Time to Process some Data (Twilight Brigade Members)

[therunawaygirl]

The Almira.

A high-tech vessel with the capability of travelling from world to world without a single issue, all while having the bare necessities when it comes to a normal living. A ship that most people would overlook when high up in the sky thanks to its white hue, blending easily within the sunlight, but otherwise very noticeable.

Tap, tap, tap… The Brigade’s Navigator was tapping mindlessly as she trimmed the information they were looking for. After so much gathering, it was natural that info would start to blend itself with one paragraph or another, and so Alice’s duty was to make sure it always remained readable. Not only that, but she also had a report to write, in order to showcase their progress to Elena. Given how far away they were from their world of origin, it was the only way to prove none of them were slacking off.

Just as she was about to finish, Jack walked into the Bridge, where his sister was all alone working through her duties. He himself had been tinkering with a few of his own things, particularly messing around with some materials to either create devices or upgrade the already existing ones. Having found himself at a stalemate, he decided to take a break and check on the others.

“How’s it goin’?” he asked Alice.
“I’m… Almost finished” Alice nodded, taking a deep breath, and turning towards her brother, “About a minute or so?”
“That’s nice to hear —we might need to do some catchin’ up to do. What of Elena’s report?”
“That’ll take a bit longer, but…” Alice turned back towards the screen, “I think talking about the info we got before sending it to her might help a bit more, just in case she wants to contact us.”
“Hmm…”
“So, yeah —I’ll be done in about a minute or so. I’ll let you all know whenever I'm finished!”

Jack grinned, somewhat relieved to see his sister all cheerful and optimistic —a much better attitude than a frightened one, as she’d showcased in their last mission, when she had no option but to join them. Even though she had grown, if only a little, Alice was still the same girl Jack knew —his sister. That wouldn’t change, ever.

He rummaged through his fenny pack, finding the “winner” popsicle stick he’d gotten back in Twilight Town —a reminder of his victory, yet also a reminder for the many battles to come. He gripped it, frowning if only so faintly.

He had to get stronger —both physically and mentally.

“I’ll see what the others’re up to…”
“Sure.”

Jack left the Bridge as quickly as he’d arrived, looking through the Left hallway to see if anyone was in their rooms. 4 yellow dots on 4 different doors indicated that they weren’t vacant —the group’s rooms, all the same when it came to furniture and color. Small yet comfortable enough, but definitely annoying when one would travel for long periods of time. At the end, the engine rooms, and nothing else. To the Right hallway would be the lounge and the “jack-of-all-trades” room, a place M’Lyn would often a lot just for how versatile it was to turn into a small training grounds.

Until Alice was done on her end, things would be rather… Quiet…

[hoodwink]

    Kujo glared at the vacant ceiling above him, sprawled out on his bed with his hands behind his head. While Alice was busy sorting out the information they had syphoned off of the computer in Twilight Town, the man had been brooding over what they did know. Tch—can’t I catch a break? With each mission they went on, Kujo was given some answers, but mostly left with more questions. If that were to be a theme, his voyage between worlds would seemingly continue to be a hassle. Useless. He was getting nowhere just mulling over things—but truthfully there wasn’t much else for Kujo to do while the Almira was in flight. Truthfully, the man’s ‘role’ in this team primarily seemed to be combat. Sure, Kujo knew how to work most complicated machinery due to his own home world, but there was no way he could offer up repairs to an aircraft of this magnitude with no prior experience. 

    Jack and Alice had all of the 'tech stuff' covered. Unlike M’Lyn though, Kujo didn’t find himself needing to train since awakening to his odd powers. Prior to his Akogare, the man had followed a strict regimen for years as he honed his strong body—but once the guardian emerged, he found he continually maintained peak physical performance even if he just sat around all day. Sighing a bit as he sat up on his bed, Kujo glanced over at the doorway. Might as well go read something… Hadn’t he seen some books in the ‘common area’ of the ship? Deciding it was better than just staring at the ceiling until Alice was done, Kujo made his way out of his room into the hallway, raising an eyebrow as he saw Jack standing in the middle of it. ”How's it going?” Gesturing to the door leading to the bridge, Kujo made it clear he was talking about Alice’s progress with the information.

    It wouldn’t be like him to ask such a ‘chummy’ sounding question otherwise.

[therunawaygirl]

As a door suddenly opened, Jack saw Kujo walking in with his usual demeanor, asking how Alice was going with the trimming. Jack grinned a bit, folding both hands behind his head as he leaned back to the wall, his usual cocky demeanor showing like an aura.

“She’s about done-ish” he replied, “I was gonna just check on you and M’Lyn before Alice called us to mull over it… You haven’t seen that Miqo’te anywhere, right? Haven’t checked the common room just yet.”

The teen pulled himself back up, after receiving Kujo’s answer, to then knock on the door to M’Lyn’s room. Receiving no reply, he frowned, touching the door with a simple gesture, shocking himself to see it opening immediately.

