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[[Louis : Shipwreck Cove : Docks]]

The arcanist took care to sit where she pointed him... so to speak. He sat down and was slightly relived to take his hand away from hers. Something about holding her hand was unsettling to the darkness wielder even if logic told him there was nothing wrong with it.

"Thank you... and I'm sorry," he said, as he played with the fabric of his pant leg, "I didn't mean to say that you were dragging me around. I'm the one depending on you, I wasn't trying to insult you at all..."

Louis wished he could make his apology sound as sincere as he was but he quickly digressed and returned to her question, "My story?" he pondered, "I guess you could say I'm just the guy who follows his curiosity... you know.. leave no stone unturned?" Louis sighed as he recalled the same story he'd recited for the others who asked, "I'm from Ivalice... a land that many earthlings seem familiar with. I was a strategist originally, for the Arcadian Empire. The empire is... misunderstood." Louis thought about Ivalice and Final fantasy 12, trying to think of the best way to describe his origins, "It's actually a very positive place. The social system is based on doing things for others... a selfless society until you get to the higher ups.... anyway, I set out when the world suddenly changed... there were strange lands on the horizon that weren't there anymore so I set out to discover whatever it was out there, rather than try to cling what I had."

Louis paused long enough to give Sayrike some time to process what he told her so far, "On my travels I came to hear about this group of earthlings and their deeds. While I was in a place called Halloween Town, I met with a girl named Maggie, who turned out to be an earthling."

The Arcanist smiled as he thought about their rather random encounter, then fought back a frown that immediately followed as he thought about the result, "Maggie told me about how she'd been separated from her friends and had been working her way back. We spent a short time together then parted ways. Apparently after a short time, she managed to find them and I stumbled upon their group myself and their magic train. Maggie introduced me and I've been doing my best to support them ever since. If you ask me why, I honestly couldn't tell you. Guess you could say I'm following my heart's orders."

"As for my goals..." Louis paused, "At first... I didn't have any except just to learn everything I could... but since I've gotten to know some of them as much as I have... I guess I just want to protect them. Keep them from experiencing pain... not that I've done a very good job. Instead I've just taken a few blows for myself and watched as one disaster after another befalls them and there's nothing I'm able to do with what little strength I have at my disposal."

There was another pause, then Louis changed the subject a little, turning his head in Sayrike's general direction, "What about you? Where are you from? What's your home like... or... what was it like? How did you end up being chased by a bunch of guys with guns? And let's be fair, what goals do you have in this little rag tag group of do gooders?" It was obvious by Louis' tone that he was joking her for asking such strange questions, especially what goals he had. To Louis it seemed obvious for everyone there that their goal was just to do anything they could, whether it was right or wrong. It was always a genuine wish among all of them to do the right thing to some degree... that may have been why Louis cared... the answer to the question he'd been asking himself the entire time they were on the ship.

Damn... was it really that easy to answer?

She laughed. "'Leaving no stone unturned'? I can totally understand that. A bit like myself, in fact. And no, I'm not like the other Earthlings in that I know absolutely nothing about Ivalice." Her eyes began to shine from behind the mask as the ethnologist in her fired up, a million questions springing to mind about his homeland, the Arcadian Empire. Why would it be misunderstood, for instance? Did it have a bad reputation or something? One couldn't really glean much information from little cutscenes other than some plot line and action, let alone the nuances of an entire culture. She was intensely curious---if he was from the world of a video game, did he only have the basic knowledge that was written about it by the creators, or did he have an entire in-depth life that was expanded beyond the creators' wildest dreams, a world of its own?

Had the humans unknowingly played God, and this world was the result of having life breathed into it?

Sayrike became giddy with these ideas and musings. She desperately wanted to talk with someone about this, but none of them would probably care too much about it at this point in time. Too busy fighting or being angry or being emo, she thought with a mixture of sarcasm, amusement, and light-hearted jest. It was a joke she'd probably make about a friend, but in this case of unfamiliarity she doubted that any of them would understand she wasn't criticizing them but rather poking fun in an effort to get them to lighten up a bit and realize that they were only hurting themselves.

