katyna. "I like you, even if you annoy the hell out of me. What happened to you that you would rather hollow yourself out and throw yourself on the mercy of others for the approval of the other shadow lords?"

Katyna has posed:
Katyna glances around, having enough sense to go somewhere quiet where no one can hear them. "Heh, I guess, whatever happened to you in your past..Shaped who you are now, right? But..." She scratches her head, trying to put this into words. "It's like, whatever you're fighting for, is more noble than what 'they're' after.."

She blinks when he says he's not laughing, that he actually likes her. "Huh, really?" she smiles, "Well thanks. At least you're more honest than most of 'them'..." And she gives a shrug, quite happy to tell her story.

"I guess it started when I was really young. Dad died in the war, mom died shortly after from the plague...Spent several years jumping between orphannages. Til me and that boy..The one who was the spitting image of Reize..We ran away together, became street urchins, thieves. Even joined a thieves guild for a while..Then I met this noble paladin who taught me about the church. He gave me lessons on sword fighting, tried to convert me, taught me faith would make me strong, ease my pain..Then the heartless attacked. Destroyed the guild. Destroyed that paladin as he tried to protect me..Dunno what happened to the boy but, everyone tried to protect me and they died..I wasn't strong enough to protect myself, but still I tried my best. Caught the attention of a..One of 'em, and he took me in, Lord Fessner. Said there was a way to become stronger, that no one would ever be able to hurt me again. IF, I learned how to wield the darkness properly."

She smirks, shaking her head, "But he was hesitant to teach me. Then he just vanished one day and Seith took over. He taunted me when I stayed in the background, spied on the heroes but didnt intervene too much. He said it's all childsplay, that I needed to get 'serious'. Of course, that's when I spoke to LEXUS, and then Seith offered to provide me with illusions to help me 'break' 'em, said that would get 'em to understand and see that the darkness is the only way but..."

Kat sighs, "But it was all for nothing, wasn't i..I screwed up, and now..I dunno, I just wanted to become as strong as I come, so nothing, one one could ever hurt me again.." she laughs, "Silly, isn't it? That's my big dream, the only thing keeping me going after I lost everything. Beyond..Them..I'm really nothing..Just some kid. They taught me everything.."

Riku has posed:
@emit Riku puts a hand to his face and rubs the bridge of his nose. He closes his eyes tightly and keeps his expression as blank as possible.

He really doesn't know what to make of this outpouring of emotion and it makes him uncomfortable to think that it might actually be genuine.

Instead he walks around in a small circle to orient himself with where they are, walking over to a small sand baked wall that was half crumbling. He looks at the obstruction, then at Katyna for a long time. The crumbling wall rose just high enough to get to another rooftop, and from there a discarded ladder would lead to a higher vista. "Come with me." is all he says, beckoning to Katyna as he pulls himself up onto the wall and extends a hand back downwards to help her up.

Katyna has posed:
Katyna is rather terrible about keeping secrets. Wearing her heart on her sleeve is quite common. Why, Riku would probably be shocked at the kinds of casual things she might share with a complete stranger! But it is perhaps her unique lifestyle that led her to be this way. A mere street rat, a thief who was forced to befriend total strangers and earn their trust in order to acquire food, shelter..Even alliances which were useful in dangerous times.

She blinks as he says nothing in response, his expression cool as always. But what boils underneath the surface? Was he judging her? Then suddenly he beckons...And she's a bit wary, remembering what happened last time. "Hmmmm what? Where're you going>" But she follows, curiosity overriding any wariness.

Riku has posed:
"It's not like last time." he tells her with a smile. It doesn't quite look right on his face but he is obviously making an effort.

Riku pulls her up onto the wall if she lets him, and moves up to the rooftop with a small leap. Then it's just a matter of setting the old and creaking ladder up against the wall and beginning to climb.

Katyna has posed:
Katyna quirks a brow, a little hesitant to follow further...She still remembers how that darkness felt when he plunged into her heart, but...But...Dammit! It's a mystery, and she loves mysteries! "Heh, you're so damn...Mysterious, aren't you?" And maybe he knows how her mind thinks, because she wears her heart on her sleeve. "Fine, fine..I'm coming!" She climbs up the wall and to the rooftop, leaping after him. She can be graceful when she wants. "Wow," Kat pauses, peering around. "It's so quiet up here...I can see the stars.."

Riku has posed:
"I used to do this." Riku looks up at the stars, frowning slightly. "Before everything was destroyed, I used to wonder what was out there. How everything would be different if I could just-- reach out, and see what was out there." at this he reaches out and waves a hand across his upturned vision.

The stars wink out and then reappear in the brief occlusion. "--But now I'm starting to think we all share the same stories.. and if we don't learn from our own-- we'll have to eventually see them played out again. Tell me, Ember. What would that paladin have said to you, that night when you taunted Avira? Would even the Shadow Lord be proud of you for exposing yourself for so little gain? Seith and LEXUS didn't treat you like an apprentice." he frowns with faint disgust.

"They treated you like cannon fodder because you'll take strength at any cost to yourself-- even if you kill the part of yourself that other people saw in you."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna frowns a little as she reaches the top, peering up at the stars in long, thoughtful silence..Which is unusual for her, honestly. "Hmmm.." She bites her lip as she sees a star winking in. Then billions of others. was it true that they were all different worlds? That those worlds were somehow..interconnected?

She nods slowly to his words. "I guess those are all differnt worlds but they're under the same sky.." she sighs, "If that's true..." Kat glances at him curiously when he mentions the brave paladin of her past, furrowing her brow. "Huh, I dont really know...I suppose, he would be quite shocked that I did such a dishonorable thing...Kidnapping someone..Manipulating their feelings..Trying to force them to snap, but..I just wanted to impress them all. I wanted to be stronger. I was so desperate for that power, I'd do anything to get it.."

She clenches her fists, really wanting to punch something right now. This is so damned confusing. "Yeah, I guess they just used me in the end, I'll bet it was all just some dumb experiment. Let's see what will happen to these lab rats when we expose them to this environment..? But..Why are you telling me all of this, like 'they' are my..Our enemies? Arent you one of them too?"

Riku has posed:
"I wonder." is all Riku says in return to Katyna's questions.

He looks out at the desert, shading his eyes as he looks out over the sands. "We have a map or anything or are we going to go treasure hunting by just picking a direction?"

Katyna has posed:
Kat smirks, pulling out her map again, peering at it intently. "You kidding? I'm not gonna get myself lost out there again. I ALWAYS get lost in those deserts. And you can call me Katyna. 'Ember' is just a code name. It doesn't really mean anything." Kat steps towards the edge, peering down at the ladder. "So then, does that mean that you're still..Trying to find your path in life too then?"

Riku has posed:
"Well now. That wasn't so hard was it?" Riku smirks at Katyna, as though he had been waiting for her to give him that name for awhile now.

He peers down at the rooftop, then puts his foot on the ladder and leaps down to the bottom level lightly. He winces slightly as his side twinges up. "Well. I guess we better get started."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna arches a brow, not quite getting the response for the question she hoped for. Typical. But she smirks, peering at him thoughtfully. "Hmm, in a way, you kinda remind me of Angantyr..." Probably a shocker sure, but..She doesn't bother to elaborate.

"Alright, let's go!" Kat chuckles to herself, at her own private joke as she climbs down the ladder after him. "so..I wonder what you'd do if you found this treasure? Have you heard the legends surrounding this 'cave of wonders? It's quite a tale.."

Once she reaches the bottom, she motions towards the eastern wall. "There. We wanna head for the eastern desert. It should be about 45 minutes from that direction at a steady pace.."