“Tch —she forgot to lock it again…” he groaned, “Might need to explain to her how it goes…” Jack flinched faintly, turning towards Kujo as a thought crossed his mind, “You ain’t havin’ any issues, are ya? Like… With the controls and stuff. ‘Cause I know someone always does…”

The Miqo’te was nowhere in sight, now that her room was open for anyone to see —just like the rest of the rooms, really, although some things would be clearly her things. Nothing out of order, M’Lyn seemed to keep some of her own world’s trinkets —crystal bottles, some sort of gems and a few of her own books. Jack was quick to dismiss it, not really into searching into M’Lyn’s things, or perhaps already awar of them to begin with, quickly touching the edge of the door’s border for it to simply slide back.

Jack turned back to the way leading to the Bridge, glancing over to the opposite hallway leading to the common room and the “jack-of-all-trades” one —most likely where M’Lyn was. Knowing her, she was most likely trying to keep herself active while they waited for a new mission or a new objective.

“I take it she’s trainin’, then…” Jack mumbled, scratching the back of his head with a sigh, glancing over to Kujo with a smirk, “Wanna check on her or are ya joinin’ Alice by the Bridge?”

[hoodwink]

    ”She’s about done-ish.” Jack’s vague reply with his cocky grin earned a tongue-click and eye roll from Kujo. Shaking his head as Jack asked if he had seen M’Lyn, the man figured there’d only be so many places to check given the ship space. Walking alongside Jack as he headed towards the Miqo’te’s door, Kujo found himself giving a quiet sigh of exasperation as the door opened upon contact. ”Tch—she forgot to lock it again…” It seemed to be a theme that M’Lyn either didn’t care or couldn’t remember to lock her room. ”You ain’t having’ any issues, are ya?” Jack’s question caused Kujo to give him a mild side-eye glare as he shoved his hands into his pockets. ”Don’t lump me in with her.” Then again, his ideas of modesty and privacy may differ from the woman’s, considering their different origins. 

    Though some of the items in the room would be objects of intrigue, Kujo wasn’t the one to pry into people’s personal affairs (even with an invitation), averting his eyes from the contents of her room out of quiet respect before Jack closed the door. ”I take it she’s trainin’, then…” It made sense for the team’s ‘combat specialist’. Jack’s question brought a shrug to the man as he glanced over his shoulder towards the room of the Bridge. ”She should focus.” Alice had a surprising workload on the team, considering her ‘Navigator’ role on top of writing reports and sorting through information. To be honest, Kujo hadn’t really noticed during their first mission. It was only after their most recent one that the man realized the amount of responsibilities that young girl carried. 

    Continuing down the hall, Kujo would walk with Jack towards the room where M’Lyn would most likely be training. It seemed more entertaining than his initial plan of reading, at least.

[therunawaygirl]

“To wherever M’Lyn is, it is, then…”

Stretching a bit, Jack walked his way towards the “jack-of-all-trades” room, passing by the Bridge and hearing’s Alice’s calm and constant tapping on the screen, focused as she was on her job. Past the lounge, Jack and Kujo would end up in the small “jack-of-all-trades” room, only to find M’lyn almost dancing her way through a few holograms, meant for training.

The holograms themselves would obviously not hurt, but they were programmed to recognize in case they made contact with M’Lyn —hence, her attention to her own movement, including her tail. By a glance, the Miqo’te saw the two spectators, stopping on her tracks after dodging a non-existent sword strike.

“Pause training” she voiced, looking at the projections.

The holograms then froze in place, giving M’Lyn a room for respite before turning to the two people there. Jack had a noticeable pout, thing that the Miqo’te was somewhat distraught by. Had she done something?

“Y’know how to input your commands for training, and yet you can’t even lock your door?” Jack sighed, “Is this selective memory or…?”
“…You went to check on my room?” M’Lyn asked.
“Well, duh —and here’s to my surprise you left it unlocked again.”
“Wait, you went inside?!” M’Lyn visibly staggered.
“Your fault for not lockin’ it! It’s just a simple swipe downwards!”

M’Lyn looked away, crossing her arms as if refusing any other word from Jack. The teen, on the other hand, complaing in a silent mumble for the Miqo’te to “not complain if you leave your stuff wide in the open.” After a sigh, Jack leaned back against the wall, glancing over at the now irresponsive M’Lyn, who had decided to stop her training for the time being. The room itself was spacious enough, but still limited the extend of her training, in the end.

“In any case, what are you two doing here?” M’Lyn asked, having gone over her previous fluster.
“Checkin’ on you” Jack replied, glancing over at her, “Since Alice is still workin’ her way through the info.”
“So, you two had nothing to do in the meantime, other than checking on what I was doing?”
“Pretty much —neither Kujo or I had stuff to do right now. We’re just waitin’ on Alice.”
“And I’m already done!”

Jack and M’Lyn both blinked, startled by the sudden voice over the speakers. Alice’s giggling voice remained echoing for a bit, before Jack sighed a bit exasperated. M’Lyn was also caught off-guard, although she quickly returned to her colder expressions, her arms still crossed over her chest as she glanced over towards Jack.

“C’mon —we don’t wanna keep her waitin’.”

