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[Alan :: Angel Grove :: City Streets]

Alan seemed about as interested in the particulars of the city's situation as Seymour was. It was clear to him that the group was going to do its own thing regardless of what he said. If that was the case, there was nothing to do but follow along and allow things to resolve themselves. Oh, certainly he'd help where help was needed, and certainly there was a certain level of intellectual curiosity, but Alan's emotional investment was dulled by his waxing sense of ineｆｆectuality and his ever growing trauma fatigue. He was just tired of feeling alarmed about things.

Besides, he had other things on his mind.

Not the least of these other things was Seymour himself. Alan had told Cory that he needed to keep an eye on Seymour. Whether or not it was true that that was the primary reason for his rejoining the Queen's Quest, he honestly believed it. He had resolved, in fact, to do more than 'keep an eye' on him. If he was to find out what Seymour was after, he had to be taken into Seymour's confidence.

Alan had spent the past hours (among other things) formulating a plan of approach. He had considered lying, claiming views he did not hold to gain Seymour's trust - he could speak nihilism as fluently as anyone, after all. But it wouldn't work. Alan had expressed opposite views within earshot of the Maester numerous times already, which would poison such an attempt. Besides, any approach would have to account for the distrust of the others. If only Jon hadn't told him about his role in FFX - in short, that they had access to occult knowledge of his nature - but it was too late now. He had to play with the cards he had been dealt. For him to come off as too credulous now would only raise Seymour's suspicious.

It was funny. Alan had very little respect for the man in FFX - he regarded him as an insane buffoon. And yet, faced with the prospect of actually matching wits with him, his whole form seemed to almost quiver with dread. It's easier to dismiss things in a videogame.

No. Alan had to present himself not as corrupt, but as corruptible - it was possible the Maester would take the bait. It was possible that through his attempts to recruit Alan, Alan might learn something. From Seymour's perspective, 'corruptible' would mean that he would have to appear . . . thoughtful, intelligent, and with just a bit of lingering despair in the back of his mind. He could do that. All he would have to do would be to be honest.

Alan looked around a little idly - almost furtively - as he approached the Maester.

"Excuse me, Maester? Is now a bad time? There are some questions I've wanted to ask you for a while now."

[Dawn : Caribbean Sea : Black Pearl]

Dawn was enjoying herself on the deck. The sea air in her hair. This being her first real time on the open sea, if one didn't count their ride on the Challenger. Dawn was glad she wasn't feeling any sea sickness or anything from the constant waves.

But now as the waves seemed to be getting rougher and clouds darker. Inside, Dawn was starting to become nervous at the sound of the thunder in the distance. She was never fond of storms on land and there was nothing to prepare her for a storm at a sea, that she could only imagine to be worse.

She held tightly to the railing of the ship. Her mind going over which would be the better option for her. Here above deck where she could perhaps help out, or below deck where she could shiver in fear.

((OoC: I will post an Elizabeth later. Probably won't be until I get off of work at 7.))

[Joe: Caribbean Sea: Black Pearl]

Joe sighed, patting Kyle's head once their foreheads were touching and couldn't help but smile a little. "Sorry, dearheart, life doesn't have a menu. Besides, once you start, you can't change the difficulty, anyway, so it's a moot point."

Pulling back, Joe looked out to see and to the storminess ahead. It was not going to be a pretty storm, it seemed. And though Joe was fond of storms, he was probably going to end up helping on deck to avoid getting tossed around downstairs.

"You know, Kyle. Something you should remember: Try not to think about the big picture so much. We know part of what's ahead of us, and while we don't know what's happening with everything else, it'll all fall in place." What am I saying? I'm just trying to comfort him...cause I don't really know myself.

"I'm sure of it."
Liar.

[Cloud : Angel Grove : City Streets]

Cloud walked farther down the line, not completely out of Amy's sight, but not close to her either. It had been his idea that they all spread out, not too far from each other, but far enough to cover a wider area. The henchmen they were fighting now were far less powerful than the Replicas, and much easier to dispatch. Some members of the group chose to go in groups together– he had given advice, after all, not an order. He didn't presume to order anyone.

Maybe that was this group's problem. That fight with the Replicas had been directionless. He turned around and viewed the area, scanning for enemies. Leon, though starting this quest, was not good with large groups. Kichi was a good guy, good fighter, and willing. Still, the thought nagged at him.

They had no leader.

[Elizabeth : Caribbean Sea : Black Pearl]

Elizabeth sat below deck on one of the stair cases. Her mind had been weighed down with various thoughts. Mainly of Jack and Will.

