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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 10, 2020 15:17:49 GMT -5
Golden sand was the only thing the group could see after landing on the new world. The Almira was a dazzling focus as the harsh sunlight bathed it with its light, causing most people to squint. Thankfully, the team were with their backs facing the ship as it took off back into the air smoothly.
Jack grimaced, bringing one hand to cover his eyes from the harsh sunlight. The only thing he could see was sand and more sand, but at the end of it all a town. How big or small it was, he couldn’t tell, given just how far away it seemed to be. M’Lyn seemed startled at first, but the color of the sand and the emptiness of the desert were not a familiar scenery whatsoever.
Once more, they were in unknown grounds.
“Damn it’s hot…” the teen groaned. “So, this is the world that the unit we're looking for got lost in?” M’Lyn asked, seemingly unbothered by the heat, “…No wonder —a desert’s an open maze for those unfamiliar with it…” “Alice still hasn’t managed to contact their Nav… This spells trouble…” “Then going to that town at the distance should be no issue, right?” the Miqo’te suggested, “We have a place to start with. Starting aimlessly in a desert is practically asking for death.” “You know a lot, don’t’cha?” “I’ve been in deserts before, that’s why.”
M’Lyn moved unbothered through the dunes, her aim clearly the town at a distance. The sunlight touching the sand created an obnoxiously hot air, seemingly making it even hotter than it should be. The sky was clear, with no signs of clouds —begging for rain was beyond reason with a climate like that. Being a city boy, Jack had it tough, not used to that sort of heat whatsoever.
No matter where one would look, sand was there to greet them. Not even a single ounce of desert vegetation, or the smallest hint of water —a dry and empty desert. Whoever lived in that town knew exactly how to survive, much like M’Lyn, although that knowledge was completely lost on Jack, who had no experience to being in such a climate.
He maybe knew how to survive with the bare minimum, or know how to run away unscathed, but Jack certainly didn’t know how to handle it in extreme climates.
“I’m hoping we can cool off later on…” the boy lamented, “I’m already not likin’ this at all…” “Cut your whining and look forward” M’Lyn reprimanded, “We’ve got work to do, so follow along.” “Fine…”
They were closing in on the town, apparently not that far from what they originally thought. Slowly, the noises of a crowded town began to sound louder and louder, as the group met with a huge caravan by the city gates. Plenty of people with their skin color that of toasted almond or even darker, wearing loose and open clothing to combat the heat —something Jack or Kujo certainly didn’t have.
“No wonder they can handle it, whereas we can’t…” he grimaced, looking at the Miqo’te’s outfit —also one suited for a hotter climate, “She’s probably havin’ a field day with that…”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 10, 2020 16:01:19 GMT -5
Jack’s clear deflation under the hot desert sun contrasted against the teen’s prior urgency. Kujo’s eyes seemed to barely flinch under such bright light, scanning over the open desert before them with a typical serious expression brooding over his face. Far off in the distance was what appeared to be a town, most likely their next destination. ”Damn it’s hot…” Hearing Jack’s groan caused Kujo to smirk faintly as he stepped down to the sand himself, feeling his weight shift as the grains crunched under his sneakers. ”Alice still hasn’t managed to contact their Nav…that spells trouble…” Indeed. The unit they were searching for had been split up—the Navigator most likely either incapacitated, turned traitor, or dead.
Kujo didn’t voice these thoughts of course, brooding quietly as M’Lyn and Jack had their back-and-forth. Unlike the Miqo’te, Kujo had only ever seen deserts in textbooks or photos and videos online, never in person. Despite this, it seemed the heat and harsh light hardly phased the man who’s hair refused to move for the wind itself. Following M’Lyn’s lead, Kujo stalked through the sand with his hands in his pockets, wondering what kind of bleak town would exist amongst so much wasted space. Jack continued to lament as they marched onward, causing Kujo to grimace a bit. ”Cut your whining and look forward.” M’Lyn was quick to correct the behavior, bringing a faint sigh of relief from Kujo as they walked.
”We’ve got work to do, so follow along.” Hearing Jack be subjected to Miqo’te’s harsh yet fair judgement, Kujo couldn’t help but smirk a bit as he glanced at the two. Not hard to tell who keeps who in check. As they continued through the sand, Kujo seemed to have little difficulty traversing the harsh wasteland, despite having never been before. Closing in on the town, the man raised a brow at the vastly different architecture, appreciating its curvature and unique design. Seeing a huge caravan at the city gates, the man couldn’t help but scowl a bit. Crowds weren’t really his favorite thing, by any means.
”Tch—it’ll be annoying if we just wander around town trying to find them.” Glancing between the other two, Kujo gestured at the countless locals passing by, crowded around the gates as well as teaming beyond, within the walls of the town. ”Let’s see if anyone knows about the unit we’re looking for.” Similar to Jack and Kujo, the man assumed the missing unit would be outfitted in an obvious fashion that would indicate how out of place they were. If that was true, it would be easy enough to find out about newcomers before them, and what they had been up to. Despite offering up the idea, it seemed Kujo wouldn't be the one to initiate the investigation. Not being the best 'people person', the stoic man chose to wait for one of the other two to begin.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 11, 2020 3:06:15 GMT -5
The amount of people was incredible —considering just how rough the desert climate was, people seemed legitimately unbothered by it, almost as if they were used to it, which would make sense. Jack was slowly getting envious, but his focus on the job brought him out of his annoyances, since he was concerned about the other unit’s situation.
He wanted to think it wasn’t like his own case —when he was betrayed by another Navigator. The thought soured both his mood and taste —he suddenly felt like throwing up. Jack quickly brought his hand to his mouth, trying to avoid the thought altogether, all the while he looked away to make sure neither M’Lyn or Kujo wouldn’t see it.
“Dammit —don’t focus on that!” Jack thought with a grimace.
How many times had he lost his footing because of those thoughts? They were annoying him. Ever since their incident in Twilight Town, those thoughts had surfaced more often than not, causing him to lose his path and delve deeper into a past he rejected from the bottom of his heart.
He took a deep breath, a bit fouled by the stagnant desert air, but allowed him to get a bit more focused. Kujo’s suggestion didn’t go unheard —it really seemed like the better option. Rumors tended to help when trying to gather information, after all —they were a source of information themselves, just waiting to be investigated. Knowing the other two would be reluctant to talk made him sigh in exasperation. He really seemed like the best person of the trio to tackle social conversations.
“Not that I enjoy ‘em…”
As he slipped through the dunes a bit to close his distance to the caravan, the thought remained in his head. He didn’t mind conversations, but for once he wanted a different sort of exchange. Talking around just to figure things out soon began to bore him, while also making him a bit sour.
