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[Dani :: Shipwreck Cove:: Balconies]

"I think I would be more useful underwater," Dani thought to herself and stepped over to the side of Sora and some of the other group had gone. She weakly smiled to Noelle before looking out into the ocean again.

"Hello.." Dani quietly greeting the people going on the underwater group. "I hope everyone slept okay."

[Matthew :-: Shipwreck Cove :-: Balconies]

Matt continued to watch as the teams were forming up, and started to feel a little anxious. He saw that Joe was going with Sora, so he naturally felt obligated to be with his best friend forever. On the other hand, Riku's team was looking short handed at the time being, and his natural sense for balance made him gravitate towards them (as well as the knowledge that unbalanced teams would be tactically unsound, totally).

Mulling it over for a few more moments, he gave in and walked over to Sora's side, stopping next to Joe. He stretched his arms behind his back and nodded at his friend. "Howdy partner, how you holding up?"

{Kuro Oni : Flying Dutchman : Holds -> Deck}

Kuro did eventually fall asleep, even to the point that it could be called deep sleep. However, it didn't feel nearly long enough when Ajora yelled throughout the holds to get up. While his original may have long since gotten used to waking up at early hours for his job, the Nightmare Dreadnought did not have that experience. With a groan, he turned over onto his stomach, his face buried into the pillow.

"I want to kill him...," Kuro muttered, his voice mostly muffled by the pillow.

Now that he was awake of course he could hear all of the noise from above. the crew of the Dutchman hard at work preparing the lead ship for battle. With another groan Kuro turned back over onto his back and got out of the hammock. Immediately his attire switched to his normal attire as he made his way up to the deck.

[Jenny :: Shipwreck Cove :: Balconies]

The mage laughed, finding Sayrike easy to talk to. It calmed the unease that had begun to build in her heart. She wished she had slept as well as the blue mage did but could only hope that the lack of rest didn't come creeping up upon her during the fight in Atlantica. That would be the worse timing. Ever.

"I wish I slept like a log... where does that saying come from anyways? And no, I haven't eaten. That apple looks pretty darn delicious right now," Jenny scanned the room for any foods but ultimately decided to wait until the prep talk was over. "Let's kick fishy butt! Any idea as to what your merform will look like?"

[Joe: Shipwrect Cove: Balconies]

"Huh? Oh, fine." He was...though he was getting irritated. They were about to fight their second war, and they weren't even thinking about it. Well, why think about it when it was horrible to think about? But...still...a small part of him wanted to scream at them all for not taking this seriously....

Sayrike::Shipwreck Cove::Balcony

Sayrike, not knowing of Bobbi's inner dialogue with Shiva (thank goodness she had been exposed to enough Final Fantasy to know who Shiva even was), wondered what it was about rhyming salutations that Shiva did not like. "Hey! Don't underestimate crazy. That's what keeps us sane! Besides, 'we're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy,'" she quoted from a Seal song. "And us crazies need to stick together, yeah?" Returning to Jenny, Sayrike replied, "And I have no idea where that saying came from. Maybe because logs don't respond to anything and just lie there? Oh, and I have something for you..." From out of her pocket, the masked girl pulled out a spare apple. "I thought at least one other person out here would appreciate this. Man, it's really convenient having huge pants." Her smile came easily once again. Plopping it firmly in Jenny's hand before she could protest, Sayrike answered her final question. "As for the merform, I already got a preview of it with Anthony yesterday when he rescued me so heroically from the cold, deadly grasp of the ocean. Why, have you been in the water yet?"

[[Louis : Shipwreck Cove : Secluded Balcony]]

The sun was bright, too bright in the morning. The arcanist yawned widely as he took a seat on the edge of a balcony overlooking the exit to the cove. There were bags under his bloodshot eyes telling stories of his lack of sleep. Below him and to the side of his balcony, Louis could see several others gathering outside in the warm, Caribbean sun.

He could see Noelle, Riku, Sora, and Joe gathered the closest, though he could not hear what they were saying over the distance. Farther still was a group of the girls, Jenny, Sayrike, Bobbi and a couple others.

Louis' face showed little concern or interest in joining them. Instead, he simply looked away and stared back at the sea.

[[Cue: What Becomes Of Us from FF Type-0]]

Today was the day... yesterday held several battles of its own, but today.. something felt different. There was an anticipation stirring in the air. This was going to be a decisive battle, one fought on several fronts. Any ground given could spell the complete victory of either side. At least, to those who knew the truth, this battle and their participation would likely have little impact on the outcome. Fate had a funny way of playing out the same every time.

Louis' eyes were locked on the horizon, dots visible, not recognizable but discernible as the enemy fleet. Louis' disinterest was slowly replaced by a very subtle grin. Anticipation even had a grip on him... anticipation and curiosity. What would happen, should one play god in this world? Knowledge is power, and knowledge was in great supply for those who had access to it. Louis could guess the hand of every player, know the draws, and play a hand of his own based on those predictions.

Louis' grin slowly shifted into an obvious smile, "Now... what will you do? Fight against fate? Run away? Or play right into her hands once more?"

[[Meanwhile... on The Flying Dutchman]]

Louis moved from his position at the helm and went down the steps and towards Davy Jones on the deck. He passed the replicas and paid them no mind, in fact it was if they weren't even there. The armored figure, with each loud metallic step simply moved past them without a word.

"I wish to speak with you in private," the young man spoke for the first time, his voice distorted and strange, "I have a message for you regarding today's battle. It's urgent and the contents are rather sensitive and not fitting for the common ear." Louis motioned to the crew members on the deck, "I would highly advise you listen to what I have to say."

[[Back At Shipwreck Cove]]

"Kyle's absence could not have come at a better time..." Louis thought as he leaned back on his arms and continued to watch the ocean with great interest while swinging his legs uncharacteristically.

"True... without Ultima's avatar we can move freely," Mateus replied, a deep chuckle reverberating in the back of his mind.

"Even more so, he, Joe, and most of the others are not going to be present for the sea battle. Instead they'll be far below... too far away to do anything to change the events up here. There will be few left above to watch my movements or question my motives," Louis looked around for Dawn, "That girl will be around... but I believe I have her trust for the most part... same goes for Anthony. As long as I remain true to my role, no one will suspect a thing."

"Do not get careless. If your plan is to succeed, you must not lose face even till the very end," Mateus cautioned, "Are you sure about this though? There are still other ways... it's not too late to turn back."

"That's unlike you Mateus... to actually show concern for me," Louis' smile softened as he let out a soft breath, "Don't worry. Nothing will go wrong. My plan will succeed and I will save everyone. You simply concentrate on your end. Seems you're up, let's break a leg shall we?"

"Just don't literally break a leg," Mateus stated again before their connection faded to nothingness.

Louis smiled and stood up, drawing his rapier and holding it up to the light, reveling in the flawless surface, Today, we see just how powerful fate is. And just what happens when one breaks taboo...

Louis swung his sword a couple times then slid it back into the sheath at his waist. It was at this point he felt the presence of the glass rose. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned it to existence, "Ah, that's right... I need to do something with this..."

His words seemed bewildered, as if confused that he was even bringing it up, but something compelled him to do so. With a quick turn, Louis ran a hand through his hair unconsciously as he walked into a portal that opened right next to the group of earthlings on a lower balcony.

"Good morning," Louis motioned with a cordial wave of his hand and smile to Bobbi, Jenny, and Sayrike, "Sleep well?"