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Post by Ziya on Sept 28, 2019 22:41:08 GMT -5
Tamara looked on in awe as Jen and the others decimated the creature. Such power would have required at least a sa'angreal in her previous world, and in the one before that was bordering on the realm of the divine.
Something within her mind twisted at the sheer volume of light, unwilling to face it. Frowning, she tried to pinpoint exactly where it was, only to find it sink in and vanish. Clearly it was something she would have to deal with later, when the intruder and other meddlers weren't bothering her.
Bothering? Meddlers? She shook her head slightly as her own thoughts as she let go of her Overgrowth state, assuming they were just the result of the strange place and adrenaline. Still frowning, she walked over to her staff before looking back at the commotion.
Jen, on the other hand, had no idea of any of that. Instead, she frowned as she turned around, quickly reading the situation and putting herself between the hotheaded keyblade wielder and Tori's ally. In her Aspect form with her wings extended she hoped she made an imposing enough figure to stop things without force, but if needed she would step in. "What is going on here? Nobody's fighting anyone unless you can convince me why it's deserved."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 30, 2019 9:30:59 GMT -5
At first relieved, both Tori and Adrien let out a sigh. The enemy had proven to be a tough one, which led to one wonder whether or not enemies were going to be even stronger from there onwards. Tori even found herself troubled, seeing a Heartless like that charge with recklessness against not one, but 2 very capable Spirits.
"Something's definitely off... But what...?" she thought.
Regaining her composture, Tori found herself forced to dismiss her power... Until she heard Henoke's shout. Adrien was also caught off-guard, but he immediately smirked. Raising his chin high, he didn't mind it when Jen stood between them. He even found it funny when Henoke began to frantically look around, albeit for a few seconds, before turning back to face him.
"Don't worry 'bout me... Drunkward" he told Jen, "I'm still itching for a fight... And, 'sides, I got a score to settle with the kid, so why don't'cha sit out of this one, eh? I mean, I'd hate to kill someone who I don't consider a target..."
As if to prove his point, Adrien simply jumped over Jen, landing just steps away from Henoke, still with his cocky grin and chin held high. With his gauntlet blades still out, and his power ever stronger, Adrien wasn't about to lose to a child like Henoke.
"Y'know? You two left a really bitter taste back then..." he said, coldly, "Sure, I had no other choice but to run away... But that's only because you decided to fight alongisde him... And look at you now... Travelling with little Tori over there... Heh, I can probably take two birds with one stone right now... But I wanna start with you, first" Adrien took a few steps forward, "After that bitter loss, I'm damn sure the taste of your blodd will be just as sweet as victory." "You can dream about it, Adrien."
Tori stepped in between the two, still with her power flowing vividly through her, and pushed Adrien and Henoke appart. Adrien groaned, glaring, but Tori didn't flinch back.
"I can understand why both Henoke and I would be targets for you, especially if you've already fought against each other before" she said, "But it's 4 against 2 -in other words, you'd lose in the blink of an eye. And, besides... Even if you took my memories, I still have more raw power than you, don't I? It's clear who the victor would be." "...Tch" Adrien clicked his tongue, "And what? I'm s'pposed to be scared of you?" "You should" Tori raised her view, "I mean..." she added with a chuckle, "You can sense it, even now, can't you? You're a smart guy -you can figure it out.
Adrien glared back, but only for a few moments before sighing, and releasing his power. Tori did the same a bit later, taking a deep breath. But her problems wouldn't stop there, as Adrien tucked his hands inside his coat's pockets, and began to turn back to where they all entered.
"In any case, I was here just lookin' for something to kill time with, but looks like it wasn't worth the trouble" he said, "So, with that in mind, I'll be taking my leave." "Heh... You wish" Tori smirked, grabbing Adrien's coat and stopping him in his track, "As much as I'd hate to say this, you're not going anywhere. I don't trust you one bit. Even if you're saying the truth." "Guh... So what?" "You're coming with us, like it or not. I'm not about to let you cause trouble elsewhere -it's safer to have you under watch." "Huh?!"
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Post by hoodwink on Sept 30, 2019 12:01:08 GMT -5
Gripping his Keyblade with both hands, Henoke readied himself in a battle position. ”I’m not gonna lose to the likes of y—“ Suddenly, Jen had stepped between the two, her powerful form and spread wings giving her the appearance of an angelic knight. ”What is going on here? Nobody’s fighting anyone unless you can convince me of why it’s deserved.” Blinking a bit in surprise, Henoke furrowed his brow a bit, lowering his battle stance for a moment. ”Tch! Hey! Get outta the way!” Henoke appreciated the sentiment that the winged knight was preaching and all, but there was a score to settle, here! Pointing past Jen at Adrien, Henoke’s face was stained with a deep scowl. ”That guy’s nothing but problems! I’m doin’ us all a favor!” Suddenly, Adrien had leaped over Jen, landing directly in front of Henoke with such a sudden entrance the teen shouted out in surprise as he took a few steps back.