How hard was it to just… Have a friend?
The search for information would prove fruitless —no matter how many times Jack asked around, no one had seen people like him or Kujo. Then again, they were only at the outside of the town —not the inside. The gates were closed, and people were waiting for them to open. Asking around would reveal that they wouldn’t be open in a while, but the trio was in a rush. They couldn’t lose time —the other unit could be in serious danger.
Jack returned to M’Lyn and Kujo to share the information. M’Lyn crossed her arms in thought, glancing over to the walls surrounding the city. She perked up as she saw a place where they could most likely sneak through and inside.
They couldn’t wait for the gates to be opened —they had to get in immediately. With that in mind, M’Lyn turned around, catching Jack’s attention.
“Where’re you goin’?” the teen asked. “If we can’t wait for them to open us a path, we make one ourselves” the Miqo’te replied, a sly smirk written on her lips, “Surely, you know that as well?” “I ain’t really fond of that anymore, though… Not that I liked doin’ it…” “Yet we’re in no position to be picky.” “Got me there…”
Jack cracked his neck as she followed the Miqo’te’s lead, ignoring the crowd gathering outside the city. A few ways ahead was a wall with a few wooden sticks and windows —steps they could use to climb the wall and sneak into the city. Jack sighed, not fond at all by the idea, but nothing he could do about it.
Their mission took priority right now —he knew he couldn’t be picky.
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 11, 2020 11:09:49 GMT -5
Kujo eyed Jack as their fruitless search began. I’m sure he’s thinking about that. How could he not? Having learned about the teenager’s past unit, it was hard to not connect the dots. Regardless of how Jack felt, the ‘leader’ did their duty, asking around the large gates and the caravan for any sign of bizarre travelers like themselves. Just how long will his composure last, though? Thinking back to his conversation with Alice, it wouldn't be enough for him to handle it like they did back in Twilight Town. On top of not finding out anything about the missing unit, it also seemed that the large gates to the walled off town wouldn’t open for some time. With the amount of people here, getting through will take forever, too. Kujo scowled at the thought. Time wasn’t something they were in a good position to waste at the moment. Nor did he care for the idea of being sardined into a mob trying to force their way through.
”If we can’t wait for them to open us a path, we make one ourselves.” The Miqo’te’s sly smirk brought a faint humorous smirk to Kujo’s own lips, a forced sigh escaping him. ”Showing your true colors, huh?” It wasn’t an idea he was opposed to whatsoever. Kujo preferred doing things on their own terms, anyway. ”Should be easy enough.” Truthfully, despite the large height, the man would be able to scale the town walls rather easily with his own abilities. Following M’Lyn and Jack around the gated area and off towards the uncrowded wall off to the side, Kujo glanced up towards the top of the structure with his hands in his pockets.
Simple. As the other two would get to climbing, Kujo’s form shimmered with a light mostly lost to the naked eye due to the suns harsh rays. With a blur of motion the man was in the air, having simply leapt from where he stood in the sand, landing with a small thud at the top of the wall. Other than a small pit formed in the sand he had once stood in, there was no other evidence of someone having ‘scaled’ the structure left behind. While waiting for the others to arrive, the man would turn to gaze out at the large town stretched out behind the walls.
It was surely a sight Kujo had never seen anything quite like before.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 11, 2020 12:15:15 GMT -5
Just as agile, M’Lyn got up to the top of the building with ease, jumping from one point to the other with uncanny speed. Jack followed in a similar fashion, leaping through with his usual agility and experience from his prior living —not that he’d admit it.
He would deny it, if anything.
The sight from the rooftop would be rather vast —the many building’s flat rooftops, the many cloths working as parasols and tents to create shadows in order to keep away from the unforgiving heat. It was an oddly colorful scenery, with the mirth of the town being surprisingly charming. Yet despite it all the colors, they couldn’t spot a single uniqueness that would indicate the other unit’s presence.
They were still at the starting point.
“Where to, then?” M’Lyn asked, glancing over at Kujo and Jack with a calm look as she crossed her arms, “It seems like a large town…” “Yeah, and it’s hella crowded…” Jack sighed, looking back at the two, “We could probably split —y’know, cover more ground. The more rumors we can cover, the better.” “Then… Shall we?”
Jack looked at the town, his gaze stern. He didn’t know much about the unit they were looking for. What happened for them to request aid? Not even their Navigator had sent the distress signal… He reached for his comm, all the while he looked around with keen eyes.
“Hey, sis —d’you know who sent the signal to Elena?” he asked. “Umm… I think I can pinpoint them” Alice agreed, “If they still can use their comms, then I should be able to reach them and let them know that we’re on our way.” “’Preciate it.” “You didn’t do that earlier?” M’Lyn asked, curious. “I was busy trying to contact their Navigator” Alice said, “Had I known they wouldn’t answer, I would’ve gotten in contact with the person who sent the request first and foremost.” “What’s done is done —no need to apologize for it” Jack sighed, “Try contactin’ them and see if they can give you their location.” “Right!”
As the voice through the comms went silent, Jack made his way. While his sister focused on getting in touch with the person who requested aid, the trio would focus on finding any sort of information that could help them out. The proposition for splitting was up on the table —it was now a matter of agreeing or disagreeing, although knowing the lone wolf in the team, Jack was almost certain they’d agree to split.
“I’m just hopin’ they’re okay…”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 11, 2020 12:32:38 GMT -5
Flat roofs and colorful silks washed across the top of the town, contrasting heavily with the mostly glass and mechanic buildings of Kujo’s home world. Indeed, it was something he had never witnessed before—though the stoic man didn’t betray his finding a subtle charm in it all. ”Where to, then?” Saying the town was ‘large’ felt like an understatement when they were looking at it from this height. It stretches far… For the first time, Kujo noticed a grandiose building further back in the distance, sheltered by even taller walls and gaudy golden accents. That some kind'f castle? It seemed deep in the heart of the town, furthest away from where they were.
”We could probably split—y’know, cover more ground.” Kujo grimaced a bit at the idea. The fact that they were currently searching for a split-up unit in trouble kind of made him feel like it wasn’t best to follow their lead… Hearing the siblings speak over the earpiece, Kujo scanned the environment himself from atop the wall. ”I think it’s a bad idea to split up.” Kujo voiced his thought once the scan had been initiated. ”Whatever that unit's run into is most likely still around, if they're here at all.” Sure, they were each more than capable in a fight by themselves—but it seemed downright foolish to simply split up in an unknown area with an enemy already picking off another unit one-by-one. Anyone could be taken by surprise.