Jack was the first to leave, without looking back on the other two as he made his way towards the Bridge. Waiting on Kujo, M’Lyn followed, only wondering just what it was that the team had gathered from their last mission…

[hoodwink]

    As the two came upon the room being used as training, Kujo realized he had never actually watched the Miqo’te at work outside of real combat. She wore a determined face, clearly focused on the task at hand as her movements flowed with precision. Holograms, huh? He was familiar with the tech, as his own home world had often-times used such displays for things as small as advertising. ”Y’know how to input your commands for training, and yet you can’t even lock your door?” Jack’s comment brought a small smirk to the edge of Kujo’s mouth as he watched the two’s back-and-forth. ”Wait, you went inside?!” The way the Miqo’te staggered, it was clear that perhaps her and Kujo’s ideologies weren’t too far apart. If that’s the case, lock it then. The man shared in Jack’s exasperation, giving a sigh of his own as he shook his head at the woman.

    ”In any case, what are you two doing here?” It seemed she was as quick as ever—pointing out the fact that Kujo and Jack were clearly just wasting time. Kujo seemed rather unbothered by the reveal, not seeing much for him to do while they waited for the information. ”And I’m already done!” Kujo raised a brow as his eyes looked up, falling on the speaker that Alice’s voice chirped over. That was quicker than I thought. It seemed when she focused, that girl was really the fast worker. ”C’mon—we don’t wanna keep her waitin’.” As Jack headed out, Kujo glanced over at the Miqo’te with a slightly devious glint in his gaze. ”Didn’t think you were the shy type.” It wasn’t often he got to see M’Lyn worked up, let alone over a small and humorous error on her own part. 

    Following her out of the room and down the hall, Kujo couldn’t help but wonder about what kind of information they pulled from the computer. That mansion… Just what had been happening underneath that old place, for such equipment to be around?

[therunawaygirl]

M’LYn huffed, clearly offended despite the whole small issue being her fault —although she either didn’t want to admit it due to pride, or simply didn’t want to touch the issue further, instead focusing on whatever was happening next. Kujo’s comment didn’t go unheard —in fact, M’Lyn already had something in mind for it.

“Keep that up, and you’ll be my next training dummy” she said, her eyes closed, in a cold tone.

For the time being, bickering was over —the situation called for a more serious mood to be held as they would mull over the information they had gathered. Alice was facing the Right hallway, still sitting down, with a faint smile and her hands cupped over her lap. Jack took seat in his own chair, resting his head in one of his hands with a smirk, while M’Lyn decided to remain up.

“So —what do we have?” Jack asked, cocky.
“Quite a bit, so it all depends on what we want to discuss first” Alice indicated, “If it’s Heartless, then… Oh, boy, there’s a lot to search into.”
“Was there really that much?” M’Lyn asked, her shock hidden beneath a calm façade.
“Yep —plenty more than what we had previously” Alice nodded, “For starters… Apparently there’s 2 types of Heartless: Pureblood and Emblem. Whatever that means in its entirety… Is beyond me.”
“But you figured somethin’ out of them, regardless, right?” Jack asked, receiving a nod, “Which would be…?”
“Apparently Purebloods are the actual Heartless, whereas Emblem Heartless are created. In fact…” Alice turned towards the screen, “There’s actual dates about when exactly the Heartless’ numbers grew —which is a huge help.”
“Not only that, but the fact that some Heartless can be created would be solid proof of someone able to control them, correct?” M’Lyn asked.
“That black-coated individual… That’s what you’re gettin’ at?” Jack glanced over at M’Lyn, receiving a nod, “Well… That’s one lead, but it ain’t enough to figure out who they are.”
“About that… We might be able to figure out who is behind them” Alice’s words caught Jack and M’Lyn attention, snapping back at the Navigator, “The notes mentioned a particular world —Radiant Garden. We might figure out more if we head there, don’t you think?”
“…You got cords?” Jack’s question was replied with a quick nod, “Then… We could go there, if Elena thinks it worth our time.”
“Should I write the report, then?”
“Keep it concise —we don’t wanna waste much of her time” Jack teased.

Alice giggled back, writing the small detail down before returning to the conversation. With the amount of information they now had, finding a culprit and most likely putting an end to the Heartless threat would actually be possible. If they could get to Radiant Garden, after Elena’s permission, that is…

[hoodwink]

    M’Lyn’s comment brought a smirk to Kujo’s face as the two met up with Jack and Alice in the Bridge. Taking a seat and crossing a leg, Kujo leaned back with his hands still in his pockets as tipped the chair back a bit. ”So—what do we have?” Getting in gear, the team grew a more serious atmosphere as Alice began explaining some of the new intel. Pureblood and Emblem Heartless, huh? He hadn’t expected for someone to be able to make the damned things. Controlling was one thing, but how on earth did someone go about that kind of process? Whoever started it must have felt that the originals could use some revamping. Though who designed the monstrosities or why was still a mystery it seemed. ”We might be able to figure out who is behind them.” Alice’s sudden mention caused Kujo’s brow to raise.

    ”The notes mentioned a particular world—Radiant Garden.” Sitting up and leaning forward, resting his arms on his knees, Kujo glanced between the others. It was clear none of them had heard of this world before, either. ”You got cords?” Reliable as ever, it seemed Alice had somehow found time to map out a route to said world on top of completing her other duties. Impressive. The girl was on a roll. After she noted down what she needed, Kujo finally decided to ask his question—well, one of his many questions. ”What about that weird sword?” Glancing over at Jack, Kujo leaned back in his chair, making himself comfortable once more. ”The shrouded figure from before kept calling it a ‘key’—did the notes say anything about that?” Though there were many questions on his mind, this one was one at the forefront.

