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

[Je suis a toi]

((Question, Enji: I may be overthinking this, but was Kyla's message only sent to the Queen's Quest group, or everyone again? I mean, she was talking to everyone earlier, and you didn't differentiate this time, so I'm not sure. If it's to everyone and not just the Queen's Quest then I'll edit my post. ^^))

[Train ~ Sleeping Car]

Noelle sat on the edge of the bed nearest her and felt is sink beneath her. Ohh, how welcoming that feeling was. She resisted the urge to yawn and just collapse on the fluffiness. There was other things she needed to take care of, first though, like removing her boots and thanking James for his help. She did so simultaneously.

"Yeah," she sighed, kicking her shoes off by digging at the heels of one foot with the toes of the other. "Thank god, too, I don't know how much longer I would have lasted on my own . . . Thanks James. For everything."  

[Bard of Lore]

{Kyle : Angel Grove : Outside Red Rose}

Listening to Dani, he felt a sharp pang in his chest. So she was from PA too.... Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and released. He did that a few times before opening his eyes. "I'm sorry Dani. My roommate was from PA too. Lived in Butler. S***" He said softly, not knowing why he hadn't expected it. Maybe he had hoped that Zach would have made it through.

"You aren't the only one who doesn't know anything Dani. Most of us don't have any clue as to what is going on. I certainly don't. And I'll talk with Kichi. He would probably know about the charm. If not him then Riku." He said as he glanced over to her. He was about to say something else when he heard Kyla's voice. Quickly casting his eyes around, he tried to discover where she was. Then the explosion. Made the location pretty obvious.

Hearing what Kichi was saying, he remembered about Seymour's teleporting skill. He had said he had to know where he was going. It wouldn't be too hard after that. Running up to him, he quickly asked, "Seymour, you said you had to know your location to teleport there. Could you take us there?"  

[Jeimuzu Kuro]

{James : Train : Sleeping Car -> Clearing}

James leaned his back against the wall opposite of the bed, looking intently at Noelle as she sat down. Yet again, he had a feeling that she wasn't telling him everything, but she didn't need to in his mind. If she wanted to explain, she could do so when she was good and ready. He smiled as she began to take off her boots and thanked him.

"You're welcome, now get some rest. I have a feeling we won't be in Port Royal for too long. We're pretty sure it's not safe, under control of the E.I.T.C. If you need anything, just send me a thought."

He smiled a bit brighter and then stood up straight and left the room so that she could rest. He then made his way back out into the Clearing through the Stable Car ramp.

"Noelle is going to rest for a bit, what did I miss?"  

[Psalm Grasshopper]

[Amy : Angel Grove : Outside the Red Rose]

"I will shoot yo-" Amy said, or rather started to say, her eyes growing wide at suddenly being picked up. John had done it so quickly, though, that there wasn't really any room to protest.

She was carried a ways from the group before she got her wits back. It was the tone of his voice that kept her from protesting. He sounded so... earnest. Serious.

She nodded slowly. "Go ahead."  

[Je suis a toi]

[Train ~ Sleeping Car]

As soon as James was gone, Noelle couldn't take it any more. She let her entire body relax, collapsing on her bed and throwing her legs up onto it. She rolled onto her left side, her habitual sleeping position and threw a blanket over herself. A deep breath escaped her as she let herself sink into her pillow. She hadn't felt this warm and comfortable in forever. Her little shelter back in the jungle kept her protected from the elements and served as a place for respite, but it was no where near comfortable as a real bed. It became rather cold at night, as well, but Noelle found that her dressphere had evolved to providing her with a jacket for those times.

Noelle's mind seemed to calm much faster than she had expected. In no time she was dozing, and then had drifted off to sleep, falling into a heavy slumber. Finally, the rest she needed.  