At least, that’s how the man’s combat-oriented mind worked. ”If we do, it shouldn’t be far, at least.” Giving a mild shrug and crossing his arms, it seemed Kujo couldn’t bring himself to care more either way. At the end of the day, the members of the team were going to do what they felt was best. Besides, with his speed, it wasn’t like he’d have to worry about catching up to anyone.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 11, 2020 12:59:53 GMT -5
Kujo’s suggestion brought Jack back to earth, turning towards him in bewilderment. How off-mark could he get, when trying to discern his team’s intentions? He was really out of focus… M’Lyn seemed indifferent as well, although Kujo’s logic rung true to her.
If the previous unit had been picked by an unknown enemy, then if they also split up, then they would most likely meet their same fate. That couldn’t happen.
“I think we should stick, then” M’Lyn concluded, “It’ll be tough to keep each other in sight with this much people around. If we were to split with just a little distance in between, it wouldn’t matter —it’d be rather easy for us to be completely afar from the other.” “…” Jack glanced over, to then focus on a near ally down below them, “Then let’s get goin’.”
Jack headed to the alley, dropping down with a thud. M’Lyn followed along, and they waited for Kujo before heading into the crowded streets. It was loud —but not to the point of it being obnoxious. It was rather pleasant —a soft mirth. Jack glanced around, his gaze focused solely on finding people wearing his own uniform.
It would be easy, really, despite the desert around them —the green and camouflage colors stood out rather easily amongst the colorful crowd, although their immediate style was easy to depict. People glanced at the trio rather often, but were too focused on their own business that they ignored most of the time. Even M’Lyn presence went rather unnoticed, given how evident her ears and tail were. “You there!” “Ah, hey—!” “Stop right there!”
The crowd seemed to open as shouts began to loudly rise over the noises, the path being opened towards the trio. Jack stopped dry, curious yet wary of the shouts seemingly aimed their way. While it wouldn’t bother Kujo or M’Lyn, it definitely bothered the teen —for more than one reason.
A group of armed men approached, all holding onto simitars and wearing white turbans, in a similar fashion to the people around them. Suddenly, all eyes focused on Jack, who flinched at the notice. What had he done?!
“Isn’t that one of the people they just apprehended…?” “He’s wearing similar clothing… Where were they from, again?” “H-Huh?!” Jack flinched, uneasy. Why was he the center of attention all of the sudden?! “You there! How’d you get out of your cell?!” one of the armed men asked, “Where’s the rest of your crew, eh? Walking around the streets after stealing so boldly… You’ve got guts, don’t you?!” “W-What are you talkin’ about?!” Jack shouted back.
The man didn’t answer at all, instead grabbing Jack’s arm with strength. The teen’s eyes widened, shaken and with unnatural fear, and the Miqo’te seemingly had enough, quickly stepping in between him and the armed guard. Keeping her ears low —as they would often times perk up whenever she was angry—, she confronted the soldier with little care.
“What, exactly, do you think you’re doing?!” M’Lyn growled. “Huh? Who’re you?!” “M’Lyn, I—!” “Let go of him —now.” “So, you’re in this with the kid?! A thief as well, then!”
M’Lyn clicked her tongue, quickly forcing the grip on Jack’s arm to loosen, while grabbing the teen and pushing him behind. The crowd was slowly rising their volume, rumors flourishing with incredible ease. Jack was shaken, fearing for something he had come to see once more.
Things were repeating themselves way too fast.
“What do you think you’re doing?! This is obstruction of justice!” the armed man barked. “You’re calling him out for something he hasn’t even done!” M’Lyn shouted back, “And you call this ‘justice’?” “That’s it —you lot are coming with me!”
While M’Lyn readied herself for confrontation, Jack didn’t see it optimal to fight —it would only gather more attention to them. Firmly, he grabbed the Miqo’te’s arm and pulled her all the while he began to run through the crowd, much for the guard’s bewilderment.
“We can’t afford being picked off like that!” Jack shouted, “Nor can we be an actual point of waryness —we’re running!” “But—!” “It’s an order!” “Hey, come back here!”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 11, 2020 13:45:28 GMT -5
Kujo was glad to hear the others come to an agreement. Despite Jack’s history—the man wasn’t willing to solely believe in one possibility. The Navigator could in fact be a target of peril themselves—the fact was they knew nothing about the situation. ”Then let’s get goin’.” Nodding in agreement, Kujo followed the others as he eyed the alleyway they entered. The crowded streets that greeted them caused the mans eyes to narrow. It’ll be annoying to pinpoint anyone… Thankfully with the aid of his Akogare, the mans senses were beyond those of normal means.
It seemed he wouldn’t have to do so—as shouts and the parting crowd soon gave way to something that required their immediate attention. Pausing in his tracks, Kujo’s scowl only worsened as a group of armed men emerged forth, seemingly focused on Jack. ”He’s wearing similar clothing…where were they from, again?” Hearing one of the men’s comments, Kujo’s brow raised. Clothing, huh? So, these men knew something about the missing unit? The comment of being caught 'stealing' caught his interest, as well. ”You there! How’d you get out of your cell?!” The sudden accusatory question directed at Jack only caused Kujo’s brow to raise more. Cell? The hell were these guys talking about? Had the other unit been arrested? For stealing? What was going on?
Once Jack was grabbed at, Kujo’s glare turned deadly as he took a step forward—pausing as M’Lyn rushed in. Sighing in agitation at the situation, he could see that this was going south fast. The crowds raised volume wasn’t helping—they had definitely become a spectacle. ”What do you think you’re doing?! This is obstruction of justice!” The comment caused Kujo’s eyes to roll. Before he was able to begin trying to undo confusion, Jack grabbed M’Lyn and bolted into the crowd, much to his surprise. That idiot! Couldn’t he catch a break? Sighing, Kujo stood for a moment with an agitated expression, glaring in the direction Jack ran.
”Tch—looks like I’m stuck cleaning up your mess after all.” Mumbling to himself, Kujo's jaw clenched in agitation. With another sigh, the man kept both hands in his pockets as he remained still, staring at the guards with a serious expression. ”Look, you've got the wrong guy.” Giving the guards a look of exasperation, Kujo gestured in the direction his two teammates had booked it. ”We aren’t ‘with' the thieves you're talking about. We’re after them.” It wasn’t the truth, but not a lie either. Kujo had no issue using the confusing situation to his advantage against the local law enforcement. The situation had clearly escalated. Arrested for stealing…? If that was the case, the easiest method of finding them was obvious.
