Kingdom Hearts : Heartfelt Adventure {Day 8 ; Invite Only}

[Enji_Chou]

[Kyla:Red Rose: Kyla's room]


Kyla shifted again, her fingers clamped together fidgiting…
“I knew he was dangerous, you’re right. I could be killed. I knew that. But I was perfectly ok with-“ she stopped and Cabuncle watched her hesitate,

“- I’m ok with accepting responsibility for my actions. S-…So knowing that my situation was very dangerous, it meant that it was also very opportunistic for…others to capitalize on my predicament. Others- by that I mean, the real enemy. Or least… some higher entity or semblance of it. Something obviously big enough to destroy our world. The replicas were made after we arrived, and their creation was a plan only implemented after our arrival. Which meant there obviously was something bigger out there. But up til now I hadn’t seen or found any clues to what it could possibly be, or found any leads. I needed to start somewhere.”

“ We just kept wandering blindly from one situation to the next, fixing problems in front of us. I wanted us to be prepared. I know…my replica would be doing the same. SO I allowed the situation to unfold, knowing well that the nature of this world seemed very karmic-“

- She breathed another sigh and slowly lowered her book from the vice grip she had on it.


“ I used myself as bait to try and draw in the REAL darkness of this world. As Ajora had his fun with me, the more gruesome it became the more attention I could draw from forces who would presume our hearts were weak enough to seek aid from whatever source we could find if our need was dire enough. Something would try to tempt me. …and I was right. Sort of.”


She opened her book, quickly opening it a page back to avoid her most recent work. Finding a fresh page Kyla began to draw. As she continued to speak the images blossomed onto the paper like flowers of ink. Atlantis, the Heart, The king, Daniel, The chamber on the inside… and a figure in black, humanoid and floating solitary in space over a distant shore line that seemed alien to anywhere they had been before.


“ This being, just as he attempted to tempt me, I in turn tempted him. When he entered the labyrinth- he was lost as I knew he would be. It’s a mess there you see, I knew even in the earliest stages, he’d have a hard time getting a hold or finding his center to work from. Meanwhile Ajora, after he was finished with me, began to gloat as I predicted and began to explain his master plan. Transforming in front of me, he became some primary stage of his form we battled later on. There in was another reason I guess.”

“I wanted to relay any information I could about him and what eh had waiting for everyone when you finally caught up. However, I did not count on the magical barrier canceling out my communication. Even so he continued to explain what he saw… out there in the ether of the dark. A most ominous darkness. Something bigger, much bigger. And even to this moment I don’t think what we saw.. was even it. It was something so horrendous he had to entrust the future to us as so he deemed was his fate, as us being the good guys, and him a bad guy. I bet he counted one me talking to you like this probably as I did count of him sparing me for it. “

She flipped to another page- “ Meanwhile I had my first contact with -..Ava Mat. Or as he said. The Avatar of Mateus. He was simply an emissary though, but connected to whatever forces were working in the shadows, even now… I can’t think of where he was taken to. But my suspicions were confirmed, Ajora wouldn’t kill me, because he needed us to live, to fight whatever had its hold on Ava Mat. Despite my best efforts to buy time with our battle, I don’t think I was buying any more time for everyone to catch up- beyond what he was already doing by stalling for time himself. –

-In a nut shell, I thought I could have a chance to do several things that could have been beneficial for us in our mission to… save the world. All worlds. This was just the small stuff. As.. horrible as it sounds, it’s just STILL the small stuff.”

“But it was useless. Even though I talked to him and understand what was his motives by then- he did impart them, however I didn’t stall for time, and was unable to bring recon of any information to my comrades because of the spell. Even our combined efforts were...not so effective… “

She stopped, but it was obvious there was more.

She felt conflicted about telling him, fear it would betray her trust with the other one. But… it wasn’t like he was there anymore right? All that remained was that shard-

“He’s gone.” She muttered again, the weight of the word causing her pen to stop moving and pause on the figures face which she subconsciously had begun to draw half exposed from the shadows. Among the many other specters of illustrations of her ‘time with Ajora’ that she could remember.