As Louis continued, Sayrike found herself liking him more and more. One thing he said struck a chord with her. "You know, I once read a parable-like thing...err, well, I don't know if you know what a parable is since you don't know the Bible, but anyway, what I mean to say is that I once read an allegorical story that talked about these creatures that lived on the bottom of a river. Their entire lives, they clung onto the rocks at the bottom, knowing that if they let go, they would be carried off and violently dashed upon the rocks, tumbling along to their death. One day, a single creature decided that he was tired of clinging to his little rock. He trusted that the current knew where it was going and it would take the creature wherever it went. He was going to let go, or stay there and die of boredom. Of course all the other creatures around him warned him to not do it, otherwise he was going to get hurt badly and die. But the creature didn't listen to them, and he let go." By this point she had grown more a bit more serious, but also a bit more soft-spoken and tranquil. She had crossed her legs somewhere along the line, and the top one bounced up and down gently. "Of course, the creature did get smashed and beaten up by the rocks. But he refused to cling again, and after awhile, the current of the river lifted him from the bottom, and he learned that the river held joy and adventure, a voyage, if only one were to let go." A few seconds of silence fell between them, quietly laying itself down to rest.

"But you know, you can't keep someone from experiencing pain. Pain is just as much of a part of who we are as joy, or love. Sometimes they're the same thing. Just how there is such concepts as 'good' and 'bad,' there is 'pleasure' and 'pain,' and we can't live without either." Sayrike turned her head towards Louis. "To be sure, it's a noble endeavor to try and protect others in that respect, but to take it too far is just kind of silly and naive. Keeping people from experiencing pain is keeping them from experiencing life itself. It's a futile effort. If you really feel yourself caring for this group, don't try and do the impossible. Let them live, let them grow. Disasters may fall, and it seems like it might happen more frequently than we're used to, but you can't control that, and you can't control how they're going to react to each situation. You're not them. You're only master of yourself. You're the one that controls your life. All you can do is help out as much as you can. But don't expect yourself to shield them from pain." She gave a small smile. "Besides, how could you know what pleasure is if you didn't know what pain was?"

She sighed, laughing. "Look at me, I've gone all preachy again. Well, to actually answer your questions, I grew up by beaches nearly my entire life. Nice, quiet, calm communities of people. I didn't travel a lot, but I sure did explore wherever I lived. You could say I've always tried to let go of my rock and discover new things and see where life leads me. I'm quite curious as well, but that always leads me to fun and excitement and some really interesting stuff, and it hasn't killed me yet, haha. As for the guys with guns in Port Royal this morning, I have no idea. I was just hiding out in the woods there for a day or two, and they didn't show up until you guys did." She eyed Louis in an exaggerated feign of suspicion. "Hmmm, are you guys SURE you're not cursed and bring trouble with you wherever you go?" Sayrike chuckled. "As for being with the group, I'm not quite sure why I'm here either, I think I'm just kind of a tag along for now. I mean, they already knew I was there in Port Royal by the end, and after throwing the town into chaos and hyper-alert, I couldn't really stay there now, could I? 'Sides, my ride that I used to get there got busted, and escaping somewhere inconspicuously by foot would take too long. I seem to have been swept up by a new current, you could say. But if I wanted to leave, I'm not going to cut myself adrift here, you know. I'll wait until we get somewhere a little more, uh, hospitable." Truth be told, some of the people were very nice, but with the recent fighting amongst themselves she began to feel herself pushing herself away. It was exciting with these guys, definitely, but she wasn't sure she wanted to stay in this kind of atmosphere if it was going to be like this all the time. Plus, she still felt a little out of the loop, what with most of them having been with each other for more than a couple days. But she was just doing what she had told Louis---she was going to help them out however she could. 'Cause, you know, I'm nice like that. Hahahahahaha! she joked with herself in mock bragging.

