H.A. ~ Volume Two: Active Time Event (ATE) Thread

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : Project PHOENIX ~ Renewal : 37 }
{ Day 8 : Mid-Afternoon }
{ Adam ; Daj ; Broker : The World That Never Was : Brink of Despair }

"Yeah, I was just, y'know, making sure you didn't feel obligated or nothin'," Adam said, scratching his head in a way that let his hand run through his hair back and forth.

Despite his new life, that still calmed him. Weird.

"Anyway, I suppose now I'll show you the digs! I've been doing a bit of renovating ever since I got out of the shadows," he said, beginning to ascent the lightbridge to the castle. "Though I'm still doing my fair share of hiding until I'm ready. Come on, I'll introduce you to Ezra. He's... really devoted, so don't take anything personal."  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : The Pressure to Adapt : Final }
{ Adam : The World That Never Was : ??? }

As he fell through space and time to drop down onto the metallic floor, the dust which formed him lacked its typical radiance. Not that he'd noticed, as he raged and treated his wounds.

"Already? Already?!" he snarled, weaving healing magic through his aura, into his flesh and blood.

"Use your words, champ," Daj said, suddenly appearing, voice genuinely concerned as he scanned Adam's body. "What happened?"

"A keyblade happened!" he shouted, rising from his knee and walking past the old gilt mirror toward a large console. "They broke through the suppression, he resisted the negation, the home-field advantage gave him a ridiculous edge no matter how thoroughly I thrashed him--"

"Even with the blade?" Daj asked, incredulous.

"Why are you even asking, you can ******** google it!" he snarled, barely turning over his shoulder as he responded.

"You know I can't get solid readings in the Realm of Darkness yet, even with the Oracle," the little light replied, its voice chiding but still cautious, concerned. "Still, that does back up the hypotheses..."

"I know," he seethed, lowering his head, trying to regain his composure. He breathed a bit deeper, his voice recentering. "I know. Even a loss is a win. Now we know it's going to take something on par with those forces to take them out--no rising to the occasion or some such nonsense."

"Well, you'll be thrilled to know, then," the floating droid said, voice filled with a bit more playfulness now, "that the preparations are ready--the forge is lit."

"Already?" he asked, his turn to be incredulous as he finally turned to look at the droid.

"Oh, you know. Nanotech makes for exponential progress."

Adam felt a hitch in his chest as he pulled up the recipe and schematics one more time. He looked to the side of the console's top surface, staring into the iridescent gleam of the æthecite.

He heard a deep, proud chuckle within his heart.  

[Enji_Chou]

{ ATE : The Broker ~ Case of the Researcher, Part II : 10 }
{ Day 9 }
{ Kai : Realm of Darkness ~ Xarcabard : Obsidian Study }
As much as she sneered at the hand being taken away and her drink into the depth of the metaphysical knowledge around the keyblades was cut off- she couldn’t disagree and even nodded in agreement. So long as something was using her eyes and ears, this 3rd part benefited from she dabbled into, everything she’d discover, create and experiment on, all of it would be collectively cataloged by it. Even so, the connection between the two peeked her interest-
“ Are you saying… Xehanort in particular is privy to this spy network laced into my being?”
She figured by now this 3rd entity was beyond her true understanding, a puppet master of epic proportions, something much bigger than Ansems shadow. It couldn’t just be him right? Or was he another minion who was simply higher in the ranking and got to indulge in what all the lowly subordinates learned?  

[RhikoDemson]

{ ATE : Project PHOENIX ~ Renewal : 38 }
{ Faust : The World That Never Was : Brink of Despair }

“Devoted.” Faust made a concerned face, “Why, when I hear 'devoted' do I think 'fanatical'?”  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : The Broker ~ Case of the Researcher, Part II : 11 }
{ Day 9 }
{ The Broker : Realm of Darkness ~ Xarcabard : Obsidian Study }

"All of the fiends are, I'd imagine," they said, their tone casually frustrated. "And by fiends, I mean Fiends of Heart, or Seekers of Darkness, or the True Organization, or whatever they want to call themselves. The thirteen puppets of the Darkness seeking to start anew the Keyblade Wars in order to obtain ultimate power."