“…I may not have made contact or found out much about our true enemy like I had hoped but I did learn about him. “ she met his gaze. “ The Avatar of Mateus. Like Daniel, there is still another Earthling who got lost out in this world before we started to get this far.”

She paused and her soft got softer, more vulnerable. Her eyes seemed to glaze over with a fried she'd been careful to hide.

Cue: Snowfeild

" But...I lost him. I thought I could save him, like he saved me,..after loosing you over..and over.. I thought my mess of a heart could at least be a place he could hide and be safe. But it took him from me. I couldn't hold onto his heart...in mine. Ajora ripped him right out."

I thought I could try, and protect at least one person.
Just one!!!
 

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle : Red Rose : Interior ]

Now, Kyle frowned. Not in disappointment, not in sorrow, not even at her, but in thought. His brows were furrowed as he listened, as she spoke.

"That's... a lot to respond to, so gimme a sec," he said, sliding his hand up and down his arm in contemplation. Indeed, where did he start? And how to explain the group's point of view in a way that wasn't...

"Okay, so, hear me out," he began, giving a sheepish, nervous smile as he started. "I'm going to start at the beginning."

"First--I'm not sure why you think otherwise, but you are my friend, girly," he explained, shaking his head as if the contrary was some sort of joke. "It's only been a couple days, but I make friends fast anyway. It's just that... well, the past couple days have been tense. With my Replica starting so much s**t, I was a bit flustered. As for that scene in Atlantica... I'll get to that in a bit."

"I, and I know a few others, would agree with you on your Ajora hypothesis--now fact, I suppose, after that little lament of his," he continued. "Every chance he got, he let us go with some foreboding warning, or a hint disguised as a threat. I should know, he gets... got his word-smithery from me."

"The problem we had--and I'm sure Joe and who knows who else will probably talk to you about it," he started, shrugging, as if to apologize for the inevitable. "--is how you handled it. We're supposed to be a group--we've been fairly bad at it, but that's how it's supposed to be. Sora had Donald and Goofy. Cloud had his pack. We're our own team--each with some magical skill set that could severely help us--or, if taken away, break us."

His shoulders sagged somewhat as he spoke. "You should have told more. Taken someone else along, had an escape plan... Jenny barely had a chance to tell us while she was macro-managing hundreds of soldiers with her magic. I know and completely understand the desire to help, to contribute, but... by leaving us, you took away our strongest defense. You do realize that, right?" he asked, tilting his head.

"You are our single strongest defense. That's not all you are, but that's certainly one of your more notable strengths, and you'd be silly to deny it," he continued, smiling at the word "silly" to make sure she understood the focus was on the compliment, not the joking "silly" jab. "When all our attacks fail, when the enemy moves too fast, you are the only person capable of creating a formidable enough defense to give us time... and you left in the middle of the biggest battle we've had yet. If you would have conveyed your plan with us, if we could have worked together, then perhaps we could have sent someone, like Kyle or Dani, that could feasibly get in and out unscathed--scouts of sorts. Not our last line of defense."

"Now, hear me out!!" he quickly said, not even giving her a breath's time to let those words act as the wounds they were not intended to be. "We came out okay. Everyone's fine, all things considered, it was a victory--so there's no blood on anyone's hands here," said, reaching out and lightly touching her knee for reassurance. "I'm simply explaining why the others will, inevitably, be a bit angry. Just as you're explaining your side, I'm explaining ours."

He paused here, just as she had paused, to let his words sink in. The tone of his voice when he stopped implied he wasn't finished, either, but his gaze hopefully reassured her that he was anything but on the offensive.  

[Enji_Chou]

[Kyla: Red Rose: Kyla’s room]

They were friends? Really?


She didn’t know what to say right away. “I…I thought because.. you couldn’t hear me. I.. maybe I wasn’t good enough of one. You were always confiding in Joe… and Noelle seemed to know what to do- I just assumed the problem was with me somehow so....” she looked down at her hands. Knowing he had more to say.

