Looming Shadows

*Safian walks beside Lilith, head and tail drooping*
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*Artexi stares back at him, then looks away*

<Well, if I can help in a way that doesn't involve going down their alone and getting my ass kicked, let me know.>
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*Monu tries to use Air Gyre to make himself an opening while avoiding as many laser blasts as possible*

Damn you...if only...
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*Eve sends a message to Senthose*

I might have something. Come by when you have the time.

-E

Avici<Do as you wish.>

*So he heads off with Senthose.*
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*Like every other time he tried this, it bounces off of the Shield Gummi & he's blasted to shit with lasers. Though the Grapplers have rescued Xyukuse, the Nobody fleet does not give up, closing the ring around him & continuing to attack. By this point, his Glider & armor are heavily dented, & the extremities have just plain broken off.*
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L"I'll take the first watch & check in on Monu. There."

*She points to a door beneath a hotel sign & climbs a ramp of rubble to get there. Of course, in front of the door, 6 Red Nocturnes spawn, but Lilith chooses to ignore them & enter the hotel anyway. One of them bounces off of the door trying to pursue them, but the rest float apart, charging fireballs.*
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OOC: She should have thought of that beforehand.

E"Eh, we were just getting ready to leave anyway. But I don't know why you look so surprised, I told you I'm a mermaid."
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*Someone then comes knock-knock-knockin' on Hitomi's door.*

Th"Hitomi? Are you there? It's me, Thiera."

"Never heard the term seeing is believing, have you then...I'll admit I doubted you at first, but man...I never could have imagined that my doubts would all be thrown straight out the window!"

Hinode grinned for a moment and then finally shook his head, "You take your time getting ready and meet back when you're cleaned up. I've got to head up there now...I think I accidentally pissed Thiera off something fierce."

Taiyo has no idea what he's going on about.

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There's about a two minute delay before she answers.

Hitomi: "Yes?"

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Azuma: "That door probably won't hold them off."

*Giving up any plan of recapturing Xyukuse, Monu summons his keyblade and creates a tornado in order to blast the gummis back. Assuming that works, he tries to escape on his gluder again*
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*Artexi groans and wanders off towards her room*
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*Safian fires some darkness blasts at the enemies before following after Lilith*

Th"We are about to leave."
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E"I don't know why everyone finds it more surprising that I can breathe underwater than that there are tiny men living inside of machines--wait, what happened with Thiera?"
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*Eve hears a knock on her door, to the rhythm of "Take On Me." This is most certainly the work of Senthose Nephila Rasheverek.*
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*Artexi is in her room, doing whatever it is she does. When she next turns around, she finds Roatha standing about a foot behind her. From the way her closet door is ajar, he was probably hiding in there.*

R"Hey, Ugly. We're gonna go pick up Xshittyname, then go have some fun. Not necessarily in that order."
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*I suppose this works well enough, though he's now heading to Traverse Town with the fleet attempting to reorganize around him. As the Shield Gummis follow him from behind, the UFOs & Phoenixes get back into place, shooting at him from the front.*
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*This leaves Azuma alone with a bunch of Heartless shooting fireballs at him, save for the pair that Safian destroyed.*
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*Inside, Lilith has forced a Soldier to the ground. Stepping on its chest, she slides the Divine Rose through its visor, & it dissolves, its heart floating through the ceiling.*

L"This room should be safe now."

*The room in question is furnished all in red, dominated by a 4 post bed.*

Hitomi: "Okay."

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Azuma rolls and gets to do something he has never had the luxury to do before. Use Darkja.

"Well you know, I guess it's because that's the world I'm from and that's the world you're from, you know? In my world, you breathing underwater is not only unheard of, it's kind of unthinkable. Water screws around with electronics. I'm sure I must be as shocking to you."

That was probably the first and only time that Kyohaku had actually sounded reasonable and understanding.

Looking back toward her, he suddenly frowned while rubbing the back of his head with a single hand, "Uhh, I kind of pissed her off when I was picking hard about her forgetting my name. I guess I reminded her of some dude called Roatha."