"The fact is, all of them--all of the upper echelon, that is--share a spark of true darkness in their hearts, such that they are wholly dark, not unlike you replicas," they continued. "Only their hearts are whole and purged of light by their indoctrination as servants to the Dark Will. And Xehanort: he, I would wager, is the leader. The original keybearer, the one pulling the strings. Before this convergence event, he had tried multiple other ways. Only now has he brought other people into the act."

"So does Xehanort know every speck and detail of your thoughts and feelings? Probably not," they said, waving a hand dismissively--only to stop and point a finger at her. "But it is entirely within his power to find out."  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : Project PHOENIX ~ Renewal : 39 }
{ Day 8 : Mid-Afternoon }
{ Adam ; Daj ; Broker : The World That Never Was : Brink of Despair ⇒ Nothing's Call }

"Besides the fact that they're synonyms, with one being a more extreme version of the other, combined with my phrasing?" he asked teasingly, looking over his shoulder with a raised brow and coy grin. "Because you know this crazy universe as well as I do. People are naturally weird, and magic makes it all weirder."

He looked forward as they neared the basement entrance of the castle. Faust would find it to be a thriving hub of activity, with flying droids identical to Daj soaring about and reorganizing... basically everything, from the walls to the stairs to the ceiling height. The castle itself, he'd realize, was under total renovation from the hoverground up.

"Ezra's memories are... broken. They remember little to nothing. But they found themselves here, and apparently decided to take up my cause as their purpose," he said, crossing his arms as he walked up to an outlined platform, stopping. As Faust followed him onto it, it would suddenly begin to rise, lifting through layers and layers of the castle, which would simply open up and close after them. They were not passing through latches, however, but solid floors that moved according to their destination; Faust would see little robot-lights as he passed them, understanding that they were responsible.

"As a result, though, he's--they've, I've got to get used to that, they've found themselves personally invested in my livelihood," he said, grimacing as he turned back toward Faust to continue the conversation. "And I basically had to skip out on them to wake you up in secret. I don't know how he'sTHEY'RE going to react; I know you're not in genuine danger because they'll listen when I say stop, but at least be on the defensive for the first few seconds."  

[pumpkinlanding]

[ ATE : Good Friend "Captain Morgan" : 40 ]
[ Luke : Mirage Arena : First Floor ]

"Whoa, sweet," Luke said, his eyes lighting up at Sayrike's talk of background music at tabletop games. He had never taken part in any himself, but now that she mentioned it, he could definitely see DKM being great adventure soundtrack material, depending on the song and the theme of the game.

"Liquid courage?" he guffawed. "Noooooo, no, I don't drink alcohol. I'm a huge fan of almost everything else though. Fruit juice is the bomb - lemonade is pretty much my favorite thing. And Coke..." He let out a wavering sigh. "I'd do most anything for a Vanilla Coke right about now. Oh... You don't have to, I mean I can get... Um. Unless you like being the bartender." He promptly fell silent, with the exception of another nervous laugh, and gave her a short, grateful bow of the head.

He gave Kyle the peace sign when the younger man greeted them, raising his cup with his other hand.

"Something like that," Luke said in response to the greeting. He simply shrugged with a curious expression in response to Bobbi's question about games. What kind of games were they talking about here? Did he have anything to be worried about? Ah well, he could always duck out politely if he felt uncomfortable. He had already spent most of his downtime chilling by himself anyway, so it wouldn't be unreasonable...

Oh, come on, at least have the backbone to try something new once in a while, Salamander teased him. He could practically see the Summon's mocking grin. Well, if that jerkface was going to have fun at his expense, he might as well try to have fun too. He would stick around. That's the spirit, Little Caterpillar.

