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 Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:20 am
((Slight sidenote: The outfit that Dani gets from her dress sphere for now unless it is changed will be avail to see here Dani's Dress Sphere. Like to thank lavi for the design.))  [Dani :: Angel Grove :: Outside the Red Rose] Dani continued to watch the woman and Kichi interact with each other and smiled. They seemed to be a couple almost and it was really cute to watch. For a moment, Dani felt like she was interrupting the two and almost left when the woman started to stare at Dani. Dani started to blush in embarrassment under the girls stare. When the girl introduced herself as Kyla, Dani smiled and nodded at what Kyla was saying about Cory. “I am known now as Dani,” Dani explained to both Kichi and Kyla, “Sadly I have been stuck here for 5 days and finally someone that is not a heartless attacked me. I tried to put up a fight against Cory but he was too powerful. I did manage to back flip off of his head though.” She giggled at the thought of bouncing off of his head again. She then focused on the bag that Kichi held and looked at it strangely. She then remembered that Kingdom Hearts had outfits that helped with magic. “Alright I will do my best Kichi. I do not know of what my power is yet though,” Dani admitted to both Kichi and Kyla. Dani then reached into the bag and picked out a dress sphere out of the bag. When she concentrated on the dress sphere, the sphere turned blue before going into her body and reforming her outfit. When the glow cleared she wore a light hoodie that seemed to go past her waist. They also included small pants that connected to boots. Along with this it included a lot of zippers and clips. Instead of Dani's glasses being on her face, they were replaced by black shades so that Dani could still see but could cover her eyes. “This seems different,” Dani looked down at her outfit before looking back at Kichi and Kyla, “I hope I can be more assistance to you guys. I do have some attacks that could help since I am an assassin.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:38 pm
[Cory .:. Halloween Town .:. Graveyard]
Cory shook his head, frowning in disappointment as he said, "I have no idea what Hades is planning, if anything. All I know is I am bound to serve him should he make a move, otherwise I would lose all of my power. I would become even weaker than a normal human. But if I had to guess, it would probably involve Diablos, Noelle, or Hercules. He seems to have a minor obsession with all three."
As Alan asked his next question, Cory slapped his forehead and said, "Oh balls, I forgot that part. I told you I was trying to find Zeba to get my wallet, right? Well, I met up with the rest of them at the train after I double-teamed that Dualblade with Alice and had a quick chat, trying to get my wallet back from Zeba. She's been with them so long that she doesn't trust me anymore. If I were to try to explain myself to her, she would only assume I was lying and take everything I say as such. Before things could progress, Rae walked out of the train. Another Rae. And she started to attack Rae. I guess I was the first to notice what had happened- There was a 'Raeplica', and it had been slipped into their ranks without them knowing. I did my best to keep anyone from getting hurt by Bursting the Replica into the sky, but she only served to distract us. Elleon, Noelle's replica, showed up. She bound me in earth and vines just before taking Rae's heart. If Kyle or someone with high magical potency had attempted to free me in time, I could have used my Burst Movement to save Rae..."
The ronin shook his head and sighed. "But no one was thinking. They were all shaking with rage and fear. All of their heads were screwed on backwards, especially Joe's. My magical power is a joke, but with Burst Movement I could have at least presented enough of a challenge to the Replica that she would have to let Rae go. Instead, I wasn't dug out of the ground until after Elleon had left. I felt like a useless tool in a shed of even more useless tools. I was angry, angry that I had been powerless to do anything, and angry that counting myself two Earthlings had 'died'. Kyle and Joe are the only ones there who seem to have taken charge, yet they've so far lost two lives. My only comfort in the event was knowing that I wasn't the most useless there, it was those two."
He laughed a bit. He wasn't sure why, though. Probably just because he could. "Any other reason between the grudges? Aside from me trying to kill several of them on several occasions? Aside from continually aligning myself with known Disney villains? No, I just don't think they can take a joke. Especially the loser with the pistol and pirate suit. Though it does make him quite easy to control. I made him punch me, and it was hilarious."