”So—where are you holding them?” All he needed was the destination. Whatever the guards did was on them—he’d tried his best to clear up the situation and gain what information he could.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 11, 2020 14:50:40 GMT -5
After a while of running, M’Lyn forced herself out of Jack’s grip, much to the teen’s surprise. They were at an emptier and smaller alley, hidden in between the shadows of the buildings around them. M’Lyn glared at Jack, knowing how his panicked state had left them in an even worse position. She resisted the urge to slap him, though, as Jack suddenly came to the same conclusion, looking away with a mix between embarrassment and unease.
“…Sorry…” he mumbled. “You do realize that Kujo was left behind, then?” M’Lyn asked, receiving a nod just for her to sigh with exasperation, “You’re not the same as before… Did something happen?” “…” Jack looked away. “Jack—” “Please, don’t ask” the teen responded shortly after, “I… I really just wanna forget…” “…” M’Lyn’s gaze softened, if only for a moment, quickly replaced by an exasperated look, “Really, now…” “…You can go, y’know —I know I'm being an idiot again…”
Jack looked away and down, only hearing the Miqo’te’s exasperated sigh. Smack! M’Lyn’s hand was swift to land, although the teen hardly moved, receiving it with not a sound. The dark alleyway was silent, only resonating the sound of the slap before becoming a faint buzz. “What was it you told Kujo, again? To hit you whenever you were like this?” M’Lyn’s words brought Jack to look up towards her, “You are aware that I’m also applicant for that, right?” “…” Jack smirked faintly, “Yeah.” “Stay here —I’ll go look for him and see what happens. I can’t say why they’re so suspicious of you… But we must get to the bottom of this.” “Right.”
M’Lyn left Jack in the alley, all the while Jack decided to mull over the information they knew. His attire was related to thieves, then? But there was no way it was one of the world’s inhabitants that wore a similar outfit to his —it had to be the other unit. But, had they really stolen something from that world?
“Something’s off…” Jack thought, “If they’re really members of the Brigade, then… Why would they steal?” “Umm… Jack?” Alice’s voice echoed in his ear, “Do you have a moment?” “Ah —what is it?” Jack asked back, answering her call. “I think I found the one who sent the signal —they’re near you.”
The guard scowled, not really up to cope with Kujo. Their primary suspect had escaped, taking someone who seemed to be working alongside them —and then this guy had the guts to stop them from chasing after them? The half-truth didn’t go unnoticed, however, instead catching the guard’s attention. So, Kujo was after them?
“Then why the hell does that kid look exactly like the last two?” the guard demanded, “If he’s also after these low-lives, it’d make no sense for him to look the same!”
The guard sighed, exasperated. His job wasn’t going any better, but at the very least he found someone who could help, if only a little bit. He saved the simitar to his cloth belt, before turning towards Kujo with a serious gaze —one that meant he wasn’t playing around.
“It was a group of 4, all wearing the same style of clothing” he explained, “We caught two of them only because they surrendered themselves, which is odd… The other two ran out, and we couldn’t catch them. So if you’re after all of them, then you’ll have to do some digging —and we’re not helping” the guard said strongly, “…We’re keeping them at the cells under the castle. But why would you want to go there? Are they runaways from your country, or city?”
Jack leapt through the rooftops as fast as he could, following the guidance of his visor and his sister’s voice. He could spot them, not long after he’d begun to chase after the reading of Heartless. Cowering against a wall was a guy about his age, wearing the same uniform Jack wore, and brandishing a gun of his own. He looked rather frightened, but he was taking his stance against the dark menace in front of him.
“There —found one!” Jack cheered. “Now let’s get rid of the Heartless!” Alice ordered.
Jack wasted no time —he called the blade to his hand in a flash, quickly leaping on the air before striking at the first line of Heartless, much for the guy’s surprise. After recognizing the uniform in front of him, however, the guy was beaming, recovering a lost morale by finding himself alone.
“You came!” the guy said, eager, “Elena really sent people to help us!” “…A rookie, then?” Jack asked with a cocky grin, glancing towards him, “Couldn’t keep to yourself, huh? …Let’s take the Heartless out, first.” “Right!” “Oh, and… Do be wary of where you’ll aim.” “Don’t worry —I’ve got perfect aim!” “Why do I have a feeling that he’s lyin’ through his teeth…?”
“Guys, I found one of them —and Heartless are here, too” Jack mentioned to M’Lyn and Kujo through his comm, “I got this, though —lemme know if you find anything on your ends!”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 11, 2020 15:31:40 GMT -5
”It was a group of four, all wearing the same style of clothing.” Listening to the guards explanation, Kujo nodded silently. Two surrendered? Odd… Unless…surely if their plan had been to infiltrate a prison for information, they wouldn’t resort to getting arrested, right? Hearing how the rest of the unit ran off after the arrest was made the idea less credible. ”We’re keeping them at the cells under the castle. But why would you want to go there?” The guards question made sense, not that Kujo cared much about what they wanted to know. ”Guys, I found one of them—and Heartless are here, too.” Jack’s voice came in over the comm device Kujo wore over his ear. Thankfully it sounded like the teen was capable of handling the situation by themselves. They better, considering the fact they chose to ran off.
Tch—talk about dumb luck. He was close, though he’d have to speed things up. ”’Runaway’ is a good word for them.” Sighing a bit, Kujo gave the guard a look of exasperation that was sure to be felt on both sides. It seems both of their jobs were never easy. ”Cells under the castle, huh? Alright.” It still didn't answer the main question at hand, though. "We'll find the one's that got away." Raising an eyebrow in feigned intrigue, Kujo crossed his arms a bit before sighing and shaking his head. "So, what'd they try to take?" Despite his usual gruff demeanor, his serious attitude aligned with this guard's rather well. All-in-all, the two had a similar brusqueness that made it easy to converse. Hoping to gather a little bit more information for his team before making his way, Kujo resisted the urge to meet up with the others right away.
If two were caught, and two ran off into the desert... Either one of the two had snuck back into the town, or the member Jack came upon was an unseen fifth. Whether they were unseen intentionally or not still remained to be seen. The situation was growing more suspicious, and Kujo couldn’t help but begin to think that perhaps it was the ‘worst case scenario’ after all. Was the member Jack found one of the four thieves, or a possible ‘traitor’?
The more he could learn from this guard, the better.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 11, 2020 16:03:42 GMT -5
The guy’s aim was off by a lot. Jack found it tough to fight with someone who was blind as a bat when it came to shooting, soon resorting on getting rid of the Heartless on his own, and the guy took cover. Thankfully, the Heartless weren’t that strong —that added to Jack’s better expertise when it came to fighting, made the battle absolutely one-sided.
