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[ Kyle ; Yen Sid ; Merlin ; Aslan ; Riku ; Sora : Disney : Hall of the Cornerstone ]

"Both good," Kyle said, nodding to new-Joe. "As far as other factions are concerned, we have no definitive idea, but here's what I know--because between yesterday evening and this morning, Ajora had access to Louis' mind. Louis was originally taken in by Seymour as an apprentice and spy of sorts, first to watch over the creation of the first replica batch, then to infiltrate us and learn what he could."

"However, over the period, he developed his own... stance, I suppose. It seemed like he took to heart the whole 'end all suffering' bit, but preferred to stand on his own--he and Ajora even made a pact against Xehanort and the rest of them," he explained. "While Mateus may or may not prefer to support the Fiends, like the other dark scions, he does not have direct control or influence on Louis anymore. His is a more... subtle corruption, so I doubt the other Fiends are at his side or supporting him. If I had to guess, Louis is at this point a lone man."

"I should add," Aslan spoke up, having been listening intently. "Heartless have been observed swarming around the consumed region by the hundreds, but they are not originating there--they are pushing inward. So he could be attempting to amass an army, or the army is being amassed against him. The Heartless are attracted to powerful hearts dripped in darkness, and that castle was already brimming with dark energy waiting to be harvested."

Kyle nodded again. "Something to consider. Besides, on top of that, like I said, we're not even sure Louis is the source--simply that he's present."

"As far as his abilities are concerned, yes, he has ice magic in spades. Being his element, I'm sure he can manipulate it in countless ways. On top of that, he displayed an uncanny skill with the element of darkness, particularly in using it for short-range instant corridors."

"He was even able to make abnormally potent Heartless--he called them Dark Ice Soldiers, and they each had various names, though Ajora apparently didn't care enough to memorize them. However, they were extremely powerful--one alone could take on a number of us on even footing, and they each had strange, unique abilities, likely based on the hearts used to create them."

Kyle hesitated, staring at the ground, as if trying to decide something. After a moment, though, he sighed, as if in defeat.

"To make matters worse, he has the heart of one of our friends--Rachel, who currently remains enchanted in stasis so that her body does not drift into Nothingness," he announced. "So this is as much a mission to stop him as it is to save her, if possible."

[Joe: Disney Castle: Hall of the Cornerstone]

The fighter listened to the briefing, looking around at the crowd when it was mentioned aloud to everyone that he was the 'leader'. Mainly to look for objections. Then got distracted listening to the other Joe's questions and Kyle's answers. Well, Kyle and Aslan's. Though the last little bit seemed to snap him to attention, his stare hyper focused on Kyle.

Of course, a large part of him seemed to be screaming something along the lines of 'WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE', but a small part decided not only was this not the time, but it's not like Kyle had the time to tell him, anyway.

He managed to shake himself from staring at the dragoon(by literally shaking his head a small bit), turning to the gunner that spoke up. "Well, hopefully we won't have to worry about splitting up. One of our advantages is our numbers and being able to work together as a...basically a strike unit. We go in, we do our job. With outr numbers, so long as we coordinate well, we have a lot of bases covered." He bit the inside of his cheek a little. He needed to take time to figure out all of what everyone could actually do, his knowledge was pretty patchy. Still....

"If anything, stick close to the more physical people. I know, at least in my case, that they tend to have not so great healing and buffing. You're probably one of our better supporters along with Nono and Kyla. He couldn't really say much more until people were definitely sure they were coming to help. Though he had a feeling Bobbi, Kyle, and Kyla were coming, he definitely needed to know who all actually was coming, so he actually could strategize better.

[Kyla: Disney Castle: Hall of the Cornerstone]

Kyla watched Noelle flop about in a drunken stupor and throw herself into a trust fall with mixed emotions. She partially felt disappointed she missed out on the fun, and also amused thinking that looked like a good way to fall asleep-
“Umm.. can we get a broom or.. someone to give Noelle some water?”
“Knowing from observation- if she drinks a good amount she won’t suffer as much later.”

As Kyle went into details regarding Louis, and eventually the designated ‘party’ for the trip spoke up one by one, Kyla simply nodded in agreement with Joe statement- she was going alright.
Personally Kyla didn’t think her feeling mattered- no matter how nervous or scared or conflicted, or apprehensive or anxious… she HAD to see this through.
Joe’s words floated back to her mind. Asking that impossible question of her, the one she honestly dind’t have an answer for. By now she had hoped she had one, but if she was honest with herself Kyla couldn’t possibly say if she was ever ready to kill someone until that bridge was right in front of her. Based on that moment alone would she know if she could cross it, and regardless of how others felt Kyla knew it would haunt her forever.
Because she promised she’d try. Trying was all she could promise. To do what was right, even if it was hard.

What if all she had left in the end was the shard that existed inside the sheltering puzzle of her heart? She asked herself that too- could that shard be happy being forever a passenger alongside her own soul occupying the same space?

She’d try- she answered herself. She’d try and make that place a peaceful space with as much inner vastness to compensate for the fact it’s true home was lost. That fire she found him kneeling beside in there, she’d kindle it till it was no longer a spark, but a blaze, till it was a sun that shone high above his head if he asked her to. It would be all she could to apologize for not bringing back the rest of him from the brink.
Folding her fingers between her hands, eyes down cast as always to the floor where her feet shuffled on the pristine marble surface. She could see the proud Kingly Lions stretched out visage out of the corner her eye and she suddenly felt the weight in her heart a little less heavy and her timidness less compromising.

“I’m not sure if this info is helpful or not but for the sake of strategy- I guess it doesn’t hurt to mention that I think the real Louis one uses Twin daggers coupled with high agility. I think. At least that’s what I remember seeing-feeling. ”

Kyla didn’t want o think about it. How Ajora played with her body like a rag doll, contorting it into shapes unnatural for the human body to take- just remembering for a moment brought back a shudder. She rolled her neck and straightened her glasses again.

‘I didn’t scream.’ She said inwardly, like a comfort, a reassurance. ‘he didn’t get what he wanted. I did not scream or beg…in the end he couldn’t take that power from me.’ She reminded herself again.

“-I can’t be sure, but that’s what I adopted as a trait when we did something like a drive together. It wasn’t a true drive I don’t think. Based on how much of a change from my normal arsenal it was though, that would suggest he would naturally have something similar?” she waited for the dragoon to chime in confirm or refute.

[Amy : Disney Castle : Hall of the Cornerstone]

The idea of it not being fair to send anyone else but Earthlings in didn't make any sense to Amy, so when some of the Canons chimed in with their willingness to help, she said nothing to deter them.

To note the information just from the last ten minutes, if that long, Louis was a spy when he was part of their group. Shards of Louis had been placed inside of Bobbi, Kyla, and Kyle, but those had been cleansed of whatever darkness was in them. Pieces of his heart? Had some light in them? Well, whatever was going on, if the shards were pieces of Louis heart, and the goal was to save him from himself, then the three of them would have to face him, if only to bring the shards all together in one place.

His element was ice. He had twin daggers, and high agility, but that was based off of Kyla's "drive" with him. When did that happen?

[Amy : Disney Castle : Hall of the Cornerstone]

"I don't have any," Amy said, in response to having any concerns, "None that can't be addressed on the way, anyway. We'll be going by train, right?" She directed that last part to Older Joe.

[[ Joe : Disney Castle : Hall of the Cornerstone ]]

Joe simply nodded along as the other went over what Louis was capable of. Most likely a lone agent, though nothing's been confirmed. Has powerful ice and dark based magic, can create powerful heartless, has weapons out of his a**, and is likely capable of several things no one has seen before. Great.

'I wonder how much any of these people know about the guy's psychology?' Joe thought, crossing his arms and looking upward. 'From what they told me, he played them all for schmucks when they first met, hid who he really was. So...'

So what?

He probably knows enough about at least half of the groups fighting styles. If Joe were a manipulative evil sociopath, he'd do something like that. Join the group, gauge their strengths and weaknesses, and then tailor his fighting style to shutting them down, either individually or in groups. Which means...

He had some explaining to do.

"So, if If I'm going to be going with you guys, it's only fair that I give you the full rundown on what I can do." Joe said, directing his attention to the group, though his eyes were focused primarily on Kyle. "There's the swordplay obviously, that's something I learned while on Earth, although I'm much better here then I ever was there. Strength and durability have also shot up."

"My summon has graciously informed me of his presence. It's Atomos, which pretty much means I'm a space elemental, or gravity elemental. One of the two. I was experimenting with that particular power set when I got the call, so I'm still working on figuring out what it is I'm capable of."

"Lastly..." he began shifting awkwardly in place "You know how we all have abilities besides are summons, right? Like, dragoon stuff and white mage stuff and monk stuff? Well, my abilities are kind of odd. The best way I can describe it is I have a lot of powers geared specifically towards disabling and taking down magic users."

[ Kyle ; Yen Sid ; Merlin ; Aslan ; Riku ; Sora : Disney : Hall of the Cornerstone --> Hangar ]

Joe--the new Joe, anywho--spoke up, detailing his own skills, and in the process confirming Kyle's earlier suspicions. Space elemental. Both awesome... and ironic. The swordplay was a nice touch, they didn't have many actual melee-focused terrans; and then, of course, his skill set.

Kyla made the comment before he could: anti-magic? Bitchin'. And not a moment too soon, either, considering how heavily magic-focused Louis likely was. At least in theory; he wasn't exactly possessing their hearts with a fist to the face.

"I think you're gonna fit in perfectly, Joe-tomos," Kyle said with a grin while Kyla approached Merlin.

"Indeed," the blue wizard said in response to Kyla, and with a smile, a twitch of his mustache, and a flick of his wand, the girl would have been enveloped in a momentary swirl of blue sparkles. Immediately, she would have felt invigorated; not so much that she was suddenly active, but simply as though she'd just woken up from the perfect night of sleep.

"Now, this waking spell will last only a few hours," he explained--and did so loud enough that everyone in the hall could hear him. "Once it ends, you will be hit with all the exhaustion you had previously, magnified--the body will want to go straight into slumber, and it will take nothing short of focused willpower to keep you awake."

"I can provide this to anyone in need," he explained, looking around just in case.

It was about that time that Kyle noticed Joe heading toward the stairs leading up and out of the Hall, with Axel following shortly behind. "Uh, hey, wait!" he called to the other two before looking to Merlin. "'Scuse me, could we get a quick time skip?"

Merlin guffawed once at the dragoon's remark, shaking his head with a grin. "Right-o!"

And then they all saw blue.


A moment later, as the dust settled and vanished, the entire volunteering party (Yen Sid and Aslan had stayed behind) found themselves in the hangar from earlier that day, except farther down the building, closer to one of the side walls. There, facing the wall, was the train; a distance away, they could still see the significantly-larger Red Rose, with maintenance workers relaxing outside it, having spend most of the evening working on the ship.

As far as the train was concerned, it looked as clean as they'd left it on Tortuga; for some, it was their first time seeing the strange magical machine--which was absolutely normal in appearance.

In the front, facing the wall, was the engine car; directly behind it, being one of the entrances, was the lounge car, which would have cushioned seating. After that came the dining car, which--while more narrow than the Rose's galley--still had all of the same basic enchantments, as far as food and drink were concerned. Then came the sleeping car, which would have a hall lined on either side with small, yet cozy, two-bunk beds and a small closet. The next car had a much larger door, much like a freight car, which could slide open on both side; this was the stable car, holding their chocobos. And finally, the caboose, which was none other than the training car, a mystically enchanted car with all manner of modifications--including minor time compression.

What was new, of course, that even the original riders would notice once they stepped in, was that the entire train (sans engine car) was treated with one particular enchantment that the training car had received--dimensional space. Considering the size of their crew, each car was measurably bigger on the inside, with each car capable of holding every crew member comfortably.

More immediately, though, everyone would notice that standing in lounge car entryway was a familiar face (for some): Captain Silver.

"Oiy, there be me ol' friends," he said, smiling toward the group. "Moi, and you've got some new ones."

[Joe: Disney: Hall of the Cornerstone -> Hangar]

The male stopped, looked back at Kyle, and then was poofed off to the Hangar with everyone else.

He looked around. The hangar was still pretty impressive...and after a moment of thought, the male blushed. Mainly because the Hangar was on the other side of the town. While on the other side of the castle. Which was...pretty far. And he was about to walk.

To be fair, it's not like he knew where the train was, considering he remembered coming on the airship as soon as he saw it(and some of the maintenance workers that seemed pretty cute to him...).

"Oh, heh." Well, at least they were all here already.