"As far as being opposed to their goals? Not really. I don't care one way or another if Earth comes back. In fact, if it could come back without destroying this one, I would almost welcome it. This universe might feel a bit less stuffy without prudes like them. Maybe I'll even show up in a Kingdom Hearts game as a secret boss and make a few of them cry." Cory snickered, the thought of James, Joe, or Kyle crying over a video game bringing a genuine smile to his face.
"Now it's my turn to ask a question," the ronin said, his smile fading from his expression as he added, "Kyla owes me a day of her life. What are you two going to do about that?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 6:19 pm
[Dawn : Port Royal : Sleeping Car]
Dawn stopped with her hand on the handle that lead to the stables. She looked back in slight surprise as Joe caught up with her.
"I don't mind," Dawn said with a slight shrug, "I was just going to work on a few things. You are free to join." she started to reach for the door but stopped again as she turned to Joe as a thought crossed her mind, "Maybe you can give me a few pointers?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 6:31 pm
{Kyle : Halloween Town: Graveyard}
Listening to Cory's story, there was a light smile on his face, but it would have been hidden by the shadows that were provided by his hood. The only things that would have been seen were the yellow slitted eyes that seemed to glow. Nodding his head slightly at some of the things mentioned in Cory's story, his understanding of the events that had played out was increasing. It always helped to hear the story from a different source. Especially the source that was antagonistic.
And there was Alan, throwing out more questions. Just as good. He was still digesting the information. And there was Cory, throwing out even more information. Granted, most of it was filled with insults and failings, either on the side of the main group, or Cory himself.
What could they do about the day of her life? Wasn't that a sitcom or something? Days of our lives? Or was it a sitcom within a show? Pondering this, he let his mind wander through the possibilities. They could always take Cory up on his bet. But that would naturally end in violence, something he was hoping to avoid. They could hand Kyla over to him. But that would be betraying her trust, and the trust of everyone in the main group. They could also...they could stay with Cory for a day. Getting two Earthlings for the length of the day would nullify that debt, even if they couldn't cure Cory of his hallucinations. But he wouldn't voice that opinion yet. He would wait and see if Alan had any ideas first. Glancing at Alan, he wondered what possibilities he was considering.
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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 6:34 pm
[Alan :: Halloween Town :: Graveyard]
Alan almost smiled. If this was the real situation, it would be . . . conceivable to reconcile the two groups. And yet, there was definitely something off. The other group didn't even want him speaking with Cory, when he had suddenly appeared earlier. And, Kyla's conviction that Cory's requested 'day' had to have broader implications than mental health implied that Cory was, or could be, brilliantly cunning. Was that all there was to it? Was Cory really just a cunning blood-knight who had been an enemy so long that he couldn't be trusted, or was there something more? Alan's assessment of Cory was that he was a bit of a force of nature. He obviously loved fighting, and had no problem with being enemies with the other group, even if there were no real ideological differences. The real question was, did he have any real goals? Or was he just after a good fight?
Either way, the cunning blood-knight had asked Alan a question. "Well," he said, "what do you? You pretty much told her to piss off last time. Are you going to demand her services later? Do you still want her help with your hallucinations?"
The Kyla situation . . . yes. . .
Cory was pushing this pretty hard. He obviously thought he could use it as a bargaining chip. He was right - Alan didn't like the idea of Kyla's freedom being held in part by someone she obviously hated, and, after Jon's breakdown, felt obliged to prevent her from being separated from him.
Yeah, Cory was cunning, alright.
Alan held up a hand.
"You know what? Let me guess. You've decided that Kyla ill-suits you temperamentally and you're hoping to trade her 'day' for one of ours. You intend to hold your claimed debt as a bargaining chip - or a threat. Not a bad move. I can see why the others are afraid of you." Alan's eyes lit up. "You aren't just some dumb berserker."
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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:27 pm
[Cory .:. Halloween Town .:. Graveyard]
The rogue waved dismissively at Alan's guess, noting several problems with it immediately. "Not just a dumb berserker? I'm not sure if you're over-estimating me or under-estimating me. First of all, neither of you can do what Kyla does. If you could, I would know about it already. Her ability to calm me down aside, neither of you really have what I'm really hurting for anyway, which is to say 'Silence'." He hopped off the of the tombstone he'd been sitting on, dusting himself off before adding, "No, you two are nothing more than manpower. A day of manpower versus a day of sanity aren't worth the same in my books. As far as I'm concerned, I'd get both of you for a day, and then another one for an extra day."