I will end you.

I'll meet you in the playground after school, the dragon laughed. Luke couldn't help rolling his eyes.  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : An Alliance is Forged : 1 }
{ Day 10 : Evening }
{ The Broker, et al. : The World That Never Was : Where Nothing Gathers }

While the sun set over the horizon, those who had accepted Adam's invitation had been called to meet in the infamous 'Round Room'. The chairs, all once of varying elevations, were low to the ground, all even, all equal. The Nobody symbol once etched into the central dais was gone, leaving it blank save for the shadow of the ever-cloaked Broker standing in the middle.

Told the time and place, they had gathered over the past few minutes, the middle entity remaining silent, waiting. They began to appear, some at once, others sequentially, with Adam showing up somewhere in between and taking his seat. Upon the final arrival, they cleared their throat to call everyone to attention, lifting a hand and looking around.

"Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming," they began, sounding formal in an... almost forced capacity. "I know you've all spent the past few days of your new life learning and training to survive, especially as days inevitably approach when the darkness begins to ramp up its plans. That's one of the reasons I've called you here."

"First and foremost, to the point: I want your help in fighting back against Xehanort and his allies. I don't know how, or when, or what that entails, but I know that I want to be able to count on you to have my back, just as I want you to know that I'll have yours. I will never ask that you die in service--you are no better to anyone dead--but as with all battles, there is risk," they said. "If that is too much for you--if you value this new chance at life too much to risk it--then I won't judge you. Adam's offer of refuge will still stand. But if you do not wish to take part, to commit, then I must ask that you leave the room. Any who stay will be discussing confidential information. Which, incidentally, brings me to this--"

They lifted up their right hand to eye level, palm facing up as if to grip an invisible ball. As they did so, a thin stream of multicolored began to snake up from a point on their elbow, rising around the arm, and coalescing just above the palm of their hand in pure white light, as if to cover the full spectrum.

"Any who agree to stay must also agree that anything discussed within this room, until otherwise adjourned, is never to be shared elsewhere, with anyone else without the explicit permission of myself and a majority approval of this council, under penalty of misfortune. Are we agreed?"  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{ATE: An Alliance is Forged .:. 2}
{Janex .:. TWTNW .:. Where Nothing Gathers}

"Sounds reasonable to me," Janex said with a shrug as she scooted further back in her seat, crossing her legs beneath her. "Can't have someone go spillin' our secrets to whatever pretty face walks by, after all. Not that I think anyone here would, I'm just sayin'."  

[LevDa]

{ ATE : An Alliance is Forged : 3}
{Ashley :~: TWTNW :~: Where Nothing Gathers}

“So no putting this into my data. No record. Got it,” Ashley replied looking up from her laptop. She casually hit a few keystrokes to turn off recording before closing the tech.

“I think I will stay despite it not being on record,” Ashley said a smirk crossed her face. “Besides. What is life without a bit of risk.”  

[AldrickZearse]

[ATE: An Alliance is Forged: 4]
[Azrael: TWTNW: Where Nothing Gathers]

"Mmm~!" Azrael made a noise with his full body stretch, then resumed his lounge on his chair. And he made sure it was noted to be his chair thanks to the numerous pillows and cushions on it. At least they all matched in color, a deep red.

"Sure, sure. Who would I tell, anyway? The only people I'm even remotely close to are literally here. Or technically myself." He waved his hand at that one, as if that thought didn't really matter but came out anyway  

[ArcanaFate]

[ATE :: An Alliance is Forged :: 5]

[ Ezra :: TWTNW The Garden :: Where Nothing Gathers ]

Ezra eyed the group that gathered here, from the technologically oriented female with her fancy computer to the hedonistic beastmaster lounging to the cross-legged thief speaking about pretty faces. The Nobody sat atop a single large cushion to give them a little extra boost when seated around the area. Sure, they could shapeshift into a taller form to sit evenly with the others, but the small Nobody liked their form. It was quick, it was stealthy, and felt almost easier to 'dance' during battle.