Raising his large Keyblade in front of him in a two handed grip once more, the surprise from Henoke’s face faded as anger was quickly replaced. ”Y’know? You two left a really bitter taste back then…” At the comment, Henoke’s scowl turned into a devious grin. ”Sure, I had no other choice but to run away…but that’s only because you decided to fight alongside him…” The boy in green was still as infuriating as ever. Henoke’s grin had faded once more as the teen readied his battle stance. ”Tch—lousy villains—you guys’re all the same, y’know? Always complainin’ after ya lose!” As Adrien stepped forward, threatening not only Henoke, but Tori as well, the teen felt his face grow hot with rage as he took a few steps forward himself. ”After that bitter loss, I’m damn sure the taste of your blood will be just as sweet as victory.” Henoke wouldn’t back down, coming nose-to-nose with Adrien as he glared at the boy, his Keyblade clutched in both hands as he scowled. ”’Bout time! Don’t think you’ll get the chance to run away again!”
The two were locked in such a heated argument they hardly noticed as Tori made her way across the small room, coming between the two in an instant as her power radiated around her. Pushing Henoke and Adrien away from each other, Henoke shouted out a bit in protest, but quieted down in order to let Tori say her piece. Sighing a bit, the teen kept his Keyblade clutched in his right hand—he didn’t trust Adrien for a second, glaring at the boy all the while. ”You can dream about it, Adrien.” Henoke paused, it was the first time he had heard this stranger’s name. Adrien…? It sounded so…normal. Just who was this boy in green, who went around causing trouble on worlds with his odd lynx spirit? ”You’re coming with us, like it or not. I’m not about to let you cause trouble elsewhere—it’s safer to have you under watch.” That brought Henoke’s attention back to what was happening, as he turned to Tori and Adrien once more.
”Huh?!” Henoke and Adrien exclaimed the exact same words at the exact same time. Taking a step back, Henoke looked dumbstruck for a moment before suddenly becoming very animated. ”OI! TORI! THE HELL?! WHA—?!” He was so frustrated he could hardly find the words. Yes, there was a lot of truth in Tori’s strategy—she couldn’t just let a guy like that go wander off to another world in order to cause trouble, but did she have to suggest bringing him with them?! Pointing at Adrien, keeping his Keyblade clutched in his other hand, Henoke scowled. ”C’mon, Tori! Let’s just take him out here and now!” Looking back at the girl, Henoke grinned a bit as he hoisted his Keyblade onto his shoulder. ”You said it yourself! There’s no way this guy could take us all on!”
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Post by Ziya on Oct 2, 2019 0:14:30 GMT -5
Tamara looked at Henoke and the others arguing, about to come to blows, and sighed. Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out a fistful of sky-blue seeds before scattering them around the group and singing softly. Bright blue vines sprouted within ten yards of the group, within seconds growing large enough to bind anyone within the area other than Tori as if they were made of steel. "Enough, you all. We aren't going to waste time fighting each other."
Just in case, she also wove a Shield to use on the first person that attempted to use magic. Once in place, it would keep them from using said magic for a short time.
Jen's attention was so focused on Kenoke and Adrien that the vines were already binding her by the time she noticed them. With her massively boosted strength granted by her Aspect all it took was a flex of her wings to break them, but she was still impressed enough to give her a nod. "Yeah, what she said! Oh, and for the record," she turned to Adrien, "all the alcohol vanished when I used this form. I'm stone-cold sober."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 2, 2019 8:51:53 GMT -5
Sighing in annoyance, Tori couldn't help but shake her head in dissapointment. Henoke and Adrien had really bad impressions of each other... Although she could guess the reasons why. Having already pulled Adrien away from Henoke, she glared at the young Keyblade Wielder while taking a few steps forward.
"Even if that's the case, there's two things you're not getting here" she said with a frown, "First of all, we're all exhausted after fighting that Heartless. Lie all you want, but your body's got limits, and you know that. Second, even if you weren't exhausted at this point in time, you don't know where Adrien's Emblem is. In a head-to-head battle, you wouldn't get out alive, no matter how hard you fight" Tori sentenced, "Unlike you, Adrien can go on as long as his Emblem's intact. And good luck trying to find out where it is without asking the person in question."
Taking a deep breath, and trying to maintain her cool, Tori quickly shifted to Adrien, who was caught off-guard by Tamara's vines, even though he'd already started to leave. Without giving him a chance to escape, Tori grabbed him yet again by the collar of his jacker.
"As for you... I'm dead serious" she said, coldly, "No matter what the cons may be, I'd preffer keeping you, of all people, the closest." "Guh... You're annoying, sweetheart..." Adrien spat, "...Alright, let's say I do stick with you lot for the time being. What do I get back, hmm? You ruined my fun event, and I doubt there's anything like it anywhere else. So?" "...What are you getting at? We don't have the obligation to give you something in return for helping us." "I think you're a little mistaken there, sweetie. Y'see, I don't have any obligation to stay here with you. Unless you can offer something worth making a treuce for, I'll be on my merry way, regardless of what little Tori here wants. Or hot-head, for that matter." "And...?" Tori asked, willingly. "You mean you're willing to give me that something, eh?" "If it's the only way to keep you in check... Yeah. Why else would I've asked?" "Heh..."
Adrien stood up straight, chin yet again held high and a cocky smirk drawn in his lips. With one hand in his pockets, the other was leaning forward, as if asking for something from Tori's part. After a moment of silence, Tori flinched. She knew exactly what Adrien wanted.
"In a million years!" she shouted. "Well, if that's the case, we don't have a deal" Adrien shrugged, removing his hand from the offer, "Simple as that." "..." Tori groaned, clearly doubting. "Don't try to psyche me, by the way" Adrien warned, "Just like me, you're a horrible liar, and you can't deny that. You're transparent as crystal---" "I. Know! Sheesh..." Tori replied. She then took a deep breath, "Well... I guess I cornered myself with the bargain... Alright -you've got yourself a deal. I'll give you a piece. That's what you want, isn't it?" she asked, raising her hand for a shake. "Heh... Now that's what I like to hear."