[Sousei Tatsu]

[Tommy .:. Angel Grove .:. Outside the Red Rose]

Tommy thought hard about Billy's explanation of why they were able to trust these new "rangers", stating that they were the enemy of the space pirates, who were enemies to the peace of Angel Grove. He quietly noted to himself on how Cory's nega-waves appeared at the same time as the destruction above increased, and how the mayhem quieted down as the Azure Ronin fell to the island. He kept his mouth shut, however, to keep things from getting confusing. The arrival of the new rangers was confusing enough for him, as were their powers.

He turned back to Seymour and answered, "I'm not exactly sure why. They're pirates, so I would only assume they're after some sort of treasure. However, a lot of stuff that was originally in space has been forced to ground itself, so they might have been forced here like everything else."

It was then that the others began claiming they knew where their friend and Cory was, pleading with Seymour to take them there. Tommy tensed up, pulling out his Morphin and re-entering his Ranger suit before saying, "I'm going, too. I wouldn't be able to sleep if something happened that could've been avoided with my help."


[Cory .:. Hook's Ship .:. Deck]

Cory sighed as Kyla shouted and fired off her Birn Strike, but his attention was not at the sky. He quickly took in everything he could see about Kyla's appearance, his mind racing as he attempted to memorize everything. After a moment, the ronin got to his feet, a bit shaky but now capable of standing on his own.

"I guess I don't have the right to be upset, do I? I've never given any of you a reason to trust me. The first time you met me, I would killing Maggie for food, for crying out loud. And then the next time, I was attacking you again simply because I had no one else to go to but Hades... And Rae told me I could change that. Maybe I didn't try hard enough, but I did try. I mean, I let Maggie go that first time... She probably never told you that. She probably acted strong like she wished she was at the time. I could have killed her, but I didn't. I also could have killed Rae, but I didn't. Instead, despite my orders, I let both of them go... But I've done too much to be forgiven based on that alone."

The rogue dismissed the Revblade as the ring of Maximum Bet vanished, the bet having been declined. He put his hands in his pockets, staring across at Kyla with a look of apathy in his eyes as he continued, "Even when I tried to work with the group, I would always butt heads with someone and leave. I was only ever useful in combat, like when Joe went rogue for Ursula. Without any of you guys knowing, I also made an agreement with Saix and Demyx that we would construct Kingdom Hearts and reclaim our hearts. And then I found Zeba, and I wanted to make sure she got somewhere safe. I instantly thought of you and the others. Saix saw that as an act of betrayal, and... Well, I died. And then I came back, with my heart fully restored, too." The ronin chuckled a bit, a big stupid grin on his face as he added, "Go ahead and relay that to all your friends, too. Since I know the fairy or the 'fearless leader' would have put their own spin on my story, it wouldn't hurt to let them know my part as well, would it? And tell them to hurry up if they're going to come save you. I'm getting antsy."  

[fractalJester]

[ Seymour : Angel Grove : Outside the Red Rose (Coastline) ]

Seymour felt the slight vibrations of mana from off-shore, but had initially ignored them. However, with everyone suddenly clambering to him to teleport them, he couldn't help but chuckle somewhat, giving them all an amused glance.

"My only form a teleportation is via the pyreflies from which my form is made," he explained, his eyes giving off a vibe that seemed to say 'Are you sure?'. "And the only way for that to work for the lot of you is if you died. Don't think that's going to help the pictomancer any, now is it?"

He glanced over, looking for Axel or Demyx. "Get the Nobodies to open a Corridor of Darkness- that should suffice, no?"  

[Enji_Chou]

[Kai: Flying Dutchan: Top Deck > Davy's Quarters]


At least Ajora had good timing. A moment sooner, and she might have been in a real foul mood. If there's one thing you must never do- is break the spell of creative concentration prematurely .
Fortunatly though, she was finished. As others began to file in, the final stroke of her ravaged looking quill decended upon the paper and the dark and decadent image was completed to her satisfaction. A twisting yet somehow ordely mess of bold black lines, which only made sense upon completion, stared back at her with the most crest fallen expression. It was perfect.
At last.
When she dotted the soulful eyes with dewy pearls of tears, Kai knew he was finished. But for now, her precious, torturious creation would have to wait. The form curled into a fetal position, which she swabbed in wisps of black, making a silken cucoon where he would sleep for now.
When the time was right, she will let this little one awaken, and in his own anguish and confusion, he'll wrap his desire around his unsuspecting target...
and shred them into strips of carnage.