"Hmm, is it my turn now? What's your favorite thing to eat? What was school like for you? What sort of weapons do you use? Why is the Arcadian Empire 'misunderstood'? And how do you wield darkness? How did you come to use it? Do you have a lot of friends back at home? A girlfriend? A boyfriend? What's the most beautiful sight, in your opinion, in Ivalice? What's one of your favorite memories there?" she asked eagerly, genuinely curious to hear about his life.

[woooo, and some of the guild's longest posters continue to battle it out for title of "the longest-winded"! XD]

An image of that fluffy, yellow, overgrown bird popped into her mind. "Chocobo, huh? Hmm...I guess it's kind of like eating horse. I mean, do you know what a horse is? Well, if you don't, it's this 4-legged creature that can be used like chocobos, for transportation or as a beast of burden. A lot of people don't like to think of eating one, but you can, and some cultures do. I've always wanted to try it myself, 'cause, you know, I'll try anything once. What does chocobo taste like? Too bad we won't find any around here, I'd love to try it! How is it prepared? Can you cook it? Do you cook at all? You know what's really interesting is the social taboos cultures place on themselves when it comes to eating, I studied some theories about it once..." Sayrike shut her mouth, noticing that she was rambling. "Err, sorry, once I start sometimes it's hard to stop. I just really like learning about and talking about cultural stuff. So sorry if I seem intrusive...I'll try to hold back," she apologized. Well, at least it seemed that the Final Fantasy creators hadn't planned every aspect of the lives of their worlds. This just kind of proves that these people from the games are alive and real, just as much as us Earthlings are.

Hmm, so Arcadia is kind of like China, then, or pre-Tokugawan Japan. Divided, warring states, when eventually one tries to gain control. Always an interesting time to study, though much more comfortable to view when separated by at least 400 years' time difference. The young woman nodded. "Yeah, I can understand why you left." Still, Louis appeared to be a bit of an idealist in some respects. She didn't know anyone who spoke of their country in such...praising terms. In reality, no one had a "my leader is always righteous and true" mindset, for the reality was always more complicated. Hmm, maybe it was the simplistic legacy of the game creators whose one-dimensional worlds were embedded with such things as "an emperor who was always peaceful." Or it a historian could just as easily streamline a narrative to fit the ruling ideologies of the time. Sayrike lay these thoughts aside and continued her queries.

"But, as a defensive strategist, that means you must have studied for a long time to get there. Why did you choose that profession? And what sort of things did you study in school? How long is school mandatory here, if it even is? Are you obligated to go by law, or is it on basis of money and/or lineage? Is there even a caste system in Ivalice?" Thinking for a moment, something dawned on her. "If it's not rude of me to ask, how old are you anyway?" Well, if he was from an rpg, it was highly likely that anyone over the age of 20 was considered in the "gettin' old" category. Totally possible for a defensive strategist for the military to be 17 or something. But she still, it would be amusing to ask.

Looking at the darkness gathered on Louis' palm, Sayrike wondered aloud, "Huh...so, if it manifested, then something must have triggered it, right? If it's not something that you're sensitive about...how did you exactly acquire the powers of darkness? Oh! And you hadn't answered my other question: assuming you worked for the military, you have to be trained in some kind of weaponry. So, what do you use, usually? Just the rapier? OH!" She playfully and lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "You DIDN'T even answer the MOST important question---what's a favorite memory of yours, or something really interesting and fun that you did in Ivalice?" Sayrike grinned, arms akimbo, and stared into where his eyes would be, if they weren't covered by the blindfold. Sometimes she'd be a bit narcissistic when doing this, and try to see her reflection in people's eyes, but alas, she couldn't this time.

Wait...reflection? I wonder...The gears began to turn in Sayrike's head.