Adrien caught Tori's hand, and they signed their deal. Whatever it was Adrien wanted, no one could stand against it, less he became another problem to add in the list. Tori took her hand back, and a faint mist began to take form in her palm, soon creating a small, iridescent crystal, that she then handed over to Adrien. Smirking, he grabbed it without second thought, the crystal dissolving itself back into mist, and slowly fading into his body, as if it was absorbing it.
"Hehe..." Adrien smirked with glee, and then folded his hands behind his head, chin held high, "Looks like you're more willing to sacrifice yourself than others, even those you don't know about, huh...? Ain't that sweet of you..." he teased Tori.
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 2, 2019 13:06:27 GMT -5
Caught up in his own anger against Adrien, Henoke noticed far too late the vines that began encroaching upon him. Yelling out in surprise, the teen was snagged up by the magical force, his Keyblade disappearing in a ray of light as he began punching at them. ”Enough, you all. We aren’t going to waste time fighting each other.” Tamara’s voice cut through the small room, echoing against the stone walls as Henoke ceased hitting the vines in a grumbling submission. It seemed the entire team was against him on this one. Restrained by the woman’s mystic powers, Henoke had to make do with simply glaring at Adrien. The winged warrior seemed to agree with Tamara—breaking the vines easily enough, showing Henoke he probably didn’t want to try and go against her.
At Tori’s glare, Henoke simply grumbled a bit, averting her gaze. While explaining why it wasn’t the best idea to take on Adrien, Henoke caught notice of something he hadn’t recalled until recently. Oh yeah…Spirit’s all have their own ‘Emblem’… Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen anything like that on Adrien at all yet. Did Kosuke know where it was? He should’ve asked. Bargaining with Adrien, Henoke shouted out as Tori manifested an odd crystal, offering it to the boy in green with more than a hint of reluctance. ”T-tori?! What’re you givin’ him?!” Struggling against the vines, Henoke watched as Adrien teased Tori in victory—meaning the ‘crystal’ or whatever it was must have been pretty important.
Henoke couldn’t help but feel like he failed his teammate, right then. Damn it, Tori! Didn’t she know where Adrien’s ‘Emblem’ was?! Why wasn’t she willing to help him fight?! ”C’mon! Kosuke and I—“ Henoke’s sentence was cut off by a sharp rapping on the large stone double doors. Knock! Knock! Knock! The sound caused Henoke’s eyes to glance over, though it seemed the doors were still closed. ”H-hello?” A timid voice echoed from behind the walls—flustered and suspicious. ”Sh! Stop it, Lumiere! What if they’re enemies!” A second voice chimed in from behind the door, one with a more alarmed and chastising tone. ”Oh, please! Those monsters couldn’t talk, could they?”
For a moment, Henoke’s anger vanished. Lumiere…!!! He remembered where he had heard that name before! That was one of the servants of the castle Chip and Ms. Potts had mentioned! Any trace of anger vanished on Henoke’s face as a look of relief washed over it instead. ”H-hey! Lumiere! We were sent by Ms. Potts!” Still unable to move due to Tamara’s spell, Henoke shouted out from where he was entangled. There was a loud crash and bang from behind the door as it sounded like multiple things banging around for a moment. ”Oh, what a relief!” It was the second voice that spoke—a thump on the door following.
”Er—could someone open the door?” Lumiere's voice echoed faintly from behind the double doors. It seemed whatever the spell had turned these locals into, it wasn’t something capable of moving the double doors on their own. Unable to do much physically, Henoke glanced between Tori, Jen and Tamara—choosing to ignore Adrien in his list of reliable teammates. ”Uh…I’m a little tied up at the moment…so…” For a moment he gave a reproaching glance over to Tamara. Part of him couldn’t really blame her…she was just trying to keep everyone on track and safe…
The other part of him wanted to be able to freaking move again.
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Post by Ziya on Oct 5, 2019 2:26:23 GMT -5
Whatever just happened was well beyond Tamara's current understanding of the situation, but it was clear that there would be no fighting. Satisfied with that, Tamara shifted her song to make the vines release Henoke before ending it. Without the song bypassing the need for soil or nutrients, the vines quickly withered and crumbled, and as the final pieces fell away she moved to join the others, meeting Henoke's look with a level expression. She wouldn't apologize, but she wouldn't gloat or press the issue either.
Seeing that the situation was resolved -for now at least- Jen finally relaxed. All of the excess Light within her dissipated into her surroundings as she reverted to her normal form, though still fully sober. Looking between Tori and Aiden, she tried figure out what was going on. Finally, she settled on addressing them with an uncharacteristically serious look. "I'm gonna be honest, I don't know what just happened between you two. What I do know is that I'm gonna stick around and keep an eye on you, Aiden."
She stared at him for a moment more, letting her frustration bubble over for a moment to flash flame in her eyes, then suddenly turned and bounced toward the door full of cheer. "I'll get the door!" The massive stone doors were no problem for her, and a moment later they were wide open.