For now, the blackened cucoon was held tenderly in the replica's arms, which Kai carried with her as she proceaded towards the metaphysical summons.
Her ghostly visage floated below deck to Davy's Quarters, were already more of their lot had arrived. It seemed a good portion of them were already testing out their hand at crafting their unversed.
She assessed the one across from her. She snorted inwardly at what she percieved was an unfinished, scantily, mediocre peice of work. Obviously the craftsmen had 'other' more important things in mind, then perfecting the final product. He just wanted to get right to test driving it as soon as he knew it would run properly. What a waste.
Well, to each his own.
Her fingers caressed the polished surface of the cucoon with such a contentment in her eyes. Like when you have a truly delicious secret that amused you so much, but gave you more pleasure by keeping it a little longer- just so you could see people wonder what was making you smile so much.
Yes, that was the feeling.  

[Enji_Chou]

[Axel:Angel Grove/Hawaii: Outside Red Rose]

Axel followed Blondy outside where it appeared they had missed the party. He stuck his head outside just in time to see the final puffs of inky smoke disappear on the breeze.
"Aaaawwww...we missed all the fun." he gave Cloud a look as if to say,'This is all your fault you clutz', knowing full well he was equally, if not MORE guilty for their late appearance on the battle field.

He leaped down from the hole in the ship just in time to hear the Quado mention his name. That guy struck Axel as one of the more odd looking fellows to join the groups he's traveled with. With his extra long fingers, and pronounced viens in his face. Don't get him started on the hair that reminded him of some kinda blue crustacean feelers.

But who was he to judge about hair right?
No, no it wasn't his appearance that waved those red flags of warning.. it was his over disposition. His presence. He put on airs of amusment at the world. Like it was all some kind of futile joke that only he understood, or at least, he knew everyone else would be the last to know before it was too late. It was that light hearted creepiness that would have probably made him even more scary then Xemnas. Perhaps in that sense, he was lucky to be a nobody, no doubt this guy would have put him off long ago.
" You mentioned me and Dumba- Demyx?"  

[Sable Argent]

[Alan :: Angel Grove :: Red Rose -> Outside Red Rose]

Alan drank one Ether and kept the other for later, marveling at its recuperative abilities. I could get addicted to these things if I'm not careful . . . He'd have time to look through the item stash later, he figured, so for now he followed Kichi back outside.

"What do you think of this?"

"I think blue fire guy's a jerk!"

Alan smirked softly. "Well, that's obvious. But his request seems reasonable on the face of it."

"You mean for the pictures lady to help with his hallucinations? Yeah . . ."

"It seems like the only reason the group isn't going along with it is they don't trust him not to have ulterior motives." He sighed audibly. "This is just a huge mess."

"Why don't you try playing diplomat? Everyone seems to like you okay, even the blue fire jerk."

Alan nodded. That made sense. "Yeah . . . I'll try that."

"Glad to be of help, Ani-ue! And could you call me Imouto-chan? I liked it when you called me that last time."

