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 Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 12:54 am
[ Ajora : Castle That Never Was : Altar of Naught ]
Ajora shrugged in response, looking relatively indifferent on the matter. Truth be told, he looked indifferent about a lot at the moment; worn-down by who knows how long without rest. But, more than anything, he looked faintly irritated, one hand's index and middle fingers rubbing his temple for a moment, as if trying to dissuade the headache.
"Then I'll leave it on until you tell me otherwise," he responded, as if that settled the matter. "Besides that, I wanted to offer you something as compensation for our personal history."
The hand that had been holding his head stretched out in front of him, palm facing upward; after a moment, a brilliant light began to shine as a glimmering, vibrant heart appeared hovering above his hands. Ajora's lips curled into a small, tired smirk, though it was one he was sharing with Louis, not holding over him.
"The heart of one ex-White Mage known as Rachel," he explained, looking over to the dust that had once been the Heartless, Rera. "I know you enjoy toying around with Heartless, and from the looks of that creature of yours, you even create specialties of your own. I figured you might enjoy using this particular heart, if such was the case. Not like I'll need it for my own projects."
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 1:21 am
[[Louis : Castle that Never Was : Altar of Naught]]
"Toying is the wrong word..." Louis was equally exhausted it seemed, "But you're right though. I could put it to good use. Thank you." without turning to face the replica a portal opened over the heart, then tendrils reached out and grasped it, pulling Rachel slowly into the darkness. When it was gone, Louis let the air still for a moment before speaking again, "So... are you going to explain what happened?" Ajora would see Louis tilt his head slightly in his direction, but never make eye contact, "Why did you scream and why did... darkness invade my mind right after? And then, why did you really make this alliance? The timing is too strange and I don't believe in coincidence anymore."
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:25 am
[ Ajora : Castle That Never Was : Altar of Naught ]
The heart now taken, Ajora's hand once more fell to his side as he listened to Louis. When Louis let his curiosity loose, the replica couldn't help but chuckle darkly under his breath.
"What I explained before was the truth," he started, turning around and walking toward the back of the altar, where he looked up and off into the Darkness. "We're heavily outnumbered, and as they tend to travel in large groups, their combined might could finish off any one of us, were we alone."
"Besides that... I suppose you could say I've had the chance to see past the veil of Darkness," he continued, never taking his eyes off the horizon. "The Fiends of Heart have plans of their own, and they don't care what tools they destroy in the process. After all, they can just make more of us, and as we've seen with Cory, they're not above taking the souls of the dead as slaves, so you and Nicholas are hardly safe.""
"After realizing how stacked the odds are against my own survival, I sought out to improve them by starting this alliance. And of course, one does not merely gain allies of our kind without giving something in return. But I'm willing to be more than generous if it means I'll have someone to watch my back."
"As for what they plan, I suppose that segues quite well into your previous two questions," he digressed, sounding somewhat amused. "I attempted to draw power from the Sun-Cryst and, in doing so, disturbed the slumber of what might aptly be called, as you did, 'Darkness'. It seems that the Sun-Cryst is more than mere deifacted nethicite-- it is the Cornerstone of Darkness, and what I had awoken was nothing less than a hivemind outside of the known realms, Darkness coalesced so thickly that it-- they?-- attained sentience."
"What you call an invasion could be better equated to someone inviting themselves in. Before they reached out to you, they investigated my own mind for information," he explained, and his tone had grown more... apathetic-- as if he'd distanced himself from the entire thing. "They ripped me apart and put me back together again, dissecting me over and over for as much information as they could attain. Before they took the generous form of the Occuria, they had no form-- only Darkness more viscous, more pure than anything I've ever felt. They didn't even speak a human language at first, let alone English."
"The Fiends of Heart are emissaries of this amalgam, sent as harbingers to prepare the world for its summoning. It slumbered, allowing them free reign, but having awoken it, I've likely stirred them to action-- acting as a catalyst by waking their slumbering creators," he explained, spreading his arms (though keeping them at a low angle) as he went on. Louis might have noticed a very faint noise in the distance, like a constant humming that he couldn't place. "They are like an eldritch choir, an omniscient presence that pervades every ounce of shade..."