“You really saved me there” the guy said as he came out of hiding, “So, then —you’re the one who came to help out?” “Yeah —I’ve got 2 other people, but… We sorta split up, tryin’ to find you guys.” “Thanks…” the guy replied, sheepish, “Name’s Andreas, by the way —Andreas Blackwell. Nice to meet you.” “…Jack Polar” Jack introduced himself back, “Just the name’s fine, by the by —I don’t wanna hear you callin’ me by last names, ‘kay?” “Got it.” “So, then, Andreas… Where’s the rest of you lot?” Jack asked, aiming straight for the issue. “Well… Lancer and Corrine were apprehended by the guards here, and gave me and Mary an opening to run. Troy… He should be by the ship, but he hasn’t answered at all…” “Wait, hold on —you’re the reason why they picked me out?!” “I swear —we didn’t steal anything!” Andreas replied, flustered, “I dunno where they got that idea, but we haven’t gone even near the castle grounds! Honest!” “Castle grounds…?” Jack gave Andreas a quizzical look, “As in… Royalty? But… Hold on, something really doesn’t add up now…” “H-Hey, you think we did it, too?!” “N-No, nonono!” Jack shook his hands and head frantically, “I believe you, I swear! It just… If you didn’t enter the castle grounds, then… Somethin’ doesn’t add up.” “Right?!” “In any case… Where’s your other comrade? Mary, was it?” “She ran off elsewhere, but I couldn’t keep up with her. I ended up roaming around for a bit, and then… Well, those things began to chase me.” “…Alice? How’s it going?” Jack asked, reaching for his own Navigator. “So, I’m trying to locate the other comms, but… The signal’s too faint to make anything up” Alice informed, “If we could somehow strengthen the communications with those comms, then maybe I can locate them…” “…If I took Andreas to the Almira, would that help?” “You’d know, right? You’re the one messing around with devices.”
Jack could see his sister pout, a sight that caused him to chuckle a bit. But she was right —Jack would know better to actually locate the other unit’s communications, and gather them back together. But in order to do so, he had to go back to their ship, in order to mess with Andreas’ comm transmitter and use that signal to find the others.
He had to let the others know, first and foremost.
"So, what'd they try to take?"
The guard faltered a bit, shocked by Kujo’s unawareness. He didn’t know what was stolen?! The rumors going around town only spoke about the theft, and the seemingly guilty party. Yet, in a way, the guy’s lack of knowledge was understandable —if he was from outside Agrabah, then odds were that they didn’t know what they’d taken, but certainly knew their previous actions.
At the very least, Kujo’s lie helped ascertain that fact among the guards that had tried to apprehend Jack.
“The royal family’s heirloom” the guard informed, “It may not look important to you, but it’s something of much value for the people in Agrabah. For someone to steal it so boldly, they can’t be anything but low-lives!” the guard yelled, but quickly composed himself back, “Sorry… I got heated.”
M’Lyn came out of an alley, looking around only to spot Kujo soon after. Wary still, she approached the group, and the guards were obviously caught off-guard by her brash approach. Even if she was on the clear, Jack had forced her to run off alongside him.
“…What?” the Miqo’te glared, crossing her arms with a gruff, “I thought we were already in the clear?” “Er —y-yes…” the guard faltered. “So?” M’Lyn asked Kujo, “Jack says he’s found one… But we’re still missing the rest. Should we go look for the others? Or…” M’Lyn’s gaze lowered, “Did you find where they are?”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 11, 2020 16:42:51 GMT -5
”The royal family’s heirloom.” Kujo’s brow raised a bit. Stealing treasure from a castle? That didn’t sound very ‘reconnaissance’ to him. The Brigade worked in information retrieval first and foremost—on top of that, they made sure to work in a way to not completely obliterate whatever sense of ‘World Order’ was left. Stealing, especially from otherworldly royals, was hardly in the job description. ”It may not look important to you, but it’s something of much value for the people of Agrabah.” Hearing the passion behind the guards words, it really seemed that they were being honest about it holding a high value for the citizens of this area.
Kujo merely shrugged at the guards apology. They had been more than helpful. The sudden gawks from the rest of the troupe caused the man’s own eyes to follow, landing directly on M’Lyn as she walked up towards them. ”What? I thought we were already in the clear?” Kujo merely smirked at the woman’s comment as he shoved his hands back into his pockets. ”So?” Hearing M’Lyn’s questions, he decided it’d be best to fill her in on the details after exiting their current conversation. ”We’ll take care of it from here. They won't bother you anymore.” Giving the guard a nod as he excused the two of them, Kujo turned to M’Lyn before walking out of the small plaza.
”Two of them are in the cells, beneath the castle.” Kujo kept his voice low, despite having led M’Lyn to the nearest empty alleyway, cramped between two orange buildings. ”The other two ran off—“ Grimacing a bit, the man shook his head. ”Sounds like they got caught trying to steal something from the castle.” It wasn’t like the Brigade to order a theft for a mission, though, leaving a large doubt in the guard’s explanation. Whether he believed the report or not was irrelevant though. It was the only lead they had on what was happening. ”For now, the guards should leave us alone.” They’d have to deal with them in order to break out the other two—but that would be an issue for later.
Kujo couldn’t be bothered to worry over such a small detail. It wasn’t as though anyone in that castle could stop him. ”Sounds like Jack found one of the ones that managed to escape.” It was a fortunate turn of events, though it had been brought upon by annoying circumstances. Jack… The way he had fled reminded Kujo of guilty perps fleeing the moment they saw a cop car. How many individuals like that was he used to being around, by now? Shaking off the thought, as it wasn’t the time to focus on that, Kujo reached up to press on his comm device.
”Oi, you idiot. Don’t just run off. I told you I hate cleaning up messes.” Sighing a bit over the mic, the man vented his frustration swiftly before composing himself once more. ”M’Lyn and I regrouped. Where are you? I’ve figured out the location of most of the unit.”
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 11, 2020 17:07:00 GMT -5
Jack and Andreas were making their way back to the outside of the city through a different way —not through the main gate, for sure. On their way out, Jack stopped to listen to Kujo’s words, grimacing with a hint of amusement after his comment.
“Y’know you can just hit me later for it, right?” Jack joked, “I’m with Andreas —the guy I found. We can actually try and locate the others you two don’t know the places for —but I’d have to go back to the Almira to set it properly. Do we meet there?”