[[Louis : Shipwreck Cove]]

((lol, sure, if you want to call this a battle... I was pretty sure you'd won that title long ago. also, you can't see Louis' eyes, don't forget that he has a blindfold.))

Louis tried his best to remember every question posed to him, but frankly, he was being a little overwhelmed, "Alright, alright, one question at a time. I'll start with the 2 I forgot, then we'll go from there, alright?" This girl sure can ask allot of questions, that's for sure. It's somewhat refreshing really... no one has bothered to ask me much at all since I arrived really except Jenny and Anthony... but I have to give her credit, she's more detailed than I ever anticipated.

Louis furrowed his brow, then scratched the side of his head before finally answering with the best answer he could come up with, "My favorite moment... coming home. After going on a long excursion, coming back and seeing my home there is the best memory I could have. That warm feeling when you know you're back where you belong." My home... it feels so distant now. It doesn't even feel like home at all when I picture it in my mind... I feel no connection at all...

"As for my weapons, I use my daggers," Louis reached to his waist and tapped the sheaths for both blades, "my rifle," Louis popped his shoulder up to make the ornate, otherworld-tech styled gun bounce on the strap, "and as you already know, my rapier." Louis gripped the handle and smiled, "You really are very curious." he stated the obvious, "If it were a competition I'd fear I'd lose as it seems your curiosity bested mine by a long shot."

[hahaha, you know I'm kidding. XD And I fixed the error. D'oh! Sorry, why am I so bad at details? D:]

Sayrike had to laugh again. "Er, yeah, sorry. Sometimes I'm like this with people, asking a billion things at once, although we're usually eating a meal or something at the same time and so my mouth is occupied with chewing food and I can't get out as many questions." Hmm, Louis seemed to be a bit of a tough nut to crack. Usually people offered lots of details and extra stories about themselves or their home, so much so that she didn't have to prompt them with extra follow up questions, but it seemed that he was one of those people who liked to keep his answers short. Well, at least he wasn't as bad as one of her friends who would often give nearly monosyllabic answers. But she had even gotten him talking on and on at one point about something he loved (the Marines), and really what Sayrike loved best was listening to someone talking passionately and honestly about a topic special to them. It seemed she just needed to find the right thing to ask Louis about. Every person had their story, and Sayrike just wanted to hear it. She wanted to be the one to whom someone could connect and find an eager, willing ear.

She was kind of disappointed in Louis' relatively short answer about his favorite memory. For all the things she asked, Sayrike still hadn't gotten a good feel of what Ivalice was like, and she only gleaned partial hints of his emotional connection to his life in Ivalice. She really wanted to ask more questions about what his home (was it made of wood or metal or straw or what? What sort of furniture did they have? Did he sleep on a bed, or a mattress of sorts, the bare floor with a headrest? What did it smell like to him when he walked in the door...?) but she instead tried to back track and re-ask some of the queries she had reeled off earlier. "Hmm, okay, well..." Sayrike decided to start with the last set of questions first, and she asked with a bit more slowly and calmly, "If you didn't have the powers of darkness all the time, and it manifested in you recently, how did that come about? I would imagine there was a trigger of some sort...And, more importantly, how much do you know about magic? Like, embedding it in objects...or people?"

[ Riku ; Cloud ; Seymour ; Grand Council Woman : Hawaii: Central Command ]

"At first, we thought the same as you," the Grand Councilwoman spoke, in response to both Bobbi and Jon, though she nodded at Leon to let him know she had heard him and would get to his question soon. "First, there are only two types of energy on this grid, as we've excluded all others from the sensor readings- electrical, and..."

She paused. "Pleakly, discard all electromagnetic signatures."

"Aye-aye!" the nervous one-eyed alien responded from his seat a few meters away; with a few rapid keystrokes, almost every single light faded from the grid; the only one remaining was the one at the center of the volcano.