The humming, by that point, had slowly grown into a distant murmuring without form or comprehension.
"Do you hear them, Louis?" he asked, his voice hushed, like a whisper that he didn't want overheard by anyone else nearby. He could still be heard clearly, despite the increasing commotion; the murmuring had quickly evolved into a pervading, unorganized chanting, as if the people of a large congregation were each singing a different hymn. "Whispering from the shadows...?"
It was clear now that the sound was not actually there; rather, it was coming through Ajora's seal on Louis. Louis was experiencing the source of Ajora's 'headache' now as he was bombarded with the roaring, unintelligible choir of Darkness. After a moment, Ajora turned around to face Louis--
-- only he had a total of seven eyes, an extra pair directly above his first pair (his hair seemed to hover, like a constant light breeze was keeping it aloft) a fifth, vertical eye placed in the dead-center of those four, and the final pair just above his temples, also angled vertically, and in line with the middle (fifth) eye. Each eye was completely black, lacking irises or pupils, and from them seeped Darkness manifest like tears of thick oil.
"The cosmos will burn with their coming!" he hissed, his own voice now distorted, as multi-layered as the chorus of oblivion now penetrating Louis' mind-- only for them to cut to an immediate halt the moment Ajora finished speaking.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 2:26 pm
[ Kyle, Assorted Canons : Red Rose : Training Room ]
As Kyle managed to get to his feet, he heard Dawn speak up, and gave her a slightly exasperated look. Was she really so oblivious? Not a lot of good her dance would do him on the floor.
After a moment, however, he noticed the glimmering energy float around his being-- and felt the familiar burning of his mana circuits, eager to push everything out at once, like a dam suddenly ready to burst. Oddly, he was still completely healthy, so this new dance...
"... invokes a Limit Break without actually taking away any health? Interesting," he mused, nodding to Dawn. He didn't want to go through with it now, as Yuffie poofed over to help Matthew up; better to let Matt get as much done now without distraction. "What next?"
---
[ Sora : Red Rose : Deck -> Training Room ]
It had taken a little bit to find the Training Room, but Sora heard the commotion from a distance, making it easier. By the time he'd arrived with Lexaeus in tow, Matthew had gotten abilities from Yuffie, Beatrix, and Riku. He noticed Kyle and Dawn off to the side, with Dawn practicing various dances. "Hey, what'd I miss?"
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Je suis a toi Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:13 pm
[Noelle ~ Red Rose ~ Ladies Bathing Chambers]
Noelle looked up at Jenny at her mention of some sort of occurrence in the training room. She wasn't going to go immediately, however--it had been a crazy-a** day and she deserved a nice bath, damnit! She would go whenever she pleased, if at all (though she knew she would break down and go eventually. She wanted to help out and needed a little work herself). In the mean time she was going to get some much needed me-time. Well, me-and-Demyx-and-Jenny-and-John-time.