The truth was she wasn’t sure what it meant, what would the physical manifestation of friendship be, how did you know it was true? Was it perfect? Hardly- but… wasn’t there any bond of kind. Before, back before they split she could have sworn she had some idea of what it meant, but it was like that was more of a figment then a memory.
As he continued to talk about where she really made her error, something about hearing how it all looked from their perspective brought out an ugly thought that she had been trying to skirt around for some time. Carbuncle knew it was becoming clearer… the real problem.

It was odd… she had kept track of everyone’s status and powers, being careful to gage their combined power strength but she had left out something.
Herself.

Even when contemplating some semblance of her power into any strategy she seemed to keep glossing over the results of her contribution. Either by choice or by habit- like she was ignoring herself entirely.
She didn't think she made any difference.
She thought she was…

“...ex-..pendable.”

~ …there it is…~

Realzing she had once again spoken, somewhat out of turn she saved anything she had left to say for after Kyle finished talking.

 

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle : Red Rose : Interior ]

Kyle chuckled. Oh, that he could empathize with.

"Yeah, I think we've all gone through a phase like that," he said, leaning back a bit and grinning--not simply smiling, but grinning. "But then I thought to myself: how many people can blow things up with their minds?" He laughed, nudging her a bit with his foot reassuringly, as if trying to get her to laugh along. "I look at things, and they explode in starlight. Seriously. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that's not ballin'."

He laughed again before leaning up again. "And you--how many people in the world, nay, in history could draw something and make it exist? You put that quill to paper and you literally create. In what universe would you consider that power expendable? You can manipulate the battlefield, you can enshroud us with protective magic--hell, when you get pissed off, you can create flying bird nukes of doomy-death. Yeah. I saw what you did to that b*****d. Boom. Big boom."

"And that's just your magical talent. That's not all of who you are," he continued, smiling. "I've seen you recording things. You analyze the situation like the rest of us, you come up with your own ideas--for example, your plan to go down there? It had merit! It was a good idea--but looking back, would you say you were the best person to do it? That was Ajora's point--we need to know our strengths as a unit. We are a collection of individuals, each with immense potential, and as with any group, we can be greater than the sum of our parts if we work in tandem to our strengths while guarding each others' weaknesses."

His smile softened as he returned to the more serious topics. "So you understand, then, why we were so flustered."

"As for the real enemy... I can understand that. Knowledge is half the battle, at the least, so how could we afford not to know who our true enemies were?" he went on, nodding. "But to use yourself as bait... well, we just talked about how not expendable you are, so I guess we don't need to hit that nail again."

He paused, thinking back to what she'd brought up next. The specters.

How could he approach that? She'd had such a positive view of the Avatar. Who knows, maybe deep down there was a shred of light in him... but this was the same entity who had forcefully injected Darkness into he and Bobbi against their wills, and during a moment of immense weakness, he'd tempted Kyle into giving himself further to the Darkness. Kyle did not blame the Avatar for his choice--but there was no doubt that it was done from maliciousness.

And why had he felt the need to knot himself in so deeply?

The pause had gone on for a couple seconds, but Kyle's face had been screwed up in thought, so Kyla would have known he wasn't done.

"No, if what Kuja said was true, what we faced... was only a fraction," Kyle started, deciding instead to address what she'd said about Ajora's gloating. Yeah. He could see himself doing that. "And as for Ajora... like I said, I know him. I know how he weasels around words, but... he's not a liar. Just a crafty wordsmith. So yes, he definitely entrusted... "creation" to us."

"About the recon, well... we talked about that, too. Hindsight's twenty-twenty, so anyone we would have sent would have had the same failure--it was an unknown situation, not a weakness on your part," he explained, taking the chance to pet Carbuncle with a soft smile.

"And... as for that Avatar," he began, and noticeably, his voice grew somber. This was going to be difficult. "I know he's an Earthling--or, well, had a strong enough reason to guess. The only people we've run into with summons have been Earthlings. I'm certain that even the Avatar of Chaos is an Earthling."

"But you need to be wary, Kyla," he started, looking straight into her eyes, his own coated with concern. "What you lost wasn't his heart--it was... some extension of him. You want to know what caused me to spiral into almost killing a battlefield full of allies? Look no further than the Avatar of Mateus."