"Hello! Wait..." Confused by the lack of anything at eye level, Jen tilted her head for a moment. Then she looked down and saw what appeared to be an animate clock and candelabra. "Oh, hi! I'm Jennifer."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 5, 2019 9:31:32 GMT -5
Adrien simply shrugged. He really could care less about what Henoke or Jen thought of him. If they wanted to be suspicious of him, they were allowed to. He wouldn't mind picking up a fight, anyways, so why would he, of all people, be scared?
"That's such a cute way to threaten someone, sweetie" he replied to Jen's adressing. "I wonder if you can do better, though... That's to say -I'm not scared of you. Try your worse, but I ain't gonna fall low to someone like you."
He brushed past her, tucking his hands inside his pockets, and leaning against a wall, seeing that he wasn't going to open the door. And here he wanted to kick it... In frustration, he clicked his tongue.
As for Tori, Henoke's shout didn't faze her. At least, she showed it as a facade, since she actually knew what she was doing. She knew she couldn't lie to Adrien... But tricking him was different. Calmly, she drew a faint smile.
"It's amazing to see just how simple-minded he is..." she thought, and then glanced over at Henoke, "Although... I guess he's like that, too? Then again... To trick your enemies, first you trick your allies..."
Taking a deep breath, she looked over to where Jen had gone -opening the door wide. Walking closer, she flinched a bit after seeing the two "people" inside -a candelabra and a clock... Both of them acting on their own. She had seen one of the world's inhabitants before, but it still shocked her.
"Umm... I guess... One of you is Lumiére?" she asked with unease, "...How long have you been here? It wouldn't surprise me if you were forced to remain inside for a while..." Tori looked away with a grim thought, "That Heartless from before was a nightmare to get rid of..."
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 9, 2019 13:56:12 GMT -5
Sighing in relief as the vines dissipated, Henoke was quick to glare at Adrien as Jen opened the large stone doors. Looking back over at Tori, the boy couldn’t help but feel concerned. Just what did she give him…? He had looked too happy to oblige the deal, in Henoke’s opinion. Tori… He had a few questions for her. Just how did she know Adrien, of all people? The guy wasn’t someone Henoke thought anyone should hang around. He couldn’t ask now, though, there was too much to do. This world needed help, after all. He'd have to ask her questions later. Jen’s opening of the door revealed a room of similar design to the one they were just in, just without a second level.
Square, cold stone greeted them as the party moved in to see just who they were rescuing. In the room were two small wooden chairs, though one was toppled over and in much rougher shape. In front of the double doors stood, albeit not very high, a candelabra and a small clock. Both had small faces and terrified eyes, though their gaze became one of beaming joy at the sight before them. ”C’est magnifique!” The candelabra, who’s face was fixed on the middle and thickest candle, their arms being the two candles at their sides, jumped with an expression of relief and happiness as Jen and the others piled into the room.
Beside the leaping candelabra was the clock—a short and stout wooden clock with a small ‘hand’ rocking back and forth behind glass. Their ‘arms’ were the gold fixtures guarding the wooden sides, their ‘legs’ the wooden base itself. Cogsworth’s expression seemed relieved, though his eyes shone of mistrust. Crossing his arms a bit, the clock didn’t seem to share the bright candelabra’s joy. Lumiere greeted Jen and Tori warmly, listening as Tori mentioned defeating the ‘nightmare’ that had lurked outside. This news caused the candelabra to leap in joy once more as he shook the gloomy faced clock. ”Do you hear, my friend?! They’ve vanquished the monster!”
Henoke walked into the room last, grumbling to himself a bit about the ‘teamwork’ that was going on. Seeing Lumiere and Cogsworth caused the boy to sigh in relief. Phew… He couldn’t handle a scolding from Ms. Potts—something about it just made him too depressed. Resting a hand on his hips, the boys Keyblade disappeared as he scratched at his spiky orange hair. ”Warriors, eh?” Cogsworth seemed to turn his nose a bit, well, the ‘nose’ formed from the two hands on the clock face. ”Rowdy bunch, ye mean…not fit for a castle…” Lumiere merely rolled his eyes, throwing up his ‘hands’ as though in a gesture that spoke of exasperation and years of routine.
”Come, Cogsworth! They’re heroes!” With a jovial laugh, the candelabra turned to the party, a new hope in his eyes. ”Why, I’m sure they’re strong enough to save Fifi!” Henoke raised an eyebrow, having made his way through the group to see Lumiere and Cogsworth more clearly. Crouching down a bit to get more eye level with them, Henoke tilted his head. ”Who’s Fifi?” Cogsworth snorted a bit, though a look of concern had fell over his expression, as well. ”Oh, the light of my life! Mon amour!” Lumiere looked beyond distressed, throwing himself dramatically against the stable wooden chair in the room. Pointing a candle hand towards a corner of the room, Henoke followed his gaze, noticing for the first time that the room wasn’t as small as it first seemed.
Deeper in the room was shrouded in shadows, guarding a small Secret Passage. ”Oh, my poor Fifi! She was startled by the monsters, so I followed after her all the way down here!” Lumiere was fighting back tears as he spoke. ”Cogsworth followed me, the good man he is—“ At this, Cogsworth seemed to look away, seemingly embarrassed. ”—but we were separated! The monsters were far too powerful for me to fight like this! When we finally managed to escape and make it this far, there were more creatures down that way!” Finally, the candelabra seemed to puff up a bit, standing up straight as he looked at Henoke and the others with a look of determination.
