Looming Shadows

Azuma: "That wasn't something to be sharing."

"Uhh, does everyone else around here just figure that they're statues?" Hinode stood up, ready to knock on one to see if it were really simply made out of stone. That being said the previous admonishing suggesting that she leave them alone made him also avoid tapping one on the nose or whatever it was that he had wanted to do.

T"When they are spotted, I would imagine, though Xanatos knows the truth, so some others might. They should be fine here, but I suppose we could assign someone to guard them."

E"Who is this Xanatos guy, anyway?"

*Thiera turns to face Euryale.*

T"David Xanatos is a wealthy CEO. He brought the gargoyles here, broke the spell, & tricked us all into stealing technology for him. That's why he was arrested. He's also a weapons manufacturer & has been involved with creating Heartless."

E"And if he broke the spell, that means he must be magic, right?"

T"No, sometimes magic can be negated by manipulating the terms of the spell. The gargoyles were apparently cursed to sleep 'until their castle rose above the clouds.'"

*Lilith looks out the way they came.*

E"But how did--"

L"Oh, I get it! He stuck the castle on top of one of these buildings."

E"Oh."

T"Yes, his headquarters, the Erie Building, which is where half of us will be going."

L"Trouble is, most of us don't know who or what we're looking for. Who else went here besides you? Azuma, right?"
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R"Sooo--looks like you got yourself an army, here. You're not thinking of staging a coup, are you?"

*Larxene bites her lip but Marluxia just closes his eyes & retains his smug grin as he flips his hand through his hair.*

Marluxia<Ah, the active imagination of a little boy. But, you know, you shouldn't be so paranoid. It's uncouth.>

*Roatha growls slightly & Nero steps away from him.*

N"What ARE you doing here, then?"

*Marluxia spreads his arms.*

Marluxia<What Senthose ordered, of course. He bade us research the Heartless, & Heartless we have produced. Of course, these specimens are undoubtedly paltry compared to those of his own making, but that is why we've had the Archmage bring us to this land of ancient magics. We are not simply twiddling our thumbs, I assure you.>

R"You left MONTHS ago."

Marluxia<Incorrect, although I see how it would appear to be that way from a linear perspective of time.>

Eve:<Well, what fruit have you efforts produced?>

*She doesn't look very pleased*

Hitomi: "I was here as well."

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Xyukuse: "Very little."

"If someone manipulates the spell, though, doesn't that mean that they're magic themselves...or could anyone do it?" Hinode blinked for a moment, trying to wrap his head around what the terms of the spell really meant.

OOC: Those are 2 different scenes, that's why they're divided by all of those equal signs. Xyukuse, Eve, Artexi, Nero, & Roatha (& by extension anyone they're talking to) are not with Hinode at the moment. Also, I'll edit this post with my in-context post once that's squared away.

OOC: I'm very sorry for holding things up once again. I'm having trouble following things because of the script format. Until now I've only posted in prose format. Hinode Kyohaku is then only included in the first part of the commentary above the break lines?

OOC: Yeah.

OOC: Thank you kindly; give me a moment and I'll try to revise. I hope it's alright in the end.

OOC: Remember before when I said I'd edit my post to contain my IC response? I lied!

Thiera: "Not necessarily. Think of it this way: If I cast a spell that creates a fireball, you could either block it with another spell, such as Reflect, or you could hide behind a wall. Though they achieve the same effect, one solution is distinctly non-magical."

*Lilith turns to Hitomi & Azuma.*

Lilith: "Well, that's good. Which one of you wants to help me find this Goliath guy?"
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Archmage<I see no reason to suffer these fools any longer! Even if they ARE in possession of stronger Heartless, it can be no match for the powers of the Phoenix Gate & the Grimorum Arcanorum!>

Marluxia<I thought that the powers to bend time & space to your will taught you the virtue of patience.>

Archmage<Bite your tongue, you insolent whelp!>

*Marluxia raises a hand in response to the finger that the Archmage points at him.*

Marluxia<I am simply saying, more allies will bring us closer to our goal of capturing Avalon. With its magic, we can greatly expand on the Heartless, making them stronger & more numerous, & with that comes the knowledge & power that they can bring to us.>

Azuma looks to Hitomi if she has any input about whether or not there's any reason for either of them to go into the great unknown. She shrugs.

Azuma: "I guess I'll go."

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Xyukuse: "Who needs patiance when you can just tell time where to go?"

OOC: Having the characters' names written out is very helpful; I really appreciate that.

"Does the armor we have protect against that kind of stuff then? I mean the stuff that you had shown me before."

Kyohaku paused, having figured that actually made more sense than he had initially figured. Even if he wasn't exactly a magical being, but rather one made from engineering, maybe he still would have some sort of a chance at all of this.

Artexi:<What's in Avalon that makes it so valuable?>
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Monu:<I will accompany you as well, if you don't mind.>

T"The armor is designed to protect against darkness, but it can defend against all manner of physical or magical attacks. Of course, it does have limits."

L"We might as well take 1 or 2 others with us, so it's more-or-less even."

E"Do you want me to go with you?"

L"No, you stay here. You can explain things to Kyohaku in a way that's not as overcomplicated as Thiera's."