His eyes drifted to the bed, furrowed in memory. "I'd called Bobbi over, having a plan to cause a giant holy-blizzard. Next thing I know, she's been injected with Darkness, which forced its way into me through her hand. There was no choice. There was no 'let me help you'. Just Darkness," he explained, shaking his head. "After the others stopped me, a specter appeared to me--looking just like that," he said, pointing to her sketchbook. "--and played on my anger into accepting him. I don't blame him for my choice, I had my will--but he manipulated me. And when I asked him to leave..."

His right hand slid up to his chest, which now had the golden plate over it, and placed his hand over his heart.

"He'd knotted himself in and refused to untangle himself. He claimed he was there to help me," he said, his voice neutral, having lost its earlier luster. "Maybe, in his own corrupt way, he was. But I wanted my heart to myself. So Noelle, Joe, and Ultima forced him out..."

His eyes closed tight. "He'd tangled himself so intricately, so thoroughly, that the process shattered my heart and nearly left me dead," he explained before looking up to her, eyes weary. "I was only saved because my friends had shared their light with me."

"Maybe you made a difference afterward. Maybe you gave him a change of heart," he said, shrugging. "You want to find out? He's probably still inside Bobbi. Like I said, what was in you was by no means his heart--just an extension."

He sighed, rolling his shoulders back to look at her more casually. "It's your heart. It's your choice. We have no right to make you say or do anything you don't want to," he explained. "But remember what's happened today, what's been said. We're a team. We need to work together. We need to know each other's strengths, each other's weaknesses... and there can't be any secrets about that kind of stuff. He may be in control now, but remember it was Mateus who stood guard while Vexen created those Replicas for Seymour. If there's any chance he could turn on us... you can understand why it's important these kinds of facts be shared, I hope?"  

[Enji_Chou]

[Kyla: Red Rose: Kyla’s room]


Kyla listened long and hard again. Taking it in. It wasn't like she was dumb, apparently not- but there was a wall, a thick wall just letting the words slam and react loud hollow noises for a while. It was surreal. Unreal.

‘-put that quill to paper-‘ ‘literally create.’ It was silly, even if she was cognitively aware of herself, somehow she just omitted what she’d done. Everything.

Carbuncle rubbed herself into Kyle’s offered hand, simply enjoying being able to simply interact with people other than just her vessel outside of emergency.

Kyla had a lot to think about now. But her issue was so deeply rooted, it would be hard to try and fix the bulk of her problems, but like her experiment- she had to find a starting point. There was so much she wanted to say, to be open about, before it came back to ruin them. But before she let anything else of her chest- she had to disagree with Kyle’s assessment of her and Av…

“It’s. Horrible… what you said he did. I’m not sure how to explain how I feel this way but-“
She hadn’t drawn any more but she seemed to stare off into space, then her gaze dropped back down to her hand which rested on her open book. She stared at something, something there and not there at the same time.

“- I’m not sure if he was solely an extension the entire time. Perhaps at first, that’s why I trapped him. But somehow.. he started acting different. Like with you, he too claimed to only want to protect my life. He did so several times. At some point, while he was being lead around in the maze of my heart- I was able to talk to him, but somehow… there were places in my heart that were not there before. I …’m sure at one point, it wasn't just my own heart we wandered through. “
She continued to stare at the space in her hand, but in her mind’s eye she could see it. That golden shard. The last fragment left behind…from his heart. She knew it. That space in the void, with all the shattered pieces. Was it an emotion? A memory?

“I’s strange, and I have no evidence to base my theory except only what I’d seen. He brought me somewhere in deep dive… A broken shattered place. When he was taken from me I saw him change back. All that’s left is that fragment that was salvaged. I can’t be sure what piece it is but...I’m sure of it Kyle. It’s a piece of his heart. He left it with me.”

She looked up at him then, “maybe he brought it through his extension? I could be possible right? I’m sorry… I must sound so insensitive right now after all he’s done to you.”