"Very well . . . Imouto-chan."

~~~

Alan stood behind the group, and spoke up. He relayed his words to the ones who were not present using the charm, as well - including Kyle. He had never met the man, but he seemed like a leader over the communications.

"Everyone," he said, "what do you think of me trying to negotiate with Cory? I'm the closest thing here to a neutral party. We might be able to solve this without bloodshed."  

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle ; Sora ; Zexion ; Guards : Port Royal : Clearing ]

Kyle watched from afar as everything seemed to be taken care of. With no motion or sign of thought, the swallow-spear vanished in a flash of light as Kyle went to lean on the Engine Car.

"Zexion's taking care of the guards, and the others are taking care of the girl," he responded, though obviously only half there as he looked at his charm.

Negotiating with Cory... hah. Best of luck, sir, with all the sincerity I can muster. You must be someone new, I don't recognize your voice... I'm Kyle. Just be careful. He may, for once, be asking for help, but don't let him pull you in, like he did Timmy. Hell, ask how -he's- doing, if you guys get a chance.

Oh, and, uh... sorry about that armored guy yesterday, guys.

Kyle had added that last part with a cringe, remember what Riku had told him the night before.

---

Sora finally arrived, a little set-back by everything, though he kept his Keyblade in hand. "So, is everyone all right, then?" he asked, a look of curiosity on his face. "What did he mean, another one for the noose?"

"Yes, what did you mean?" Zexion asked, looking into the eyes of his current captives. The weaker-willed one looked as if he was about to speak, but glanced at the other and merely gulped.

"Well, if you want to play it that way-" Zexion muttered; immediately, the two with blades put their hands onto their respective captive's necks (though they didn't seem to put forth any force; like they were just barely touching them). Within moments, they began to scream, dropping to their knees and covering their ears-

"Weird-clothed people! We were s'posed to hang anyone not from Pout Royal, see, anyone dressed peculiahly!" the weaker one shouted, as if trying to tell them over other people shouting. Suddenly, they stopped rocking back and forth, looking confused as everything returned to normal- only to be knocked out by swift blows to their necks.

"That wasn't really necessary, Zexion, was it?" Sora asked, a suspicious glare peering at the Nobody.

"The sooner we found out, the better," Zexion said from behind Sora, the three figures that had been him vanishing into nothing more than air. "Especially information like this. They do their hangings in the morning- they're probably just waiting for these guards to return."  

[Sable Argent]

[Alan :: Angel Grove :: Outside Red Rose]

Alan frowned thoughtfully. So that was Kyle. The one who was bound to Ultima - who the 'armored guy' had insinuated might betray them. Alan decided not to bring that detail up.

"I'm Alan. It's nice to meet you, Kyle. I've been following this group around since they picked me up in the Land of Dragons."  

[Pie Thrower]

[John.:Angel Grove:.Outside the Red Rose]

"Tell me dear, are we crazy for letting Seymour fight alongside us? I mean, I'm not one to judge others but if this world is a direct reflection of the characters... or even if these characters our manifestations of what we want them to be... then wouldn't he be f***** nuts...?" he said rather softly.

Gingerly, John took Amy off of his shoulders and placed him in front of her, just out of earshot of the others. He really did not mean to isolate them from the group, but some things were best left unsaid until the time was right...  

[fractalJester]

[ Ajora ; Celia ; Lettie : Caribbean : Davy's Quarters ]

With Elleon's punctual timing, Ajora couldn't help but chuckle under his breath, though he seemed to ignore her, continuing to run his fingers lightly along the keys of the organ, waiting for the others to arrive. Alice had already been there, and Kuro arrived shortly after Elleon, his temper predictably alight. Azrael arrived soon after, boy-toy following, and finally, Kai made her appearance, cradling a small cocoon that, to Ajora, radiated the same Darkness as the other Unversed creations.

"Now that everyone's arrived," he began, twisting himself around on the organ chair to face them, though he remained seated. He leaned back somewhat, placing his hands on either side of the chair to keep him up. "We can get down to business. Some of you already know Alice, and Elleon has returned to the ranks, so we're two stronger than before- perfect for what's next."

"Elleon- love ya, dear, but you're useless here. Plant and earth and whatnot. And Kai, I believe, would simply love to visit the whelp that bore her existence," he began, glancing between the two of them. "I think it'd be best if the two of you headed over to Hawaii to cause some general havoc with the second group. Take along Azrael, since he seems to hate this place so."