    He had seen Jack use that weapon in a few odd ways since traveling with this team—though they hadn’t learned a single thing about it along the way. Seeing as how the computer back on Twilight Town had had a good amount of information, Kujo couldn’t help but have a hope that it would clear up some things about that oddity first. Whatever it is, it’s important. That much’s obvious. It was their main tool, essential for ‘solving’ the Heartless issue that many worlds seemed to be facing lately. They’d been carrying around something they didn’t understand for too long, in Kujo’s opinion. It was about time they got some answers, rather than relying on Jack’s ‘intuition’ or just plain old dumb luck.

[therunawaygirl]

Obviously, even with the intel of the Heartless, other issues were left hanging —as evidenced by Kujo’s question about Jack’s sword. Could they even call it a sword at that point, though? It certainly acted the part, but some of its other functions led to thinking otherwise. Having gone thought a similar question himself, Jack pondered.

”The shrouded figure from before kept calling it a ‘key’—did the notes say anything about that?” Right on point, Kujo seemed to know exactly what he wanted. Alice frowned, deflating a bit as she sighed, turning with a shake of her head.

“I tried looking up, but… Still nothing” the Navi replied, “Key, sword… None of those showed up any results.”
“Back to square one, then…” Jack groaned, frustrated.
“Also, about that figure from before? I tried to see if I could determine who they were…” Alice’s phrase cut off, silent.
“Did you managed to do that?” M’Lyn inquired.
“…” Alice shook her head, “It’s not because there was no info, mind you… Rather…” the girl fidgeted a bit, “I couldn’t lock onto it…”
“Wait, what?!” Jack leaned forward, shocked.
“What I said —even through all the footage we got of it, nothing could actually lock onto it. It was as if it wasn’t even there…”
“Even if it was a projection, though, something must’ve been seen, right?” M’Lyn continued, “I hardly think something as feeble as a projection can go unnoticed, with the amount of tech you’ve got.”
“I tried all we had —nothing managed to lock onto it.”

Jack was at a loss. Not only had they no information about the weird sword of his (or key, as their previous enemy had stated), but said enemy was invisible to the machinery they had? Even though something like that wouldn’t be outlandish to consider, the teen had some hopes in finding who they were, as their only clues were that they were from Milennia, and they knew Jack one way or another.

But they couldn’t even track it?

“Gimme a break already…” Jack lamented bitterly.
“The most important information we need, and we’re not even close on solving the mystery…” M’Lyn shook her head, “This is just…”
“Sorry…”
“It ain’t your fault, sis” Jack waved his hand, as he stood up from his chair, “For now… Just write the report to Elena and ask her if we can go to this Radiant Garden place. We might find a few hints there, if the data we got from that basement is to be believed.”
“Isn’t that the whole point of this unit, though?” M’Lyn retorted, pouting.
“Sort of, although Elena wants us to deal with the Heartless, right?”

Alice nodded in agreement to both Jack’s statement and his order, turning back towards the screen and starting the report. Jack glanced over towards Kujo and M’Lyn, a few of his own doubts saved for himself.

If they couldn’t get info through outside means… Then Jack was willing to figure it out by himself. With everything seemingly done, he headed back to his quarter, catching the Miqo’te’s attention immediately.

“Where are you going now?”
“Since we don’t have any intel about this sword o’ mine… I guess I gotta figure it out myself, right? I was at a stalemate anyways, really.”
“As in… You’ll research it yourself?”
“Got nothin’ to do, anyways” Jack shrugged sheepishly, “Mind as well try and figure if I can find anythin’ about this thing.”

[hoodwink]

    ”I tried looking it up, but…” Kujo couldn’t help but sigh a bit as he crossed his arms. It seemed despite the amount of information that computer had, it had nothing to do with Jack’s bizarre blade. ”Also, about that figure from before?” Hearing how Alice hadn’t been able to discern their identity wasn’t the odd part, but rather that the recordings and footage weren’t able to show the figure at all. ”I tried all we had—nothing managed to lock onto it.” Grimacing a bit, Kujo glanced between M’Lyn and Jack, who looked just as frustrated and concerned as he felt. ”Gimme a break already…” Jack had taken the words right out of Kujo’s mouth as the two lamented, one silently. So, all we were able to get information on was the Heartless, huh? It wasn’t that Kujo didn’t think that intel was important, in fact it would most likely make their future missions all the more easier.

    It was just such a small part of the equation. ”Where are you going now?” M’Lyn’s voice pulled Kujo from his thoughts, glancing over to see Jack beginning to head out. ”I guess I gotta figure it out myself, right?” Raising an eyebrow, Kujo remained in his seat with his legs and arms crossed. ”How do you plan on doing that, exactly?” Though he knew Jack’s capabilities with hacking and machinery, Kujo found it hard to believe the guy could find information about such a bizarre item via usual databases. Shrugging a bit, the man didn’t want to deter Jack, but was curious about what plan he had in mind. Waiting to hear his answer, if he would even give one, Kujo would then glance over at Alice. ”Oi, pull up that Heartless info over here. I'll take a closer look.” 