“- I just … I can’t shake this feeling that for now, I can trust Louis to do the right thing… maybe he’s changed a little- but then again…“
It wasn’t impossible was it? Wait!
~He did say that! Remember? He said you fixed something inside him, something that should have been lost. He left that piece with you because he KNEW you could keep it safe for him.~


Carbuncle had spoken up this time.

"then again, it could all be lies."

Kyla rebutted. ~ But that's not what you feel is it?~


“Right... I don't know if this makes sense but, it does feel like that shard is the real thing. It's not mine. I can sense that. It's too war...inside was a memory but distorted. It could be a memory maybe."
Kyla had started speculating like always before, but she breathed again, and settled down.
"I'm sorry.. I just don’t feel...like it’s right.. to just let him to the darkness..” Kyla rubbed her temple like she had a head ache- “ does any of that make sense to you?”  

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle : Red Rose : Interior ]

Kyle paused. After a moment, he laughed, just once, almost in disbelief.

But it wasn't. Kyle had had his suspicions. From the way they met, from how he survived Chaos, from the time Kyle helped him on the Pearl, to the strange form he'd taken in Hawaii.

"So I was right," he said with a sigh. He'd heard the rest, but that one note... "It was Louis. This entire time..."

He gripped his left arm tightly--like a vice trying to relieve tension. It didn't last long.

The others will have to know. Not that it changes anything--but I guess we know not to look for him.

"Yeah, it makes sense, don't get me wrong," he said, smiling, though it was distant--not from her, but from reality, as if he was lost in the turning gears of his mind. "No one should be left to the Darkness if they wish to leave it. From what you tell me... maybe you did connect on a deeper level. I can't claim to know how intricately hearts work. But..."

His mind flashed back to the Dutchman, to Louis nearly losing it, to him passing out and literally leaking Darkness.

"Don't count on a full redemption yet. On the Dutchman and the Pearl... there was something. There was a period of time when our magic was completely cut off from us," he explained, looking to her now. "He nearly snapped and assaulted one of our own. Then, when our magic was restored, he passed out... and when he came to, the last thing he remembered were the moments just before our magic was taken."

"I had my suspicions that someone was working on him magically back then. Knowing he's the Avatar of Mateus now... knowing Mateus once controlled him," he said, looking solemnly down to Carbuncle. "I think he's been broken, Kyla. Broken into different parts, corrupted--you may have connected to a piece of good in him, but there's more there."

"That piece may be the key to helping him... for good or bad," he explained. "We'll need to tell the others--because we'll inevitably face him again, and we need to be prepared not just for him, but for what that presence may do to you and Bobbi. But thank you. For being honest with me. "  

[Je suis a toi]

[ Noelle ~Shipwreck Cove ~ Red Rose: Galley]

Noelle squeaked and nearly jumped out of her skin when Quina appeared. Her mind had been so far off that she hadn't even heard him approach. He wanted to make her food and there was no way she could object. The blonde blinked the dumbfounded look from her eyes and nodded.

"O-Oh . . . kay . . ." She replied meekly, following him with her gaze as he went to cook.

Noelle shook her head and returned her attention back to her tea. She took the teapot and began pouring the amber-colored liquid through a mesh strainer into her cup before plopping in a few sugar cubes and some cream. It was difficult to wait for her tea to cool before she could resist taking a small sip. Her lips and tongue complained a little, but it was so nice to have something hot to drink. When she heard Jame's voice over the charms she set her mug back on the table. She had almost forgotten what Ajora said about him--he was freed and back to normal. Noelle almost responded to him but hesitated. She was weepy and frankly depressed. She didn't want to have to explain it all.

'It'll help to talk about it.'
'. . . I know. It's just . . . too soon for me. I haven't even gotten to internalizing it.'
'Noelle, you could use the company.'
'Yeah . . . alright.'

Noelle opened her charm to James, "James? . . . Can you find the Galley?"  