"Come on Jenny~" The agromancer called to her in her best 'persuasive' voice. "The water is so nice and waaaaarm, and everything smells so goooooood. You deserve a nice bath."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 12:20 am
[[Louis : Castle that Never Was : Altar of Naught]] "The Fiends of Heart have plans of their own..." Louis listened intently. This was the second time they'd been mentioned, but never explained who they were, "...they're not above taking the souls of the dead as slaves, so you and Nicholas are hardly safe."Does he mean Seymour? Louis pondered, but let Ajora continue to speak. All the while, Louis stared out into the empty expanse or down at the empty city below. He perked up as he began to speak of the darkness, The Sun Cryst? So that cursed thing still exists in this world? And it's the corner stone of darkness as well?It was at this point Louis turned around entirely to look at Ajora, only to spot him turned away and facing in the other direction. At the same time, whispers echoed from all around them. He could feel his seal weakening but could not discern the cause. "They are like an eldritch choir, an omniscient presence that pervades every ounce of shade..." The voices were growing clearer. So many in number, it brought clear flash backs of his meeting with the Occuria. "Stop... I don't know what you're doing but-""Do you hear them, Louis?" Louis stopped and listened further, the voices growing clear as though their mouths breathed each word on the skin of his ear, "Whispering from the shadows...?"Louis angled his eyes downward, unwilling to admit to it, but couldn't deny it either. He looked back up as Ajora turned back to face him. Louis could not stop himself as a shocked expression flashed over his face, eyes and jaw muscles tensing at the sight. Then a as the voices resounded together in discord, he could not help but wince with one eye closed and clenched teeth. "The cosmos will burn with their coming!"Suddenly the voices were gone. Louis stayed silent. He stared at Ajora for a long moment as his body relaxed once more before standing and taking a few steps toward the replica, "Ajora... what have you done?" Strangely at this moment, a subtle snowfall began to proliferate in the air, drifting down around the tower from invisible clouds. [[Cue: Snowfall on Forbidden Lands]] "The fool has tapped into darkness far beyond his measure... even I do not know if the one we're speaking to is even the same Ajora we've encountered in the past. We should leave.""If that's true... then I refuse to leave him alone. I've made that mistake multiple times already. I had to be pulled back every time. Once even by Ajora... if he has fallen prey to this thing... I just won't.""He holds no honor... there is no reason you must.""I refuse. Whether it be for my honor, or merely a sense of responsibility and debt... if he is indeed lost to himself, I will help him if I can."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:58 am
[ Ajora : Castle That Never Was : Altar of Naught ]
At Louis' cautious steps and apprehensive query, Ajora's stature seemed to grow, as if the mere approach were some primal challenge to his power. However, with noticeable struggle, he tore his multi-faceted gaze away from the fellow Avatar, bringing his hand up to his face and gripping it tightly. Groaning, he took his hand away after a moment, revealing his face to be back to normal- only two eyes, each as natural as before.
Well, except for the uncanny golden irises so reminiscent of those steeped in Darkness.
"I-- I'm still not sure," he growled, his frustrated glare still directed toward the ground at his side. "But they are now my burden to bear. They made the Nethicite I absorbed into a medium, giving them constant access to me, and vice-versa. It's not always so overbearing; this world, however, is closer to the realm's edge than the world amalgam, so they come through far clearer."
"What I do know is that they act as fuel to the carnal fire; I can feel them trying to incite the more base, primal desires of my heart," he continued. "The Cardinal Sins would likely be an appropriate reference. I suppose that's the price for being able to see beyond the veil, though. And the additional power isn't all that bad, either."
He chuckled grimly, finally looking up to Louis with a tired smirk. "Nothing's free, c'est la vie, right? Anyway, was there something else you wanted to ask? I figured you'd want to get out of here as fast as possible, as annoyed as you seemed earlier."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:03 pm
[[Louis : Castle that Never Was : Altar of Naught]]
The avatar relaxed as Ajora seemed to return to normal, but the snow persisted. He let out a long breath and looked back up at the world above, "I wasn't annoyed, at least not at you... just... uncomfortable. Present company excluded, I didn't know anyone there nearly as well. I didn't know what to expect, who to trust, who to avoid. You have dangerous friends Ajora... I know... I helped create them."
Louis turned around and and motioned for Ajora to stand next to him if he wanted to. There was a long pause, then a simple question, "Do you... remember what earth was like?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 3:10 pm
[Dusk : Land of Dragons : Bamboo Thicket]
Dusk soon turned to Genesis, with her eyes narrowed at his last statement, "Just what are you getting at? That they are right?" Dusk said in a low voice, "Everything I ever treasured always ended up hurting me. So I've given up caring or treasuring anything.
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 3:15 pm
[Dawn : Red Rose : Training Room]
Dawn stopped dancing and was catching her breath as Sora came over to them. Though the room had the same replenishing effects as the Training Car on the train. She was feeling rather weakened after that first dance. Though she has learned a couple of others. She was feeling the strain as she tried to keep it up. With shaky knees she leaned against a nearby wall as she turned to answer Sora.