"Besides, even if she hates me, Kyla owes me. She knows and understands this, which is why she listened to me in the first place. As well, she would never let the two of you pay her debt, nor would she accept it as a paid debt even if we were to go through with it anyway. Playing for her debt, betting on who gets to pay it or nullify it- She would be sick to the stomach if she knew all of this, and might not forgive either of you. However, I can make a different sort of deal with the two of you.
"Come with me. Work with me. Attempt to end me when my back is turned, if you like. Attempt to betray me. Or you can keep this world the way it is, with all of its magic and potential in tact." Cory conjured a ball of blue and black fire as he said this, smiling as he did. "Kyla would never let someone pay a debt for her. She's too proud, despite her meek demeanor. But as long as the two of you are on my side... I could simply leave the debt in the air. Not collect."
He opened a new portal, stepping halfway through its threshold as he said, "This is my offer. Join me in protecting this world from the reckless actions of the other humans, as well as the destructive intent of the Replicas. As long as you are both my comrades in arms, I will not have Kyla pay her debt. But the moment you betray me and I still draw breath, I will collect. That is the deal I propose to the two of you."
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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:19 am
{Kyle : Halloween Town: Graveyard}
So Alan had come to the same conclusion he had it seemed. They trade her day for one of theirs. Unfortunately, it seemed that it wouldn't be enough for them to just join with him for a day. He wanted more than that. Two for at least a day, then another one for an extra day. Rather...ambitious to want that much.
Listening to Cory, he found himself wondering about that deal of his. His oh-so-generous offer. Followed by a threat. Which didn't exactly work for Kyle. He didn't necessarily mind working with Cory, but it was the manner in which Cory proposed the idea. "So, what you're basically saying, is that we come work with you for as long as it takes to keep this world here. However, even if we stayed with you for ten days, it still wouldn't nullify her debt? Not likely." He paused here to take a breath and think about his next statement. "How about this? If we do choose to work with you, then after a set amount of time, Kyla's debt will be nullified. You've already said how she might not forgive us. I don't know how Alan feels, but that doesn't affect me that much. If people are willing to do things to help her, then she should, at least, understand that we're doing it so that she isn't forced to do something that she hates the thought of. While my choices will affect others, how they view me, how they think of me, my choices are mine and mine alone. To quote, 'It's my story. You aren't a part of it.'"
Stopping for another moment, he had one additional thing to add on, but he wasn't sure how Cory would take it. Was he being a bit too ambitious with these terms? Well, he might as well go for broke. If he was asking too much, they could always cut down the terms to bare bones. "If, at any point in time, we discover that restoring the Earth can be accomplished, while at the same time keeping this world intact, I doubt it would be considered an act of betrayal if we helped the others. We'd be working towards a common goal. Actually...if this world had to be separated into every other world to keep order, but you still kept your powers and you could travel between them, then that should be acceptable as well." He said, pushing himself off of the tombstone he'd been leaning on. Glancing over at Alan, he wondered about the thoughts going on through his mind, and Cory's as well.
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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 12:21 pm
[Cory .:. Halloween Town .:. Graveyard]
The ronin grinned, as though Kyle's argument had fallen deaf upon his ears. "Will she accept it as paid, though? Fine, as far as I shall be concerned her debt will be paid after one day, as long as for that day you two follow me. This extends beyond simply aiding me in fighting Heartless and other baddies. When the time comes, you shall have to take arms against those you would call your friends. In addition..."
Darkness slowly crept up around Cory, enveloping him like a thick, indigo fog as he said, "Darkness will be a part of your repertoire. While we're based on Hook's ship, the corridors of Darkness are our tool of travel." He couldn't help but laugh a bit.
"However, my part of the deal does not extend to convincing Kyla that her debt is paid. Whether or not she will allow this to make up for what she owes me will be entirely up to her. Got it?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 5:39 pm
[Alan :: Halloween Town :: Graveyard]
"Which doesn't answer the question," Alan said, "of whether you still want Kyla's help. You're speaking as if you do, but you threw her away last time . . . literally attempted to kill her. So, let's say hypothetically that we refuse to go with you? What will you do with her than?" Alan ran his tongue over his fangs as he thought idly for a second. It was odd, having those two over-large teeth in his mouth. A new sensation.
Semantics aside, apparently Alan was right. Cory intended to use Kyla's fate as a threat to acquire their services - just a little more long-term. At this point, he and Kyle were just arguing terms. "But you want our help . . . and you're using Kyla's fate as a threat if we refuse. You know, if Kyla feels like she owes you, that's entirely her business. It's only if you intend to kidnap her again that we should be concerned, I think. But why go with such cheep tricks, anyway? Feel like you can't convince us of your position's justice on its own merits?"
Alan paced backwards a little. "What do you need all this manpower for, anyway? Do you have your own agenda? So far the only one you've cited is fighting the Replicas . . . something I'm sure the other Earthlings would help you with. You might be able to make peace with them, you know, with a common enemy. That way, you'd get all the manpower you'd ever need. And Kyla's powers, too. Yeah, they might do something unfortunate by resurrecting the Earth, but they don't even have a plan to do that. They're just trying to gather information, in essence. Before we know whether or not resurrecting Earth will have implications for the fate of this world, we need to know exactly what is going on here . . . which is precisely what they're pursuing. Basically, as it stands, you have no reason to go against them given present circumstances - not hypothetical future circumstances that may be revealed. Unless," he grinned a little, showing his fangs, "you haven't told us something. Which brings us back to your agenda and why you need manpower."
The tirade over, Alan turned around as if surveying the area. "For what it's worth, though," he said, his voice considerably more calm, "I agree with you. I like this world. I'd rather stay than go back, all things being equal. And, if bringing the Earth back means destroying this world - and all of the people living here - than I think preventing its return is a moral imperative as well."
Cory had mentioned the darkness. Alan wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. On one hand, he was envious of its power, and also more than a little curious. On the other hand, could he risk playing with forces like that? It really came down to what the darkness was, and Alan wasn't quite sure. Either way, if it had destroyed Earth - if it was a corrosive force - if it was the embodiment of all misery and despair, as Alan suspected it might be, it would probably be very, very bad to get involved with it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:26 pm
[Joe: Sleeping Car]
With a shrug, Joe nodded. "Sure, I can try. We do both have wind, yes? So I could help with that, or something. If anything, I could help you with your fighting or something. Lots of 'or somethings'. Ignore me and let's go? Please?"
Joe now had a sheepish grin. Great, rambling. Wonderful habit. Really. If it wouldn't have looked awkward, Joe would've raised his sarcasm hand.
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AldrickZearse Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:51 pm
[Dawn : Port Royal : Sleeping Car -> Training Car]
Dawn smiled softly at Joe, "That would be nice, thanks Joe."
She turned the door handle and proceeded into the stables. She heard a soft 'kweh' coming from the direction of Sky's stall as she walked by. She smiled at the bird as she went and opened the door of the Training Car.
"I do admit, I am not much of a fighter," she said to Joe as she entered the room, "But don't go easy on me, okay."
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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:26 pm
[Cory .:. Halloween Town .:. Graveyard]
Cory closed the portal, sighing as he was questioned again about his goals. "How do I put this without sounding incredibly lucky or incredibly devious? I've been flying by the seat of my pants, man. Yeah, I'd love Kyla's help. But at the same time, I'm not likely to get it. I'm just trying to collect for a day lost. I don't intend on kidnapping her again, if that's what you're worried about. I couldn't honestly tell you how I would intend to collect from her, but I'd find a way. And as far as the cheap tricks go, I've been working against other Earthlings this entire time. Even my ally, Timmy, is a bit rebellious. I have to resort to reverse psychology and whatnot to get him to help. Forgive me if I've grown too accustomed to having to trick people onto my side, I suppose a simple request might have worked, too."