    Getting up from his chair, Kujo walked over to a monitor near Alice with his hands in his pockets. With the amount of displays at the girls fingertips, he figured it’d be nothing for her to allow him to read over the information regarding manufactured Heartless and ‘natural’ Heartless as she worked. There has to be a significant difference outside of origin... Not being one to look over small details, Kujo couldn’t help but feel like the manufactured Heartless would surely have different traits and abilities. As one of the groups primary weapons in combat, Kujo felt it was part of his job to know as much as he could about the enemies they'd be running into during their travels.

[therunawaygirl]

”How do you plan on doing that, exactly?”

Of course that would surface. Without a clear idea himself, Jack simply grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he did so. Noticing this, M’Lyn groaned. Was he really leaving something like that to chance?! Somethings would never change, but the looks of it.

“I guess I’ll just ask that someone about it…” Jack’s sheepish comment suddenly made M’Lyn perk.
“That… someone?”
“Well… Yeah —remember I mentioned a voice? Maybe I can get some answers from ‘em… If they’re willin’ to, that is…”
“…Are you sure you’re not insane?”
“Wasn’t he already…?” Alice sighed as she mumbled.
“Oi, sis!”

Without receiving another reply, Jack frowned as he left, deciding to better not focus on that and instead wanting to start his research as soon as possible. He had a feeling that he’d get something regardless, and having new intel to work with would help path a few things.

Even if nothing about the strange sword had been stated, more Heartless intel did help, given how eager they went whenever Jack used it in battle.

“It’s just a matter of seeing whether they’ll answer or not…”

He couldn’t forget it —the face of his younger self back at that fully white room. It seemed to mock him, despite his state —his clothes ragged, and overall dirty due to his life back in the slumps. Yet even through all that, it seemed to know better than his current self…

Back at the Bridge with Alice and M’Lyn, Kujo’s petition came as a rather rough one —one that Alice was slightly startled by. She nodded softly, seeing him walk towards her and readying the data Kujo wanted in a separate monitor —just like before, a holographic screen showing the intel the man wanted.

After that was done, Alice returned to her duties, a bit taken aback by Kujo’s attitude, even though it shouldn’t have been surprising given his usual demeanor. Something about him being too close to her, or something… M’Lyn, on the other hand, recalling his previous attitude —a much more cheerful one contrasted to his usual mood—, smirked, closing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest with a teasing tone.

“To think —you were so cheerful previously… I have to ask, what was that about?” the Miqo’te asked, smirking faintly, “Was it a phase or something?”

Alice giggled softly, amused by the Miqo’te’s jab, all the while she continued writing the report for Elena. In the meantime, Kujo had both intel to check anda jab to reply to.

[hoodwink]

    Jack’s comment was bizarre—something both Kujo and M’Lyn picked up on rather instantaneously. ”That…someone?” The question of the guy’s sanity caused Kujo to nearly smirk, though it didn’t manage to break past his grimace. Is he really hearing voices in his head? Though he seemed back to his usual self, it certainly seemed like there was something going on with Jack lately. Does it have to do with that ‘key’? Suspicion grew in his heart as Jack exited the room, defeated by Alice and M’Lyn’s assault. Giving an exasperated sigh and shaking his head, Kujo’s eyes fell back to the monitor, though he noticed Alice’s somewhat stirred demeanor. What’s up with her? It seemed he still didn’t understand either of the siblings that well, most likely the same thing being true vice versa. ”To think—you were so cheerful previously…” 

    Facing the monitor as the information pulled up, his face drew a scowl at M’Lyn’s comment as he gave her a side-eyed look as Alice giggled next to him. ”Tch—can it. Don’t you have a bedroom lock to go figure out?” Giving her a competitive smirk, the man waved a hand lazily. ”Or are you actually going to come take a look at the enemies we’ll be facing?” Crossing his arms as he began to go over the information on the displays, Kujo would grimace as he began to delve deeper into the knowledge of the Heartless. Though the information would prove to be vital in understand more about what they were, how they worked, and why they were plaguing worlds, it wasn't any positive intel. All it was doing was confirming the worst. There was more to the story, a lot more, and it seemed the issues happening on the surface (which they barely could keep up with) were only the start of something deeper and more sinister. We'll have to be ready. Their team had only been together a short time (well, with Kujo's addition anyway), but the members had already began to make significant growth. 

[therunawaygirl]

M’Lyn flinched after hearing Kujo’s retort, a sour smirk remaining as she admitted defeat. Alice couldn’t really keep it together, although she was doing an effort to keep her giggling quiet. The Miqo’te refused Kujo’s offer to joining her, already having an idea on what they were facing.

And even if she didn’t know about the menace, her usual attitude was learn during battle, not through notes.

“I’ll leave it to you —I’m not the sort of Adventurer who likes reading much about enemies to begin with” M’Lyn waved it off, “I’ll have a look later, but mostly through more personal methods.”