”Please, heroes! Help me save Fifi, mon amour!” Henoke jolted a bit, surprised. He hadn’t expected there to be more Heartless down here—but it sounded like another local was trapped. Bumping a fist against his chest, Henoke grinned broadly at both Lumiere and Cogsworth, nodding his head. ”Right! I’ll help you fight, Lumiere!” How could he say no to this guy, who was just trying to save the one he cared about? Despite his flaws, Henoke at the end of the day was a bright youth hoping to aid those with the Keyblade, after all. Turning to the rest of the party, Henoke smiled at everyone—well, he avoided looking at Adrien—pointing towards the Secret Passage.
”Whattya say, guys? We can’t let ‘em go alone!” He only asked out of formality. Something in his heart told him none of those he had around him (excluding Adrien, of course) would say no to such a thing. Something about the venture and battles so far had told him that. If they did refuse, then…
Well—he’d save Fifi with Lumiere himself.
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Post by Ziya on Oct 15, 2019 18:31:30 GMT -5
Despite all of her training, Tamara couldn't help but stare at the blatantly anthropomorphic beings before them. Never before had she seen anything remotely similar, and she had an urge to study them. But now wasn't the time or place, so she simply nodded at Henoke's question.
Jen on the other hand acted sheepish at his glare, then perked up again at the mention of more fighting. "Right, I'll beat down anything in our way!" She punched her hand for effect, glancing over at Tamara in confusion as she noticed the woman quickly look away from her Light.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 19, 2019 4:51:13 GMT -5
Listening to their story, Tori had a hard time keeping some unease to herself. The way Lumière told it was a bit too cheesy... But, on the other hand, it seemed as if the fight was just getting started. At Henoke's question, and Jen's follow-up, Tori couldn't help but draw a faint smile, and letting out a sigh.
"You'll just help the first person you come across with, huh?" she said a bit scolding, and then chuckled, "I'm in. I did mention I wanted to know more about this place to begin with, and this is more or less the chance I've got to do so." "Sheesh... I can't catch a break, can I?"
Tori looked back at Adrien as he showed his discomfort. Groaning while pulling himself back up, he just shook his head. While the prospect of more fighting did appeal to him, the fact that he had to work alongside the others definitely dampened his mood. Both him and Yubel didn't exactly look too pleased about their sittuation.
"Guh... I have no other choice, do I?" he asked unamusedly. "Nope. Not really" Tori said cheeky, "Not that I'd let you go anywhere else, though." "I don't need to hear it from you, sweetheart." "Likewise."
One could see the tension between the two, although for obvious reasons. Who would've thought that two separate bands would team up? Definitely not Adrien. Tori, on the other hand, had yet to play her ace.
"Your fault for falling for it... You got outplayed."
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 21, 2019 13:00:01 GMT -5
Henoke smiled as one by one the members of his party began to agree to help. ”You’ll just help the first person you come across with, huh?” At Tori’s comment, Henoke grinned rather sheepishly while scratching at the back of his head. It couldn’t be helped. Something in the boys heart just couldn’t allow him to turn a blind eye to those in need. It wasn’t some deep rooted sense of Justice, nor some want for glory or heroics, just simply something the teen wanted to do. As Tori and Adrien began to argue, Henoke smirked a bit—glad to see how displeased the boy in green was. ”Serves ya right!” He was still a little worried about whatever Tori had given him, but decided to trust his new teammate. There was a something burning in his heart, excitement beginning to reinvigorate him after the arduous battle behind them.
”Ha ha! See, Cogsworth?! Heroes!” Lumiere leaped and twirled in joy as the party accepted his request. The clock, Cogsworth, simply shook his head and gave Lumiere a stern look. ”We should leave it to them and meet back up with Chapeau.” Looking back to the group, the clock looked distressed as it asked its next question. ”That spunky coatrack hasn’t gotten himself into trouble, has he?” At this comment, Henoke understood what Lumiere had meant about Cogsworth being a ‘good man’. It seemed despite the clock’s mistrust and suspicions, it all stemmed from their concern for their friends safety. ”Don’t worry, Cogsworth.” Henoke crouched back down, smiling at the clock reassuringly. ”Chapeau's fine! And he can look after himself pretty well...” The teen decided to leave out how ‘lively’ the coatrack was, still remembering the punches that had been delivered to him earlier.
Lumiere was looking torn, his gaze going between the Secret Passage and the group. ”B-but Cogsworth! My poor Fifi is down there all alone! Of course I must rush in to rescue her!” Already, the candelabra was moving towards the passage, illuminating the darker corner of the rooms with his flaming candle wicks. ”Please! You can’t fight like that!” Cogsworth seemed both out of patience and concerned. Looking towards Henoke for help, the clock moved to block Lumiere before the candelabra could exit. ”It’s a small dungeon with only one path! They don’t need our help, surely!” The two began to bicker while Henoke looked at the others around him (excluding Adrien, of course). Crossing his arms over his chest, the teens brow furrowed in thought.
On the one hand, Henoke understood Lumiere’s need to be there for the rescue and didn’t want to take that away from him. On the other hand, it’d be risky in the dungeon for both of the small animated locals if there were still Heartless lurking around. Tch—I don’t know what to do! Irritated, Henoke kicked at the cobblestone floor with his foot before looking at the other members of his team once more. ”What’dya think, guys? Should we let ‘em come along?”
There were ample people in their team—if any were up for it, surely at least one or two people could volunteer to guard Lumiere and Cogsworth during the journey ahead.
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Post by Ziya on Oct 21, 2019 23:48:41 GMT -5
Jen looked between everyone as they thought about what to do. She had gotten a glimpse of how everyone fought during that last fight, but not enough to determine too much. "I've got a few defensive skills and my attacks won't damage anything I don't want them to unless I get mad and Ignited Fury activates, but I'm very much a close-range fighter." She motioned to her gauntlets for emphasis.
Tamara was oddly irritated by everyone's indecision. Usually she would be happy that someone was actually thinking about such things, but not today apparently. Still, the decision needed to be made, and an opportunity to talk to the loud girl who had mentioned Ailill's name was hard to pass up. "I can help protect them. I'm more suited to long-range fighting anyhow, with my weaves and plants."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 22, 2019 10:18:14 GMT -5
The bicker began to annoy Adrien, to the point he just couldn't hold it any longer. As Yubel began to groan and growl, showing its teeth, Adrien glared at the two objects arguing.
"If you'll just keep arguin', mind as well go your merry way" he spat out, "I ain't the type to get annoyed by this child play, but you're just so goddamn annoying...!"
Tori was quick to hit Adrien on the back of his head, frowning. He'd been a bit too open-minded. Adrien didn't look at her, however, as he dismissed the hit with a sigh, and kept looking at Lumière and Cogsworth. The two were seriously annoying him... And Yubel was his annoyance incarnate, still growling at the two at their same height, showing its teeth with discomfort.
"If you're not gonna help fight, I'd be damned to let you two dead weight me" Adrien dictated, "So... Unless you can prove me wrong, I ain't gonna protect your sorry asses. Heck, wouldn't surprise me if a certain accident happened..." he threatened. "And with that, you're going to shut your mouth."
Tori stepped in front of Adrien, still bitter, but he wasn't going to take it. He'd made his point, and wasn't going to change his mind, no matter what bribe the others would offer. Tori knew that, and the sittuation tensed up a bit. Although she couldn't say she was okay with both Lumière and Cogsworth joining... Adrien had a point -they couldn't fight and, therefore, became a distraction. Heartless could be driven by instinct, but even that had its bright moments.
"While I understand the reason you wanna join us..." Tori replied, "Having you two join us in finding... Fifi... Urgh, point is: Heartless aren't as dumb as they look. And, all things considered, especially the lack of teamwork we have..." she added with a groan, "I legit don't think it smart to bring them along. It'd be best to escort them somewhere safe before we even consider helping someone else out."
Tori then looked at Jen and Tamara, knowing they were okay with both joining, while Henoke was still deciding on his choice. It seemed like a tie. Humming in thought, Tori began to wonder, in case things did go in favor of Lumière and Cogsworth were to join.
"I could try and use an Illusion, but..." she glanced over at Adrien, "Who's to say he won't break it...? Sure, there's nothing in it for him, but... I doubt he wants to keep things this calmly..." "...What?" Adrien asked coldly, knowing Tori was looking at him. "Nothing. At least, nothing that would interest you." "Hey, if you've got a better idea than arguing, I ain't gonna say anything. So long as nothing stands in my path, I don't have a problem" he shrugged back. "...That so?" "Oh, come on! I ain't merciless!" "Ha..." Tori laughed with a smirk, "Now that's a joke, if I ever heard one." "And here's why I don't like you, sweetheart -you never take things seriously, do you?"
Adrien's taunt caused Tori to grimace. Things were definitely not going smoothly...
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 24, 2019 10:48:34 GMT -5
Hearing Jen’s reassurance and Tamara’s offering to guard Lumiere and Cogsworth with him, Henoke sighed in relief. Hearing Adriens remark caused the teen’s fist to clench at his side as he grit his teeth, turning to retort—but Tori was already all over it. Grinning a bit at the sight, Henoke crossed his arms over his chest, watching the two’s back and forth with a newfound relief. She’s got him covered. Of course he was going to keep his eyes on Adrien, too, but it was nice seeing Tori own up to the choice of bringing him along.
Turning towards Lumiere and Cogsworth, Henoke grinned a bit before pointing at his party. ”Come on, Lumiere, we’ll help you save Fifi!” At this, the candelabra leaped with joy, twirling in the air victoriously while Cogsworth seemed to huff and sulk a bit. Kneeling down to be eye level with the clock, Henoke placed a hand on the guy’s back for reassurance. ”Hey, don’t worry. We’ll keep you guys safe.” Standing back up, the teen looked at Lumiere with a new determination set in his gaze. ”Lead the way!” With that, they were off, whisked through the dark Secret Passage and emerging into an impossibly dark space.
Dimly lit by Lumiere’s candle flames, all around them were thick and damp stone walls. Before them was a long hallway, far down ahead something hung dark in the air as the hallway seemed to disappear. ”Welcome to the Undercroft.” Lumiere’s typical jovial demeanor had vanished once entering this place. His tone betrayed some deeper disgust, the look on his face conflicted. ”Oh, Fifi…why did you run here?” Cogsworth walked (er…hopped?) next to Lumiere, seemingly more positive than before. ”Don’t worry, Lumiere! She had Sultan with her, after all!” It seemed this duo was used to making up for each other’s weaknesses.
Despite the dark place, Henoke felt bright and strong as the team was led down the hallway. Once getting closer, they could see the dark hanging object was actually an old lantern, shrouded in darkness that refused to allow them to be lit. ”Typically the passage is safe…but ever since those creatures arrived, it’s been perilous.” Cogsworth’s small voice echoed in the din—the warning bouncing off the walls and all around the party. To their right was a shorter hallway turning to the left. In front of them high above was a platform, though one would have to have extraordinary jumping capabilities to reach it—as well as be okay with ditching the team.