[Jeimuzu Kuro]

{James : Red Rose : Interior -> Galley}

James was just standing in the corridor, his focus on the stairs that led up, coming to the conclusion that from where he was, that was pretty much the only way to go. He was about to start up the stairs when he heard someone approaching, he turned around just in time for Dawn to wrap her arms around him in a hug. He had been a fool for thinking that no one would have noticed his return, especially after his announcement on the charms. The hug was so sudden though that he was stunned briefly, his arms held out to his sides for a moment before they came up to rest on her back, returning her embrace. He wished that he could look into her eyes through his normal hazel ones instead of the eery golden irises that were evident right now. He also wished that he wasn't such a mess, but there was nothing that could be done given the circumstances.

"It is good to see you again Dawn, I am so sorry for what happened on the Pearl. I was not in control of myself when I attacked you," he stated somberly, his voice tired.

'If it hadn't have been her though, would I have come back to my senses?'

'Hard to say, her being your friend probably helped when she gave you the cognitive recalibration you needed, Fenrir replied with a light chuckle.

James let out an amused puff of air through his nose and did his best to hide a smirk at his summon's response. He knew the reference that the Lunar Wolf had taken it from of course, a rather fitting one at that. Another rare moment of humor on the beast's part.

"James? . . . Can you find the Galley?"

James smiled as he heard the familiar voice of Noelle calling out to him over the charms, and with a bit of effort managed to free himself from Dawn's grip.

"Noelle wants to talk to me it seems, you're welcome to come with me if you'd like," he stated before turning his attention back to the stairs and focusing on sending a response to Noelle.

'I should be able to, only way to go is up right?' he asked rhetorically as he made his way towards the stairs.

He heading up the flights of stairs until he entered into what could only be the galley and he smiled lightly as he saw Noelle sitting at one of the tables. He quickly made his way over to stand in front of her and couldn't help but smile as he held his arms out wide, indicating quite obviously what he wanted, and what he was sure she needed. He yet again wished that he could look at her through his normal eyes, and he was sure the golden irises would not go unnoticed by the agromancer. He could see in her eyes that she had been crying, a lot had happened down below of that he was sure, and if she was this upset, it couldn't have been good.

"It's good to see you again Noelle, What's on your mind? What have I missed?"  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{Bobbi .:. Shipwreck Cove .:. Outside Red Rose}

Bobbi hadn't noticed James and Michelle walking by, she was too focused on what Daniel was saying. When he shook her hand, Bobbi was pleased to find she was still capable of a firm shake despite being tired as all get out. That limp-wristed "I give you permission to touch my hand, male" type of pseudo-handshake done by most women Bobbi knew annoyed the snot out of her, and she'd be damned if she ever displayed something like that no matter how exhausted she was. However, when Dawn icily introduced herself, then walked off, Bobbi rolled her eyes.

"Sorry about her," she said. "Dunno what it's been like for you, but our week has consisted of fighting, death, destruction, and mayhem, and very little of it fun. So." Right about then, she heard James over the charms, and though she didn't grin like a lunatic, Daniel could probably see her eyes light up with relief and joy at hearing her friend again.

:Holy s**t, you're alive and totally not like dead or possessed or anything nasty I've been told has happened to you! What's shakin' my man?!: she sent back to Kuro. :I'd totally come show you around, but I'm baby-sitting at least one of the Turks for a bit whether he likes it or not~:

"You hungry? I was trying to recruit Dawn for cupcake-hunting and a cup of chai for myself, but apparently she's decided not to help," she said aloud to Daniel just as her stomach growled. "I dunno about you, but in case you didn't hear that, I'm starved. Screw the cupcakes, I'm gettin' m'self some bacon!" She waited patiently for his response, hoping he'd be willing to join her. If not, well, she'd ignored her stomach and it's insistent growling noises before, it wasn't going to kill her to do it now.

{Demyx .:. Shipwreck Cove .:. Outside Red Rose}

Demyx had been wandering around for awhile, pretty aimlessly. He hadn't been paying attention to the children on the Pearl with him much, and the second they'd docked, he'd headed out to explore the Cove. At one point, he spotted James and Michelle walking along, and decided to tail them, just out of boredom. Nothing else was happening, after all. As they drew near to the Rose, Demyx craned his head to see if anyone other than Cloud was there, and saw the other half of the not-so-little-anymore group. He also spotted a certain red-headed acquaintance of his, and walked up to the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

"Axel!" he said, clapping the taller Nobody on the shoulder. "How'd it go with the baby-sitting?"  