Alice saw the Miqo’te take her leave towards the lounge area, most likely either to resume her training or do other things of her own —like reading those grimoires she had from her own world. It seemed M’Lyn was a dedicated student, but in different matters from the rest.

The Navigator turned back to the writing of the report, still somewhat uneasy at the short distance between her and Kujo, but focused as she was, it was the least of her concerns. It was until she was finished that the unease from before rose once more. As means to lessen it, Alice turned away from Kujo, focusing her gaze on the opposite monitors.

“So, umm…” she babbled a bit, “W-What is it you want to learn…? There’s not a whole lot that varies from what you already know…”

Curious as usual, it seemed Alice’s intrigues were stronger than her unease, turning a bit towards Kujo as she awaited her answer. It was just the two of them at the Bridge —surely they had the space for themselves if things would end up being delicate, right?

[hoodwink]

    M’Lyn’s comment and exit caused Kujo to shake his head a bit as his faint smirk lingered for a moment. Hmph—hands on, huh? Crossing his arms and giving a light shrug, the man resumed his reading while Alice typed away at the report. ”So, umm…” After having spent a short time in silence, Alice’s voice caused Kujo’s brow to raise. ”W-what is it you want to learn…?” Giving the monitor one last look, the man sighed in clear exasperation. It seemed despite the amount of gathering they had done, they had come up nearly empty-handed. ”Tch—these notes only give us superficial information.” Turning and sitting at the edge of the table, making sure to leave enough room for Alice to continue her typing, Kujo decided to humor the girls question despite his annoyance at their situation.

    ”It mentions Heartless being manufactured, but not who made them, or why.” Crossing his arms, the man’s stoic face had a brooding look as his gaze grew distant, lost in thoughts as he grumbled. ”On top of that, it doesn’t mention anything about Jack’s ‘key’.” The name itself felt odd—considering its otherwise sword-like appearance. Kujo’s gaze returned as he looked over at Alice, narrowing his eyes a bit as he voiced his suspicion. ”It doesn’t add up.” Standing back up, Kujo turned once more to the monitor displaying the information he had browsed, scowling at the display as it blared brightly. ”The dates from these notes is old…though not ancient. Considering the fact there are still worlds to go to, it’s hard to believe the Heartless have just been going around unchecked all this time.”

    It was something that had been bothering him—though it wasn’t until he had seen the dates on the reports that had confirmed it. ”With how essential that weird blade of his seems to be in getting rid of those pests, you’d think we’d hear something about it by now.” He eyed Alice from the corner of his gaze, wondering if she was getting where he was going with this. ”It’s almost like it’s being hidden. Scratched from the records.” It was a hunch of his—but it wasn’t a full blown conspiracy. Kujo didn’t necessarily mean literally stricken from history records—but rather that perhaps even a more recent enemy of theirs had managed to reach the information before them…hiding or taking any information on that odd sword of Jack’s. It was only a feeling, but one he couldn’t help put stock in. It seemed too likely to ignore. "Was there any sign this intel being tampered in the data? Before we got a hold of it?"

[therunawaygirl]

Alice puffed her cheeks, if only so faintly, while she listened to Kujo voicing out his thoughts. All things considered, they were still much in the dark, with barely any hints to guide their way through the issue. Being honest herself, the Navi had thought somewhat similarly, but without info to question, she’d chosen to instead leave it for later.

Now, however, was a good time to discuss said doubts.

His questions about Jack’s sword, and whether the info had been tampered with brought her back from thought. She pouted, turning towards the screen with quite the determination to figure it out. If it had been tampered with… Then she would be able to pick it up.

“I can try and see, really” she nodded, “I’m not sure if Jack’s done the same thing, though, but never hurts to double-check…”

With that said, Alice began to analyze. Even if faint, those traces of tampering wouldn’t be completely gone —such was the way it worked with technology. No matter how hard one wanted to clean their tracks behind them, there would always be a clue or two to follow them. Although Jack was better at it than Alice, the Navigator showed no signs of giving up.

After a while, she stopped, seemingly hesitant, but in truth she had found her answer. She gazed down, shaking her head faintly, but just enough for Kujo to notice.

“…It’s complete…” she mumbled, “There’s no traces of tampering whatsoever… This is the info as it was written —nothing’s missing” she shook her head a bit more.

Alice was uneasy again, but this time due to how concerned she was. It was true that Jack’s sword-key-thing was the beacon for Heartless to attack —what made them almost go berserk whenever the team encountered them. And even if he’d faired well enough against them, the fact that it was such an important factor in solving the issue worried the girl.

Was there any info about it anywhere, or was it simply a mystery that would remain as such? She couldn’t tell…

[hoodwink]

    ”I can try and see, really.” Though it may be a fruitless effort, Kujo nodded, glad to see she was up for the task. While Alice got to work trying to investigate the information, he couldn’t help but mull over his other questions as well. If someone did tamper with it, it’d most likely be ‘that’ person… The mysterious figure from Twilight Town had been the first to reference Jack’s sword as a ‘key’, claiming to be after information on it themselves. Just who are they? He knew that they were involved with Jack at some point in time—though it wasn’t like the teen himself remembered much. Kujo had already asked him point-blank if he had any ideas—Jack hadn’t had a clue as of right now. Then again…not like I know much about that to begin with. Jack and Alice’s history was still a bit of a mystery to the man, who by now had taken a seat against the edge of the table once more as he watched Alice work.