”Normally, we’d light the lanterns to make a safe passage…but…” The clock finished weakly, gesturing at the swirling darkness around the old tool. ”Hm…doesn’t look like a simple fire spell will work.” Henoke was looking at the hanging lantern, wondering about the darkness around it. Turning to Lumiere and Cogsworth, the teen tilted his head, curious. ”I think I could get them lit again, though…” Something had happened earlier when they had been fighting. His Keyblade had done something…something to the darkness shrouding the door. Turning to Tamara and Tori, the vibrant haired teen grinned a bit. ”We could use our Keyblade to free the lanterns, then light them with a spell!” Maybe that would solve the Heartless issue?
Lumiere and Cogsworth blinked in confusion. Looking at each other, the two merely shrugged and watched the group, wondering what sort of plan this was. ”How many lanterns are there, guys?” Henoke had crouched back down to the two, squinting a bit at how bright the candelabra was this close. ”Hm…two I believe.” Lumiere seemed deep in thought, unsure of his answer. ”No, no! There were three!” Cogsworth shook his head, crossing his “arms” while rolling his eyes. ”Don’t forget, that one in the middle!” Lumiere jolted in surprise before nodding in agreement. ”Right, right—it’s above us, on that platform.” Gesturing above them, Lumiere and Cogsworth sighed, reminded harshly of their size difference.
”So once the Heartless showed up, they took out these lanterns…” It was too fishy for Henoke to ignore. The Heartless didn’t want these lanterns lit—which only made the fiery teen want to light them. Turning to Tori and Tamara once more, Henoke grinned widely. ”How ‘bout it? There’s three lanterns and three of us! We could all get to the lanterns and light them! Jen and Tamara could stay here with the first lantern and keep an eye on everyone else while Tori and I reach the second two!” He was purposefully excluding Adrien. Keeping him next to Jen, Tamara and the others was a safer call—he didn’t want him trying to mess them up in the middle of anything.
”The demons don’t appear until after that corner, typically…” Lumiere gestured down towards the hall. ”The other lantern is around that corner at the end of the stairs, which will lead you up and around to the platform above us. Fifi must be up there somewhere!”
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Post by Ziya on Nov 22, 2019 10:09:39 GMT -5
Jen looked at the lantern curiously as the group debated on what to do. The instant she heard them talking about lighting the things she grinned, shaking her head in amusement. "If I can see them I can get all three at once with my Holy Firaja. It'll purify the darkness and light them all at once! Heck, I can even hit up to seven Heartless with the rest while I'm at it." Almost as soon as she finished talking she started to walk toward the plaform, intending to do just that.
Meanwhie Tamara continued to study the lantern woth a small frown. Something about the darkness within it was resonating with her in a way few things had before. It made her almost not want to light them, though logiclly she knew that was foolish. How else were they supposed to finish this hunt if they didn't?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 23, 2019 5:20:06 GMT -5
Tori looked with unease. As Jen quickly made her way around, she shook her head.
"And... She's off..." she mumbled. "Huh... Reckless much?"
While Adrien simply looked around, eager to join in the fight, Tori looked at Henoke with a few thoughts in mind. While she understood his intentions, if he and Adrien were not going to even try to work together, then things were as good as done. Being who she was, plus her previous training, Tori knew exactly what bad teamwork could cause.
"Imma just tell you straight, Henoke" she said, walking towards him calmly, "I get that you and Adrien don't get along, and it's clear as crystal. But, right now... You kinda need to make an effort. Otherwise, well..." Tori crossed her arms with a bit of concern, "I'm pre-tty sure you can guess what can happen..."
After a bit tired of waiting, Adrien and Yubel began to make their way through the dark corridors, much for Tori's attention. Seeing him walk so nonchalantly, though, made her change her mind.
Adrien was after the Heartless, not anyone else.
"Guess Miss Alchohol-Lover will need some backup, so... If y'all ain't gonna take a decision... Meh, mind as well" he shrugged as he made his way into the darkness.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 24, 2019 0:36:18 GMT -5
”If I can see them I can get all three at once with my Holy Firaja.” Jen’s excited voice echoed across the empty dungeon, followed quickly by her footfalls. Reaching out towards the warrior, Henoke blinked in surprise before gritting his teeth in irritation. Damn it! I had a plan! Jen was far too fast for the key bearer, already heading down the dark hall that would turn left, leading her uphill towards the center platform where the other two remaining lanterns could be found. ”H-hey! Wait!” Sighing in frustration, the teen glanced back at Cogsworth and Lumiere. He couldn’t just abandon the defenseless locals to go after a loose cannon—but would Jen really be alright by herself? ”Imma just tell you straight, Henoke” Tori’s voice cut away his attention. Hearing the comment about making an effort with Adrien distracted Henoke from pursuing Jen, as the teen turned to Tori with a frown on his face, his brows furrowed.