[AldrickZearse]

[Joe: Shipwreck Cove: Red Rose Deck]

Joe decided what to do after Bobbi offered the Turk food. What did he decide? Well, he shot his own message through the charms, specifically to Bobbi only.

I'd rather the Turks not get access to our bases of operation. Or the airship or train. The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily a friend, or something like that. I'm tired.

Really, he voiced his concern, but he didn't technically say she couldn't invite him on board. He'd just...rather she didn't. The less the Turks knew about them, after all, the better. Or so he figured, at this point.  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{Bobbi .:. Shipwreck Cove .:. Outside Red Rose}

Outwardly, Bobbi made no sign that she'd gotten a message from Joe, though she sent a reply back. She did her best to mask any annoyance; she knew Joe was just letting her know what he thought was best, but she'd never been able to tolerate open suspicion and hostility without what she saw as ample cause. Following orders, in her opinion, was not ample cause. Still, better to explain herself.

:"The enemy of my enemy is my friend,": she corrected as gently as she could. :I get you don't trust them; really, I do. I don't remember much about the Turks, I just remember the higher-ups like Hojo and Rufus were jerk-asses. The grunts? Well, that remains to be seen. They were following orders down in Atlantis, I'm sure, and I'm one to be a little too generous with the benefit of the doubt. Besides, I don't want them out of my sight--I'm sure you and Kyle have your reasons for your mistrust, and I'm gonna respect that--but I'm also freaking hungry. Two birds, one stone, you know?:  

[AldrickZearse]

[Joe: Shipwreck Cove: Red Rose Deck]

The male let out a sigh that could be heard through the charms.

I know very well the actual saying. As for the turks? They're specifically known for kidnapping, assassinations...the destruction of Sector 7 in the game? They set up the bomb to destroy the pillar and destroy the sector, all while kidnapping Aerith. Not exactly 'citizens of the year', there.

Joe rubbed his forehead as he thought up his next thoughts. The fact that, as an Earthling that was found by the Turks and recruited before even knowing him a week? Means a few things I'm not fond of. You want to keep an eye on him? Fine by me, I'll do it while you eat. ShinRa does not need to have access to all our information, especially if they're still at the stage where Hojo is still alive, so I'd rather not let him on.  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{Bobbi .:. Shipwreck Cove .:. Outside Red Rose}

:Huh, damn, I had a vague idea to use the food to ply him for more information. That, and my womanly charms~ I'm talking about my breasts, of course.: Bobbi sent a mental image of Mai Valentine to Joe simply because anytime breasts were mentioned, she immediately thought of how Little Kuriboh portrayed Mai in Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series. She giggled a little over the charm. :My breasts give me super strength~ Anyway. You never know what a little friendly Q&A will bring up that an interrogation won't. But hey, if you wanna be paranoid, who am I to stop you? Paranoia is a good thing.:  

[AldrickZearse]

[Joe: Shipwreck Cove: Red Rose Deck]

Joe rolled his eyes, but he still cracked a small smile. Good thing I'm immune, then. And we tried that, earlier. Well, Kyle did. Daniel there does seem to be the good little soldier they hired him to be, keeps quite a bit close to his chest.

The monk's fingers started drumming against his thigh as he thought more about paranoia. If only it was a helpful thing at the time you have. But I can't exactly...you know...just openly trust him, knowing enough about the Turks that I do, as well as ShinRa. Let it be said now that I sometimes bless and yet curse my knowledge of games. Thought. Whatever.  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{Bobbi .:. Shipwreck Cove .:. Outside Red Rose}

Bobbi giggled again at Joe's sending. :Aww, pity. Why are all the good ones always gay, taken, or both?: Then she sobered, trying to keep her mind on the serious part of the conversation. :I must have missed the friendly chit-chat, then. Well, if you can stand keeping an eye on him or them or whichever, I can go make some BLTs or something and bring it out for the rest of us, have the nice friendly chat out here. Fresh air is healthy, or so I'm told.: