Shadows Swarm

Azuma: "Then let's go ask the one....person that would know?"

Safian:<I know that, but we don't know what's lurking around here.>
===
*Monu looks away*

<I didn't...quite mean it like that. You should talk to Thiera.>
===
*So Artexi runs in the direction Nero went*

Sally<Father isn't likely to admit it if something is wrong with one of his inventions.>

*Euryale & Roatha stare at her.*

Sally<He put me together.>

E"Oh."

R"Makes sense."
=============================
L"I'm sure that's just what she needs to hear. 'Remember when you were little & I said I could just eat you up? Well, guess what....'"
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T"At any rate, I have all of the materials that I should need now, so it's a moot point. But thank you once more, all the same."
=============================
*She him stopped outside of a temple, staring at the statue within--a massive, towering marble man sitting on a throne. In one hand, he holds a bolt of lightning, & with his other, he strokes his regal beard, looking stern.*

Azuma: "So we just stare at them and see if something happens? Can't say that's how I expected to spend my time here."

*Artexi walks over*

<I think that's the guy who knocked someone up as a bird.>
---
Safian:<Uh, anytime?>
===
Monu:<You stopped when you knew it was Thiera. That's what matters.>

R"We need to at least monitor the situation. We came here to protect this place from the Heartless, after all. Go ahead, Euryale."

E"Okay...."

*She takes a deep breath & stabs it & stares in confusion as red blood pours out of the plant. It doesn't even react to being wounded.*
==================================
N"AND he shot us with lightning! You bastard! You want a fight, old man!? Well, fine, but it's MY turn now!"

*So he summons the Keyblade & points it at the statue, firing a blast of darkness. When it hits the statue, it explodes with enough force to collapse its chest, cleaving off its head & arms. People understandably look over & start gossiping.*
===============================
L"But what if it doesn't last? What if I can't control the snake's instincts forever?"
----------------------------------------
*Thiera flies back to the cave with her materials.*

Azuma: "That's not right."

Taiyo shrinks back, grossed out by a bleeding plant.

===================================

Hitomi begins to head back to the cave.

Monu:<Safian hasn't eaten anyone yet, and she's always a lion.>
===
*Safian returns to the cave as well*
---
Artexi:<(I doubt he likes people blowing up his statues.)>

L"That's a good point...."
------------------------------------
*Thiera flies up to a crevice & starts building a nest.*
============================
R"...Let's keep going & never speak of this again."

*So they continue on to Dr. Finklestein's.*
============================
N"Good!"

*At this moment, a plume of smoke billows out of the ground nearby. Nero turns in time to see it form into a blue man with yellow eyes & a pointy chin & fingers wearing a black toga. Oh, also, his hair is made of fire. He grabs Nero's hand & starts shaking it vicorously. Then he does the same to Artexi, his eyes wandering over her body. He smiles, revealing his needle-like, spaced out teeth.*

Hades<Hi, Hades, Lord of the Dead, how ya doin'? Ya look--good. And you are?>

*He makes little flapping mouth shapes with his hands. Everyone else awkwardly shuffles out of the area.*

Hades<Nero! And Artexi! Heheheh...I know, my sweet pomegranates, the Fates already told me. And YOU-->

*He points at Nero.*

Hades<--Short, dark, & angsty, YOU just declared war on my brother.>

N"Well, I--"

*Hades wraps an arm around Nero's shoulders.*

Hades<Hey, kid, I get it, who DOESN'T hate my little bro? You, me--ehhhthepointis, I'm lookin' to strike a deal with you 2.>

*He flicks his free wrist, summoning a piece of parchment & a quill pen from black smoke.*

Hades<Sign on the line, initial on the dots, mother's maiden name in the margins, toga size on the back, trust me, you won't regret a thing.>

Azuma: "Yes, let's."

He follows as does Taiyo who's less than willing to go still.

===================================

Hitomi curls up in the back of the cave.

*Artexi looks kinda startled, then calms down and starts reading the contract*

<I WOULD like to see Nero in a toga.>
---
*Monu pats her on the back with one of his wings*

<We probably won't stay here all that long. Now let's go back to Safian and the gang.>
===
*Safian curls up and puts her head on her front paws*

L"Right...."

*Lilith follows him into the cave.*
===========================
N"I am NOT wearing a DRESS!"

*Hades drifts back a bit, raising his arms defensively.*

Hades<Whoa, easy there, Teenage Angst: No change of clothes required. The rules of the deal are simple: You join the Games under my team & I free up your inner darkness. Zeusy will surely come down to see what all the hubbub's about, who's mopping the floor with his best & brightest, & then WHAMMO! You jump him, ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom. See, those nifty little trinkets that you have, they have the power to make a god--wait for it--mortal.>

*He flicks his hands, throwing little blue embers like confetti.*

Hades< Meanwhile, I keep the other gods out of your hair so that you can get in, get the job done, & get out undetected. And that's really all that there is to it. You'll find it all on that parchment.>
=============================
*In the lab, Euryale is quite literally curled up in the corner, speed-reading books about Heartless. Roatha is reading over Dr. Finklestein's shoulder. Sally & Jack are on the other side of the room, talking to a woman who looks almost exactly like Dr. Finklestein.*

R"Hm...Thiera would be better at this, but from what I understand, this all makes sense: The plant itself is made of darkness, so it can just absorb the Heartless."

Dr. Finklestein<Well, of course it makes sense! I am a genius! Now, are you quite finished pestering me with your trivial questions about nothing?>

Artexi:<Wait, we can make gods mortal?!>
===
*So I guess everyone goes to sleep*

Taiyo hangs by with Euryale to not be near the doctor.

Azuma: "Can you guarantee nothing will go wrong? In practice it looks like a good idea, but in theory it looks like a disaster waiting to happen."

Hades<With enough dark power, you can lock & unlock hearts. Such as locking away a god's divine power. Don't tell me nobody ever told you.>

N"Oh yeah, Senthose mentioned something like that when he told us how he became a Heartless...but how do you know about the Keyblade?>

Hades<Hello, god here. Besides, you're far from the first people to come here lugging around an oversized key. But no, I don't know the specifics.>

N"...And I don't have enough dark power?"

*He puts a hand on Nero's shoulder & runs his fingers through his hair, which flickers.*

Hades<Hey, c'mon, don't be like that. I mean, that thing with the statue? Got such chills I nearly went bald. You just need a bit--y'know, more.>
=======================================
Dr. Finklestein<Hmph. Apparently, you're not. You saw for yourself that the seeds are completely harmless, even under extreme duress. A test that proceeded without my permission, by the way!>

E"Hey, I have a question: If these things are made of darkness & eat the hearts inside of the Emblem Heartless, doesn't that make them Heartless, too?

*She tenses her shoulders when she notices people staring at her.*

E"I mean, it's just...that's what I got from this book. If it's a stupid question...."

R"No, I think you have a point there."

Dr. Finklestein<Ridiculous! Darkness is a raw material. Is that girl a fish simply because she has scales?>

R"Also true."

Dr. Finklestein<And Heartless do not reproduce from seeds!>

R"I guess you're right."
===============================
*And they awaken some time later when the sun, rolling high in the sapphire sky, shines into their hole, heating great & small, on the endless round. Thiera hops out of her nest & flutters down to the fruits, picking at a banana. Lilith reluctantly approaches.*

T"It's delicious, you should try some. Worst case scenario, you can't digest it until you return to human form."

*So Lilith grabs a banana with her tail & squeezes it out of its peel. She then bites it & starts mashing it in her mouth.*

T"Uh, Lilith, I think you're supposed to eat things whole."

L"Yeahm 'ah--" *Swallow.* "--That's not going to happen."

Azuma: "I wouldn't rule out the plants turning into a Heartless."

===================================

And because leopards don't eat fruit, Hitomi sets off to find a bird or something, feeling kind of funny because she slept with her glasses on as she has no real way to remove them.

*Safian follows after Hitomi*

<You can let me hunt, since I know how.>

*Monu tries some fruit as well*
===
Artexi:<This seems too good to be true. Are we going to owe you our souls or something?>

Hades<Souls. Right. Like I don't have enough of those lyin' around. No, if Zeusy takes a richly deserved eternal rest, then I get my rightful place in the cosmos.>
=================================
R"I don't know if that's how it works. Let's just monitor the situation until the others get here."