”Make an effort?” For a moment his fiery gaze fell on the boy in green, his frown deepening to a scowl. ”I didn’t even want him here!” Tired of waiting, Adrien and Yubel followed after Jen, seemingly tired of the bickering. Sighing in both frustration and uncertainty, Henoke figured his options were limited. ”Listen, Tori—the way I see it, you’re the one that took on the responsibility of having him come along, not me.” Crossing his arms, the teen had a stubborn look on his face. ”He’s your responsibility. I don’t care what he does, as long as he’s not in the way. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna start gettin’ along with him, though.” While Henoke spoke, Cogsworth and Lumiere glanced between each other with unsure looks. It seemed the band of heroes that had saved them weren’t necessarily being a ‘team’.
It was then that Henoke noticed Tamara—gazing quietly into the lantern near the group, silent all this time. Raising an eyebrow at them, Henoke called over from where he and Tori stood bickering, forgetting about his momentary annoyances. ”Hey—you okay?” The spell caster’s eyes seemed distant, despite looking at the lantern hanging in the dark. Shrouded in darkness, the lantern hung quietly from a thick and ancient chain, looming in the shadows.
Whatever they were thinking of—they seemed troubled.
Dark shadows loomed and swallowed the three that continued on. As Jen, Adrien and Yubel walked, the hanging darkness seemed to stretch and creep closer to the floor with every step. At the end of the hall hung the second lantern, shrouded in darkness similar to the first. To their left was yet another hallway with a steady upward slope, leading to a wide cobblestone platform out of view, where the last remaining lantern resided. Visibility at this point would be scarce without a light source. Upon reaching the second lantern, the darkness in the hallway ahead would begin to shift and move. Bright yellow eyes exposed the lurking Heartless, creeping forward from the dark. Shadows silently shifted forward, gliding across the dark stone as shades, heading directly for Jen, Adrien and Yubel from the ground. Clank! Creak! Clank! The Soldier’s armor could he heard clattering, their helmet closing and opening to reveal blinking orbs, exposing their locations ahead as they leapt and bound forward, spiraling through the air, flashing their powerful talons as they aimed directly for the three.
The mass moved in a sudden rush, lunging forward to the hearts they could feel, cornered against a wall and a narrow hall. Behind the smaller beings, larger masses could be seen moving, shrouded in the shadows save for small bright eyes. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Heavy footfalls caused the hall ahead to quake as two Large Body’s revealed themselves in the rear. If there were more beyond, it would be impossible to see from the ground. The two Large Body’s cut off any line of sight for the end of the hall. Despite their power and size, their pace was a waddle at best, allowing the trio time before the pair attacked. It was a full on frontal assault. The way back remained empty, though the darkness hanging nearly seemed to make it appear as though it had stretched in length.
The others hadn’t seemed to follow.
[[ENEMIES: 10 Shadows, 7 Soldiers, 2 Large Body’s]]
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Post by Ziya on Nov 29, 2019 9:22:18 GMT -5
Jen was unfazed by the appearance of the Heartless. The varieties before her were much weaker than what she had been dealing with recently, and she could deal with them easily enough.
Expanding her Aura Celica on her arms, she looked at the bunch of them, tightly packed thanks to the hall, and grinned savagely. "Not even a challenge." Falling into a ready stance, she rapidly fired into the group with her Lightstorm, 10 blasts of pure Light slamming into the first wave with the force of a sword strike. As they connected the blasts dispersed into a thick mist of Light, dealing further moderate damage to the Heartless within a 10 foot area. She expected any Shadows above ground to be dealt with by that, though the Soldiers and Large Bodies would only be wounded.
Tamara was snapped out of her trance-like state by Henoke's question. It had been deep enough to force her to blink as she processed the words, but a few moments later she looked at him at last. "I am fine, Henoke. I must be a bit tired, that's all."
Hearing the commotion from before them, she summoned her blade and pointed it at the lantern. "We really don't have time to waste." She focused on the energy within the blade, trying to use it like he had during the last fight. Instead, a white mist emerged, somehow soothing in a way she couldn't describe.
Still, it wasn't what she wanted, and with a flush of embarrassment she turned to boy. "Henoke, how do you use this 'keyblade' weapon to fire beams of Light?" Her tone plainly revealed her dislike of asking for help, but at the same time she saw no other choice.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 29, 2019 13:10:21 GMT -5
Groaning in anoyance, Adrien just shrugged. If Jen wanted to go ahead and take the kill for all the enemies in front, she could do it. He wasn't going to help a show-off, anyways, being the type of guy he was. Along with Yubel, he instead decided to go explore a bit, and find the damn lanters for a change.
Jumping about, and looking across through the shadows, he tried to find any off-looking lamps across the celing, while taking care of the small-fry that wanted to cross paths with him for whatever reason.
"Oh, hey, I see one there" he pointed out, creating a facade of obliviousness to what was happening around him, "That's the one they said was the easy-to-forget one, right? Oi, lady, ya wanna swap?" he suggested with amusement, "You said you could light 'em back up, ri~ght?"
Shaking her head, and even chuckling a bit amused at the ignorance of the young Keyblade Wielder, Tori just shook her head. No wonder he wasn't in charge.
"I never said you had to get along with him" she replied, with a slight hint of annoyance, "I understand that, whatever he does, I'm the one to take blame on it. But does it hurt to at least cooperate? That's what I'm asking you to do. Otherwise, things will definitely go awry, especially if we need to fight again as a group."
Frowning a bit, Tori backed away with a sigh. The issue with Tamara was only making her unsettled, as well, not quite sure how to describe it, but bothering her a lot. The fact that she also had a Keyblade didn't help much.
"Amateur..." she thought with grimace, "And why the hell do I have the feeling that I do not want her around...?"
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