    ”…It’s complete…There’s no traces of tapering whatsoever.” Kujo sighed a bit, clicking his tongue. He hadn’t gotten his hopes too high, but he had really found it odd that the notes hadn’t mentioned anything. ”Tch—can’t I catch a break?” It seemed they were getting nowhere fast. There wasn’t much they could do if there wasn’t anything turning up, though. ”That damned specter knew more about it than us.” Gritting his teeth and grumbling in mild annoyance, Kujo crossed a leg and glanced up towards the ceiling. ”Wonder where they got their intel…” Since the topic had been weighing on his mind, and Jack wasn’t around, Kujo decided to finally ask Alice another question of his. ”Jack doesn’t seem to have any clue about who that person is…even though their power is so specific.” 

    Looking over at her with a serious expression, Kujo wondered just how much of her brother’s past Alice would know. ”It was clear that it’s someone from his past…though evidently they aren’t the same as before. Powers included.” Leaning forward a bit, applying the pressure as he looked down at her with a raised brow, Kujo’s eyes narrowed a bit. ”So, Alice? Got any ideas? Who’d Jack used to hang out with, when he was younger?” Come to think of it…the only thing Kujo really knew of Jack’s past were small and incoherent bits from their argument in the alleyway. Kujo couldn’t remember everything that was said, as both of them were pretty heated, but he recalled there being hints of hardship growing up. Frankly, in the man’s opinion that narrowed things down. Typically those in hard situations at a young age, forced to look after each other, tended to be more isolated during said times.

    It was a harsher fact, but one he knew from first-hand experience.

[therunawaygirl]

Alice perked up, glancing over at Kujo as he voiced his questions. She was somewhat taken aback at the personal matter he was referring to, although not too much given how he was asking about Jack rather than about Alice herself. His somewhat nonchalant pose contrasted with his serious expression did take her by surprise, but if it was intel he was after…

“Who’d Jack used to hang out with, when he was younger?” The question was a tough one. Even though it meant to figure out and narrow the possible suspects for their previous enemy, back at Twilight Town, it still was a tricky question. Alice pondered, looking away with a worried look.

“Umm… He did have a group he’d hang out with —mostly classmates… But after we left our home… Jack didn’t hear anything from them —where they’d gone or if they were alive at all…” Alice mentioned, “While we were living in the slumps, we usually just stayed away from people… So, I can’t say much there…”

Alice looked down, a bit sullen. She hated talking about that past —the reason behind her envy. Her home world, once a paradise for many, was now in ruins, and the life she’d lived up until that moment was gone without a trace. Remembering that, Alice’s hands gripped a bi, and bit her lip if only slightly.

Kujo was bound to ask about it eventually —she couldn’t delay it any further.

“Umm… You…” Alice began talking after a moment of silence, “You… Don’t know a lot… About us, right…?” she looked away with unease, “Do you, umm… Y’know… Have anything you wanna know about it…? I... I wouldn't mind... Explaining it to you... That is...”

[hoodwink]

    ”Umm…He did have a group he’d hang out with—mostly classmates.” Nodding in stoic and ruminating silence as Alice explained, Kujo couldn’t help but feel like they were close to hitting a dead-end again. Hm…I guess there’s a possibility it could be a childhood friend. Though it wasn’t impossible, Kujo would find it hard to believe someone had held on to a childish grudge towards Jack over years of not communicating or even knowing how each other were. It certainly felt like it would be someone that he had met later in life…after he and Alice had ‘left home’, as she put it. Noticing the girl’s demeanor, Kujo raised a brow as he watched her, noticing how uncomfortable she was. ”You…don’t know a lot…about us, right…?” It was clear that the conversation topic made her uneasy—though Alice seemed willing to champ through it for the sake of the conversation they were having.

    It was a logical decision, one that made Kujo appreciate her rationale. ”Hm…so you both had a pretty normal childhood up until a point, right?” Despite the delicacy needed around such conversations, Kujo was still as direct and willful as ever. ”I doubt the enemy we ran into was bred from some kid's feud—so my guess is that whoever that person was, it’s got to be somebody Jack met after or during your stay in those ‘slums’.” The word brought the man to a pause, having heard it before on his own home world. Sections of the cities worse-off, ignored if not openly neglected by local governments and turned into heaps of chaos over time. Many who found themselves living in such areas hardly did so by choice. Despite not typically wanting to know too much about others, Kujo found himself curious as to what circumstances had brought the Brigade siblings to such a place. After all, Kujo and his mother hadn't always lived in that nice house in the better part of SanFransokyo. They had had their own circumstances at one point, too.

    ”So—tell me about it.” Finding a chair and pulling it near the table, Kujo took a seat and crossed a leg over the other, shoving his hands in his pockets as he leaned back a bit and watched Alice. ”You said you guys typically stayed away from people—but that’s not the end of the story, is it? If it was...you wouldn’t be with the Brigade now.” It seemed regardless of the hardship, Kujo’s perceptiveness was spurning on his curiosity—all for the sake of trying to discern their mysterious enemies identity, of course. It wasn’t like him to pry, otherwise. ”Who’d you meet in the slums? I’m sure you met people at some point or another. Were there any people Jack or you made enemies of? Formed alliances with?” Raising an eyebrow, a puzzle piece clicked in Kujo’s head. 

    ”Or maybe…someone who got you out of there?” If the later was the case, the man figured she’d have something to do with it; Elena, the woman with blue hair whom they reported to. She was the true ‘leader’ behind the Brigade. Just how far back does she go with these siblings? Come to think about it, it wasn't just Alice and Jack he knew little about. He knew almost nothing about Elena, either. Or M'Lyn. There were new questions forming, but Kujo would patiently wait in silence for Alice’s answers first. 

[therunawaygirl]

Alice nodded faintly, as questions of her and Jack’s past arose. Even if she hated talking about it, it seemed necessary at that point. She kept looking down, as if embarrassed by it all, but still willing to help through one way or another.

It was tough, really, having to recall so far, and into a time she’d rather forget about, but if they wanted to figure out anything, then no secrets should be kept any longer.

“Well… Most of the time, we just… Relied on each other…” Alice mumbled, “Jack was the one who’d go out and find shelter or food so that we could just live a day longer… Every now and then, we’d have to hide from police or the like, as they made rounds through the streets, looking for possible troublemakers… Even though the city’s streets were empty —even the major ones…”

“During one of those times, Jack and I hid in the sewers, while a police group was chasing after someone… Or a group —I don’t remember” Alice quickly shook her head, “That’s when we met Jake —he was going back to Raven after completing a mission, and we sort of just… Ran into each other. He… He told us to follow him, and… Well, that’s when we found shelter. First by Raven, and then by the Brigade, when Jake told Elena to come pick us up…”

Alice clasped her hands with one another, still not willing to look up. It wasn’t just the proximity anymore —opening herself to someone else was far tougher, and much more nerve-wracking than anything else. Would Kujo be able to relate? She couldn’t tell, nor did she want to know. She just wanted it to be over, but it was far from.

There were still questions she had to answer.

“A-After we joined the Brigade… Jack immediately wanted to help —pay back the favor, or something like that. Elena refused, for obvious reasons, but he was just too stubborn…” Alice pouted faintly, “He got formally enrolled at 15, and joined a small intel-gathering unit that would operate within the city… But they all got along and stuff, until they were disbanded…”

The girl shivered as she finished her sentence, grimacing about the thought she had remembered. Even though she had said it, gotten it out of her throat, it was far too raw to simply recall it by a glance.

She couldn’t help but relive it, one more time, akin a day nightmare.

[hoodwink]

    ”Well…most of the time, we just…relied on each other.” Kujo listened from his seat, hearing the weight in the words Alice began to mumble out. He appreciated the girls resolve, as it was clearly a difficult subject to talk about. I wonder how long it’s actually been? There was no way of knowing just how recent their past circumstances had been, though Kujo didn’t think much on it as he focused on Alice’s explanation. ”That’s when we met Jake—“ Names began to pop up, this ‘Jake’ and ‘Raven’. It seemed that those two individuals were the ones who took Jack and Alice off of the unsafe streets and introduced them to the Brigade. So the Brigade is what took them out of that… As Alice continued, Kujo got some of the affirmations to his thoughts. Hearing how Jack had officially joined at 15 gave him a better understanding. So it was recent.

    It explained the turmoil and frustration Jack had displayed back on Twilight Town. Clearly the events were recent enough to where he still hadn’t been able to fully work everything out mentally or emotionally. ”But they all got along and stuff, until they were disbanded…” The last comment seemed to effect the girl more than anything prior, causing Kujo to grimace slightly. Seems like she’s at her limit. She had told him more than enough to start—though he’d certainly have to look into it himself. ”Hm…alright. That’s enough for now.” Not wanting to push her too far, Kujo pushed himself out of his chair, his expression remaining somewhat stoic though his eyes seemed softer. ”You did...good.” Not used to giving words of praise often, Kujo glanced away while shoving his hands into his pockets, seemingly unsure of the words himself.

    ”Thanks, Alice.” Giving up on fixing the previous ‘compliment’, Kujo merely shrugged and decided it was easier to thank her for the work she’d put in. Jake and Raven, huh? He didn’t want to push the subject any more, based on the girls reaction—but these two were the top suspects in Kujo’s mind based on the information she had shared. Elena will know more about it. If she was the leader of a squad, she’d know why it disbanded. Depending on how that group split up…well, it’d basically affirm his suspicions, giving his suspects clear motives. Otherwise it was a baseless hypothesis. How he’d get a hold of the blue-haired woman was another story, though. Unlike Jack and Alice, Kujo didn’t have a device that directly communicated with the figurehead. The only time the two had talked was through Alice’s own device.

    It might be better to give her some space, for now… Turning to head out of the room, he glanced over at the girl from over his shoulder. ”Set up a meeting for me with Elena, when you get the chance, would ya?” With a lazy wave, Kujo exited the Bridge—wanting to give Alice space as well as ruminate over the most recent information he’d gotten. Heading to his room, the man aimed to mull over everything until their meeting…