Dr. Finklestein<What "situation" & where do you get off nominating yourself to "monitor" it, if you don't MIND? If anything, that should be Jack's decision! HE'S the Pumpkin King!>

*Euryale holds her book up in front of her mouth.*

E"(Psst! Hey, Taiyo, why are you so worried about the doctor, anyway? He looks harmless, to me.)"
=====================================
L"Listen, I--never did thank you properly. For what you said last night."

T"What he said about what?"

L"I was worried about...the possibility of...our animal instincts taking over."

T"In what way?"
---------------------------------------------
???<Hakuna--matata! Hakuna--matata!>

*Peering through the ferns in the direction of the voice, they can see a red-headed meerkat spearing a large worm with a pointy stick. He then begins to eat the still-writhing creature like a shish kebob & sings with his mouth full as he continues on his way.*

???<Ih mean no wurry--hor a est oof yor gayth...!>

Taiyo: "There's nothing harmless about being able to literally rack your own brain. Or when he loses it and you trip on it."

Azuma: "Then we'll consult Jack about it."

=============================================

Hitomi: "It won't be an issue."

Artexi:<So we...kill him? I'm not a big fan of killing.>
===
*Safian jumps out in front of the meerkat*

<And who do we have here?>
===
*Monu looks down*

<No problem. I'm sure we can get by without eating one another.>

Hades<Hey, c'mon, babe, it's the circle of life.>

*He twirls his finger, making a smoke circle, which slowly drifts away.*

Hades<Besides, he's lived a long, full life. Longer & fuller than most, in fact.>

*Hades waves his hand through the smoke circle, dispersing it.*

N"He did hit us with lightning...that would make him evil, right?"

Hades<Right, right. That too.>
==================================
E"(That still doesn't sound very dangerous.)"

Jack<I think it will be fine, but if you & Sally are worried about the town's safety, I'm okay with anything that makes you feel better.>

*Sally side-hugs him, resting her head on his shoulder.*

Sally<Thank you, Jack.>

*Finklestein nods.*

Dr.<I will respect your decision, Jack. Now, I've been working on some things for this year's Halloween.>

*He turns back to his table & opens a drawer.*
=======================================
???<...AHHHHHHH!>

*He tosses the stick, turns around, & takes off running, waving his arms in the air.*
---------------------------------------------------
*Lilith turns to look at him. She might be glaring, but it's hard to tell, since she has no eyelids.*

T"O--oh."

Taiyo: "It is scary though. And slipping on brain is gross."

===================================

Not wanting to eat something that can clearly talk, Hitomi does not pursue Timon.

*Safian heads after him*

<I was kidding! We just want to talk.>
===
*Monu picks at the fruit, looking embarrassed*
---
Artexi:<And then you take over? I mean, Zeus isn't the worst ruler, but why should we trust you to be better?>

Hades<Yagottabekiddin'me, Zeusy shoots you with lightning, I hand you a contract, & you ask why you should trust me over Zeus? WhattaIgottado, log a couple a fireballs so you can feel comfortable, or somethin'?>

N"I'm in."

*Nero scribbles down his name, initials, & so forth on the parchment, which appears in red.*

Hades<Glad to have ya on board, Kid. What about you, Blue Bird?>
=====================================
???<PUMBAA! PUMBAA! I'M BEIN' CHASED BY A LION!>

Pumbaa<ME TOO! HELP ME, TIMON!>

Timon<DON'T WORRY, BUDDY, I'M COMIN'! SAFETY IN NUMBERS!>

*He briefly runs past a warthog trapped in a twisted root, doubles back, & starts trying to pull him out. Pumbaa & Timon simultaneously let out new screams when they respectively notice Safian & another lioness running towards them. Pumbaa begins digging his hooves in to & Timon starts pulling on Pumbaa's tusks in earnest.*
------------------------------------------------
*Lilith starts slithering towards the exit.*

T"Where are you going?"

L"Somewhere else. I don't want to be around when they drag in whatever's screaming like that."

T"Oh yeah, good point."
=====================================
E"(I guess, but it seems like a lot of people around here are scarier.)"

*The doctor pulls out something reflective & sets it up on the desk, the mirror having a support in the shape of a spider web.*

R"A mirror?"

*Roatha bends down to look into it.*

*Safian tries to slow herself to a stop, sniffing at the other lioness*
===
*Monu exits as well*
---
*Artexi rolls her eyes, then signs as well*

<Whatevers.>