T"Hey, I'm just trying to be precise...."
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Archmage<Ignorant girl, Avalon is one of, if not the most powerful centers of magic in the entire world!>

Marluxia<Even when compared to other worlds, it is fairly impressive. For instance, for every hour that is spent here, a day goes by in the rest of this world.>

R"But there's someone you've gotta kill before you can make use of all that mojo, right?"

*Marluxia nods.*

Marluxia<The island is defended by a group of creatures known as gargoyles, a knight, & the Archmage's old apprentice.>

*The Archmage raises his fists.*

Archmage<But they will soon be squashed like the insects that they are! I now wield powers greater than all but the mightiest of the Fair Folk!>

Girl's voice<Indeed. But do not forget those who have & will help lead you to victory.>

*[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] appear behind Roatha, who swings at the white haired one. His Keyblade stops inches from her face & he finds himself blasted away by his own lightning.*

N"Roatha!"

Black haired girl<Interesting. You still show concern for him even though he has tried to murder you. We've not met many like you, no matter what the year or species.>

White haired girl<Foolish or noble remains to be seen, but for now, your friend, if he can so be called, remains unharmed.>

Blond haired girl<We have taken the wishes of the one you call Senthose into account. If only his Organization should be as graceful.>

*Roatha tries to get up.*

R"You bitch--!"

White hair<A word of advice: When it comes to you humans, your first instinct is rarely the path to success.>

R"So you're saying...I should wait until your backs are turned...then cut off your heads when you can't see it coming?"

Black hair<In a manner of speaking, yes.>

R"Alright...I'll play your little game. I can be--ugh--patient."

Azuma: "Shouldn't there be someone a bit more knowledgable present as well?"

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Xyukuse has a good chuckle at Roatha's expense as even he isn't so born brainless to take a swing at anyone and everything and not long ago he said he'd carve one of his allies eyes out to their face.

Artexi:<He wasn't always a suicidal idiot, powerful magic made him this way.>

Eve:<We hope that you take no offense.>
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Safian:<Where should I go?>

"That's why I asked - I figured that the armor could stick block magic to at least some degree...and it probably wouldn't suck too badly if someone were chucking rocks either."

Looking between them during the exchange, Kyohaku smirked for a moment, "To be honest, Thiera was doing an okay job, I'm just a little dim at the moment. I'll listen to...well, whoever to be completely honest."

In spite of his occasional confusion and the odd things that he said, he had actually intended to pay close attention to those explaining everything to him - whether it was Thiera or anyone else.

Thiera: "Thank you. At least someone appreciates my explanations."

Lilith: "You might as well come with us, Safian. You might be able to smell Goliath before we can see him."

Thiera: "If you look in the books in the booths lining the streets, you might be able to find where the detective lives, to get a sample of what she smells like."

Lilith: "Got it. Thanks."

*She walks towards the balcony, tossing her Keyblade on the ground, which becomes the large flower shape, which folds up into the pink Keyblade Glider when she steps on it. Thiera turns to Hinode & Euryale steps forward.*

Thiera: "Okay, once they're gone & the skies are clear, we're going to fly to a high tower called the Eyrie Building to question Xanatos about the Organization."
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Blond hair<We know.>

*The black-haired girl points at Nero.*

Black hair<You warped his mind because you didn't want to fight, but were unwilling to compromise.>

White hair<But as you have seen, magic & destiny do not obey your whims either.>

*Nero lowers his head & start shaking. Roatha dusts himself off & shakes his head before walking over to the Archmage & Friends.*

Roatha: "Are you crying? Man, what a bitch."

Blond hair<You cannot take back the past, but as long as you live, there will be a future.>

Archmage<And MY future is to claim Avalon!>

*He notices the black haired girl glaring at him.*

Archmage<Er, that is to say, OUR future....>

Eve:<Indeed, we must always strive for a more agreeable future.>

*Artexi goes over and pats Nero on the back*

<(We've all made stupid mistakes.)>
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*Monu and Safian summon their gliders and follow Lilith*

Azuma calls up his glider and follows Lilith.

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Xyukuse: "I bet he's not thinking of cutting you out of the deal."

As the others start to ready themselves to travel, Hinode Kyohaku does the same. Having stood up he looked around, wondering how he was going to get there.

"I assume, Thiera, when you say we that I have to tag along as well? I'm assuming that I'll be traveling with you until I learn how to move myself."

Black hair<A meaningless effort if his magic is only impressive by human standards.>

*Nero angrily shrugs Artexi off again.*

N"Just point me at the Gargoyles, & I'll show you all who's 'weak!'"

Marluxia<Heheheh--now THAT is the spirit.>

Larxene<Whatever, can we just GO already?>

Marluxia<Indeed. We'll want to be ready to welcome the Order when they inevitably find us.>
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Thiera: "You should be able to create a Keyblade Glider just by commanding your weapon to change. The magic in the Keyblade will react with the magic in your armor. That's the other reason that the Keyblade Armor was invented."
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*Because it's boring, we'll just assume they found their way to the Detective's [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by now. Lilith lands on the balcony & uses her Keyblade to unlock the windows, then heads unlawfully enters, turning on the lights.*

L"Okay, then, take a whiff."

Xyukuse: "You've already showed us weak once already. We don't need a recap."

*Safian walks inside and sniffs around*
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*Artexi raises her hand as if to slap Nero then lets it fall*