M’Lyn nodded at Kujo’s information, finding it rather odd that the unit had been charged with a rather serious theft charge. It felt odd, considering how the Brigade’s modus operandi was —gather intel, but never break the World Order or ask for people’s help without offering something in return. Going out of that way for theft felt really odd…
In the meantime, it was nice to know they were truly in the clear —so long as they all stuck together, that was. Before suggesting to meet back up, Jack had mentioned going back to the Almira to try and locate the rest of the crew. The Miqo’te sighed, shaking her head a bit.
“We won’t be breaking those two anytime soon, not with what little grounds we have” M’Lyn shook her head, “If they’re not the thieves… Odds are we’ll have to clear them by finding the actual perpetrator.” “Then, what?” Jack asked through the comms, “I’m by the outskirts of the town —I’ll wait on your guys’ input before actually regrouping with Alice. Andreas is stickin’ with me, so don’t worry about playin’ bodyguard.” “…He can’t communicate with us, can he?” “Andreas? Nope. That’s a reason why I’m goin’ back to the ship —to mess around and see if we can make it so both signals are received on both ends. I’ve got my tools at the ship, so I’ll be messin’ around there. It won’t take long, though —that much, I can guarantee!” Jack finished with enthusiasm —a swelling pride evident in his tone. “…We could see if there are any rumors about the other one that ran off. I’m certain we won’t figure anything about their Navigator” M’Lyn suggested, “The other option would be exploring the desert outside, but honestly, I’d recommend against it —the desert’s a maze with death as the sole result for those unaware. We could remain there for quite some time —and that can’t be good for either of us.”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 11, 2020 18:53:17 GMT -5
”Y’know you can just hit me later for it, right?" The comment caused the man to smirk, though he still sighed as he grumbled to himself. ”Moron. You’d die if I hit you every time you did something stupid.” He didn’t voice that part over the comms, deciding instead to merely affirm their meeting stop for the sake of time. ”Alright. We’ll meet at the ship.” At least for now they had avoided complicating the matters worse. That was something, at least. ”We won’t be breaking those two anytime soon[…]Odds are we’ll have to clear them by finding the actual perpetrator.” Kujo grimaced a bit. It would be much easier to just break them out through brute force. If the locals never new they were off-worlders, the order wouldn’t be ruined by that, right?
Shrugging a bit, Kujo decided to save the topic for another time as he listened to Jack mention his plan of messing with the chat signals. ”We could see if there are any rumors about the other one that ran off.” The suggestion made sense, though the man was reluctant to do more socializing after their last ‘incident’. ”The other option would be exploring the desert outside,” Compared to talking to more people, it sounded preferable to Kujo—so did the prison break—but M’Lyn seemed against the idea. Can’t I catch a break? Frowning slightly, the man reached into his jacket pocket as he pulled out his trusted pack of cigarettes.
”Fine. We’ll stick within city limits for now.” Lighting the vice, Kujo peered out from the alley they stood in, glaring at the amount of people around. ”Let’s get this over with.” Begrudgingly, the man left the solitude they had gained and re-emerged into the chaotic buzz of Agrabah. With the Miqo’te’s assistance, Kujo would begin the work of asking around town about the whereabouts of the rumored ‘thieves’ on the lose.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 12, 2020 6:26:10 GMT -5
M’Lyn heard Kujo’s comment, stifling a laugh as she looked away. It wasn’t a lie, though —given Kujo’s prowess, his hits could certainly pack a punch (no pun intended). It seemed that they would gather more information around town, all the while Jack and Andreas regrouped with Alice back at the Almira.
Their gathering of information would go much more smoothly, given that the people inside the city walls knew about the unit the group was looking for. The rumors were varied, but all said the same thing —the group was of 4, two boys and two girls. While a pair of a boy and a girl had surrendered themselves rather easily, the other two had ran off. It seemed they had made a deal, however, since the guards hadn’t chased after the two. In the end, the guard had left some information out of it —since everywhere they asked, people would simply answer that they “left the other two run off”.
“Hmm…” M’Lyn brought one hand to her chin, as they asked yet another person about the situation, “So… There’s two people that surrendered themselves, while the other two were left alone —is that it?” “Yes —apparently the ones that went along actually settled on a deal.” “A deal?” “They claimed they weren’t the ones who’d stolen the heirloom, after all —so, they decided to stay all the while the other two tried to find it back. But it’s taken them so long, it’s only natural they’re the thieves, not wanting to hand over their loot!” “…Thank you.”
The person left calmly, leaving M’Lyn and Kujo to their own thing. The Miqo’te was deep in thought, trying to analyze what they had. If two of the unit’s members had given themselves up, it was for a reason, surely —but they couldn’t learn the reasons just yet. But one thing was certain.
The unit that had arrived there had been framed by an unknown individual.
“What next?” M’Lyn asked, looking at Kujo, “We haven’t figured out anything about the whereabouts of that last person, have we?” the Miqo’te grimaced, “At the very least we have some context to what’s going on, but it’s certainly not enough…” “Are you intrigued by those guys, too? Huh… And here I wanted to help ‘em out a bit, after they lent me a hand —you mind if I lend you a hand, instead?”
Back at the Almira, Jack was quick to work, with his tools now in hand’s reach for him to use. Alice was looking closely at him work, finding something about her brother working on technology rather fascinating. In the meantime, Andreas was looking around through the ship, making sure he didn’t mess anything up.
“You really think you can make it so our comms can inter-communicate?” Andreas asked, skeptical. “…” “H-Hey…” “He’s busy” Alice said, puffing her cheeks as she glanced towards Andreas, “Let him work for a bit?” “Ah —s-sorry… I’m not the one messing around with tech most of the time…” “…If I can learn how your signal works, then I can make it so our devices can pick it up, and vice versa” Jack explained, taking a small break and looking at Andreas, “Once we do that… We can locate where your crew’s at. But I gotta ask… What about your Navi?” “Troy? I wish I knew… He’s never gotten tech issues, and Lancer trusts him a lot” Andreas explained, “We landed much like you guys —in the desert—, and then Troy took of as protocol has it. Before we knew, though, when we entered the town, we got framed with theft!” “And you think this ‘Troy’ has nothing to do with it?” “He couldn’t have —we were talking with him the whole time. Not only that, but if he really left our ship, then we would’ve known.” “…How?” Alice asked. “Simple —Lancer’s always keeping the ship’s position in mind through his own devices. It would’ve notified him if the ship moved…” “Aren’t you trusting him too much?” Jack asked, catching Andreas off-guard. “Jack…?” “Can you say for certain your Navi is tryin’ to get you guys back together?” “…Certain!” Andreas’ tone caught Jack’s attention —a determined and fierce tone that shook him to the core, “Troy wouldn’t leave us behind —he wouldn’t sell us off, either!”