"And you don't really know some of the Earthlings that well... I mean, you saw it, too. The animosity is hardly exclusive to myself, as proven by Jon's reaction to me saying hi to you. As well, Princess Joe has a grudge against me. Probably because I'm faster, stronger, and more clever than he is. And more ruggedly good looking. And my summon isn't a fairy. I don't know, maybe he just thinks I'm a jerk, and hypocritically loathes me for that reason alone." The ronin summoned a ball of blue and black fire, followed by two more as he began to juggle them, growing bored quickly with the conversation. "I need manpower only to match the manpower of the Replicas and the Earthlings. Seymour alone could probably defeat Timmy, Hook, and myself. And there's a whole group on his side. As well, we would have difficulty with only one Replica, and there's a whole group of them." He stopped juggling, letting the fireballs vanish into thin air as he shrugged. "My whole group only has three people, four counting Shmee. Which we don't.The Replicas alone have over twice that number. You keep acting like I have some ulterior motive, though, and it's kind of annoying. But it helps make a point as to why I don't work with the other Earthlings. Even you, an 'unbiased party', think I'm untrustworthy. Only listening to their rantings about me for less than a day has made you think everything I say has a hidden meaning when it doesn't. I can't work with those people, because they're all as two-faced as 14-year-old girls."
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 3:24 pm
[Alan :: Halloween Town :: Graveyard]
Perhaps Alan had been pushing the motive issue too hard - but at least it had taken the conversation off of Kyla. Still, he had to be careful not to upset Cory by appearing to distrust him too much. Was Cory being honest, though? It almost made sense, and it would fit with his character from what Alan had seen for Cory to be exactly that kind of aimless hurricane. Perhaps Kyla's suspicions had just been baseless distrust.
"What do you think, Imouto-chan?"
"You mean, can we trust him?"
"Is he being honest with us . . . yeah."
"Well I dunno! If you ask me, he's probably just paranoid. He keeps making enemies because he thinks everyone's his enemy, and he wants more servants because he needs protection from the enemies he keeps making. And he even makes his servants his enemies! That's the problem with being paranoid. . . "
"So, you don't think it's anything deeper?"
"No. No, he's just crazy."
"Alright. Well, let's hope so. Thanks."
"Hey, any time~!"
Alan turned to face Cory. "Alright," he said, "I'll believe you for now. Sorry for my suspicions, but it can't hurt to be cautious. I believe it was you yourself who said earlier that everyone has ulterior motives?" He smiled conciliatory.
"If you want my read on the others, though, I think that they'd be willing to forgive and indulge you if they really thought you were willing to act as an ally. They fight alongside . . . even sketchier individuals, as you've noted." Alan's eyes glittered a bit, remembering Cory's abuse of the Maester. "They perceive you as too proud, I think. If you went before them with bowed head and apologized, my guess is that they'd be willing to work with you. Especially if I vouched for your intentions."
He paused again, letting the offer hang. "Well, that's one avenue. It could get you access to Kyla, and a score of strong fighters to wield against the real and present threats to this world. Do you want to take it?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:18 pm
[Cory .:. Halloween Town .:. Graveyard]
"Well, everyone does have ulterior motives. It's silly to not think someone is working for personal gain. I probably do have an ulterior motive, but I don't know what it is yet. I'll figure it out eventually. And don't worry about suspicions. I'm the object of a lot of hatred amongst your allies and it probably looks that every random step I take is part of some kind of master plan." The ronin grinned before adding, "As for apologizing and doing the whole 'humble' bit, I've already done that once before. And that's what got everyone attacked by Saix, Demyx, and Hook. Besides, working as an enemy with a common enemy in the Replicas would be beneficial. Not even the Replicas know where I stand... because I don't know either. Keeping both parties my enemies will make my final decision an easier one, and no one will see it coming."
He chuckled a bit, stifling his manic laughter before adding, "So that's a no. Even if they did forgive me, they'd never accept or trust me. I've fought with Maggie, John, Kyla, the other Jon, Joe, Jenny, Riku, Kuja... I've no interest in working with them, no do they have an interest in working with me. Ask me to join the 'gumdrop-lollypop, rainbows and smiles' brigade again and I might have to show you why everyone considers me a monster."
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Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:36 pm
[Alan :: Halloween Town :: Graveyard]
Alan nodded. Well, I tried.
Abruptly, he turned to his companion. "By the way, Kyle, what do you think?" Realizing that that was a bit of a vague question, he added, "About this world, I mean. Cory and I are both committed to preserving it, apparently. What about you?"
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