"There is a scientist in a lair near the volcano. He goes by the name of Lugae, and he works for Ivan Ooze. I don't care about Ooze, don't care about his lair, and honestly, don't give a flying @#$% about his plans. But-" he began, looking between them again. "Lugae is a very important asset... to all of us. Including our ever-watching allies. He is to remain alive. If, for whatever reason, his life is in danger, bring him somewhere safe. I promise, you will be rewarded for his safety."

We all will~

"Other than that, just have fun. Destroy, pillage, rape, torture, whatever gets you off," he said, laughing as if they were some light-hearted activities. "The rest of you, I'd prefer if you stayed with me. The first group arrived in Port Royal this morning and should be heading this way soon. After all, can't expect Beckett to do a good job of executing them."  

[Quiet Daydreamer]

Sayrike: razz ort Royale::Forest by the Clearing-->Forest

The healing spell felt wonderful as it washed over her body, the wind cool against her skin. Woooow, she almost breathed out loud, except that it seemed that this girl got a little embarrassed when Sayrike had made comment about her powers before. Plus, she herself appeared to be caught by surprise by the first-aid breeze. Huh. Well I guess I'm not the only one playing by ear here. Okay, she needed to play it cool, then. If this was life after death, or even a role in some real-life fantasy story (Sayrike had formed many theories about her situation), she shouldn't be too out of the ordinary to draw attention to herself and marvel at anything new. She liked to learn about and blend in with other cultures; she just hadn't gotten the chance to do it here yet. And now this was a new group, making their way into the port in a most conspicuous manner. The inner anthropologist in Sayrike cringed. But, should she travel with this group, who was surely going to attract attention and get into fights? Or should she continue to try and lie low, this time taking better care to not attract attention and get rid of all evidence of her past? She looked down at her clothes. By this point, they were ripped beyond repair and no one could really tell what color they had started with. Sayrike internally sighed.

Wait a second. Did this healer in front of her just suggest the idea of taking her to the train? Sayrike was not one to kiss on the first date, let alone stay over the night (if she were to ever date); she wasn't very content with the idea of being taken to an unknown place with unknown people who were incongruous with the everything she had seen so far, especially if they didn't ask first. And then the man in red agreed! Well, maybe it was time for her to make her exit. Sayrike betrayed none of this on her face as she smiled to everyone there. "Thank you very much for healing me as well. I really appreciate it! But, if you don't mind, I have to change back into my other clothes...So I'll have to excuse myself here. I can only assume you're going to the town, so maybe I can catch up you when I'm finished? Thanks again for everything!" Never mind asking about how their science fiction/fantasy-ness fit into this 1700s town, or saying how much she was intrigued by their group and their presence. Sayrike pivoted around and headed back up the tree, marveling at the lack of pain, collected her garments and cloak, and climbed back down. She tried to look busy so as to avoid any awkward silence. The girl clambered down the last branch, gave a last wave goodbye, and walked quickly into forest, trying not to look like she was avoiding them like the plague--which she wasn't. She actually wanted to quickly change so she could head into town after them and see what they were like. Before making a big of a decision as this, Sayrike liked to know what she was getting into, because obviously they wanted her for some reason. Well, at least two of them did. She left before anyone else came into the area by her tree, not wanting to get caught deeper into their group. Not just yet, at least.

After she knew that she couldn't be seen anymore, Sayrike began running further into the forest's interior, headed to the stream. She remembered where a particularly dense bush sat, and it was here she changed her clothes into the stolen maid's outfit, complete with that awesome cloak and the maid's cap. She made sure to hide her old shirt and pants well within the bush; besides, they were so covered with dirt that it would be hard to pick out. With the amount of time that Sayrike had taken to get here and get changed, she knew that the others would have either been close to the town or they would have left. If she sprinted, she would have caught them at the port's border, but that was not the plan; instead, she jogged back toward the clearing, making sure to come from the direction on the other side of the train, huffing from exhaustion. She wasn't going to jog all the way there, but rather stopped a good distance away to catch her breath and ready herself.