"Depends on what was the last your remember," she answered the Keyblade wielder, "We are just doing some training. I am using Kyle as a test subject on a few moves. While the new guy is getting his butt kicked. All in all nothing out of the ordinary..."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:32 pm
[ Ajora : Castle That Never Was : Altar of Naught ]
"Just as vividly as my original," he responded, shrugging as he did so, with his smirk becoming tainted by self-deprecation. "All of its bleak, dreary oblivion. Every moment of insignificance and fury. There were lulls in the monotony, but their defining trait is their irrelevance."
He ran a hand through his hair, rolling his eyes slightly as he did so. "Of course, I can tell there are... holes. Voids in my memory where I can only assume Light would have been prevalent, had it not been for Vexen and Seymour's alteration in design," he explained, looking off to the side once more. "I know those holes are the only things separating me from Kyle. However, if I had to choose between gaining them back or remaining oblivious, I would choose the latter. Without the Light, I can see the Shadows with far better clarity-- allowing me to remember vividly the many, many times that the Light had never given me anything of worth; it only held me back."
"It's not as if I'm without proof," he added, his tone taking on a hint of smug amusement. "Look at me now, and look at him. I finally have the power to change the world, and he's still scraping by just to stay alive."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 8:36 pm
[[Louis : Castle that Never Was : Altar of Naught]]
Louis gave Ajora a glance as he spoke, "That doesn't bother you?" the avatar scratched his head and pursed his lips to the side, "It never crosses your mind what you might be missing? Or what you might even be missing out on now? Don't take this the wrong way, but it baffles me when I try to wrap my mind around you..." Louis paused then clarified, "The replicas I mean. It's just strange..." Louis' train of thought drifted off as he resisted the urge to run his mouth about a pointless tangent.
"Sorry."
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:01 am
[Jenny :: Red Rose :: Ladies Bathing Chambers]
Jenny tossed the idea around in her head; she had to admit, she was a bit curious as to how one would go about learning moves from others. Was it just like Final Fantasy where they had to get smacked in the face with the move? Or maybe it was more like Kimahri from FFX.
In the end, Noelle and the baths won out. The water looked so tempting and the sweet smelling soap that just beckoned the mage to jump in and get clean for once. So with great care, Jenny wrapped her towel around her before taking off her dress sphere and then carefully slipped into a tub next to Noelle. "This feels amazing."
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:54 am
[Alice :: Castle That Never Was :: Where Nothing Gathers > ???]
Alice inclined her head, as much so as would be considered polite and watched as each person entered their own dark portal. Pretty soon it was just her in the giant chamber; surrounded by thirteen pristine thrones. Going onto pointe, Alice twirled in place as she contemplated what to do. She could go back to the Dutchman but she'd prefer not. All the other Replicas with arrogance and equally foul tempers didn't tempt the Animator in the least. No good could possibly come from amassing a bunch of Replicas together; they could hardly get along with the first bunch let alone a completely new set.
Each and every one of them were fighting to accomplish their own plans; a race to see who is stronger in the end. And as Alice saw it, she should jump in the game... preferably with less publicity and flair as the others. With a smirk, Alice opened a portal and disappeared within its darkness, leaving the room quite empty.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:03 am
[Zidane :: Red Rose :: Hallways > Training Room]
"You guys have chocobos too?" Zidane asked as he glanced around him; as if a wall would suddenly open up to the stables. Given the immense size of the ship; the thief wouldn't be that surprised if it was an entire army of chocobos. No, that might be a little scary. Chocobos could be vicious when they wanted too... he would know.
Then without another thought directed towards the large feathered birds, Zidane's mind went down another track. The Training Room. It sounded exciting and from what Kyle was saying it seemed like a mass message meaning people were probably gathered there already, which meant girls. Training and girls, of course. Though, there was no doubt that Zidane was interested in whoever had the ability to copy abilities. It seemed like a handy thing to have.
"Let's go!" He shouted after Kyle as he sprinted, and with a bounding leap; he vaulted over the Terramancer, grabbed a light fixture with his tail and tossed himself down the hallway.
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