*Eve gets up from her computer, stretches, then goes over to open the door*

<Oh good, I was hoping you would come soon.>

*Assuming he'll follow, Eve starts to head back to her work space*
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*Artexi had, in fact, been lying face down on the bed for a while, looking depressed. Upon getting up and seeing the closet intruder, she looks from the closet to Roatha, eyes wide*

<How long...you know, you could have been playing with my underwear for hours and I wouldn't give a damn at this point. What's this about Xyukuse? Didn't he could back with us?>
---
*Safian dismisses her armor, jumps up on the bed, and lays down*
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*Monu tries dodge the lasers and using Air Gyre on the Phoenixes and UFOs, moving as fast as possible to stay far away from the damn shields*

R"No, dumbass. Not that I can blame you for not noticing. Or wanting to notice. He was captured, but the Nobodies got him back, so now someone has to go pick up the worthless piece of trash."
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*Senthose follows.*
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*He takes out a Phoenix & a UFO, but of course as he nears the mysterious city, the Bomb Heartless Gummis spot him & start moving in again, firing when in range.*
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L"...You know what, Azuma can fight you for the bed. I was going to check up on the others, anyway."

*So she heads off to the corner & sits down with her Keyblade in her lap.*
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*I'm just going to say this kills the Red Nocturnes.*
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*Euryale scratches the back of her head.*

E"Oh yeah. I guess she hasn't talked about that in a while. Come to think of it, we don't talk about much of anything that isn't Order-related."
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*Hitomi hears Thiera walking away.*

Hinode frowned as he started to walk a little bit more, "I guess I joked a little too hard or somethin'? I was kidding around because she forgot my name before, but suddenly she thought that there was something wrong with me..."

Artexi:<Of course I didn't notice, I try to stay away from him as much as possible. Honestly, it'd be less of a headache if he stayed captured.>

*Even so, she stands up and stretches*
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*Eve comes to a stop near her computer. On the desk, there's what looks like a black cube no larger than a shoe box. Eve points at it*

<What I've got here is an artificial anti-magic field generator. The field itself is created by the essence of sorcerer nobodies, then amplified to an area about the size of the castle in the Land of Departure. I can control the whole system from computer here.>

*She gestures at her computer awkwardly*

<As long as we have someone or something protecting it, it should run for about an hour or so.>
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*Monu dives down into the mysterious city, dodging as many shots as he can*
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*Safian's ears twitch but she says nothing*

He enters the room.

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Hitomi closes the door and follows.

*Thiera leads Hitomi to the court yard, where Binah is standing & Taiyo, Euryale, & Hinode are approaching.*
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E"I don't know, I wasn't there. I get the impression Thiera doesn't respond well to being made fun of, though."
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*Letters made from intertwined roses emerge from Monu's Glider, asking him where he is.*
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*Lilith is transmitting those letters, which disappear into thin air. She glances at Azuma.*

L"I said you'd have to fight her for the bed. Whichever one of you wins, I get it in 3 hours."
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R"You can always kill him, if you want. I won't stop you. Not saying I'll try to help you, either."

*He opens a Dark Corridor into the Lanes Between & pulls up his hood.*
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*Senthose smiles.*

S"That should do quite nicely. I have a few surprises of my own for her. At the rate the Heartless are growing, we should be ready to attack within a week."

Azuma: "Right...."

*Eve smiles back. It's very awkward and she soon looks away*

<Thank you, I'm glad you approve. I'll prepare several back up units as well.>

*She sits on the edge of her desk*

<I heard some commotion early. What happened?>
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*Artexi pulls up her hood*

<Please, you nearly killed him earlier.>

*She enters the portal*
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*Safian lifts her head up and stares creepily at Azuma as if he was a gazelle or something*

<I don't mind sharing.>
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*Monu leans against the nearly wall, breathing hard. He sends the following message back in letters that look like clouds*

Back at the city I left you at. Got overwhelmed by gummis and lost him.

*At a brief pause, this message appears*

I'm sorry, I did my best.

Hinode continued to make his way into the courtyard with the others before gently exhaling, "Yeah, I thought, you know...I guess I pick hard and I didn't know she'd act like that. You know the group of friends I hung out with back home were a bunch of jerks and we all just put up with it, right?'

"Nero finally wised up to he & his friend being used. There were others around when he confronted me, but that wasn't a problem. The problem was that Yen Sid's student somehow found his way into the Dark City & rescued him. I fought Yen Sid in his home world, but both of them got away."
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*On the other side, Ira summons his Glider & speeds off towards an approaching fleet of Nobody ships. Xyukuse is still trapped in the resin, in the capable claws of a pair of Grappling Gummis.*
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*Lilith sighs & stands up.*

L"I have to go get Monu, but he should be right outside, so I shouldn't need any help."
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*Euryale shrugs. Binah is about to say something when a Dark Corridor opens nearby. The Master Keeper appears in her hand & she shifts to face it with her Keyblade angled towards it. Thiera & Euryale likewise tense & summon their Keyblades, Thiera holding it in a bunting position & Euryale with hers dragging along the ground behind her.*

<Easy. It is just I.>

*An [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] steps out, closing the dark portal behind him, but Binah doesn't move.*

Binah<I did not receive word that Master Yen Sid would be visiting.>

Yen Sid<That is because Senthose prevented me from sending out any messages. But I've told you not to call me that. I am a Keyblade Master no longer. I've doffed that mantle.>

At first Hinode had turned to Binah to pay attention with what was about to be said, but soon enough he was summoning his own keyblade like the others were. Turning about at attention, he looked closely at Yen Sid and stood at the ready.

Nevertheless, he made no other move. Hinode, of course, had less knowledge of what was going on than the others as he was forcibly joined into their group, but he was going to trust the judgment of the others when it came to this particular situation.

*Artexi gliders up and follows Ira towards Xyukuse*
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Eve:<...I see. Will that change the plan at all?>

*She gestures at the black box again*
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*Monu continues resting against the wall for a few minutes*

Azuma: "I sure do."

*Ira hovers in front of Xyukuse, sneering down at him.*

R"Hey, Dumbass! You were not missed."
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S<No. Nero is insignificant. Mickey's schemes will not prove relevant until after the Final Door is revealed. Yen Sid will attempt to warn Binah, but he won't be able to tell her anything she doesn't already know: That, eventually, we will be coming to kill her.>
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*Monu sees Lilith emerge from a hotel on the upper plaza, which is reachable by a pile of rubble in the rough shape of a ramp. She looks around & begins heading over when she sees him.*
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Binah<You'll have to forgive my skepticism.>

Yen Sid<It is understandable. I only came to offer you what little warning that I could. Unfortunately, I possess little insight into Senthose's plans. What I can say is that my pupil managed to rescue a former member of the Organization, & Senthose wants them both silenced. Obviously, the young lad in the black coat possesses information that Senthose does not wish to see the light of day. My pupil was able to exploit the use of a Dark Corridor to enter the Organization's stronghold, but since he approached from the Realm of Darkness, you will not be able to exploit it.>

Binah<The Realm of Darkness? Why would you not inform me of such a dangerous mission? Why would you even assign it?>

Yen Sid<The idea was not of my own invention. My pupil earnestly requested that I inform no one of what he was planning unless I had no other choice. He has received the Key from the other side.>

*Euryale raises her hand. Binah holds a finger out to her, & she awkwardly lowers it.*

Binah<One moment, please. Yen Sid, where are they now? What can you tell me about the Organization member?>

Yen Sid<Very little. He only briefly regained consciousness, so I did not even have time to ask him for his name. He is a pale lad of average height, with crimson eyes, & raven hair that dusts his shoulders. He is surely just beginning his 2nd decade of life.>

*Hearing this information, Thiera puts on a very visible scowl.*

Binah<We know of him. His name is Nero. He is, essentially, a juvenile delinquent, but his actions have had far-reaching consequences.>

Yen Sid<Yes...I recall now how you informed me of his corruption one of your own. My condolences. In any case, Mickey had taken him to Twilight Town, though I know not if they remain there.>

Binah<If there is nothing else, then, I would like you to inform us why you chose to send a Keyblade to The Grid.>

Yen Sid<I believed that it would find a worthy home there. That you could teach its new found master how to stem a flood of darkness that has otherwise proved inaccessible to you.>

*Binah then dismisses her Keyblade--Euryale & Thiera follow suit--& she turns to look at Euryale, Taiyo, & Hinode, & then Hitomi & Thiera.*

Binah<Do any of you have any questions while Yen Sid is here?>

Yen Sid<The rest of you should address me as "Master," for the record. I am, after all, a Master of Magics. Also, please do not dawdle, & ask only of matters of great importance. I fear I must take my leave soon, to find a new home world.>

Xyukuse: "Come to run away again? Only thing you lot can do."

*Artexi flies up, crossing her arms and looking pissed*

<We know when to quit, something you apparently lack.>
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Eve:<Well, how soon should I have the other units ready?>
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*When he sees Lilith, Monu slowly rises and heads off, head down and looking ashamed*
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*Safian stares at Azuma, waiting for him to do something*

To be honest, Hinode actually listened a great deal more closely to the commentary this time. He didn't quite understand everything that was going on, but this actually also seemed to apply to him more.

While it had seemed awkward to call someone Master, especially since where he was from that conjured up memories of the Master Control Program, Hinode felt he had to do whatever was necessary to get things to run a little more smoothly.

"I assume by the Master of the Keyblade of the Grid you're referring to me, right? Is there anything special I should note about my position in all of this?"