Alice looked at her brother, noticing a somewhat sour look in his face, yet didn’t do anything about it, instead stepping away faintly.
She knew exactly what was going through his head, as he returned to messing around with the signals and comms they all had.
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 12, 2020 11:00:40 GMT -5
Their asking around town proved to be far more fruitful than the gates—though the task itself still left Kujo with a sour expression by the end of it. So—they struck a deal with the guards and left the other two to the cells, huh? Did that mean the other two had a plan for how to get their teammates out? His question was soon answered, finding out that a 'deal' had been struck. ”They claimed they weren’t the ones who’d stolen the heirloom—“ As they spoke to yet another person about the rumor, an important piece of the puzzle was fitted. Tch—what a lousy deal. Trying to steal it back to clear their names? What a hassle. There was an annoying pit in his stomach, one that told him they'd be getting involved in this mess one way or another. ”What next?” Despite their getting more context, M’Lyn was right—they still had no clue of the whereabouts of the last unit member.
”Are you intrigued by those guys, too?” The new and unfamiliar voice caused Kujo’s eyes to narrow as he turned to face the interrupter. ”Huh…and here I wanted to help ‘em out a bit, after they lent me a hand—“ Thankfully it seemed the newcomer was at least not a hostile eavesdropper, though the way they had come up and listened to their conversation before talking to them immediately made Kujo less prone to accept whatever offer they had in mind. With a grimace, the man in lavender sized up the newcomer—raising an eyebrow and giving them a suspicious gaze as he crossed his arms.
”And who’re you supposed to be?”
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 12, 2020 11:50:31 GMT -5
Thud. A few ways near M’Lyn and Kujo, someone had dropped down —their so-called “interrupter” was just a man of that world, wearing an open purple vest with nothing underneath, a red-violet fez and baggy white pants held by a reddish-orange sash. He was barefoot, yet the heat of the ground didn’t seem to bother him as he approached the pair with a nonchalant expression.
“Oh, sorry” the man apologized, “Being honest, I wasn’t up to jumping in until I overheard what you were asking about. You wanna know about that group that got arrested, right? And about the two that ran off.” “You’re awfully well-informed, aren’t you?” M’Lyn asked, “However… Before we come to whatever it is you want to offer… Who are you?” “Name’s Aladdin —I’m a street-rat from the area” the man introduced himself, “Don’t worry, though —I don’t plan on stealing or anything, if you’re up to helping those two—Ah…”
M’Lyn’s ears twitched, turning around to grab a small monkey trying to sneak behind her, picking it up by the vest they wore with a scowl. Aladdin also seemed mad, but also aware of the mischievous monkey that had tried to straight up steal from the Miqo’te.
“That’s bold, isn’t it? Claiming you won’t steal from us and yet sending someone to do just that…” M’Lyn glared over at Aladdin, suspicious, “You’ll have to start from scratch if you really want us to trust you.” “Abu!” Aladdin scolded, “I’m really trying to cooperate here —you’re not helping!” the man sighed, shaking his head, “I’m really sorry about that… Legitimately, though, I wanna help that group out. They helped me back before, so it’s only natural I’d wanna help them back. I know where that girl left to, for example, but the boy… I don’t know.” “We might’ve already found them” M’Lyn asked, “But I still can’t trust you.” “C’mon…”
“Done.”
Alice cheered silent, a proud smile as she heard her brother finish with his part. The comm Andreas had handed over didn’t change at all, but Jack seemed happy with whatever results he’d gotten, which made the other guy doubt about his skills. Alice quickly returned to the monitors, starting communications once more in hopes to finding the rest of the crew.
“It worked!” the girl cheered, turning towards her brother, “I can see all of them now!” “Then we got their locations…” Jack muttered to himself, looking at the screen before quickly turning towards Alice, “Can you pinpoint their Navi now?” “Hmm… I think I can. It’s here, isn’t it?” “That’s just the ship’s reading” Andreas replied, catching the siblings’ attention, “Troy, where’d you go…” “…There’s two here” Jack pointed at the screen, “You’re here with us, and the other two are about there” pointing and marking around the map they had thanks to Andreas’ comm, Jack managed to pinpoint everyone, “That’s five —including your Navi. Is it possible he landed to help that Mary girl you mentioned?” “It could be —they’re pretty close” Andreas nodded, “Then… Where to ne— Ah…” the boy looked away. “Hmm?” “Right… So, I told you we got framed, right?” Andreas asked back, “Lancer managed to settle a deal with the guards, saying that he and Corrine would stay while we went to find what was stolen. We know who took that heirloom —those creatures you found, back when we met.” “The Heartless, huh…?” “Yeah —we were chasin’ after them alongside someone from this world, since they asked us to help them. We covered good ground before we were caught and were forced to make that deal. Troy’s aware of it, so…” “Do you know where the Heartless could’ve taken it?” Alice asked. “They headed into the desert… From there, we don’t know much else. I’m just hoping Mary and Troy don’t get overworked… This desert’s hell.”
Jack brought one hand to his chin, thinking a bit before coming to a decision. He reached for his comm in order to contact Kujo and M’Lyn, aiming to regroup with them, while leaving Andreas behind with Alice —much for both’s discomfort, but nothing to do there. They had all the locations pinpointed, and was now just a matter of regrouping them back. “Guys —I got the locations” Jack informed as he headed outside of the Almira, “It’s a matter of getting them the help they need. Alice’ll try and contact with whoever she can, but we’re on our own for now. Where are you two? I’m comin’.”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 12, 2020 13:23:24 GMT -5
”Oh, sorry.” At least seeming honestly reproachful, Kujo sighed a bit and disarmed slightly towards the local. He was still suspicious of them somewhat, as the man had a tendency to be wary towards strangers. ”You’re awfully well-informed, aren’t you?” M’Lyn seemed to be cut from a similar cloth. Probably the reason the two of them had always gotten along rather well. ”Name’s Aladdin—“ As Aladdin introduced himself, a subtle motion from the corner of Kujo’s eyes drew his attention. Within the same moment, the Miqo’te whipped around and snatched up a small monkey adorned in a vest similar to Aladdin’s.
”Tch—a monkey that steals?” What was he going to see next? Other worlds were definitely something else. ”Abu!” It seemed that the monkey really was Aladdin’s, not that the younger boy seemed capable of taming it whatsoever. ”I’m really sorry about that…” The apology brought a skeptical brow to raise on Kujo’s face. Hearing how Aladdin seemed keen on returning a favor to the unit they were attempting to rescue, the man wondered what exactly had gone on between them.
”I know where that girl left to, for example, but the boy…” As Aladdin confessed having knowledge on the last missing unit’s whereabouts, Kujo’s face darkened faintly as he took a few steps closer, a serious look on his face as his eyes pierced the boy and monkey alike. ”If you really want to help them—tell us what you know.” The local was mistaken in confessing to having information—Kujo now was going to get information one way or the other. There was also a nagging suspicion that perhaps the true culprit of the theft was right in front of them.
”I don’t care about trust. I don’t have time to waste on that shit.” He leaned forward a bit, scrutinizing Aladdin with his gaze. ”I got my own ways of making sure I can’t be betrayed.” A faint yet menacing grin lingered over the man’s face—an obvious bloodlust seeping out. ”So—start from the beginning.”
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Post by therunawaygirl on Oct 13, 2020 3:37:21 GMT -5
“Kujo…”
M’Lyn seemed skeptical at the man’s approach towards Aladdin, while Abu jumped from her grasp and towards its partner. Seeing the faint bloodthirst in Kujo’s expression made Aladdin shake if only slightly, but he wasn’t backing off from that deal.
He had a favor to pay back.
“If you think I’m the one who took that, be my guest” Aladdin said with an uneasy smile, “I’m not your culprit —that much I can swear on. I know who took it and where —I told that girl to head there as fast as she could so that we could catch them before it was too late, but we got split up because of… Whatever the hell those things are.” “Go on…” M’Lyn said, her curiosity overpowering her suspicions. “That girl headed for the Cave of Wonders —I’m sure that’s where the true culprits wanna head to” Aladdin continued, “And I know that’s the place they headed to because that’s where they took Jasmine.” “…I beg your pardon? Jasmine?” “The princess of Agrabah, yeah. Argh —that doesn’t matter!” the man shook his head, meeting Kujo with a determined gaze, “I’m honest here —I’m not lying. I need to head there myself, but with the number of creatures going around, attacking people and stealing things, I’ve had my hands full! That group helped me fend them off and said they’d lend me a hand to find Jasmine. I can’t let them down now that they’ve been framed with stealing that heirloom!”
M’Lyn was once again crossing her arms, thinking their options. It was clear that Kujo thought Aladdin was their real culprit, but Jack had mentioning finding Heartless in the area. Were they up to cause trouble again, like the many times they did before? But it wouldn’t make much sense…
Why would they steal? And how could they possibly frame others of that theft? Heartless weren’t intelligent creatures at all —they were instinctive. A thought crossed her mind, and her expression hardened.
Could it be… That individual?
“We might be onto something…” the Miqo’te mumbled, to quickly look at Kujo with a fierce gaze, “We agree that the Heartless couldn’t have framed them, right? It had to be someone —a person, most likely” she said, “Maybe… They’re here, as well… It’s a possibility —you can’t deny it.” “Oi —did you two catch onto what I asked?!”
Heated as they were trying to get information, they had completely forgotten about Jack, who was trying to reach them through their comms. The Miqo’te sighed, looking away for a bit before she chose to reply, turning around with her back against Kujo and Aladdin.
“I got the team’s locations. If we ain’t goin’ for the two that got arrested, then we’re goin’ after the Navi and that other person —Mary. Andreas is stayin’ with Alice by the ship, and she’ll try contacting the team to get an answer. Where are you two?” “…Gathering information” M’Lyn replied, “We’re by one of the alleys of the town. Do you need our location?” “If you’re inside the city, I can probably find you. I’m not headin’ through the streets, though —I don’t wanna be caught by those guards again.” “You really do hate authorities, don’t you? This isn’t the first time you’ve acted like this…” “And you know exactly the reason why, ya damn Miqo’te!” Jack retorted back, “…Hang tight —I’m headin’ there.”
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Post by hoodwink on Oct 13, 2020 9:07:29 GMT -5
”Kujo…” He paid M’Lyn’s reproach no heed. If the street-rat wouldn’t comply willingly, it’d be nothing to get the information they needed by force. Unlike the guards, this local didn’t have any sort of backing—a thief amidst the chaos of a heist. ”If you think I’m the one who took that, be my guest…” Aladdin’s uneasy smile showed the man seemed hesitant to confrontation—fitting for his line of work, really. ”We got split up because of…whatever the hell those things are.” Kujo’s menacing scowl slowly waned into an unpleasant grimace. Of course. Jack ran into them, too. Heartless. Every damned place they went. Heartless.
”That girl headed for the Cave of Wonders—“ The name meant little to the two non-locals, though it seemed Aladdin at least knew the whereabouts of the last unit member—as well as the heirloom that was stolen. ”I beg your pardon? Jasmine?” For a moment, Kujo had thought ‘Jasmine’ was the name of the last missing unit member—how far off the mark he was. ”The princess of Agrabah.” Kujo raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, his once aggressive stance more relaxed—well, as relaxed as the stoic and rather serious young man could be. ”I need to head there myself, but with the number of creatures going around…”
Aladdin had successfully convinced Kujo. Regardless of the man’s innocence, they needed a guide to this ‘Cave of Wonders’, and the street-rat needed muscle. Tch—can’t I catch a break? Sighing a bit, Kujo glanced over at the thoughtful Miqo’te. ”Maybe…They’re here, as well…” The grimace once more became a dark scowl as the man in lavender recalled the mysterious figure that had plagued their last mission. ”Oi—did you two catch onto what I asked?!” Jack’s loud voice crackled over the earpiece, making Kujo use most of his willpower to not throw the damned device to the ground.
While M’Lyn handled Jack, Kujo gave his attention back to Aladdin once more. There were countless possibilities now, so the brusque man didn’t bother worrying about all of them. If I let him tag along with us, we’ll at least be able to keep tabs on him. It would also prove the validity of his prior involvement with the unit—though Kujo wasn’t the biggest fan of ‘bodyguard’ work, it was becoming a near routine in his job role these days. Sighing a bit, the man shook his head before giving Aladdin a somewhat exasperated look. Jack’s got the coordinates…but we know nothing about this ‘Cave of Wonders’.
”Alright. You want extra muscle? We need a guide who knows the area.” Removing one of his large and calloused hands from his pocket, the man glowered a bit as he offered it out. ”You can tag along—but don’t bother getting in the way if those things pop up. We'll handle those.” Raising an eyebrow, it seemed the man was at least making the barest attempt at being less unpleasant now. It seemed in his own rough way, he was attempting to do what Jack had done with him back on his own home world. Strike a deal.
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