"...I have no objections. Although I would like clarifications not only for myself, but for the rest of the room. If, for example, I need to talk to..." they paused, glancing around the room and eventually waving a hand towards Janex in a half-hearted (hur hur) manner, "Her. If I had to speak with her about something spoken about in the room, would we have to teleport here to discuss it or would anywhere within the Castle be fine?"

"Or would the two of us have to contact other members for approval via Daj?"  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : An Alliance is Forged : 6 }
{ Day 10 : Evening }
{ The Broker, et al. : The World That Never Was : Where Nothing Gathers }

Adam snickered somewhat from his chair at Ezra's response.

"Hmm. Rephrasing," the Broker said, the iridescent light of the oath flickering.

"All present who decide to stay must agree that what is discussed during this meeting, until otherwise adjourned by myself, is only to be discussed with those already present, and never intentionally shared with other entities without the explicit approval of myself and a majority of the remaining members of this convened council, under penalty of misfortune. Are we still agreed?"

[[ Assuming that those who've already said yes before will simply nod. ]]  

[RhikoDemson]

{ ATE : An Alliance is Forged : 7 }
{ Day 10 : Evening }
{ Faust : The World That Never Was : Where Nothing Gathers }

[[Cue: Glittering Star from SD]]

Faust's clothing had taken a very unique shape over the past two days matching the rather unique heart to which his dress sphere was paired. His clothed were somewhere in an eclectic limbo between a Victorian butler and a bandit of a fantastical Nordic country. A fine tailored outfit with fur patches giving it an almost primal appearance made him in a word, enigmatic. At last a theater mask, styled to that of a cat's covered his face from the cheekbone up, pale white lenses shielding his eyes from view.

Adding to the oddity that was his character, a cat adorned in shifting shadow perched upon his shoulder with eyes that constantly shifted color through every spectrum, hetero-chromatic and never the same as the opposite eye no matter how many iterations of colors these hauntingly glowing eyes graced.

As the terms were laid to bare and others took their turns to make their voices heard, Faust shifted in his seat, crossing his legs as he turned his opal gaze to the companion on his shoulder, who then spoke for him a voice disconcertingly unfitting for what one would imagine a small cat to sound like, could cats speak at all. Deep and masculine bass leaped from this creature though its mouth, obscured by living shadow, did not appear to move, “Your terms are agreeable.”  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : An Alliance is Forged : 8 }
{ Day 10 : Evening }
{ The Broker, et al. : The World That Never Was : Where Nothing Gathers }

With Faust's approval, the Broker simply looked to the last two, Hati and Adam, both of which nodded.

"So you're all in this to the end, then," they said, their tone humbled, their hooded gaze looking around. They hadn't even considered leaving, it seemed. They shook their head, chuckling despite themselves--or perhaps at themselves. "That shouldn't surprise me, but somehow you always do."

"So the pact is sealed," they said, closing their fist around the white coalescence, which sparked outward in quick streaks to wrap around each individual's dominant hand. The light wove around, as if to knot itself, before sinking and fading away, leaving no trace or sensation to mark its passage.

"In which case, our first order of business..."

They paused--hesitated. They looked around from face to face from their spot on the table, the center of attention, and the casual stance the Broker had become known for seemed to tense, as if caught on the precipice of something.

"You've put your trust in me. Despite everything. So it's only fair I do the same, for the first time in my life."

They inhaled, and exhaled.

And then, he lifted his hood.

"I suppose the first order is to quit this charade," Adam said, revealing his face beneath the hood. The other Adam seemed to flicker, a strange refraction of light glitching out as a hologram of Adam's features vanished, revealing instead a robotic form.

"Some of you probably already assumed that, given my history of deception, he said, running a hand through his hair; his stance was somewhat shrunken, as a guilty man caught without his mask. "All the same, it was inevitable. So yeah, least important business first, get that out of the way."