The journey they took in attempt to find Jack, had been a hard one. Then to arrive and find he was not there. Made her heart heavy. For she thought she wouldn't of been able to figure out the inner feelings. And now Jack was back. With this group of strange children, and Sora too. Elizabeth was stuck in a hard spot. Unsure of what to do now.

"What do I do now?" she whispered to her self, holding her hands together in front of her as she rested her head on them.

[Dawn : Caribbean Sea : The Black Pearl]

Dawn jumped slightly as Sora came behind her, just as the sound of another clap of thunder filled the air. She glanced back at Sora, trying her best to hide her fear of the sound with a heavier mask, seeing how the first one was not working. By the measurement of just a few seconds, Dawn let out a soft sigh, giving up the mask.

"I suppose I should. It might be better down there. Though I really was enjoying the breeze, before that-" Dawn motioned to the sky all dramatic, as if cued, the thunder rolled once more, making her jump and glare at the sky and yell back,"Shut up!" She sighed turning back to Sora before she could continued, "Though I can't help, but wonder if it would actually be safer down there? If the storm gets worse, couldn't I get tossed around with the cargo? I mean I have never been on the sea, let alone a storm at sea, but I have seen the movies...."

[Cory .:. Angel Grove?]

Wind rushed past the young man's face, his eyes narrowed against the air as it boomed past his head. He gripped the Revblade tightly and smiled, pulling his headphones over his head as he shouted, "SEVENTY-SIIIIIIX!" The rogue unleashed a Mk. II downwards, drastically decreasing his speed just before slamming into the cockpit and landing in the pilot's lap, knocking him (or her?) unconscious instantly. "Ha! This one had a much stronger floor, I didn't crash through the bottom!"

~

Cory tossed the unconscious pirate from the ship before his eyes became engulfed in darkness. "Now? Now we Dark Portal it to the ground, because I can't fly!"

~

That instant was cut short as Cory summoned a Dark Portal, whose arrival signaled an immediate crash landing that caused the ship to skip a few times before sliding to a stop. The vehicle sat there for a moment, its thrusters still somewhat active until it was suddenly short. "I found the key!"

~

"Behold!", the ronin said, hopping out of the cockpit and holding up the ignition key, "This lifeless key used to be full of power... United the the heart of its master..."

~

"Breaking the fourth wall."

~

"Never mind. Time to play a serious game of trial and error so that I can learn out to fly this!"

~

Cory scratched his head for a moment, unsure of how to answer the question at first. However, it wasn't long for the smile to arise before saying, "... Then it's onto seventy-seven!"

Sayrike::The Black Pearl

Sayrike was fairly enjoying herself on the rolling deck of the Pearl as the ship sailed into the storm. She had only seen the second and third Pirates movies once each, so she was a little vague on the storyline, but that wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. She was one of those "take things as they come and just do what the others tell you" sort of people, so she wasn't too concerned about the details. All she needed to know is that they were on a ship straight out of a movie, on a quest straight out of a video game, and that she was having fun. She had gained her sea legs relatively quickly, and walking up and down the deck had been rather enjoyable. Still, her favorite place had to be the bow. Unfortunately, when she reached there, Kyle had already taken the spot. Sayrike stood nearby, leaning on the rail and facing forward, waiting to see if he was going to move anytime soon. She got more than she bargained for as she overheard Kyle's momentary rant and Joe's words of comfort. If she were Kyle, though, she wasn't sure how reassured she'd be. But it's not like he had to shoulder the responsibility on his own, and unlike the video games, this one didn't come with instructions or a walkthrough. Was he expecting this to be clear and easy? There was going to be no chance of that.

The girl stayed silent, too far away to be included in their conversation but unfortunately close enough to hear. It wasn't her place to offer any advice, especially since she really didn't know either of them. It was a real shame they hadn't played in the games on The Challenger before, but then maybe they weren't the kind of people who enjoyed being social in that way. Sayrike mentally shrugged in exasperation. How was she supposed to know what they were like if they didn't give a chance to get to know other people? Inwardly, Sayrike had a strong urge to be there for others, like a maternal instinct, almost. It pained her not to be able to do anything for Kyle, despite not knowing him very well.

Wanting to break the dour mood, but unwilling to be rude and butt in on their private time, Sayrike instead turned her back on the sea and the increasing wind, leaned back on the rail, and nonchalantly began to whistle. It was a favorite private pastime of hers, something to do when she was bored. She wasn't the best, but she could get by well enough. The tune that came out of her mouth seemed both out of place in the storm but also appropriate considering the whirlwind adventure Sayrike found herself in, traversing new lands and exploring the seas. This really was "A Whole New World." Aladdin totally had it right.