"We've been here for over a month now, attempting to understand this anomaly and plan for possible scenarios," she replied, stressing the length of time in one of the only instances of emotion she'd revealed- concern. It disappeared as quickly as it came. "This energy is nothing our research has ever identified- and if you'll forgive my momentary lapse of humility, we are quite a bit more advanced than most other civilizations at present."

"So it's magical energy, then," Riku said, his matter-of-fact tone coming neutral.

The Councilwoman seemed to frown for a moment before her composure returned. "I suppose that would be the best way to describe it. Regardless, we've also been trying to deduce the safest method of removal for the past few weeks, with nothing short of disastrous predicted outcomes. It's become clear through the research we've done that if there's anyway to remove the source of this... 'magical' energy, it would have to be in a way similar to what caused the merger to begin with. After all, if it somehow entered the volcano without setting it off, then the most likely case is an exact reversal."

"But with those people coming for the sole purpose of taking it-- whatever 'it' is-- out, you won't get a chance," Cloud said, his blunt tone only matched by the air of apathy he masked himself with.

"As for how long it's going to take, we can't be certain until we know what they're using to get through to it," she responded, and began to open her mouth when Pleakley came running forward, his eye wide with anxiety.

"They're within hailing range!" he yelped. "ETA twenty minutes!"

"Make contact," she commanded before turning to the others with a tense nod. Suddenly, the doors opened behind them, and in marched another guard, accompanied by none other than the Azure Ranger.

"Excuse me, your Honor, another Ranger-"

"Thank you, but no further interruptions," she said sternly, taking her seat without the slightest look at the Ranger. The entire roomed seemed to become completely quiet as all other operators stopped what they were doing to look at the screen. Within moments, the image of an armored man's upper torso appeared on the screen. "Greetings-"

"This is Judge Magister Ghis of Archadia, Commander of the Imperial 8th Fleet," he interrupted, his voice sounding somewhat older. "State your intentions clearly."

The Grand Councilwoman seemed caught off-guard, unused to being interrupted, but she quickly picked up the slack. "Judge Ghis, this is the Grand Councilwoman of Hawaii. If it is true you intend to attempt excavating what lies within the volcano-"

"We do not intend to attempt- we intend to succeed," he corrected, and his voice already seemed bored. "Our initial readings suggest a large cache of powerful magicite crystal, and we laid claim to it when we sent our mercenaries to defend it."

"Defend? They've been attacking innocent people without provocation!" she tried, her anger allowing her voice to rise despite herself, not only due to his interruption, but his seeming-inability to care.

"It is to my understanding that they have met resistance alongside our source of aid on the island," he responded. "Though I doubt now is the time to be arguing semantics. Should you not be evacuating instead of wasting both our time?"

"We do not have the means!"

"Then we will deploy our own carriers to help take refugees back to Archadia," he responded; his tone carried an undertone that might have made hair stand on end. "If that is all, I will have to ask that you and your forces stand down. If we detect any additional resistance, we will not aid in evacuation. Goodbye."

The communication ended, leaving the Councilwoman speechless. The room was so quiet, a pin could be heard dropping.

[[... soooo sorry about the long, uninterruptable wall of text. I was typing and realized that there wouldn't really be any chance for interruption because there was hardly a time to breathe between the two of them. And considering you need to react to her responses, Cory's reintroduction, and the conversation... I feel like I cheated you. I really tried to give you guys a hole, but any sort of pause would have been totally out of character. x_x ]]

[Cory .:. Hawaii .:. Beach -> Central Command]

"Fine, don't arrest or handcuff me. But the other 'rangers' aren't going to exactly be thrilled to see me." The ronin followed the aliens into the spaceship and into the Central Command, where they attempted to introduce him to the Grand Councilwoman. What he saw instead was a heated discussion between the alien and an armored man on a screen, followed by a deafening silence. No. I don't care for a room so full of people to be so quiet.

"What a d**k."