Looming Shadows

*Ira shrugs & rolls his eyes.*

R"I--don't care. If you want to handle things yourself, I'm just fine ordering the Nobodies to leave you to get out of this yourself. Maybe dump you in a black hole for the extra challenge. I've got appointments to keep anyway, it's been FOREVER since I could get out of that stuffy old castle, & there are a lot of places I'd like to visit--Halloween Town, Castle of Dreams, Twilight Town, Pride Lands, Atlantica...."

*He counts each world off on his fingers.*
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S"By the end of the week. I want to be prepared to attack as soon as we find out where Yen Sid is squatting now that I've knocked down his big, fancy tower."
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L"Hey. What happened? Why didn't you call for help?"
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Yen Sid<Consider Nero to be a cautionary tale: A troubled past will catch up with you, & when it does, the Heartless shall be waiting to claim you as one of their own. Now that you have the power, you must be sure to use it wisely. Euryale can tell you all about that.>

E"Will everyone please let go of the fact that I hit that talking tree? And the Halloween Town gatekeeper...."

Binah<Euryale, show Yen Sid the proper respect, & don't interrupt him!>

*Euryale looks down at her feet.*

E"Sorry, Master Yen Sid--Master Psyche...."

Yen Sid<I have said all that I came to say, in any case. You have important matters to discuss amongst yourselves. I shan't keep you any longer.>

*With that, Yen Sid disappears in a flash of light.*

Xyukuse: "You know when to quit all right. Apparently anytime conflict arises is quitting time."

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Not sharing a bed with a lion, Azuma pops a squat on the floor.

"...a talking tree?" Hinode looked back toward Euryale and frowned, "I'm not quite sure what's going on, but for what it's worth if I had any idea I wouldn't make fun of you for it." His words were perhaps ironic considering what had happened between him and Thiera only a short time before that.

Hinode then paused again, "Euryale, may I ask a favor of you? If I ever do fall to that and the Heartless claim me as one of my own...I want you to promise me that I won't live long beyond that."

*Artexi looks down at him, then sits down on her glider and starts laughing her head off*

<Seeing as what happened to you, I'm glad we left.>

*She stands up and looks at Ira*

<I like that first idea!>
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*Eve stands up and stretches*

Eve:<Then I will have them done no later than then, hopefully early.>
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Monu:<I got mobbed by gummis. By the time I was free to cast any spells, the battle was already lost. Again, I'm sorry.>

OOC: Azuma shit on the floor?

R"Go back to the base. I'll cover for you lot with the boss-man."

*Once the Gummis begin flying away, Ira steps on Xyukuse's face. Past the foot, Xyshittyname can see that he's being sneered at.*

R"You know, Senthose's only concern is that you don't tell the Order any secrets. We don't necessarily need you back for that. The Order will never find you out here, in the emptiness of space. Nobody will."

*He then shoves, sending Xyukuse slowly tumbling towards the darkness of the unknown & gives a sarcastic little wave.*

G"Goodbye."
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*A Dark Corridor opens & an Organization Mushroom wearing a white labcoat steps out & starts walking around, staring at things curiously.*

S"Oh, you things are back. Lovely. I take it you left when the fireworks started?"

*It grabs the box, holds it to where its ear would be, & starts shaking it.*
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L"Well, let's just go back to the hotel. I already called next dibs on the bed. We might have to clear the Heartless out of another room."

*She starts off.*
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Th"Not to ruin your dramatic moment, but if a Heartless & its corresponding Nobody are both slain, the original victim returns to normal. The difficulty is finding both. There are much worse things that can happen to a person."

E"Hey, don't worry, we'll get Roatha back."

Th"You can't know that."
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OOC: Almost forgot.

*Back in Radiant Garden, Vega is making his rounds patrolling the castle when a Dark Corridor appears in the hallway & Lexeaus emerges. After closing the portal, he crosses his arms.*

Lexeaus<I suppose you haven't yet heard what transpired at our other castle?>

"Yeah, about that..." Hinode was rubbing the back of his neck a bit as turned to Thiera sheepishly. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, and I didn't know that I was bringing back any bad memories. If it's any consolation I'll work to get Roatha back too."

*Eve looks startled at the arrival of the mushroom, however she is soon smiling at it. Once it starts shaking the boss, Eve tries to take the box back*

<It's nice that you're back, but please don't shake that! It's my only prototype.>
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*Artexi watches, saying nothing but not looking like she feels very bad for Xyukuse*
---
*Monu follows her*

<Azuma and I could share a room if you would feel more comfortable with just Safian.>

Vega: "Negative. Word travels slowly to these parts."

Lexeaus<We have been shaken by a few rebellions. Marluxia & Larxene kidnapped & brainwashed a member of the Order without consulting with us. We've no idea where they are now. Also, Nero attacked Senthose in a paranoid rage, & I was forced to knock him from the castle roof. Senthose believes that he survived, but was taken somewhere by the student of Yen Sid. They fought, but the wizard managed to escape.>
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*Eve is now engaged in a tug-of-war with an angry mushroom. Senthose rolls his eyes.*
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*They enter the hotel.*

L"Doesn't matter much to me, I already claimed next dibs on the bed. But perhaps things WOULD go faster if we cleared out another room for you & Azuma. We should be ready to move as quickly as possible, we don't know what dangers lurk in this world besides the Heartless."
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Th"Okay."

E"You sound a bit...apathetic."

Th"What am I supposed to feel? We don't know where Roatha is or what he is doing, only that he must be becoming even more corrupt around Senthose, who by the way only continues to grow more powerful. I've discovered another 4 stars that aren't in the sky anymore."

E"Well, can we restore the worlds?"

Th"By locating where the Heartless are gathering their hearts at the End of the World? Yes. But what you don't realize is that the Heartless, like any other organism exposed to prime conditions for reproduction, will grow exponentially."

*Euryale stares at her blankly.*

Th"...That means that the Heartless will multiply faster & faster each week."

E"Oh, shit, like some horrible algal bloom?!"
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*Roatha turns the Glider around.*

R"Avici was bitching about Radiant Garden, right? Might as well go there."

Artexi:<Fine, not like I have anything better to do.>

Other than track down Nero. Which I don't think I can do alone.

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*Eve turns slightly red and lets go of the box*

<Fine, just don't break it please.>
---
Monu:<Then we will do that.>

And so he begins to squirm from the resin. Then the second order of business is to find someone with a meat shirt to rip open and do so.

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Vega: "In other words, eliminate them should they stumble across these grounds?"

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

And so Azuma stands up to move to the next room.

Well, Hinode didn't quite understand the concept of an algae bloom, but replication was a concept that he knew all too well. "You mean, like the way that malware copies bits of its own code and shoves it into everything?" He looked up with a bit of a wide-eyed stare, "Is there some way that we can take things out at the source? I mean...cut off the heads so to speak so that we can slow the production of new Heartless or anything like that?"

Th"The Heartless aren't organized in that fashion. They are more akin to wild animals."

E"Okay, but then what are we SUPPOSED to do?"

Binah<For now, it is best to continue as we have been, with a small addition: Locate the Keyhole at the heart of each world you visit & seal it. This will help it resist the forces of darkness. Which brings us to another matter: I have decided to send you on a mission to Radiant Garden to purge Senthose's malicious program. Before you depart, however, you should know where your other comrades are: Far beyond any of the worlds that you've visited, but closest to Olympus Coliseum, is a world known as Traverse Town.>

Th"I've heard of that world. It draws in those who lose their home worlds, such as to a Heartless invasion, but it's difficult for anyone else to locate, because it moves & changes over time.>

Binah<Under normal circumstances, yes. However, I sense that something is amiss with this incarnation of Traverse Town. I will be monitoring the situation, and will inform you of what your friends discover.>
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*The mushroom searches for the closest sciencey gizmo, a "hand" at its chin as it looks around. Senthose walks away from this debacle.*
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Lexeaus<Senthose would prefer that Nero be taken alive. As for Marluxia & Larxene--either way. He also informs us that the Order may be invading soon.>
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*Outside, Nero & Artexi enter the upper atmosphere. They can see people moving about in town, as well as a pillar of smoke from the Gummi Mine in the Great Maw.*

"Now...where to first?"
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*He is completely immobilized, & at the mercy of the cold darkness of space.*
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*Lilith opens the door to the Green Room, at which point 6 Shadows rise out of the groud, which are effortlessly cleaved using Zantetsuken. She turns to head out.*

L"There you go. Sweet dreams, be ready to move out in about 6 hours."

"There's nothing more we can do? I honestly feel like I've been spending a ton of time just sitting around or something." With a bit of an exhalation, Hinode frowned and lowered his head in turn with the hopes that he might get something a lot more.

"For what it's worth, am I allowed to ask why we haven't been sealing the Keyholes at the heart of each world to begin with? I mean, c'mon, shouldn't we have been doing this all along?"

*There are various weird scientific gizmos lying on a lab table near Eve. Some have some little flashing lights on them. Eve moves after Senthose*

<Thank you for coming so quickly. It's very appreciated.>
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*Artexi stares at the people on the ground*

<You pick. It looks likes there's something going on at the mine.>
---
*Monu heads in, sits down, and leans against a wall, not looking at Lilith*

<Thank you. The same to you.>
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*Safian moves over so there's room on the bed if Lilith doesn't mind sharing*

Vega: "Anything or anyone else I should be concerned about?"

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

Won't stop him because that's how the Determinator archetype works. Whether it be squirming or summing his Keyblade.

*Senthose glances back.*

S"The mushroom is hitting the generator with a hammer."
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Binah<One cannot seal that which is not open. The Heartless have only recently become a serious enough threat to break through the defenses of worlds.>

E"Hey, can't the Organization just open the keyholes back up?"

Binah<Yes, though I believe that most are ignorant of Senthose's destructive intentions. Still, you should carefully consider whether or not locating a particular Keyhole is a worthwhile detour from your main mission, & safeguard its location from the Organization at all costs.>
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*The despair must have crushed Xyukuse's mind, because he swears that a monochrome steam boat is headed towards him.*
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*Lilith stares blankly at her.*

L"...I'll take up watch by the window."
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*By the time Lilith said to be ready, she has fallen asleep on the floor under the window, not wanting to wake a sleeping lion.*
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R"Yeah, it's called 'mining.' When they finally attack, they'll probably go for the castle."
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Lexeaus<We are still tasked with eliminating the castle's ghost, but that will be no mean feat if he can bypass even the defense systems.>

Vega: "Sounds more like a job for an exorcist than any of us. Anyway, understood."

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That would require feeling despair rather than rage.

"Would a new information campaign be helpful at all? I mean, couldn't we get more backers if we did our best to make as many individuals aware of Senthose's destructive aims as possible?" Though fully aware that he might have missed something, Hinode figured that it sounded like a good enough idea to at least be brought up for the time being.

*Eve's face turns red as she turns and runs over to the mushroom, grabbing at its arms*

<Hey, no! What are you doing!?>
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Artexi:<Then let's go to the the castle already.>
---
*Monu wakes up and stretches, leaning against the wall near the door*

<(Azuma ?)>
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*Safian wakes up and yawns very lowly. Not quite a roar loud, but still probably loud enough to wake up Lilith*

*It stamps its feet & tries to pull away from her, narrowing its eyes.*

S"If it could speak, I imagine it would say, 'science.' Also several obscenities."
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*The tugboat slows as it pulls up along side him. A big, bloated cat monster with bucked teeth emerges.*

<Howdy, there! Name's Pete. Looks like you've got yourself in a bit of a pickle, but don't worry-->

*He bends fastens some bungee cords to the hook of the tugboat & starts tying them around Xshittyname's prison as he drifts by.*

<That's what Maleficent sent me for! She's gonna help me conquer the worlds with her dark magic, y'know.>
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*So Ira heads off to land on the castle roof. No sooner does he do that than one of the Claymores forms, but instead of attacking, it becomes a projection of Avici.*

Avici<It took you long enough to arrive. Fortunately, you were at least faster than the Order. Cease that at once.>

*He adds the last part after Ira materializes the Omega Weapon & starts hacking at the projection, causing it to became faded & static-y. Avici narrows his eyes & sends a jolt up through his legs. Ira steps back, dismissing his Keyblade & looking irritable.*

R"Yeah, yeah, don't be such a wet blanket--you can't really afford it."

Avici<Am I required to scold you again?>
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Lexeaus<Perhaps, but he is still our enemy.>

*Within the castle, an intercom flicks on, Senthose's voice speaking. Lexeaus looks towards it.*

<Roatha, or Ira as he now prefers to be known, has arrived with Artexi. I am speaking with them on the Castle Roof.>

Lexeaus<The computer program fashioned in Senthose's likeness appears to be everywhere at once. I must admit that it is more efficient than the castle was run back in Ansem's day. Also more...unsettling.>
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Th"Absolutely not, we must preserve the secrecy of the Order at all costs!"

E"We can lecture the Organization, catfish is already outta the bag with them, but they usually don't listen to us anyway."
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*Lilith jerks awake & sits up, trying & failing to get a few stray hairs back into her braid.*

L"I had a dream--a nightmare, really--there was green fire, & a horned shadow came in & took something from us as we slept..>I have a bad feeling about this...."

Xyukuse: "And I care why? You think she's the only one with that in mind?"

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Vega: "Understood."

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Azuma: "What?"

Hinode sighed and turned toward Thiera, "Geez, I was just trying to help out." Soon he stuck a finger in his ear and started to think, "We couldn't even do that if we were to remain secret and leak information to media outlets that was ostensibly from an anonymous source?"

There were some things that just kind of came with living inside of an electronic world.

*Artexi grins and waves at Avici*

<Please do! He's been a very bad boy today.>
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*Eve bends down so she's at eye level with the mushroom*

<Can I give you some 'science' to do that doesn't involve my lab getting wrecked?>
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Monu:<I believe it is time to rejoin Lilith and Safian.>

*He knocks on the door*
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*Safian yawns again*

<Huh?>

L"I don't know what it means, but ever since I got here, I've suspected that dark forces are at work."

*So she opens the door, looking like Hell.*
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Lexeaus<I shall leave you to your patrols, then.>

*He turns to leave.*
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Avici<I am not here for your amusement.>

"And why are WE here? What do you need us for?"

Avici<There is a remote possibility that the Order will disengage the town's defense system, disabling me from preventing them from reaching my terminal & deleting crucial data.>
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*Thiera shakes her head.*

Th"I'm sorry, but still, that won't work either, as it would require explaining the danger, which in turn would reveal secrets about other worlds, the Keyblades, & Kingdom Hearts--secrets which we would prefer to remain just that."

Binah<For now, you should focus on infiltrating the Radiant Garden & deleting Avici, as we discussed.>

Th"I thought he had these really advanced defense systems. How are we going to get passed them?"
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*It holds out its hand & performs the "gimme" gesture. Senthose walks out.*
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Pete<'Cause I'm the one what's gonna get yeh outta here, y'see? Unless you think your old friends're comin' back.>